After A Job Well Done

((Continued from: https://incendio.rpg-board.net/t92p15-hunting-with-xerxses-jenn-roar#1559
https://incendio.rpg-board.net/t94p30-a-new-hope#1558
https://incendio.rpg-board.net/t88p45-hunting-party-1#1561 ))

Inferno sprinted off after Blitz. As he ran, he thought about what Blitz had said about the loner being bold, coming around the dens. That had worried the beta as well, but now as he thought about it, his stomach and jaw clenched. Blitz had not been the only one to notice the strange scent on Laek. With all the newcomers, Inferno had taken it for granted what it was one of them, but after meeting them all, he wasn't so sure. With the season, it was suspicious that the rogue had been hanging around so close.

But he pushed the thought away for now and bit into the carcass alongside Xerxses and Coven. With all five wolves, they practically began to fly over the snow toward the dens. In no time, they had hauled the buck into the den site and stowed it away in the storage den. Coven and Inferno both sighed in satisfaction as the den filled with the large body of meat. Hopefully, Pravin's group had been this fortunate.


Fallon grinned as Pravin began dragging the carcass by himself. She had half a mind to punish him for being a show-off and let him drag it the whole way, but she laughed it off, remembering how she most likely was not correctly translating what he was thinking, and joined in dragging the doe. Soon, the scent of not only the other hunting party but also of another kill filled the air. Energy at the smell of the pack and success gave Fallon an extra burst of energy that carried her swiftly to the dens.

Tessa laid down in her den as Blitz and Inferno ran off to help, and slowly fell asleep, hoping that Sib would be back soon to lay with her.

Blitz joined in with the wolves dragging the carcass and helped them stow it and sat down, looking around at the others as they examined the den. It was nice that it was more full than before, and he curled his tail around his paws, looking around at the pack and then back at the trees. Hopefully the other group would arrive soon, and with more food.

Laek wagged her tail at the sight of Blitz and Inferno coming to help them. Soon, and very soon, they had the buck stowed away. The scent of fresh kill flooded Laek's nose in the tight space of the storage den. It made her happy to know that she'd been apart of taking it down this time. She exited the den, and sat in front. Her tail swooshed over the old snow bits as night began to take over.

Just then, Pravin broke through the woods with Fallon, KiRae, amd Sibirskiy. And between them, another kill! Laek stood in excitement and Pravin grunted to ask the others to move out of the way so they could place the doe. After dropping it, Pravin couldn't help seeing the other, much larger kill in the den. He looked to Xerxses and nodded, silently congratulating the white wolf on his success in leading the wolves to their kill. They'd done a good job today.

Fallon hauled the doe into the storage den with the rest of her part, and after stepping back, the storage den looked so wonderfully almost full with both of the kills inside. Tonight, she'd be sleeping well with such a burden lifted - they'd be able to eat for a while now! - and she was excited for the prospect of hunting again tomorrow. Soon, this den would be full.

Excited to see her other pack mates again, and anxious to congratulate them on their hunt, she wriggled her way over to Laek and Coven who had sat next to her. She licked at Laek's ear and grinned up at Coven, tail wagging and body twisting enthusiastically. "It's great to see you guys! I'm so glad the hunts went well. No one even got hurt!" How lucky they'd all been!

Coven laughed down at Fallon and pawed at her face playfully, her vigor spreading even though the black wolf was so tired. "Two kills - not a bad day at all. Ours does happen to be bigger, though, if you didn't notice," he said with a laugh, anticipating the good-natured swipe from Fallon.

Blitz smiled as the other hunting party arrived with their kill as well. Not as large, but still large enough to nearly fill the den completely. It was great to see all of the pack members relaxing and celebrating together at their success. He couldn't help but wag his tail and relax as he enjoyed the sight.

Tessa lifted her head slowly at the sound of the other group's return, silently hoping that Sib would notice her absence and come find her. She was much too tired to get up and join the chaotic excitement outside. She wanted to, but with the pregnancy and the hunt, it was all too much for her at the moment.

Xerxses hovered on the side of the excited group, moving out of the way as the other hunting party arrived and deposited their kill. It was impressive how well this pack hunted, as well as amusing how the mood changed from worry and determination to joy and celebration. He moved to his brother's side, nudging his shoulder and smiling as Blitz nipped at his ear playfully.

