Bastion had been told of an alliance in the making. Or perhaps it wasn't exactly in the making but it was one that wanted to be made in the very least. So that being combined with the charge to spy on another pack had prompted Bastion to get his puppy to go hunt for a present. A small gift had been recommended for the trip and so why not bring a moose over to them? The herd was migrating and so it would make for a treat for the pack he was to head to. Sure, others might not see the gift as a small one but in Bastion's opinion it certainly was. The only good part of the animal, at least in his mind since there was only a single good part to any animal to the small male, was the blood. He didn't care for the flesh of the large animal. Then again he wish he didn't have to consume flesh at all. He would have been so happy and thrilled if he could survive on blood alone. Unfortunately that just wasn't the case no matter how Bastion might wish it to be.
So learning both of these tidbits of information, as well as the generalized location of where to visit, he had made the preparations to head. Enigma was to be left in the care of Eris since the pup couldn't be brought along on a business venture. Besides Bastion couldn't predict how anything would pan out and he didn't wish to possibly lose the pup that Janos had so desperately wanted. It would be a rare time being spent away from the pp since he had first been brought Enigma. It was so strange how the child had changed him and forced him into showing concern for a being other than himself. Enigma had brought forth a number of feelings and emotions that Bastion had never knew that he had.
After making sure that Janos was off to get a gift, as well as knowing where to meet up with it, and Enigma was to be looked after did Bastion finally work on getting himself prepared to go out. As per usual he had picked a few flowers and had bathed in the scented water. It was just procedure to cover the scent of Salsola with that of nature instead. Of course with his feminine appearance he couldn't do a more woodsy scent so that limited him to what he could use that would compliment his appearance. He relied on his appearance in order to put others off guard. He couldn't use a scent that would have others realizing that he could pose some trouble. No, he rather liked being thought of as an unintelligent child so that they would never suspect him which gave him an advantage he wouldn't have otherwise.
After his bath was taken care of Bastion had to pull on a pair of panties to that his mark would be hidden away. So with his normal routine taken care of Bastion left behind the comforting confines of Salsola. As he left behind his child and home his mind was already trying to work through all of the possible situations to come. He wasn't certain what sort of reaction his appearance would get. He doubted it would be aggression since well he simply wasn't used to that at all. And even if that was the case he would have his puppy with him to protect him. But how would that work out since they were there to place nice? At least he didn't have to worry about Janos acting out. He knew that the larger and older male wouldn't do anything that wasn't a command from Bastion. So no, if they had trouble then Bastion would have to figure out how to resolve it without resorting to violent means.
Bastion made the trek from Salsola with the destination of Inferni's borders on his mind. Along the way he was to be intercepted by Janos. So when he finally saw his puppy returning with such a prized find he was pleased. It didn't matter that it wasn't a seasoned adult because the yearling was quite large. Basti clapped his hands gleefully at the sight of it. Janos had made it in time enough to approach the skull lined borders with him. That was really what Bastion had hoped would happen since he didn't want to stand around and wait for the gift to arrive. So his time management had actually worked out nicely this time.
"Down." The childish boy commanded simply and waited for Janos to drop the moose for him. Once the creature was placed on the ground Bastion took hold of one of the antlers and started tugging on it, trying to move the carcass without success. Janos had been carrying it with such ease that the dead body didn't appear heavy at all. Bastion frowned as continued to tug on the antler only to end up toppling over backwards as the already brittle antler broke off in his hands. Landing on his back ended up having Bastion forgetting all about the moose as he noticed something else instead.
The boy released the antler and quickly got up from the ground. He turned his back to both the moose and Janos as he made his way directly for the border. The fresh skull, that still had traces of blood upon it, was plucked down from its pike so that Bastion could lick it clean. Just the slight presence of blood had distracted him and left it in Janos's hands to drag the body closer and to alert the inhabitants of the staked off land that they had visitors at their borders. It was such a simple task for his puppy to end up howling and clearly it was a decision that Janos could end up making for himself. After all Bastion had made certain that Janos knew of both parts of their mission so Janos knew they had to make a good impression no matter that Bastion had managed to distract himself. He couldn't help it though, blood was his addiction and simply had to have it.
