Lost Lake Keep On Keepin' On

Sunny; low humidity. Early afternoon.

He was officially the leader. Life was good, and it was soon to be great. He was determined to glorify Poison Path with his mate Athena. The pups were beautiful and full of character; his mind could not compute as to how the previous leaders left them behind....and took the others with them. There was no time for living within the past, though. The present and future were way more important. With a lighthearted lope the man came along, black saddle of a back absorbing the warm rays of the sunlight. His jaws were parted, pink tongue lolling from his mouth as he bounded along. The water glistened within the light of the afternoon, beckoning him to take a drink. The white-gray man's tail swung high in the air with pride as he approached the edge of the water. With a swoop of his head, he began to lap water, but looked up around him for any sign of loners. Nothing. Good. No...great. That's how it should be. If anyone were to show up on their doorstep, he would handle it for awhile. His beautiful mate had done enough as of recent. With a grin and a sigh, Tlarx sat down, watching geese wade across the lake.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v201/bluepups/AshTable.png); background-position:top center; background-repeat:no-repeat; padding-top: 250px; padding-bottom: 20px; padding-left: 20px; padding-right: 20px; text-align:justify;">Being accepted into Poison Path had been a big step for him. He hadn’t wanted anything else for awhile and now he was finally satisfied. He was with Treena, his mate, and had been accepted into the pack. He had recently been called by Athena to have a discussion with her about the fate of his sister, due to Chantille speaking of it. She had been the one to heal his sister, and he had honestly felt thankful for it. Now that the oath had been broken, all hate he had for his sister had been extinguished. Now he was living strong. His build had remained strong as a lone wolf and his broken paw had finally healed itself. He could once again walk and run and do everything he had been able to do before, unlike his sister who had been cursed to walking for the rest of her life, because of him.

It seemed today that his paws were leading him back to Lost Lake, where he had first met little Ava and Athena. The two females had been highly kind to him and it had strengthened his urge to join the pack. At first she had been told that Rhysis and Naira, their past leaders were away, but when he had returned Athena had been abandoned and seemingly strong. It caused Ash to look up to her even more than before. His nose twitched slightly as a slightly familiar scent crossed his nostrils. He knew the scent from somewhere, but he couldn’t exactly but a name to it. It smelt highly of Athena and Poison Path, so he could only assume it was a pack mate he had glimpsed briefly. His ears twitched slightly as he padded forward, his paw steps now slightly quicker. And when he came to the site he was looking for, what he saw utterly shocked him.

All thoughts of submission left his mind as his head cocked to the side in curiosity, "Tlarx?" His green eyes were shining in surprise as he took in the large male. They had first met a ways from here before Treena had appeared and his protectiveness had royally screwed up their first meeting. Now he supposed that it didn’t matter though, since they were pack mates. For some odd reason he didn’t recall Treena telling him that Salamander Man had been in Poison Path and he could only assume that this was Athena’s mate that few had spoken of. Meaning. . .the other leader. Sense finally seemed to click into Ash’s head and his stance lowered accordingly to the other male in a sign of submission, greeting, and respect.

The silence was broken by a male's voice. Tlarx? The Poisoned leader turned his head, deep brown eyes falling upon Ash. Upon noting his dominance, the mottled brown wolf lowered himself, and Tlarx nodded. Rising to his massive paws, the lighter colored man smiled. "Ash. Pleasant day, is it not?" It was a relief that there was barely any humidity. Tlarx could not stand the damp feeling against his flesh. Though it was not humid, the sun beat down almost mercilessly. Perhaps a swim was in order. It had been awhile since he had seen Ash. They had only met once; it wasn't the best of encounters, but it wasn't terrible either. In silence, Tlarx's dark eyes pierced into Ash's own emerald ones as he inspected the new pack mate. He must have joined because of Treena. With his face now stoic, Tlarx's tail was high, his head lifted and chest out proud, but not bragging. "I'm glad you have joined us." His words were simple but appreciative. They needed more man power within the pack. Sure, the females contributed greatly, but testosterone was a must.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v201/bluepups/AshTable.png); background-position:top center; background-repeat:no-repeat; padding-top: 250px; padding-bottom: 20px; padding-left: 20px; padding-right: 20px; text-align:justify;">His green eyes looked back up at the leader and after his submission had been noted her returned to his normal height, his head slightly lowered. It would not be a good thing if he ended up insulting Tlarx, besides, the two of them were friends, weren’t they not? His tail wagged slightly at the words that his leader spoke and a small smile pulled on his lips. He could only hope that Treena had gotten along with the large male. In answer to his question, Ash gave a respectful nod before speaking, "That it is. The low humidity is wonderful."

The brown brute’s green eyes looked up at the sky briefly before turning his eyes back on his superior. His words brought a small twitch to his ears. More males? He would have thought that Poison Path would have been filled with male pack member. He supposed there was a first for everything. It seemed everything was going to be okay though, as long as everything went his way. . .as in Athena not kicking him out for almost killing his own sister. Though from the sounds of it, she hadn’t been that fond of Nina, and he was curious as to why, though he knew it would have to wait for another day. His jaws once again opened her he spoke, "Thank you. I look forward to defending the pack to the best of my ability. . .actually, I was going to try to become a Guardian, I just haven‘t been able to speak to you or Athena about it yet." And with his words, his head dipped in respect to the older male.

