Shallows Edge Shooting for the stars when I couldn't make a killing

@Kieron  
Set around dusk at the Shallows, light rain.

Askan wasn't so pissy anymore. Aside from the ever present annoyance outside his borders, things had settled in Shallows Edge. The Edge Lord would never admit it, but Kieron-as he learned soon after she'd joined the ranks- was just what the pack needed. Not only was she fresh blood, a new face in the crowd, but even a fool would see that she held promise, that her keen analytical eye and past experience made her an asset. One Askan had no interest in letting go to waste.The Selwyn had little interest in smothering his newest recruit. After showing her the caches, borders and communal areas he'd more or less left her to her own devices. She was a capable woman, hardly the sort who needed to be guided along every step of the way.

The sun was setting, dipping beneath the horizon as the rain continued to fall, sporadically, on and off as though the sky couldn't make up it's mind. Askan prowled along the lake shore, leaving muddy paw prints in his wake. The Shallows would always hold a special place in his heart, it was easier to think here though, he wasn't quite sure why. Upon reaching the eastern shore of the Shallows Askan climbed atop his rocky throne and settled, his tail curving around his side as he tipped his head back and called for the newest member of his rag-tag family.

By now Kieron had settled into a decent and modest routine. She slept for as long as she needed, ensuring that her body was well-rested and her mind was alert during the hours she was awake; and, she did as she saw fit. Any empty caches she found were refilled with whatever she could find - mostly still-edible remains that she found abandoned in the night. Any trails she sought were traversed with her own paws, further re-inforcing the fact that her leaders were not alone in guarding their turf. More often than not, she was awake in the evenings and asleep just after dawn.

She had been rubbing her side up against the side of a tree when she had been undeniably summoned. Sometimes, there were no need for words; instincts and intuition alone were enough.

Her paws moved slowly at first as she ducked out from beneath the old scrub pine before she decided to get a move on. No other member had answered him, and he was probably waiting on her. Down from the rocky sides of the falls, she came, minding her footing even as she came around the other end of the Shallows with a gentle splash of her feet in the water. She held her tongue until they were close enough to converse with one another without barking or baying.

A respectful dip of her muzzle was given, her ears relaxing as they fell back on her head. When she straightened again, she kept her head slightly lower than his but her voice was smooth and unassuming, "Good evening."

Askan's tail tapped against his rocky throne as he gritted his teeth, more than a little impatient. Luckily, he wasn't left waiting long. He cracked his mouth open in a wide yawn as Kieron's grey scale form lopped into view, her footing just as graceful and practiced as it had been all those weeks ago. In response to her cordial greeting Askan merely shrugged. It was fine, he supposed. It wasn't raining too heavy, if anything it just set the mood, dark and and moody- just as Askan liked it (he means you, @Reyes).

From his perch he looked down at her and pursed his lips in thought. He'd never been the sort who enjoyed lording over others so with a huff he hopped down from his pedestal and joined her on solid ground.

"So, what do you think?" He asked, his tail flicking to gesture to the area surrounding them, the shallows and the forest that had kept it hidden for so long.

Needless to say he knew that Kieron had adjusted and adapted to life at the Shallows. If anything, Askan was impressed with how quickly she had started tending to her duties, marking the borders and refilling the caches as though she'd been here since the pack's founding. She'd taken no time to adjust or get used to their way of life she simply got shit done. Askan liked that, it reaffirmed in his mind that she'd fit in just fine around here, that @Sachiel and @Hawthorne wouldn't have to give her stink eye for being a lazy bastard.

(This post was last modified: Jun 14, 2018, 12:05 AM by Askan.)

"So, what do you think?"

It was an interesting question. So vague, and yet still precise. He had asked her for her opinion, but... about what? Kieron allowed a rather coy smile to grace her muzzle. She had opinions on many things. His gesture to their surroundings set her on track though, and she answered with ease, "It's decent." Even in the rain, it wasn't all too bad.

