What Lies Beneath

Early afternoon | Freezing fog -18 ° F, -28 ° C

Restlessness found the agouti Cove leader once more as Vespertio dragged his weight through the veil of leaves that blocked the entrance, instantly regretting his decision upon the frigid greeting his face received, but staying inside the den to sleep like the rest of the pack to avoid winter's chilling embrace would not do today. His bones would not allow it. He had to constantly be on the move and it was his nightmares that solely held the blame. Night after night he would toss and turn as a photography reel was played behind his lids reminding him of the day he was banned and the chase that followed. Cream paws ached as his brother gave chase with the intent of killing him and spat such venomous words that to this day still poisoned his thoughts. Thoughts he so desperately tried to escape from.

A heavy sigh then broke the lining of his lips to allow the warmth of his breath to collide with the freezing air and turn into a misty vapor that became swallowed by the already present layer of freezing fog that plagued the lake. Vesper's golden hued gaze took in the bleak sight before him as his paws continue to fall one before the other into the frost to lead him away from the pack borders and towards the enormous source of water that lay frozen just like everything else while winter came to visit. Upon reaching the iced over lake the agouti man tentatively placed a paw on its surface while applying minimal weight to test its strength before giving in. He was able to adhere a good portion of his weight before the sound of crackling could be heard as the ice gave way and his paw fell into the meager pool of ice cold liquid. It was a small hole, but enough to allow him to quench his minor thirst as the pink of his tongue lapped delicately at it.

OOC TEXT

Anthem had gotten up early to patrol the pack lands. He found it a soothing routine that he did every morning. Get up. Stretch. Go on border patrol. Then after that he would do as he pleased the rest of the day. It usually meant exploring the rocky slopes that stretched on the sides of the lake and other times he would use it to hunt. He was just about ready to return to the innermost part of the pack lands when he came across his leaders scent. The stormy male paused. He hadn't really gotten to know more about his leaders but he had applied himself to border patrol as if he had always been doing it. Looking to glance over his shoulder at were the main den lay he turned and followed Vespertio's scent. The closer he got to his destination the heavier the fog seemed to be. He wondered if it was because the lake was close by but then pushed the thought away. He was here to make sure his leader was okay and maybe see if they could interact a little. He wasn't sure how the smaller male was feeling so he wasn't going to force him to interact, but then Anthem didn't force his company on anyone.

The sound of ice cracking had Anthem speeding up his ears pricked. It hadn't sounded like Vespertio had gone into the lake as the sound wasn't as loud as it would have been if he had. The shape of the lighter male had Anthem relaxing a little. Letting out a low woof to let his leader know that he was coming from behind him he called out as he got closer Good afternoon Vespertio. He stopped a little ways away not sure if his presence would be welcome. He knew that he needed to work on being more submissive but he had been raised to fight and stand his ground he couldn't throw away what had been ingrained in him since birth.

I am the Anthem we sing,

  

My sister the Angele we follow,

     

My brother ,Nathaniel, our guide

Together we shall not stray.

It was the sound of paws crunching against the fresh packed powder and a low woof that followed shortly after that caused the regal man to lift his head from his personal drinking hole, ears swiveling to cup the sound better since his vision was all but useless due to the fog. He knew not who could be out and about at this time with the majority of the pack sleeping soundly in the warmth of the den where he should have been as well, but  his constant battle with restlessness had once more paid him another visit and kept him from enjoying such small pleasures in life. Instead he let his nose and ears be his eyes of the day as a deep inhale brought the scent of a wolf, pack mate at that, to his nose. It was the storm pelted man Anthem who found the alpha by the lake shore with a casual greeting, his silhouette slowly appearing out of thin air from the grasp of the misty vapor that surrounded them.  

Vespertio wasn't in the cheeriest of moods today, but as leader he knew he had to keep a smile on his ebony lips to assure the pack that all was okay in their neck of the lore. Winter was making its presence and strength known with layer after layer of snow that blanketed the ground and if it wasn't for their conveniently sheltered den he wouldn't doubt they could easily be snowed in while they slept through the night. And with winter came the hardship of feeding one's self. It was hard enough to feed one mouth, but now under his leadership he had to provide for five mouths including his own. But now was not the time for such negative thoughts and with a small shake of his pelt to relax his tensing muscles he let only the slightest of sighs pass his lips before tugging them back to form the simplest of smiles. His agouti colored body then spun slowly to face the direction he sensed Anthem coming from while his golden gaze searched the fog for his dark coloration against the white backdrop of the fog.  

