Combinations

Fallon twitched her ears in concern, but also understanding silence, as Molly rode out a few more waves of insecurity. It was obvious that Molly was thinking things through, so Fallon quieted herself down - a feat she could only accomplish for one so beloved to her as Molly - and just lay with her head still on the white wolf, listening to her relax a bit.

Fallon couldn't keep her laugh in a low voice as Molly mentioned the Coven and Chaos dilemma. "I was wondering that myself," laughed the wolfess, shaking her head as she pictured the hilariously nasty scene in her head. "See!" she piped up quickly, lifting her head back in excitement, still laughing along with Molly, "You are /utterly/ irreplaceable for some jobs. I really think you're going to have to cover that one, much as I hate to admit that it would probably be bad for Chaos to get hurt. Again. Hehe." She couldn't help but grin at Molly with an impishly gleeful gleam in her eye. She wasn't allowed to fight Chaos, and neither was Coven anymore, but she would never forget that someone had tried and humbled Chaos to the point of needing medical help (it also gave her a promotion, but the first part was good enough to make Fallon happy).

"You want to stay in here, and I'll get Coven? It's so nice," said Fallon, stretching out and looking around the cozy den, "why not just take advantage of this little break and enjoy?" She smiled, hoping Molly would catch some of her holiday-spirit.

Molly smiled as Fallon spoke of Chaos and Coven. It was entertaining and it would be interesting to see Coven not loose his temper with the little black female. But for now she decided to worry about that problem later. As Fallon spoke of getting Coven, Molly sighed softly, nodding a bit before stretching out to wait. This she wasn't looking forward to, but she wanted to get it over with. She took a deep breath, watching the entrance for the entrance of either Fallon or Coven. As of now, there was no point in leaving the den, since she had all the supplies she needed inside, and she needed to change Coven's dressings first anyways. She would do that once he entered.

Blitz was soon on his feet, and when Fallon appeared from Molly's den, he approached her. "We need to get out on a hunt. Inferno could join us as well since Khalessi seems to be absent. We need to stock up the storage den before the first snow." He said, obviously concerned about the state of their storage and the lack of success on their hunts. He glanced over at Inferno, who he knew agreed fully with his words. They needed to prepare for the winter, and so far, they were failling in that aspect. The patrol could wait, they all needed to hunt.

Fallon nodded to Blitz and grinned at Inferno, who had shot up to his feet when Blitz announced the need for a hunt and that Inferno would be going. The long-legged male had never felt happier, even though his face didn't express that there was anything other than focus bubbling under his coppery fur.
"I'm ready to go now," said Fallon, stopping in front of Blitz with Inferno now by her side. "Coven," she said, turning to the male as he joined the group to get his own instructions. Fortunately, Fallon had them. "Molly needs you now to give you instructions on how to take care of the injured wolves. Keep an eye on Laek, will you?" The black wolf headed off to Molly's den, nodding to Laek, knowing that he'd most likely be checking up on her soon.

Walking into the den, the black wolf greeted the white one and looked her over, trying to assess just how she was doing today. It was obvious - she was much better in a way, but there was a long way to go.

Blitz grinned at Inferno's eagerness, and nodded to Coven as he turned to head into the trees and begin the hunt. He headed for the meadows, hoping that the deer would be grazing and would be out in the open to asses and make a successful kill. There were only three wolves, so he hoped that Inferno and Fallon could handle it. His pace was fast, and he knew Inferno could keep up, but he kept one ear trained backwards to make sure that Fallon was keeping pace alright. He didn't want her falling behind and getting separated.

Molly lifted her head as Coven entered. Her ears pinned back in annoyance as she watched him examine her, obviously assessing her condition silently. She stood up when he came all the way in, almost as if to say I'm fine, stop worrying about me and focus. She took a deep breath, and then picked up some herbs. "Alright, these herbs are what I call dressing herbs. They are the only ones I use to seal up a wound to help it heal. You mix them with a bit of water and chew them into a paste before applying directly to a wound. Then they'll mold to it and speed up the healing process while preventing loss of blood from bleeding. Does that make sense?" She asked, looking up at him and making sure that he was grasping what she was saying.

(Maybe Fallon should get separated during the hunt or distracted by Casanova and wander off while Blitz and Inferno hunt? That way the interaction between Chaos, Coven, and Molly can still happen and Molly won't have to travel too much)

Fallon did not have any trouble keeping up with the two males. Though she was shorter than both of them, she was naturally fast and currently very fit, so as to be able to keep up on hunts like this. She was slowly zig-zagging behind the males, though, just to double-check the scents off the trail in case there were other opportunities they were missing. It was a ways to the meadow, and between the dens and the meadow, Fallon became distracted. A scent on her path caught her attention. It was some sort of kill, but now deer. Curious and determined to track down the creature, Fallon took off rapidly after the trail, intending to meet up with the two males again. It was obvious that Blitz was heading to the meadow.

