"Winter is coming."

[Therdde]

Characters:
Helaku - Male Wolf
Skelaghe - Female Wolf
Teketa - Male Wolf

- Rolling Foothills -

Helaku sat among the trees overlooking the valley, by himself and in the light rain. For him, the rain was a companion more than clear weather. He thought better when hearing its endless, uncontrollable trickly, and found himself more soothed by it than he ever was by the Sun. It wasn't always that way, but the path his life took made it so. Though mildly cold, it was welcome. Helaku found himself often running too hot wherever he went. But, no matter. He had everything he could want now...a peaceful life and also Skel. He smiled to himself. Skel did many things for him which others failed to do.

Skelaghe does not always dislike the rain, but with the cooler fall weather, she has spent most of her day within the den. The temporary den, she hopes. It has been on her mind for a while, now, but she has avoided the subject, rather letting herself, Helaku, and the few animals who hover around them enjoy the period of peace. With winter quickly approaching, though, if they are going to move, it will have to be soon, or it won't be happening for a long time. Finally, as the day advances, Skelaghe lets out a quiet bark while she approaches Helaku, announcing her presence.

Helaku's ears swiveled back to Skel's back, and he turned his head to look at her, watch how she walked. She was a creautre of beauty, to him a goddess. That might be too much of a complement to express by words, but it was apparent in his eyes he treasured her more than any other being. "Skel," he said, "have you heard the story of the rain during sunshine?" he asked, noting in the distance, where was a patch of land receiving a sunshower, though brief.

It sounds like the type of story she should have heard. Or made up. Surely, Helaku knows of her love of stories. Whether she knows it or not, he sits beside her mate and says, "Tell me." there is a small smile on her as she speaks, and she leans against him ever so slightly after speaking. As she sits there, she closes her eyes against the rain, and waits to listen to the sound of her mate's voice.

Helaku smiled at that; this was a story he heard while he was away, and one perfect for Skel to tell others should the occasion arise. "I was told the story by a bird in my travels. This bird was a migratory creature, slightly old--a bird of the sea. He said there was a land far across the ocean water in which foxes live among creatures we've never seen. It is the foxes the story pertains to. It is said that whenever there is a sunshower, the foxes are pairing or mating. Sun is the dominant nature of the male, and the rain is the subtle, fairness of the female. It is treated as thus--whenever a sunshower occurs, proper respect is to be shown for there in those far off lands, the foxes are among the most-respected."

Skelaghe's smile grows when her mate begins speaking. Sometimes, she wishes her journeys could take her that far. Of course, at her age, her journeys are not likely to even take even so far as her birth home, but that doesn't stop her from the occasional, idle wishing. There is still much she can learn here, as Helaku has jsut shown, but imagine what she could learn in an entirely new place. "That is a wonderful custom, Helaku." Impractical, here, but beautiful, all the same. "Have you heard many such stories?" She has told many, both within Helaku's hearing and without, but she has not pressed him for any stories, knowing that his time away from her was not terribly pleasant.

Helaku leaned close to her and nudged his muzzle under her chin. "I know many stories from the outward lands, but I will speak them in time," he said. "For this--I spoke of the sunshower for here I believe it applies to us as the foxes of this land are unknowing of its importance. "The bird was among a group of individuals I led for a brief time." Helaku puffed his chest and leaned back to show the blueish crescent moon marking just below his chest, which normally remained unseen. "While I was born of the Sun, also do I have the moon, which is alligned with the rain. In a reverse sort of mix, you are the Sun and I am the Rain."

Skelaghe allows Helaku to place his muzzle under her chin with no difficulty. She has made a life-long habit of avoiding dominance and submission displays, preferring to keep things calm enough that wolves lower than she is do not feel the need to calm her nearly nonexistant temper and wolves higher than she is do not feel the need to exert their position. Such things are never on her mind around Helaku, though, and she tilts her head to the side before rubbing against the top of his muzzle lightly. When he leans back again, she replies, still with a smile, though it is a bit smaller now, "You have strength that I could not begin to approximate, Helaku. If I am the Sun, it is not in all aspects." More, she is reluctant to compare herself too strongly to the respresentation of the deity that guides her actions, but that is not the only reason she says what she does. She knows something of the male ego, and the need to be the protector of those they have claimed.

