... Champion had scented the herd of deer some time ago and tracked them to one of where one of the forest streams widened out into a watering spot. It was the perfect local for a hunt - with a fringe of trees to the back of them and the sound of rushing water to cover any unsightly sounds, and plus it was snowing! No one in the world could understand how that affected Champion. It reminded her of home - of her first home - and it brought out all the polar bear in her. Already she'd spent what was supposed to be her morning patrol, making snow angles at the border. Now she wanted to hunt, but not just for hte sake of food. She wanted to have some fun while doing it. That meant companionship. She'd hounded poor Vioxes enough lately and she decided to let him sleep in for once. She went looking for one of her other packmates, scarce though they seemed to be. The mammoth, when she was far enough away from the deer herd for them to consider her distant background noise, let out a great howl into the frosty air. ...

What he was doing lately he didn't know. Everything in his life had died down, and even though he had had expected the worst it never came. Kylar never came for his head, Zara hasn't been around, and Jupiter hadn't come to torment him. Tortuga was at peace with Amenti, and so far, Glaciem had remained at bay. Now he needed to focus on his pack, his wife, and his family. He was an alpha now, something he had always dreamed to be, and he would embrace it. Many members knew Newt as their queen, but did they know him as their king? Did his name bring chills to their spines, or was it simply an unknown calling? He needed them to know who he was, he wanted them to know. Psychotic or not he was the alpha, and if he wanted members to stick around, he needed to show himself. That's how he ended up here, trailing after Champion, the beta, who seemed to be in the middle of a hunt. She called for others to join, so why not the alpha himself join in? He loved the taste of blood, hell, he thrived on it. Powerful legs drove him toward the woman. He remembered her from Tortuga, and he wondered if she would remember him too. When she came into view he slowed his pace, stopping a good yard away. Amethyst eyes fell upon her figure. God she was so... tempting. As big as himself, powerful as a bull, and the looks weren't too bad either. God he could just... No, he couldn't. He shook the thoughts from his head. He promised Newt his loyalty, and he would never break that promise. "Champion, my alluring beta. What compels you to lead a hunt? You know, I don't mind a little blood shed myself." His lips curled into a devilish smirk, tail flicking eagerly behind him. This had been the first time he had ever spoken to her, and she was his damn beta!

The call of one of his pack-mates was not something that Domovei felt as though he ought to ignore. Champion's call reached his ears and he barely hesitated to clamber to all fours, stretching out his stiff body. Ears would perk attentively, wondering why she had summoned someone -- not just him in particular, but anyone. He had scarcely interacted with her, but perhaps his prompt arrival would please her? Domovei was not one who generally cared who he impressed, but Newt had claimed him as her own, and so he would obey her. And part of obeying her, was accepting her place above him, and the wolves she chose to rule him as well. He knew that Champion was certainly above him. Quietly he slipped from the den he shared with Newt and her children, wondering if she would grow to trust him to find one of his own soon. Silent as a mouse, he crept from the overhang, pausing once he saw what had occurred as he slept. Snow. Lots of it, piling up all around, falling from the sky with little inhibition. The snow was unpleasant to him, chilling the small male to his very core, and he frowned upon seeing it. But still he began to trot towards where Champion had called from, eventually finding himself creeping among the tall redwood trees. Champion came into the small male's view before long; it seemed as though Kaios had beat him. Silently he approached the duo, tail tucked between his legs, body quivering ever so slightly as he lowered it to the earth. The look on his face was unreadable, void of both friendliness and hostility.

... (continuity note: technically Champion has seen Kaios twice before, once at the meeting, once at Newt's birthing) To the mammoth's surprise, it didn't take too long for lupine forms to start materilizing out of the trees. The first to appear was one of the other giants that the land seemed to have drawn. Kaios, the consort of Newt and Lord of Amenti. Also known more bluntly as the wolf with half a face. Champion remembered him dimly from her time in Tortuga - just a passing glance at a meeting, noting that she wasn't the only one whom the Fates had blessed with the build of a dire wolf. Of course that was before the world had tried to commit suicide, before the fires and the floods and the quakes, and all of creation trying to flee for safer lands. Champion hadn't gone back to Tortuga - not for any particular reason, she just felt the wanderer's call again. And she'd thought she'd always remain that way; trasping across forgotten lands, always looking for a friend or, better yet, a good fight, but then she'd met Newt. A wolf that, though certainly very different, had certain character traits in common with her. While Champion was popping her foreleg back into place and trotting along with a couple of bruised ribs, they struck up some strange god-forsaken friendship. Champion was glad to have met the Grey Lady, and was glad to serve her as her Beta. But this other wolf, this other ex-Tortugan... he was different. There was something off about him, something dangerous. Even now, Champ didn't exactly like the way he eyed her. Of course, being Champion meant that she had a half insane attraction to danger. She sought it out - life was her playground and you were never really living unless there was a chance you were about to die. That said, her... intrigue for this male was not one she planned on indulging any time soon. Frankly, Crusade wasn't sure she liked him. She'd heard things, rumors mostly, about the fun times he used to have before setting down with Newt, if it could be called that. And only just recently... after talking to the Glaciem girl.... the things she'd said - Well , but that didn't matter here, did it? These were just a couple of Amentis going on a good old fashion killing spree. "Quite simply, Your Lordship, " She said responded in clipped tones, "I've a mind to see some of my fellow lupines. Even a born wanderer wants to feel like a pack creature now and again. Amenti wolves, it seems, have become so excellent at stealth that we rarely see eachother." Whether or not there was any pleasure to be derived from the company of one another, they were a pack, and Champion believed that everyone around there ought to start acting like it. Her attention was arrested by the creeping step of another of those which she wished to see. "Domonei," she murmured with a welcoming nod of her head. Speaking of pack mates, this wolf here was the only one of them who had showed up when she'd try to call together a meeting of warriors. A slave outshining them all. Well his loyalty was to be commended. She was happy to have him on the hunt, which was showed by a fluffy wag of her husky-curl tail. Then back to Kaios she turned. "I assume you'll be wanting to take point, Sir?" ...