The wolfess's swift legs brought her speedily nearer to the boarders of the pack lands. As she realized that the creature most likely left the lands, the female slowed down, drooping her head and growling under her breath that the mystery would remain undiscovered. Habitually sniffing around before she planned to run back to the other hunters, yet another scent caught her attention. This one alarmed her, though - it was that of a wolf. A strange wolf. A trespasser.

In the healer's den, Coven ignored Molly's subtle sassiness and moved up nearer to her so he could touch the herbs with his nose and get a good look at them. "You chew them?" he asked, raising his head with a disgusted half-snarl on his face. He understood what they did, and even knew about them having to be chewed, as Molly had dressed his own wounds before the same way, but the fact that /he/ would have to chew them made him question again, just to be sure he couldn't get out of it.

Fallon's eyes widened in shock as the male appeared suddenly, boldly before her. It took her a second to catch her breath and speak, as the male's appearance befuddled her for a moment. He smelled just like a wolf, acted less like one with his crazy and blatant creeping along the borders, and looked so...different. It wasn't a repulsive different, just one that took a few seconds to digest. He was a striking creature, none the less.

The female flattened her ears at him as he smiled, and she snarled, lowering her head and raising her tail in authority, "Who are you and what are you doing encroaching on our pack lands?" It hadn't even crossed her mind to step out of the borders to meet him. Firstly, she had proven over and over again through disputes with Chaos how much leaving the pack lands signified disloyalty in her mind. Secondly, she may be friendly and outgoing and even a bit rebellious, but she was not crazy to the point where she would run like a pup straight into the paws of strangers. It was as if this male expected her to, though. Was he crazy?

Coven scowled at Molly for calling him a baby, but he remained silent otherwise, watching how she prepared the paste for when he would have to do it.

He responded to her question with a shrug. "Sure, go for it," he said, lowering himself to the ground to make it easier for her to apply the dressings. She really was quite small.

Fallon's voice remained hard as she kept up the facade of an unfaltering wolf of stone, but she couldn't help but feel intrigued by this newcomer underneath. There were a number of factors leading to this desire to learn more about him - not just his name and his purpose - including her own innate curiosity, but that feeling wasn't helping her either way. "Yes, I am a member of this pack," she replied haughtily, raising her head proudly. "I am just wondering, why did you suppose you'd find rest here? This forest cannot possibly look welcoming in the least, and why would be let a stranger into our lands just to spend the night." She narrowed her eyes at the male, angry and suspicious. "What are you really doing here?" She hadn't thought there were other packs around that would be interested in threatening Silverlight, but if there were, they would not catch her off guard.

The black wolf nodded gratefully to Molly once she was done and stood up, rolling a few knots quickly out of his shoulders before following the white wolf. Coven was feeling rather inquisitive as to Chaos's state, so he willingly set off after Molly to find Chaos. All of the pack had seen the black wolf leave her den, but where she'd gone was a mystery.

Fallon almost let Casanova go without a word to him. Too many factors made her call him back: his charm, his situation, his offensive and untrue comment about the pack, his strange attractiveness, the way his eyes took her in. There was enough there for her to give him a second chance, though still on her terms. She by no means trusted him at all right now.

"We are not a hostile pack, I just do not have the authority to allow you in," she explained, her voice much softer now, though she bristled a little in the beginning. Silverlight, hostile? "If you truly need would like a place to stay, even for a short time, you'll have to take it up with our alpha. He is usually generous, so if you have nothing to hide, feel free to ask for him."

Coven narrowed his eyes at Chaos in response to her own ridiculous aggressiveness. Just how stupid did she think he was? She had actually succeeded in offending him with her demeaning glare; he knew just what she was saying.

He got to work quickly after, though, to avoid any chiding from Molly, even while she was laying down, who also seemed all to happy to criticize. Scowling, the wolf took a few laps of water and chewed up the plants. He multi-tasked and gently scooped off most of the old dressings as he chewed. With great relief, he finally spit out the mixture onto a large fallen leaf and finished removing the dressings, working confidently to show that he was not intimidated by her at all, but he did respect her authority enough to be gentle with his work. She was lucky she had rank going for her.

Finally, Coven finished applying the new layer of paste to Chaos's wounds. It was not nearly so pretty as it had looked when Molly'd done it, but as he stepped back to inspect the job, Coven felt accomplished as far as the dressing being applied, correctly, even if messily.