Helaku knew that he was stronger in certain aspects, but he couldn't help being gentle with her. He closed the distance between them and rubbed his flank affectionately to hers, closing his eyes. "As do you," he said, "both Rain and Sun have weaknesses, but the other has strengths for which the other compensates." He smiled, bending his ears low. Helaku himself had retaing his calmness, though surely he had become more closed than he once was. Still, he didn't mind opening up more the Skel. "We must move soon; but you know this land more than I."

Skelaghe really was not expecting Helaku to say what he just did. Chuckling very lightly, she says, "I came here to tell you the same thing." By now, she knows that the Lazuli wolves moved to the east of here, somewhere. She does not know why, though. Between that pack and the cougars to the south... This is no place for them to raise their cubs. "North of here, there is a waterfall and a horse herd. It's not ideal, but I think the herd should leave us alone if we leave them alone, and the water will keep us safe from creatures further to the north." Particularly, the cougars that chased her, Vincent, and Sketch far from their last home. Then, with a bit of a grin, she adds, "Besides, it will be nice to have fish again." Nice to not have prey who can speak to her, who can plead to her compassion.

Helaku looked up at her and smiled. "The horses--powerful creatures. Perhaps we can exchange diplomacies to have our peace," he said. Helaku had never been one for negotiating politics in the past, though that was due to the fact he had been a Beta and not an Alpha. Here, it was different. And his life had been different since disappearing. "The waterfall sounds appropriate too. And fish...the best kind of meal." That was one thing he agreed on. He hated the way things were, the fact their normal prey could speak. To him, it always felt like murder.

Skelaghe has no problem feeding her 'family', the members of her pack. Feeding herself, though... That is harder, and her constantly less-than-ideal weight can testify to that. After all, who is to say that she has more right to live than anyone else? "When the rain stops, we will move." Tomorrow, most likely. Which will give her time to inform the others who stay near her, or, else, they can find their way by following her scent. "I will speak to the horses myself." Before spring. Before she is carrying life within her, and when they will still have time to find another home should the encounter with the horses not go well.

"That is a fine plan," said Helaku. "We will move then. The wolves enclosing on us make me uneasy with their ways; I'd rather avoid conflict with them if at all possible. Same with the horses." He nuzzles into her cheek and inhaled her scent. Perhaps it might be best if their pack remained relatively small, but then again..a large pack would not be so bad. However, he had to keep in mind the resources of this land.

Skelaghe will not ask any of her companions to leave her. Not even the dogs that really have no place in a wolf pack, and certainly not Ixkin. There remain a handful of wolves that, should they ever find themselves in need of a place to stay, would have one with her, even if it should mean an argument between herself and Helaku. Most notably, Bodhi and Teketa. And then there will be her cubs. That doesn't make for a very large pack, but certainly not a 'small' one either. Still, she doubts she will ever see Tek again, and Bodhi... Well, as of now, his place is still with his pack.

- Time Passes -

With their immediate future decided, Skelaghe wandered slightly north to scout out the immediate area, to see how the flood earlier this year might have changed the landscape, to see what difficulities they might experience in their journey. She does not intend to go far, especially since the rain has not yet stopped, though it is still slow. She told Helaku she would return soon, and fully expects him to come after her, should she take too much longer. Thankfully, there does not seem to be a lot of debris, at least in the immediate area. Nearer the waterfall, that might change, but once they get past the foothills, she doesn't imagine debris will be a problem.

A pair of hard, yellow-green eyes observe the landscape absently. The rain falls slowly, but he's already soaked from it. So why bother seeking shelter? Like a moving shadow, Teketa picks up his paws and pads forward again. He has journeyed far, and at last he finds himself returning to this land... it differed from other places he had traveled to. It is filled with a sense of life he has grown to care for. And it was once home to the few creatures he might care for. But he doesn't expect to see them on this horrid, dreadful, rainy day. His path is quite aimless until he glimpses movement through the soggy air: a canine form. Teketa stops, little more than some strange shadow against the horizon. Another wolf. He wants to steer clear of company, as usual.

Skelaghe is not quite as soaked as Teketa. It is cold enough to be uncomfortable, but she doesn't particularly seem to mind. Her shoulder marking is as bright as it has ever been while she has been in these lands, as she recently took the time to fill it in. Tek has no such marking, though, and as she spots him too, he cannot be sure she knows him. She can't be sure she doesn't, either, though, and so she barks out a greeting to the distant male who, thanks in large part to the rain, she cannot smell.

