A Hideaway

[Centeris2]

The first thing that Andra realized was she was covered in snow, next she realized snow was cold.

She shook her silver-black coat free of the white powder clinging to her, thoughts returning. Varana had wanted them to move away from the humans, and beyond the territory of the Greco pack, so Andra and Dravar had scouted north... Dravar. Her pups. Everyone!

Her legs snapped into action and she ran. She didn't remember what had happened but something had happened, when she had first come here, the last she remembered, the wild flowers were still blooming and the snows of winter had not yet fallen. How had this happened?

"Dravar!" She shouted as she scrambled into the rocky cave they had found and made more space in for everyone. The scent of her mate wasn't here, but her pups were along with Nye and Kelile's brood. But Nye and Kelile's smells were also absent.

"Hrm?" Her eye went to the black and blue mass that the pups had clung to, Beno groggy and waking up to her voice.

"Beno! Where is everyone?" Andra demanded with a snarl, Beno's eyes focusing on her after several blinks.

"What...? They..." Beno sat up, the pups fast asleep and not disturbed as he moved. Beno glanced around and winced, rubbing his head with his paw.

"I... I don't remember," Beno admitted and looked at Andra for answers, unsettled by her expression.

"We have to find them," the male said quickly, standing to act as Andra went into some sort of shock.

"Do you want to watch the pups?" Beno asked as he walked out of the den past Andra, bumping her to knock her out of her panic.

"No, we can cover more ground if we're both looking. But first we should try to call them," Andra, her sense returning, came to that conclusion and rose her head and howled. Beno joined her call, hoping a friend would answer their cries.

[Ren]

After their luck through Greco, and finding no trace of humans in some time, Shanook was in good spirits. The pines had thinned considerably and given way to snow, flat and extending into the horizon and the distant shadows of craggy mountains.

There were storm clouds gathering overhead, but for now the snow fall was negligible. The cold did, however, make his joints ache and walking was more awkward as they waded through a solid foot or two of snow.

"So we're past Greco now. How far North might your fr-" he cut off at the sound of a howl, and looked between Bayla and Shanook.

"Do either of you recognize that howl?"

[Centeris2]

"Andra!" and then a moment later, "Beno!" Bayla craned her neck backwards.

"Glad they called," Nye admitted a bit sheepishly, they were a mile or two to the east of where the howls were coming from. Bayla, meanwhile, was howling back. Nye joined in for a few moments so they knew he was also there.

"Go ah-" Nye didn't get to finish his sentence, Bayla sprinting as best as her three legs could carry her. It was more of a long skip.

"FRIENDS!" Bayla shouted and Nye chuckled, following.

[Ren]

So it was good news. Shanook watched Bayla bound off with amusement, and followed at his own squeaky lope alongside Nye.

It took them some time to cover the ground, especially considering their varying levels of physical eptitude, but at some stage while the wind and snow picked up a little they could make out the faint shapes of other wolves.

He supposed these were their friends, but so far judging by the number of shapes there were fewer here than expected.

[Centeris2]

"Where's Kelile?" "Where's Dravar?""Varana isn't with you?" The voices shouted over each other as they realized numbers were missing, along with a clamor of "what happened?" all while Bayla bounced on everyone.

"Oh this is Shanook!" Bayla declared, bouncing on Shanook and wagging her tail.

"Oh, yes, I remember you!" Beno had vague memories of meeting Shanook a very long time ago. Andra looked at Shanook, connecting the name to the face and nodding.

"So Kelile, Dravar, and Varana are still missing?" Nye asked when the talking over everyone else had died down.

"I was hoping they'd be with you, what happened?" Andra asked, Beno sniffing the green paste on Bayla's injured leg.

"Nye was captured by humans and taken to their village! And then I fell asleep! And so did everyone else! But Shanook and I saved Nye because the humans were also asleep! Did you guys sleep?" Bayla jabbered, Andra keeping up with the fast speech after a lot of practice.

"I woke up out on the tundra, I don't remember why I was there. The pups are asleep in the den, and Beno would be if I had woken him up," Andra answered, Nye perking up at that news.

"The pups are okay? You found a den?" Nye asked before Bayla remembered something very important.

"THERE WERE GIANT BIRDS!" Bayla shouted. Beno and Andra stared for a moment before either of them could form words.

