The Wildwood please don't touch anything

RE: Kerberos, you find someone's prints in the snow near your personal cache || For @Zerxes

The male had left the borders briefly. He couldn't be further than a few yards. He kept a hidden cache out here with a fox skull he kept from a strange encounter and usually a rabbit. Truth be told he knew it was a little silly but he didn't want someone taking his little trinket. Kerberos just wanted to go check up on it and then he'd be back to pack duties.

He approached the hidden cache and instantly realized something was wrong. There were prints in the snow. Out of panic, he quickly ran to the cache and dug up the skull. He left a half frozen rabbit in there. He was glad that no one had taken the skull but he still felt worried. Someone now knew about his trinket. Worried he laid down on top of the cache with the skull in his jaws. His pale yellow eyes glanced around to see who was nearby. If the prints were till here that must have meant the intruder was still around.

Carefully he set down the skull but set a paw on top of the crown. This was his. He had taken it from some strange seance and he wasn't feeling very keen on giving it up.

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And just how should I play this game? Zerxes mused as he watched his packmate from behind the trees. Stumbling upon the cache had truly been an accident, but there was no doubting who it belonged to in the masked male's mind. Even if it were just beyond the border's of pack territory - and really...what idiot kept his shit away from the safety a pack's borders could provide?? - Z could tell it belonged to the male who had met him at the border days before. @Kerberos, he recalled. The doubter.

Kerberos, Z had found, was awful at hiding his belongings. Without qualms, the newest member of Charred Ash Draw had dug up the cache and stolen away with the only useful thing there; a stiff, partially frozen rabbit. At least it could almost count as fresh. There were no worms riddled throughout the meat. Bless Winter.

Of course, were it not Winter, he would not be in such a state that would require he steal others' kills for survival. He would simply steal for pleasure. Damn Winter.

The skull had been a curious discovery. More curious was observing Kerbie-boy's reaction to its discovery. Z watched as the male plucked it up and hoarded it close as if it was something precious and beloved. Perhaps a puphood toy.

Smirking, Zerxes trotted on light feet into the clearly, scuffling his paws loudly through the snow to announce his presence. "What's the matter skidrow? You look like someone's been yanking on your tail?" he teased, his tone airy and pleasant. Z lifted a brow at the skull in his packmate's mouth as if seeing it for the first time. "Or playing with your toy," he added with a touch of amusement.

 

He should have known it was him. A frown painted over Kerberos's face. "If you wanted something that I had you could have just asked." His brows furrowed. Why did this new jerk feel the need to be all over other people's business? Wasn't creepily hoarding Treyah enough? "There's a place north of here filled with these things but this one is mine." He nudged the skull with his paw lightly. "Not to mention there are plenty of rabbits and old deer in the other caches." He scoffed harshly, tail raising slightly.

Pale yellow eyes scanned over the man. "What're you doing out here anyway? Aren't you needed somewhere else or with someone else?" He prodded with his words. The someone was very obviously the child Zerxes had taken a liking to. What kind of grown man felt the need to be so close to the young girl? At least Kerberos was closer to their age and divided his time up amongst all the pack members.

Kerberos would have to silently ask if the others had noticed any weird behavior from the new male. The tawny second didn't have a reason to publicly call out the male but the fact that he was poking into other people's personal business wasn't fine with Kerberos.

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Z laughed from his belly, the sound bright and loud in the small clearing. "Sorry, I'm sorry," he said, still chuckling merrily. "I didn't realize it was yours until I saw you there with that skull. Haven't heard someone whine like that since I was around my brother!" Settling down, he lay nearby though with plenty enough distance to dart out of reach if Kerberos got a mind to take a nip at him for his free mouth. "I'll keep that in mind for next time. Thanks."

At Kerberos' accusatory tone, Zerxes had little doubt that the male was talking about @Treyah. The little darling was besotted with him, just as he liked it. Apparently, skidrow here did not. Too bad. "I was out learning the territory. Figured I should know the borders if I'm expected to help defend them. Don't you agree?" he asked with too sharp a smile, though it did manage to let it fade off into a frown as he tilted his head. Innocently, he peered at Kerberos. "Someone else? I'm not sure I understand. Do you not like me? No one else has given me reason to think I haven't been welcome..." Z had found in his years that not many would willing admit such a truth when asked directly. He wondered just how big his balls were.

 

Oh how he wanted to scream liar. Kerberos didn't bother hiding his scent much on the cache because usually, no one was digging into what wasn't theirs. "Yeah, whatever." He scoffed as his tail held its dominant position. If Zerxes wasn't so smartly laying down away Kerberos might have tested out his authority with a good nip or two. The new male's laughter made the second uncomfortable. Did he find this all funny? Why did he think he could compare him to his brother? Kerb wanted no affiliation with that family if they all took pride in snooping.