Had Teketa been able to smell anything above the moist soil, the wet air... he might've recognized one of the few wolves that might have been regarded as a friend. As it stands, the distant seems but a stranger, and his eyes were bitter and distant as he regarded the "stranger." A bark warns he has been spotted. And greeted. Teketa's ears flick back uncertainly, then he shakes himself - literally, he needed to get some of this water out of his fur - and he begins padding forward again, not particularly interested in greeting this other wolf. He doesn't change his course, so he's still moving somewhat closer to the other, but his lack of interest is all but spoken out loud. Welcome back, Teketa.

Skelaghe remains standing where she is as Teketa's path brings him slightly closer to her, but she does look back briefly, considering heading back toward her current den site, especially since this wolf is clearly none too interested in even returning her greeting. Then again, Helaku may well have words for her, should she lead a stranger directly to their den, so... Do, best to wait until this wolf either passes her or returns her greeting. Some of Helaku's cautious habits have certainly rubbed off on the shewolf in the time they've been together.

Teketa can sense the watchful eyes of the other wolf, and he's in a none-too-happy mood. His head lifts as he pauses mid-step to regard the other wolf once again, this time a little closer than before. And he's startled to find that this wolf seems... familiar. From a distance, it's hard to tell, but he might know that pretty face. And the pelt, though its damp. He might know who it belongs to. His brows furrow and his eyes are shadowed as he considers drawing closer, just to make sure he doesn't know this stranger. His head lowers again, though his head remains turned in the direction of the other wolf until, finally, Teketa's ears seem to twitch in final decision and returns a cautious, low bark before stepping in the direction of the other wolf -- a she-wolf?

Skelaghe still does not recognize the wolf, even after the familiar-sounding bark. She knows several all-black wolves, and with the rain muting her sense of smell... Still, the fact that there is something familiar in the bark causes Skelaghe to wag her tail lightly and greet him verbally. "Good afternoon, friend." When he gets closer, or speaks, she'll know him. Of this, she is certain.

The stranger doesn't respond and Teketa hesitates momentarily. But on he continues until he hears a greeting, words. That voice is familiar. He can almost remember a face, a setting, and... a name. Skelaghe? Teketa stops moving and his own tail begins to slowly wag before he even realizes it. A small leap in his chest, something like hope. Is it...? Could it be his friend from so long ago? She's still here? But Teketa has stopped moving, on the verge of recognition, but not quite certain. But one couldn't help but notice the widening of his brightly-colored eyes and the slight gap of his lips in something that was nearly a smile. Is it her? One way to find out. He moves again, his step a little faster, lighter, as if hope were bearing him up. Maybe this stranger isn't a stranger at all! And if that's the case, then... he's close enough to see the color of her eyes and he stops again, his tail lifting and still wagging slowly behind him. "Is that you?" Lost in his own thoughts, it's all he can say.

This male wolf has often occupied his thoughts in the many days since she last saw him. When they asked each other to keep an eye out for others. In the time since then, she has found Conner and learned the whereabouts of Eclipse, but there has been no Teketa, and when his familiar voice, the voice she had begun to tell herself she would never hear again, reaches her perked ears... She bounds forward to lick at his cheek in a friendly greeting, caring not at all for personal space or the boundaries they'd once established. How good it feels to find someone from before she went running for her life, from... Well, just from before.

He looks at her hard. Hopefully. Surely... but he can scarcely move or speak for fear he is terribly mistaken. He's been gone a long while. And this wolf could be... just another she-wolf who only looks like his dear friend. A friend made dearer by their time apart and Teketa's own, lonesome thoughts. And she answers his question with a leap and a bound - almost literally - that closes the distance between them rapidly. So rapidly that the weary, dark wolf scarcely has a chance to flinch at the unexpected contact between the two. He stands still for a long moment even after the contact is broken, his own tail wagging behind him and his eyes seem to smile for the first time since- well, he can't remember. But he feels happy, despite the gloom and the rain. "It is you, Skelaghe," his deep voice is warm, unable to hide the relief. He may not look so happy outwardly - particularly next to Skel - but there can be no doubt: he's as overjoyed as he ever gets at the sight of another. "It is you. My..." his eyes close as he takes in a deep breath, "My friend."

If Skelaghe thinks Teketa does not appear happy enough, she certainly doesn't show it. Given that she wears her heart on her sleeve, that's rather unlikely. Only earlier today, he had entered her thoughts, and the conclusion was not a happy one. Now... "You are well?" Oh, please, let him be well. Skelaghe may be slightly under weight, with winter coming, but she definitely seems like she has fared well in the time since they last met. She keeps herself from jumping around, but she really is overjoyed, as she would be upon meeting any long-lost friend.

