Lack of Numbers

[Sugha]

It was a rare occassion for the wolfess to be seen alone, but others would simply assume she wasn't. Vidarok and Sugha were hardly ever seen without each other, and if they were, another knowing wolf would be peering into the shadows to see the second half lurking.

Sugha was wandering around aimlessly and with a rather bored expression. Vidarok had been grouchy this morning so she'd stayed out of his way. He was probably picking fights with the rest of his pack mates now. Sugha preferred to stay away from the big crowd, but even so, the big crowd was not that big.

She had heard of growing pack members in other territories, and needless to say it worried her. She prided herself in being strong and untouchable, but she and Vidarok's partnership was not going to amount to much compared to a full scale war. The smokey pelted wolfess supposed she should do something about this; to attract new memebrs to the Whiteback lands.
But was it really her place? Or did she even care that much?

Still, her amber orbs flicked about from her position in the shadow of a boulder. She lay with her side propped up against the cool stone simple watching the world turn around her.

[Shane]

His sandy colored pelt stood out among the many different colors of the Whiteback lands. Tail lficked idoly behind him as the warrior male stalked apon the scene, orange eyes not seeing to pick out the female by the rock. Blood from an early kill decorated his lower jaw and under his black nose, one drop of the crimson fluid close to his eye. Msucles rippled under his pelt as Shane moved about the lands, leaping onto a skinny fallen tree. It was close to snapping with all his weight on it but the male didn;t care. He jumpedd off, causing the branch to break then and there with a mighty noise. If the she-wolf was planning on hunting they were ruined now. Just part of his job as the local neighborhood jackass.

Shane then turned and trotted past the other wolf, tail high in the air as he leaped onto the rock, tail draping over the side to flick in Sugha's face. No duties were called of him so the Whiteback decided to be the biggest pest he could to all the ones he met, seeing if any would get in a fight with him. there was no smirk on his maw. It was as if he had no clue what he was going at all, that this was normal to him and the female was just invisible.

[Sugha]

One ebony aud flicked as amber eyes locked onto the source of movement, and the rumbling noise that came with it. Sugha snorted, curling a lip in disgust at the creature's behaviour, acting like a moody yearling seeking some sort of attention from others. Narrowed eyes followed the stranger that was disturbing her peace. A soft growl was beginning to rumble up from her throat and the closer the wolf came, the louder it got.

Her hackles were raised as the purposeless behaviour left Sugha with a tail in her face.
Usually sharp tongued rather than physically agressive on an encoutner such as this, the smokey pelted wolfess thought she could make an exception just this once.
"You don't know who you're dealing with fool," she grumbled in a cresendo of a growl before sharp glistening teeth clamped down on the tail mocking her personal space. Sugha held nothing back, sinking her teeth in hard and swinging her head back and forth to tear at the body part.

[Shane]

He indeed didn't know who he was dealing with and had no intentions of findong out what this female called herself. He could care less if she was the Beta Female of the lands. Only one he took prders from was the Alpha. Not like he would remember her name anyways if she told him. One quirk in his life. Short Term memory loss. ne feat he had yet to figure out how to beat.

Small yelp escaped his jaws as her teeth clamped down on his jaws. The noise was one of surprise and pain. Ears pulled backwards as well as lips drew back to show his own fangs. "I could as you the same thing! Drop my tail." He tried his own to rip his tail frmo her jaws, thrashing it side to side. He stood now on all fours on the rock, twisting his boy to help pull his tail free from her grasp. Growl was working it's way up his throat, itching to come out.

((bleh. Short))

[RANDOMNESS]

Grey paws touched the cold ground and she felt it sagged despite her light weight. Two toned ears rested at an unusual angle on the Whiteback's head and white, pupil-less eyes gazed about the land as if she was seeing everything in a different perspective than others would. This was the Whiteback pack lands, she knew, and with only a small portion was what was left of its previous years as a top compeditor against their brothers, the Bloodbacks. Even at this far away, she could pick up the scents of wolves, and very few in number. If the Bloodbacks were to attack, they wouldn't stand a chance.