His mind drifted for a moment as he waited for a response. Why hadn't Champion returned to Tortuga after the eruption, and how did Kaien take it? He wasn't sure what her rank had been, then again he didn't really care. Tortuga hadn't started any problems with him yet, so he would let things be. Finally, she spoke, and he listened. "You're right, without a call here and there you would rarely see another pack mate. If I wasn't Newt's husband, I wouldn't see her either. It's a bit of a problem for some, but for me, and other members, we enjoy the solitude. What's better than having your own freedom while knowing you have the support of a bloodthirsty pack?" His smile lengthened to unnatural proportions, saliva dripping from the exposed corners of his mouth. He had no manners, and he didn't give a fuck.

Salmon colored tongue caressed his lips as he licked the spit away. He wondered of she would respond to what he had just said, but his attention quickly turned to another canine. It was Domovei, the male he knew so little about, but Newt seemed to like him a little too much. Or was it the other way around? Either way, this male left a bad taste in his mouth. He noticed his submissive behavior. Good, he needed to bow down at his fucking feet, and kiss the ground he walked on. "Domovei." He commented, husky voice holding an aggravated tone to it. He didn't know much about this guy, but what he did know caused him not to like him, and he wanted him to know it. Newt was his, no one else's. If he even dared pull a move on his wife and he would rip him apart just as he did that crimson colored bastard. "No, no, you called together this hunt, you lead it. I want to see what skills you... posses." Champion had called it together, so she could lead it. All he wanted was something to eat and a little companionship.

Domovei's eyes widened momentarily as Champion addressed him. It still took him by surprise that others in the pack knew his name, and spoke to him with such respect. So far, life in Amenti was pleasant. He had plenty of freedom, even as a slave, but he was also rather well-behaved. He kept to himself, did as he was told, and had yet to make a move to try to reclaim his freedom by running off. And why would he? Sure, he longed for his brother, but deep inside his heart Domovei knew he would return for him someday. An awkward smile was forced, and he nodded to Champion. He then turned a bit, tucking his head down in a slight bow to Kaios. While the gargantuan male had not claimed him, as Newt had, he was his leader, alongside the female. And so he would give him his respect, regardless of the way Kaios looked at him as though he might tear him to shreds. He listed as the two conversed, not feeling as though interrupting was the wisest choice. They talked about how elusive their pack members tended to be; he snickered softly, as though agreeing. "What are we hunting today?" he inquired softly, tail flicking idly beneath his belly. Strangeness brewing in his green gaze, as it danced between the two wolves before him.

... She didn?t agree with the Alpha, but she understood he didn?t give a rattail for her opinion. If she wanted to talk about something she could go to Newt. Her relationship with the half-faced male didn?t include lengthy conversations. The she-wolf dipped her red gaze, the only trace of respectful acknowledgement he?d be getting for the moment. She left him slobbering all over himself and turned to the other male. Very well, she was taking the lead ? now to business. ?We?re hunting deer. There?s a herd upwind of us towards the North where the stream widens out. If we have one wolf hiding at the far bank, the other two can push at least some of the herd into the water. They get a nice, hard , icy swim and then as they stagger out they?re easy pickings on the other side. The two herders ? myself and Dom here ? can then cross over on the ice and stones and help in finishing off whichever hart you latch onto. That is, Sir, if you don?t mind being the frontal assault.? Champion grinned he ought to like that he was getting first blood. It made sense too ? he had the darkest coat out of all of them, he could hide in the shades of tree and stone far better than Dom or Champ. ?Questions-Concerns-Comments-Suggestions? Give ?em on the way.? The she-wolf pointed her pink nose north and started off at a trot. ...