Nuclear Nightfall: Wolves of the Wasteland (accepting!)

[Sonder,]

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zxxxxxxxxxxx›⊱ˊ ─ 𝐀𝐑𝐂𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐔𝐒 ⋅.━xxzxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
zxxxxxxxxxxxxzxxx ( rank: beta) . ( bio ) . ( location: outside healers den --> densite) . ( tags: open ! ) . ( mutation: echolocation )
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Moments like these, rich with secrets, were irresistibly seductive to Arcturus. Forbidden knowledge was his favored delicacy. Born thin, gaunt, and shadowy, he had mastered the power of secrets. Muscles were unnecessary when words cut deeper than fangs.

The Beta was thoroughly entrenched in the sweet temptation of power. The only way to rid oneself of temptation is to yield to it, and yield he did. Consumed by it, he sacrificed many relationships. But he had new companions now: Jealousy, that green-eyed monster, mocked the very flesh it fed on. In this case, Arcturus himself.

His thin ears tuned into the illicit symphony of a conversation never meant for him. Each word pierced his pride, unraveling the delicate fabric of his composure, each phrase a corrosive drop of acid etching away at his fragile patience.

“Abraxas,” he mouthed, the name slithering off his tongue with a serpent’s disdain. A precursor to taking his place? How laughably naive. His unkempt claws curled into fists, piercing his own flesh, knuckles blanching—a subconscious reaction to Tienen’s words.

And Eliza, he mused, entitlement dripping from his thoughts, his ego swelling greedily. A dynamic untested? What a farce. He needed no partner, silently demanding undivided reverence. He was the apex, not a piece to be paired with another.

Each bitter thought spiraled into a dark vortex of resentment. He had clawed his way through the mire of deceit and subterfuge, yet he stood here, still deemed unworthy. It worsened with each new contender he confronted. Maverick? Loaded with contempt, he scoffed. A potential replacement? That whelp lacked the backbone to tame the unruly. And Amalie? Elevating her would only ferment discontent, breeding chaos in her wake.

A mirthless chuckle bubbled up, cold, sharp, and impatient. A terrible time to be unbalanced, indeed. But equilibrium is not bestowed; it is seized by those with the audacity to grasp it. And Arcturus had the audacity, alright.

With this resolve, his eyes narrowed into thin serpent slits, twin pools of gluttony—the deadliest of the seven sins—burning with a dangerous determination. If they could not see his worth, he would carve it into their consciousness. He would compel them to recognize that he was their leader, not merely in name, but in the very marrow of their bones.

Creeping from his hidden vantage, his path etched stark against his ambitions, he would not suffer the indignity of a beta’s role, nor allow another to usurp what destiny had marked as his own. Each step he took was a stride into a growing longing. If he was forced to do hellish things, let them be hellish. No more false heavens, no more damned politics. He and Tienen—let the game begin.

The time had come to seize his fate, to wrest from the shadows the mantle of leadership that was his by right, by strength, by unrelenting will.

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zxxxxxxxxxxxxzxxx ( rank: scout) . ( bio ) . ( location: xxx ) . ( tags: open ! ) . ( mutation: bio-luminescent markings)
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Last Post: Waiting for a few more to respond :)

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zxxxxxxxxxxxxzxxx ( rank: initiate) . ( bio ) . ( location: xxx ) . ( tags: open ! ) . ( mutation: yet to evolve )
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Last Post: Waiting for a few more to respond :)


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[rogan]

━━━━━━ ❛ 𝐀𝐆𝐀𝐓𝐇𝐈 . ❞ ━━━
xxxxxxxxxx01. healer xx 02. in her den xx 03. tags: tiernan & abraxas xx 04. other: ' O.O '
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xx"You are old, Tiernan. Maybe reminding you every once in a while is in your best interest," Agathi mused playfully, jokingly, though her attention was fixated on the current problem; eyes mulling over the surface of Tiernan's skin where she had previously been able to identify somewhat of a lump, even while Tiernan was in his natural, relaxed posture as he was moments before. But now it was like it was gone, rather than camouflaged by the alpha's thick coat and skin; although she was certain, positive, she had felt it beneath her nose; no, she knew that she had felt it.

xxShe listened closely as he spoke, nodding her head along. She sighed, though, her shoulders slumping slightly in defeat as she continued to not along. She knew Tiernan was unlikely to slip on any sort of alpha-related task; but she couldn't help but wonder just how much longer he was going to make it. And listening to him talk about not being able to take the very breaks he had been suggested, Agathi was certain it may not be much longer before he found himself bedridden.