It didn't take long luckily to find his shape and slowly Vesper padded towards the approaching man to close the remaining distance between them. "Hello, @Anthem . I didn't expect to see anyone out and about with the weather the way it is today." He stated casually to get the ball rolling on some form of conversation. The two males still remained on the verge of strangers despite residing on the same soil and the Cove leader knew he would have to change this. Not only with Anthem, but the remaining members of the pack as well. Hopefully getting to know them better will help him to gain more respect from the wolves who followed him. One could only hope though.

OOC: Sorry about the crappy post.

With winter around them and the slopes that their pack hide within Anthem felt comfortable. He was in the mountains again and he would remain in them as long as possible. The occasional travel outside of them wasn't out of the question though. Overall the stormy male thought that this pack had been a good choice to join. Winter wasn't easy on those that traveled alone and with prey scarce it could be just as hard on the packs as well. He felt that though Athena might not like him that taking Vespertio up on his offer had been a good decision on his part. So when he heard the faint sigh from his leader Anthem realized that living here wasn't as easy for everyone. With him having traveled so often and in so many places he had to learn how to survive everywhere he went with little to no help at all. Sometimes he wondered how he was even still alive.

The distance closed between the two of them and Anthem let a faint smile to spread across his lips at the other's words. Nobody gets a full belly or keeps the borders safe by remaining in the den. He shrugged slightly as he continued Besides I am used to a lot of kinds of weather. I may not like it but I can deal with it most of the time. Having answered the question the stormy male wasn't sure how to continue. This is what I get for being a lone most of the time a lack of words to continue a conversation. Deciding that he would best just say something he asked. What about you? Why are you out here other than to get a drink? To the stormy male this conversation seemed to be stiff. He racked his brain for anything else that he could say, anything at all. 

I am the Anthem we sing,

  

My sister the Angele we follow,

     

My brother ,Nathaniel, our guide

Together we shall not stray.

There is a rabbit\'s nest nearby. +1 Health

It was a simple explanation to Vesper's words. The other male had been out searching for food for the pack while patrolling the borders as the rest remained in the den then mentioned his ability to handle difference in weather and this brought a more genuine smile to the ebony of his lips, his head nodding slightly in understanding. "I'm glad I managed to recruit a member not inclined to lay around all day and can seemingly handle whatever mother nature throws your way." A small chuckle soon followed his words. So far his decision to accept @Anthem into the pack was being proven to be the right one and if the dark coated man kept up the good work the Cove leader didn't have a doubt that he would eventually make a name for himself and gain an official title for whatever his heart desired whether it be a guardian still, a hunter, or anything else.

Then the conversation, as stiff as it had become was shifted towards the dark saddled man with question of what brought him outside into the foggy weather. Anthem must have caught on to the mood beneath the surface of his well kept pelt. "Well.." His words paused for a moment as his shoulders rose to form a subtle shrug. "I have often bouts of restlessness and when they occur I can't stay in one place for long so I usually stretch my legs out with a good walk." There was no lie to his words and the stormy man had just been luckily enough to catch the Vuesain before he could properly be out of the territory to stretch his legs and clear any thoughts that ran rampant across the forefront of his mind.

OOC TEXT

With his leader complimenting him Anthem felt that his traveling alone for so long might just come in handy. When being alone you could only survive if you were willing to go out and hunt for yourself and keep going. Some of those days he had just about decided that he didn't want to survive and then some thought would come up in his head or something happened around him to make him realize that he still wanted to live. Then I will make sure that I keep it up. Anthem said simply though he did dip his head slightly in acknowledgement of the others praise. He didn't want it to seem like he didn't care what others thought, which in most cases that was true, but he wanted Vespertio to know in some way that he did enjoy doing his job whether it be as a fighter, hunter, or protector. He just did it a slightly twisted way.

Silently Anthem waited as the lighter male spoke nodding. Then shall we walk as we talk? He asked tilting his head along the lake shore. He was oh so aware that movement could help clear the mind. He had been doing it for a long time. A sudden thought crossed his mind and he winced in hindsight. He let out a weary sigh. I should have told you this before, but it happened while I was still a loner. He didn't know how to broach the subject so he just spit it out. When I crossed over to the other side of the mountain after we met I got into a fight with a pack wolf. Nothing has come of it yet, but I wanted to tell you know in case something did happen because of it. He wasn't completely positive what pack @Kova had been from,though he had an idea, but he wanted @Vespertio to know in case someone came looking for his blood. If they did come well he would deal with it when it came and hoped that it worked out. For now though he would have to see what his leader said about it.

I am the Anthem we sing,

  

My sister the Angele we follow,

     

My brother ,Nathaniel, our guide

Together we shall not stray.

