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Whitefeather nodded discreetly, glancing over to Zakku a few times. She then began to pad toward the camp exit, and swished her fluffy tail as she looked back at him. "Follow me," she told him, keeping her eyes on him for a second. Then, in a moment, she began moving at a faster pace, keeping a close watch on what the trees look like. As the thick oak trunks surrounded by a few dead leaves merged into that of pine with many grooves in the bark, she stopped and turned around, looking for a good place. Then she noticed she was in a small circle of bracken, and sat down on the side facing the camp. "We'll stay here for the night," she decided, looking back to Zakku.

Zakku: I followed and sat down with her. "Hmmm. Why it's nice here, good view of the territory."

Whitefeather's ears twitched cautiously, and she glanced toward Zakku. Could he really see that well? They were surrounded by trees! Hopefully he wasn't getting any ideas about what he could see. Whitefeather looked up at the sky to check the time of day, then looked back at Zakku for a moment. Being not very good at staying still, eventually she had to spread her wings and leap into a nearby pine branch to get some of her energy out. But all the while, she kept her icy eyes on Zakku. "Maybe if you behave well, you can share this territory with us," she said, though her tone told him that she wasn't making any promises.

Zakku: "Sage or Aaron won't let me!"

Sage: "Aaron." I beckoned him into our den to show him our pups.

Whitefeather looked startled for a moment, and she tried not to be blunt, but failed. "They just don't trust you yet." She thought for a few seconds, and then added, "Sage is just afraid because she can't see you. I'm sure Aaron will at least see something that's not bad in you." She began to think about what she had just said. No wolf was all bad, right? What about the Sinners? Come to think of it, Zakku had warned them about it... "How do you know about the Sinners?" Whitefeather asked, changing the subject, and tilted her head.

Zakku: I thought for a moment. "I don't think I should tell you about that, I'll bring that up with Sa-"

Recluse: I flew down and crushed the stranger named Zakku between my paws. "ZAKKU! HOW DARE YOU SET YOUR PAWS NEAR ME AGAIN!?" I bit into his neck.

Zakku: After awhile of tearing teeth and ripping claws, the fight with Recluse was over, both pelts soaked with blood. "I came to warn you. I'm sorry I abandoned you... daughter."

Whitefeather snarled and was about to leap into the fight, but with the tangle of fur and fangs, she couldn't find a way to stop it without getting hurt. Luckily, it didn't last long, and she looked quickly between the two wolves in confusion. "Zakku? You're this wolf's father?" Then she glanced back to the stranger. "Then who is she?" The white wolf's fur bristled with suspicion, but she didn't advance on the stranger.

Recluse: I looked at Whitefeather in bewilderment. "You don't talk to a former alpha like that!" I am the first Danalli's mother! I created this pack! I've been with them every pawstep! From Mist to the Fire Wolf! I've helped kill them all! I'm one of Sage's great grandmothers! Everybody knows that!"

Zakku: "Sage sure does take up after you, Recluse."

Recluse: "Oh shut up!" I snarled.

)LOL, dramatic ex-climax.(

Aaron followed Sage hopefully into the den.

Cicero heard the commotion and trotted in beside Whitefeather's side. "Recluse, this is your father?"

Recluse: I nodded to Cicero. "Yes. He is. and I never wanted to see him again!"

Sage: "Aaron. Look." I got close enough for him to see. "This one is Lidka, and this one is Ashra." I nodded to Lidka, the bright white pup and Ashra, the light brown and blue pup. "You name the other two. He's a male, and she's a female." I pointed to the unnamed pups.

(The male is the alpha, Blanx, and you play the alpha.)

Sage: I licked Aaron's ear. "Alexsei, Basil, Ashra, and Lidka." I laid by the whimpering pups. "Welcome to the life of being the Alpha, Alexsei."

Sage: I smiled and watched him leave. I have been feeling he was beginning to be more distant... or it was just me.

Sage: I wagged my tail. I was excited to take our pups outside for the first time. But also nervous to take them out because of the Sinners. They were the first pups to be born here from Pond Dust.

Whitefeather pressed her ears back and retorted, "Well, I didn't know! I'm new around here!" She stayed in that position for a moment, but then lost the dominant expression and bowed to the "former alpha." She hated doing these submissive things, but she would have to live with it for the moment. After a few seconds, she stood back up, and tilted her head. "Were you looking for someone here?" the winged wolf asked.

(Check out the new banner, Isn't it pwnsome? The power of stock-images!)

Recluse: "No. I smelled Zakku, I guess you two can come back to camp. I may not be alpha anymore but I still have more authority than Sage!" I led Whitefeather and Zakku through the forest and back to camp. "Well Zakku, I am not going to let you be an Elder. So you will be a Fighter. You will leap into battle a soon as we ask! That is a Fighter's task! You will sleep in my den tonight, Zakku. We have much to discuss. Plus they'll need to make room for you in the Fighters' den, that can be done by you tomorrow. Whitefeather will help you. Now go to my den and rest." I motioned for my father to go to the medicine wolf cave. "Now, Whitefeather, I'm not scolding you but why would you ever bring a stranger into the camp?"

Whitefeather turned away at first, her eyes narrowed in anger. Sure, you're not trying to scold me, but you sure sound like you are! After spending just a moment gritting her teeth, she turned back and replied, "He was being assertive, as if it was his territory, when it was obviously not! And he thought we came from the hills. I've spent my entire life in this forest." Her eyes were forward now, and though she wasn't staring directly into Recluse's eyes, they were angled slightly toward the former alpha. Whitefeather's fur had begun to bristle; it settled down a little after her answer, but didn't completely stop.

(btw this is Recluse: https://media.photobucket.com/image/recent/blackroses234/Lonely_Wolf_Commission_by_shayde.jpg)

Recluse: I said nothing but my gaze calmed. "Pups..." I whispered. "They have come." I smiled softly. "Very well, all is forgiven, seeing he is my father, but please, just don't do that again..." I said sympathetically.

Dex: I sat down next to Cicero.

Dex: "I'm just a little suspicious about that Zakku guy.... aren't you?"

Whitefeather glanced cautiously over to Dex as he approached, and tilted her head as he spoke. "I'm suspicious, too, but we don't know much about him. We can't automatically assume he's an enemy." She paused, thinking for a moment, and added, "But we can't assume he's a friend, either. That's why I was watching him last night. But I didn't see much."