All welcome! Only one, maaaaybe two, please! 300+ words.

It was mid-morning as the secui-formed King travelled away from his pack's territory. Things were still very calm around the Miracles pack, and Vigilante was interested in knowing more about the packs in the area. It seemed logical to begin with their closest neighbors, the pack of Dreamers. He did not know much about the pack. He knew Mati Church was a member there, and he knew that both Haven and Princess had been there at some point in their lives. Besides that, he could not recall whom he might know there. He was interested in strengthening the pack's relationship with those in the area, though, so he travelled without hesitation, covering the ground relatively quickly in his larger, even more muscular form. It was not a far journey, either way, and it was covered quickly.

As he approached the heavily-scented borders of the pack of Dreamers, the Miracles King slowed his approach out of respect. He had never done anything like this—was he meant to howl to announce his presence, or was he meant to wait ujntil someone came across him? He was not particularly picky about who he spoke with, as he simply wanted to get to know a bit about the pack. Since he expected to be there for at least a bit, he sat, curled tail settled on the ground behind him on the off chance that someone would find any form of a dominant stance unwelcome. He wanted to be as far from imposing as possible. From what he knew, the pack was a pleasant one, and he was pleased to know that they were neighbors. He remained where he was, some feet away from the actual borders, contemplating whether or not he was meant to call for someone to speak with, to learn more about the pack nearby.

Of course not! ♥ 300+ words.

Though the King was still debating whether or not he was meant to howl to announce his presence, it seemed that the decision was made for him as he watched the Dreamer woman approach. He took in the sight of her, wounded and bandaged, and he immediately wondered what might have happened to her. The male always questioned the origin of injuries when he saw them, though she seemed to be on the mend now, regardless of how strange the contraptions she had on—the brace on her leg and the stick she used to walk with—were. He averted his eyes from her injuries politely, not wanting to be perceived as rude on what was meant to be a diplomatic meeting. He intended to learn more about the pack.

"I am aware," he said politely after she spoke, "and I hope that I have not come too close. I was debating whether I was meant to call to announce my presence, but you happened across me before I could make my decision." He paused, offering her a good-natured smile to prove that he meant no harm. "I am Vigilante Haskel, the new King of Cour des Miracles. I was merely interested in learning more about the neighboring packs," he explained. Under the rule of Jacquez, there had been only one instance that he could think of that an effort had been made to strengthen the relationship between packs. He felt that the horse race with AniWaya had been very effective, but he wanted more than that now. He wanted to know more about the packs in the area, not only for his pack's sake, but also because he felt it was his duty to do so as a leader.

His tail still lay behind him against the ground, the curled fluff of long fur down completely, a far from dominant position for it to be held in. The woman had not yet introduced herself, so he asked, "May I ask your name? Perhaps you could teach me a bit about your pack." As an afterthought, he added, "I know Mati Church, as well as two former members, Haven Aatte and Princess Chance. I wanted to know more about where they came from."

That was not short and it didn't suck, you silly! xD 500+ words.

The Miracles King tended to keep to himself, and he had never been one to speak more than necessary. Where some found solace in speaking until they were stopped, Vigilante preferred the exact opposite. He had always spoken when necessary, but very rarely for the sake of it. When he had been promoted to Constable, he had made a concious effort to change that. He wanted to be more available to the pack, and he had wanted the members to feel comfortable around him. When he had taken over Jacquez's rank, he had made even more of an effort. He was interested in not only strengthening the pack, but the relationship it had with the other packs. He was growing to be more social, he supposed.

As such, the shepherd-malamute mutt waited until Ghita had finished speak entirely before he responded. He believed that it was more proper to treat women with such respect, rather than to interject his own comments in the midst of their speaking. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Ghita," he said amicably. He did not comment on her battered condition, and he would not do so. If their conversation turned in that direction and the explanation came to light, he would ask—he was curious to know what had left her in such a state, but he did not want to pry. Similarly, he would not question why she had been in and out of the pack some times. "We all have our reasons for where we go and what to do. As long as you've found your peace, then it does nolt matter how many times you've been here."

"Mati seemed like a nice girl, as does Princess. I trust Haven completely, and as far as I know, he's been in the pack for just a little longer than I have, which is almost a year." It generally took some time for the man to trust someone, but he had grown to trust Haven some time ago. Vigilante trusted the younger man to keep their pack safe, and that was something important. He would never allow someone he did not trust protect his pack, including his mate and the girl he'd adopted as his daughter. The King would not trust simply anyone to protect the family he'd found here, and he was glad to have Haven there to do it. He could not think of anyone better suited for the job of a Knight than the Aatte man himself.

"Truthfully, I do not have much for specific questions," he admitted. "I was hoping to learn a bit about your pack—its leaders, its members, its culture—and I would be more than happy to tell you a bit about Cour des Miracles, if you were interested at all." Vigilante felt strange knowing that he was not knowledgable of the pack's leadership. Their other neighbors, AniWaya, he knew some about the leadership there, due to the horse race competition that had been held between the two packs. Crimson Dreams, however, he did not know anything about.

OMG I SUCK. O_O; Sorry!

"Not at all," Vigilante answered simply. Certainly, he did not mind if she sat on her own pack lands. He was sitting, as he had been upon arrival, and he did not perceive it as a sign of weakness for her to wish to sit to talk with him. In fact, having her remain standing as she was seemed as though she was still on edge about his presence. He wanted her to feel comfortable and accepting of him being there, and if he was unwelcome, he hoped she would state it as such. Jade eyes studied her face politely, as he could sense that she was not exactly comfortable with him looking at her leg. He hoped he had not been rude in the way he had taken in her appearance; he had only been hoping to remember her clearly as someone he had met and spoken with from the neighboring pack.