Laek smiled as Fallon approached her and Coven. With a playful nudge, Laek laughed at them, siding with Coven. "Well Fallon you can't argue that it isn't!" She looked back to the den, the two kills side by side. Turning back to Coven and Fallon, she laid down and rolled over. Playfully shs pawed the both of them, happy with their hard day, and rewarding herself with play. Everyone's spirits had been raised in the day.

Even the near emotionless Pravin was silently celebrating with his new pack, letting a small genuine smile escape into the air. He detached himself from the group and lay himself a little ways from the den, right by the center rock. Making himself comfortable, he smiled, watching the others in their celebration as well. The artic brothers, Xerxses and Blitz were to themselves, as Laek was with Coven and Fallon. To the side were KiRae and Sibirskiy. Tessa was nowhere to be seen, but Pravin didn't worry too much about his old den mate.

Fallon laughed. Laek was right - she couldn't argue. The female pounced on her friend and growled playfully as she tugged at Laek's ears while Coven pawed back at Laek before tackling Fallon off his hunting teammate by grabbing the scruff of her neck and rolling her over. Fallon laughed and snapped at Coven's nose, making him jump back and nip at Laek's ears instead.

As the three continued their romping, Inferno surveyed the wolves and noticed Pravin sitting apart, as usual. It would soon be time to sleep, but right now no one seemed in the mood yet. So there was time to prep Pravin for the news of his little promotion. Inferno was back to work making every second count.

"Hello, Pravin," greeted the beta as he sat down beside the warrior. After congratulating the wolf on the hunt, Inferno got down to business. "Chaos is still recovering, and to relieve her stress, Blitz has decided to appoint a temporary head warrior in her place. We'd like to offer the position to you until she's able to take it back. We need patrols out regularly again - there's a loner out there that we've been trying to track down for a while. Are you willing to step up?" The coppery wolf looked over at Pravin and then back to the other pack members, giving him time to mull it over if he wished. After the success of the hunt, though, Inferno was positive that Pravin would do well over Coven and Xerxses. Hopefully, Pravin thought the same.

Blitz let himself relax and enjoy the pack surrounding him, but that didn't mean that his normal hyper observant self had changed at all. As Inferno left the group to approach Pravin, his eyes followed the beta until it became obvious what he was saying. Well, now that he had brought that up, the alpha got to his feet and headed over to the group of wrestling wolves. He couldn't help but chuckle softly as he waited on the sidelines, looking down at Fallon. "Fallon, may I speak to you for a moment?" He asked, nodding to Coven and Laek and smiling at the hunter once more.

Xerxses watched his brother leave, slowly getting to his feet and scanning the crowd of wolves before turning his back and moving to lay in front of his brother's den. It was obvious that it belonged to Blitz, his scent was all over it. He knew he would eventually end up in the Warrior's den, but until that black female was healed, he figured it'd be best that he avoided the warrior's den. For now he laid by himself, several yards away from everyone else in the dark. It would have been impossible to see him if he were black or even a dirty grey, but his white fur made it quite easy to spot him, no matter how much he laid in the shadows.

Fallon looked up as Blitz spoke to her. She was torn between sudden worry and confused curiosity, as her first reaction was that something was wrong, but the alpha's smile was an attempt to dispel that instinct. Letting go of Coven's ear, the female stepped off of him and over Laek in order to stand in front of Blitz, ready to follow him and listen to whatever he had to say.

With Fallon gone, the wrestling match between Coven and Laek calmed down slightly, and he amused himself by batting at her ear, though the memory of Laek's absence earlier in the day came back. "Laek," he began, ears flicking back slightly as he tried to decide whether or not to proceed, "Are you alright? Where were you this morning? You didn't seem to be here all of last night. Anything up?" The black wolf kept his voice low so as not to be overheard, though no one was paying attention, but he watched his friend intently, honestly concerned...and he was pretty sure he had good reason to be. He did not forget the strange scent mingled with hers this morning; he knew her well enough to know that was completely off.

Blitz smiled as Fallon followed him, leading her only a few feet away so they could talk. "Fallon, I have a proposition for you. Since Khalessi is gone for good, the pack needs a new head hunter. Inferno and I discussed it, and we could find no one better to fill that role than you. Would you be Silverlight's head hunter?" He asked, sitting down and studying her face for her reaction. He wanted her to accept, and he expected her to, but he wasn't sure what she'd do.

