Round Stone Crest for king and for country

It seemed a pattern that he was constantly searching for familiar strangers, with only slightly varying reasons. Despite having been with the pack for over a month, he still was not properly acquainted with each wolf. It was starting to really bother him, and for a few days he decided to make his pack mates a priority over his climb through the hierarchy and other more minor gains. Lugh's care still held the greatest importance, but for all of Gent's plotting he needed to build a far sturdier foundation than what was in place. He knew each wolf that allied themselves with the pack, though some still had not joined them at their lovely new territory. He flitted through the names in his head, and his perceived standing with each of them. Lugh perhaps was the closest thing he had to a friend here, considering the mass amount of time he spent with the man, whether they spoke or not. Minka was on good terms, though Gent did not know nearly enough of her, but she was understandably preoccupied with everything that was occurring on top of the disappearance of now not only her daughter, but her mate Tokino. Gent wished to walk the fine line between helping and bothering, and thus left getting to the know the woman to a date when things were far more calm. Inali was gone, and a woman named Cessair had naturally fallen into her place as second, but Gent had yet to speak with her and that was a pressing matter in his mind. Raela too caused him concern after their disagreement at the border of what had been Black Thorn Downs, and he had put off their conversation for far too long amidst the chaos of the move. Gabriel, Bane, Astraeus... they served as his stepping stones, but he would have to be careful of any resentment they might harbor. Once he had finally established himself as closely to the top as possible, he would then hopefully be able to turn back to them and make amends. Last, but definitely not least, was the pack's only remaining heir, @Kova. The young Lagina was, today, Gent's highest priority. It was his small frame that the orphan prince sought for, scouring the mountainside to find a trail. Whether or not his father returned, it was extremely important the Gent formed a bond with the boy. Still the Lieris man had not decided whether or not Tokino deserved to become the victim of a coup, but regardless of if Gent stalled once at the position of second, or muscled his way into the alpha rank, in the end it was Kova's birthright that he would be setting aflame. And Gent certainly did not desire a little Hamlet to go running amuck and one day ending his reign. Sniffing the ground, he caught sign of the boy, and promptly he directed his paws in the indicated direction. In short time he saw the yearling's lithe gray form, and Gent sounded out a bark to inform Kova that he was coming to greet him. A smile hung loosely on his maw, his approach casual and friendly. Truly, he did want to benefit and bond with the boy--only for selfish reasons. But then, wasn't everything, at its core, a result of someone's selfish motive?

Dawnthieves.de - Table by PuppyThief

(This post was last modified: Aug 24, 2015, 09:35 AM by Gent.)

Kova was pacing around the edges of the territory. He'd taken to practicing a bit of the chores that guardians often performed; marking the borders like how many of the males in the pack did. He mostly did this because of how his mother was. Without his father around Kova took it upon himself to take Tokino's place and mark the borders. It just felt like something he should be doing. Every place where Bane, Gent, Astraeus, and Loki had spread their scents, Kova did the same. Lifting his leg to pee on a large fallen log, Kova twitched at the scent of Gent. His stream of yellow liquid slowed to a stop allowing Kova to drop his leg to the ground. Then he turned to see the dark wolf approaching at a fast pace.

Kova lowered his head respectfully, as his father had thoroughly made sure to teach him the rules.  Tokino had wanted Kova to represent his family as if they were royals to any and all who met them. That meant that Kova had to be civil, follow the rules, speak in a kind but assertive manner, and to not act like a ruffian when things weren't going his way. Like a good little boy Kova had learned all of those rules and more after his lengthy absence being lost in these northern territories.  The young gray lad was well on his way to learning politics at an early age, and that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Especially if he had no idea what role he wanted to train for. Scouts had to know pack politics in order to send and receive messages without offending other packs.

Kova knew that Gent was much higher up on the ladder than he was, and this didn't particularly bother him. What bothered him was that he did not really know Gent very well. Kova liked to be informal with all his pack mates as if they were real family, but that meant getting to know each and every one of them. For right now he would be very formal with the dark male until he got to know him better.  Especially since he didn't know what Gent liked or disliked. The young wolf did not want to offend him on accident by saying something the Lieris man didn't like.

“Good morning sir.” Kova greeted the wolf then looked towards the burly trees. He wondered if Gent actually needed him for something or if the male just wanted to talk. Though starting a conversation might be a little awkward or hard for the young wolf with all the recent events that had occurred.

