Sex: MaleWhat is Wisdom?
The peak of the afternoon was not Honijo's usual haunting hour. He preferred those hours closer to darkness, where he could melt away into the shadows and be alone with his thoughts. But, with the afternoon sun shining brightly, now was the best time to summon those who had pledged their allegiance to him. With any luck, they would not have wandered off too far. There was much that they needed to discuss, including the recent happenings of water becoming scarce. Up on the mountain as they were, there were few places were they could get water easily and if this current course of nature continued, the Plateau wolves would be in trouble.
Large paws gripped the rocky ground as all four limbs came to life, raising the leader up off the floor of his den. Shaking himself, he stepped out into the light. Having cleared his den, he threw back his head. Muzzle pointed to the sky, his lips formed an oval shape, his baritone voice coming to life as he howled for those who had declared themselves member of his pack. Satisfied that they would have heard them if they were close by, the Leader quieted. Reclining down onto his haunches, he prepared to wait...interested to know who would show.
Honijo demanded loyalty and that was exactly what Weldering was going to give them, though respect and trust was not going to be dished out immediately. Those two things would take time to gain from the silver and black masked male but he was willing to wait and be tolerant of his new Alpha Male. So far he had not given him any kind of first impression just yet neither good nor bad. As the howl reached the soot coloured ears of the large young male he lifted himself up for his spot beneath a fir tree where he had been resting. Weaving his way cautiously down the now familiar trails of his home as he made his way towards the source of the call.
This pack meeting was something Weldering had greatly been looking forward too, he desired the company of a pack and from the moment Honijo said there were others that were members of Midnight Plateau he was exceptionally curious about who they were and what they were like. Maybe he had even met some of them before, he would not put that idea past himself as he knew he'd met a fair share of the wolves in Relic Lore already. Calmly he approached his leader and with a thin and contented smile he politely showed his submission by allowing his head to drop, ears briefly folding backwards and holding this respectful pose for a moment. When his head did finally lift again it was only to look around curiously noticing that he was the first to arrive, hopefully others would show up soon as he really wanted to meet them.
Alexander moved slowly along the mountainside, pale eyes shifting in every which direction. Despite the week or so he'd called the Mountain of Dire his home, he hadn't investigated this place yet. For the past nights since his arrival, he'd slept neither here nor there. He hadn't found a place to settle just yet, and by ascending the mountain, he hoped to find it. It was definitely out of the way, but if it provided him with safety at night then he didn't care.But his search was cut short. Honijo was calling. Alex hadn't seen the Plateau Alpha since their rather interesting meeting by the Falls. Alexander had meant to hunt him down, but investigation had been creeping into the forefront his mind. What a perfect time to make up for his forgetfulness and make himself acquainted with his fellow packmates as well. That's what it was all about, right? Not just finding a place to sleep, and having safety. It was about family, in a way. That's what he was used to, at least. But as he descended the mountain towards the Plateau, he had to remind himself that this wasn't like his old home. Things were bound to be different, that he'd already experienced.
As the stone path flattened out, Alexander was surprised to see that another had already arrived. Even more surprising was the fact that he knew the wolf. Weldering. Well, things seemed to be off to a good start. Moving forward again, he came up to the duo now, head bowed and tail dropped in submission to his new Leader. That was easy enough, and he rose back up a moment later, backing up towards Weldering and sitting a few feet away from him, eyes curiously flashing over the darker wolf's form for a moment before he gave a quiet sort of snort, and turned his attention back towards Honijo.
Kardinal padded forward, paws unusually sore from the sharp rock on the Mountain Dire, going forward to meet with the wolf that had called the pack forward. He was a fresh, new member, not quite a hobbledehoy, no, not quite. Instead, Kardinal already had some experience beneath his thick, russet pelt. He remembered seasons before walking alongside the others in his own pack, hunting beside his brother. He remembered hunting their first hunt, a <i>stag</i> of all this. It had been the best time of his life when he and Tannin had brought down the great beast, and carried the antlers back their den as their prize, proud as mockingbirds.
Eager energy entered Kardinal's steps. He was excited, looking forward to this new commitment of a pack. He was going to run with new wolves, meet new friends. He didn't have to pledge loyalty, he felt this new loyalty coursing through his limbs as he broke into a bound, running quicker. Kardinal had not met any pack members, let alone Honijo, since the strange incident with the curious death of the deer, and meeting a she-wolf in the woods. Kar found himself padding a little farther away from the mountainside cliff, and blinked in surprise.
There were two other wolves here, and of course, Honijo himself. Kardinal's eyes swept briefly over a younger, dark wolf, he seemed fairly young but able enough, and then nodded in friendly acknowledgement of a wolf he was sure he had encountered before. Alexander...?...had it been. It might have, but now he couldn't be sure. Kardinal still had to get used to recognizing each wolf in his new pack by name and by sent. But for now, he rested himself on his haunches and bowed his head respectfully in greeting to the pack leader.
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What is Wisdom?
Three out of five. All things considered, that was about what Honijo had expected. Since his youth he had watched lone wolves come and go, pledging their loyalty without every actually meaning it. Maybe they meant loyalty to themselves. That was more than likely the scenario. The two who had left, he couldn't even remember their names; they were doing what they was best for them, and Honijo would not stand in their way. However, if doing what was best for them was returning to Midnight Plateau to seek refuge...there would very well might be some consequences.
Looking around him, he surveyed the three males who had come forward at his summonings. Weldering, Alexander, and Kardinal. They were a fine bunch, though he smirked as he noted the difference in gender ratio this time around. Rather than a flock of females, he was surrounded by a flock of males. Oh, the irony.
"I'm glad you all could make it," he began, his voice calling their attention to him. They were only four strong, but that did not mean they were too weak to be consequential. "First, there is a matter of ranks to be determined, before we move on to other things." He went silent, looking at them all each in turn. Truth be told, he really didn't know all that much about any of them; they were all just subordinates who had either come to his borders looking for a home or he'd run into. "You're going to have to earn your ranks here, gentlemen; I don't just hand them out." And that was it; it was their move now. They would have to establish who was more dominant than who. Rather now than later, when they weren't being supervised and held to fair play by their alpha.
The silent arrival of the lone members of Midnight Plateau was almost disheartening. There were only four of them. But Alexander wasn't much of a pessimist, even at the worst of times. There was strength in numbers, and each of them had to be worth at least three wolves each. He let out a small huff of air in exchange for a laugh, so as not to look silly for laughing at nothing, and he fell quickly silent as Honijo spoke.He hadn't expected the Alpha to cut to the chase so quickly, but Alexander supposed it was necessary. To make his way, he'd have to fight. Though, he didn't much like the idea of causing discourse so early on. But if it was necessary, it was necessary. As silence took over again, Alexander let his eyes travel over his pack mates once more. He was surprised to find that Weldering had disappeared at some point during the small speech.
So he had to fight Kardinal.
Alexander towered easily over the russet-hued wolf, he could tell, even though he sat a few meters away from him. Slowly rising to his paws, he let out a growl of warning towards his pack mate. Perhaps if Kardinal would back down from the beginning...But Alexander simply couldn't just jump at him without first giving him a chance.