Word Count: 534

It had been rather apparent, in the last few days, that things were changing. Inferni’s member population had swelled—including, to his surprise, a number of old faces he did not expect. Ryan’s daughter, Corona, that strange fellow from the southwest (he was not from Scintilla, as originally thought). Less happily, his former brother, Vitium, had made his presence know. The bastard weasel-wolf had gone to Haku Soul, this Gabriel knew, and he hoped (oh how desperately he hoped) that the blue eyed devil would find no patience in the Lykoi and save Gabriel the trouble of cutting him down himself.

Anselm had accepted Gabriel’s offer, and now formed the third part of the leadership that they needed. Having someone who served as eyes and ears for Gabriel was a great help, and he knew from experience that there was no better choice for this then Anselm. Likewise, the other trio of the clan had been completed—Snake had recently proven himself worthy of the rank Gabriel had been grooming him for (without much direct influence, though) by saving Vieira from a Dahlian wolf. There was no doubt in his mind that she had made the right decision, and was glad that they now had their war party completed.

Having finally managed to take one of the short naps that he so often desired, Gabriel had woken not long ago and was currently spending a few minutes doing something he so rarely got to do—relax. The darkness of his den was comfortable, and laying on his side the coy-wolf was allowing his mind to go blank. Though he had once kept this place orderly, the loss of both his mate and his children had left Gabriel with more space then he himself needed. He had burnt everything that belonged to Faolin, and Ezekiel had only stayed during the several month healing process following his attack. Rikka’s recent attack had required care, but Gabriel was only able to do so much for her, and found the Mansion was best for that. At least there, she was in a semi-clean environment, and had constant eyes around.

A coyote yap from outside called for his attention, and Gabriel pushed himself up from the pile of blankets and fur he was laying on. The mouth of his den was small, and just large enough for a canine his size to crawl in and out. It was not as uncomfortably cold as he had thought it might be, but it was still early and the sun was up. Most often, Gabriel kept his patrols to night shift, assuming Haku and his followers wouldn’t have the gall to cross the borders in daylight. The packed snow under his feet barely crunched as he made his way out to the slope near his den, and spotted Snake not far from where he stood. Advancing down this small drop, he closed the distance between them and wagged his tail once in a friendly manner before speaking. “Snake,” he greeted, looking up to the boy. Though it might seem peculiar for a leader to look up at one of his warriors, Gabriel did not hold such wolfish ideas highly. “You need something?”

Word Count: 502

The ritualistic manner of speaking that Snake used was peculiar to Gabriel, because he was not used to being addressed in such a manner. Inferni had never followed a strict hierarchy, especially when it came to warriors. From what Gabriel could remember, until he had reformed the ranks there hadn’t even been a direct route for any sort of warriors. Everyone haphazardly battled wolves and rose when there was a need for it, but there was no position specifically dedicated to training their coyotes to fight. While two of the current Hydra were young, they had proven themselves enough to earn the title. Now, with war at their heels, they would need to prove not only to Gabriel and the rest of the Legatus, but Inferni as a whole, that they were worthy of such a rank.

Snake spoke tactically, something Gabriel’s mind processed with ease. He was made for such talk—raised on it through two wars. Scintilla had been full of those who spoke shortly and talked more with fang and claw then voice. The few who did not were healers, those who rarely saw direct combat unless it came to them. Eli and Jezebel, Gabriel’s closest companions, had both been healers—and both had only been drawn into combat when wolves slipped through defenses. Still, their place was not on the front line, and Gabriel was certain that his was. Because of this, he made his way to their co-leader rank, and had begun speaking in the same short, tactical speech that produced results. The Scintilla coyotes were smaller, and their hybrids mixed with more wild dog blood then wolves, but they fought in manners unlike the wolves coming down from the north. They weren’t used to the way the coyotes came at them—striking hard and fast, and retreating into the desert. The wolves thought they would be dealing with wolves, and were even further unprepared for the desert landscape they walked into. It was something that came with any invasion, and was why Gabriel had henceforth avoided rushing into Dahlia de Mai; he was ignorant of the landscape.

