Thicket of Secrets taciturn, reticent

The first week of April had been rough. While the weather had been mostly pleasant, traveling back from the Mountain of Dire and thinking along the way had Borden on the brink of weariness among several emotions. He had been careful to choose a path through the forests and along the river to ensure he didn't trespass upon Swift River territory or get lost; every step and movement he made had a purpose. He thought only of returning to Jaysyek, safe and sound. Any other tangents - like how angry he was with Alexander and Makita and the wolves of the Mountain or how his joints sharply ached from running - he felt would cause him to futz about and lose himself completely.

The pack meeting had been more than two weeks ago; it had never crossed his mind that he would have been gone for that long. By the time he realized he had been skirting along the dense hedges of the Thicket of Secrets, he stopped for a moment, inhaling the familiar scent of home...

His body quivered before his frame collapsed into the pine needles that blanketed the forest floor. For several moments his body laid still until his ribcage rose and sank before taking up a steadied rhythm. The weary golden eyes remained closed for the time being; at the northern edge of his territory, he had no reason for sight - his nose would tell him just enough in case fleeing or greetings were required.

Borden Lyall

well, what do you want from me?

Well, what do you want from me?

In the two weeks that Borden had been gone, Vlarindara had done her best to make sure that the pack and Jaysyek were well cared for...that there was some kind of a meal tucked in the mouth of the den for any wolf who might be passing through. She'd been up before the dawn every morning, patrolling the borders and remarking their lands...the last to bed - or so she thought. She usually slept outside the den, curled on top of the dwelling to be closer to any who might wish their pack harm. It was the day he returned that Vlarindara was trotting back from the thicket of secrets into their territory when she saw a form lying on the ground just inside the borders. The small boar was settled lightly to the ground, wide jaws parting to lay it as gently upon the earth as she could.

Still a distance away from the smaller wolf, the Grizzly Hollow second moved around, keeping the wind at her face so the other wolf wouldn't smell her...not yet. His scents were mingled with other animals from paths he crossed over..He appeared...thin, his coat dusty from wherever he happened to have traveled.. The wolf appeared to be sleeping...but she couldn't be sure in these times... His coat was matted and dirtied...it appeared whoever it was had little time to care for the way they looked. His scent was...familiar... but it was also mixing with the scents of the wolves of their territory.. each different scent wafting towards her in the wind. They had yet to hear of Bordens return - she'd figured that he would call his return to the wolves.. let them know he was coming. This couldn't be their alpha.

The female felt her muscles tense, the hackles on her back and shoulders rising with the silent growl, the instinctive need to be larger..bigger than her possible opponent. With none of the pack nearby, Vlarindara had no backup.. but she could howl.. call them out if she needed.. but for now.. he was a bit smaller than her.. or she. The gender of the wolf didn't matter.. What *DID* matter was it was inside their territory lines...And that...was NOT a smart move. The large female emerged from where she'd been spying in the underbrush, the low growl growing into a blood curdling snarl, lips pulling back to display her ivory fangs. The plumed tail more reminiscent of a Great Pyrenees than the stiffer ones of wolves curled tightly over her back, looking almost like a pompom. The two triangle ears were arced forward, eyes, ears and fangs centered on her quarry. If that warning wasn't enough for the wolf.. the growled and snarled words of the female may very well have been. "If you wish to keep your hide.. I suggest you. Leave." The last word was punctuated with a snapping of her jaws, the growling snarl never stopping..her footsteps never ceasing to bring her closer to the wolf. Her muscles were tense, legs stiff..but ready to charge this trespasser if they didn't think smart and leave.

Silence was quick to surround him, to suffocate him. After several moments, he had hoped to be discovered by one of the pack's younger members - Kiche, Kauda or Aisling - but the sound of a sharp snarl made him come to with a jolt. He willed his muscles to move, to raise his head at first to apprehend the situation: being confronted by a rather large, intimidating ivory wolf. A guard... a very good one too. His breath caught in his chest and his vision took a moment to focus while he shuffled backward slightly once he had stood up.