The days had passed peacefully thus far with his master at his side and a baby that they were raising together. Even though his cherub had allowed him to keep the pup, Janos couldn’t help but be greedy and want more. He wanted his master to really play with the pup and love him and so far Bastion had really stepped up and was playing with the puppy and it was so heart-warming to see the two of them playing around. But today was all business, or so his master had told him when the plans were laid out. The pup was to go to Eris to be babysat and they were to go on a mission. Janos of course agreed readily as he readied himself to go out and hunt a moose to bring to the table during the conversation with Inferni. He didn’t know much about the pack other than that they could be quite violent so he was going to have to watch his little master like a hawk to be sure that nothing bad came of him. It was his job and his pleasure after all to do at least that. But first he had to go and find the moose in order to fulfill his master’s wishes. So he went hunting, looking and tracking for a moose that would not be too heavy for him to carry back. After all, dead weight was so much harder to lug around than those that were alive.
He hunted and hunted and finally came across a small herd of moose with a young yearling amongst the older and far more dangerous adults. He barely had stubs of antlers so he would be perfect for the take down. Janos crouched in the bushes, ignoring the sudden pang from his bandages that were wound around his torso in order to keep his Salsola brand from being shown off. His jacket rustled the leaves and frightened the moose. Giving a sigh, Janos took after them, using his easy grace as a hunter to separate the young buck from the rest of the group. A sudden animalistic instinct took over, and as he hamstrung the beast and it went down, he went to the front of him and closed his jaws over the baby’s mouth. The yearling struggled and tried to kick but it couldn’t quite reach the seasoned predator. Eventually, the body lay still and Janos took a step back, not slicing the throat since he figured his master would love to do that himself, but he had to make sure that the creature was dead, which he was, his eyes rolling in the back of his skull. Janos sighed again, something he seemed to be doing often, and he closed the creature’s eyes, looking down at him and trying to fight the rising wave of nausea at the sudden memories that this dead calf brought him. Bodies strewn in front of him, limbs splayed, intestines dragging…no. No that was his past and now the only deaths he did was on command of his master, something that was actually pretty few and far between as of late.
After a moment, he knew that it was time to go and he tried to pull the moose along behind him but finding that it was just too hard to do it that way, he turned to the yearling and hefted it up around his shoulders before standing, readjusting the weight before he started off through the forest, considerably slower than when he first started out on his day. On the way there, lo and behold, he came across his master and he turned so that Bastion could see the kill and seemed to be pleased that his cherub was pleased. Words were unnecessary right now and he easily took his place behind Bastion as they loped along. Now that he was back with his master, all of his senses were on high alert just in case his master was in sudden danger. He was ready to drop the moose at any time in order to protect his master. They came to the border and with the order; he did not hesitate to drop the yearling. He moved out of the way and watched Bastion as he struggled with it. He wanted to help his master but he would not act if his help was not wanted. He watched him, inwardly urging the other on to be able to pull the yearling but even though it was bigger than Janos, it was much, much bigger than his cherub.
But then the other fell down and he took a step towards him as if wanting to pick him back up but then the other seemed to get distracted by something, and he frowned as he watched him go to one of the skulls and take it down to start licking at the blood that was still on it. Looking down at the beast, he knew that it was up to him to bring the creature close, so he hoisted it back up and then approached the border, letting it flop down in front of them as he turned to watch his master. Realizing that they hadn’t announced their presence and that his master wasn’t going to do so, Janos sucked in a deep breath before throwing back his head to call for the Inferni pack, calling for whoever was close enough to hear them. He then turned to his master and watched him, tilting his head to the side. ”Is it tasty master?” He asked the cherub as he squatted beside his kill, a little behind it as he kept his eyes open, looking from his master to the land that was behind him. He itched to ask his master to come back a little bit so that he would be away from the line of fire but he knew that that would make him definitely out of place and so he stayed quiet and was just on extremely high alert.