Underground was not safe, as Snake had realized. Gabriel had seen such things with prairie dogs, scrambling for cover. As complex as their dens were, two coyotes could flush them out. One dug, one waited on the other end of the tunnel. Most of the caves within Inferni were not connected, and if they fled to these their backs would be against the wall. The last thing Gabriel wanted was to be starved out by a wolf pack. The newest Hydra’s suggestion of their retreat point being the mountains was greeted with raised ears. “That’s an excellent observation,” he commended, nodding smartly. “The mountainside is tricky, so it’s unlikely anyone unfamiliar with the area would be able to catch someone retreating. The thing is,” he continued, eyes darkening as his mind began spinning with possibilities. “We’d need to figure out where exactly to go. Got time for a trip?”

Word Count: 632

Had there been a need for Gabriel to bully the smaller coyotes that followed him, he would have failed in his duty as a leader. It was his job, and his personal mission, to ensure that Inferni and those who called the clan home were able not only to survive but do so without bickering over food and asinine rank structures that belonged to their cousins. Gabriel had never believed that coyotes would be able to exist under these means, having seen how ineffective such things were even under the reign of wolves. Between his siblings, there had been a very prominent struggle for dominance, but this was likely due to the fact that their blood was so thick with wolf genes. Gabriel and Baneesh, specifically, had spent most of their time battling for who was superior—displayed through acts of bravery that all too often almost got them killed. The eight siblings had split into pairs early on, something that served them well…save of course, when they ended up with half of the pair being killed.

The journey towards the upper corner of Inferni was uneventful, given that with the amount of stragglers drawn in by the promise of war Inferni’s borders were constantly watched. Even Vieira had tried to do this (from what Gabriel had gathered). While the north face of Inferni was bordered by rather angry looking mountains, there was a great deal more use in them then suspected. With the amount of goats around, especially given all the larger predators that had once lived across the mountains were gone, there would be a great food supply that was largely untapped except by the coyotes of the Waste. Gabriel knew of the one path that led across, and between the two areas, but he had not considered it for their purpose. It cut sharply through the mountains, and left them with high walls on either side that could be exploited.

His younger companion’s voice rose up, and Gabriel nodded at the suggestion. Snake thought in terms that Gabriel understood, and he thought without the need to prove anything to Gabriel, or any figure of authority. The boy behaved as his duties demanded, and he did these well. A small part of the green eyed youth reminded Gabriel of his son, whom he sorely wished would have been around in order to meet this boy, who would have been the perfect training partner for him. Ezekiel’s size often put him at odds with his much larger father, and while he was able to hold his own against Gabriel, having someone who would be able to not only to match his son not only physically but mentally would have been a gift.

Pushing any thought of this away, Gabriel made his way towards the small cut and surrounding area that had been Inferni’s path to the Waste. “When we came here, after the fire, I brought Inferni through the pass I used coming home.” There it was—a small area that was now overgrown around the entrance. Gabriel approached it, and lowered his head in order to use his much broader shoulders to push through the bushes that had grown up in the past two years (three? He couldn’t remember). A stream must have once cut through the area, but since it had long since dried up there was only the semi-rocky, weaving trail that led through the mountainside. “I wouldn’t want to use this,” he said, turning to look up around them. “But it’s an option to keep in mind.” Still, the threat of the snow (which was piled up around them) coming down was enough to convince him otherwise. “Let’s head out and try looking for the way the goats travel, one of their paths might work for us.”

Word Count: 325

The idea of traps and physical borders had been something Gabriel had not been entirely behind. He had seen them used in Utah, and considered them often too dangerous to have around his own members. There had been once incident where a young coyote had got his foot caught in a trap high up in the barrens. Panic ad instinctively set in, and the boy had, after a few hours, ended up chewing off his own foot. When he had staggered back into the Scintilla camp, crying, in shock, there had been a discussion over what to do when it came to such a fact. Their leaders had decided, for the good of everyone, to keep them up. One boy losing one hand was not enough for them to change what had been keeping them safe for months.