Kova's lackluster greeting was oddly formal, and Gent was left to wonder what it meant. Was this simply the boy's usual manner of speaking? Or was it because Gent was a stranger, perhaps even an unaccepted member to the pack in the boy's eyes? Whatever it was, he hoped it didn't last. A good-natured chuckle dripped from his muzzle as he drew to a halt in front of the boy, a yard or two away from him. "You can call me Gent," he said, and hoped the boy would take that offer. There was no point in wasting the kid's time, and so the Crest subordinate would be direct with his reason for beckoning him. He'd heard around the den site that Kova was quite the little information sponge, and Gent knew he had quite a few things to offer in the role of teacher. It would be the easiest way to assume the heir's trust, he suspected. "I heard you're in want of some tutelage. Think maybe I could take a paw at teaching you a thing or two? I bet if you gave me a subject, I could show you something new." He hoped his words didn't come across as cocky, but rather as helpful like he intended.

Dawnthieves.de - Table by PuppyThief

When the dark man said that Kova could simply call him Gent, the young wolf could only shuffle his paws for a few moments in silence. Then he glanced upwards at Gent's voice as he offered to help teach something to Kova. This offer, plus the chuckle and calm behavior brought Kova a little out of the shell he'd been stuck in since the pack had moved. He gave the dark wolf a half smile while shrugging his shoulders a bit at the question.

 “Well.. Are there any other roles other than the basic ones like hunter, scout, guardian, and healer?” The first question left Kova's maw casually as he sat down and tilted his head curiously at Gent. If only Gent knew how many worms would spill form the opened can once he answered Kova's first question.

Kova had been taught about those basic roles and what each did. He had already learned a bit about hunting from a couple of pack members who each taught him how to do different things during a hunt. Then there was Bane who had told him about what a guardian does and how they are good for the pack. Though Kova didn't have much practice at this role like he did with hunting and fishing. Healing was something that Kova was highly uninterested in, though he knew that it was an important job in the pack. Scouting had been explained to him by Inali but Kova again did not have much practice in this department. The most scouting he had done was when he was lost in the wilderness.

Kova was interested in all the subjects he had learned about so far spare for the healers role. Though with his memory you would think he would be good at memorizing plants and their uses. Instead he was mor einterested in the roles that got him out of the territory and moving long distances. Hunters often tracked prey doing just this thing, which is why Kova had thought about pursuing that as a role. Then there were scouts who's main jobs were to roam the lands and give messages to other packs. So the scouting role also piqued his interest. Guarding was a role that he wanted to also learn because well... who didn't want to learn how to fight and repel the packs enemies?

As the youth felt comfortable enough to take a seat, so did Gent. The man was both pleased and relieved to see that the boy was relaxing, even if it was just a little bit. Hopefully, as the conversation flowed, a pattern would be formed until Kova felt confident enough in Gent's presence to open up completely without guard. His ears eagerly received the boy's question, which was a pretty intelligent start to it all.

"Well, there's the role of advisor," he began, recalling the elders from Trance Timbers who spent their days in the sun and their nights counseling those who craved advice, especially the leaders. "That's really the job that one would most fall into rather than necessarily pursuing. It comes down to if the leaders like what you have to say, if they choose to confide in you. Typically, I've seen the position filled more by the older wolves who have nothing left to offer but their life experiences."

It certainly wasn't something a kid ought to pursue, at least not in Gent's opinion. No, the young should be using their muscles and keeping to the move active roles, but if that was the sort of thing Kova wanted for himself, Gent knew that the final title available would be a fine in between for the youth so that he could use both a wide berth of knowledge and his strong legs.

"There's also the job of teacher, which would typically put you in charge of your siblings but would also extend to anyone in the pack who wanted to learn from you. Any who wants to fill that role would have to be something of a jack of all trades, and be able to work with different personalities, as well as keep little ones in check."

Kova tilted his head one way then flicked it to the other side curiously watching Gent as the male answered the youths question. At first Kova began to nod slowly at the definition of an adviser. He liked the sound of that, until Gent began to tell him how that position was normally for older wolves. Kova huffed then looked down at his paws. Why do elders get the best roles? he complained silently within his head before Gent started to speak about a different role. Kova perks his ears as the dark alpha began speaking of a role called a teacher.  “Oh, being a teacher is a role? I thought that was just something everyone does for pups!” Kova's eyes glittered brightly. Teaching sounded like fun. He already liked helping others, and he loved to be around his siblings. The fact that he had to know a lot of subjects which would include all of the other roles made the boys tail wag. Teaching sounded just like his cup of tea.

“Teachers teach both pups and anyone else who asks about stuff? So like if you asked if I could teach you fishing I could do that as my job?” Kova let his tail wag a bit as a devilish smile crept onto his face. He could teach his friends and family all the things and make sure they had help with everything. He didn't quite understand what "a jack of all trades" meant but the little wolf figured that it meant something about the other roles and knowing about them. 

“Do leaders have their own roles? Like other than being a leader?” He asked wondering if Gent had his own role. The boy couldn't remember if the dark male had been a guardian or a scout, and figured that this was the best way to ask. He also wondered what his mother had been good at. Though as Kova thought about Minka and everything he had seen her do, the boy had to guess that she was either a master of hunting or teaching. He also thought about what his father had been, which of course dampened the kids mood. However Kova figured Tokino had been a teacher or adviser like what Gent had talked about. Kino had liked to teach everyone about stuff, and he'd been good at it too. Slowly Kova's momentary glee was subdued by sadness as he realized that he was a lot like his father.

