Umbra Copse Long, pale days

She proceeded to pace along the bank of the creek, peering down into the shallows to search for any other likely fish. It was not that she was ignoring him...her attention had just slipped over to the possibility of further satisfying her hunger. Dark charcoal ears flickered backwards, a visual cue that she was indeed listening to the words that flowed from his maw. Finding no fish within easy reach, Zia turned back to face the pallid male again. Her eyes narrowed slightly, not in menace, but in thoughtfulness while he spoke. He was looking for someone in particular, he explained. He even provided a physical description, which helped greatly. Instantly, the image of a wolf who she had seldom seen before, but easily recognized popped into her mind. Albiero's face flashed in her minds eye...his dingy, pale fur, the muddy brown eyes. "Ah yes, I know of him. Albiero, right? He holds a place within our ranks..." She paused then, to let her muzzle crinkle distastefully while glaring off to the side. "...but I can't say he hasn't done anything spectacular. He seems more of a leech than a contributor to the pack." The silver woman may not have had much social interaction with the other male, but that didn't mean she wasn't watching him. All the brute seemed to do was just laze around or hoard the caches whenever no one was looking. Was Phineas aware of this lack of contribution? If so, how could he put up with such unacceptable behavior? It made her cringe, just thinking that she held rank with such a pathetic excuse for a wolf. They were like night and day, one hard working, the other cruising on easy street. Curious, Deneb had said there was a family resemblance. Looking at him a little more closely, she could most definitely see some similar characteristics. The pale coat, the moderate physique, the same warm tones in the eyes. However, she would not yet give away her suspicions of the two being related. "If I may be so forward, why is it that you are searching for him? Surely to question me, you must have a very good reason." Did he want to join Magnolia Glen just to be side by side with his brother again? Probably not, but Zia knew nothing of the turbulent relationship between the siblings. Had it been one of her own brothers, she would've welcomed them with open arms. Sitting down across from him, Deneb now had her undivided attention for whatever explanation he was willing to give her.

Table by Pann, Image by Jolee

Slowly rising to his feet, Deneb stalked toward the water's edge, still making sure to give the lady a wide berth. Eyes like golden coins focused upon the water's surface, in search of another morsel, but there was nothing to be found anymore. Oh well, at least he'd had some good luck today.

Turning a curious gaze back to the silver she-wolf, he hung upon her words as she replied. He made sure to look suitably pleased and surprised when she said exactly what he'd suspected already. “Albireo,” he uttered, a habitual monotone correction. He couldn't help but notice the disdain in the way she turned her head aside, as if mentioning his brother left a foul taste on her tongue. "Yes, I'm afraid that sounds like him." he muttered, giving a shrug and an apologetic smile to woman. Internally, he felt himself coiling like a snake at the way Al's reputation clearly reflected upon himself."We are dissimilar in that respect, and a few others," he said, hoping that his brother had not already stained the family's name beyond hope in the new region.

The she-wolf went on, and Deneb nodded in a thoughtful manner as she spoke her next question. It was a fair enough thing to ask, any stranger that sought such information about a pack ought to be of interest to that pack themselves, if they weren't fools. "He's my blood," shrugged the ivory male once more, chewing over his awnsers before spitting them out. "The only blood I have left. And he left home without saying goodbye to me." with that he gave a dry chuckle, acting the part of the brother who wished to patch up a rather rocky relationship with his prodigal sibling. It was the sort of topic most polite wolves would not press too hard, for didn't nearly everyone have some conflicted feelings about their kin from one time to another? In Den's experience at least, loving someone was the swiftest way to get hurt.

Don't forget there's a price you can pay,

deneb cygni

because I am the game and I want to play...

(Let's wrap this up!) Her sapphire eyes narrowed thoughtfully, her interest in catching anything else to eat now diminished. She was more interested in finding out about the ties between Deneb and Albireo. Her lip twitched irritably at the thought of the male, who had thus far done so little. Why did Phineas even bother letting him stay with the pack? Yes, it would be cold hearted to kick one of their own out into the barren winter land, but during these times, they needed as much help as they could get. It was a double edged sword, really. "Well, that is a relief to know that laziness isn't a common trait you share." She couldn't stand wolves who acted so useless. Being quite the opposite, Zia busied herself with something every day. She had even come close to overworking herself as far as maintaining the borders were concerned. It seemed any hope for Albireo turning a new leaf were slim to none. She nodded, humming in understanding. "He's your brother huh? That wasn't very nice of him, leaving like that." She turned to gaze off into the darkness of the woods then, a distant look in her eyes. "Times like these make me wonder where my brothers are. How they are doing, especially this winter." It had been ages since she had last seen either of her brothers, and while she would be delighted to be reunited with them, she wasn't certain if they had changed at all in their time apart. They were probably busy with their own lives anyways. A cold chill through her paws reminded her that she needed to get back to the Glen, where she could curl up in a nice, warm den. Glancing back to Deneb, she cleared her throat softly. "I am afraid I must be getting back. But, I hope I have been helpful in locating your brother." Of course she had. She had made it all too easy, specifying that Albireo resided in Magnolia Glen. Now all Deneb had to do, was come calling. With a brief smile, she turned back and vanished amongst the trees, like the ghost she had become.

Table by Pann, Image by Jolee

Deneb's ears perked up once more as the she-wolf called Zia spoke wistfully of her own kin. It seemed as if they held a place in her heart that wasn't stained by bloodshed or other shadows - perhaps she was simply fortunate, in that respect. Maybe fate was cruel for separating her from them, while Deneb was allowed to reunite with his own degenerate brother. Or perhaps fate had been kind in tearing them apart from one another before they could hurt each other. All the same, the way this lady felt about her kin probably had a part in her telling him where he could find his. "With luck, perhaps you'll see them again one day," he remarked quietly. After all, it wasn't exactly impossible - Den had managed to find his brother despite Al certainly not wanting to be found. Of course, it had taken tremendous work - it had almost run him into the grave from starvation this winter - but now the end of his journey was in sight.

A grateful smile spread across his jaws as she made her departure. "Take care... you have my thanks." He didn't really mind seeing her go, now that she'd painted a proper picture for him of what he could expect walking in. The wolves of Magnolia Glen might be dubious of him because of negative associations... it seemed like Al was getting in over his head without his brother around to put him to proper use. "Perhaps we'll meet again soon," he left her retreating form with those parting words. Now that he knew where to find Al, and what to expect, there was little reason not to enact the next step of his plans - trying to gain acceptance into the pack. Hopefully these little encounters with Caniri and Zia might help pave that road a little more smoothly.

For the moment, though, he remained next to the ice-gripped stream, lowering his gaze to the surface once more once his companion had gone. There was still the chance that the fish might reappear, and in a winter like this, Deneb would be a fool to let the opportunity to eat another slip by him.

//fade out//

Don't forget there's a price you can pay,

deneb cygni

because I am the game and I want to play...