..DAYLIGHT../

[vvVENOM]

[reserved]
no light, no light in your bright blue eyes
i never knew the daylight could be so violent
a revelation in the light of day
you can't choose what stays and what fades away
and i'd do anything to make you stay...

The morning after the dominance fight, Zorn felt refreshed. Zealot had requested his presence with the patrol, and he wasn't one to turn down the Alpha. Waking up, he made sure to give Vivian a wide berth. She was most likely still stinging from his words, which had undoubtedly been cruel. But such was the way of the wolf: one must have well-rounded strength. Still, Zorn knew that he and Vivian might never be on good terms.

He got up and stretched, moving downwind of the camp to relieve himself. He was patrolling today, and it would be one of the first times that he would be alone with the Alpha. The sun was still down - if there were more packmates, they would have the optimal amount of patrols, but for now they had to make due.

He made sure to note the new face and scent of the just joined female. At least they were growing at a steady rate. Still, they needed more wolves, especially on the borders. This new female was one of the stockiest he'd ever seen, and not in a muscular way. He wondered if she would be able to keep up with them on the hunt... Perhaps he'd do a patrol with her as well. She had the unfortunate trait of looking like a human's dog, but the Alpha was made of better ideals than that. She wouldn't lower herself to accepting dogs, no matter how the pack lacked.

Perhaps this was another admirer, another toy to lick the mud off of Zealot's paws.

He chastised himself with a snort and returned to the den. He didn't need to be cold and cruel. In fact, it would be worse. If the chubby wolf was anything like Vivian, then Zorn would most likely have a pretty bad time around here... From what he'd seen, however, she looked friendly enough...

The den was quiet and cold, with the last evening insects chirping. He sat down and panted a fair distance from his Alpha, waiting for her to awaken, wondering if the patrol would be silent, filled with conversation, or resulting in a challenge, like marking the borders had been...

[CROW. █]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style,width:387px;height:550px; background-image: url(http://fc04.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2012/269/0/6/zealot_by_looserfaceman-d5fz6mk.jpg)] Yesterday's events had been... intense. The dominance dispute between Vivian and Zorn had been hard-fought and desperate. It had taken a fair amount of control to keep her own emotions at bay during the match. An alpha never wanted to see two members tearing in to each other, whatever the reason. Zorn had come out on top, having found Vivian's weakness in mind and exploiting it. Zealot could only imagine how the silver female must be feeling. To be pushed so far that one wretched physically and mentally... Though she had wanted, Zealot had refrained from offering comfort to her pack member. Vivian must learn to control her emotions or she would stay at the bottom of the pack. The alpha female had secluded herself to the rear of the den, curling up alone in the chamber. That the dispute was over took a huge weight off of her shoulders, most of the tension diffused, and she had slept as sound as a pup that night. The sun was just contemplating its rising when Zealot woke. Her mind, a blur of pictures and emotions, dreams and memories, nudged her from the darkness with a sense of urgency. There was something to be done, it said. The wolf opened her eyes, the silver of her irises glowing in the dim light of the den. Her muzzle opened wide in a yawn accompanied by a whine then a click of her teeth. Yes. There was much to do. Zealot rose to her paws, forced to remain at a slight crouch to avoid hitting her skull on the earth above, and moved out of the chamber and down the tunnel. She had told herself that she needed to work on her personal relationships with each pack member for the good of the pack. If the alpha knew its members, little would go wrong. She had chosen to start with Zorn out of respect for his new rank. As he was now higher than Jana or Vivian, he was entitled to the first piece of the kill--both literally and figuratively. The black and tan female emerged from the den, giving Zorn, who sat nearby patiently, an assessing glance. Without so much as asking, her limbs stretched themselves out, muzzle opening wide in another yawn as oxygen was introduced to her muscles. After just a moment to lick at an itchy spot on her leg, Zealot was ready for the day. Her tail was held over her spine in a relaxed arc, wagging left and right in a slow rhythm. She approached the male and sniffed at his jaw in greeting. "We will start with the Eastern border. That will allow us enough time to catch a snack and hit the Northern border by sunrise." Zealot expected him to know that the Northern border was the Deadman's Ridge border, and the one most likely for canines to come calling. If they were there at sunrise, there was a better chance to deter wandering dogs (since they, for some unknown reason, only liked to travel during the day). A swish of her tail and she was off, padding happily into the trees.

[vvVENOM]

The Alpha emerged quite soon after he sat, and he got up quickly. She stretched and he padded over quickly with ears back and tail low, making sure his shoulders were lower than hers. He was grateful for her kindness in the fight from yesterday, and he nuzzled her with a wagging tail, licking at her face. The greeting was friendly and actively submissive, and he was well used to it. He paced away to let her have space, and soon enough she stood fully tall, tail high. He took this as his cue to allow his tail to remain level with his own spine, confident but not aggressive, matching the wave of his Alpha's tail.