Teketa makes no immediate attempt to compose himself as he typically would. He's glad to see her. He's been traveling for several months with little purpose. He didn't suppose he would ever see Skelaghe again - he had found Eclipse and intended to tell this she-wolf that the hybrid was fine. But the currents had swept Teketa away and he didn't bother to fight his way back. Finally, he subdues his expression somewhat. He was guilty in that respect - he had left the few he had started to grow close to. Abandoned them. But here he was again. And his eyes still shine as he hears that familiar and pleasant voice. From the looks of things, Teketa is wet and undeniably a little chilled. He's let the rain soak his pelt in a careless way. He's thin - he's been surviving on rabbits and mice. But he's alive. And that's really as good as he ever gets. So he gently dips his head in way of answering affirmatively. "I am. But you? You, whom I never expected to see again..." the last part is a low murmur.

Skelaghe leans forward to nuzzle against Teketa. Only after that, and whether he allows it or not, does she say, "I am doing great, Teketa." How to tell this wolf about Helaku, though? Before she and Helaku had reunited, but after she decided that she really wanted pups of her own, she thought Teketa might be their father. She certainly would have approached the topic with him, had the chance ever arisen, even with no guarantee he would have appreciated it. Now, with no guarantee he /wouldn't/ have appreciated it... Instead of beating around the bush, she says, "Come to my den, meet my mate." Where it is warm, where he can eventually sleep in comfort. She at least doesn't expect Helaku to react as possessively as he might have when they first were reunited, before they mated for the first time. Now, she is undeniably his and... Whatever feelings she has for Teketa, they are no threat to what she feels for her former and current packmate.

Teketa can't bring himself to pull away from that touch, though he doesn't return the gesture. He was happier to see her than he had expected to be. In his wandering, she had been among those who occasionally danced into his thoughts unexpectedly. He, who in his ways could be a selfish wolf, had though of her. And Eclipse. They among the few who had made any impact on his decision to wander back to this land... and well, what was he to do now? He was glad to see her. Did she still travel often or- an answer comes in the form of a command. Well, not a command... but an invitation. An invitation that causes the black wolf's brows to lift slightly. Den? Mate? So... the story-teller has settled down. Had he not been so glad of her company - and quite unwilling to leave so quickly - he might've declined encountering another stranger in his own den. But this stranger was Skelaghe's mate. And he trusted Skelaghe to what extent he could trust. "Of course," he gently bows his head, finally pulling himself together so that his tail hangs plainly behind him as it usually does. "Life has taken quite the turn for you, then?" And for once, he seems genuinely interested in listening to anything she might have to say, as once she would have listened to him had he bothered to speak.

Skelaghe turns and begins, immediately, to walk back to her den. Her pace is slow, as she does not want to force the male wolf, who must be exhausted, to walk faster than he must. "It has." She won't bother him with the details that led her back to Helaku, but... "My mate is a former packmate of mine. Ute." Which means, honorable. Intelligent. And what occupied her mind not an hour earlier returns, now. "Winter is coming, Teketa. You will always have a place with us, if you desire it." Especially as winter approaches, and with Teketa being under weight.

She moves slowly, considerately. And Teketa keeps up just fine. He wouldn't want to slow her down. He would never want to burden anyone. And she elaborates on meeting her mate, and then back to a not-so-subtle invitation. Two wolves. Mates. A pack. Well, that is a fascinating concept... where there were two wolves there was the potential for a good, strong pack. Teketa had thought about it before. He thought about how, if he found one right wolf, he might consider- but he never did try to form his own pack. Kept himself distant and isolated. He was always afraid of the pack. What an irony that makes: a wolf afraid of the pack he relies on so much for life. Teketa feigns a smile at her offer, then gently shakes his head. "Thank you, my fair Skelaghe. But would your mate allow a stranger for the winter?" Almost like a cougar trying to fathom a wolf pack. Almost like he weren't a wolf himself. But he breaks his gaze away from the she-wolf to survey his surroundings again. He can see where there has been some disaster. Not like when man came. This one was natural. He had been away and avoided it. "...I will consider the offer, of course," and he seems a little more willing than usual to accept her help. The last year has made him feel so... old.