The female tilted her head and narrowed her eyes a bit at the male. "That was quite forward, and is quite irrelevant, I'd say," was the female's reply. Though he might have been reeling her in slowly earlier, that comment sent her flying back. Sure, she still allowed it to fluff her ego a bit, but suspicion was foremost on her mind, and she was starting to see where this Casanova was heading. It wasn't hard to tell, especially for one who'd been there herself before. "It sounds like your desire for shelter wasn't such a dire priority after all. Good luck," she told him coldly, turning her back to the male to leave.

Coven tilted his head at the mess as Chaos's neck, inspecting just how bad it was, and then shot Molly an exasperated look. He was pretty sure Chaos would be just fine walking around like that. But to appease the white wolf, Coven went back to Chaos and with two quick strokes wiped away some stray paste. "I'm pretty sure Chaos will be just fine," he announced, smirking with an air of finality in the action. Chaos was done right now, and so was he. "I think you're ready to go...do whatever Molly tells you to do." Curiously, the black male looked over at Molly, wondering if Chaos was actually free to go or if she'd be instructed to go rest. Coven didn't know what Chaos was supposed to be doing in her condition; every one in this pack seemed to have a different opinion on that.

The female just snarled to herself under her breath as the male flung back that last retort. She wasn't even able to get very far when this crazy male came running over the border and stopped her in her tracks. Standing aghast at the male's impertinence in trespassing again on Silverlight's land, yet at the same time completely discombobulated by his sudden apology, the female could only stare at him for a second, unfortunately getting a really good look at his own lovely face. But she would not be complimenting him, because unlike him, she had priorities, and tact...maybe not the last one. "I'm not angry about what you said," she told him in a cool, low voice, almost hissing in irritation. "It was your..." She didn't exactly know what it was that had set her off, but something in his manner had tipped her off to the fact that he was right at home sneaking about borders, skirting around encountering authority. Whatever else Casanova might be, his actions screamed "suspicious." "I'm pretty sure I can't trust you, ok? You're new, you're trespassing, you're in my face - this is not a good start, alright?"

"Do you really think I could have been?" he asked, implying that grace was hardly a skill he possessed in the first place.

Frowning, the male moved to Molly's side and nosed her neck gently, making sure she would at least respond and wasn't having a seizure or something. The confusion in her eyes was enough to make him want to check. Even amidst the concern, he couldn't help but note how ungraceful the white wolf was at the moment. Worse than him, by far, right now.

Fallon couldn't help but soften slightly. She understood exactly how he felt; she'd been the same way when she'd first come to Silverlight. Much more subdued, Fallon watched Casanova for a long time, trying to figure out what to do with him. Sending him back out into the Plains seemed so harsh, and such a waste. One question kept popping into her head as she thought, though, so she finally had to ask, before figuring anything else out, "Do you ever go by a shorter name?" Casanova was quite a mouthful, and he looked like a Cas to her.

Coven trailed behind Molly, as it was obvious Molly was frustrated and would probably be more so if he moved to help her. There was something touchy about her, and he didn't know what it was that set her off. Perhaps it was unobservant of him, but he honestly couldn't grasp it.

Entering the den and finding Molly curled up like a scared pup, the black wolf couldn't help himself. Silently, he lay down next to her and curled up around the white wolf that was emanating the scent of misery, though a specific type that he couldn't place. Laying with the wolfess had worked to help her last night, so maybe it would help today. Either way, he was not about to talk if she didn't speak first, because it was guaranteed that whatever he had to say would be wrong right now (especially as he was so completely in the dark as far as what Molly was thinking or feeling).

Fallon smiled wryly. If need be, she was plenty happy forgetting about the "within reason" part. Still a little wary, and refusing to wag her tail back at him, the female responded, "My name is Fallon...and you still need to figure out if you're going to suck it up and talk to my alpha or if you're going to leave." She was serious about him getting on with that choice. While this was all very interesting, she was beginning to trust herself less and less with him and was getting restless anyway.

"You don't have to be sorry, Molly," he sighed, looking down at her with hopeless confusion, glad that she wasn't looking at his face at the moment, "It's just that you look so miserable...and I don't know what to do." A few days ago, Coven would have gagged on those words, but joining this pack had done enough to humble him recently that admitting flaws like this was becoming easier and easier. He just was hoping it was worth it.

Fallon hesitated for just a second as Casanova turned to leave. He looked so lonely, and though she wasn't lonely in the slightest, there would have been no problem in pretending she was. But charming as this guy was, there was the feeling of responsibility and loyalty that had dug its claws into her heart and head and was pulling her painfully back to Blitz and Inferno. No, she couldn't stop him, not today. She had to go. "I'll see you again, Casanova," she called to him, turning to give his retreating figure one last look. When the livelihood of the pack wasn't so direly dependent on her and the two pack males, Fallon would be back, hoping Casanova was still there.