xxAs Tiernan's spiel continued on, Agathi found herself smiling slightly; fondly. Alpha problems were certainly the least of her concerns; especially knowing she had such a small say in how anything went down, but still she nodded along with what he was saying. She let out out a breath, straightening out her back a bit before she took another small step closer to him. "Although not any of my concern, maybe talking about it helps you? To sort it out, I mean. Even if it's just by yourself," she offered him a smile, then leaned her nose down towards Tiernan's leg once again, narrowing her eyes almost as though to make the problem clearer. "I can't offer you any advice; not on my behalf or anyone's. The best thing you can do is to look at the pack's best interest regardless of options. That's all I can offer you━ without sounding biased, I mean."

xxAgathi pressed the front of her nose into the area again, moving it around slightly to get a better feel for it, only to pull back again. Her ears flickered back, and she tilted her head in confusion before she dropped her head back down to press against the lump again. And, just the same as before, the lump was smaller; not impossibly, but noticeably.

xxHer ears twisted in confusion again. "That's not..." she trailed off, her voice turning close to a whisper before she, for a third time, pressed her nose into Tiernan's fur, this time pressing a little harder to make sure she wasn't just imagining it. Sure enough, though, the size remained stagnant the third time around.

xxJust days before, it was larger than the prior check. She was puzzled about how, suddenly, the lump went into regression and began to get smaller. Agathi was sure that it wouldn't be oscillating in size; from her knowledge, these kinds of things never did oscillate. They never did waver in size unless it was an infection. And even then, it was unlikely; nothing she had seen before.

xx"Before I tell you, Tiernan, I don't want you to get too in over your head," she spoke softly, taking a step back so that she could evaluate his full stature. Frail with age, although the life in his eyes remained young. But anyone who looked at him would know that he was fighting an uphill battle with aging. She breathed out, sitting down as she turned her head. "It's smaller. Not extremely, but enough to tell. For all I know, it could be temporary. I don't know why, or how. So, please, try not to get too ahead of yourself; it might seem like it's healing, but there's no way to know. Not unless it completely disappears."

xxSeconds later, Agathi stood up, giving Tiernan a knowing look. She turned around slightly, but then stilled upon seeing a familiar form tucked somewhat away in the shadows cast over him. "Abraxas," she beamed, turning to glance over her shoulder for a moment, then whipping her head back around to look at Abraxas again, "You're not interrupting at all," her nose twitched, and she sat herself down, "we were just finishing up our talk."

xxShe fell into a silence as Abraxas explained the commotion that began earlier just outside of her den. Her face lifted momentarily in intrigue. Unmuted? Briefly, Agathi turned to examine her pelt, but then turned and glanced up at the darker wolf again, before turning to look at Tiernan. "Is that even possible?" Quickly, she turned her head to look back at Abraxas, and then stood up to reposition herself so that she wasn't turning her head entirely around to gaze at the alpha while awaiting an answer.




━━━━━━ ❛ 𝐎𝐋𝐈𝐕𝐄𝐑 . ❞ ━━━
xxxxxxxxxx01. scout xx 02. den ➜ human settlement ruins ➜ en route back to densite xx 03. tags: open xx 04. other: ' no thoughts '
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xxlast post here




━━━━━━ ❛ 𝐒𝐀𝐒𝐊𝐈𝐀 . ❞ ━━━
xxxxxxxxxx01. guardian xx 02. densite xx 03. tags: judiah, sybilline, lunara, abraxas, & others involved! xx 04. other: ' >:( ➜ :0 ?? '
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xx"I don’t know what you think you see, but not every Initiate in this pack requires a 'savior.' "

xxSaskia narrowed her eyes. "My questions had not one concern for your being an initiate," she barked back, mouth immediately closing before she huffed a heavy breath out of her nose. Her ears remained pinned forward, though, alert just in case Judiah muttered anything under his breath. "Maybe I just wanted to check on the wellbeing of my pack-member. No need to be so snappy about it, Judiah."

xxAfter speaking, Saskia relaxed lightly, her eyes returning to their natural wide, round state. Her ears twitched.

xxEven if she didn't get along with some of the other members of their pack, there weren't many that had snapped at her so defensively. She studied Judiah a little closer, watching for any signs of muscle twitching or discomfort, but she eventually turned her eyes away. Judiah was a wall, and she knew he was one she wasn't going to be able to scale━ let alone break down. She was sure, maybe, Judiah would gave in and crumble on himself; though, that was truly just distant thinking. Judiah was an enigma. And not one that Saskia was entirely too keen on fighting to figure out.