Lifeless eyes caught the movements of two wolven of similar heritage. So there were a few here... and not getting along by the looks of it. The gradually lightening pelt of the fae pushed back a few branches as she made herself visible to the other two, tail placed itself neatly in a normal and friendly posture.

"Good day to you my fellow Whitebacks. How does the pack fare this coming season?"

[Sugha]

Sugha gained a twisted satisfaction from the pained yelp the stranger made, only tightening her grip with a snarling grin before grunting as the object was finally ripped from her jaws. She gave a chuckle than rumbled with her growl, standing to shake out her pelt and snort out the few patches of fur she'd managed to strip from him.

"Idiot," she grunted at him before mvoing to turn away and find Vidarok to share this amusing moment with. The smokey pelted female stopped midstep however as a mystery wolfess came into view. Her hackles raised merely in defense but made no move of aggression before this femme's motives were revealed. Her polite words caused Sugha to raise an eyebrow somewhat but she remained standing strong.

"The pack fare's well enough...," her silky voice spoke back, eyeing the female over. She had called her a fellow Whiteback and yet Sugha had never laid eyes upon her. Although it was fair to say she did isolate herself from the main pack area.
Stil, she remained on guard.
"What business do you have?" she asked bluntly but in that charming tone she always carried.

[Shane]

He growled his own note, leaping down from the rock ready to defend his wolfy pride that was roughly knocked down a few pegs. Tail was held upright though as another wolfess came into veiw. What was wrong with the Beta and Delta?! Females were going to overrun this pack in no time if this kept up.

The new wolfess' words made him confused yet he didn't show it. Whitebacks were tough wolves, not some pansy who went around ending fights! Snort came form his nose as eyes glared at the two female Whitebacks. "Whatever." Head turned away, rump sitting down on the ground as a hind foot lifted to scratch at the base of a rust colored ear. He would have to find other fun if there wasn't any bloodspill soon. They had a reputation to uphold.

[RANDOMNESS]

"My business is my own. I have wished to pay respects to my fellow Whitebacks, hearing as they have come so few in number... And that the Bloodbacks have gained many to their ranks. They may attack soon and of course the pack won't be able to uphold such a strong force against them. Were are all the fierce warriors from battles long past? Have they been slain and not revenged? Dear dear... "

Though the wolfen's eyes were pupil-less, it couldn't be told where she was looking at. Either if she was gazing lifelessly at the female, glancing towards the young male, or that she was just blind... It couldn't be told. Cocking her ears forward, the fae spoke again.

"I've come to join the pack... whether I'm accepted or not lays with the higher ranked. Are you one of them?"

[Kreuz]

Kreuz pawed his way in through the snow, seeing the end of what appeared to be a fight. Scowling at the pack's behavior, and feeling quite superior, he sat, out of sight. He growled under his breath as he watched the untagged wolf interact with his own. Immediately slinking out of his hidden spot, he found himself hovering above the new wolf and frowning down on his packmates. Head held high and dominant; although he was at equal rank to Shane, Kreuz was respected greatly by this pack and found himself bowing down only to the few ranking members they had.

"Why are we bickering?" he growled his words, looking between the two guilty wolves. "We shouldn't be acting like the Chicotah, should we? If we keep this up," he narrowed his eyes, "We will just stomp ourselves out. Don't be fools. We're a family."

Quickly shouldering the two, he turned to the newcomer. "I hope you come to join us, because we don't take kindly to tourists," he said. Kreuz tried to be polite whenever he was near new wolves - he didn't like to scare them away, as it appeared his packmates did. Kreuz wanted desperately to herd new members inside, although he found it hard to watch his tongue at times.

