` part of something bigger (loch&darth)

[maybe]

Night had fallen. The forest was growing darker by the minute, a thin layer of mist creeping out of the shadows and covering everything from the tree-roots down. Two large figures moved silently among the sparse undergrowth, each picking its way carefully through the brambles, trying not to make them rustle, and thus not be noticed too soon. Two sets of amber eyes glowed like eerie beacons in the gloom. The lead figure, a large black wolf, shouldered his way carefully past a small sapling, winding his body around it as gracefully as a cat. Indeed, his massive bear-like paws hit the floor so softly, it was almost as if he was rather feline in nature. However, that was far from the case. Behind him, walking swiftly on long, thin legs, was a second wolf, who was just as tall but much thinner, less filled out. The younger wolf made an impatient noise in the back of his throat, and the larger, the black one, swung his head around to look at his companion, his eyes blazing. It was a look that clearly said, stay silent.

Rolling his eyes at his brother's mistake, he turned around and began, once again, to pick his way through the forest. The two travelers were used to this kind of thing: sneaking into another pack's territory, oftentimes to steal prey. It was a necessary practice, but neither of them enjoyed thieving. Since the death of their pack, including their aging parents, the two brothers had been alone, and two wolves were bound to be less successful at hunting than an entire pack. So it had become necessary for them to steal, despite their hatred of doing so. But today they were not here to steal. They had heard tell of a strong pack, and as they crossed the heavy scent markers, they exchanged a weary glance. This pack was abnormally large, and was bound to be extremely strong. Just the potency of the scent markers was enough to tell them that. The lead wolf grimaced, his mind buzzing with worry. If this pack or its leader decides that we are unwelcome here, we will be hard-pressed to escape with our lives. As skilled as we both are in fighting and defending ourselves, we could never hope to take on such a large pack, he thought to himself. Sending up a silent prayer, the two brothers pressed on, stopping, at last, in a small clearing.

The younger wolf, his pelt a rusty tawny color, lowered his ears and shifted his weight anxiously. His brother, however, threw back his head and emitted a low, keening howl, a summons to any nearby pack members, and hopefully, a summons to the alphas.

[Malo]

Lounging about a mile from the brothers, perched on top of a rather large, smooth rock, was the unmistakeable form of Fallon. The Moons Delta laid spread out on her nature made bed, resting after a successful rabbit hunt. Her stomach, bulging with her dinner, heaved up and down, up and down, in steady motion as she breathed, laying peacefully. Or so it seemed.

Fallon's expression was solemn, one could even say sad. The she-wolf's mind ran at a mile a minute; it had been almost two weeks since she had discovered Almira's rotting corpse and the female had not yet recovered from the ordeal. Dark thoughts crept into the corners of her mind, thoughts that would scare even Duke if he could somehow peer into her cranium. She had been volatile as of late, more emotional than she ever had been. Her constant mood swings had caused her to seclude herself. In her alone time, she had tried to focus her mind on other things. Her latest hunt was one such method of coping. So when an unfamiliar howl entered her ears, disrupting her quiet, calm forest, a low growl emanated from her. She sat up almost instantly, perking her ears high to see if this howl was indeed foreign.

It was.

A snarl escaped the young female as she leapt gracefully, yet angrily, off of her rock. Her peaceful solitude had been interrupted and the idiotic brute who had done so would pay. It didn't take long for her to locate the male, seeing as she was close in promixity to the foreigner. She was swift and silent, a deadly predator stalking her prey. Finally, the intruder came in range of her green gaze.

But he was not alone. As she entered the clearing, she saw two unknown males; both were rather tall, though their colors differed as well as their width. The larger male, all black and very muscular, seemed to be the leader of the two. He held more confidence than his smaller companion, whose constant fidgeting gave away away his nervousness. They were larger than she, as big as, if not slightly larger than, Justyn. She snorted; size was of no concern to her. She would take them both on without so much as a blink of an eye. Still wearing a snarl, hackles raised, and ears erect, she trotted into the clearing.

Another growl was emitted as she flashed a steely gaze at the intruders. Stopping about ten yards from the males, she stood stiff legged as she barked out her interrogation. "Who are you and why have you come trespassing on our lands?" Her voice, though it still chimed with her higher pitched tones, dripped with venom. Her gaze remained cold as she waited impatiently for one of the pair to answer. She was itching for a fight, waiting to release the pent up frustration, anger, and pain she had endured during the last two weeks.