xxShe exhaled, and stood up to walk away, but quickly halted when Sybilline had come nearly flying into the center of camp. She poked her head from the inside of the den, before finally pulling herself out entirely. She paused at the maw of the den, though, watching as the other members of the camp had begun their own rallying around. Her eyes remained round with a deep interest, and she tilted her head slightly and pushed her ears forward to hear.

xxA deer? She hadn't heard a call to go hunting in such a long time, with such vigor that more than just the hunters were gravitating towards the center of the densite. It had to be too good to be true... right?

xxShe started slightly, and turned her head quickly to peer at Lunara when the other appeared beside her. She offered a smile, but then quickly rotated and looked back at Judiah, before returning her eyes to the other beside her. "Hello, Lunara!" She smiled wider, then turned and looked at Sybilline again, shrugging her shoulders. "Perhaps, but I was checking in on him. Not that he wanted help. But I'm kind of interested in the deer that Sybilline is referencing."

xxher thoughts trailed away from her, and she turned her head towards the growing group as her mouth watered; longing for the familiar taste of venison.

xxSaskia was jolted out of her mind when Judiah bumped her. She glanced at him quickly, swallowing the saliva that had accumulated in her mouth, before her attention drifted back towards Sybilline, then to Abraxas, only to return to Judiah.

xx"I'm not su━" she cut her word short, snapping her attention to the guardian that was her senior. She blinked at him, her jaw snapping closed immediately as she listened to him instruct his orders. Her ears twitched, first forward, and then were pinned back momentarily. She sighed, pricking her ears forward again, and then spoke again; "will do."

xxThen, with a bright beaming face, Saskia turned towards Judiah again; his earlier defensive snap towards her already forgiven. "Looks like I'm going," she then turned to look at Lunara, her head tilted to the side slightly, her features still bright as she swayed her tail behind her. "You're a hunter━ why not come along? All paws on deck, right?"




━━━━━━ ❛ 𝐈𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐔𝐒 . ❞ ━━━
xxxxxxxxxx01. hunter xx 02. densite xx 03. tags: soleil xx 04. other: ' eueueu (user rogan can't get inside icarus' brain) '
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xxIcarus rested flank-side on the edge of the den site, ears twitching with each spoken word from the rest of his pack. The commotion wasn't quite enough to entirely pique his interest; nor was the others dialogue, but still, he listened. He took in as much information as he could hear and make out, but filtered most if it out to reject it entirely from his mind.

xxHe eventually dozed off, ignoring the words that were coming from the others' mouths as best he could, instead basking in the sun and wagging his tails slowly. He had just woken up a little while ago, but after completing his morning tasks, Icarus had decided that there wasn't much better for him to do than to lay in the sun and take it in. During the few moments of nothing going on, Icarus usually took it upon himself to lay down and relax up until he was told do do something else; so long as he didn't decide that there wasn't something more important for him to tend to, or make better in some way.

xxWhen Sybilline barged into camp, Icarus raised his head and watched her from his comfortable spot. He observed her and her actions closely, straining his ears to listen in on what she was saying as much as he could. Something about a deer, a normal deer. He nodded his head slightly, to himself, and leaned himself back before rotating to rise up to his feet. Once he was balanced on his feet, Icarus stretched out his body━ first leaning his chest down to the ground, and then raising it towards the chest to completely stretch his body out the rest of the tension.

xxIcarus shook his body out entirely, from his head down to his tails. He inhaled deeply, and stretched out one of his forelegs before he turned himself around and began to walk towards the center of the den site. Then, he froze, turning his head towards the den belonging to the pupsitters; his ears pricked forward.

xxHe huffed through his nose lightly, turning his head to look towards Sybilline and the ruckus that was still taking part in the center of the den site. He shrugged it off for a moment━ he would be able to enter the conversation later on, slip himself into the party that was forming as it made its departure. Or, if nothing else, he would await someone else calling upon him to join them.

xxSurely, the call was important enough for that, right?

xxHe turned and slowly made his way towards the source of his summoning, lowering his head slightly in greeting as he came up closer. After he had come up just in front of Soleil, Icarus adjusted himself slightly and sat down, head lightly cocked to the side.

xx"Did you need something?" He asked, ears twitching slightly as he awaited a response. Slowly, his head turned to look back at the circling pack, and then turned and looked back at Soleil, head tilted curiously.