"My mate will accept my judgement in this matter." She told him, before she ever agreed to settle down with him, that there are a few animals out there who have her loyalty, not as mates, but as friends, and that she would never betray that loyalty. "Besides, once you recover... I should think he would appreciate another male around. As it is, he is rather outnumbered by females." The final statement is said, at least partially, as a joke, but it's true, at least, when both Ixkin and Sketch are around.

From what she's describing there are /more/ than just Skel and her mate. As they walk, Teketa tilts his head and looks at her out of the corner of his eye. "Then I would be a fool to turn down your offer. I sense this winter will be harder," - a brief pause - "on me at least. More than usual." His eyes have narrowed by this time, and there's a certain weariness that's more apparent in them than usual. A world-weary sort of look, not just the typical well-traveled-weariness than tends to hang around the dark wolf. Maybe it's all his time wandering finally catching up with him. His walls are cracking down, crumbling and falling for better or for worse. And he would comment further, but he was ever-aware of saying something wrong. That he didn't mean. So it seems he will ask no further questions until they arrive but for one: "How many run in your pack?"

"You will have help, and company." The type of help that Skelaghe has often wished she'd had, during a couple of rough winters. She survived, though, and she is determined to help others do the same. As they come to the area where she left Helaku, there is no sight of him, so aftr a brief pause, she continues walking toward the den and begins speaking again. "Besides myself and Helaku, we are sometimes joined by two dogs, one male and one female, and another former packmate of ours, a female. They are free to come and go as they please, but they are usually around, somewhere." By now, their voices could easily be heard in the den, even though Skelaghe is not speaking any louder than she normally would, since the rain is not terribly hard.

Dogs? An involuntary shiver would've made his fur stand on end had the rain not plastered it so thoroughly to his body. And the shiver itself might be dismissed as the affect of the rain seeping through his pelt slowly, surely, steadily. But he nods his head slowly, reasoning that in their own ways, dogs might be better than wolves. It was wolves that had so scarred Teketa emotionally. And these emotions affected his decisions heavily when he chose to travel. It didn't seem they were a "true" pack - the kind Teketa so despised. They were loose, informal. And that seemed surprisingly likable in Teketa's mind at that moment. Maybe he was ready to settle down. Maybe he knew that and subconsciously returned to the place where he believed he would most likely be able to do so. At one point, Skelaghe pauses. It's momentary, but Teketa takes that moment to let her walk ahead. He gives his pelt another good shake, spraying droplets into the air among the rain. Then he's on he's following after the she-wolf again, his eyes taking in their surroundings. He disliked not having his nose to rely on... curse this rain.

Had Skelaghe realized Teketa had any reservations about dogs, she would have broken that news more carefully. Since, as far as she knew, all of his encounters with dogs have been while she was present, though, she didn't figure he might have the same prejudices that most of the wolves in this area have. She notices him fall behind her, but she keeps up her pace, and when he rejoins her, she gives a nod of her head to the entrance to the den, only a few body lengths away. "That is where we have been staying, though we have already made plans to move before the snow falls. Probably tomorrow." But now, maybe not, if Teketa decides to stay and is not ready to travel again so soon.

Had it not been for an encounter with one particularly brutal dog, Teketa would've worried less. Then again, his thoughts on dogs were still far kinder than most wolves' around these areas who lived around dogs most of their lives (unlike Teketa). Teketa had never encountered a dog until he visited this area. It hadn't been the most pleasant of meetings, though he came out of it unscathed... as did Skelaghe. And there was the hybrid, Eclipse. She was half-dog. And not half-bad, due to that same reason, in Teketa's opinion. He has, perhaps, changed a little since his last chat with this lovely she-wolf. Speaking of which, he stops as she does and looks closely at the entrance to their den, then nods his head a little as if with approval. At the den? Or her decision to leave it? He doesn't make it clear. He wouldn't really know anyway - he's always chosen his resting places according to how tired he was and how tight and protected it was without trapping him inside. Or just slept in the open. He looks pointedly at Skelaghe then, "All right. If that should be the case, I shall be ready to follow," and somehow that statement seemed to mean so much more, at least to Teketa. As though he had already made some internal decision.

Helaku, though, was not exactly in the den. He lay on the branch of a tree he somehow scaled, most-likely through a fallen trunk, in a mild doze, though he knew someone was there. He murmured to himself, lazily ppeering at the two on the ground beneath him, and giving a smile. "Now, which one should I be pouncing?" he joked. "Because both seem adorable in their own way."