Snake seemed to agree with his assessment of the mountain pass, and as they advanced, Snake and Gabriel both began to follow the scent trails. Goats had a strong, overpowering scent, and besides their obvious paths and droppings, this was enough to follow. One ear turned to the boy’s voice, but Gabriel did not speak a response aloud, instead nodding shortly before he continued ahead. Four legs moved cautiously up the snowy pass, aware that there was the possibility for ice and loose rocks to come afoot and send one or both of them to a painful fall. After seeing what his son had gone through with his broken ribs, Gabriel certainly didn’t want to go through that. Especially when they were at war.

After climbing the path for a few feet, Gabriel spared a glance behind him. They were starting to gain height on the path, and he was pleased to see it wasn’t as rocky as he thought. Still, they had a long way to go. Seeing Snake keeping pace with him, Gabriel turned back ahead, and continued to make his way up the mountain.

Word Count: 526

Given his size, Gabriel rarely moved faster then a doggish trot. He had gained thirty pounds since Inferni had crossed over the mountain, and it showed—most of this was muscle, worked constantly by training and physical activity. He was able to given an adult wolf more then a run for his money, and could no doubt overpower any of the Inferni members (save Anselm, given that his cousin had more wolfish blood and was equally as large). At one hundred and fifty pounds, Gabriel was more then though to take on a wolf…save of course, his opponents often fought in Secui form, which made even oversized Gabriel look like a coyote when he fought with them. Of course, until the promise of war had been brought along, there had been no need to consider the serious weight different between his coyotes and their wolfish cousins.

Likewise, Gabriel’s speed was affected by the thick, knotted scar on his left shoulder. It was not something that he considered such a handicap, but the fact of the matter was after too much work it would ache. There had not yet been a time it had given out since the first (when he had run after the Storm wolf and collapsed just a few miles outside of Inferni’s borders). Since then, he had been careful. Still, the wound was a target, and one that an intelligent opponent would exploit. All of his training had been focusing on overcoming the handicap, which he had been doing slowly, and making progress on the more it became his singular attention.

Now that the Hydra had gained three heads, there would be no shortage of training between the three coyotes and their respective leaders. Even now, Snake and Gabriel were performing duties that would bond them closer to one another as far as their ranks allowed, and this was a job that needed done. One ear flicked, and his head followed the direction in which Snake was alluding to. There was indeed a small perch, probably enough for two or three coyotes to fit comfortably. It would certainly be useful, though there was no doubt in the Aquila’s mind that with the size of the mountains, somewhere perfect had to exist.

Turning his body, the coy-wolf eyed up the pass ahead. It was narrowing, which would certainly slow any wolves chasing after them. Even Gabriel, with his large body and wide paws, had to slow in order to keep his balance. As he climbed up and around, one hind leg slipped, and Gabriel instinctively began to scramble, claws digging into the snow and rock beneath. He found his footing after a moment of panic, and panting, grinned over at his newest Hydra. “Well, if I can’t make it up, no wolves are going to either,” he said, an obvious humor in the idea. If it came down to it, Gabriel would have no qualm about staying behind in order to ensure his family survived. This was why he slowly slid back down to a flatter area, and motioned with his nose. “You try and get up, see if there’s anything up that direction.”

Word Count: 511

The fact of the matter was, no one had come to Inferni perfect. Gabriel had seen dozens of young people stagger into the borders, sickly or starving, and seen them grow strong. Inferni forced children to grow up, and gave coyotes the strength and the training they needed in order to survive. This perhaps explained why so many of their members often left after they became healthy. Coyotes, solitary by nature, would abandon the idea of a hierarchy once they were able to fend for themselves. Having now established themselves, Inferni was either a passing polestar or a position for those who were strong enough to survive to call home.