[Spiritstar3]

Ire- m- 4 y- guardian- Accelerated healing- homosexual; Maverick, Rainier- mate open- would like to adopt- adoptive family- Tags: Arlowe, Rainier, Abraxas

He stretched then straightened, shaking out his coat then stepping from the den. Blue eyes almost immediately fell on Arlowe and Rainier. He felt a streak of something go through him...and scolded himself. He didn't see Maverick around, so he focused on Arlowe and Rainier. The slender male walked closer to the others, saying "Good morning." He just as quickly fell silent though... as maybe they didn't want him there. He didn't want to intrude on anything between them. He scolded himself, he needed to stop thinking like that...Rainier was a guardian and so was he, so they needed to watch. He was allowed to be there too, to help with watching around the camp.

(leaving for Rainier)

He let out a small sigh as Abraxas didn't seem to notice him there...He only shook his head at this fact, and sat down for a moment. He brought his tail around his paws, watching the older guardian. Abraxas spoke to the other two guardians, and Ire just sat there and listened.

It seemed the other two had been worried about Abraxas, from his words. The fact he was going to see Agathi meant something. Ire watched the other male step away from them, after Abraxas had said what he'd wanted. He watched the other as he headed off towards the other dens.

He then quickly put his focus on Arlowe, seeing the wagging tail of the other. He yipped a sound like a giggle, and nodded to the other. "You look bright and cheery this morning," he made to comment. He then tilted his head as the other spoke of the next watch. "I um...could take the next watch, or help whoever is meant to." He hoped that's what Arlowe wanted to hear, as the other seemed to be hoping for something from him.

Soleil- m- 3 y- pup sitter- psychic empathy- homosexual; Icarus- mate open- would like to adopt- family: Lunara- Tags: Juliette, Icarus

The semi fluffy creamy colored one sighed and shook his head. The smaller and slender one quickly scrambled to his paws. He shook out his minimally white marked coat, and looked outside. He quickly hurried out of the den, to see Juliette and a pup playing together. He smiled a canine smile a moment as he watched them. His eyes soon looked to where Icarus was, again, and he just stared at him.

He noticed when the other male turned to look, though the other seemed to also freeze up. He tilted his head at this fact, then shook his head. He felt his tail flick back and forth as the other looked towards the commotion. He himself looked over that way as well, seeing his sister there.

Shaking his head, he turned his attention back to the other male once more. He felt delight when the other looked towards them and the pup(s). His tail began to wag without his realizing, as Icarus approached. He yipped a giggle, it would have been a giggle if he'd been human.

He scolded himself for the little sound...then lifted his gaze to the other. "Oh, I just wanted to say good morning, and ask if you'd eaten yet. I know my job is to watch over and care for the pups... Still, I can ask pack mates how they are, and make sure they're doing well too." He was such a kind wolf, maybe too kind sometimes. If there were loners out there, they might take advantage of this fact.

Lunara- f- 3 y- hunter- Bio-luminescent markings- pan; Saskia- mate open- pups- family: Soleil- Tags: Saskia, Judiah, Syblline

The white toed black phase she wolf twitched her ears, flicking her tail. She watched the other she wolf, as Saskia stuck her head out of the den. She then watched as the other she wolf eventually stepped all the way out. She let out a little yip like a giggle, then shook her head. She noticed the other seemed quite interested in the news. A deer was bigger prey, much more meat for the pack to feed from.

She looked worried when the other seemed startled at her presence there. "I'm sorry if I startled you," she apologized to the pretty she wolf. She then gave a wolf smile, as the other smiled at her. She made a delighted little sound, then shook her head a couple times. "mmm...yes, I've noticed he doesn't seem to...want to be helped. Does he even really hang out with the other pack members much?" she asked.

She noticed the other jolt and noticed Judiah moving along, and felt the urge to growl at him. Instead, she only shook her head and sighed. She looked to Sybilline as well as Abraxas, then back to Saskia. Her eyes soon trailed over to Judiah again, before another guardian spoke. She kept quiet as the guardian spoke, and she looked at Saskia. The other spoke to him, agreeing to what he'd told her to do.

She watched Saskia look to Judiah with this look of pure happiness. She shook her head again, but felt happy for the other she wolf. She blinked as the other turned her attention to her next. She nodded at her, saying "You're right, I am a hunter, so I could come along. Hmm...I'll come along then," she agreed, and wagged her tail a bit. She glanced to Sybilline, then looked around for some of the other hunters.