Xerxses sighed softly, watching the group and the two conversations with the beta and his brother. It was obvious things would change, but he didn't think that would be a bad thing. For now, all he could do was sit back and watch.

Fallon's ears pricked up in surprise, and she tilted her head a bit as if she hadn't heard correctly. After a few seconds of processing - who had seen this coming? - she finally smiled and nodded. "Yes, I'd be glad to be head hunter." For once, there was nothing else she could manage to say. But her grin was huge now that she'd spoken. It hadn't occurred to her before, but this was what she had wanted for a long time. The words 'head hunter' had never come to her mind in describing it, though. But she never would long to hunt and be unable to because Khalessi was gone; she would be even closer to her pack mates than before; and she would be able to take the matter of feeding the pack into her own paws. Raising her head, Fallon wagged her tail and nodded again. "I won't let you down, Blitz!"

Blitz chuckled and smiled at her overly eager response to his words. "Well, I'm glad you've accepted, and I know you'll do a great job." He said, nudging her shoulder and getting to his feet, his eyes going from happy and amused to confused and concerned as he looked over the new head hunter's shoulder. "Molly! What are you doing?!?" He asked, his ears flattening as the head healer slowly limped from her den and towards the nearby water pool that had grown still and dirty. But she was on the other side of the celebrating group of wolves, and Blitz couldn't get to her. "Coven! Stop her before she drinks it!" He said, frowning and hoping that Coven would realize what was happening and stop her before she drank the probably contaminated water. That would only turn her around from the progress she had been making.

Molly had been laying in her den, her mouth painfully dry with no water to quench it. But then she remembered the pool the other wolves had made for her. She hadn't realized it had been there so long, but at the moment, all she could focus on was getting to her feet and quenching her thirst. She limped out of the den, completely oblivious to Blitz's call, and headed towards the now dirty pool of water, not even noticing the dark tint of the water as she came to a stop beside it.

Fallon's smiled toned down to one of gratitude at Blitz's confidence in her. Both she and Coven followed the alpha's gaze as he called out to Molly, though the issue didn't register to either of them until Blitz's order to Coven. Fortunately, the black wolf had figured it out and stood up right before Blitz's directions, otherwise he might have spent half a second questioning and have been too late to stop Molly.

Without hesitation, the male had run over to Molly and stopped right in between her and the pool, his side acting as a barrier. "Molly," said the wolf narrowing his eyes in sympathy at her gaunt face and dulled eyes, "you can't drink from here anymore. It'll make you even more sick." He moved aside now that Molly knew the danger, and he pointed with a paw to a drowned mouse floating stiffly in the pool. The mud alone would have been bad, but the decaying mouse would have added horribly to the damage. "Can you make it to the stream?" he asked, glancing over in its direction. It wasn't too far, and Molly somehow seemed better, stronger, despite her ragged appearance, but he'd come up with another way to get her water if that was too much.

Meanwhile, Fallon sighed with relief and tore her gaze away from Molly, knowing Coven would watch out for her tonight. Exhaustion was starting to set in for Fallon, airing itself in a long yawn. She was about ready to head off to sleep, but the wolfess looked up at Blitz in case there was anything else he needed first.

Molly stumbled backwards slightly insurprise at Coven's sudden appearance in her way. Her eyes narrowed and she growled softly at the prevention of her drink, but the sound was cut short as she realized who was standing in front of her. "Coven..." She said softly, realizing she hadn't seen him for quite some time. Or at least it seemed that way. She studied him for a moment, forcing herself to focus on his face before she realized he had spoken. "What?" She asked, shaking her head slightly and remaining in a sitting position as she looked up at the black male.

Blitz sighed in relief as Coven reached her in time, watching them for a moment before turning his gaze back to Fallon. She looked tired, and he smiled, licking her neck and smiling. "You can head to bed. You'll have plenty of work as head hunter tomorrow. You should rest. Goodnight, Fallon." He said, glancing back at Molly and Coven before letting his gaze move to Xerxses who was laying in front of his den.

