Riddle Heights Onwards and Upwards

He waited patiently for any sign of response and when none came he shifted uncomfortably in his position, his head tilted to the side, mirroring the woman’s own. He could feel his pulse jabbing at his throat, begging him to speak up and demand an answer, but over the years, he had learned that impatience got him nowhere. Nina had been a big part of his developments in the past year and he knew he could not have done it without his faithful sister. He was becoming tense though, that was nothing that he could stop. Being highly apprehensive over an offer he had made to another was not something that Ash was familiar with experiencing. The brute was much more use to hanging out in the shadows and waiting for his post to be needed by Athena, not something that happened often, though he knew he could never stop with his acts of protection, even if he was now alpha of the Poison Path wolves. He would have to pull his weight even more now if it was official though. The brown man would not allow Athena to lead alone, for he knew that she needed him either way and that there was no other male that he would even deem suitable to lead by her side…at least, not anymore.

So when the loner’s answer came to his ears, he controlled himself from leaping around in joy and settled with a plain, simple smile on his black lips. He then listened to the rest of her words, nodding his head in turn and watching as she sunk into a submissive like posture. Nodding to her once again, he lifted his tail high above his back and hung his head high, like a trophy and approached the female, amusement glimmering in his eyes at her words. Many of the wolves within Poison Path preferred to keep to themselves, though when pack gatherings were called, they were asked to attend and at least participate when asked to do so. Later, he would make this quite clear to the lady when they gave her a sweep of the lands and perhaps even found her the cave she wanted. Upon her quiet statement, he heard Namara comment besides him and he slightly relaxed in knowing that the female had not completely lost her touch. At least she had said something.

Finally, he approached Kyadi, his tail swaying behind him as he leaned down and went to clamp her muzzle firmly, but gently within his jaws. This would be the final test and if she allowed this then she would officially become a member of the family. Gently muttering to her once the deed was done, he said, "Welcome to Poison Path…let me inform you that we don’t take desertion lightly." He then stepped back, mentioning with his tail for both of the women to follow him on their trip home. Clearing his throat, he finally said, "Let us show you your new home…and once you get comfortable, we can find that cave of yours." The three then made their way back home towards the rocky mountains, the home of the Poison Path wolves.

I think I've finally seen the light..in you.

Ash seemed to favor Kyadi's reply. She thought she could see a twinge of excitement only just concealed behind his eyes... but the stronger sign was the smile, though small, that graced his brown muzzle even before he assumed a dominant posture. Kyadi did not move from her own position, though her eyes darted up briefly as the female spoke for the first time: "Named for the nightshade that grows here." Such were the first words Kyadi ever heard the broken female speak. At once, a half-smile broke onto the woman's maw. Oh yes. It was perfect. Trust Kyadi to take a liking to something just because of the irony of a name... Poison Path. Deadly nightshade.

Orange eyes flickered back to Ash, then to the ground in some semblance of respect as he grabbed her muzzle in his mouth. She remained perfectly still, taking and tolerating the act as a wolf who, while rarely in that position, knew better than to fight it. As he spoke and walked away, Kyadi took that as her cue to rise. Her lips seemed frozen in that half-smile as she pursued the man who would now be her leader and the woman - Namara - who moved on a broken limb. How old was the injury anyway? It was unlikely Kyadi could do much to help the woman now, but... as Kyadi revealed with her own fairly smooth stride, it wasn't impossible to recover. Unlike Kyadi however, Namara had a higher chance at a permanent limp.

"Of course not. Few packs do," Kyadi responded at last. But I'm married to my work, man. She chuckled, her teeth clacking distinctly as she recalled deserters in her time as a leader... and traitors she had faced. Her own kin. "Glad for the tour; I'll keep an eye out along the way." Caves. Useful things that promised to sprout into herbs when the spring came on properly... and the aforementioned nightshade...

There was nothing else to do now besides wait, Namara remained seated, paw raised slightly. Her face remained a blank sheet, instead of the silvery gaze that normally graced her features, her eyes were a dull grey. They even seemed to be devoid of interest in what was happening, though in her heart she was happy that there would be a real healer. One that would stay, hopefully one that was smart, more than anything this was what Namara needed, healing, real healing. Not advice from a wolf halfway across the region, not from a dark deserter, but healing from one who meant to heal, healing from one who would fix her leg instead of trusting her on her own. If it were up to Namara she could just work twice as hard until her leg didn't ever hurt.

It was done, Kyadi had been accepted, and the three trod towards home. All the while with Kyadi's eyes flickering back and forth, searching. Searching for what Namara found she could not care about. Her steady limp was the only thing she could focus on, it seemed to be getting less painful. Though it was very, very slow. Too slow for Namara's taste, her silent worry began to consume her. If she could never walk properly or fight again, she would just find somewhere to die and she would wait. She would wait for death to come and claim her. After a few moments with these thoughts burning her heart she coughed and made a very dry remark, at a feeble attempt to lighten her dark mood. "Try not to poison us with that nightshade either."