"Huh, well, looks like you got lost so let me direct you." His eyes held a firm glare on Zerxes. "Borders are that way." He pointed his nose back towards the borders. This was outside of the borders which meant there wasn't much need to patrol out here. Let alone be prodding into things that weren't on the pack's land and that didn't harm the well-being of the pack.

No one else? He wanted to yell liar again. Hadn't Maera been so brash at the joining of this male? Hadn't even Leotie suggested they waited? Did he have such a faulty memory that he couldn't remember all of that? "I have nothing wrong with you yet." Kerberos stated and boldly took a step forward. "But keep sticking your nose in things that don't belong to you," He lowered his head to match the level of Zerxes. "and you might lose it." His teeth clicked in a final warning to the male in front of him. "Would hate to see how upset Treyah gets that her new best friend is missing a nose. Wouldn't you?" His tone bittersweet as a false smile crept up his lips.

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Such an angry little urchin, Z mused to himself. Rather than rising to Kerberos' bait as the male no doubt expected—and damn it all if he didn't want to offer a surprise attack and chomp down on that haughty nose of his—he thumped his tail good-naturedly against the ground. "'Preciate the assistance there, pal."

The masked male had to wonder if this boy had been in this rank for long. He certainly enjoyed flaunting it. Any male worth his mettle knew better than to stuff his rank in others faces. If it was constantly being shoved in such a way as to serve as a reminder, it only helped enforce the belief that he was ill suited for it. Did he intimidate him in such a way that he felt defensive about it? That pretty thought alone had him grinning. It was always nice to find a bruise to poke.

When Kerberos took a step forward, a hint of the beast that lay underneath his mask bled through. Soft green eyes sharpened and his smile was too wide. His expression could best be described as demonic and Zerxes leaned his head forward even as Kerberos clicked his teeth at him in warning, bringing their faces suddenly closer. But as the male exhaled, the expression was smoothed back into the same patient, if not condescending, smile of an elder to a pup. The entire exchange happened so fast, it could easily be explained away by paranoia.

Standing, Z inclined his head. "I'll be sure to watch my back. For young @Treyah's sake, of course."

Unable to help himself, he added, "Fancy her? She's awful young for such attentions, don't you think?" His tone carried protective disapproval as the masked male frowned. "I guess it's just as well she has someone like me to look out for her then."

"Anytime." He sneered the single word. It was like a pissing contest between the two and perhaps Kerberos wasn't the best but he never really had to deal with someone like Zerxes. It was a new experience that he wasn't enjoying. There was something sick and off but the tawny second didn't have enough knowledge to pinpoint what. It caused a sense of anxiety to creep under the surface. He didn't let it show, though.

It was hard not to notice that quick slip of a mask. For brief moment Kerberos could believe he had seen the true danger before him. The face had come and gone that there wasn't enough time to properly react or even recall it enough to raise a warning. The flames of anxiety under the surface seemed to burn brighter. He held his ground and sealed his composure tightly. Kerberos didn't want Zerxes to truly see the unease more than he might have already been able to see.

His comment was met with a ferocious snarl. "Fancy her? I'm already mated you sicko. Not to mention if anyone else in the damn world wanted to fancy her it'd likely be impossible because you seem to have her locked away with you. If anyone is fancying her it is likely you." His lip pulled back as a fair warning for Zerxes to be smart with his next words.

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There are several fresh rabbit tracks in the mud. Hunt Opportunity

The term sicko suited him well, Z supposed, for he certainly got a sick fascination out of the male's over the top reactions. Any other wolf, he realized, and Kerberos would not have acted in such a way. It was appealing in no small way that even wearing his guise that his intimidated the Second enough to have him lash out at literally every word he said. Hardly fitting behavior for one of his rank. He would have tsked the male had another been around to see the situation and likely garner their empathy.

And no, he was not disappointed. The tawny male's reaction was immediate and filled with vicious denial, only serving to amuse Z further. "Locked away?" he question, confusion written across his face. "I didn't think spending time with a yearling who no one else seems to want to hang around was causing so much trouble. She seemed rather lonely until I came around if you ask me. But maybe you should ask Treyah her thoughts on it instead rather than falsely accusing me of such heinous things. Aside from stumbling upon your trove, I don't understand where all this animosity is coming from."

While he wanted to, Z did not point out that being mated did not make one immune to darker themes in life. Some were not satisfied with one mate. Lies and deceit would grant them two, three, more until they were found out. And still, forgiveness would come their way. Granted, the Zamora didn't imagine Kerberos one of these men. He was far too much a goody two shoes.

That, or his snooty woman intimidated him too much for him to risk being unfaithful. That thought brought a grand amount of glee.