[maybe]

The sound of rustling barely caressed Darthyn's ears before a snarling wolf emerged into the clearing. Ears pricked curiously, Darthyn waited until she moved into the light, the better to see the threat. However, when his eyes rested upon the newcomer, he barely had time to register a feeling of surprise. It was only a pup! The small, compact female snarled, revealing two rows of cruelly sharp teeth, but Darthyn, and indeed, even Loch, had a hard time taking the threat seriously. She couldn't be more than half their size. Despite her obvious lack of brute strength, the young female was standing erect and dominant, a ruthless snarl still etched upon her attractive face.

Loch, peering out from behind his brother, tilted his head and smiled, noticing her physical appeal immediately. Darthyn, however, was not swayed. As he moved forward into the moonlight, his muscles rippling with the movement, the moon's weak beam illuminated his massive form, showing his real fur color to be deep gray, accented with black. His amber eyes were solemn, and his countenance was calm and dignified. He would not allow a pup to get a rise out of him.

"Greetings," he said, choosing to ignore her threatening tone. He also decided to ignore the fact that, of all the wolves to come an meet them, they had to chance upon a snarling, over-eager youngster. Suppressing a sigh, he continued, forcing his voice to stay calm. "I am Darthyn, and this is Loch. We wish to speak to your alphas." He ended his sentence there, reluctant to continue.

[Malo]

OOC: She's not a pup anymore! XD

IC: Fallon's gaze moved from one male to the next before settling on the dark male once again. She let out a snort, out of habit more than any thing, and lifted her head a little higher. These males, despite their size, could not be much older than she. She rolled her eyes once again over the brownish orange male and realized he was probably her age, no older. Doing a mental scan, she tried to gauge their usefulness within the Moon pack. They had no troubles hunting, they were not looking for recruits to attack the Stars anytime soon, and any positions of authority that were needed were all filled with the exception of alpha female, which neither of the two could fulfill. Fallon knew there were pups afoot in the pack, but there were so little of them that designated pup sitters were not necessary.

Another thought crossed her mind as well. Two extra mouths to feed. A frown crossed her face, the only part of her expression that ight have given away what she was thinking. She pondered all these thoughts for a silent minute or two, then raised a brow at the male who had spoken, Darthyn. "Well I'm sorry to tell you boys, but you stumbled upon our lands at the wrong time. You see, our alpha female is dead...finally..." A pleased smirk crossed her face as she thought about Myu, thankful that the annoying female was gone and she would not have to answer to her anymore, before she continued. "Duke isn't exactly the nicest wolf you could run into and that's when he's having a good day. I suggest you leave before he decides to show up. As it is, he doesn't need anymore on his plate and there's no guarantee he will hear you out once he gets here.

She was no longer snarling, but it was clear by her posture and tone she did not want them there. But her words were true. Duke was by no means a consistent wolf when it came to his moods. He was a quiet observer, and as far as she knew, no one could ever really guess what he was thinking unless he came out and said it. And when he did speak, it was almost always gruff and held a hint of malice. He was no blood thirsty monster, but he did hold quite the reputation. She wondered if these foreigners knew that; she deduced that they did not, for most wolves would steer clear of the Moons pack if they had heard of their history and the horrible deeds they had performed. Only a slight interest to know where they came from entered her thoughts as she stood there, waiting for them to respond or turn and leave.

[maybe]

The two brothers listened intently as the female spoke, Darthyn registering her return to regular speech. With a curt nod, he sat down, almost as if to demonstrate his unwillingness to leave.

"Thank you for your words of warning, um..." He tilted his head, fixing a charming, but crooked smile on his rugged features, lifting only one corner of his mouth while the other stayed stationary. It was a curious idiosyncrasy of his, one that he could never seem to grow out of. "What is your name?" He said, his voice a deep, but not unfriendly, growl.

