The routine had always been monotonous, and yet somehow it seemed almost pointless with the loss of his son and the unrelenting bitterness of the winter and famine. He managed to avoid most by marking the borders, and while the scent of his pack members reiterated they too worked through the mundane tasks of the day, they were still dwindling in numbers. Caleb had left them now – perhaps stirred by the possibilities of the breeding season that lingered upon them, despite how appealing it seemed this year with the hardships and starvation.


The howl resounded throughout the territory, causing the regal muzzle of the wolf to lift from the tree he had moments before been inspecting in hopes something edible rest in the open base of it’s trunk. He met with nothing, which only meant the creature had died from the winter itself, or another beast had beat him to it.


Trailing now, curious to whom was beckoning him, the Argyris male came across the pale wolf within twenty minutes of the call. The wolf remained a respectful distance from his borders, and while the situation demanded Phineas naturally rise, he did so without the usual pride that spurned him. His fiery eyes regarded the other quietly, not recognizing the scent upon him to indicate he was from the Oak Tree Bend pack. “What brings you to Magnolia Glen borders?” The question was posed with a quiet demand, and suddenly, as if recalling his true duty to this pack, the Argyris willed himself higher in height, his tail now curling higher in the air than his saddled backside.

The ivory male stiffened slightly as the moments passed – such a brief time, and yet the other male regarded him quietly, drooping his tail and taking a neutral posture, which did nothing to signify respect.. nor did it suggest aggression.


But it also did not encourage Phineas' patient side, especially given the conditions they currently lived under.


His ears would cup forward to the words, offering only a single grunt in response. His fiery eyes swept over the wolf before him, looking to find any resemblance to the stranger and to that who wandered his home now – the pallid coat did not eliminate suspicions.. if anything, it only added to them. His thoughts swiftly assumed either Caniri, Jaden or Albireo. Yet appearances were deceiving – he himself looked nothing like the majority of his own kin. He was a far cry from Aeolus, Thanos and even Erebos.


"And your kin is?" The words came out as a rumbling prompt, his expression unchanging as he shifted his weight. Magnolia Glen was a far cry from the paradise it had once been when he and Borlla had initally laid their claim. Their closest friends had been slaughtered by the icy grasp of winter or disappeared within its depths, and now they remained but a starving pack with little to no connections, spare they thrived upon one another for survival. "And what is it you can bring this pack? We are not going to shelter a useless rogue simply seeking to seek the pack cache before taking their leave come spring," he offered again, albeit tiredly.

It could have been sealing his fate to the eye of the Magnolia Glen Leader. The simple relation to such a wolf – Albireo, earned a scornful grunt from the regal, though the gentle whine emitted from the stranger and the embarrassment that seemed to shroud him was not missed – yes, Phineas too would have been in the same situation.


"Ah, Albireo," he finally drawled, his eyes narrowing slightly as the pallid wolf finished his statement in regards to his kin. "A wolf of little means to the pack – he has proved nothing, nor has he truly aided in much, spare for something that is in his better interest." There was a small pause as the Argyris considered his harsh words – they were not untrue. The male had done very little for the pack since his arrival, and at times, had reminded the ivory wolf very much of a weasel. "Is it a family belief to simply thrive off the dedicated work of a pack for a full belly?"


The question was an empty phrase however – the pale wolf called Deneb had already concluded he believed no such thing. There was a soft hum given by the regal, and with a whip of his tail, his lip curled in a partial snarl of warning. "You will be accepted to these lands if it is a reunion you seek – but it will be your sole responsibility to see that your brother begins to take part in his duties as a pack wolf. If you both do not, you will no longer have a home here." These were the terms, and Phineas fixated the male with flashing fiery eyes.

The male’s response could have been taken very differently had his stance not remained so relaxed, yet still Phineas eyed him wearily. He trusted Albireo as far as he could throw him, and it would have been a lie to say the thought of killing the useless male and feeding him to his pack for their survival and strength through the winter had not crossed his mind.


Lucky for the Cygni, he had not made such a desperate decision.


But Phineas’ patience was at an end – the winter had been harsh on them all, and with the death of his son went the more docile and understanding nature he had once built Magnolia Glen upon. The very best of their members had disappeared, and the ones that now remained were mostly strangers, seeking their ranks only in hopes of escaping the harshness of winter and the life of a lone wolf. Come the melting of the snows, he would see how deep their loyalty ran.. or else they would flee from his lands with his teeth marks upon their hind.


“You will both be expected to work at filling the caches and marking the borders.” There was a small pause then from the ivory regal, and as his eyes skeptically slid over the Cygni brother, a small smirk seemed to almost preen at the corner of his lips. “And perhaps, come the warmer weather, you and I will be taking a quick journey across the mountains.” He would leave it at that – first, it had yet to be seen whether or not the male and his brother would even be staying within his home.

His pale companion seemed to accept the words he’d spoken – giving no hint to what he felt at the potential journey Phineas had mentioned or what it could mean. It had been a task he had meant to do with Inkheart before winter – the two had even set off upon the journey, only to return speedily due to a cougar traipsing far too closely to their borders. At the time, the ivory regal had meant to introduce the Glen to their neighbors – yet he had heard nothing of any of them in months now, spare for the altercation with Borlla’s family of Oak Tree Bend. Whether the other packs of the area were simply homebodies or nonexistent, Phineas couldn’t bring himself to care.. so long as they kept to their own business.

Phineas Argyris, he introduced with a low drawl, content that the male had at least bothered to ask – how many loners had showed up upon his doorstep with the pretense of desiring to run among them, only to never question his identity? My mate is Borlla Tainn-Argyris, he offered as well, knowing it likely the ivory wolf would come across her scent as well, if not herself.. depending how long he lasted within their ranks.

With a nod, the Leader took a pace back, giving his pelt a light shake before he gave a tip of his muzzle in the direction of home. Your brother is likely somewhere in there.. doing nothing, as usual. I’ll leave you alone to have your reunion, he murmured dryly. He held no love for Albireo and it would seem he had now made that much obvious. With another nod, the large wolf turned, his own figure continuing to lumber along the borders and away from the newly accepted Glen wolf.