"This storm should fill up the Shallows a little bit," she noted. Rain gathered in her fur, both absorbing into her scruffy summer coat and settling on her guard hairs in perfect round droplets. "That is, if it doesn't stop." Again, like when they had first met on that dark, early April night, she tilted her gaze upwards. It seemed there would be no end to the cloud cover and the brewing storms they held.

She might have said something in regards to having more fresh water, but having a happily roaring cascade feeding into the lake rendered it into something stupid to say - the Shallows Edge wolves would always have a good source of water and prey (if deer and other lesser creatures chose to drink from its depths). Instead, she turned her gaze back to him with a now-modest smile. She would never voice it aloud, but he did remind her of a certain Night Watcher that had fancied her back at home. At least, thus far, this one was absolutely nothing like him. "Another assignment?" she pitched, a hint of hope lacing the tone of her words.

Leader dem 1/3

Decent. Askan arched a brow at that. By no mean did the word carry awful connotations, but Kieron wasn't singing the Shallows praises either. It was an odd middle ground, the sort of halfhearted response Askan would've uttered if the roles were somehow reversed, if Kieron was the leader and Askan her subordinate.

"I think the Shallows have enough water as it is." He cast an amused look towards the lake, he hadn't yet seen anyone try to take a dip in it. Meaning that he'd been the only one to fall for it's clever facade. Perhaps that would change in the summer, when it was blistering hot and the shimmering blue depths looked all the more inviting...

Kieron looked to her once more and posed a question. Once again she was taking the incentive, had he been the praisey type he would have no doubt applauded her for that, instead he merely nodded, just as curt and to the point as always.

"I do. I want you to scout north for me, in the Kingswood, around the east side of the lake." He flicked his tail, as though to say so on and so forth. It was all pretty self explanatory. "We rarely ever head that far north, I can't help but wonder if the coyotes have taken over those woods since Hearthwood River is no more." After all, the coyote forces had to be based out of somewhere. He couldn't help but wonder if their   He paused for a moment, his eyes narrowing slightly as he carefully considered his next words. "I want you to be subtle, find out what you can and return to me. Think you can manage that?"

His gaze was as warm as ever, but it also held a hint of curiosity. She mentioned having skills before, would she be willing to put them to use in this instance?

(This post was last modified: Jul 15, 2018, 03:14 PM by Askan.)

As per her request, the Leader had something prepared. Her ears drew as forward as she could manage without seeming intimidating or aggressive. Finally, a place with a challenge. Her eyes seemed to light up as he instructed her to scout to the northern borders. The Kingswood. East of the Lake.

Her stance relaxed, obviously and undoubtedly satisfied. Even as he refined his instruction further to possibly have her investigate whether or not the coyotes had gotten to the land that was once claimed by Hearthwood River (which, judging by his words, were or had once been another neighboring pack).

He ended with what was quite possibly the most "fun" part of the proposed mission - to be subtle and to find out all that she could before returning home and reporting back.

"Of course," she obliged with a nod. "I shall leave as soon as conditions are favorable." In the Basin, where there was a such thing as wet and dry season, Kieron had been restricted. Wet stones and icy paths were deadly in the night, but here, she was absolutely spoiled. As soon as the rain let up, she was certain she would be gone.

However, there were a few things that she wanted to settle first. "A few things, though," she gave him a slight tilt of her head, curious if he would indulge her with talk of some of the finer details. "How subtle shall I be?" her tone was almost blunt, flirtatious in tone but subtly hinting at the fact that she was not stupid or foolhardy. She wanted to execute her little mission in a fashion that was no less than perfect. "If I run into a band of wolves, do I relay your name or lie through my teeth? Shall I shed all ties to the Shallows if only to camouflage my true loyalties? When I return, shall I call for you solely by name?"

Leader dem 2/3

Askan very much appreciated Kieron's work ethic. He'd never really been all that taken with the idea of ordering others about, of forcing other's to bend to his will, but he had to admit it was refreshing to know that when he did issue commands that they would be followed. Not only that though, but rather than rushing off to see the deed done the woman actually thought on it, she tipped her head to the side in a manner most telling. Kieron was both a thinker and a doer, a rare sort of wolf in this day and age.