She flashed her teeth, ordering him strictly to leave. The size of her, with her fur bristled and her stance trained on his figure, made him panic for a split-second. He had never seen Vlarindara in such a state. Angered. Vicious. Territorial... If he had been a stranger, he probably would have said his good-byes, quick and simple, before dashing off toward and across the river. He'd never want to come across her, or her pack, again. "V-Vlar," he stammered through her thick and steady growl. His eyes were wild with both shock and fear; in his state she could easily overpower him. It had not even occurred to him that traveling would have rendered him into such a disheveled state; he had assumed that his pack would recognize him upon his return.

His hind legs pressed up against a thin tree, putting at least an additional two feet between them."It's... I-It's me," he roughly croaked, trying to recover himself. He shakily stood up straight, though his tail, at best, curled around his right side before lilting downward again. Truth be told, just by her initial reaction to his arrival, he could tell that his Second had done a very good job in protecting the pack, as well as the territory, while he was gone. A feeble attempt in conversation was his next move to transition things into a calmer, more collected mood, "How're things? How's... Jayse? Have things been well?"

Borden Lyall

well, what do you want from me?

Well, what do you want from me?

OOC: Big, Scary Vlar! -rawr!-

At the sudden movement of the wolf she was approaching, Vlarindara shifted her footsteps ready to charge him...that is until he spoke her name with that soft, raspy tone. Borden? The growl cut off as if a switch had been thrown, her head coming up and watching him, ears shifting and laying back against her neck. A soft whine accompanied the females sudden change in posture, her tail lowering and continuing through the drop to curl between her legs. "Borden!" There was shock in her tone, but this time when she moved towards him, it was submissive rather than the previously feral version of the white wolf. The change from anger to submissive might be scary in and of itself. Her steps carried her closer to him, her nose making contact with the bottom of his jaw before she stepped backwards and settled to her haunches, turning her head away and not meeting his eyes.

"My apologies..I...hadn't realized it was you..Again...my apologies.." So STUPID to not have made that connection! Though, she was happy to see him alive and well - it would ease the fears and worries of their second alpha. "Jaysyek...is worried for your safe return...She paces the easternmost edge of our lands for hours...watching for your coming...She'll be pleased to know you've come back." There was concern in her tone at the comments of the female alpha - but she had done her best to keep the other pale pelted female safe in his absence. "Aside from that..We've only had one visitor...a larger male...he had followed the river and crossed into our lands - but he left relatively quickly." Her tone trailed off...but her appearance to Borden left little to the imagination of WHY the wolf left. Quickly. Though she seemed to be sporting a bit of torn fur around the front of her shoulders."..How have you been? I'm sure you're hungry..Knowing you..." and her tone trailed off as she trotted back to where she'd had the boar, returning before setting it down in front of him. "You haven't eaten..here... get something to eat...I'll keep watch."

O O C | :D

"Borden!" she exclaimed, just hearing his name made him jump. Watching her correct her posture and welcome him quietly, he exhaled as she apologized. "That's alright," he assured her, noticing now how she averted her gaze. "You were doing your job, no harm done." He gazed to her warmly, the beating of his heart slowing to its normal pace as he listened to her.

She mentioned how Jayse worried to the point of restlessness and how she had managed to keep an intruder at bay. At least everything was safe and sound, or so they seemed. He wondered if Makita had actually told Alexander about his visit, if the ashen alpha had sent the wolf Vlar encountered as a result of Borden's visit. He swallowed the lump in his throat as Vlarindara got up and returned with her catch of the day: a small, hairy boar. The hollow feeling in his stomach reminded him that all he had eaten in the past 24 hours was a raven; its death had been unfortunate, but at least Borden made ample use of it.

"Thank... Thank you," he said, appreciative of her. He reclined onto his belly, having difficulty separating one of the boar's legs from its shoulder. After only a few bites, he gazed to Vlar, watching her for a moment before stating and asking, "I could be better... but how are you? Things haven't been too hard on you, have they?"If he hadn't looked properly or didn't bother to even mind the ivory female, he would have missed the rough patch of pelt about her shoulder.

Borden Lyall

well, what do you want from me?

Well, what do you want from me?

Seeing the male eating brought a soft smile to her features, but she shook her head, settling into the pine needles a few feet from him. Despite the relaxed posture the female displayed around him, her eyes and ears were anything but, amber constantly searching about, triangle ears swiveling this way and that. "I've been fine...It's because I'm not one of two.. but one of six that I'm as healthy as I am...And I've you to thank for such things..allowing me entrance to your pack.. allowing me to protect those who've protected me." Vlarindara smiled, shifting until she was settled more comfortably in the forest floor.. though where she usually crossed her front paws.. this time they stayed uncrossed.

