Frog Herding is an Art!

Tail whipping from side to side the chubby little wolf pranced into the shallows of Sunset Lake, spraying water everywhere until she was too tired to bounce up and down against the force of the water. Panting softly Cici looked back at the bank ears perked as she picked up on softer splashes by the reeds. The small female growled and lowered her head slightly until it was just above the small lapping waves. Cici was poised for the hunt and slowly pushed herself to even shallower waters. When she thought she was close enough she paused for a moment scanning the water with interest.

When ready she lurched herself forward with a bark, sending little dark green and black frogs jumping everywhere. The female wolf snapped her jaws at the jumping amphibians and then swerved and swayed her body to the mass as they tried to escape her. She was herding them towards the sandy shore, but the more she pushed the harder they resisted and broke apart into even smaller groups to avoid her. Cici growled at their stubbornness and began barking some more and she rounded up two groups together and tried to jump into them. They scattered everywhere splashing water into her face and blinding her. She shook her head and body rigorously then stood there panting and watching the frogs swim away. Dripping wet the female just stood there in knee deep water and looked out to the middle of the lake. This place had held more wonders than she had previously thought and she was beginning to appreciate her hasty decision to join Blitzen and his posse.

Xerxses had decided to go for a walk, mostly to get away from Chaos if he were to be completely honest. She had spoken to Blitz, who had asked her to get the warriors in shape and training. So naturally, he had taken off before she could corner him and force him into a mock fight to assess his skills. Today wasn't a day he wanted to spend getting torn up by the head warrior's fangs, so he had slipped out early, deciding to take a stroll to the lake in hopes to avoid her before she woke. Now he found himself staring at sprays of water and little frogs leaping all over, a dripping wet female prancing around in the lake like a pup. He wasn't sure what to do but watch, and he sat down, tilting his head and apraising her with confusion.

He had never been one to play or prance, especially in water and after frogs, but she did seem to be enjoying herself. His mind struggled to place a name with a face, that is, until he remembered that pack meeting when he had gotten pissed at Pravin for getting the Beta position. This must be that female that Blitz had brought back from the borders with the injured paws. Well, it looked like her paws were doing better, no doubt thanks to his old friend, the pack head healer. She seemed like she had more energy than when she had arrived, and he didn't doubt that it was true. Soon, however, he decided that it was a bad idea to simply watch her without announcing himself, so he cleared his throat, finally speaking up. "Uh, hey there." He said, his naturally aloof personality leaving him without knowing what to say as he interrupted her playtime.

((Xerxses/Cici from: https://incendio.rpg-board.net/t110p30-altogether-now ))

Cici glanced behind her at the sound of a male's voice and she offered a warm and inviting grin while her tail repeatedly slapped the water's surface. She pranced out of the water enthusiastically and went straight up to the familiar white form, and greeted him with a pounce. "Hey Blitzen! Where ya been?" she questioned, without realizing that her playful greeting displayed improper etiquette as she transferred water to the larger figure before her. "why do you smell funny?"Cici inquired as she realized his scent was slightly different then what she remembered. She plopped down, a smile still on her face as she looked up to the alpha and waited a reply.

It took a few more seconds than it should have before her energy died down, along with her cheery disposition. Her eyes grew a bit bigger and upon further thought her ears fell flat against her head. "...Oh" she said softly as the epiphany of her mistake finally hit her. This was not Blitzen.

Xerxses was still rather annoyed with his brother for choosing Pravin over him for beta, so when she called him Blitzen, his ears flicked backwards in response. But he decided not to make it an issue, and as she sniffed at him and realized his scent was different, he looked down at her with one brow raised patiently. Soon her expression changed and he couldn't help but chuckle slightly, rather amused by her mistake. Then again, he couldn't blame her for making it, she was new, and he did look almost identical to his brother.

"Xerxses." He said, telling her what his name was. "Blitzen's brother, and a pack warrior." He said, dipping his head in a sort of mini-bow or just in introduction. He wasn't much of a conversationalist, so after that he went silent, watching her for another moment or two before looking back over at the water where the frogs were settling back in. As for the water that she had splashed on him, he could care less. His fur was thick, and it basically just dripped off of him since there wasn't that much to begin with.

"Sicily, at your service my lord" she replied with a gentle laugh while slightly mocking the formality. The wolves around here sure had a thing for titles. As a loner she wasn't accustomed to having to say all that as an introduction. You told someone your name, vice-versa, then kept it moving. She stood up from her low bow then said his name again at an attempt to commit it to memory. It sure was quite a mouthful, but she would ask him about a nickname later. For now, she followed his gaze to the shallows of the pond water and also watched as the frog activity started to die down. "Think you can do better than me?" Cici offered while turning her head back to Xerxses and coaxing him in with her playful eyes.

