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------The sun wasn't due to rise for a few more hours, but Anselm had already slept and was moving about. The male followed no real schedule--he slept when he was tired, and woke when he was not. The day time was better for seeing, and the night-time was better for sneaking around. Thunderstorms at night could be glorious displays of nature's fury; the blue skies and songbirds of the day were a testament of beauty and tranquillity that even he could appreciate. Truly, he had no preference.
------For now, he was content--no, focused--on doing his patrols. At least twice a day he circled Inferni's entire border, scanning obsessively for signs of trespass or trouble. Although it was a lot of work, he frequently exercised anyway. The jog or lope around the perimeter was easy enough to incorporate into his daily routine. He also made a habit of going swimming at least two or three times a week, especially now that the waters were at least tolerable. In his shifted form, he would do other stretches, sit ups, pull ups, and push-ups at least once a day. Even transforming between his quadruped and bipedal states was essential to his routine--Anselm enjoyed being able to shift quickly with the practise.
------As he circled around, he caught the scent of somebody unfamiliar. Pausing, he lifted his nose and tested the air quietly before deciding what to do. [/html]
[html] sorry it took me so long! 
Quietly, the female wandered around. She had no idea what she was doing up so early, she was hungry. She had been apart of Inferni for about two or three days now and it felt great to be able to call some place home because her children lived with her now, not in the same den but they were reachable within the same clan. She was searching for something to eat but instead found herself chasing around in circles. Asphyxia wanted to just kill something, was her sense of smell that bad now? It couldn't be, she wasn't that old, even though her coat was saying otherwise, turning gray on her.
Picking a strong scent up, she followed it although it smelt like a coyote, there was a scent of wolf mixed in there somewhere. As she followed it, she found at the end of it, a coyote... she was pretty sure. He looked more like a wolf but he wreaked of Inferni. "Hello." she said in a not so friendly voice. She paused, and fixed her eyes on his, "Who are you?" Asphyxia was curious who else was there running around. Was he part of Inferni or should he not be on the lands?
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------Anselm's head whipped around to see a greying female approaching him. She stared him in the eye--a challenge and a threat in their species. Immediately he stared her down, tail raised and hackles arched high. His entire body seemed to swell and lift in size, although he kept his head just low enough to protect his throat. She smelled less like Inferni than he did, meaning she carried a lower rank and had no reason to be treating him this way. But for how much she acted like she had a right to be talking to him like this and to be there, he acted it ten times more. In his mind, he was entirely and utterly justified. "I ought to ask the same of you," he said quickly, voice low. "I don't remember seeing you at Inferni's meeting."
------Paws splayed somewhat apart, in an instinctual brace in case of attack. He made it extremely obvious that he intended to hold his ground, but he made no advances and said nothing more--for now. She at least looked older than him, which did earn her some bonus points. Those that were older were generally worth something, either directly because they had made it that far or somewhat indirectly in that they had worthwhile lessons to teach. She also smelled faintly of Faolin, so perhaps she was a new recruit. That being the case, however, why did she think she could do this? He didn't realise she had run amongst Inferni's ranks for countless days in the past--he also couldn't know she was the mother of Gabriel's mate. For now, he waited for her to respond--and hopefully to back off.
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Asphyxia kept her eyes locked with his until he started talking, she turned and moved a little off the side somewhere, "Asphyxia Holocaust, mother of Faolin Mogosti and mother in-law to Gabriel de le Poer, so you get the picture, yeah?" she looked down at her paws for a moment and realized that they had specks of grey on them, ready to run streaks until it took fully over her paw. Asphyxia didn't realize till a few moments after that the boy may have wreaked of Inferni, she forgot that meant he was a higher rank, reason for him acting all rude towards him. Usually she never apologized so she wasn't going to do it now, but she started to act more... proper around the male. She laid down where she was at and picked at her paw with her teeth until she felt interested enough to look up. "So, do you have a name or not?" not being so rude this time but wondering if the kid even had a name.