The wise wolf kept his gaze on Ash even when he looked to the sky for a moment. The man beside him asked to become Guardian. Hmm. He did seem powerful; he was large just as Tlarx was. He would be perfect, yes... there was no doubt in his mind. "Guardian, hmm? I do believe such would suit you..." his voice trailed off as he stepped forward, front paws stepping into the cool water. Closing his eyes in relaxation, Tlarx spoke once more. "A lot will be expected of you since we have the pups, Ash. I am sure you can withstand the pressure, correct?" Eyes opening once more, he gazed downward at his reflection. Tail remained high as he now stepped fully into the water, the liquid up just above his paws. Perhaps Ash wouldn't mind a swim? Not yet, though. He wanted to know if the wolf was fully capable of obtaining and holding up his position as Guardian. The sun hid behind a cloud, and Tlarx tilted his head, gazing at the puffy white formation in the sky. There were small white clouds scattered about; no sign of rain at all.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v201/bluepups/AshTable.png); background-position:top center; background-repeat:no-repeat; padding-top: 250px; padding-bottom: 20px; padding-left: 20px; padding-right: 20px; text-align:justify;">Green eyes watched Tlarx as he stepped into the water, and his ears twitched at the words that would escape his male alpha’s mouth. Would he be able to have his main priority be the pups? Of course he could, he knew Treena would understand, she was a wonderful fighter herself. His head nodded respectfully towards the large man before speaking. "Yes, sir. My main priorities right now are to protect the pups and Athena." His eyes held truth in them. He would be truthful to Tlarx and only truthful to him. No lies would be told to him unless highly necessary, which hopefully would never happen in their case.

Ash’s tail tucked accordingly towards his leader and bowed in respect to him. It was good to have friends within the pack. Though it was a shock to have found that he had mated with Athena, for the male, not so long ago, had been frowning upon Treena and Ash being together. The thought brought slight amusement into Ash’s mind, but otherwise stayed professional. It wouldn’t want to start laughing with his leader when what they were talking about what completely business.

Tlarx smiled at Ash. Soon, though, his face was once more stern. "Very well, then" he said, brown eyes glistening in the sun, "My faith within your abilities is strong." With a flick of his tail, he lowered his head swiftly, tongue lapping at the water. Raising his head ever so slightly, the leader now padded forth, bringing his body deeper into the water. Once it was just above his stomach, he turned to gaze at Ash and shrugged his shoulders. "Care to join?" Poison Path was going to be strong- he knew it. There was not to be just 'wolves' within the pack; each would have a title. Warrior, guardian, healer, hunter... whatever was needed, there would be a wolf for it. If the man would have to recruit, he would. Though he did not doubt Ash's abilities on protecting the pups and his wonderful mate, Tlarx would not want to wander far from them, but perhaps it would have to be done.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v201/bluepups/AshTable.png); background-position:top center; background-repeat:no-repeat; padding-top: 250px; padding-bottom: 20px; padding-left: 20px; padding-right: 20px; text-align:justify;">His eyes traveled wit his alpha’s movements and soon he saw a small smile on the man’s lips. Not something Ash had expected to see anytime soon. But it seemed just as soon as it had appeared, did it vanish. This, however did not shock the brown brute tough, not many things could. . .though with the next words spoken by the Tlarx, the man dipped his head in thanks. Not much longer after their serious discussion, did the sandy man’s body become completely enveloped into the water. Large ears twitched at the question that was thrown at him, and he did not hesitate to answer the simple question.

With a respectful dip of his head, he replied in a happy tone, "Oh! Why not? Nothing better than a little swim." Truth be told, as the large man made his was towards the lake, was that e hated water. He didn’t mind a small drink, or even his paws getting slightly wet. But swimming was definitely not on the top of his list. None the less, he made his way into the water until it rose just above his chest. He had to do is best to stay still and not trash around in annoyance, and for the time being, he was sure he would be fine. And that was all that mattered.

Ash agreed to the suggestion of swimming; he soon submersed himself in the water as Tlarx had. The white coated man allowed himself to float in the cool waters, his black saddle bobbing above the surface. The water soothed his muscles from the workout the mountains demanded. Swimming back around, Tlarx felt his paws touch sand. There were small pebbles attempting to lodge themselves between his toes, but he kept his paws moving lightly. "Any family around here, Ash?" The question was casual; he wanted to get to know him. Perhaps the other large-framed wolf would become a compeer of Tlarx. He needed his pack to be full of wolves that he could trust. One betrayal, and their fur would be torn straight off their backs. His paws hunkered down within a soft patch of sand. The wolf allowed his body to relax as the water supported his belly. What a lovely day.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v201/bluepups/AshTable.png); background-position:top center; background-repeat:no-repeat; padding-top: 250px; padding-bottom: 20px; padding-left: 20px; padding-right: 20px; text-align:justify;">While submerged in the water Ash desperately tried to take his mind off of is current situation. His mind and ears focused solely on the questions being asked by the tan man. . . Though when the next question was asked swimming seemed like a better choice for the younger man. His ears twitched once more as he thought about the question. There should not have been any problem with answering. Soon enough is massive jaws opened and the alpha’s question was answered, "Yes, Nina Hervok, now Nina Reinier, with her mate, Koda. How are you?"

His own question was polite but held much curiosity within them. As didn’t know much about his leader either. They had only met briefly and by the end of the meeting Treena and had not been on good terms with the man. Therefore, neither had he, but he was quite positive his mate knew that Tlarx was within there pack and was quite curious as to how the two wolves were getting along.