Sex: MaleIt all seemed so simple to Mercy.He could find a family. His mother was his family, but a real family, like the one Nova and Aponi had, consisted of a mother and a father. The girls had both Naira and Mapplethorpe to look after them, and while Sagacity was not the only one who looked after him, he still felt the need to have a family. The truth of his origin was still unknown to the pup, who believed himself to be a bastard born from some sickly woman whose mate was unknown. He'd been taken in simply out of mercy, some shred of pity that Sagacity had taken upon him and his siblings who had apparently died. It made her no less of a mother to him- but he still felt incomplete. He needed a father, and he had the perfect solution to it.
@Crowe. He was big, strong, impressive- he could take care of Mercy and Sagacity both, and that was all he needed to do, wasn't it? He'd brought up the notion to his mother- one she'd cast aside with a chuckle. He'd been slightly offended by this, and had become troubled. Why didn't she see how easy it could be? And why was it that she spent time with some other man he didn't really know? The name @Faol had been spoken to him, but he had yet to meet this mysterious man. Surely he couldn't compare, in any way, to Crowe. But he had yet to meet him and find out the truth. Still, Mercy was absolutely sure that Crowe would have made the better father out of the two of them.
His troubled thoughts were interrupted when he caught sight of movement in the tall grass on the Eastern slope of the mountain. The morning sunlight cast long shadows and was not quite warm enough to dry away the dew from the ground so Mercy's sides and flanks were darkened by the moisture. He froze for a moment, ears tilting forward slightly as he watched the grass shiver and move in a strange pattern- and he knew at once that there was something there, causing it to move so. Something small, certainly small enough for him to hunt.
He crept forward, belly close to the ground and felt his heart rise in his throat- this was it, he was hunting. One forepaw lifted as he readied himself before he took a few quiet steps forward and transitioned smoothly into a run. The little creature in the grass made a high pitched squeak and immediately began to run- but the young wolf was already upon it, and he had it cornered between his large forepaws within seconds. One swipe knocked the mouse off its feet and dizzied it so that when it tried to run again it failed to do so. Mercy picked up the tiny thing in his jaws and flicked his head back, releasing it into the air. It somersaulted, little paws waving frantically before the boy leapt up and caught it between his teeth once again, thus ending the hunt.
He crunched and chewed through his small but satisfying meal and licked his lips, having devoured the whole thing in less than a minute. He looked around to see if anyone had seen him- but saw no one. Tail high in the air he continued on his trek down the mountain's slope, his mood suddenly made brighter by his success.
The pup moved swiftly after eating his meal, most certainly heading in the direction of home. Still young, but able to travel distances not to far from mother, or home. He assumed the pup was born of Nomad's Pass, but you couldn't be too sure. Following him didn't seem to be such a bad idea. Faol had yet to see the communal den site; if one did exist. The wolves about this area seemed scattered, fond of each other but kept within their own limits. Like a snake, Faol moved through the shaded areas, blending nearly as well as the shadows themselves and tailed after the small one.
A break came in the foliage as they traversed down the mountain side. Faol didn't see any landmarks in sight and so he began to wonder. A brow furrowed in concern for the young, pondering as to why a wolf so immature would be traveling these mountains alone. Silently the male morphed from the shadows, looking like a piece of darkness being torn in the shape of a canine, and stepped out into the sunlight. He didn't speak, but lowered his nose to the ground, and rolled a small rock with enough force to make it skip a few steps past the boy. An easy test. A playful pup would chase the movement without hesitation - but a smart pup would watch out for what's behind him.
