A Rootless Tree

Worn footpads were left exposed as he slept, sprawled out along the cold stone floor of the citadel. Each toe twitched, that scarred muzzle wrinkling every so often as his head tossed this way and that. Vale's scent was fading now that he was healed, but the man was ever present on the stone king's mind. That first night of their arrival replayed in his dreams, the decapitated jackals still cackling and haunting him.. resulting in a quite obviously restless slumber for anyone that happened to walk by the massive den of the alphas.

The screeching howl woke him immediately, his red eyes rolling beneath his lids before they opened wide and in a panic. Pupils were barely visible as muscle memory brought the behemoth up to a full stand so that he could prepare himself if he needed to fight. Along the mountainous wolf's spine was a thick line of hackles, having grown in considerably thicker than ever before after a winter in the mountains. His mantle was still short compared to other wolves, though it was an impressively fearful sight to behold all the same.

So what had the usually dutiful man waking up at the crack of noon? Another late night of territory patrol and clearing the infestations of other predators that had moved in too close. He couldn't remember the last time he'd eaten an actual prey animal, the taste of boar being the last on his tongue though even that hunt had been in done in benefit of the pack as a whole. He had no time to hunt for things when bodies presented themselves as frequently as they did throughout the night. It seemed the mountains attracted many that thought they could sneak through the territory unnoticed. Hopefully, the coyote, cougar, lynx, and jackal hides now laid out over the top of the dens would deter any others from venturing this far in on hallowed grounds.

Once he realized he was not under attack, the brute lowered his lip and calmed himself. He could feel his heart racing in his chest from the thought of a hunt, though the screeches seemed to be a summoning meant for him. Why would a coyote in their right mind summon him?

Ever curious, Elias took off outside of the den and seemingly flew down the mountain as his paws found the very same steps of the trail he always took when he made his way down to the water. A few loose rocks surprised him, sending him sliding down the mountainside a few feet before his talons found a patch of grass and dirt to latch on to and stop himself. Okay, chill. He took his time the rest of the way until the mountain runoff creek was in his view, the coyote standing beside it in all his glory.

Right away, Elias could tell that something was different about this coyote. He was bigger than most, his coloration darker and his muscle structure quite noticeably more defined. Elias stood about fifteen feet away from him on the other side of the little creek between them, brilliant red eyes simply staring as he studied.

This... this was a wolf. He didn't even know that was possible. Coyotes and wolves could breed.. create... these? He knew dogs and wolves could breed, though he knew dogs all originated from wolves so it wasn't as surprising. Coyotes seemed like a much more farfetched idea, yet here this coywolf was standing in front of him as living proof. Elias shifted his weight from his front right paw to his left and kept his head tall, ears rotating as he listened for any calls from others. His coyote run-ins rarely ever resulted in them being alone, but this wasn't exactly a coyote was it?

One thing he knew from his interactions with them was that they were incredibly fast. Elias was too, but that sort of chase was.. not something the beast had in mind for how to spend his energy today. He remained on his side, far enough away so that the coyote had no sense to run. He realized he was staring, so finally he cleared his throat and greeted the silent air with the rough sound of his morning voice. "Say your piece."