Coven laughed a bit a Molly's comparisons. The wolf had barely even spoken to Inferno, but he decided the red male must be really horrible for Molly to like Coven so much more. Though he knew he wasn't the greatest guy, he was suddenly finding a small, previously non-existent desire within him to maintain whatever this decent image was Molly had of him. How he'd do it, he didn't know, but it could be a fun challenge to try.

"Well, thanks," he laughed, smiling as Molly finally began to relax, "I'm so glad that somehow I've managed not to be as atrocious as Chaos. And in case you were worried," he added, emphasizing the phrasing as if this were actually urgent, "I like you more than Chaos, too, but just slightly." The wolf snickered to himself at the thought of ever liking Chaos at all. The only thing he had to give her was that the black wolfess was a pleasure to hate.

"Blitz? Inferno?" the female called softly, slowing down from her run to the meadow and looking around while trying not to disturb the quiet too much. If there was food around, the whole pack needed it to stick around. As she wandered trying to pick up the scent of the males, Fallon tried to figure out whether or not she should tell about the new male, whether or not she'd need to. She was beginning to believe that Casanova wasn't here to cause any damage really, and so she was torn.

Laughing and nipping lightly at Molly's ear to reassure her that he was only joking, the black wolf found himself thinking that he and Molly could really become friends soon, and that was a surprising and hopeful thought. 'Friend' wasn't a word Coven used lightly, but he felt he'd have a reason with her, especially after she finished speaking.

"Being embarrassed is kind of a waste of time," he told her, serious now and hoping that his beliefs he was sharing would help in some little way, maybe, "I think that usually, we misconstrue what everyone else is thinking anyway, so why bother worrying about it when it's only going to make you unhappy anyway? From what I've seen of this pack especially, everyone just wants you to do what you can. That's the purpose of being in a pack anyway - so you can get help when you needed." That's why Coven had joined, because sometimes you just can't do everything on your own and need a friend to watch out for you. He watched her with pricked ears, wondering how she'd take what he had said, knowing that his ideas on life were a bit more mellow and apathetic than the white wolf was used to, but it had gotten him through a lot with much less stress.

Blitz's ears perked as he picked up the scent and sound of Fallon. He smiled, knowing that she would come wandering back eventually. "Fallon, we're over here. There's a herd of white tailed deer several yards north. Quiet down and come over here so we can get this hunt started." He said, a teasing glint in his voice as his tail wagged. He was obviously excited, and he had good reason, for the herd had two sickly males, which were slowly wandering to the edge of the herd. If they could bring both down, they would have more than enough food for the first snow. They were large deer, and could sustain the pack for weeks until they added more to the storage.

Molly looked up at Coven curiously as he spoke. She said nothing to interrupt him, letting his words sink in as her eyes stared up at him while he stared down. His philosophy made sense, but she wasn't sure how she would manage to force herself to think that way. She was so used to worrying about the pack and what they were thinking. She smiled, nodding slightly. "That does actually sound like a good idea. I'm afraid actually carrying it out will be the difficult part for me." She said, lowering her head to rest it on his paws once more, her body relaxing against his as she thought through what they had just discussed. He hadn't judged her, and she found that she was just as comfortable with Coven now as she had always been with Fallon. How had all of this happened in such a short time? The prospect baffled her.

Casanova wandered along the border for quite a while, but soon made his way back to where he had run into Fallon. No matter how much he explored, he always found himself returning to this spot. So finally he gave up on leaving it, and found a thicket just outside of the borders to lay inside of, curling up and dozing off slowly as he waited hopefully for Fallon's return.

Fallon lithely bounded over to Blitz and positioning herself between him and Inferno and following their gaze to the herd just visible through the distant trees. Quickly, she caught site of the two sickly bucks and confirmed with Blitz that these were the one they were going for. "So, ready?" she asked the wolves, nodding to Inferno who was almost quivering with anticipation, and looking expectantly to Blitz to lead the way.

The male couldn't help smiling a little as Molly looked at him, because it was obvious that she was at least considering the idea. He wanted her to be happy - or at least happier than she was, so her open-mindedness and desire to find more peace was an exciting achievement. "I think that even trying could help a little."

While Molly contemplated by herself, Coven touched his nose to the soft fur up her neck and gently started licking it. Of all the purposes this was intended to serve, from calming the female to putting her to sleep again to having something to do in the silence, the most motivating one for him was that he just liked it. He liked having a pack again, companions, having a purpose, and the feel of fur against him instead of sticks and rocks; there was no way he was going to waste another second of this.