Necessity and duty weighed heavily on him as if it were a mountain that was constantly being built up. He wanted to be there with his little love but he had had to leave. About two weeks ago he had told his master that he had to go and that he would be back as soon as he possibly could. With that he had told the cherub where he had hidden some food in a cool, dark place so as to hold the food for as long as possible before he left with a final regretful sigh. But as much as it was regretful this was something that he absolutely needed to do. He needed to prove to the pack, himself, and Bastion that he could do something right and that he could be of great use to the pack if only he was applied correctly. And so with that he had set out, pausing briefly to talk with a Sapienza hopeful before he continued on, being sure to take their modes of contacting him to heart. He would be contacted by them if he was to get a rank but first he had other things to do, things that he could not avoid doing any longer. He had been stalling because he didn’t want to be away from his master for too long but the sooner that he went out the sooner that he would be able to get back to him. That he would have to cling to.

Eyes blinked open against the dappled sun from the land that he had called home for the past two weeks, being sure to bathe every day and clean his clothing every day as well, not for hygienic purposes but rather for the lack of a scent. He needed to get rid of all the scents from Salsola and had done that, now having only the scent of his new home, the land of the Oasis on his body. Standing up slowly, he started on his daily ritual, slowly unbinding his side before he quickly slipped into the water, drawing his clothing in with him so that he could wash it with him. Within a few minutes he was done and he looked around, being sure that no one was there before he got up, clutching at his side where his Salsola mark was, just in case someone was around. He stood up on the bank before he quickly dried himself off with a dry batch of leaves before he sat down and immediately bound his rib cage. On the opposite side of his ribs was a long scratch that he had made the other day. He did that in order to have an excuse to bind his side and so far it looked as though it was healing perhaps a bit too quickly. Idly he toyed with the idea of making a new one on his skin, and he reached for his knife, folding it over in his hands. It was something that would have to be done if he wasn’t able to find someone from Ichika no Hoen. Today was the last day that he would try to find one here. If he couldn’t find a member around here, he would slice himself and walk into the pack lands themselves but that was a dangerous gesture.

The arbiter hung up his clothing after he finished binding himself, and then turned around and started to get to work on what he had to do to get himself comfortable. Reaching for some sticks, he started to start himself a fire, putting in some wet wood in order to increase the smoke in the air. It choked him but not only did it bring attention to his location but it also helped to wrap him up in a scent that clung to him and blocked out most other scents so it was a two for one deal. He went to go and get some more sticks to increase the warmth so that he could dry himself and his clothing off before he came back and sat down in front of the fire, taking a seat on a fallen tree. The oasis was a pretty place and he had come to rather like it here. But this place was not his own and he rather wanted to go back to his home and go back to the one man in his life that he actually wanted to see. But this kind of suited him, having been so long a loner. Fingers touched the brand on the back of his neck as he sat there naked for a long time, watching the fire as it crackled. Suddenly though he thought that he heard something and he frowned, looking up suddenly, feeling as if something wasn’t quite right. ”Hello? Who’s there?” He called out into the open, his hearing straining to catch even the slightest motion that there really was someone else out there and that he wasn’t going crazy. One good eye looked out over the land that he was in, closing his bad eye so as to not let it get in the way, his remaining eye taking over as he swiveled his head, his ears flicking, both his good ear and his bad at the same time. Clothing was the furthest thing from his mind at the moment as instinctively he clutched at his blade, waiting to see who answered his call. If anyone did that is.

Perhaps it would be easier if he were just to call for the other pack but that would make it seem too obvious. So in this way he acted as though he was just out and happened to pick up the wrong kind of branches to put it in the fire. Survivalist instincts were none too happy that he was doing something like this, something that would obviously pull the ire from the pack that lived around here but he just hoped that he didn’t make someone too angry and he made sure to keep the flame low enough and in control so that he wouldn’t set the oasis area on fire. He had been unaware if there was anyone around this area but he figured that if someone was even within remote distance they would see his signal fire and would come to see what it was that was plaguing their precious forest. It was nice here though and he wouldn’t mind staying out here for a little while longer but something was pulling at him and more than once he found himself turning back towards the direction that he knew Salsola to be in. His trail had been covered up over the past couple of weeks by rain and other animals, blocking off all signs that he had come from that way which was what he liked to know. He needed to do this perfectly so that he could return with his head held even higher and so that he could get the kind of recognition that he needed from both the upper echelons of Salsolan society and from his master as well. But more than anything he wanted to go back home to his master.