Snake had the instinct to come to his side, but he did not move to assist him once Gabriel gained his footing. The boy’s lack of humor suggested that he did not even consider the fact that Gabriel, and the larger members of Inferni, would likely stay behind in order to maintain a wall of defense if things came down to it. Gabriel had to run from Haku Soul once, and he would not run again. Focusing his attention back onto the green eyed boy as he made his way up the thin path, Gabriel studied the way he climbed and how he made it up. Snake was larger than any of the coyotes in the clan, and certainly, even if Gabriel and Anselm could not make it up the mountain, Kaena, Hybrid, and their like-sized members would be able to do such a thing.

Snake’s head appeared back above the slope, and Gabriel nodded, but otherwise said nothing. This time, he made a point to follow his younger companion’s steps, traveling slowly and deliberately. This time, he didn’t disturb too many loose stones, and eventually made it up onto the ridge and the plateau above. A wolf in pursuit would not be able to make that climb, which would give the coyotes ample time to escape if need be. Once atop their new discovery, Gabriel mimicked Snake’s earlier pattern and circled the ridge, finding that the view was indeed rather encompassing. While they would not be able to see anything specifically, they would be able to see movement against the snow—which they could now, though the figures were indistinguishable from one or another.

If only Marlowe was here, they would never have to worry about keeping constant vigilance like this. Turing his attention away from the area and to the paths around them, Gabriel found that it would indeed be terribly difficult for any pursuit to come quickly. From up here, even someone as small and useless and Vieria would be able to stand their ground against a grown wolf. Hell, if they managed to gather some stones, they’d have a ready arsenal at their disposal—a few swift hands would be enough to injure, or seriously debilitate any unwelcomed pursuit. “Well, we can see the territory from up here, which is ideal. If I can’t get up here easily, no wolf is going to be able to either.”

With Snake’s confirmation, Gabriel nodded shortly, but his focus turned out to the southern borders. They were high enough up that Dahlia de Mai could be seen in the distance, but their thick woods hid most of what was visible from view. They would never be able to see the wolves coming, even if they sat up here from this day on. Haku would strike, and he would strike in whichever way would make him more likely to win. Gabriel knew Haku soul more then he liked to admit, and knew how his war would come.

Dropping his gaze back to the coyote, Gabriel saw what he was focusing on and felt the same doubt rise in his chest. “Let’s see if there’s an easier way down,” he offered, moving towards the area that branched off towards their old territory. Though Gabriel did not intend to use this path, especially given his personal dealing with the fire over the mountain, if it came down to it they would need an easy escape route. Though the one straight back was rather sharp, and precarious, as he walked around the bordering mountainsides he spotted something that seemed to slope towards Drifter Bay. Approaching it, Gabriel began to slowly try and make his way down this route, which was not as vertical as the previous climb and allowed for him to move with ease further west, all the while moving down through the cut formed next to their newfound plateau lookout point.

Truth be told, there was nothing exciting about the journey down to Drifter Bay. Their pace was easy and taken in silence, something that was not uncomfortable between the two. By nature, Gabriel was not prone to bouts of frivolous speech. Luckily, Snake had proven himself to be much the same. When they touched down in Drifter Bay, the charcoal brushed Aquila and his sandy companion were essentially finished with the task at hand. That was why Gabriel was surprised by the boy’s voice, and turned his head to the sound. It took the four year old a moment to realize what Snake was speaking of, and once he did, his eyes narrowed slightly. This was not an aversive reaction, but one he could not help.

“You don’t see them much up here,” he responded, having not seen a cross since his return from Scintilla (except on Jezebel, but he attributed her presence with the southern clan). One ear turned at a noisy gull, but the bird was dismissed quickly. “Do you know where she was from?” He asked, curious about the woman now. He had never expected the very short spoken and very militaristic Snake to open up on such matters, and a large part of him wanted to know more because it seemed like such a rare chance.