With a yawn, his pink tongue curling upwards and poking out of his mouth, before retreating and closing his jaws, Ace stood and stretched out his limbs, before giving a quick shake of his head. It was early morning; he had slept in an hour or two. His body was still recuperating from his near death before joining the ranks of Magnolia Glen, and he would be forever loyal to the man and woman that accepted them – he still did not know their names, but that wasn’t of importance at the moment.

The sun shone down from the sky, which was a patchwork of light grey fading into blue and white. Stepping into the sunlight from his sheltered den, he stood still for a few minutes, soaking up the sun, feeling it warm him to the bone, before he sighed softly, feeling relaxed and energized. Padding off in a random direction, he sought to wander the lands for a while, take in the beauty of the arriving spring in the bloom of flowers and the green of the grass. It was a truly wondrous sight, and was one of the reasons he was glad for being alive.

Pausing to lift his muzzle into the air, hoping to catch a whiff of rabbit or some other small creature nearby that he could hunt and place in the pack cache. He would not be contributing to the pack others, but sadly, there was nothing on the wind save for the usual scents, but nothing living. Sighing again, he continued with his steady trot, hoping to come across something that he could hunt, or maybe a wolf to converse with.

277 Words

If I could have you in my heart, I
would protect you forever

Albireo's wanderings had drawn him outwards from his home range. The ruddy eastern soil had worked into his fur, tinging his pale grey coat an uncharacteristic tawny, remaining even as he ventured back into the bounds of Magnolia Glen. A limp squirrel kit hung from his teeth, its parents already devoured when Al had discovered their nest. He would drop the squirrellet off at the cache, making a perfunctory tribute to the pack.

The territory's scents had changed within the few days he had been gone. The perfume of magnolia flowers just beginning to bloom carried far from the heart of the pack lands, nearly obfuscating the musky odor of two unexpected wolves. One was wholly unknown, but the other was a scent Al could never forget. His brother. @Deneb could be tresspassing, but Al knew it was unlikely that his brother could have infiltrated the territory so deeply on his wiles alone. Albireo hadn't expected that Deneb would have sought to join the ranks of the own pack that Al had found shelter amongst.

Albireo's snout wrinkled as his face curled into a snarling grimace, a low rumble of irritation beginning deep in his chest. The dead squirrel kit had been dropped, carelessly stomped over as Albireo surged forward. Albireo was set on finding Deneb, though had no thoughts as to what he would do with him once he found him.

So honed in was he on finding Deneb had he forgotten the other strange scent. At the first sight of pale fur through the trees, Albireo broke into a run, a snarling, bristling juggernaut headed straight towards what he initially thought to be Deneb. Al only stopped short at the last moment, jerking to a halt just feet from what was definitely a stranger. Albireo panted, his breaths coming heavier than the short burst of speed had required. His shoulders shook as he glared at Ace. "WHERE IS HE?!" Albireo yelled, dark brown eyes glaring into a pair of silver, not considering the other male had no idea just who he was looking for.

And now, enter cranky Zia.
xD

For once in her life, the silver woman had decided to take the day off. As a guardian, she was dedicated to her obligations to keep the outermost reaches of the territory secure and safe. But even a hard working girl like herself needed a break every now and then. Their numbers may not have increased dramatically, but she knew there were enough of them that at least someone would pick up the slack today. Deep inside the cool recesses of the den, she sighed, blue eyes fixated on a blank earthen wall. Upon her side she laid, lost in thought. Her mind drifted back to Inkheart...her partner. Her friend. She was getting over his loss, but she still couldn't help but wonder what life would be like if he hadn't been lost to the mountain on that terrible day. Would she have succumbed to her instincts and betrayed Phineas and Borlla by carrying pups of her own? Or would she have stayed loyal, yet forever envious? It was too late to turn back time now, so all she could do was look to the future. Soon new life would once again flourish.

With a grunt, she rolled to her paws, arching her spine in a stretch. She had slept in long enough, and it would be prudent to stretch her legs and maybe even catch a snack or two to eat or store in the caches. Exiting the tight opening of the den, she blinked as the bright daylight struck her face, taking a moment to let her eyes adjust. Giving her body a shake, she loosened any dirt that had gathered in her fur overnight, and then took a look around. No one was nearby, but life was all around her. The trees were ready to sprout new leaves, the brown grass was turning green and the chatter of songbirds had replaced the silence of winter. Normally, the turning of the seasons would've lifted her spirits. But she was still troubled and restless for some reason she couldn't quite place yet. Deciding it best not to dwell on it, she sought to roam about, perhaps to check up on Borlla should she bump into her.

She hadn't been seeing much of anyone lately and that made her lips quiver in irritation. Just what were they all doing? Were they so detached from pack life that they couldn't bother to show their faces? Shaking her head, she made a note to venture out sometime soon in search of potential new recruits. The silence that she was so used to had been broken abruptly by the sound of snarling. And from what she could tell, the commotion was close by. Her ears pricked up. There was an argument, but what was it about? Frankly, the woman didn't care. So long as every wolf resided within these lands, they were expected to be civil to one another. And Zia, as she had shown on several prior occasions, wouldn't put up with petty squabbling. Breaking out into a run, she headed for the source of the disturbance. It didn't take her long to spot the pale, familiar figure of Albiero, who was charging aggressively at silver and white male she didn't recognize. Ears flattening, her eyes narrowed into slits as she barreled forth. Hackles bristling, her lips to flash her teeth while she snarled. Albiero was her target, to whom she lunged at him in an attempt to grab him firmly by the muzzle. True, he may have shared her rank, but she had resided in the Glen much longer than he. As far as she was concerned, whenever Phineas and Borlla weren't present, it was she who called the shots around here. "What the hell do you think your doing?! Stop this right now before I kick your hide to the borders." Her jaws snapped, once, twice in repetitive clicks. "Is this how you treat our newest member, by demanding answers to which he knows nothing about?" She growled, stepping defensively between Ace and his offender.

