Umbra Copse you'll be on my mind

If I ever leave I could learn to miss you

Everything had been settled with Sahalie and Alastor was feeling much lighter for it. At least they were on more understanding terms, which benefited not only him but the rest of the pack. They were young so they needed to seem as well put together as they could, which meant that anything that seemed to be off between them at any point in time needed to be dealt with immediately. He didn’t know how this new system would work between them, as they had mostly stood on the grounds of both of them bottling up their feelings with each other until they’d literally burst on the other. Hopefully this would only prove to bring them closer, something that the silver man longed for.

He’d just been scouting a place for another cache when Larkspur’s call went up. The man turned his head to where it had come from, brow raised in curiosity. As much as he might pick at the pale second in good fun it had been him that had been steadily picking up members for them. He was proving himself to be a real asset, something that Alastor wouldn’t likely admit out loud. Couldn’t have the old man’s ego going over the roof, could they? No matter, he turned and made to trot toward the call. He made little move to posture other than a slight lift of his chin. His sharp eyes and daunting size normally seemed enough to convince others of his placement, though his age was also something that could put doubt in their minds.

As he came upon the scene he paused, expression lifting into one of surprise at the small girl next to him. But it was quickly replaced with a grin. He had been wondering from time to time if the dark girl would take up his offer. Though, he couldn’t help but wonder which it was. Was she just visiting, or was she there to join their ranks? Growing nearer the latter was dashed with the scent of a pack that clung to her pelt. Yet, he couldn’t be angry. If she was happy where she was then a visit would suffice. “I was wondering when you would show up,” he chuckled.

With sentimental boy as my nom de plume

With care Iyes managed to refrain from smiling that something she said finally seemed to agree with the pale wolf, even if agree was perhaps too strong of a verb for his hesitantly given moniker. She even managed to suppress her initial urge to take offense that he couldn't even pretend to like her and decided to think critically on what he'd said. Raising her dark brows the inky youth was surprised that it made some actual sense to her.

A sense of safety had come to surround the she-wolf on their journey. The smell of the borders grew stronger and stronger as they approached and, satisfied he wasn't taking her somewhere to make a rug of her pretty pelt, the petite yearling was comfortable enough to volley back on his (only slightly) insulting statements. "That's a relief," she exhaled, "Because you haven't been particularly likable. Probably not the first time you've been told." Her tone was light-hearted, but she wasn't joking. It was as if her very presence burdened the white wolf. Soon enough, he'd be rid of her, and she could appreciate his hurtful wisdoms.

The pale bodies of aspen trees rose before her, skeletal branches extending to the sky and grasping at the weightless clouds with naked fingers. There was more space to breathe between the trunks in this southern corner of the Copse, more openness above them to allow light to filter down. It was kind of a nice place, certainly much different from the hell they had to traverse to get here. Perhaps best of all was the familiar scent hanging around the entire place. She heard Larkspur call out for Alastor, a beckoning song which drew a nervous energy out from her pounding heart. The whole way here he was only a prospect; now, he was about to become real.

Suddenly there he was, a silver apparition from between the bone-colored trees, his chin lifted and turquoise eyes bright with confidence. He certainly carried himself like his scent marked up the borders here. For a moment Iyes felt herself shrinking back, worried that it was different now - that was how it usually went, anyway, when she met a wolf from a different pack. But to her relief he smiled when he saw her, and quipped a charming greeting which solicited a similar grin upon her dark muzzle. "Better late than never?" She countered, a joyful wag beginning in her tail.

She didn't quite let go of her walls yet. There was the slight matter of a third wheel, a wolf who she slid her amber gaze toward as she addressed him. "You're done now, yeah?" She posed the half-hidden question, a callback to his earlier bite that she was done scouting. Well, now she was. She'd found who she wanted to find and Larkspur was welcome to be rid of her with this hand off. The best of both worlds for the two monochromatic wolves.

@Larkspur Shall we fade this one and @Kino and I continue in another thread?

adopt thea?

The older man snorted, "You're going to have to try a little bit harder if you want to hurt my feelings." Hell, it was more as if Larkspur went out of his way to make sure he wasn't particularly likeable. Rarely did he feel like he was much more than just tolerable, and seemingly tolerable enough for Sahalie to let him stay and tolerable enough for Alastor to not drive him out. He'd made a point to be helpful and bit his tongue enough to not cause too many ripples.

Alastor appeared and mostly ignored him, the blue eyed boy's friendly gaze remained on his friend. The two greeted one another, and shortly after the young girl had the gall to dismiss him. He stared at her for a moment, the shock clear on his face. His mind reeled and had he not been in front of his alpha, he would have done something about it. He did as he had learned to do in the Vale and bit down on his tongue, his face scrunching up to show the girl his teeth. He growled at her, but stepped away.

"Alastor," he said as he brushed past the boy, quickly leaving the duo to catch up.