* That Sweet, Sweet Breeze.

[Asphyxia]

No, surely it can't be true..., the female thought mindlessly to herself. She could not see reality...only what was directly in front of her. Her father, his faded pelt glimmering, was standing before her; his dark blue eyes were twinkling with welcome and warmth.
"Nakita...," she heard him say, although his voice seemed detached from the rest of the scene.
Fool, Nakita chided herself. Father can't be here, now. He died directly in front of me!
However, her father was very much there. Even his pelt ruffled in the soft breeze that caressed them both. And then, Nakita realized why she had been seeing her father. She knew what was coming. Although she attempted to obstruct her vision with something, anything, Nakita was forced to watch the scene in front of her. A great wave of water seemingly came out of no where, and swallowed her father whole. The last thing she was able to see was his beautiful eyes rolling back in his head. Then, blackness.

Nakita opened her eyes, only to find herself close to hyperventilating. As her vision adjusted to the bright light, Nakita was able to make out the familiar twinkling stream. Still shuddering out of fright, Nakita attempted to calm herself.
"It's alright. Only a dream..nightmare..thing," Nakita whispered, her voice wavering from the trauma. Cautiously, Nakita rose to her feet, and tottered slightly from the sudden movement. Once she regained feeling in her legs, she strode over to the stream. Peering into the water, which was something she did often, she found herself admiring it. She admired the way the wave seemed to gleam with jewels; how it was delicate, yet ferocious; and how it was able to entrance her so much.

Nakita rolled her shoulders forward in a great, heaving sigh. When would the nightmares stop? Trying her hardest to take her mind off of things, she craned her neck forward, and began to lap up the cool, refreshing water. Once she had satisfied her need, the femme leaped agilely onto a nearby rock that was conveniently overlooking the stream. Her haunches found a place on the smooth, cold rock, and, for the first time that day, Nakita felt at peace.

[winny]

Beneath Lithian’s paws, the wet earth gave way, splayed his toes and held their shape as he trotted forward. The trail of large paw prints stretched behind him, hugging forever close to the stream’s path, and the scent of mineral heavy soil filled his flared nostrils with each additional step. Soil… and something else; something familiar, healthy, and unexpectedly alone carried on that last gentle breeze.

Abruptly, the lone male came to a halt, stood impressively tall with ears erect and eyes—brown like autumn leaves—staring curiously ahead. A flash of white fur had broken the mundane hues of dark bedrock and gold-green foliage, and immediately, his ears sagged. Shame rippled throughout his lithe figure as memory served him only too well. His head lowered to stand level with the protruding blades of his shoulders, yet conversely, his tail fanned once as the smallest of smiles pulled at his black lips.

The shame, the expected humility required of his lowly position put an ache in his chest, but Lithian had little interest in indulging it. While he could very well turn back around and continue his private wandering safely alone, he had an ambition and that ambition would never be achieved that way, rather it required exactly the opposite.

“Nakita?” Fluid in his movement, Lithian took cautious steps closer to the pale she-wolf, Seifal’s beloved female leader, and his dark fur gained a bright sheen as he passed from a tree’s shadow into the sunlight. His words were spoken just above the stream’s own whisper of current; their tone crossed between amiable and genuinely concerned as he questioned, “What are you doing out here?”

His ears flicked back—an unspoken apology should he have sounded too casual—though his eyes remained as open as the rest of his curious expression. Surely, as she was now a young leader, Nakita had much to do regarding the rest of their group... was desperately needed by them, more like. Were they wondering where she was? Gazing up at her on her rocky perch, he tilted his head to the side.

[Asphyxia]

Like a faithful messenger, the breeze proudly announced the arrival of a newcomer long before the wolf had appeared in Nakita's sight-line. The scent, Nakita had to admit, was not as familiar to her as others might have been, but she knew it was one of her pack. Yet, the scent was one that was not yet drilled into her brain. The scent belonged to Lithian. She heard Lithian's soft, slightly calming tone, then turned on her rocky pedestal and saw the marbled wolf looking at her.

Truth be told, Nakita was relatively surprised that she saw this handsome, paternal wolf again. It was merely a month ago that Lithian had returned to her pack, yet she was still slightly unaccepting of his two-year hiatus. Obviously, this was because her devotion to her pack. Lithian had been a threat when he left; he was a threat to her, to her pack. Now he was back? Of course, as he was a strong fighter and well-trusted before his leave, Nakita accepted his humble return. But inwardly, she still loathed him.