Plopping his behind onto the snow, facing away from his earlier lecturees, his black tail flung back and forth viciously. "I cannot accept you into the pack," he said, suddenly realizing he hadn't even caught this newcomer's name. But he didn't care to ask, either. "I'm not a ranking member. But, I will allow your presence in these lands until a ranking member returns from their whereabouts, if and only if you plan to join our pack. If, until then, you are found to be a spy, or just here for the hell of it with no intent on joining," he turned and looked the wolf straight in the eye, "We will kill you."

Looking back away, he added. "Now, if you wish to join, stay. If not, I suggest you get your tail out of here. And, don't let the blatant rudeness of my packmates frighten you," he huffed lightly, shooting a look behind him, "they act like lowlives sometimes."

[Sugha]

The string of insults brought forward by the arrogant entrance of Kreuz made Sugha roll her amber eyes. This one was up in the clouds, and she desperately wanted to drag him down. She had been born into this pack and had been an honourary member until her mate left her with no identity. For now she simply reflected the cocky behaviour of Kreuz with a shake of her head and a snort at Shane whom had in her opinion, asked to be bitten.

"I am none of the higher ranked either, but I know how to initiate a guest," the last of her words were met with an icey scowl at Kreuz, "The land of Whiteback is very different to what it once was when I was a pup. However, we are still strong in spirit and cunning. Numbers do not win a battle."

"In pure curiousity, I wish to ask if you are blind," her own firey eyes narrowed. No wolves with disabilities were welcomed in so readily, but the newcomer was doing alright so far, "The colour of your eye suggests so."

[Galieo]

Wading through the layer of snow that had stuck upon the ground up in the altitudes of Whiteback territory, Galieo trudged in calm silence, his blue eyes watching each whisp of steam coming from his nostrils. Occasionaly nostrils would flare at the end of his chocolate dipped snout to sample the air for scents both familiar and unfamiliar, but it was difficult with such frigid temperatures. It would have proved hard to see, with the way the sun was glaring off the snow, if his cream-masked face did not have darker patches of both red and brown painted beneath his eyes. The markings there acted as natural guards against the sunlight, causing his squinting to be reduced drastically; a wonderful trick in such terrain.

However, while his pelt was seemingly designed for life amongst the mountain tops, it was not designed for stealth amongst the snow. His fur, a faded brown in color, had very little white, only found upon his face and his chest and stomach. Ears and forepaws were dipped in a chocolate brown up to the elbows, where his hind paws were only painted in a lighter caramel color at the heel, and over his toes. Four red streaks were painted upon his cheeks, triangle patterns of decreasing size curving beneath his eyes. However, the one thing that gave Galieo's position away in a land of snow and mountain rocks, was the un-traditional streak of black upon his back. He was indeed a full-blooded Whiteback, but held very little white on his body. That of course, didn't seem to matter to the male.

If any had been looking, they surely would have spotted the Delta quite some time before his arrival, but as Galieo realized, the few members Whiteback had were rather busy bickering, as they seemed to do so often now. Lifting chilled paws, Galieo pulled himself up onto the level where his packmates were gathered, their voices gradually carrying to his darkfurred ears. Flicking his ears and pausing at the sound of their voices, Galieo listened for a moment. It was most likely just another pointless squabble, but it involved several other members, from the sounds of it.

Heaving a short sigh, the Delta began trudging forward again, head and ears held high, ears erect atop his head as he rounded the corner to survey the situation ahead of him. He recognized Sugha, and Kreuz, both long-time members, and well-established. The other two, he had not yet had the... pleasure of meeting, though he did recognize the male's scent from other areas within the territory. The female, however, was completely new to Galieo, which meant she was a possible new recruit, something the pack was in dire need of.

Blue eyes casting a calm gaze toward the gathering, Galieo moved forward without a word, his posture still of dominance. Though he was only Delta, he was in a sense, second in command, just one level below Beta Feraz. His steps slowed as he neared, stopping to stand just off to the side, eyeing the group yet again.

