[DotW] Haven't seen you around by databull on DeviantArt (original) (raw)

It was a last stretch of time he had to seek out a viable alternate food source before he had to return home. Rutnik was strained and running out of time as the sun burned overhead through the clouds that threatened to rain on him again. The Arynians had been receptive to his presence so far anyway and he wanted to avoid making a nuisance of himself; there was a chance that they would have to strike a deal over the temporary use of the middle ground in any case.

He was hunkered down in a hole he'd dug near the water. There was a chance that the local herds came to drink here; the water was more shallow and they could wade in it or across it. Rutnik had been here since morning and it was wearing on him. It was damp and he was beginning to lose hope. However just as he began to give up and move, the head of a deer peaked over the grass. They had come.

Though not as big or hardy as the game in the Holt, it would have to do; at this point he wasn't about to be picky. Watching each member carefully, he couldn't find any outlying or injured in their ranks. If he was going to get anything out of this, he would have to be careful. Silent as he could manage, the large wolf stalked forward.

Lazarus was bouncing through the territory. He had managed to give his parents the slip, which was not easy but he could do it sometimes when they were busy or out doing Alpha business or whatever. Lazarus didn’t care, anyway, he was a difficult pup to ground for it seemed that no punishment would reach him.

He didn’t know how long he was traveling for, but the sky was menacingly heavy when he figured that he should be heading back. Until an interesting scent hit his nose and drew the curious pup onward, his thoughts on the rain forgotten.

He peered through a clump of grasses to see a river. And deer! He had never seen a deer before, not a live one anyway. But he knew that they were to be hunted. Should he try to hunt it? Eh… that seemed like a lot of effort. But it would be kind of cool… Teva would be so jealous if he got his first kill before she did! That was enough to send Lazarus forward on silent paws. Well, he figured they were silent. He was just a puppy so he didn’t really know how to stalk at all. He leaped recklessly from the bushes, snarling and snapping and making all sorts of racket. That would scare them, right? Was that the point? Or what…? Luckily he never had to find out what, because the deer scattered in alarm, probably assuming that if a pup was nearby a wolf was as well. Unknown to Lazarus, they were right.

The sudden yipping and yowling of a pup broke the silence and caused the herd to panic. Deer started flying and Rutnik knew that the hunt was lost. He was too tired to outrun them. Crestfallen and a bit annoyed, he lumbered back to the river to drink for a moment before going to locate the pup.

He hadn't known that Aryn had pups at the moment; then again he still had a lot to learn about the pack. Coming upon the little squirming thing, he went to pick it up by the scruff. What was it doing here? And why was it alone? It was rather unorthodox to see a pup completely isolated from any parent, especially one so small. A black ball of fur and flying legs; he wondered who's kid it was.

"What's your name, kid?", Rutnik asked as he put the pup down on a mossy rock. At the very least he might as well find out its name and try to get it home safe.

Lazarus turned to see a big wolf coming over to him. He didn’t smell like an Arynian wolf, but Lazarus was unphased nonetheless. ”I almost had them, did you see?” Lazarus asked brightly. The wolf did nothing but picking him up in his jaws. Lazarus blinked in confusion, but the act of being held by the scruff calmed him down, and he was limp until this stranger placed him on a mossy rock. He turned to face him with a smile. ”My name is Lazarus. What about yours? Where are you from?” he asked curiously.

Rutnik nodded to humor the pup. Though it'd been the bane of the hunt, it obviously didn't mean any harm; just an excited, innocent youth. It reminded him of when he was young.

"I am Rutnik of Fellfang.", the gamma said simply, sitting on his haunches to be more level with Lazarus. It was... cute; in a weirdly annoying sort of way. Swiveling his ears, Rutnik didn't pick up anyone else in the immediate vicinity. Great, now what was he going to do.