Her questions were of the interesting sort. Askan pursed his lips as he dissected them in his mind, slice by slice till he knew what to say.

"We're not an overly secretive pack. The locals know of us, know that we're not the most...social. If there are wolves up there-" though he didn't see any reason why there would be- "I want to know what they're doing, who they are, so on so forth." He flicked his tail in a etcetera motion. "I'm mostly interested in the coyotes though. I'd rather you didn't get mauled, so do your best to avoid it. When you return, report to me or Reyes, we're usually on the same page. Whoever you find first is fine."

He trusted she could manage this task, she seemed light on her feet and quick of mind.

"Oh, and when you get back we'll see to you giving you an official title." He wondered what she would make of that.

(This post was last modified: Jul 15, 2018, 03:14 PM by Askan.)

He gave her just a taste of what the locals were like - that they knew about their pack and were not the most social kind - and what exactly he wanted her to take from them. The Leader wanted to know what they were doing and who they were. She gave another dip of her muzzle to acknowledge his request.

"I'm mostly interested in the coyotes though," he went on. This made Kieron's head level out. This, of course, was no suicide mission, as he wanted her to avoid it, but she understood that he simply wanted to test what was beyond pack borders. To her, it made sense. A pack Leader was the most influential and much more powerful with their own territory beneath their feet. Out there, in unclaimed places or free-for-alls where all the rogues and vagabonds hunted and rested, a pack wolf might as well have been anyone else without a pack at their back.

"Understood," she gave a hint of her characteristic smirk, though she was certain she would make a point to find Askan first. To simply known for certain now that the other man's name was Reyes was not enough to pique her interest. As if to sway her thinking, he added on the prize of an official title. What title that was, Kieron could not begin to wonder. She was much too hung up on the fact that he had said "we're"... as if the two men had already planned to send her out, that it was commonplace they rewarded their members' deeds with such fanciful names... Well, the sooner she left, the better, and soon enough she'd have something worth coveting, even if only verbal or recognized by her pack mates.

She stepped to one side, seeming as though she were ready to leave this very instant, "Is there anything else?"

Leader dem 3/3

"I trust your judgement." He told her after a moment of consideration, he wasn't exactly answering her question but he figured she'd be able to work out what he meant. Askan wasn't one for spelling out the obvious. "Take as long as you see fit, wander off the beaten track if you must."

He'd given her a rough estimate of where he wanted her to scout out, but if she found something of interest north of the lake, rather than east he wasn't going to be awfully offended. Perhaps that's what he wanted, a sense of validation, of knowing that he wasn't a paranoid prick. The more he thought about it, the more sense it made. The Edge wolves very rarely wandered north these days, for all Askan knew  the Kingswoods or even the lake could be the eye of the coyote storm, the source of all their problems. It was about damn time someone proved him right or wrong.

Though, in all honesty, he wasn't sure what he'd prefer. He'd think about it some more later.

Kieron took a step to the side, as though to leave, whilst Askan remained firmly where he stood, his toes digging into the soggy dirt like the swallow roots of a beech tree. If she wanted to leave now he wouldn't stop her.

"That's all."

(This post was last modified: Jul 15, 2018, 04:00 PM by Askan.)

Askan said that he trusted her judgement and that she was allowed to take as long as she saw fit. To be allowed to wander as she pleased was more than just freedom, it was purpose. It was her duty. A task meant for her and her alone. Her head had begun to spin but he was quick to call their little meeting to an end, "That's all." She had all the time in the world now to reflect on what the assignment meant to her; and, for the most part, she was going to prove to herself that she was more capable than any Day Sentry or Night Watcher from her birth pack. She was going to prove herself to the men of Shallow's Edge.

Another nod of her head was given to the dark-furred Leader and, in being excused, she strode off to the north with her gaze pulled upward. She grinned to herself. As soon as the rain let up, she was going to get herself a title, some scouting experience, and whatever else came with the privilege of representing and spying for her pack.

(Fade.)