By the looks of him, the male seemed to be a bit tense about something and it hadn't seemed like he received much stress relief these days. Always the one to tempt others into play Cici slowly started to back away while keeping eye contact. A light challenge to the bigger and stronger male before her, but she felt confident she would win, even though her record was zero. She laughed at the thought. "You gotta try and herd as many frogs outside the water and onto the shore as possible. Bet you can't beat my record of zero though."

Xerxses frowned at her mocking bow, sighing softly as she finished and challenged him. "I don't chase frogs." He said, remaining in a sitting position as she laughed and told him how to play her little game. The large male had no intention of jumping around in the water like a fool and chasing frogs, and he was baffled as to why she thought that he would do so. "It's not going to happen." He said, as aloof and reserved as ever. He hadn't played like that since he was a pup, and the closest he had gotten to playing at all since then had been teasing with either Blitz or Molly. But this, he wouldn't do.

He could tell by the way she acted that she hadn't been in a pack recently, and it was obvious that she still had some adjusting to do. But he doubted that she'd try, since she seemed set in her childish behaviors. But he didn't say that out loud. He knew females enough to understand that such a statement would get him in big trouble. So he kept his mouth shut, watching her silently as he remained sitting where he was.

"No? Well, if you're absolutely sure" she sighed softly the gave up in her attempt to persuade him. The look on his face was frightening, and not because he looked intimidating, but rather like he was too serious and had never taken the opportunity to have fun. Perhaps he had somewhere to be and something to do, but the way he sat and just kinda watched her seemed to say otherwise. She recognized the look on his face though, the one that questioned her ways and looked down upon them as if he was better. So he was one of those kind....the one who belonged with her old pack, the one who would have been prized in her family. Cici's ears swiveled in irritation at the thought but she said nothing and just sat down across from him.

It only took a few seconds before she came to the conclusion that this was boring, which meant that Xerxses too, was just as boring. He kind of reminded her of her turds, that just kinda sat there in piles and stunk up the place. Like a turd his presence was rather unpleasant and pointless. "Do you always just kinda sit there and watch?" she asked with the slight tilt of her head.

Xerxses could tell by the way she stopped and looked at him that she was unhappy with him, he could only assume that she thought he believed himself better than her. He wouldn't say that, but he would say that he wasn't one for games or playfullness like she. When she finally looked up at him and tilted her head, questioning his behavior, he looked down at her, studying her expression for a few moments. "Yes." He said simply, glancing back towards the dens for a moment before looking back at her. "I'm sorry that I'm boring you." He said, sincerely meaning his words. There was no point getting into an argument over him being boring, so he simply apologized right up front.

After all, he wasn't used to being entertaining. He had never had that responsibility, nor did he intend on taking it up. She seemed to like doing that anyways. As he thought back to the pack, his mind wandered over the different members, knowing that he recognized a personality similar to this female's. Ah, Fallon. Yes, he could imagine the head hunter behaving in the same way, in fact, he had seen her bugging Pravin on more than one occasion. This little female would probably get along quite well with the red female.

So straightforward and to the point, this had to be the first time anyone had given her that answer, let alone admit to it. She smiled at that. "Well you shouldn't. It turns your brain soft, like mush" she teased softly but was starting to lose her excitable nature. There were few times where Sicily ever got serious and it seemed this was turning out to be one of those times. It seemed necessary though, the Blitzen look alike had something on his mind that he needed to get off his chest. She had a knack for knowing those things.

Ignoring the apology she tried to gauge what she could from his eyes and the way he presented himself, along with the feeling of his aura. "Alright, so what's up? Talk to Cici." she said softly while looking around the forest and lake to see if anyone else might be lingering "...and don't give me none of that 'oh nothing' bullshit either".

Xerxses frowned at her words, sighing softly as she told him to open up. That just wasn't something that he did, never had. He didn't want to now, either. But when she spoke again, he narrowed his eyes slightly and studied her. It was obvious that she was serious about this, and that she wasn't going to leave him alone until he did speak. So, after a bit of resistance, he gave in. It was better than having someone nag at him endlessly. "I should have been beta." He said, his ears flicking backwards slightly in annoyance.