Vespertio gave his head a silent nod in response to @Anthem's offer before setting his paws into motion to push his body forward through the layer of snow that lay at their feet while following the outline of the iced over shoreline. The two continued this way for a moment before the darker tinted man spoke up with words that caused his red dipped ears to swivel back towards his skull for a moment then forward at a slight angle to show he was listening in interest. Apparently before seeking out the Fallen Tree Cove wolves he had managed to venture across the mountain and get into a scuffle of sorts with a wolf belonging to some pack, the name of such remaining anonymous as well as the wolf in question to the dominate male. A low hmm vibrated Vesper's vocal chords as he processed the new bit of information and debated the right way to go about it.  

In retrospect it held no ties to the pack since it was done during his days as loner, but at the same time if the pack sought revenge for his actions they wouldn't have to travel far to find his pelt. If it was the pack he was thinking of that was supposedly dwelling on the mountain much like the Cove wolves were. This would cause friction between the two packs without a doubt, but Vesper would waste no time stepping up to act as a buffer between their teeth and Anthem's hide. His pack mates were of more importance than those of another pack. Swerving his agouti head towards the stormy man he let his golden gaze rest upon his face before speaking. "If they show their faces around here you let me worry about it." He then gave a small wink in his direction before pulling the corner of his lips up into a small grin. The way he liked to think of it, the problems that his pack mates held on their shoulders also weighed down on his own. As a pack they shared the load of the world equally, if not the leaders more so.

With that said silence slowly crept back up between them until only the crunch of the packed snow beneath their foot falls and the occasional chirp of a bird could be heard. Although he reassured his companion all would be okay he couldn't help but wonder what true problems could come of this event. Was it a pup he fought with or an older member. Around this time of year packs he crossed paths with during his loner days always had a litter of pups close to their first year of life. There were too many ifs now floating through his head and with a small shake of his pelt he rid them like he would rid pesky flies in the summer that clung to the thinned fur of his lighter coat to nip at his skin. Another day he would allow himself to give it more thought, but not today. Today was a day for peace.

OOC TEXT

Anthem knew that his leader was listening intently to his words and once he was done talking he remained silent, letting Vespertio process what he had heard. He knew that he could have handled the fight better but he had gotten worked up and had proceeded to try and teach the pup a lesson he wouldn't forget any time soon. What was done was done and almost vaguely he wondered if the pup would go throwing stones at anyone else. He thought not but if he did the younger wolf would know that some don't take kindly to others throwing things at them, especially sharp and hard things.

When the lighter male turned to look at Anthem he didn't drop his gaze like he should have. He wanted Vespertio to know that he had the stormy male's full attention. At the words he dipped his head in a nod. As you wish, though if they do come and I am not around call me. I would like to hear what they have to say. He said simply the words blunt and the request obvious. He did want to hear what they had to say and he them to know his side should they look to start tearing into his hide. The truth of the matter was he would be willing to spill some of his blood should it stop any disputes between the two packs, but at Vespertio's wink and grin he realized that he likely wouldn't be allowed to do that. Playing nice between packs was a tricky thing, you didn't want to look weak and you didn't want to be hated. Either of them could get you and your pack-mates killed.  

His gaze flicked back up at the other's seemingly sudden shake but he didn't ask. Let Vespertio keep his thoughts Anthem was contending with his own though they slowly stilled until he was just simply walking and enjoying the smaller males company. It felt nice, just walking with someone and not being expected to preform some miracle or trick of entertainment. In simple terms he was content.

I am the Anthem we sing,

  

My sister the Angele we follow,

     

My brother ,Nathaniel, our guide

Together we shall not stray.

No verbal response was given to the stark colored man at his request to be called upon should they arrive and he not be around, but a subtle nod was provided in its place as the two continued to trace the outline of the lake for a few minute more. As the two sauntered along a sense of peace finally began to wash over the dark saddled patriarch, the thoughts that plagued his mind slowly receding until nothing but the path before them and the sound of their footsteps filled his head. It was pleasant to say the least to finally be rid of his worries and fears and surprisingly a small smile began to grace the ebony lining of his lips while the golden hue of his gaze scanned the pine forest they now found themselves wandering through.

Deciding to change the current topic of conversation to a lighter one he allowed his gaze to briefly settle on Anthem before returning it to the snow covered branches above them. "So how do you like pack life so far?" He asked lightly, genuinely curious to know the stormy pelted man's opinion on what he had come to know so far. Perhaps getting the opinion of his pack mates would help him to work on the little things stopping him from being the leader he wished to be and surely help him to earn the respect of his subordinates. Silently he waited for an answer, letting his ears swivel about at the different sounds of the occasional snowshoe hare darting for safety and winter seasonal birds chirping their songs before shifting them forward once he believed the other was ready to speak.