Nighthawk- f- 4 y- scout- extra tail- bi; Arlowe- mate open- wants pups some day- no family at all (not in RP or anything else)- Tags

The fierce (when needed) but not at all frightening female yawned a bit. She sighed and twitched her ears, flicking her tail back and forth. She then realized she may get in trouble for still being in the den. She quickly got up, stretched, straightened and shook out her black coat. She headed out, seeing Sybilline but the other seemed focused on Judiah. The white toed one almost wanted to make a sound of relief at that fact.

She didn't want to be chewed out by any of the wolves here... It was worse if it was another scout like herself, so she was glad no wolf seemed to have noticed her yet. She looked over as she saw a movement of white. Ire had approached Arlowe and Rainier, and she almost wanted to do the same. Instead, she shook her head and walked along. The golden eyed she wolf should probably go scouting, thought it seemed Sybilline already had.

[solyn]

────── ⊱ 𝐓𝐈𝐄𝐑𝐍𝐀𝐍.
[ rank ; alpha ] [ pronouns ; he/him ] [ mutation ; regenerative healing ] [ located ; healer's den ] [ tags ; agathi, abraxas, open ]

xxxxAs Agathi teased him, he huffed out a sound, pretending to be put-upon, but it was hard to conceal his amusement. Of course, that amusement quickly faded as the nervous wait for her verdict settled deep under his skin like it was trying to turn his bloodstream into a chunk of frozen-solid ice. But, as she began to speak, that ice was sapped away quickly, revitalized by the beating of his heart as her words started to sink in. Agathi had told him when they'd first discovered it that once the lump was there, he was running on borrowed time. It would only get bigger and bigger until it took all the life out of him completely. They didn't get smaller... but this one did. It had. And in a matter of days too.

xxxx"You said it's healing?" He demanded, surprisingly even himself with how quickly his voice snapped through the den. He was on his paws before he could help himself, brain already working a mile a minute. It should be impossible, but maybe they'd been mistaken. Perhaps he'd knocked his leg somewhere, although he couldn't remember taking a particular bump, and it was all just an internal bruise that had gone down. Maybe they'd been wrong. Maybe it was a divine favour, from the heavens above. His tail started to wag as he thought of the possibilities. "We have to monitor it more closely, of course. If it's changed this much in just a few days, then we should be checking it daily, seeing how quickly it heals. I─"

xxxxThe sound of paws at the front of Agathi's den cut him off abruptly, and he swung his head toward the entrance just in time to watch Abraxas' dark shape slip in. He gave the other wolf as calming a nod as he could, trying to soothe over his shock at seeing him there, although Agathi's response caught his attention and he tilted his head, ear flicking in amusement. Interesting... he thought, before returning his attention to Abraxas' account of the morning.

xxxx"An unmutated deer..." he mumbled to himself, casting a pensive glance toward the far wall. They hadn't had such luck in a while, and while it might have been much rarer now, it wouldn't necessarily be impossible... he turned his attention back to Abraxas, with a nod of his head. "I think you did well. Sending guardians was a wise call. Although it might look like a natural deer, there is still a chance that it's dangerous in some way that Sybilline just couldn't identify from a distance. But if she's right... it's not a chance we can afford to lose. There are those of us still unaffected by mutations, after all. It stands to reason that there could be prey out there the same, and I would rather take the risk than play it safe and miss the opportunity altogether. Food has been scarce and conditions have been tough. It's not the time to be conservative in our efforts... but Agathi, I would be on standby. Just in case."

xxxxHe gave a nod to both wolves, before he pushed himself to his paws. "I should find Eliza and let her know, since she'll probably want to coordinate with the hunters and keep an eye on the situation, and I need to be available to the rest of the pack in case there are other issues requiring my attention, so I'll take my leave now. Agathi, don't you let him leave before you've given him a proper check. I want to make sure he's not working himself to the bone." He paused next to Abraxas as he made his way to the den entrance, pressing their shoulders together companionably. "And Abraxas? Don't worry about me, alright? I was complaining about my joints this morning and Eliza got sick of me so she sent me in for a routine check, but I'm in good health. Isn't that right, Agathi?"

xxxxWithout giving her too much time to refute his claims, he brushed past Abraxas and back into the daylight, shaking his fur out to clear any debris from it as he glanced around the camp, taking stock of the pack in motion. His eyes flitted about, trying to spot the white pelt of his mate, drawing himself up good and tall in case one of the other pack members needed one of their alphas for something.