Loch listened quietly, not wishing to be his jubilant, exuberant self around this unknown female. He tilted his head, a furrow in his brow as she spoke so ill of her late alpha female. Maybe this isn't a pack we want to join anyway, he thought to himself, slightly unnerved by this wolf's disrespect toward her dead packmates. Darthyn, however, had other thoughts. This female was mousebrained if she thought he would just turn tail and leave merely on her word. He didn't know how much authority she held. She could merely be an omega for all he knew, and he refused to be turned away by any but the alpha himself. However, he bit back an angry retort and merely smiled. This was likely to piss her off more anyway.

"In any case, I think we will run our risks with the alpha. Has it not dawned on you that we are two very large and powerful wolves, good hunters and fighters. We could only be an asset to your pack. If your leader turns us away it would be the height of folly, because we would only turn around and join his enemies, the Dancing Stars; and trust me, that would be a very foolish thing to do on your alpha's part," he concluded, flicking his ears casually at his brother, who sat down with a plop on the dusty ground. "No alpha in his right mind would send two strong, willing wolves right into the paws of his enemies. Trust me when I say this, fae, you want us on your side."

[Paint]

With a rumble and a thud Duke began his approach. He had no need to keep quiet. These were his lands. Since the death of Myu his emotions had almost entirely left. A sickly, black bile seemed to be running through his veins instead of blood now, despoiling his mood and casting a heavy thundercloud over every pawful of dirt that he smashed in his travels. Needless to say, he was not in the best of moods, and unfortunately for the newcomers he had overheard their last words.

"Trespassers reeking of arrogance, just what I needed."

Duke's voice, as usual, was very low, very gruff and perhaps even violent. His eyes were black underneath the shock of white running from his nose to his tail. He raised his head and his tail, very naturally, into a dominant pose. Duke was well known for his size, often being compared more to a bear in build than a wolf. He had spent much of his time moving around his lands since Myu's death, climbing, running and slamming into trees. One could say he was in shape.

"I don't care how strong you think you are, you've waltzed onto my land like a couple of headstrong pups. I would seriously suggest you show some submission or I'll rip your throats out where you stand. You can hardly take your servives elsewhere if you're decaying on my soil."

[Malo]

Fallon tilted her head slightly to the left, eyeing Darthyn as he formed his mouth into a sort of half smile, reminding her slightly of Justyn. "Fallon," she said simply, before looking to Loch and taking note of his apprehension. Good, at least he showed the proper amount of nervousness. Darthyn, however, was not so intelligent. She listened, a half bored expression on her face as he went on in his monologue. They had plenty of strong wolves in their pack; that was practically a requirement, she'd noticed. She couldn't help but feel her anger bubbling up again, when Darthyn went on to speak of how foolish Duke would be to turn them away. She stalked closer to the males, closing the gap so that she was nearly nose to nose with Darthyn.

"You'd be wise not to insult the intelligence of our leader, Darthyn," she hissed, her voice a low, threatening whisper. "He's been in charge of our pack for years, for good reason. He could easily take both of you on and rip your throats out without so much as a second thought. Running to the Dancing Stars? Ha, I'm sure you could come up with a better threat than that. And quite frankly, if you were to join them it only proves you are not Moon material and you actually did us a favor. Two wolves don't make a pack, remember that Darthyn."

As if on cue, a distinct pounding sound on the ground announced Duke's approach. Fallon caught his words and in a whisper low enough for only Darthyn to hear, she said , "Don't say I didn't warn you." She backed away from the duo with a smirk on her face. Turning towards Duke, she cleared her face and dipped her head low respect. She had been right about his appearance; he was not in a good mood today, and he was not going to tolerate less than total submission from these two males. Her eyes shown with admiration as Duke once again flaunted his power and superiority. If she could be only half as strong and influential as he was when she reached his age, she would be happy. She positioned herself so that she stood behind her alpha, quiet and patient as she watched the proceedings.

[maybe]

Darthyn listened to Fallon's words, his handsome smirk firmly in place, unwavering. He closed his eyes briefly for one moment, taking a deep breath to calm himself. These Falling Moons think rather a lot of themselves, he thought with a barely suppressed snicker. Then, the sound of heavy footfalls reached his readily pricked ears. With a curious glance at Loch, Darthyn tilted his head. Whatever is approaching is either extremely large or extremely stupid to be making all that noise. His first guess had been right. A large, well-muscled silver wolf stalked into the clearing, his eyes shining with malicious intent. Darthyn could feel the sense of power and purpose emanating from the brute, and he grunted in approval. Now this was an alpha he could respect.