Blitz had chosen that Pravin over his own brother. How could he do that? Xerxses thought he would make a great beta, but obviously the alpha had other ideas. It was all stupid in his mind, and he had serious doubts on this new beta's ability to lead the pack. He had never really spoken to anyone else in the pack before now, how could he help lead them? Then again, he himself hadn't really spoken to many wolves, but of course he ignored that fact for the time being.

Cici nodded at that, then appeared to be thinking about what she wanted to respond with. "You don't really see that too often...if ever. A brother pair leading a pack, and from the same litter too. You don't think a rival could stem from that? It's only natural. Perhaps your brother pondered that before making his decision". Of course this was assuming that Xerxses even held the credentials of a beta. Cici couldn't exactly be sure of it, she had just met him only a few minutes ago and even still only knew of his name. Oh, and that he reminded her of her feces.

Which in her mind didn't make for a good beta image. Pravin, however, she was a bit closer to and seemed a lot more friendly and easier to start up a conversation with. He had been the one to introduce her to Silverlight after all.

Xerxses frowned at her words, shrugging slightly since there was nothing he could do to change his brother's mind. "It just would have been nice to have a little warning from him. And I would have liked to hear his reasoning." He said after a few moments, looking over at the water again and sighing softly. "Although I do have to admit, Pravin has been doing a good job so far." He said, finally making himself admit that the other male was most likely the best choice for beta. He didn't like admitting that he was wrong, though.

Finally he looked over at her, frowning and scowling at her. "How did you do that? Make me feel bad for being mad at Pravin and Blitz?" He asked, flicking his ears back. How had she done that? He was doing so well being pissed and even more aloof. He didn't even know her. It was confusion and annoying to him, but he waited for her answer, not sure what had just happened.

Cici watched the larger male for a moment. Just contemplating his seriousness and authenticity. When she realized he wasn't kidding she burst into a soft fits of laughter and only stared at him amusingly. "Well, I tend to wreak havoc on those who refuse to participate with me" she said with a tease. Her tail started thumping against the gorund again in excitement and she giggled then shook her head and offered a warm and inviting smile. "I didn't do anything Xerxses, you knew it was wrong long before it even started bothering you."

(sorry it's short)

Xerxses frowned at her laugh. What the hell was she laughing at? Him? He hoped not, but he couldn't be sure. The female confused the hell out of him. When she spoke again, he frowned once more, sighing softly and shrugging. "I guess, I just didn't want to admit it." He said, deciding it wasn't the best idea to comment on the 'her bugging him' part. Probably not the best thing to agree with. But he had to admit, he hadn't had much intention of talking to her, let alone opening up, yet somehow she had gotten him to do it. It baffled him, and he finally gave up trying to figure out how she'd done it.

"So, how come you're out here all alone?" He asked, turning the conversation onto her. He had been wondering this for a while, especially since there was the growing loner presence. Cas had managed to get into the packlands without being noticed several times, who said that others weren't capable of doing the same. Wandering off alone like this could get her hurt, or worse.

Why was he so uptight?
Cici could tell he was starting to get a bit aggravated with her response, but she couldn't help herself and his facial expressions just made her want to laugh even more. Instead, she giggled a bit more then quieted down and tried to focus when he questioned here motives for being at the lake without a companion.

"Well, they're kinda all like you. Too busy to be bothered, too proud to think themselves able to have fun...which apparently is below them" she offered a quirky grin and looked out to the beautiful lake before them. "Fortunately for me, I don't need anyone to have fun, nor do I care about what others think of me."

She returned her gaze to the alpha look alike then tilted her head. "What about you, I don't exactly see your escort" she smiled and curled her tail around her paws while waiting for his response.

Xerxses could only roll his eyes at her comments. There was no point in letting himself get offended by her words, so he simply just let it go. He kept himself silent until she was finished speaking, looking down at the smaller wolf as she questioned his reasoning for being out here alone. "I'm enormous, I hardly need an escort. Plus, I've been around longer, I at least know my way around the packlands. I wouldn't want to have to go out searching for you if you got lost. Plus, although I do believe you could take care of yourself, it's dangerous for a female to be out here on her own." He said, genuinely concerned about her welfare. He wasn't sure what it was that made him care, but he did. Was he really getting that involved with the pack? He hadn't meant to become so ingrained in all of it, but somehow he had, he found himself right in the middle of the family. He wasn't quite sure if he liked it yet, either.