Lithian, who had been a strong, fierce warrior before his hiatus, was now in the lowly, humble position of an omega. In Nakita's judgmental eyes, it was a rightful place for him. Of course, Nakita was being indifferent to him in her thoughts. Ever since her father died, Nakita has battled with major abandonment-issues. She found Lithian's hiatus to be life-altering.

"Hello, Lithian," Nakita responded, her tone even and slightly cordial. Gingerly, Nakita stepped down from her perch, and shyed slightly as the spongy bank of the stream gave way to her weight. The sand and dirt squeezed its way through the toes of her paws, turning her white fur tan-ish black, and she took a moment to clean it out. Then, she looked back at Lithian.

"I happened to doze off, earlier today. I just awoke a while ago. May I ask what you're doing here, as well?" Nakita said, raising her head slightly, in a show of dominance of sorts; a fully instinctive movement drilled into Nakita's head when she was a mere pup. Nakita's careful, deep eyes searched Lithian's, and as they passed over her pack member's frame, they softened from brittle yellow jewels to molten gold. A moment later, however, they became cold again. Nakita pawed at the ground, slightly anxiously. It went against instinct to let Lithian back into her pack, and there was still a minuscule part of her that did not trust him as she had used to.

[winny]

Pleased, Lithian swayed his brown-tinged tail at the returned greeting, and as Nakita eased down to stand on the moist streambed, he took a careful step away to make room, slipping his haunches back into shadow. On level ground, he stood a head taller than the she-wolf and while that might have once ignited a level of confidence in him, in the present, he took it instead as all the more reason to be mindful. He kept his head lowered, and that gesture, no matter how respectful, was less than comfortable. It put a knot in his neck, but that was only a small price, and he withheld even the slightest indication of displeasure.

His eyes were bright—he was delighted to be acknowledged!—and his ears, though one of the two tips sagged, lifted eagerly—he was simply hanging on the alpha’s given words! It was true that a significant amount of his interest was for the sake of courtesy and courtesy alone, but Lithian did wonder, and he felt a rapidly growing fondness for this small window of opportunity.

He’d caught the softer look he’d been given, the anxious pawing. Without so much as a thought of doubt, he knew he was not fishing where there was no fish to be had.

“I see, and in that case, I can only hope that you had an excellent nap,” Lithian’s voice took on a pinch more volume and sounded a shade more comfortable as his stiffer muscles relaxed. It didn’t seem as though he’d caught Nakita in a bad mood or at a bad time. His features took on a certain warmth as he dropped his attention to the pebble-speckled ground, watching it as if the thin green shoots sprouting up were somehow precious. “As for myself, I’m only taking a stroll—clearing my head, if you will. Of course, I realize that makes me sound a poor pack member so…” Still facing downward, he lifted his eyes to peek at the other. “Perhaps I should have told you I was patrolling.”

[Asphyxia]

Inwardly, Nakita felt a sense of relief as she saw Lithian's subdued stance. She had to admit, though, that the position looked rather uncomfortable; surely, he wouldn't want to move his neck the next day...However, she greatly appreciated the lengths Lithian went to to be courteous.

Nakita saw some of Lithian's apprehension fade from his body, as she noticed his stance relaxing and voice becoming more steady. In a sense, Nakita was pleased that Lithian wasn't so tense in her presence; despite the fact that she was alpha, she was, in fact, a pack member, and needed Lithian as much as any wolf in her pack for survival.

The corners of Nakita's mouth twinged, as if she was to smile. "As a matter of fact, I've had better rests in my lifetime...," Nakita replied, rolling her front shoulders forward in a shrug. As Lithian began to describe his reason for being out and about, Nakita couldn't help but chuckle softly. "No, it's fine, Lithian. Many times I've done the same thing. I daresay the pack will survive on its own without constant supervision. However, are you alright?" Nakita asked, her brow furrowing in a questioning manner.

Nakita hated to think it, but the thought that Lithian was thinking of running off again passed through her head. Fevered thoughts ran ramped. If he was to leave again, the pack would be quite badly off, as Lithian was their strongest fighter. What if he was going to the Vecka? What would become of her pack, then? Nakita tensed, but calmed herself down quickly. She chided herself; it was horrible of her to think that Lithian would betray her.

[v.anadium !]

The sound of running water had brought Amira's hungry frame towards the river. In her line of sight lay two fish, swimming cautiously behind rocks and yet taunting her with their eyes. A hungry growl began to form on her lips, smudged black as if by coal. Despite her hunger, Amira was not sure about fishing. She had never been one for the water, she had never been one for forests anyways. But at least it was better than the tundra. In her honey crusted irises, she watched the trout's every move. When one flicked it's tail to move a couple inches in front of the rock, she struck out with her front paws, landing on it's tail. Instantly she dug one paw's claws into the fish.