With a debonair grin, the large black wolf inclined his head, not so much a gesture of total submission, but more like one of polite respect. "My apologies, sir," he said, his eyes shrewd and calculating. "I meant no offense. If you noticed, I did howl for you, quite a while ago actually, so I meant no harm in -- ahm -- waltzing onto your land, as you say. I simply sought an audience with you," he dipped his head once more, this time to demonstrate that he was finished speaking for the time being. Behind him, Loch shuddered visibly, but squared his broad shoulders and kept an impassive countenance, determined not to show his fear. The younger wolf sized up the alpha, careful to conceal his appraising glances so as not to cause offense. Duke was large, it was true, but so was Darthyn. Loch doubted whether there was more than a mouse-tail's difference in the heights and lengths of their sturdy bodies. Duke, however, had years of skill and experience. He had fought -- and obviously won -- more battles than Loch could imagine. On the other paw, Darthyn was younger and a very quick thinker. As his father used to say, it is unwise for age to underestimate youth. Despite this, Loch thought, if the two were to fight, they would be well-matched. With a rueful glance at his brother, Loch had to admit that Duke would likely come out on top, merely because of his apparent ferocity.

Darthyn cleared his throat then, and Loch flinched, startled back to life. "Your bloodlust is certainly inspiring, Duke. Forgive me my arrogance," Once more, he dipped his head, but he kept his eyes on Duke, not wanting to expose the delicate area at the base of his skull. This large wolf in front of him seemed overly fierce, brutal even. Darthyn wouldn't put it past him to attack without provocation. "If you will allow me to explain myself?" He paused, awaiting a reply, then continued. "Fallon warned us that we would not be openly welcomed, eventually suggesting that we leave. I, however, was content to wait for the Falling Moon Alpha," he inclined his head politely at this point. "with whom I had originally hoped to speak. I refuse to take orders from anyone but those who outrank me," he said, but glanced apologetically at Fallon as if to say, No offense, it's nothing personal. In truth, he liked the fiery, ferocious female, despite her barbed tongue. Her apparent physical charms didn't hurt, either.

"If you wish us to leave, we will turn around right now and never return. However, if you will have us, I believe that we can add strength and power to your pack." Darthyn stood up, as if to demonstrate his ability to leave as quickly as possible. With a small, almost comical, squeak of surprise, Loch mimicked the gesture, getting to his feet in a very awkward jumble of overlong legs.

[Fire]

It was obvious even to a pup that the mood in the pack lands was not currently a positive one. It seemed that a few wolves had died recently, his mother being one of them. Caspian watched others grieve in a detached sort of way. He watched curiously, almost morbidly, at how the death of a family member of loved one changed everything about them.
His mother's death hadn't had such an apparent effect on his father, though. In the time Caspian had roamed this land, he'd learned to respect his father's bad moods and often vicious temper, and adjust his actions accordingly. Since Myu's death, Duke was worse than he normally was, but his character remained unchanged. Caspian tended to stay out of his father's way a little more, but that was the extent to which the alpha's death had affected him. There was no sobbing in the dens at night, longing for his mother, or, heaven forfend, emotional weeping into his father's fur for comfort. No, none of that. Myu's death was a shock to him but he'd never felt the same connection with his parents that other pups seemed to. It made him wonder if it was just him, and whether he should be worried.

Thoughts of his dead mother aside, his tan-coloured ears pricked with interest at the sound of an unfamiliar howl from the borders. Although he didn't know every pack member's voice in detail, he was experienced enough to know that it was the sound of a pack hopeful calling for his father's approval. It intrigued him, and he wanted to know how an alpha dealt with such matters, so he abandoned his casual wanderings and set out for the borders. Luckily he wasn't too far away. For a pup he was relatively large and muscular, but he was still only young and he found running for too long exhausting, despite his attempts to rectify this by trying to build up his relatively low stamina.

More scents than he'd expected filled the air as he neared the pack borders. Duke was already there, as well as not one, but two loners. There was another though, a female's, that he didn't recognise. As he made his way toward the small gathering, he wondered briefly whether his father would be angry that he was still awake and not asleep in the dens, but decided that he probably wouldn't care.
He caught the unfamiliar voices talking in what appeared to be relatively hostile tones, and then his father's entrance. Caspian couldn't help but smirk at the blunt, belligerent words. Everything about Duke demanded attention and respect, and Caspian marvelled at how effective it was. Even the female, who had been quite aggressive in her approach to the two males, was now submissive to Duke. It seemed that his wild ferocity tamed others into compliance.