That was... Actually, a better greeting than Skelaghe expected. She, at least, smiles at the joke, though the smile is accompanied by a glance to Teketa, since he's not sure Tek will feel the same way. As she is looking at Teketa, instead of up, where Helaku is, she speaks. "Helaku, meet my friend, Teketa. Teketa, this is my mate, Helaku. And don't worry. I claim all of his pouncing for myself."

A voice from above. Teketa's immediate thought is "Cat!" and he tenses, his ears flattening and nose wrinkling in the beginning stages of a threatening snarl. His eyes snap up, despite the droplets that fell into them: glistening yellow-green orbs burned with an unspoken threat until he realized he was looking at the long snout of a wolf. A wolf who, judging from his words, might be Skelaghe's mate. He seems to be on familiar terms, anyway. Almost immediately Teketa's face switches from threatening to apologetic as he lowers his gaze. Only his ears remain flattened, but now with new meaning: an apologetic submissiveness. His tail hangs limply behind him like a useless appendage as he regards he casts a sideways glance at Skelaghe as she speaks. Not even the barest smile forms. At once his expression is cool and guarded. The Teketa Skel might remember having met so long ago, on their first encounter.

Helaku might have been stoic and serious at most points, but he knew when to be easier on things. Being as the wolf was brought to the den by Skel herself, he had less intent on being defensive than she might have guessed. "Unusual it is for a wolf to be in a tree, I take it," he said. "but it is nice to meet you. I've yet to meet many of dear Skel's friends in this region."

Skelaghe is almost equally surprised that Teketa even knows how to be submissive. Oh, he's far from cowering, but that's a good thing, and he makes up well for his original, unintended aggression. Any fears she originally had are put to rest by both of the males who mean so much to her behaving splendidly, so that she does not have to put herself in the middle of them. She would have, too. And, if it becomes a point, she will make it perfectly clear that if there is discipline to be meted out to her friends, she will be the one to give it, male or not. For now, though, there is no reason to assert herself, so she simply enjoys the fact that these two should get along just fine, with no problems. "You couldn't meet a better one, Helaku." Not even Sketch, though Skelaghe would be loathe to admit that. "Teketa has graciously agreed to stay with us through the winter." At no point does anything in her body language or voice suggest she is doing Teketa a favor, because she simply doesn't see it that way. Knowing he is well will save her countless hours of worrying about him, should he have showed up in this condition only to disappear again.

Frankly speaking, Teketa isn't sure what's /wrong/ with Helaku. But he should have expected nothing less from Skelaghe's mate. Helaku's being her mate should've said something right from the start. Once Teketa told Skel how he disliked - well, not really - her joyful nature. Only because she reminded him of- he would let that memory stop right there. This fellow was friendlier than most male wolves Teketa had met in the past, and it is cause for confusion. So he responds submissively, as he knows to do. Or maybe it's an act. He should be suspicious. But no time to ponder over it now. He would have all winter to do that. He scarcely lifts his head to look at the tree-bound wolf; his head tilts slightly so one of his yellow-green eyes can look up at the wolf he might be considering his alpha-until-further-notice. He won't comment on the fact this crazy thing is in a /tree/. But as long as they're being civil... Teketa dips his head, odd as that may appear from above, and then responds in his deep, throaty voice, "And you." He passes a glance at Skelaghe again. He's not sure how to act right now. Skel is his friend. Her mate should be so, too. She could only choose a fine wolf to be her mate. But Tek's trust is for Skel. It does not and, perhaps, is not capable of extending beyond that. He merely dips his head again to confirm her words.

Helaku, of course, had also partly made his jovial behaviorism as a way to deceieve. Lure them in, and if need be--though it was doubtful--turn back to being the usual stoic being he was. To have a varying opinion on him was an advantage. It made him harder to predict. The tree branch was somewhat high, but not too dangerously high. A normal wolf would have walked down, but Helaku *jumped* onto the ground. "For the winter, then?" he said, brushing his muzzle along Skel's neck. "Then that will be to our advantage." He then peered straight to Teketa and his nose quivered. "Underweight; will have to fix this if he's to survive the winter. In the last few weeks, has there been anyone following you?"