"Did you finish your business with the mountain pack?" Her tone was curious.. concerned... but she was silently pleased that she hadn't gone with him when he'd originally left... If she had.. and the large male that she'd scuffled with those few precious seconds had really WANTED to cause harm to the pack..he might have...If he hadn't intended to cause them harm...then he may simply have just ambled on by...But.. best safe than sorry.

The alpha gnawed at the boar's forearm, taking in her response. "Fine," she had said. He caught her smile, returning it almost instantly. Her gratitude wasn't needed at all, but he allowed her to voice it as he remained quiet. He traced his tongue along his lips and his maw, blood from his meal staining his muzzle pink wherever he had licked. "Did you finish your business with the mountain pack?" she inquired. The tone of her voice made him look up from the ulna and radius he was working on.

He took a deep breath. Here goes... "No..." he shrugged. "I got held up by a more dire situation." The words seemed to leave a terrible taste in his mouth; once the sentence had left his tongue, his ears turned forward in annoyance and he stared hard at the ground just beyond his meal. "I could have prevented it, but I didn't think of it at the time. I didn't want to stay and talk things out anyway after that; trying to straighten out twisted words and made up stories would be a waste of time. I only meant to be gone for a week, but..." A growl slipped from his throat.

"I... I don't intend on leaving the territory again for a long length of time any time soon," he stated. "I'll just leave it at that."

Borden Lyall

well, what do you want from me?

Well, what do you want from me?

Vlarindara nodded, frowning softly at his angered tone in the comment, but not wanting to upset him by asking further questions. Instead, she returned her gaze to the lands around them, casting about and looking for anything that didn't belong. Though.. with Jaysyek constantly prowling the eastern border, she was getting a bit nervous.. about not checking on the other white female. She usually passed by the female on her rounds, being careful to remain hidden most of the time....hoping the alpha didn't notice her - there wasn't much she could do other than make sure that Jaysyek was safe. Borden's announcement of not leaving pack grounds got a quiet nod, amber eyes glancing across the forests. "If...you have further business outside our pack lands...I'd...be happy to go in your stead..If you ask it of me." That..and the death of an alpha at the paws of another pack was more devastating than the death of a second. The pack needed him.. Jaysyek needed him more than they needed her. It only made sense.

He glanced to Vlarindara as she said that she would go in his place if he wished it. "Thank you, Vlar," he nodded. "But I don't think that will be necessary. I appreciate the notion though." His tail gave a slight wag, a weak movement that lifted the sullied plume from the ground then laid it back down to rest. "Very honorable, brave, and considerate of you."

His eyes grazed over what was left of the boar; he hadn't eaten much - just a portion of the creature's foreleg - but his stomach was already insisting it was more than full. He strained to push himself back up into a sitting position but almost immediately settled back down. "I did not mean to keep you from your patrol," he then said, noting how attentive his Second had been to their surroundings. "If you have places to be, I can cache the rest of this away for later, and I'll... I'll catch up." He wanted to say he'd be right behind her, follow her back to the den, but his body protested against any broad or sudden range of movement in his present condition. He'd be lucky if he managed to make it even halfway to Grizzly Hollow.

Borden Lyall

well, what do you want from me?

Well, what do you want from me?

An expression crossed the ivory females face at his comment of going back on her patrol before she shifted around and stood near his side. "And leave you near our borders so weak you can hardly stand? Sorry, Borden..but..I will have to disobey that request..." Her tone was gentle as she lowered her large head, nuzzling his furred shoulder.. but in an encouraging way.. rather than the way Jaysyek might have. "Jaysyek is well protected by the other members of our pack...You, however, are not. And I've no intentions of wandering off in *any* capacity." As if to punctuate the mark, her backside settled right back down on the ground, eyes once more casting about for danger.. but this time, she was closer to him, enough to feel his breath brushing fur against hers.

Months ago, she would have thought something different.. but now? Now she knew better.. Now she knew that Borden belonged to Jaysyek - had willingly given him to the heterochromic female. Her decision seemed the right one.. at least in her mind - Jaysyek was making a better leader than she could have.. not knowing how packs worked even. "Kauda has been helping me on my patrols recently...I'm sure she'll continue the rest of mine this evening."