Albireo had demanded an answer, and each second that ticked by without him getting it only irritated him further. The fur of his nape bristled as he snarled back at Ace, trying to cover the other male's voice. A lie! He must know where Deneb was, and must be trying to mask his knowledge of Al's brother's whereabouts. This man was lying to him, and Al wouldn't let him get away with it. Albireo squared his shoulders, folding his ears back and squinting his eyes for protection as his hind legs pressed into the ground as he prepared to lunge. The rushing sound of blood pounding through his veins filled his ears, his and Ace's snarling filling his head so much that little else got through.

He was suddenly thrown off balance when Zia swept out of nowhere, her teeth raking over his muzzle, clamping down but not hard enough to hold him for long. He pulled his face away, her canines tugging at his skin and leaving pinpricks of blood, but soon enough he was free. He recoiled, crouched and panting with Zia now standing between him and the liar. His lips were pulled back to the far corners of his mouth, a submissive yet irritated grimace marking his expression.

"But he knows! He knows where he is, and he won't tell me. Phineas has let a liar into our fold." Albireo spat. His tail swished low between his legs, his attention now fully focused on Zia. "And here you are, defending him!" He snorted with distaste as he stared at her.

Zia has attempted to do a stand over Al, so he is directly beneath her body.

To her mild satisfaction, her aim was right on target as she reached for his muzzle. She felt the solid scrape of bone and flesh beneath her teeth, the metallic taste of blood soon thereafter. The hold had been brief...quick enough for Albireo to pull away almost instantly. Spitting out a few small tufts of hair, she turned to glare at him. It wasn't too surprising that he had crouched down before her, lips peeled back in submission. There was no question who was the stronger of the two rank mates, and she wouldn't hesitate to drive her point home if need be. In her time here at the Glen, she had more than once, found herself taking on the role of mediator, stepping in right in the midst of chaos to put an end to any discord.

She sent a quick glance at Ace over her shoulder, just double checking that he was okay and not injured in any way. Had she arrived a moment later, then perhaps he wouldn't have been unscathed. Who knew...a full blown fight could've broken out all over a terrible misunderstanding and case of paranoia. Just before she had a chance to offer Ace an apology on Albireo's behalf, the troublemaker himself had started speaking, pleading his case. What she heard set her nerves on fire, and with a fearsome growl she whirled around to face him. Tail held high, shoulders squared, she tried to plant either forepaw over his sides, so he would end up directly underneath her frame. "Don't give me that bullshit! Do you really think our leader would allow such a wolf into our ranks?" Frankly, she was outraged that he would question Phineas like that. She trusted the ivory males judgement, and respected his opinion. "So instead of taking this out on him, why don't you start by telling us who the hell you are talking about." Ace need not worry about submitting too much in front of her. It Albireo who was in the wrong here, not him.

Albireo wasn't sure what kind of response he would get, but it was clear he did not expect that Zia would whirl about, again snarling and trying to maneuver her form over him in a display of dominance. Like the weasel he was, Albireo twisted out of the cage of her limbs and skittered farther back, his chest kept low to the ground and his tail ducked so far under himself that his hindquarters curled towards the ground. Still the antagonized, submissive pull of his lips kept all of his teeth revealed. His eyelids were held wide enough that the surrounding whites now showed, at sharp contrast with his dark irises and black eyelids. The entire look was of a cowering wolf, though he'd be damned if he would let the woman just stand over him as if she owned him.

Both Zia and the pack's new liar asked who he was looking for, and Albireo narrowed his muddy eyes as if skeptical that they truthfully did not know of who he was speaking. The liar looked dumb enough that Albireo suspected he truly did not know, but he expected better from Zia. "Is that it then? Has he just waltzed in under everyone's nose?" Albireo said frantically, keeping his eyes on Zia in case she charged again. "Deneb. My brother, my damned brother is here and I can smell him!" Albireo clenched his teeth, a long whine seeping out as he imagined all the repercussions of Deneb's infiltration of the pack. It was obvious to him that these two cared little for Al's well being.

(Sorry for the huge delay!)
Once Albireo scurried away out of her reach, she made no move to try and pin him again. Instead, she stood in place, her dark tail arched above her spine in a display of authority. She may not have thought highly of the gold and cream man, but she would at least offer him enough respect so as not to invade his personal space. Much. Her upper lip quivered slightly, flashing brief peek of her teeth. Satisfied enough to know that she had likely cornered the male, at least pyschologically, she listened to the words he spat from his mouth. "Ah yes...I do recall that our leader had accepted another wolf into the pack recently." She muttered lowly, more to herself than to either of the males. Her words were well chosen, as she opted not to inform Albiero that she had met Deneb before, and dicussed the relationship between the brothers.

Ace, who the whole time had been taking it all in and staying well out of the way, had not been forgotten. "What does your brother look like?" She asked, circling around to the other side, so she could stand just a few short paces ahead of the silver male, who Albiero had labeled as a liar. With a look over her shoulder, the silent message in her eyes conveyed that she had his tail covered. Once over with, she would have to apologize to her new pack mate, for such outrageous behavior on behalf of one of their own. "I would suggest getting over your paranoia and at least allow this man to prove his innocence first." She advised, in a much calmer voice than before.