Skelaghe would slip into silence, allow Helaku to handle the security of their small group, but there is one more thing that must be handled, first. "Can you not hold this conversation in the den, Helaku? He is soaked." Inside, he can begin to groom himself, dry off, while Helaku asks the questions he must ask to keep them all safe. He can begin to feel safe, and lose the feeling of having to keep moving, a feeling Skelaghe learned herself all too recently, if he /is/ being followed. "The rain would have caused anything following him to lose his scent, and I saw no one else. We will be safe until morning." Until when they intend to move out anyway.

Teketa takes an uneasy step back as Helaku leaps from his place in the tree. Neither ears nor tail lift, and thus will Skelaghe begin to see the wolf who fears the pack. Helaku would be unable to recognize any change in Teketa, never having met him before, but Skel might see. Teketa is tense, and he watches each wolf from the corner of his eyes rather than looking directly at either. Particularly Helaku. He didn't dare stare too hard at the other male. Especially when he nuzzles Skelaghe. A pink tongue slips out, licking his nose. Teketa? Nervous? Indeed. His heart is fluttering in his chest and he feels weakened by it. Thankfully, Skelaghe saves the day by suggesting they move inside. Although, being confined around this strange male might not be such a good idea. And Tek /definitely/ didn't like being spoken to - or rather, /about/ - as if he were some object that this /wolf/ could /fix/. It's all an abrupt reminder why he should have said "no" to Skel's offer. But he will do it. For her, if no other reason. "No sir," Teketa answers finally.

Helaku looked between them. It had occured to him that Teketa was wet, but the same, this was where Helaku's experience away from these lands clashed with how things in this land were done. "Forgive me, Skel," he said. "I had to be short about followers - even one by a few days can be a danger." He turned and motioned towards the, though kept alert. Had something caused him to be so wary of others being followed? Most likely, and it was horrible. He would go on to say...that any unwanted followers that might pose a threat to himself or those he led would be killed without question...but he didn't.

"There is no forgiveness needed." Skelaghe knows enough of Helaku's past to know there is a reason why he behaves the way he does. Still, there is a reason why she behaves the way she does. Offering Teketa a thin smile, she says, kindly, "Follow me." He will settle down, and then things with move more smoothly. She /does/ recognize his tenseness, though, and she feels guilty for it. Making her way into the medium-sized den, she makes her way toward the back wall, in the middle, so there is plenty of room for both Teketa and Helaku to enter and take separate sides of the den, all of them with plenty of space. Wherever Skelaghe's other three companions are holed up on this unpleasant day, it is not here.

"That much, I can say with certainty," he adds as an after-thought to his answer. Why would anyone follow Teketa? That would require Teketa bothering to speak with anyone. And then make enemies of them. Unless they were a cougar. Or something. His gaze snaps to Skelaghe, then wordlessly he follows her, supposing Helaku might go last just to keep an eye on things... inside the den, Teketa does find a place on a far wall and gives himself a good shake before settling down warily onto his haunches. His ears are still pressed back. He can smell the scent of the others - along with Skelaghe and her mate - far better in this place and he's not sure what to make of it. The black wolf sits up fairly straight - tall - his eyes carefully following his friend and her mate without seeming too rude. He will not make himself a threat. It would pain him to fight with Skelaghe's chosen mate.

Helaku entered the den after them, and looked outside it once more. He was tense. Every time a new creature came, he was tense. To have unwanted conflicts was the worst thing that could happen here. Should he be harboring someone's enemy, he didn't want them near. Yet at the same time, he would protect that 'enemy'.

Once both of the males are in, Skelaghe walks to Helaku's side and rubs against him before turning around and sitting, hoping to set the males at ease with her body language, since she doubts words alone could do it. For fear relations between these two might just falter, should she leaved to try to find the others, she will have to stay, and hope they arrive before morning. "This is much better. Thank you for allowing me to leave the rain." And, with that, she begins to lick excess water off of her fur. While not as soaked as Helaku, she was certainly not dry.

Teketa resembles a soldier at attention. Or perhaps a statue. He allows his eyes to focus firmly on Helaku for a few brief moments, watches Skelaghe relax next to her mate and then, with a great effort of will, Teketa forces himself to slide down. Onto his side. He averts his gaze and even reluctantly begins licking some of the water from his pelt. But it seems fairly hopeless. His fur is - unlike Skelaghe's - thoroughly soaked. He had not sought shelter when the rain began and had done little to keep it from his fur. Even the most water-proof of coats was going to break down sooner or later, and he had found his pelt had met its breaking point today. Pausing in his efforts, Teketa glances at the exit, then to Skelaghe and her mate. His brows are furrowed and his face seems intense. "Thank you."