When he was close enough to be noticed, he made a point not to move too close to his father. Even in daylight the only resemblance he bore to his father was the bulkiness of his build and his dark eyes, both of which were common in the pack, and he liked it that way. Caspian didn't need his father's reputation to protect him and more to the point he didn't want it.
However, he was a force to be reckoned with and Caspian nodded his head in a small bow to both Duke and the female. He kept his eyes on her a few moments, attempting to place who she was, but he was certain he hadn't met her yet. In different circumstances he might have introduced himself, but he was here solely to witness his father in action.

As the more courageous of the two spoke, Cas thought he felt bile moving up his throat. Respect was one thing, but this was simply grovelling. His lip curled into a grimace almost instinctively. He'd seen his fair share of this, too. It was often said that his father was very good at reducing wolves to pitiful states, and he was quite sure he was witnessing one such event happening before his very eyes.
Standing a metre or so away from the alpha, Caspian's dark gaze moved slowly from the two loners to his father, awaiting his verdict.

[Paint]

A low growl was emitted from between Duke's long white teeth, but his eyes, dark as they were, remained unimpressed.

"Snap those jaws shut. You talk too much," he snarled. Out of the corner of his eye he saw his son arrive. Although similar in build, Duke knew that he'd passed very little else onto Caspian. His colour was all Myu's. He knew very little of his young son's personality. And although he knew that it was not the young wolf's fault, Duke couldn't bear to see the resemblence. With renewed anger Duke turned his full attention back onto the new wolves.

"First rule, speak when you're spoken to. That's when I ask a direct question. Secondly, Fallon outranks you already as she's already in my pack. Thirdly, were you never taught to wait at the border and howl from there? Learn some manners."

The last part was almost said in jest, a rhetorical question and a direct order to show his authority. Duke knew that these two, especially the larger one, seemed to think something of themselves. But if they wanted to be in his pack then they would have to obey. The younger one looked as if he would submit easily, but if he was so attached to his brother then the arrogance might just poison him.

"You can join us if you're willing to shut up and get on with it. Fall in line and you'll slip under my radar," he finished, watching Darthyn's eyes carefully. But his tone was not entirely final. There was still judgement in him. The jury was out until he was satisfied that the two would not irritate him immensely.

[Malo]

Fallon's ears perked as she heard the light footsteps of a pup approaching. She turned her head and saw a pup with similiar coloration to Myu appear and stand on the other side of Duke. His build was familiar, even when he was so small and he dipped her own head in turn, realizing that this must be another of Duke's latest offspring. Even though she was his senior, he would most likely outrank her in his adulthood, simply due to his lineage.

Turning back towards Darthyn and Loch, she listened intently as Duke spoke, and couldn't help but look smugly at the two newcomers from behind Duke's shoulders. Not only did he manage to put them in their place, but he acknowledged her superiority over them at the same time. She had to stifle a harsh laugh at the end of Duke's speech, noticing how moronic the two had been. Every wolf knew that one never crossed into the territory of another pack without permission, but these two had marched right into Moon lands and demanded an audience with their alpha. A death sentence in most packs, and a puppish mistake on the part of the brothers.

Rather than making the pair the price for their ignorance, Fallon watched as her leader gave them an ultimatum. Straightening her posture, her ears perked, tail wagging slowly, Fallon rested her eyes first on Loch, who had not said a word throughout the entire exchange, then finally on Darthyn. Their fate rested solely on his next few words, and everyone knew it. She cast a side glance to Duke's offspring, wondering what he was thinking.

He seemed completely tuned into the situation, his gaze curious and intrigued. No doubt he was soaking his father's dealings in with enthusiasm. It occurred to Fallon that though he was young, he too was a Falling Moon heir, and he could inherit the Alpha title when Duke passed. A small smile crossed her maw as she looked away; an observant leader was better than an absent one, and she hadn't seen much of Duke's other spawn as of late. But that was not the issue at hand, for the moment at least.