She sniffed his jaw in return, and he licked her again, just briefly. She spoke to him frankly, a trait he enjoyed in an Alpha. He nodded in understanding, recalling what he'd learned while marking the borders. They'd head East towards the lightening sky and then North towards the mountains - the very same ridge he had, just days ago, traversed in order to join this pack.

Then she set off, and he wasn't one to stick around. He hadn't been in the pack long, nor had he the time to become acquainted with the forest, but he found himself wandering a familiar path with her. He trotted beside her - if she took issue, she would tell him. But still, the morning air was quite frigid, and only his winter pelt kept the freeze out. He didn't mind, of course. It was an annoyance, a fly in the heat.

To be perfectly honest, he was quite pleased with himself for winning that fight. He wasn't sure how sorry he felt for using Vivian's emotions against her: on the one hand, it was a cruel way to win, and Zorn wasn't sure he could control himself if it happened again; on the other hand, Vivian's mental state was weak, and she couldn't expect to beat him no matter how much she enjoyed bleeding.

He moved himself a leg's length closer to his Alpha, on the lookout for anything suspicious but also hoping to speak with her. They were both large wolves, both fully grown, both mainly dark in color. They'd undoubtedly led different lives, but they had shared experiences, he was sure. "Alpha," he began respectfully, appealing for her ear. "Who is the new female?"

Though he wanted to ask her opinion of the fight and of Vivian, he knew better. The Alpha had no reason to speak to him about it right after the fight, and if she found a problem in him then he knew she would tell him as soon as possible.

[CROW. █]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style,width:387px;height: 550px; background-image: url(http://fc04.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2012/269/0/6/zealot_by_looserfaceman-d5fz6mk.jpg)] The forest was quiet. The cold season had forced many of the songbirds to far off lands in search of warmer climates, and those that stayed had not yet risen for the day. Zealot loved the woods in winter. Loved the stillness of her home in early morning. The alpha grinned to herself. So pleased was she that she didn't push Zorn from her side. It wasn't right for another wolf of the pack, no matter what rank or relationship they were, to walk evenly with her. The alpha was above. But Zealot was in a good mood, and Zorn had just risen in rank. Why not allow him a privilege? Perhaps she was too uptight when it came to little things like that, anyway. She was drawn from her thoughts as Zorn spoke. He made an inquiry about the new female in the pack. Taking an interest in his pack members, a good sign. Zealot had already admired Zorn for his ability to find a weakness and use it to his advantage, for his willingness to submit without sacrificing himself, now she could respect his interest in pack affairs. Zealot paused briefly, turning an approving gaze on the male. He would go far in this pack. "Her name is Jana." The alpha continued through the forest, adopting a trot. "I have spent little time with her." She moved in silence for a time, following the game trail as it wound through the forest. The border had to be close. The scent was steadily growing stronger. With an amused huff, Zealot spoke. "She is quite large." Though she found Jana's pudgy body amusing in an amiable way, she also knew that the wolf's weight would be beneficial in a fight. Instead of bothering to dodge and weave, she could simply sit on her opponent. The thought made Zealot grin. "Eastern border." The alpha peered from the foliage, her silver gaze scanning the mountain above. The light of the sun was just beginning to lighten the skies. Plenty of time for a quick breakfast. She turned to Zorn. "Find an easy meal and we will meet back here. When we are finished we will press on." With that she disappeared back into the forest. Black paws were light upon the forest floor, movements smooth, calculated. Silver eyes panned left then right, searching for any sign of life. Harks stood straight, pressed forward, scanning the surrounding like radars. Even the wolf's breathing was lightened to reduce noise. Not many animals were awake at this time, especially in winter, but she could always dig up a mouse if nothing else showed itself. Quietly she continued to stalk through the trees. Her nose alerted her to the scent of squirrel. Her skull lifted, mind working as she tried to decipher where the smell was coming from. Zealot tread cautiously to the base of a tree, snuffling around its base before looking up into the branches. A great ball of interwoven twigs and leaves hung close to the trunk, the branch holding it just out of reach. The black and tan female rose up on her hind legs, placing her forepaws on the trunk of the tree. She stretched out her neck, the tip of her nose just barely grazing the nest. With a growl she dug her claws into the bark and pulled, pushing with her rear legs simultaneously. She snagged a twig from the nest in her front teeth, dragging it back with her to the earth. Zealot landed on her back, having lost her grip on the tree and fallen away. In her jaw was a single twig, the squirrel's nest above danced and swayed, mocking her, laughing. Zealot regained her paws, shaking out her coat, tossing the twig away. Squirrels were smart for such little creatures, and she often saw them escape rather than dead before her. It was no matter. The wolf could go for days without food and suffer little. The alpha trotted back toward the border. Her failure with the squirrel's nest was not going to ruin her good mood. NOTES.