The scent was one that he didn’t know, an oddity for the high-ranking male. To him that meant one thing. He had attracted one of the members of the pack that he was trying to reach and he had to fight to keep his lips from curling back in a celebratory ghost of a smile. He didn’t smile often but he did appreciate it when his plans came to fruition. The male knew that he was nothing pretty to look at which was partially why he was so good at his job. He looked like something straight out of a horror movie but he was actually not quite as evil as he looked. It only happened to be that way from his time as a captive. One thing he was worried about though. He had been long enough with his rank that he was expecting others to at least show him some kind of respect but now that he was out here he had to act like a lone, act as though he didn’t have a home to go to. In a way his two weeks away helped to prepare him for this day. It taught him to revert back to his survival ways, the ways of a rogue wolf. It wasn’t comfortable and it certainly wasn’t ideal but right now this was all that he could ask for and hopefully the impromptu teaching would aid him.

Finally the figure emerged, a rather terrifying beast himself and Janos put his head down right away, allowing his defensive posture to fall as he looked at the ground, quite the submissive gesture from one that seemed as though he had no pack much less a rank. With the question, he looked back at the smoky flames before he nodded his head slowly, cautiously. He didn’t want to raise this new male’s ire but he did want to and need to get into his good graces. ”Yes, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize that the wood was not good for burning well. I have been here for a while and had been using dried wood but it’s all gone,” he said with a mock exasperated sigh. ”You seem to be upset. Am I trespassing on your territory?” He asked, cautiously approaching the subject. Like any rogue he could have wandered into someone’s territory and not known it. And like any rogue if he was trespassing there could be serious consequences so for all intents and purposes he probably would seem to be just a cautious male. Scars were outstanding on his skin, the new overlaying the old, the newest wrapped up by his bandage that wrapped around his ribs, hiding both his Salsola marking and his self-given wound from view. He was still cautious, not turning his back on the dark-hued male but who could blame him? He turned his head to the side a little, making sure to keep the new male in his good eye’s line of sight, fixing him with his crystal gaze. His ears continued to search for sounds around him in case someone was approaching but his main focus of attention was on the male in front.

He didn’t want any trouble with Jaden and so was glad when the other didn’t seem to be too hostile towards him, something that made him relax a little but not too much. He knew that if he relaxed too much then he could slip and a common rogue wouldn’t be here being all fine and relaxed around someone that they didn’t know so he was being extra careful around him. The words made him give a light nod of his head. He had figured that this wasn’t the other male’s land but it was nice to at least be able to confirm it. Looking around with the mentioning of how beautiful the place was, he stepped back a little bit and motioned towards the smoky fire with a wave of his hand paw. ”Please come and take a seat. Hopefully the smoke will die down soon. I caught some fish the other day would you like to have a bite of food?” He offered the other, hoping to come across as much more friendly and open than he normally was. This wasn’t the way that he normally worked but he had to get some things figured out and he couldn’t do that if Jaden was looking at him like he was contemplating where to bite him first after all. Hopefully it wouldn’t come down to fighting either. Janos could hold his own in a brawl but it would be a huge setback for his mission and it was one that he didn’t want to fail after all.

He made sure to keep his head down and his eyes out of the line of sight from his new companion, making sure to always keep his head much lower than Jaden’s. His scars really were from a bad past, from years of being tortured and abused in captivity when he spent his life as a slave. So gathering information like this was easy for him, gathering in a way that was both respectful and didn’t garner any unnecessary attention to himself. Finally the other spoke of his pack and he felt a thrill move through his body. Ah he had found his target pack at long last. Even though he had had an inkling of the truth, being told that it was the way that he had thought was definitely something that helped to soothe him. Jaden then questioned him on his reasoning behind coming here and he could sense that he was entering into very dangerous territory right now. He wanted the truth but he also didn’t want to seem to be too forward. ”The truth is that I’m interested in joining a pack. Can you tell me a little bit about Inchika no Ho-en?” He asked him, hoping to sound hopeful, but cautiously optimistic as a rogue might when he finally hoped to have found a home among the pack lands and the camaraderie between the wolves of the pack. It was something that he hoped wouldn’t be seen through because this was the first person from Ichika that he had met and he wasn’t going to take any chances. He needed to get information out of him.