It was nothing for Mercy to wander about the mountain feeling as free to be. Whether it was bad parenting on Sagacity's part, allowing the boy too much freedom, or simply a naive trust she had that he wouldn't get hurt, the boy felt no worries or need to fear for his own safety as he trundled along. He knew the rules- he could go anywhere on the mountain so long as he was careful, and could go outside the pack borders as long as someone was with him. He gave few thoughts to his own safety- only now and then when the slope got steep would he be more careful about his footing, but he still thought of himself as being too tough, too strong to get hurt. So when a rock went rolling past him, he lifted his head, alert to the sudden movement, and blithely stuck out one paw to try and stop it as it rolled by.He missed, but before he could leap after it, he took a quick glance over his shoulder to where the rock had come from, as though expecting another to come tumbling after it. He saw nothing at first and turned his head back, lifting one foot as though to take off after the tumbling rock before his mind put together the blob of darkness it had subconsciously seen and formed it into the shape of a large, dark wolf. The fur on his back flew up and he stumbled slightly when he turned, too sharply to keep his balance.
His blueish grey eyes stared for a moment, surprised to see someone there. He hadn't heard, smelled or seen this stranger, a male who smelled of the pack- if only vaguely- who was watching him. He recovered from his stumble and shook a bit of dust out of his coat before he cracked a small smile. "You tryin' to sneak up on me?"
"You're awfully easy to sneak up on," he said. One black paw carried him closer and then another until he was side to side by the youngster. Up close he was even smaller than what Faol had presumed. Black and gray legs towered over the smaller wolf. It could have also been the fact that Faol had not seen a pup in years - at least not one this small. He wouldn't call himself particularly good with children, but he relished in teaching them survival and how to use their instincts.
"You need to be more aware of your surroundings if you're going to be out here alone, you know," he stated. His voice was stern, but not intentionally intimidating."You never know when you could get into trouble," he said, lingering on the word trouble with a quick exposure of white fang to drive home his point. He meant it in the best possible way of course. The boy possessed the average gray blue eyes as he peered up to Faol, his expression faintly familiar. It caused his brow to furrow and for him to fall silent.
The way the stranger laughed as soon as he saw how he'd surprised the crowchild didn't sound like the kind of laughter that made Mercy want to laugh too. No, this was the kind of laughter that @Aponi used when she was taunting her @Nova or him. Though it wasn't nearly as cruel, it had the same effect- he felt as though he was being made smaller than he already was, which frustrated the boy. He was beginning to feel the impact of being both small and of a less than noble birth. It had not bloomed completely within the boy, but the troubled feelings had just begun to rear their ugly heads.This feeling was magnified when the stranger spoke, and even more when he approached to stand over him as though to flaunt his size. Had it been Crowe, Mercy might've aspired to stand a bit taller, to match the height of his idol. But as it was, he didn't feel impressed at all by the stranger's size, even though he could've been comparable to Crowe. Instead, he felt jealous and belittled by the man who stood alongside him. Know-it-all, Mercy thought darkly to himself.
When he was lectured about getting into trouble, he picked up one forepaw and flicked a little pebble down the slope with it- much the same way he expected Faol had done only moments ago. He shrugged one shoulder. "My mom lets me come out here." He said, using that as an excuse. If his mom was okay with him being out on his own, then this stranger had absolutely no say in how he was to be raised. "I won't get hurt," He pressed, as though the very idea of getting himself injured was absolutely ridiculous. He wasn't being idiotic, after all- he was just walking around. How could he get hurt?
Crowe should be higher in the ranks, yet here he was stuck at the bottom and Faol above him. Not only that, but he was speaking to the only being whom seemed to look up to Crowe despite his strange ways. The boy had made a strange impression on Crowe and he wished to see more of the enthusiasm he had first seen. But first he must make it apparent to this male here that he would not take away the one wolf that thought Crowe was worth something, even if Mercy was no more than a pup. The massive male issued not a direct challenge but rather the unspoken, That pup is under my care. In truth, Crowe had been watching and merely went to check a scent when he returned there was Faol. "Crowe Shane."
"Faol" he said, his voice gruff and uninviting at the least. A quick look to the child, who had yet to display emotion, did not help in his understanding of the situation. Was this one his? Not likely. He surely would not have been given permission to breed. His stature did not challenge Faol but it warned him to take heed."Do you know who's child this is, Shane?" he questioned.