She bared her teeth as it tore it's tail out from beneath her foot, ripping it to shreds and swimming away painfully, as if limping through the water on it's unseen legs. She groaned in slight defeat, but shook her head to try and get her thinking again. Obviously a fish couldn't swim if it's tail was torn to shreds, and now it would be easier to pin. She stalked down the river again, following the slow moving fish and easily snapped it up in her jaws, feeling it's satisfying thrashes within her sharp teeth.

The golden wolf hopped out of the stream, her long black legs carrying her farther into the trees to eat her meal in peace. She wondered briefly where her fellow pack mates were, her alpha, Nakita, and the other subordinates. As Beta she knew she should probably learn most of their names, but she just hadn't gotten around to it yet. As she tore strip of meat after strip of meat off the fish, she pleasantly played out memories in her head. She also wondered if Nakita had been okay, as she had seen her earlier sleeping, and it seemed as if she had been having a bit of a nightmare, but Amira hadn't wanted to wake her, and so she had gone hunting.

As she was tearing off the last little nibblet of trout, a pair of scents floated towards her. She stood up off the ground, not alarmed but more pleased to find that someone else within the pack was around; they were clearly pack scents. She picked up the fish bones and stashed them next to a tree, as she had always enjoyed the pointed ribs of fish bones and they would serve useful later once she had completely cleaned off the skeleton.

"Why hello, and good morning, my friends," She fluttered, gracefully striding into the little gathering. The sun was up and warming their pelts and it was overall a very good day, or at least for her it had been so far. "How are we all today?" She asked pleasantly, stretching out her long legs to finish off her earlier meal.

[winny]

Upon seeing his alpha smile, hearing her chuckle, Lithian’s tail tip gave a short waggle. Though he regretted the she-wolf’s misfortune of a less than pleasant dreaming, he thought to be positive. Rather, he was quick to credit himself with making her day just a bit more pleasant, because after all, she had laughed, even if it’d been a laugh subdued. It had to count for something.

He lifted his dark nose up from the ground to better face Nakita, and he allowed himself the small pleasure of smiling in her presence. Of course, with lightly furrowed brows and a knowing brightness, the twist to his lips was more aligned with a worried comfort than joy.

“I’m more than all right, Nakita.” Lithian spoke quietly, though he paused, wrinkled his brow a little more as he truly considered his answer. When he spoke again, the words came out like embarrassed pups, “That is to say, I’m home; you’ve given me that blessing. What more could I possibly want?”

Excluding, of course, his honor, his family, and oh, that bygone innocence…

If nothing else, at least one of those three could be recovered.

He stretched his smile wider and so easily appeared all the more convincing. “You really shouldn’t wor—”

“’Why hello, and good morning, my friends…’”

Lithian blinked and turned his still lowered head to glimpse what was to him Seifal’s mysterious golden wolf, a tall, leggy creature with a shock of black fur down the neck. He’d only ever seen the she-wolf from afar, and had figured that she joined the pack during his absence. He certainly would have remembered an individual so… unique, and was momentarily silenced as he saw her up close—heard her accented speech—for the first time.

“Oh.” Overlooking entirely the sudden interruption—what harm was another chance to self-advocate?—he put on a more welcoming smile. His eyes, already gaining a curious look, shifted from the newcomer to Nakita and back again.

For a second time, his tail tip wiggled in a friendly gesture, and he greeted warmly, “Hello and good morning to you too. I’m quite fine, though I don’t believe we’ve had the pleasure to officially meet.” Lithian cocked his head a little and hesitated as if waiting for a correction before proceeding, “I’m Lithian, and you are…?”

[Memo]

The predator. Muscle, bone, tooth, and claw. The wolf, terror of the forests. This was the very creature that lurked among the small shadows that remained at midday, doing its very best not to be spotted. The massive bulking frame, obvious strength, and dominant stance suggested a male, one of high rank. Alpha Male, to be exact.

Now was the time to wonder; what on earth would an Alpha Male of the Seifal Pack be doing hiding among the ancient pines? Certainly not running from responsibility, or sneaking off to get away from enemies in the pack. The answer was quiet time. A break from the bustling camp the male lived in, just a moment to be by himself and think in peace.

MacArgen, the male, was determined to not let running a pack become a chore he hated doing. So, every so often, he let off on his own. Just to relax and take some time off. Never long enough to make anyone wonder, but long enough he had his chance to calm his spinning mind.