Perhaps he should have toned things down but he was just doing things the best way that he knew how. He invited the other closer to try to show good will, to prove that he wasn’t going to jump him in case something wrong was said. Honestly he thought that this way better so little did he know the other’s mind was working. Janos looked up at Jaden through his half-blind eyes, trying and failing to discern what he was thinking. It was maddening when he tried to figure someone out but he couldn’t. He hadn’t been able to do so with his master for the longest time but now he was happy to say that he could figure him out. But new people were an enigma to him and there were those that made him nervous to be around. But nerves made for slipping up and also made for a quick, sudden death so he was sure to monitor his feelings, keeping his emotions in check both to avoid slipping and to avoid letting the other know that he was nervous. So he made extra care to keep his body regulated so as to not let on his feelings. He was hyper aware that he was being watched though so he tried to keep as low a profile as possible. Well it only mattered that he be sure to keep himself neutral enough to get through this discussion. He would then just have to get out of the situation before he was found out.

He went to sit down after offering him some of his fish, doing his best to seem non assuming and open. ”Okay I just thought that I’d offer,” he said as he looked over at him, watching him as he came to sit down by him, being sure to keep his head a little lower than the other’s head. Nodding his head softly as he was questioned, he gave a thoughtful sound, knowing that he’d have to pick his words carefully so as to avoid being called out on anything that didn’t make sense for him to answer. For this though, he felt that he could use his looks and how haggard he was to work it to his advantage. ”Okay well as I am sure that you can see I have had a bit of a rough start. I was held captive for a long time and tortured,” he said, so far not saying anything that was untrue, one hand coming up to rest over his side where the large cut that he had done to himself was barely healing, some of the edges seen over the top of the bandage. ”I have been wandering around for a while but my past has left me admittedly wary of large amounts of others. Is Ichika no Hoen a large pack? How are the leaders, are they mean?” He asked, putting a bit of unease into his voice. He hoped that his unease would come across as understandable given his past and that he would raise no undue questions.

In that way the two males were like brothers in arms, forced to carry on living with the burdens of life and the knowledge that what they did was both unforgiveable and unable to be changed now that it was there. He had had to do many atrocities himself even though not all ended with him having to kill the other person. Sometimes it was far more cruel to let the person live with the knowledge of what had happened to them just as it was so cruel for them to keep Janos alive for that long. His story wasn’t entirely false that he had told Jaden and his mannerisms seemed to be helping him along. He was glad that this male seemed to be one to readily accept his story and part of him was sorry for deceiving the other so with his kind, outstretched hand but for his pack, his cherub, and his own status in the pack he had to do what he had to do which included talking to Jaden like this and pulling the wool over his eyes just long enough for him to get some information that he needed before he would have to find some way out of the situation that he had found himself in. But first things were first. If he thought too far ahead he realized that he tended to over think some things and make things worse for him in the end so he tried to keep living in the moment in a way.

Jaden began to speak again, and the male tilted his head at him so that he could see him better and he gave a little bow of his head in acquiescence to the words. ”Thank you for your kind words,” he said with a little smile. Hearing the words, he nodded his head, stowing away the words. He had no doubt that the Salsolan leaders knew of the combining of two packs so he needed something different, something that no one else would have known. And then Jaden revealed the numbers and so to hide a sudden burst of glee, he nodded his head as if he were listening, his face a mask unable to be penetrated as he watched the other with a serious look on his face. It was as if his lips were frozen in the way that they were and he was unable to smile happily anymore. More than just his pride and virtue had been taken from him when he was captive. Ears twitched to catch the words, nodding his head again. Two docile alphas, hm? More than likely Ichika was not a pack that would threaten the Salsolan way of life then. And then Jaden not only offered him a way out of the area without the other noticing but he also gave him an entrance into the pack for a while if he so wished it. But to infiltrate the ranks was not his job and he would not go too far above what was expected of him. But he would take that offer as a way to get himself out shortly. ”This may sound odd but are you a warrior pack? Like do you prefer to fight? I have seen my fair share of violence and I am looking for somewhere stable to rest. Perhaps after we talk a bit more I will take you up on your offer to see if I may come into the lands,” he said with a little nod of his head, hoping that his façade held for just a little longer until he could get what he needed and get out.