"I hope there are no problems here...." He spoke quietly in his strangely smooth voice, tone carrying the slightest hint of a warning. His expression darkened however, as the faintest scent of blood reached his nose; it was not strong, perhaps only coming from a few scratches, but it still meant the same thing to Galieo. "Tell me... that there has been no fighting, and I won't have a reason to be displeased."

[Shane]

Muttering to himself slightly as Kreuz came apon the scene and had to ruin his fun. Ears pulled backwards and low growl tried to escape from his throat. They were equal in rank as warriors yet he pranced around asif he owned the place. And allowing this kind sounding wolf into the pack! Sneer crossed his maw and shoulders hunched as he cast a small glare at the other Warrior.

Then the Delta came to veiw. Ears perked slightly, knowing at least someone had the sense to kick out wolves that held not a certain lust for blood. Slowly, the warrior shok his head, tail flicking out of veiw to his other side so Galieo wouldn't see the few spots of blood on his tail. "No fight here, Delta Galieo." he lied, sending a small glare towards Sugah to go along with it.

[RANDOMNESS]

What was't entirely known to the others was that the grey female had already retreated from the site. Whether it was because of worry, fear, or that she just didn't like all the bickering going on, the femme had left with very few traces that she had even made an appearance to them at all.

[Short I know... just letting my character out or here... you may continue without me...]

[Kreuz]

"Numbers may not win a battle, dear," he said to Sugha, "but they do help. I doubt we even have half the numbers as Bloodback." He would have said more, but his rant was interupted by Galieo.

At the entrace of Delta, Kreuz lowered his tail in submission, offering a short nod. He frowned as Shane lied to the Delta, and gave him a stern look. Lifting his rump and walking toward Galieo, he snorted lightly. "I walked in on these two fighting." Kreuz made no attempt to hide the fact that he felt strongly that he was better than them. So, he was arrogant, but he knew that he was respected by the ranking members, and that mattered to him. Kreuz knew that one day he could rule this pack as alpha, even now he could be. He just... Hadn't gotten around to it, yet. The white wolf saw himself as the most loyal of all the pack members! He had, of course, been the favored warrior for two years now.

And, truth be told, he hated the fact that this pack was so tense. They needed to get along and work together. All this fighting between themselves was doing nothing. And, any bickering he saw he would gladly report to someone of status. Kreuz was one for families - and this pack was his.

He leaned to Galieo,"I'm worried," he confessed, out of hearing range of the other two wolves."Our pack is getting tense. They're lowering themselves to the level of Chicotah, fighting with themselves. I don't want us to tear ourselves apart. Without Feraz, and with our lack of numbers, we're falling fast, and I sense the Bloodbacks are strengthening and readying to attack. We need to do something."

[Sugha]

Sugha's glares and snapping words haulted as the Delta made his presence known. Galieo was always an impressive wolf, simply because he held a sense of power and superiority but never appeared aggressive. Vidarok had never liked him, often warding Sugha away from him and warning of a viscious identity below that calm exterior. As far as the smokey pelted wolfess could gather however, the Delta was yet to display a reason for him not to trust her.

Sugha snorted at Shane's attempt to cover up the small incident that had occurred. She raised a patronising eyebrow at him as if communicating 'sore loser'. Kreuz's spoken response made her raise an eyebrow further at he than at Shane however communicating 'suck up'.
"There was a provicative instance Delta which was settled quickly by myself," a confident smirk was directed at Shane and then to Kreuz before stepping back with a respectful stance for the Delta. In words she would have rather used 'This little imbocile shouldn't dangle his tail infront of my face without dealing with the obvious consequences'.

Her cocky thoughts were distracted though when Kreuz leant forward, directing Galieo away from the other two wolve's hearing range.
"Oh please...," she muttered quietly not being able to control the urge to roll her firey coloured eyes. This wolf's head was seriously growing by the minute, and Sugha failed to recognise the moment that signified that he was above her in any way.