Mac rose slowly from his tight, curled position among the tangled roots of his favorite tree. He rolled back his shoulders in a luxurious stretch and gave a wide yawn as he pulled himself out of his zone. As he worked the last of the stiffness from his cramped muscles, a few familiar scents trickled into his nose.

Nikita, Lithian, and Amira Isra. Mixed with the damp scent of water, which had to be the stream. Silently he pondered over as to what might be the purpose of the two upper-level females were doing with the omega. Finally, his curiosity overcame him.

With a shake he discharged a clinging piece of leaf-mold and burst into an easy lope. His long strides carried him swiftly and smoothly in the direction of the creek. His orb-like blue eyes lit up with joy as his heart pounded in his chest, in perfect time with his paw steps.

The stream was upon his before he fully realized it and he was forced to splash into the water before he could stop himself. ‘Great,’ he thought in frustration, as he pulled himself onto shore.‘Just great.’ With a quick examination he saw that he had only wet his snowy white leg fur, the droplets had not reached his smoke-tinged back fur. Jerking side to side roughly, he splattered the dampness away from him, sending it flying in all directions.

Then Mac was off again, heading downstream. Before long he was able to pick out the pelt colors of his three pack-mates among the subtle tones of the woods around them. As their last sentences pricked his hearing, he was within easy viewing distance. “Hello there!” He called, keeping his voice even and friendly as he spoke.

[Asphyxia]

Nakita had to admit, Lithian's smile comforted her slightly. Her heart began to beat at a steadier rate, and she stopped her unconscious pawing of the soft, kneed-able ground. However, Nakita was able to sense that he was still worried; be it by his furrowed brow or the certain glimmer his eyes gave off. She felt the corners of her mouth twitch, then she pulled her lips away from her pearly white teeth, exposing a comforting grin.

After Lithian said that he was "more than alright," Nakita found herself instinctively waiting, as by the trail in his sentence, Nakita assumed that he was to say more. She was right; Lithian again was showing a subdued thanks for his re-admittance into the pack.

The smile lingered on Nakita's lips, as she gazed fondly at her pack member. She felt rather poorly for having suspected something. "Lithian, you're too kind. I'm honored to have you as a member of my pack again; your hunting and warrior talents are divine," Nakita said graciously.

As Lithian's smile grew, and he began to say something comforting, he was interrupted. Nakita instantly snapped back to attention, and then relaxed when she saw who the newcomer was. Nakita's soft smile returned, as she graced her beta with a smile. She would leave her and Lithian to introductions; another scent was flitting into Nakita's highly-tuned nostrils.

However, Nakita's scent glands need not do work; the next newcomer was coming by route of...stream? By careful craning of her neck and head, Nakita was able to see a male down-a-ways approaching from downstream. It was MacArgen, her alpha male. Nakita couldn't help but grin, and whine in a slightly excited voice. As Mac approached, Nakita's happiness grew. "Greetings, Mac," she said, her tail wagging like a small pup's would when he saw his mother or father. She found herself dipping her head in a respectful manner to Mac.

[Memo]

Mac twitched his ears slightly as Nikita’s angelic, sing-song voice welcomed him with a soft and eager. “Greetings, Mac.” The young she-wolf bowed her head and a respectful manner and her tail wagged slightly at his presence. Mac could help but return her slightly silly grin. His head rose to the height of dominance proper for his position, in acknowledgment of her graceful bob, before settling back down to a comfortable stance.

“Hello, Nakita.” Mac’s voice was like silk as he spoke to his alpha female, and his polite tone didn’t vary as he greeted his other pack mates with a nod and “Amira, Lithian.”
His brilliant blue eyes shone as he gazed upward, glinting in the bright sunlight. With a wide yawn he settle back on his muscled haunches.

“I trust everything is alright?” He queried, hoping the answer would be yes. No one could be sure of anything anymore, not with the massive rivalry that had sprung up between the Vecka and the Leikl. They were constantly at each other’s throats and it had become more than just an old dislike. It was now a deep and hatred that hung over all four of the packs, the Seifal and the Miro stuck in the middle.

MacArgen shook his head slightly at the thought of it, and shivered his shoulders as if he were trying to brush it off. Mac knew that he should worry more about leading his pack strongly through the seasons, keeping them fed and safe was his responsibility, and the Vecka knew better than too attack their ruling pack. Seeing as how the Leikl could do nothing in the way of violence, they were safe from that angle as well. This did little to comfort him. Hard times were coming, this he knew without a doubt, and when they did, it would not help any of the packs.

He met the eyes of the three wolves around him in turn, hoping, praying that things had not progressed further into the abyss that now lay solidly between the two enemy groups. If fighting was to come, he wanted to hold it off as long as possible.