"...what."

[Ren]

He calmly let Bayla jump around him as the wolves said their confused hellos and he was introduced. He met Beno's and Andra's gaze and nodded to each in turn, and was continually unphased by Bayla's rushed explanation, although he could feel himself getting more tired as he listened. She was too energetic.

At the mention of the giant bird, the other wolves gawked, and Shanook nodded in agreement with Bayla.

"Yes, we noticed it on the flood plains. It's claws are easily taller than us. But the more pressing matter," he began, "is that the humans have been skinning wolves. Bayla recognized a red and white pelt in their village. I don't believe that the South can be safe anymore. You all need to find another home, and I don't think the tundra will cut it for pups."

[Centeris2]

"Red and white?" Beno asked, confused until Bayla clarified with: "Disdemona." Andra and Beno fell into shocked silence.

"Should we try to the east?" Nye suggested but Bayla gasped in shock.

"But Varana isn't with us! Or Kelile or Dravar! We have to find them!" Bayla declared and Nye looked at Beno for guidance.

"Is there enough prey here to sustain us until we can get everyone back together?" Nye asked and Beno thought.

"If we knew the caribou migration routes maybe, but we haven't had much time to explore. That's what Dravar and Kelile were out doing, along with Andra. If we have to we could poach on Greco lands, but that's asking for trouble," Beno said with a shrug.

"I fell asleep before I could get too far, I remember smelling the paths of large herds but I was a bit distracted when I woke up," Andra added, hoping that the prey, like them, had fallen asleep.

"So we need to find three wolves and get enough food for us and the pups. Bayla, you're on pup duty-"

"Nye!" Bayla interjected, but her protest was ignored.

"Andra and Beno, you look for Kelile, Dravar, and prey."

"Nyyyyyyye!"

"Hopefully they're still here in the tundra, as this is where you last saw them." ("NYE!") "I'll go back and look for Varana," Nye dictated and looked at Shanook.

"Are you staying with us?" Nye didn't want to give him orders if he was going to be leaving.

"This is kind of important, Nye!" Bayla cried while jumping on him.

"Bayla, you're injured, you shouldn-"

"Not that! Deer!"

"Bayla, finding prey isn't important enough to sho-" she pushed him so he was looking in the right direction, "please tell me those deer are just close by, and not really big in the distance."

Sure enough, a herd of massive deer ambled through in the distance, unbothered by the collection of wolves. Nye plopped down and covered his head with his paws, completely done with everything that had happened.

"One of those could feed us for weeks!" Bayla declared happily, having solved their food problem

"Those antlers could carry all of us with room to spare..." Beno muttered, while Andra wondered, "how do we even hunt something that big?"

"So, uh, Shanook," Nye remembered his question, "were you going to stay with us?"

[Ren]

Shanook listened vaguely, distracted by Bayla's excited jumping and shouting, and looked where she was motioning.

He wasn't really surprised to see giant deer in the snow.

"I'm not sure how viable they are to hunt with just the few of us," he said, and looked back at Nye.

"I'll help you however you feel is best, Nye," he offered with a nod.

[2leez]

"The humans have been skinning wolves," Shanook's voice called from behind them. "You all need to find another home." A young wolf laid flat on the ground, trying to blend in with her environment. The only thing to give her away was the bright white stripe down her face and wide blue eyes that stared fearfully at all the gathered strangers.

((I'll put Echo here then, sorry!))

[Centeris2]

"Well, you haven't met any of the wolves we're looking for, so you won't recognize them or their scent," Nye thought aloud. Bayla, ever helpful, chimed in.

"He could help me with the pups! Then he'd be able to put down the bags and we could figure out something to help clean up his metal!" Bayla bounced. Nye looked at Shanook, knowing the wolf was not as accustomed to Bayla's antics as the others were.

"Or you could scout the area, maybe figure out just how big those things are," Nye offered a way out, "I'd rather not risk anyone else getting caught by humans, so I'd prefer if you didn't come south with me."

"But before anyone goes anywhere," Andra said, walking away. She was not about to let a stranger see where her pups were hidden.

"Who are you?" Andra asked the young wolf hiding nearby.

"A friend!?" Bayla asked, bounding over and looking before going, "oh, nope, I don't know that wolf."