────── ⊱ 𝐀𝐌𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐄.
[ rank ; hunter ] [ pronouns ; she/her ] [ mutation ; chameleon fur ] [ located ; densite ] [ tags ; diablo ]

xxxxlast post here

────── ⊱ 𝐑𝐀𝐈𝐍𝐈𝐄𝐑.
[ rank ; guardian ] [ pronouns ; he/him ] [ mutation ; venomous fangs ] [ located ; densite ] [ tags ; arlowe & ire ]

xxxxRainier's body remained tightly coiled as he listened to Abraxas, the stiffness only abating when the older wolf agreed to go and check in with the healer. As he issued his commands, Rainier couldn't help a huff that his mother would have called sulky, even though it wasn't. He didn't need others to keep an eye on him. He was a grown wolf, and even if his father behaved like he was still a pup who needed to be hauled around by the scruff and kept out of trouble, he didn't want Abraxas to actually think that of him, especially when it wasn't true. Still, he held his tongue until Abraxas was off toward the den.

xxxx"For the record... thanks. About the─ um. Whatever. You get it." He said to Arlowe with a sniff, trying to come off more casual than he felt. "I don't really need you to keep an eye on me... but I don't mind if you want to stick around to keep an eye on Abraxas with me. I'm kind of worried that he won't actually rest, and you're better at like... persuading people and stuff than I am." He frowned in Abraxas' direction, tilting his head at the older wolf as he was dragged toward the commotion in the middle of the densite. Ire's voice made him jump, flinching back from the white wolf in shock and only narrowly missing tripping over Arlowe completely in his attempt to re-orient himself. He flicked his ears with a light huff, ducking his head in greeting to the white wolf as he coolly cast his glance back into the treeline, trying to ignore the hot feeling of embarrassment under his fur.

xxxxAs the talk about the watch continued, his ear flicked on its own, even though he tried to stop it. "It's still my watch now, although it's not like there's anything to be too concerned about right now since the rest of the pack is up and about... Arlowe and I were mostly just talking about... stuff." He wasn't going to rehash the leaf conversation, and he shot a look at Arlowe that he knew would make him look like a puppy again. He didn't mind this time though, not if it conveyed the please do not bring up the leaf intent well enough.

xxxx"Anyway, how are you this morning, Ire? Did you actually get some sleep, because it seems like the rest of the guardians are pretty set on... not doing that." He nudged Arlowe's shoulder, although the movement was stilted, like he'd learned it from somebody else and hadn't quite tried it on for size yet. "I have to be awake at all hours of the night for the watch, but with Abraxas half way around the territory and Arlowe keeping me company, I'm worried that only Saskia is going to have energy, and she doesn't really need more of it than she already has. Well, maybe Maverick too. I haven't seen him this morning after all." He shrugged, glancing back toward the den as if to check.

────── ⊱ 𝐒𝐋𝐎𝐀𝐍𝐄.
[ rank ; scout ] [ pronouns ; she/her ] [ mutation ; psychic empathy ] [ located ; en route to densite ] [ tags ; oliver ]

xxxxAfter Sloane had wasted about as much time as she could possibly get away with at the tower, she cast it a farewell glance and turned back toward the densite. At least she'd be able to report the area as clear to Nighthawk, although she was sure the other wolf would just be pleased that Sloane wasn't moping about the densite and refusing to do anything at all. On the contrary, she enjoyed being out and about in the territory, where she could enjoy the solitude without the bustle of the pack overwhelming her. She took the long way back, loping along the far edge of the lake's shore and weaving through the Crystalline Grove which was still heavy with scent from one of her packmates. As she came up upon the stream, she spotted a familiar pelt picking its way back across from the direction of the human encampment.

xxxx"Oliver," she called out, tone even and almost bored. If it had been anyone else, she wouldn't have bothered, but Oliver was good company who understood the value in being silent. She kept an even pace as she started toward him, glancing in the direction he'd come to see if there was a chance he might have spotted anything good, but it was quiet. She gave him a nod as she came within reasonable speaking distance.

xxxxAlthough Sloane wasn't looking to make friends with the pack, she didn't mind being around Oliver. Plus, spending time with someone was a good way to get the others off of her back, and if it she had to choose a wolf from among the many, by her estimation the least tiring were Oliver and Abraxas, with the latter being busy more often than not. She tilted her head at the other scout, nodding back toward the camp. "Are you on your way back?" She asked, flicking her eyes down to the water of the stream. It still made her feel somewhat uncomfortable to see the water as it was. It didn't look... right. "I'm on my way back too. We could walk together, if you haven't any place else to scout."