"You got a home, Lazarus?", he inquired. He couldn't just leave the kid here, but he wasn't too keen on snooping around Aryn either. Maybe he could coax it back and leave once someone found them. If it was left out here it might find its way, so that was an option. Still, it was dangerous alone. With an exasperated sigh, Rutnik decided he'd bring the pup home. He'd deal with the Arynians if they encountered any.

Lazarus wagged his tail with a content smile, ”Fellfang, huh? That’s awesome, I didn’t know there was another pack so close by!” the black male exclaimed, and he wondered what Fellfang was like… probably just like Aryn, if he had to guess.

”Yeah, Aryn. I am the son of the Alphas.” He explained, his voice mostly casual but he had a bit of pride in it. ”Wolves say I look like my mother.” He stared up at the golden and black wolf with his pale silver eyes, nearly white in their paleness. ”I like your coat… you got really cool colors.” He said.

Awesome? Huh, he'd never thought of it that way. Neighbors certainly were helpful at the very least. For this pup it was likely every new experience was a great adventure. When the pup mentioned that it was the son of the alphas though, he was startled. An _alpha's_brood this far from home?

"You're a boy then?", he blurted without thinking. Children made him nervous for sure, but he legitimately couldn't tell until Lazarus mentioned it. He certainly must resemble his mother; even at this young age his effeminate features showed. When he complimented Rutnik's coat, the large wolf chuckled, the sound soft like rolling thunder. "Why thank you. Your fur is quite nice as well." Looking off in the distance to where he assumed the Arynian pack was, he didn't smell any other wolves.

"You best be getting back to your parents, Lazarus. No doubt they're worried about you." At the very least, he hoped they were. What kind of alphas would allow their son to wander off like this?

Lazarus smirked, giving Rutnik a strange look as if wondering if he was sane. ”Yeah, I’m a boy!” He exclaimed. How could that not be obvious? He wondered if his voice was high…. or he supposed he was a bit small…

Rutnik’s laugh put an end to Lazarus’ pondering on the subject. He gave a humble grin that was not that humble at all, ”Thanks.” he said. He particularly liked his dark coat. He thought that it made him blend in well with shadows. Except for the bright white mark, he supposed, but he thought it looked cool so whatever.

Lazarus scoffed, ”I doubt they even know I am gone! I am very sneaky. There are eight of us, after all. And it is just some babysitter.” Lazarus explained dismissively. After a moment’s pause where he was thinking about it, though, he realized that Rutnik was probably right. ”You’ve got a point though… they get real mad sometimes.” He shrugged his shoulders sheepishly, then turned to make his way home. He didn’t know the exact way… be he was sure it would be fine. He’s just keep walking straight, he’s figure it out.

Ah, a boy. Looking to the side in slight embarrassment for a moment, he reassured the young pup.

"Sorry I... I have trouble telling with pups. I don't know why." Shrugging, the wolf listened to Lazarus' plight. So many, he realized. Eight in all. Either those were some fertile alphas, or there was more than one litter; whatever the case, Aryn was much bigger than Fellfang. As the dark cub began to leave, Rutnik sighed and came up behind him. Walking to stop just a few steps ahead, he dropped to the ground.

"Want a ride?", he asked. Even if Lazarus was from another pack, he would see to it that the pup was returned safely. A child was a child, no matter where they hailed from.

Lazarus shrugged, forgetting about Rutnik’s mistake, and then he continued on his way home. He looked over, a bit surprised, when Rutnik came up after him and crouched, offering him a ride. Lazarus’ pale gray eyes lit up. ”Um. Yeah!” He answered, as if Rutnik was crazy to ask. He leaped upon his shoulders with a single bound, clinging tightly with his paws around the big male’s neck. ”Full speed ahead!”

Full speed ahead he says? Rutnik cracked a smile as he reared on his hind legs, bucking lightly like a deer before surging forward in the direction of the pup's home. The pounding of his feet against the packed snow and dirt was rhythmic and strong. Flying over the ground, he kept his head raised instead of lowered to shield Lazarus from the wind. It was a good thing his mane was so thick, the little one could hold on as tight as he needed to, fangs, claws, all of it and he wouldn't feel a thing.