The smallest adult in the clan had been trying to keep the stupid flea bitten kittens in her hollowed out ol' tree for the past few days. Finally she had lost her temper and wove a small cage, depositing her charges within and decided to head out to get some steam off. She had no idea where she was going to go today. The cold air had made her grumpy and cross, making the woman decide that perhaps she needed a trip along the borders to cool down now.
It hadn't taken her long in her Optime form to get to the border but there were strange scents along the way that made her growl softly to herself. She flicked an ear back as the small hybrid finally caught the strong herbal scent of plants, mixed in with those of wolves as she felt the fur along her heckles rise. She was quick on her feet as the sound of a howl broke across the lands.
The tiny woman sprinted down the trail along the border, her small frame coming to a stop quickly as she screeched in outrage at the sight before her. The creature on their lands hand one of their border markers in his claws and was.. licking it. The scent of blood was plain in the air but she wanted to know just what in hell this beast was doing. "You're tresspassing... and I don't care for the manner of what you're doing either boy.." The woman's foul mood made her reckless and she barely even noticed the kill beside the two, her focus on the strange male licking the skull and his companion beside.
It didn't bother him in the slightest that it was the blood of his own kind that he was licking up. Why should it? He wasn't at all adverse to killing his own kind. He tortured, maimed, and killed without prejudice. It didn't matter should they be young or old. He was willing to take just about any life should it prove a thrill to him. There were actually only a few safe from him deciding he was bored and wishing to choose alternative means in which to end up playing. So far that only extended to the members of Salsola and, tentatively, the members of Inferni.
Bastion grinned up at Janos and nodded his head. It was tasty. But then again he enjoyed blood no matter the source that it came from. It would have been a lovely thing if he could have survived upon that alone. Unfortunately that was no the case. Instead he made up for it by swallowing raw, blood drenched flesh. And he took that flesh in skinned, bite sized chunks of meat. He was a spoiled little thing and that was exactly the way that he liked it.
His enjoyment of, what was for him, an easy meal was interrupted by the voice of a female. His face actually showed his surprise at there being someone smaller than him. Even his son was quickly growing larger than him. As soon as Enigma was able to shift then no doubt the boy would be taller than him as well. But Bastion had easily come to accept being a runt so for there to be someone shorter than him was unexpected. Even more so that she referred to him as boy. That was a term that tended to come from those that were larger than him.
"Clean." He explained in his simple way of speaking and held out the skull to show off that it now lacked traces of blood just as the rest of the border decoration did. Now that the blood was gone he was willing to give up the skull and allow for the female to take it back. It was a good thing since he did have business to take care of.
"Present." The small male spoke and stepped to the side so that he could point at the moose and make it the focal point. "For winter." He expanded upon his earlier statement. But as he came to look down at the creature he noticed the deformity as one antler was missing. Bastion quickly knelt down to pick up the antler and tried to place it back without success. "Sorry. Broke." The words were accompanied by a pitiful expression as he offered up the antler for the female to try to fix it if she wished. Bastion wasn't a big game hunter and so he didn't realize that it was a natural occurrence for the antler to break off around this time of year. All he noticed was that the animal no longer looked like a perfect present and it was because of him so he would only hope that it wouldn't become rejected.
He watched his master, watching to see what he would do. He wasn’t really too sure that the other should be licking at the skull in an unknown territory but for now, for now he wouldn’t say anything, figuring that it was his master’s prerogative to do whatever he wanted. Far be it for him to say anything against him after all. He had to say that he did enjoy the way that his master looked up at him and grinned. It made him feel special made him feel that he belonged here with the other. The female finally showed up and seemed to be quite angry with something and he looked down at Bastion, waiting to see what he would do. In the meantime, he moved to take a step in front of Bastion, crouching a little bit to give himself a little bit more room to maneuver should it come down to a fight. ”Watch what you say to my master,” he said as he gave a little snort, looking at her with sharp eyes, eyes that were very protective of the male in question. He would die to protect his master and he wasn’t afraid to do so should his master’s life be in any sort of danger. His master was the only thing keeping him alive after all and he wouldn’t let some low-life kill his owner and master.