Maybe he was a secret member of the pack and did not want anyone to know it. Quickly, she didn't let her imagination run with her and she continued with her paw, glancing up every once in a while. Asphyxia was one to make the biggest mistakes ever, was she one to correct herself aloud and apologize, no. However, she was sure that the male would live and he would not need a sulky sorry from her.
The black and grey coyote breathed in the fresh air, glad there was no more smells of fire. Although, her fur smelt like burning ashes, the faint smell of fire still on her but she was planning to get that off as soon as she could. She also wreaked of booze and you could tell she was a little off, bloodshot eyes, the white parts, although they weren't noticeable with her eyes already red. Was she getting so old that she had to drink away her problems? She was rather going to die of old age, or being drunk out of her mind and doing a stupid act, leading to the death of Asphyxia, she was a strong soldier but was she enough?
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------The moments that passed were tense, but finally she looked and moved away. She offered her title and started spewing a ton of relations, which he assumed she thought justified her behaviour. To these he said nothing--he sort of hated it when others hid behind their friends and family. Obviously, he could not touch her now and she had to know this. It wasn't like he had been intending to anyway. Seldom would the red eyed wolf make the first move for exactly this reason. Knowing who stood behind an opponent could be tricky, yet of utmost importance. He could play that card too, he supposed, by offering up his last name... but hell on it. The eyes probably gave him away to someone familiar with the de le Poer line, anyway. Then again, Gabriel possessed his mother's golden gaze, so maybe it wasn't as obvious as he thought.
------Either way, her lack of apology was strangely appreciated. Pleasantries were painfully awkward to the hybrid and her physically moving away was plenty. It got the point across, and anything else on top would just be unnecessary interaction. "Anselm. Spy and scout." His name and duty was stated shortly as he continued to look her over. His hackles had fallen and his tail was in a neutral position now, but he remained where he stood and did not take a seat. He decided he couldn't blame her for acting a little strange... he didn't look like the rest of them, or even too much like a hybrid. That was the only reason he tacked on his job--she could figure it out from there.
------As for her, she stank of fire and alcohol, the latter which held no significance to him and the former which struck him as odd. Had she been separated from the group? Or had she gone off for her own reasons, like Jesile? "Do you know how many others got separated in the fire?" he inquired, simply curious as to whether or not she had some useful information for him.
"I've already met another boy who knew Inferni but was not with us," he explained. If at all possible, he'd like to avoid situations like this in the future--knowing who everyone was and so on would certainly help.
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The old female wasn't exactly sure who the hell he was, well until he said his name. Anselm sounded familiar but she couldn't throw a paw on it. Spy and scout, yeah? Well she was going to have to keep an eye on the fellow because Asphyxia was not taking any chances of slipping something out of her mouth. Why was she worrying anyways? She had nothing to hide or anything, she never really did much except drink now so why should she be scared. She just looked at him and stood back up.
Pretending to think, she then looked back at him, in not such a threatening way, "Mm...no. Well not really, I left before the fire but I was near by, just no place where anyone would find me." she sighed, "The only ones I'd notice go missing would be my family, and every single one of them are still here." she wondered if he knew that she was a self centered bitch and that the only people she cared about was her family.
Anselm already met a boy who knew Inferni? How nice... not really. With a stretch she roamed a little from where she was sitting previously and moved her paw around on the ground, making marks in a little place that had a little bit of dirt. "Sorry boy, there's not much I can really tell you at this time." [/html]
[html] http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s304 ... d/rawr.png); background-repeat:no-repeat; padding-top:160px; background-position:top center; background-color:#FEFEFE"> Whoops, wrong account. >>;
------So far as his duties to Inferni were concerned, he was to spy on the wolves in the budding packs nearby. So far as his duties to himself were concerned, he was to keep an eye on everybody. Then again, he did that naturally on his own--no request from a leader to pay attention to detail was needed. By his own (somewhat paranoid) initiative, Anselm was focused when it came to dissecting others' motives, lies, and actions. Perhaps everybody had a right to be careful in his presence--one shift of the eyes that seemed out of the place was noted with rapt attention, one falter in tone was carefully analysed, and even the slightest bit of hesitation was stored away in the archives of his mind for further contemplation. In this sense, though, Asphyxia was probably fine--rarely would he use this information against anybody. It was for himself. Indeed, others were mistaken if they thought that Anselm de le Poer was the conniving deviant set to bring them all to the ground. If nothing else, he was too self-centred for such a thing. He was simply the vigilant watchdog, more concerned with covering his own ass and leaving no room for weakness. Still, he didn't mind it when others were wary of him. It meant they were more likely to avoid him and leave him alone.