As the distinct odor of territory markers alerted him they were close enough, the wolf slowed to a brisk trot. He wouldn't go in too far, but Rutnik wasn't going to just leave the pup alone. Even within pack borders it was dangerous for someone so small.

"Anywhere I should drop you off?", he asked, trying to keep the caution out of his voice. If they were spotted by an Arynian he'd likely be seen as a kidnapper, so he had to tread lightly. Eyes gravitating to each shadow and moving object, he was on high alert just in case.

Lazarus let out a laugh, only barely managing to hang on as Rutnik leaped forward. He dug his claws into the wolf’s thick fur as they made their way back toward Aryn. He perked his tufted ears as Rutnik asked where to be dropped off. ”Oh, anywhere should be fine…”

Suddenly there was a snarl and a huge brown wolf burst from the undergrowth and stopped in front of the pair. Pale yellow eyes glared furiously at the big Fellfang male, and then flicked to the black pup on his back. ”Explain yourselves!” the dark wolf demanded of the two, but his anger was directed primarily at Lazarus, since the pup was clearly in no danger riding on the back of this stranger. It was Alcatraz, and after having frantically searched what felt like the entire territory along with many other Arynians he was not a happy wolf.

Lazarus crouched behind Rutnik’s thick mane. ”Hi dad…” he said sheepishly.

The emergence of a large, dominant brown wolf caused Nik's hackles to rise immediately. He quickly stifled this reaction as he realized Lazarus knew him; the pup's father then. Without delay he knelt so the pup could dismount, keeping his eyes glued to the Arynian before him.

"You are the Arynian Alpha?", Rutnik inquired politely, tail slightly raised and wagging in a gesture of friendliness. Though the male before him was more than peeved, it seemed more directed at his son's antics than the intruder. Keeping his body low as a sign of respect, he stood his ground. "I am Rutnik, of the pack Fellfang to the east.", nodding to Lazarus, he added, "I mean your son no harm. My only intention was to return him home."

Lazarus slid off Rutnik’s back, but stayed at his side, as if hoping the Fellfang wolf could shield him from his father’s rage. That was until Alcatraz gave him a smoldering glare, flicking his tail beckoningly, and the little black pup slunk to his father, glancing back at Rutnik with a nervous grin.

Alcatraz looked Rutnik over with cool courtesy, forcing himself to calm down. The last thing he wanted was bad relations with another pack. And Rutnik seemed nice enough anyway. ”Greetings, Rutnik of Fellfang. Yes, I am Alcatraz, Alpha male of Aryn. I apologize for my son. He seems to have taken a liking to sneaking off.” Alcatraz said. He was very embarrassed, and it came off as anger and irritation. What an image this gave to the neighbor pack, that Aryn cannot handle watching out for their own pups, letting them get into whatever trouble they desire. Lazarus was a particularly tricky pup, and with so many other pups he was often able to slip away from the crowd even with the most watchful babysitter. He needed one-on-one guarding, or close to it, to keep him in line.

Alcatraz cleared his throat and added, ”Thank you for returning him to us. I assure you he will not be bothering you again any time soon.” the big Warden said, an edge to his voice. Lazarus hunched his shoulders. He was in trouble now.

Bowing slightly at Alcatraz's greeting, Rutnik backed away slightly. It was about time he left; he'd made contact and that was enough. Any more would be beyond what Fable had asked of him.

"It has been an honor to make your acquaintance, Alcatraz.", he stated. Looking down at Lazarus who had slunk back to his father's side, he nodded to the pup. Meeting the little one had been interesting, and it told him a lot about Aryn. "I must be going.", Nik said as he turned back towards Fellfang. Ensuring that he was safe to show his back, the wolf started trotting away. He'd make some distance between himself and the pack lines again so he could continue his work. After all, his job wasn't finished yet.