He sighed and re-explained why she was going to have to walk to the stream for a drink. She often couldn't focus on what he was saying when she was sinking even deeper into illness, and the fact that it had just happened was immensely worrying.

Trying to assess if he should take her back to the den or let her walk to get water, Coven licked at her forehead and ears and peered into her face questioningly. He wanted to ask how she was doing, how she had been, but the black wolf balked at the thought of answers revealing a terminal illness or something like that. He just suggested again, slowly in case she zoned out again, "If you think you can make it, I'll help you to the stream. If not, we're going back to the den, and I'll find some of that moss stuff again." It had been a while since he'd seen Molly - and so much had gone on in that time - that it was depressing this had to be how they caught up with each other. But for now, Molly living was worth missing out on coherent conversation.

Molly listened to him repeat himself to her, her eyes scanning his face for a few moments before she slowly nodded. "I can make it. I think." She said softly, slowly getting to her feet and taking a careful step forward as if in an attempt to show him that she could do it. But she needed his help, and her ears flattened to her head as she moved closer to him and leaned against him shamelessly, something that she had never done with anyone else on her own. She knew she needed his help, and as her fur mingled with his and she felt his body heat against her, she felt safe and relaxed.

She moved slowly towards the water, leaning against him and stopping only a few times to catch her breath before they reached the water. She slowly sank down at it's edge, laying and lapping thirstily at the water, sighing softly in relief as it quenched her painful thirst. "Thank you, Coven." She said softly as she finished her drink, looking up at him gratefully, finally able to focus on him. "Where have you been?" She asked, flinching slightly as she realized that she had said her thoughts out loud, immediately wishing she could take them back.

Coven walked silently and slowly with Molly, relieved to find that she had improved. Despite the anxiety that the white wolfess would keel over after every step, Coven couldn't help but feel happy in a way. Complete was perhaps a better term. He cared about Molly more than any member of this pack, and after so long concerning himself with her welfare, being with her even just as a crutch felt right and brought a warmth to him, and it wasn't just her body heat (thought that was a great feeling as well).

He stood and watched Molly drink once they reached the stream, amazed that they made it. It was kind of miraculous that she had done so well, but he pushed away the thought, figuring that the time was what had strengthened her. The wolf smiled a 'you're welcome' at Molly's thanks before she continued. Perhaps the world was still rose-colored right now because of the hunt and seeing Molly again, but the wolfess' little flinch received a chuckle from him. Mostly, it was ridiculous to him that she seemed to regret asking. "Mm, when?" the male asked, settling down beside her. "It's been a while. Most recently, I've been hunting. Blitz cracked down, and the whole pack went out for food. It ended up really well," he explained, smiling lightly and wondering if that was the answer Molly was going for.

Molly frowned at Coven's response to her question. As he settled down beside her, she let her head slowly sink down to his paws like she used to do when he had spent every night and day with her. "I've missed you." She said softly, her voice barely above a whisper. She let herself slowly lean against him, her eyes closing as she relaxed against him once more. Not until this moment did she realize how much she had missed this. She missed lying beside him and feeling his warmth. But right now, she'd never admit that. Right now, she remained silent, listening to his breathing mixed with her own shallower breathing as they laid beside the water together.

"I've missed you, too," he replied, curling around the small white figure and pressing his cheek against the top of her neck. It was cold enough to worry about Molly if they stayed too long, but Coven couldn't bring himself to go back just yet and leave Molly again, and with them laying together, he wouldn't need to just yet. With eyes closed, the wolf sighed contentedly and pulled Molly in even closer, not even bothering to pretend that it was the cold he was worried about. Yes, he had missed Molly, and much more than he'd realized.

Eventually, the male allowed the thoughts of a world outside him and Molly to come back. They'd have to get home eventually, and he might as well start working himself up to it. "How are you feeling, Molly?" he asked, lifting his head from her neck and licking her ear before moving his nose into the fluff of her cheek. "We can head back if you want...if you're too cold or something." Only the very possible threat of them falling asleep out here forced him to suggest it, but if she froze out here tonight, he'd never get over it.