[Ren]

"Scouting is safer when my leg isn't squeaking. With your permission, Nye, I'll help Bayla and go scout when my leg is quiet again," he said, lifting his mechanical leg for emphasis.

He watched Andra, followed by a bounding Bayla, headed into the bushes to greet a stranger they didn't recognize. He watched in silence, and waited for the young one to introduce itself.

[2leez]

Echo shrank back slightly as Bayla approached, the boldness of the stranger making her flinch. Still, she kept her ears back and bared her teeth in warning. "You all need to find another home," she repeated in Shanook's voice, as close an imitation as she could. There were too many of them.... Her legs shook. These were strangers. She wasn't home. She didn't know where Icarus was, or who these wolves were. They weren't trying to kill her, so... that was a plus?

One of them had a... metal leg? He seemed older and stronger than the others.... Was he the Alpha? The other male was really pretty and the young wolf found herself staring at him a bit. She had lost her own voice and looked back to Bayla with wide eyes. "A friend?" she asked, imitating Bayla shakily. Then, "Who are you?" in Andra's voice.

[Centeris2]

"Thank you, Shanook, and you really don't need my permission for anything," Nye acknowledged Shanook's request with a chuckle.

Andra's hackles raised when the stranger told them they had to find another home, but the voice change with each new phrase confused her. Why was she imitating them? The wolf seemed more defensive and scared than anything, Andra relaxing but very confused.

"That didn't answer the question," Nye said, walking closer, Bayla snorting and rolling her eyes.

"She's imitating us, dumby! Clearly she's a parrot and can only say phrases she's learned!" Bayla said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"So you're like a little echo, aren't you?" Beno asked, stepping forward as well to get a better look at the stranger.

"If you aren't here to cause us harm then we can be friends," Andra kept a close eye on the stranger, cautious. Bayla nudged Andra's shoulder, giving Andra a glare for the harsh tone.

"Where do you come from?" Andra asked in a kinder voice, Bayla again nudging her.

"She can only say things she's heard! You gotta list options! Like:" Bayla looked at the stranger to ask properly, "are you from the south in the forest? Are you from the tundra? The human lands? Or somewhere else?"

"Like the Greco pack," Nye suggested, wary. Bayla looked at him in shock before scolding him with: "don't be mean!"

[Ren]

Shanook sat back and watched them, amused by the copycat wolf and how Bayla seemed convinced that she couldn't string together her own sentences. The comment about Greco made him chuckle.

"Come now, miss Bayla, suggesting that she's from Greco isn't an automatic insult," he said with a small grin.

[2leez]

Echo's heart was racing. Her eyes darted between all the gathered wolves. There were... wait, how many?! She had counted four, but were there five?! And none of them smelled familiar. Nothing in this place smelled right at all! There was a very stale scent of Greco, but not enough to lead her back home. She was utterly lost, and now surrounded by outsiders that had the gall to mock her and her pack!

"I am not a parrot!" She growled, baring her teeth sharply at Bayla. "I am a warrior of Greco! And I can take you all on!" She sized them up quickly. Of course she was bluffing, but there was a target right in front of her that she could easily match, maybe even come out victorious; a target just begging to get torn to ribbons. "Starting with you!" With a bark and snarl, Echo charged forward, barreling into Bayla with teeth and claws, attempting to at least knock her prone and wipe that dumb grin off her face! Like she knew anything. Stupid, hyper, nosey outsider! When she met back up with her pack, Ody would be proud. She hoped....

[Centeris2]

Bayla went down onto her stomach so the warrior of Greco went over her, and with a quick push up flipped the young pup over and slammed her front paws down on the stranger to pin her down.

"I've fought in wars," Bayla snarled, "and you have no honor attacking a friendly and injured wolf beyond your territory," Bayla stood and hopped back from the stranger, no longer interested in making friends with this wolf.

"You have no reason to stay here. I suggest you go home, head south and you'll return to your pack," Nye advised, not impressed by the young wolf's aggression. It only solidified that the Greco pack was no good in his mind. Between the disrespectful alpha threatening them to this one actually attacking, it seemed war was likely unless they got away from the bloodthirsty pack as soon as possible.

"At least she doesn't just repeat everything," Beno chuckled, poised and ready to fight.