------She continued to move about, seemingly restless. He remained where he stood (he had not moved the entire time, except by rotating his head to watch her) and wondered if there was any reason for this antsy behaviour. Seeing none, he simply shrugged in a way that suggested "oh well." Blessed is he who expects nothing, for he shall never be disappointed. "I guess I'll just keep an eye out, then. It seems that most coyotes and mostly coyote hybrids around here had some sort of tie with the clan at one point." Using this logic, it wouldn't take much to figure out who had gotten lost (or perhaps gone away out of their own accord). He did have to admit he found it slightly odd that so many had separated from the group before the fire--the devious coyotes always had been rumoured to have strict and unyielding loyalty to the clan, but mounting evidence was slowly suggesting otherwise. Perhaps there was something he didn't see--yet. He would keep an eye out for it, of course. [/html]
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Asphyxia noticed him watching her, she was wired and needed to be cut down but she couldn't, the drugs had taken their effect already and she looked antsy but walking around but she had a real bored face on. Anselm was a real catch, he was obviously watching her every move, as if he was a paranoid freak, afraid that she would attack him. Although, Asy would never, in only her right mind, would actually hurt one of her own. Coyote's were not the enemies but simply those scruffy wolves.
Asphyxia paused a moment, remembering something, she stopped dead in her tracks and looked at the boy. "Actually...A few of my family members are still missing, Naloxone was supposed to make it here but only my children arrived, he's still out, but he should be arriving here shortly..." she hoped he would. Right now, she needed him. She was still on her drugs and she didn't want them anymore but she couldn't stop herself, they controlled her now. They were Asphyxia Holocaust.
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------In all honesty, Anselm considered himself more of a wolf than a coyote. His father had been of pure blood--it was his mother's mixed genes that threw a wrench into everything. Even so, it was not possible for him to be over a quarter coyote, and he may have been even slightly less. Due to unfortunate circumstances, he had wound up in a really bad neighbourhood--here even this slight difference was exaggerated until it became an issue. In another life, perhaps he could have blended seamlessly into wolf culture, but for now he was stuck as a hybrid with tainted blood. Even if more liberal, open-minded folks accepted him as one of their own, in his mind he was stuck. He would always resent this.
------An ear flicked with renewed interest as she spoke of her missing mate--although he wasn't sure of their relationship himself. Obviously, this Naloxone was not her child. It wasn't impossible that he was a parent, however--eh, whatever. Male, Naloxone, knows Aspyhxia. Check. "I'll be sure to keep an eye out for him," he assured her, militantly. This was how he spoke to most members of Inferni, regardless of who outranked him or who was technically a subordinate. It was all business here--there was no room for fooling around or petty disagreements within the ranks. They were a unit and in his mind, this strict business-like interaction was requisite. He knew he'd never take a personal interest in their lives.
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Asphyxia looked at him satisfied, as if she'd never seen someone cooperate with her like that. "Well......thanks." appreciating something someone did for her was something just as rare, "I hope he shows around, my children would be devastated if their father was to be lost in a fire." Quietly she looked around, there wasn't much going on today and there probably would be anything going on today. "So what about you?" she paused to explain/rephrase herself, "I mean, why are you so interested in others lives, what about your own? Do you have any relatives?"
The old female was weirded out by herself, what was going on? Why would she even care? She nudged it off and decided to wait for a response then. Maybe he actually had something interesting in his life, although the intoxicated female wouldn't take that much notice. And she was growing impatient by the minute from her wearing powder.