Molly curled into Coven's form as he curled around her, feeling a soft tingling sensation run through her as they laid together again. She knew that if they returned to the pack he'd leave her again, and the thought had her burying her face in his fur, refusing to move from the spot she now laid in beside him. No, she wasn't cold. Not with his body heat warming her. And no, she didn't want to go back, not yet. Even as he spoke, she knew he was preparing himself to part with her again, and she only leaned into him more, refusing to prepare to leave just yet. Finally, though she lifted her head, frowning up at him. "You're going to take me back and I'll be stuck in that den for days and I'll never get to see you. You promised you wouldn't just disappear. You promised that we'd see each other. But it's been so long since that time." She said softly, only now realizing how much this all mattered to her.

Coven flinched under Molly's accusation. He pulled his ears back as he thought back and realized it was true. After gently licking her cheek, he assured her with a shake of his head, "I will come and see you, Molly. Blitz had quarantined your den - it wasn't by choice that I didn't see you. Now there's nothing stopping me, though, so I'll be there. I don't want to disappear." It was painful to hear his friend feel like she'd been abandoned, but it was obvious in his expression that Coven truly did not want to be away from Molly. He couldn't express how wonderful it was to him that she had felt so strongly about his absence, though. Again, he licked her and nuzzled into her fur, eyes closed and breathing slowly with his jaws clenched to keep from talking more. He was on the verge of spouting off terrifying words, so it was best to just keep quiet and hope that Molly would find something else to chide him for. If he could just keep listening, he wouldn't have to open his mouth.

Molly tensed slightly as he licked her cheek and denied that he would abandon her again. She flattened her ears at his excuse of the quarentine, but said nothing. She leaned against him instead, feeling like he had wanted to say more but had stopped himself. She wanted to know what he was holding back, but she knew he wouldn't say it, even if she asked. She waited for a few more moments, finally giving up on getting to hear what else he had to say. She wasn't sure that she believed that he would be there, but she didn't argue, she didn't have the energy to. She sighed softly, burying her nose into his fur and inhaling, enjoying his scent and the feeling of his fur brushing on her nose and face.

Coven enjoyed a few more minutes of blissful peace before deciding that he couldn't take the fact that Molly did not believe him. Molly not trusting him was not unusual, and she had good reasons for acting the way she did considering her history and his own refusal to completely open up sometimes (that wouldn't be a problem if Molly hadn't gotten to read him so well), but he didn't want her to be sitting there waiting for him to never come.

Pulling back, the black wolf looked down at Molly and demanded, firmly but with some desperation, "Why don't you believe me? What is it you think I'm going to do? What needs to happen for me to convince you that I'm not kidding about this?" He was eyeing her for exhaustion, but it would be great if this could be settled now.

Molly could tell when he was about to start questioning her about her lack of response to his earlier words. When she hadn't said anything, she expected it to happen. All she had to do was wait for the signs that he had lost his patience, and here they were. He pulled back, looking down at her and demanding an explanation. She sighed softly, extremely tired and fairly weak, but not at all surprised. "I need you to be there." She said softly, not even lifting her head. She suddenly felt so tired, like a huge weight had settled on top of her that she wasn't strong enough to lift off. "I'm not strong enough to handle all of this alone. I am not comfortable with Inferno, but at least I knew him. But now I'm going to be stuck in my den alone with this new female. I don't know her. Please don't leave me alo...." she said, stopping herself before she finished her thought. No. She wasn't going to beg him. She wasn't going to be that weak. But if she were to be honest, she hadn't felt safe with Inferno, how was she supposed to recover and feel safe with this new female that she didn't know and didn't trust?

New female...must be Sibirskiy's sister Molly was talking about. He didn't know what she was doing as a new den-mate of Molly's, but at least the explanation brought to light what Molly really needed. The problem was that Coven's offer, what he could fulfill, was much less than what Molly required to cope with this. The wolf nodded slowly and lay his head across her neck once more, sighing. He wasn't going to offend Molly by reiterating that he could not be with her 24/7, but he could try to get her to see something else. "You don't have to be alone...I could be dead and that'd be true. We have a pack filled with wolves that love you: Blitz, Fallon, Laek, and Xerxses immediately come to mind. Between all of us, you won't have to worry. Even if one of us screws up, you'd still be ok." Coven was never sure if he understood Molly perfectly, and his suggestions never really turned out well for her, but he was positive that if she wasn't stubborn about not relying on her friends and turning to them for help and if this issue with Rayne really was her worry, she honestly would be alright.