"And tell your pack to leave us alone! We're not on your lands," Andra growled.

[ooc: apologies for power play, you can, of course, ignore it]

[Ren]

Shanook was put on alert by the pups harsh reprimand of their assumptions, and was ready to jump in. He was thoroughly shocked, however, to find that Bayla was more than ready and dealt with the pup with ease. He watched as she dodged the attack and then pinned the pup, and for the first time since he'd met her he saw her looking serious.

He wasn't quite sure how to take it.

She'd fought in a war!?

He stepped over toward the pup with a firm glower as Nye suggested she leave.

"You still have your other friends to find, Nye," Shanook said. "Perhaps it might be prudent to see this young one to the edge of her territory?"

He mainly wanted to make sure that the pup got away from the young ones of this pack, and there was no guarantee that this Greco wolf would actually leave rather than stalk them from a distance.

He looked down at the she-wolf, a thoughtful look on his features. She had such a quick temper. Were all Greco wolves like this?

He turned to Bayla, eyeing her leg, and assured himself that she was just fine. This had been a very weird day from start to finish, and he doubted it was going to start going uphill any time soon.

[2leez]

Echo yipped in surprise as her attack was easily dodged. She was frightened, but still managed to struggle under the other, kicking up to push away and scramble back out from under her with a whine. With one last swipe at her face, Echo pulled away and hopped back into the bushes. So... they weren't a threat? But... Ody had said all outsiders were the enemy?

"You have no reason to stay here," Echo mimicked Nye, eyeing them all. "And you have no honor," she added in Bayla's voice, a little more mocking in pitch. Maybe if she hadn't attacked, they could be friends. After all, the one she figured to be easy prey took her down effortlessly. She would make a good warrior....

At least the older one with the strange leg was kind.... Echo quickly lapped at a stinging wound on her shoulder from the tussle. That's when her stomach rumbled. "...Who are you...?" she asked, much softer, mainly directed at Shanook. He reminded her of the Sphinx' own calm wisdom. Maybe she could reason with him....

[Centeris2]

Nye nodded his head in agreement with Shanook's suggestion, quickly following the logic. But the stranger did not seem intent on leaving, keeping them all on high alert, instead copying them again. He was not about to get into an argument with a hostile wolf about honor or where they could or could not stay.

"Why won't you and your pack leave us alone?! We're not doing anything to you!" Andra demanded, getting frustrated and worried. If this Greco wolf was here what if other wolves were nearby...

"Maybe she's as scared and confused as you were when you woke up," Beno suggested but maintained his tense stance.

"Ah yes, attack the first group of wolves you see, ones that were being polite and friendly to you... great way to make friends!" Andra spat with a roll of her eyes.

"I don't think she has any interest in speaking with us, except in copying us," Nye muttered, wondering if Andra and Beno had a back up den ready. He wanted the pups moved asap. Thank goodness they were about six moons old now, and could travel easier, but in the cold they would need to be careful and find enough shelter every night.

"Shanook, do you have anymore of those plants you gave me? She's hurt," Bayla watched the stranger lick at her shoulder. She hadn't intended to hurt, only disarm. And she didn't want a single reason for Greco to come after them. With their experience with the pack, it seemed like they'd take any chance to start a fight.

[Ren]

Shanook looked between the young wolf and Bayla, acknowledging Bayla's question with a nod before answering the pup's own. He reached around into one of the satchels on his back, pulling out another of the plants. There were still a few, but not enough to mend a pack - it'd be best to avoid any further tussles, at least until they found more herbs.

He stepped over toward the pup, careful not to move too quickly and startle her, and sat nearby, placing the herb at his feet.

"My name is Shanook," he introduced himself first, and nodded toward the plants. "If you're interested, we can use these herbs to help with that cut you have."

It was a better idea to leave the wolf in better spirits when she went back to her own. If they offered what help was reasonable, considering the circumstances, it would mean a better chance of Greco leaving them be, at least for now.

He was aware of Nye's distraction, and assumed that Nye was anxious to get his family away as soon as possible. He'd leave Nye to make that call, considering it wasn't Shanook's family in question. He glanced to Nye, offering a small reassuring smile, and then turned back to the Greco wolf.

"What is your name, miss?" he asked her, meeting her eye.