Cici shrugged at his words in acceptance, enormous he definitely was, just like his brother; so it made perfect sense. She would eventually learn the layout of the territory herself, and rather sooner than later, but if no one wanted to tour her around then she would do it herself. Cici wasn't one who waited on others to make things happen for her. "Oh, so you do have some sort of feeling deep down in there. And when I say deep I mean deeeeep!....way down deep in there." she stressed the word 'deep' with an awkwardly stretched out face then laughed at her own teasing of him. Though to an extent she couldn't help but feel it was mostly true. Xerxses didn't exactly look like the most compassionate wolf out there. She paused then her brows furrowed a bit at that last part. "You're wrong, you know. I wouldn't be able to take care of myself is forced to face a dangerous situation. I mean look at me, I'm sort, a little fat, and can't fight to save my life. Not that I'm looking for pity or anything." she quickly added in the last part. Though it was true, Cici refused to live in fear of a dangerous world. It was considered pathetic to think of the world as all bad anyways. The last thing she wanted to do was encourage paranoia. She didn't want to end up like 'those' kind of wolves.

He couldn't help but chuckle slightly at her overexaggeration of the word deep in her description of him. It was rather amusing, and at this point, he assumed that the teasing wasn't going to stop. He might as well get used to it, and so he did. When she spoke again, denying the ability to take care of herself, he frowned. "Well if you can't take care of yourself, you shouldn't be wandering off alone. If Cas was able to sneak into the packlands, who knows who else is capable?" He said, frowning down at her in concern. "We're beefing up the patrols, but there's no guarentee that we'll keep everyone from slipping through the cracks." He said, looking back towards the lake in slight frustration. They didn't have enough warriors, and the loners were getting stronger by the day. He could tell that Blitz was worried, as was Pravin. They needed to get more patrols out, and more often, too.

"Cas?.." she repeated with slight concern. Then she realized that Cas was the wolf that had been deemed an omega the day she had been accepted into the pack. What Xerxses spoke of must have been the reason why. He must have been an outsider who had sneaking in and out enough times to get Laek pregnant. Their pups were her future job, and it explained how an omega had ended up fathering offspring. Sicily agreed with this sudden realization and theory, as if she needed confirmation from herself to approve her own thoughts.

Finally she looked back up to him and offered her usual silly grin. "Well, are you offering your services Xerxses?" she asked curiously but with a slight joking tone. "Because I'm not going to stay in a den all day.... no way. By the way, do you have a nickname or something? Because that name is just not working for me."

Xerxses let her sort out who Cas was on her own, knowing that she had been there when he had been named omega. When she finally spoke again to him, he chuckled softly, shrugging a bit before responding. "I'm not going to leave you out here alone." He said softly, tilting his head to the side slightly. Sure, he might be egotistical, reserved, and self-absorbed, but he did care enough to make sure she didn't get hurt or into trouble. "A nickname? Uh, you can call me what you want, within reason. I don't really have a specific nickname. I just usually go by Xerxses." He said, frowning down at her. He couldn't remember any nicknames, nor could he think of one for himself off the top of his head. He hoped she wouldn't start calling him something annoying, but either way, he decided he wouldn't let it bother him. Much.

At his response her excitable nature easily returned and she stood, tail starting back up in it's usual swaying motion. The smaller female jumped up onto her facing victim, both paws on either side of his neck as she licked at his chin. "You...are...the...best" she said between fits of affection, then suddenly paused and looked at him with interest. Her ears swiveled forward for dramatic effect and she eyed him wildly for a moment. "I hope you're not afraid of heights" she simply stated before jumping down and padding away with her head lowered to the ground and nostrils flared. As she went about zigzagging this way and that towards the hanging cliffs, she hummed a light and adventurous tune, the usual ritual before she went exploring the unknown. Sicily would have to think about that nickname later. Hopefully she would be able to come up with one before they got to their destination.

Xerxses's ears flicked backwards in surprise at her overexaggerated affections. When she finally released him and trotted away, he blinked after her, obviously baffled. But he got up quickly, trotting after her and slowing down as he reached her. After a few minutes he realized where they were going, the Hanging Valley Cliffs. He kept pace with the female easily, nipping at her side one in a while to mess with her, and well, to entertain himself. It was a long walk, and when they finally came into view he frowned, spotting an all-too familiar black form on the top, paws hanging over the edge. Oh boy. "Uh, Cici, I don't think it's a good idea to head up there. Chaos...uh...doesn't exactly play well with others." He said, slowing down and frowning at the female beside him.

((continued: https://incendio.rpg-board.net/t118-thinking-open#2081 ))