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------A lot of things hadn't simply been impressed upon him at a young age--they had been outright beaten in. Back in the day, anybody that was still alive was for a reason. Anybody that outranked you was for two: tooth and claw. When they spoke, you listened and obeyed, or you were literally pummelled into submission while everyone watched. Early on he learned to begrudgingly accept this hierarchy, and he always made sure to heed the words of the superior fighters. Consequentially, while younger, he spent a lot of time beating up the weaker puppies and keeping a low profile when the adults or older kids were around. In this way he moved quickly through the ranks, but this journey up the ladder came to a screeching halt about when he hit the age of two. Now he was serious competition for even those larger and older than him, and he was a filthy hybrid. While he may have been able to take them one-on-one, the leader of their rowdy pack was not above enlisting the help of his beta and gamma to eliminate the threat. It was then that he left, but only after catching the fool's cronies off-guard and throwing a few good punches.
------Being female and a fraction of his size, not to mention the fact that he outranked her, Anselm certainly wasn't worried about being reprimanded for not obeying Asphyxia's wishes. Still, the hard lessons of his childhood had taught him to generally regard what his elders said--and not to make too many enemies. Arguably, his commitment here was for the sake of covering his own ass, not out of the goodness of his heart. Thus, he was somewhat taken aback by her expression of gratitude, but all the while he was grateful that the mother of his leaders was pleased. Outwardly he betrayed none of this, and instead chose to note the new details she was offering: Naloxone was her mate, obviously. That was all fine and dandy, but once she started to drill into his mind his immediate reaction was to erect a brick wall. Nobody was to see in there but him. Getting into the hearts and minds of others was his job, and anyone that tried to "return the favour" would be met with fierce resistance. Having things known about him was dangerous.
------Again, though, he had studied others enough to know how typical social interaction was supposed to play out. He didn't blink, he didn't tense up, and he didn't hesitate. Why are you so interested in others lives could probably be rhetorical, anyway. He would simply be selective in what he chose to share. "Apparently I'm related to most of Inferni through my cousin," he responded smoothly. "Gabriel, that is," he clarified further, figuring if he didn't she would just ask anyway. He looked at her expectantly; apparently that means you, too his gaze seemed to say.
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Asphyxia was taken aback by what he had said. So she was related to him? That was surprising but at the same time, not really. He seemed like an outsider to the clan and there would have to be some reason for him to stay this long, Gabriel being that exact reason. Nobody stayed somewhere without being there for a reason, Asy had learned that over the years. "..I see." was all that she managed to sputter out. "So we are related through promises and ties." she practically chuckled but however, she kept most of the laughter in.
"Gabriel is a very good..man, wolf? Whatever... but it must be an honor to be able to be related to Gabriel in such a way." that such a way, meant blood related obviously. She remembered how Gabriel reacted when she had called him son, and she realized moments after that only his mother probably called him son, because he looked confused at first but then anger was plastered all over his features.
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[html] http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s304 ... pd/run.png); background-repeat:no-repeat; padding-bottom:165px; background-position:bottom center; background-color:#C6EDFA;"> Guh, my inspiration took a DIVE BOMB for awhile there. >_o; As a result, I kind of want to get done with my old threads... So if you don't mind, we can end here?
>>>>>Anselm knew little of Gabriel's morals (or religious beliefs). He didn't know that Gabriel was against harming a woman or child--but he could respect it, if he ever found out. Admittedly, he chose to stick by his cousin mostly because he saw that Gabriel knew what he was doing. He wasn't weak, he wasn't stupid. He knew how to survive, and Anselm knew if they stuck together both of their chances would go up (or things would at least be easier). "Perhaps," he said, his tone shrugging for him. "We're only related two or three generations back." To him, this meant little. But it was enough.
>>>>>Now his feet had fire beneath them, and he finally started to fidget about, much as she had earlier. Now that the questions and attention were on him, he decided he wanted to get out of there: and fast. As such, he now offered a dip of his head to her and announced his intent to depart. "I have to go now," he stated. He turned about to leave, then paused, although he did not look back: "If I find your mate I will send him your way." With that, he took off at an easy lope, due east.
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