Helaku murmured to himself and leaned into Skel for a moment, inhaling her scent once more. He was soaked, but he didn't shake it off. Discipline, of sorts, he rarely ever shook off water that clung to him on purpose to keep his scent minimal. "So, were you born in a pack, Teketa?"

And so the interview begins. Teketa expects it. He blinks slowly, uncertain how much he wants to divulge to this male at all. But it's a simple question and he can give it an equally simple answer if he wants to. He must first make certain that there will be no bitterness in his voice. Once he is sure he can reply with a simple, mechanical, "I was," he does so, then tries to lick some of the water from his pelt again. Almost absent-mindedly he adds: "I no longer have connections with them." Skelaghe knows at least some of Teketa's story. Or at least has an idea of it. She's one of the select few... Teketa gives up on his pelt so he can stay alert to the other wolves. Or at least Helaku. He isn't worried about Skelaghe.

"We were once part of one as well," he said. "A pack from another land, the Ute. We cannot return, because there is no one to return to." Helaku, actually being open about the Ute? That was certainly different. "And my second pack, the Eloonn, as well. I lost them in war." War. The first time Helaku ever mentioned it.

Skelaghe hadn't realized the Helaku had actually been a member of an organized pack, after the Ute disbanded. Well. having cleaned most of the water from her fur, Skelaghe actually lies down. She continues to listen closely to the conversation between these two, but she does not interupt the conversation with any words of her own.

Here Helaku seems mistaken. For Teketa had - has - no love for the pack. And his pack still exists out there somewhere... and Teketa rather wished it didn't. The shadow shifts, pulling his paws closer to his body as he observes the mates. "I see," he responds gruffly. Which is something. He could have simply remained silent. "I am sorry for your losses," he adds after a few seconds, his voice softening somewhat. Are these words genuine? Or is it a mechanical reply, automatic in its making? It is a little out-of-the-ordinary. But Teketa is tired from traveling... and this den is warm. He can feel his eyes growing heavy, but he refuses to rest so easily in this stranger's den.

"Sorry?" he said. "You've done nothing to them. How can one be sorry? While with us, you are under my protection as are the others." Another odd move--why was Helaku expressing it? Perhaps it was due to Skel, and Skel knowing Teketa where he did not. He did not see himself as a supreme leader, but an equal with her. Personally, he did not care if Teketa had lost love, just so long as he remained a good little creature as he hoped he was...given Skel's trust of him. Skel, Ixkin, and the others all ready with him were a greater priority. "Rest yourself. We move in the morning."

Trying to guide her friend and her mate with her every action, she remains lying down. Though she has been in this den most of the day, if she is 'tired', perhaps they will be more willing to rest, to accomodate her. It seems to have worked, at least to some small degree. She has to speak, though. Teketa is not a child who needs caring for, and she wants to make sure Teketa knows that /they/ know that. "We are all under one another's protection, and everything will turn out well because of it." And, with that, she lets her eyes drift shut.

If it weren't for the fact that Teketa's ears were already lowered, he would've lowered them further. But that just wasn't possible. They'd fall off if that did. Ahem. In any case, behind Teketa's stoic expression, he was rather unhappy with the... alpha male's statement. Teketa didn't /need/ his protection... Teketa had survived on his own for years. And here this whelp was- but Teketa must keep his cool and remain submissive as life has taught him around a pack. He must. It is the last statement made by Helaku - and Skelaghe's words - the calm Teketa's nerves enough that he even dares a soft sigh and a slow nod. Sleep. He feared it would not be terribly good sleep. But he would try, and he would welcome it if it came, and if it was dreamless. He dips his head, then lowers it to rest. He was a fool for accepting. Such was the last thought to cross his mind as sleep took the shadow.

Helaku's ears curled back to them, letting them sleep. Helaku was unused to sleeping long in the night. He had learned how to shorten his rest and maximized his efficiency as a fighter while with the Eloonn. But, not long after they fell to rest so did he, next to Skel.

Tomorrow, while out of Teketa's earshot, Skelaghe and Helaku will have a discussion about how not to belittle their companions. She can't fault Helaku, though. He is not as accustomed to being around others, and he really means well. For now, though, she lets it rest. What they all need now is sleep if they are to head out early enough that they can reach the waterfall by dark, and hopefully manage a hunt along the way. Soon, she, too, is sleeping.