But then his master spoke and he looked at the skull and then watched as the skull was offered back. He was a bit unsure about this and watched closely, making sure that no harm came to the smaller male that he was with. He moved to the side too to give ample vision to the moose that was the present for them. He moved over to Bastion as he seemed to be so sad, standing behind him closely. ”It’s okay master. It is the way that nature happens. The horns shed this time of year,” he said as he gave him a little nod of his head before he looked back to the female. He saw no need to say anything else to him or to the girl, figuring that the female would be able to understand his master. Standing at the ready, he no longer seemed to be raring for a fight. He just seemed to be waiting, and watching, just like he always did. He was always on the lookout, ever watching, ever waiting.
Zana was weary by nature. The strangers at the border had to be from a pack, why would they give away such a large kill otherwise. She believed there were reasons why Ezekiel would caution her and Helotes against the packs and so when they arrived at the borders it was nothing more than a red flag to her. She flicked one ear back and eyed the male that gave off the bad vibes. She had watched him obsessively lick the blood off the skull at their borders and the hairs along her neck rose in response as she herself was silent this time as he explained.She did not reach for the skull but let it tumble to the ground between them as she glowered at the male, unsure of why he was here.
Finally another short answer was granted as he showed her the body of the moose beyond him and his strange guard of sorts. She shook her head once as he tried to offer her the horn of the moose. Zana had been about to lower her head and ask what exactly this was about when the second male spoke.
Tiny as she was she snarled at the male for daring to tell her what she would and wouldn't do. "You are not in your lands anymore, perhaps your master would do well to teach you manners in strange lands." Her fangs were bared as her whole body grew rigid. She was upon her own lands and they were mere strangers. She had never heard of one calling another a master but the idea of slavery was not unheard of to the woman, it was just not something that rested in her morals.
Her head of ringlet curls whipped across her face as she turned back to the first. "And why do the members of...whatever pack you belong to... care about the well being of Inferni... While.. we are grateful for the offer, what do you think to gain.." She was suspicious, but even more so, she wanted to see what she could learn of this pack that was such a ghost among the other packs. "I am Zana.." she finally said as she waited for a response.
Bastion just mentally shrugged off the aggression that was being displayed. So far it was only vocalizations and nothing of the physical. He knew that if it came to that then Janos would keep him safe. It was one of the reasons that he kept the other around. He liked the security that the other male provided him. It was nice to have someone close by to take care of every single physical activity for him. He didn't have to walk if he didn't want to. There wasn't a need to hunt for himself or anything.
Bastion gave a little giggle and a shake of his head as the female scolded Janos. "Puppy good boy." He spoke up in defense of the larger male and reached out to try to scratch at Janos's belly. He had the taller male under control and knew that he wouldn't do anything unless Bastion specifically told him to do so. Bastion knew that he didn't have to worry about a fight breaking out unless he called for one. He couldn't fault Janos for speaking up and doing what he thought was right.
He looked up as Janos came over to comfort him. He tilted his head back to look up at the other male and gave a small smile. Even if it was a natural process it was still something that Bastion hadn't meant to happen. He had wanted a perfect present and not one that ended up getting broken during presentation. Still he wasn't allowed to focus upon it for too long as the female questioned him.
He turned to look at the female and tilted his head to the side as he thought of what to say. "Winter cold. Prey move. You little, food big, feed lots." Each incomplete sentence was straight to the point and explained exactly what the moose symbolized. They were migratory animals so one had been snagged before they could leave the area. Since the other was small it wouldn't take much to fill her and allow for more to be leftover. "Make sure you have food. No die." He said with a firm nod of his head. Yes, it was just winter preparations that they were to check on. Of course there was also the tentative alliance to consider but finding out where aid was needed would help on that front. "Bastion. Puppy, Janos." He introduced the duo, first pointing to himself and then to Janos in turn with the names being spoken. The small male didn't see the harm in giving out true names rather than trying to come up with something else on the spot. After all any falsities wouldn't do them any favors in the long run should they be able to achieve some form of friendliness. So while he couldn't give out too much information on the family itself he had no issues with sharing some secrets of his own. Not that he really considered his name or relationship to Janos a secret.