Perhaps he was odd but being odd didn’t necessarily have to be bad did it? Everyone was different in their own way and even if he seemed off he didn’t know of anyone who managed to get out of torturing being sane afterwards. Being in that state, being in that nightmare, that hell, had a tendency to change people and almost never for the better. He knew this for a fact but his life had been able to turn around with the introduction of his little master into his life. But he could sense something like the tension in the air slowly ebb away until he was left with this other male in an almost amiable sort of setting. Now that he had introduced his intentions it seemed to create a bit more of a sense of ease between them. He pushed some more wood onto the fire, the smoke much less this time with more flames and heat and he took advantage of the momentary silence to do so, finding that the solace of just being quiet was quite nice but of course it couldn’t last for long and he looked over at him, blinking and tilting his head with such happy sounds. Laughter…he had long since lost the memory of how his own true laugh sounded but oddly enough it was okay with him. This was the way that he was and he found nothing that was funny enough to make him laugh after all. Giving a slow nod of his head as the other spoke he felt a small pang of happiness run through him. He was getting the information that he needed.

”It sounds like a very nice place to live,” he said as he gave a little nod of his head, fighting with himself to smile but stopping the attempt when he realized that it simply was not going to happen and so he just let his face fall back into the rather neutral expression that he wore. He watched as the other looked over him, waiting for him to say something since most people did. Even though he had already told him the excuse for his wounds, it seemed as though this time was more contemplative than anything. Lowering his eyes a bit as he was questioned, he tried to seem submissive still, almost humble while he decided what to say. ”I could offer you my services as a warrior. Even though I have been through hell and back with the torture, it has firmed me, made me stronger, harder to break. I could offer protection. But you said that your land was one of peace. I could offer my uses then as a hunter. After I escaped I have been living this time on my own, hunting and fending for myself. It is one of the things that I didn’t lose during my imprisonment. Or could you perhaps use me better as a pup sitter? Are there many children here?” he said, finding himself to be much more chatty than he normally would be, but the words kept tumbling out and since it wasn’t really in his nature to do this often it was good for his cover.

The fire was getting warm but it was nice, his fur getting nice and toasty but it was good to keep away the chill of his very existence. Looking over at the other, he gave a light shake of his head, looking back at the flames that were dancing before he looked slowly up at the other again. ”I suppose that you could say that after a long enough time in captivity, one begins to realize the value of pups and the value of protecting that little bit of innocence,”he said as he looked over at the other in all seriousness. It was just that he had killed so many and had done so many bad things to other pups that he wanted, no needed, to atone for what he had done but that was proving to be a very tall order. But then the other continued to speak and he gave a nod of his head. He could hunt and defend…it sounded eerily similar to the job that he already held. Just thinking about that made him think about his cherub again and he felt a little pang in his heart. He was gone for far too long and he ached to get back. It was such a deep ache that he could feel it in his bones and it was threatening to overwhelm him but he did his best to keep that behind a face of steel and felt that he was doing it right for now. Janos kept his eyes on the other so he couldn’t help but see a little spark in the other’s eyes and he felt worried for a moment that he had been found out but then he assured himself and his fears were assuaged.

Jaden suddenly moved and he had to stop himself from flinching, instead making him] stay seated and keep his hackles from rising. Tilting his head as the other spoke, he acted as if the news thrilled him, which in a way it did but it wasn’t that he was excited because he would get to go into Ichika but because this meant that his requirements were fulfilled. Jaden took a step away before looking back at him and then it all came down to him. What would he want to do? He stood up slowly so as to not garner any thoughts that he was going to do something stupid like attack and he spread his arms a little, doing his best to look like he was unsure. ”Ichika sounds wonderful Jaden, and peaceful. But this dog needs a little more time to think and get over the nightmares. When I am ready though, I can come to the border and call for you right Jaden?” He asked as he gave a little tilt of his head, fixing his jacket around his shoulders, preparing to leave and go. He put out the fire with ease, making sure it was smothered before he looked back at Jaden. ”Thank you for the hospitality,” he said before he turned and loped off into the dense undergrowth, aiming to wander around for one more day then go back home after making sure that he wasn’t being followed.

[Exit Janos]