He absorbed the information, storing both names for later use. Vigilante sincerely hoped that he would meet both Savina and Anu at some point in time, just as he hoped to make better acquaintance of Dawali in AniWaya. He felt that it was important to make acquaintances where Jacquez had not. "How long has Crimson Dreams been a pack in this area? Cour des Miracles is just under a year old now, by a few days. Our former King simply disappeared, and as the third-in-command, I stepped into his rank. Now, I am trying to learn things where he did not," he admitted.

<3 300+ words.

"He was a sailor at heart, and the fact that he stayed on land for so long surprised more than a few of us," he said. Vigilante was not concerned about Jacquez, where he had gone, or whether or not he was in good health. Realizing that their King was gone had not been a surprise, and he supposed he had expected it. The only part that had bothered him so incredibly was that the former King had not said a single word to Ruri, and Vigilante had seen the distress she had gone through, and was still dealing with. That was unforgivable, in the new King's mind. "I am sure that he is fine, wherever it is that he ended up." He did not speak it, but he also suspected that the pack was much better off now with a sturdy King, as well.

Vigilante was glad to hear that he seemed appropriate for the role of King to someone outside of the pack. He wanted to seem capable and able, even if he was still nervous about the idea. That was part of the reason that he had ventured to Crimson Dreams. He doubted Jacquez had ever made much of an attempt at forging relationships with the other packs, and he intended to do so. "Thank you," he said humbly. "Admittedly, I'm a bit nervous, but I am glad to hear that I seem to be doing well." He paused, contemplating the question that had formed in the back of his mind from what she had said earlier about coming and going in the pack. "I do not mean to pry, and I hope I am not out of line in asking, but I can't help but wonder. If something has pulled you away from this place before, do you think it will again? Or have you found a new reason to stay?"

Sorry, I've been neglecting Mister Haskel here. :< 500+ words.

Vigilante suspected that what she said was true, regardless of whether or not she had been in the position before. A pack was very much like its leader, as a leader was meant to represent the pack and hold its members together. He hoped that he was able to present a good image to both his pack members and those that met a member of his pack on the outside. "It is good advice, at any rate," he said. The caramel-colored King did not know what to make of her tone when she said that, but he did consider the words helpful. He had never expected to help lead a pack, and he had certainly never expected to lead a pack of dogs and mutts. Despite this, he did, and that was all that mattered. He needed to be a good leader for the pack that had been dropped on him, the pack he loved.

"I think it is a bit of both," he admitted. "There were—are—members of my pack that loved him very much. My Dauphine, my subleader, was raised by him. She was distraught by his leaving, because he did not say a word to her. He left his daughter without a word. I suppose I am looking to understand why, though I know that no one could tell me the answer but Jacquez himself. This is just me looking for possible explanations, I suppose." There was more to it than that, but Vigilante did not know how or what to put into words. The Haskel dog mutt could not imagine simply up and leaving his pack, but he had left his family quite some time ago in Kaktowik.

The circumstances had been different then. The pack he had been born and raised in had been nothing like the packs here. After the death of his sister, his only family members left had been his parents, his nieces, and his nephew. They would not have forgiven him. There had been more distant relatives—cousins, aunts, uncles, those sorts of family members. They were not the type of family members he could not imagine leaving. They would not miss him. It was different in the case of close family members, like Ruri and Jacquez's daughter, Jontae. He was not able to understand the former King's actions now, and he supposed he never would.

Lifting his eyes to meet her gaze once again, Vigilante offered her his usual calm smile. "I believe I should be going soon. I do not want to leave for too long of a period of time. It has been a pleasure speaking with you, Ghita." He now had more knowledge of the neighboring pack, and perhaps he had managed to get a bit more insight as to Jacquez's actions. He was not certain of this, but he thought that if he gave it a bit more thought, he would be able to see a bit of reason behind the former King's disappearance. The fact that he had left was not the problem. Vigilante did not understand why he had not said good-bye to anyone, had not officially turned the pack over to him.

You can post again or have it closed up. I enjoyed this thread! 300+ words.

His life had started out scripted, and everything he had done had been planned and thought out in advance. Vigilante had not been given many choices when he was a young dog, and for some, that might have caused them to wander often and not want to be tied down. The opposite was true for Vigilante. He had come to this area because it was far away from his birth pack and so that he could settle down and have a family and a normal life. He had a small family now, though he was not as progressed in that as he had originally hoped for. He had a lot more now. Not only did he have a pack, but he was the King. The pack relied on him extremely, and he felt right knowing that he would be there for the pack. It was still strange, though, something he had never expected to have.

There were questions galore that could be asked about Jacquez's disappearance, and while Vigilante was glad to have gotten more insight as to why the former King would have simply left without a word, it would not do him any good to spend much more time dwelling on it. "I suppose you are right. Perhaps my pack and I are better off not knowing his reason. I know we will survive, regardless, and I hope that those that were close to him feel at ease soon." The only real stake he had in Jacquez's absence was the fact that he now led the pack and some members would miss their former King immensely. Vigilante would need to handle that delicately.

He offered her a smile as he stood, preparing himself for the journey home. Ghita had been a joy to talk to, and Vigilante had learned something over the course of their visit. He was glad that he had made the journey to Crimson Dreams. "I will be sure to do that, and the same goes for you, if you happen to be in the area of Cour des Miracles any time. I hope to see you again, ghita," he said with a smile, turning and beginning his walk back home.