Still somewhat disgruntled by the admonishment he'd been given, Mercy looked up at the man, studying his features, his thick build, the grey-ticked fur of his coat. He should have impressed Mercy, but the boy child still did not appreciate the fact that he was being condescended. Not that he'd been raised to be proud, but he had aspirations, and this male wasn't letting him have any of hid independence, or giving him any credit.If his mother was fine with him being out alone on the mountain side, then this guy had no right to question him.A low voice caused the hairs along the back of Mercy's nape to raise, but as soon as he recognized the owner of this voice his features brightened suddenly. He turned and looked up to the white, and even the child realized that the words weren't meant to chastise him, but Faol. Mercy turned away from Faol and gleefully trotted over toward Crowe, flaunting his alliance with the strong, stony male in front of Faol with no regrets. Once he reached Crowe, he lifted his head to nip respectfully at the underside of the rugged jaw above him and placed himself directly by Crowe's side.
"His name's Crowe," Mercy said, emphasizing the male's first name. To Mercy, 'Crowe' sounded more powerful and masculine than 'Shane,' thus why he made the decision to instruct Faol how to correctly address the male Mercy simply assumed was of a higher rank. In Mercy's eyes, he was more powerful, more mysterious, more dangerous- he'd never seen Faol before and therefore judged that as the newer member of the pack, he'd be ranked lower. He was wrong, of course, as he was in most of the judgements he made of the peppered male. He puffed out his chest slightly. "An'I'm Mercy; but my mom sometimes calls me Crowchild." Even his nickname- which had been given to him even before his mother had met the sinister man, gave the child even more reason to like Crowe.
For now, he heard no voices, no images of death flashed through his head, no involuntary growls escaped his muzzle. Yes Mercy was an anchor for the icy male. So at Faol's question of Bane's parentage Crowe responded calmly, and almost coldly. "His mother is called Sagacity. She is of the pass as is this pup, you needn't worry Faol, Mercy is under my care until Sagacity returns from her scouting duties." It felt odd for him to use a normal speaking voice for once, even the pitch had changed. Though madness still sparked in his eyes from time to time the white giant was outwardly calm. If one had seen him beforehand one may think that he had snapped and was just about to devour these two.
IC:
It seemed as if the tides had turned against Faol. He had come across the child by mere coincidence, possibly to offer a helping hand, and it appeared that these two wanted little to do with his presence. The pup, Mercy, had corrected him and called the wolf by his first name - a sign of respect, an inkling that they knew each other better than what he thought. When the youngster left his side to nip at the chin of the white wolf Faol remained quiet, but had to hold back an expression of disapproval. How could a pup look up to someone like Crowe - an unhinged madman in his terms. He was soon to leave the premise until the child gave away his name. Mercy.
Of course this couldn't be the same Mercy that was Sage's son. It didn't seem to make sense in his mind until the white male spoke and confirmed that he was to watch over Mercy while Sage was tending to her scouting duties. Immediately, and rather irrationally, Faol felt surprise that was soon accompanied with anger. He was furious. How could Sage be so ignorant as to leave her child with this man? There was a bond between the two of them he could see, but what kind of trouble could a wolf gone wrong in the head drag a small boy into?
"You're Mercy's guardian?" he said, tightening in order to contain his throaty growl. It had seemed their roles had switched and in an instant Faol was filled with the same hatred Crowe had shown minutes ago. His reassurance that Mercy was well taken care of was enough to cause the fur along his spine to burn as he breathed slowly in order to maintain his composure. "I know what his mother is called," he spat, slightly losing control of his tone. If this child was one to be called Crowchild, and this man is named Crowe...
He felt as if things suddenly didn't make sense. His whole reason for following Sage into this pack was not to make something of himself, but for her solely. He didn't want to ask him if this child was his, or given his name, he wanted to ask Sage for herself.