Gent was glad to see the excitement brimming in Kova's eyes and lighting his voice as he responded to the man's explanation of the teacher position. It might have been the last option given to him, but at least the youth had found something of interest amongst the many varied fields offered. If the man knew the boy any better, he would have known to supply this choice to Kova first. As it was, he would learned with time how well suited the Lagina was to being a teacher for others.

"You could," he answered him. "Teachers help the alphas make sure that the pack is well rounded and well educated. When new members are introduced, it'll be your responsibility as well as the leader's to make sure that they are sufficient in all basic skills. After all, even when we are assigned a role, we can't expect to only do just that job. To be successful as a pack, everyone needs to be able to pitch in in every capacity."

It was his own belief, anyways, and once he was in charge of the pack after battling his way up the ranks, Gent would see to it that the pack was ran in that way. Even if it wasn't needed for survival (which it arguably was), the Lieris did not want to be king of just a functioning pack. No, he wanted his domain and those within it to be utterly indomitable.

"They could. Roles are fluid. Whatever the pack needs, the leader has to be sure it's fulfilled, even if that means stepping into the position themselves until someone else can be delegated to it."

post #8 just two more!

Kova tilted his head to the other side a goofy half smile spreading across his muzzle as he looked up at Gent. He recalled that Gent had the guardian role before he had taken leadership of the pack. If what the dark wolf was telling the silvery child was true then did that mean that Gent was both a guardian still and a leader? That made obvious sense now that Kova really thought about it.  A leader had to be really strong or really smart to be in the position they were in. So Gent being a guardian made perfect sense. “...and you're a guardian as well as a leader.” Kova grinned before bouncing around the dark wolf once in excitement. He stopped to look at his legs and tail wondering how strong he really was. A teacher had to know about all of the roles, but he had not really learned anything about fighting outside of being told about certain moves and about the reasons for fighting. That was certainly something he could use some help in.

 “Could you maybe teach me a bit about real fighting? Bane told me who to fight, and dad told me when to fight, but nobody has physically helped to teach me anything...” Kova shrugged his shoulders then grew silent and still at the memories of his father  as they pounded through his brain. They distracted him pretty well and made it hard for Kova to concentrate on Gent again.

Go ahead & fade with your post! c:

Minka's son sure was a peculiar child. Gent's ears swiveled about on his head, chasing after Kova's words as the youth circled him to release some energy. He remembered fondly when he was the same, and perhaps even worse, unable to hold still for long, always needing to busied with something. It was one of the many reasons why he had loved the Keep so much, why the situation had been so perfect. Given the severe winter, there was no downtime. The aching of his stomach was something he had grown accustomed to, and he had been able to thrive in the harsh conditions, one of the pack's top scouters along with Sagacity and Chulyin despite his young age.

The teenager's smile was infectious all the same, and Gent found himself returning it with an amiable smirk. His eyes settled once more upon @Kova as the boy settled and chucked another question his way, a request this time. Oh, how perfectly this meeting had gone! He had set out to get to know the prince, to find a way into his good graces, and the youth was already ahead of him, carving out the way. Gent's tail thumped behind him appreciatively, but then Kova seemed to fall into some kind of reverie. He could only imagine that this was caused by the mention of his father.

"Of course I can," he answered, voice upbeat in an attempt to pull the teen's thoughts away from their melancholy focus. "Hell, I can teach you about lots of things. Whatever you want to know, I'll help you out with, alright?"

The answer Gent gave Kova brought a happy smile to his face once more. It was a better answer than he had expected as the dark wolf barely knew him but was still willing to teach Kova all that he knew. This had Kova instantly liking the Lieris man as he wiggled in place before forcing himself to stand still.  “Alright!” He answered quickly giving the larger male a curt nod then turning to look at the territory around them. A hare was foolishly creeping out of its den to the left of the pair of wolves. It's ears flickered above its head sensing the wolves nearby before the hare turned and dashed back into its hole.

Kova licked his chops suddenly feeling a bit peckish. Kova looked longingly towards the spot where the hare had disappeared into a hole in the earth wishing he was a little better at catching them. He wasn't so good at catching rabbits and hare compared to fishing or helping out with a big game hunt. Rabbit and hare often got away from him when he was chasing them.

“Well I'm going to go find something to chew on. You know where to find me if you need me for something. I look forward to learning things from you Gent.” Kova turned and looked back to the black wolf before dipping his head in farewell. Then the youth turned to head towards one of the packs caches that should have been nearby. He wasn't going to take a lot. Just chew on a small prey item if he could find one.

(Crappy FADE is crappy sorry ><)