Word Count :: 300 OOC :: Hey guys!

His belly was full of mink, a wonderful delicacy, as he made his way slowly back to the den site. His mind however was not as content as his stomach, and it roiled as he thought over the happenings of the previous day. Terra was still back at the den, recovering under Deuce’s hand and Shadowfangs watch. He had decided she would only stay as long as it would take for her to move on her own, then Shadow would escort her back to the Court and tell them of what had happened. Zalen was glad her life had been spared, but at what cost? She had been slandering New Dawn’s name, as he had learned from Adonia the day before. He didn’t like it, but what could he do now? He would not put the healing coyote out in the cold.

Just as he exited the forest to come upon the den site, a call rang out in the distance. He stopped, regal head turning to listen to it. Then he turned back to the mouth of the den, outside of which the newly accepted Noah lay chewing a bone. Zalen looked at him for a moment, the tip of his tail just twitching in a wag. He knew he had hurt Noah, and was unsure of how to build the relationship between them again, but he knew he had to do something.

Walking up to the gray male he greeting him with a soft bump of his muzzle to Noah’s, Would you like to accompany me to the borders to see who calls? He asked, his tail wagging with a little more fervor. It would be nice to have the male accompany him, it would give them a chance to talk, or just be together, on friendlier terms.

Word Count :: 480 OOC :: Sorry bout the wait!

Zalen nearly jumped when Noah shied away from his touch, for a split second believing the once Omega was going to lash out of him. But then the male’s timid voice asked that Zalen not touch him, and the Alpha’s ears laid down pathetically against his dark head. Noah’s words struck him across the heart with a knife, and while Zalen still knew that his decision to punish the male were just and founded, he still could not help but feel a semblance of shame for the mental suffering of his pack-mate.

With a sigh Zalen nodded when Noah stood; the male didn’t seem to want to come along, but Zalen would have him come regardless; there could not be such tension between them, and the Alpha knew the more time they spent together the better the healing process would become. But he knew that it would be some time yet before the gray male trusted him again.

The trek to the borders was done in silence, not so much because of what had been said but because Zalen did not know what else to say. Instead, he trotted next to his companion at a respectful distance and pace; the male’s gait was lopsided due to his missing a leg, and therefore Zalen had to slow down somewhat to accommodate him.

Soon, the figure who had called them arrived in their vision; it was a Luperci female, and a stunning one at that with her golden brown fur. Zalen’s stance changed from a relaxed one to dominance like the flip of a switch; it was only after doing so that he noticed the hitch in Noah’s pace. He glanced over at his pack-mate and saw the look of recognition in his eyes; he then turned to the female; if there was an recognition there, she hid it well.

The female bowed subtly and smiled at Zalen in a way that made his fur stand on end; it was the smile of a vixen, a succubus. Zalen knew that some females were this way, and that perhaps this one was soon to start her cycle, so he thought nothing of it. Besides, he had a beautiful mate waiting for him back at the den, and her beauty was beyond compare.

She introduced herself as Willow, and that she had come to fulfill her curiosity about New Dawn. This was the norm as of late with newcomers at the borders, and she did not smell of any other pack, so Zalen was not bothered by her inquiry, Well met Willow, I am Zalen Damaichu, Alpha of New Dawn upon who’s borders you stand. And this is Noah, my pack-mate. What questions do you seek answer? His exchange in words was polite, for he had yet to learn why exactly it was that this femme was standing at the cusp of his territory.

Word Count :: 242 OOC :: .

Zalen's olive eyes did not miss any of the emotions that ran through the stranger, Willow’s face. He was adept at reading the emotions of others’, it was a skill he had acquired from a young age, after his mother had died. He hoped, that her mental roulette wheel would settle on a fairer, happy emotion; but it was not to be so.

The face that had been sweet and flirtatious a moment before then twisted into a look of dark disapproval rooted in memories. The female rose then, and spat out venomous words at Noah, followed quickly by a sugar coated apology. She then said that she wished to learn more about these lands, and let on to where she had come from, a place where assassins were born.

Zalen’s ears sat high and forward on his head and he stared the woman down, even though she stood above him, The wolves here respect each other and do not take kindly to outsiders speaking as you have to my brother, He licked his black lips then, letting white teeth show momentarily, I don’t know of this Catalyst of which you speak, but if the young there are bred to be assassins, and it spawns such wolves as yourself, then I assure you, yes it is much different from New Dawn. His normally green eyes turned icy then, and his hackles raised, though he did not make any outward threat besides this.

Word Count :: 389 OOC :: My last post here.

Zalen didn’t speak when Noah did, though the gray man’s words were harsh and not what Zalen had hoped his pack mate to say. He had hoped instead that the male would have taken the higher road of grace, but it seemed whatever past there was between he, this girl who was his sister, and his mother and father, was too deep and painful for there to be peace now. The girl retorted with her own venom, though she made sure to show physical respect to Zalen.

The Alpha turned his eyes back to the girl, Truth is difficult to define. Like the morning dove it slinks away into the mist. Do not put blame upon Noah for his beliefs, his life is very much different from your own. He as well should not believe you a liar, for your past may dictate a different truth.

Zalen’s posture relaxed then; he knew that all of their actions now were based on pure emotion; there was no reason when it came to the transgressions of the past. He let out a sigh; it seemed that the members of this family could not forgive, or that it took them a very long time to. Zalen wasn’t even sure if Noah and his mother had made up after the fight he had broken up between them. Willow, though rough around the edges, would have made an excellent addition to New Dawn, but Zalen could not rightfully lend her entry if it was to cause such a commotion between his current pack mates.

Zalen shifted on large black paws, I am sorry our first meeting had to be this way, but I cannot speak with you any longer as long as my pack brother is so upset, and you the same way. Take some time to consider what to do now that you know your brother is here, and then seek me out again. In the meantime, Zalen glanced over at his Subordinate, Noah should consider how he feels about your appearance, and discuss it with his mother. I do not know all the details of what has happened in your family, but surely all transgressions can be forgiven, if all parties would just choose to do so.

Then with a flick of his tail the dark male turned, Fair thee well, Willow.