Marrec

Night before: after seeing the two hunters to the basement, giving them a basic run down of the basic amenities, and telling them he'd be back in the morning, Marrec walked out. He locked the door and settled down for the night, waking only briefly to creep back in and remove the young man's weaponry. He could have disarmed the fellow earlier, but hadn't felt threatened and thought being sneaky might be less confrontational. He left the door unmanned only briefly to place the weapons and William's interesting shield in what amounted to a walk-in armory. After resealing the room, Marrec pulled out a spare cot, blanket, and pillow from a nearby closet and fell asleep with his body blocking the door.

Morning: Marrec slowly woke up, feeling the edge of soreness that assured him he was no longer a man who could happily sleep outside his own bed. A low groan announced him trying to sit up, followed by a yawn. He pulled out his cellphone, made note that the battery's life, and checked the time. There weren't noises from inside the holding room, but he supposed the fellows had been wandering around rather late into the night. As an afterthought, he wondered if he should have kept a closer eye on the young hunter, Ryan... sleeping with a head injury was pretty dangerous, he realized.

“Oops,” he mumbled as he began to clean up his sleeping arrangement.

The Next Morning..

William opened his eyes slowly, grumbling that the young hunter had awoken him from his slumber. He rolled over on his cot to face the young man, his weary eyes filled with displeasure towards him. "My friends are always causing trouble." William replied blatantly. "For someone who normally hunts alone, i'm surprised I already have 'friends' lurking about this place." He thought to himself before propping himself up. "They put us down here 'cause this house is mighty full of folk, and to have a couple of gents such as ourselves wander out of the woods, they had to fit us into the 'guest' rooms. Which just happened to be down here." William stood up, stretching his arms out with a yawn, before letting them fall to his sides.

He glanced down at Ryan. The boy's face was still an utter mess. "Perhaps I should go get the miss again to check on that wound of yours lad." William turned to head for the stairs, and began to ascend them, stopping halfway however. He turned to face Ryan, feeling that he would still be uncertain. "Once you get patched up, and we explain why we were out here to the head of the household, we'll be on our way back to town." With that he proceeded up the stairs and knocked on the door hoping to get his guard's attention. "Hey!" William shouted. "The ginger down here could do with some first aid still!"

Night Before

James ducked his head slightly when the Geri shifted. Eyes on the ground he chuckled weakly, [color=8dc73f]I guess I wasn't really living......Not till now...[color]

He closed his eyes and focused on the change. Slowly, it overtook his body and he winced visibly.
Fur melted away and his bones reformed; eventually replacing the wolf with the body of a man.

Standing he was still reluctant to look at the woman. From what he had seen of her she was very beautiful......but being inexperienced with the ways of pack living he was still a little uncomfortable. Part of him thought it would be disrespectful; looking upon a naked woman.

Stepping in after the Geri he found himself in a small yet warm cabin. Shuddering the cold off himself he glanced around with a small smile.

The night was quiet and he managed to sleep quiet nicely in one of the cabin's cots.

Morning

James awoke slowly; a yawn escaping him as he sat up in the stiff cot. The blankets were a little scratchy....but nothing compared to the hotel beds he had to sleep in on the road.

Running a hand through his brown hair James recalled the happenings of the night before. He was rather excited to have finally found a pack willing to have him......hopefully he could learn a few things from them.

Ever so slowly the world came into being eyes opened slowly as Markus woke up in the hunting cabin. With a single motion he pushed himself up to his feet and looked around, the fire had gone out during the night but the cabin had held in the warmth. He grunts and steps over the limp still sleeping forms of Sam and James. He walked over and sat on one of the dead weres and wrote on a piece of paper. ‘Headed back to the cabin, bring the newbie with you. Gonna try and get some stuff sorted out, before he arrives.” He set the paper down next to Sam and stood up grabbing both corpses and tossing them over his shoulders. He carefully pushed the door open and quietly walked out.

Trudging through the snow he had plenty of time to think, about what he was gonna do, about what he was gonna say to Val when he got back. This entire ordeal had started and not ended and things just seemed to keep piling up and piling up. He grunted a bit as she shifted the wolves and kept moving the snow falling out of his way. He stops at the treeline and takes a deep breath breathing in whatever scents he could…. Another human was here and he had been injured. Markus frowned a bit and started stomping up towards the cabin. As he reached it he slid the door open with his hip and dropped the bodies in the middle of the floor in the den. “Anyone awake?” He said fairly loud but not loud enough to wake up everyone. He moved to a armoire and pulled out a pair of jeans, socks, boots, and a green tank shirt. After getting dressed he went into kitchen and made himself a quick cup of coffee.

Taking a few sips he grabbed a meat tenderizing hammer and headed towards the basement door. It was likely the only place that Marrec would have put someone if he had caught them. Opening the door he came to find Marrec picking up bedding and such that he had slept on the night before. “Ah… Hello my friend I am.. Home.” He stares at the door below. “Up in the den there are two dead bodies. Go get the Bolverk send him to me. Clean up the bodies. Then go replace the hunter’s bullets with blanks. First give me my pistol though.”

Sasha

Night before: once North had fallen asleep, Sasha gently lifted her and carried her to a nearby unoccupied bedroom that included a private bathroom. She wrote a quick note detailing that she would meet the girl in the kitchen some time after 9 the following morning. Before leaving North for the night, Sasha dropped off a tub of women's clothing that the pack had slowly collected from thrift stores for just such occasions. Once done, Sasha reverted to homid form and gave a languorous stretch.

She was heading towards her own quarters when a noise announced someone beyond the house's walls, though by the muffled quality, she didn't think they were too close. Weary enough that she couldn't bother being surprised, she changed her direction and slide out the front door, only to catch the scent of human not far off. Winter used to mean peace and quiet, she thought balefully as she jumped off the porch and approached the line of trees.

A young and rather delicate looking man was not terribly far away, though Sasha began to lose interest in her hunt just before she came upon him. He was rubbing his shoulder and covered in snow, looking decided disheveled. Without much preamble and once learning he was rather lost, Sasha offered him a place to stay for the night and led him to the coachman's house that was often empty unless it was the morning following a full moon, when the majority of the pack came to the house to shift.

After settling him in the furthest and most remote of the rooms, Sasha explained in brief detail how to find the main house and kitchen and told him to come by whenever he woke up the following morning. @TheHangedMan

Morning:
Sasha rolled out of bed early, sliding out of her mate's arms and quickly getting ready for the new day. She had to inform Marcus of the unarmed, seemingly oblivious human that she had stashed away in the coachman's house. Although not the kindest of people, Sasha couldn't just let the poor fellow stumble around until he met some unfortunate icy grave.

Padding through the house, she cocked her head and listened for the sound of voices.

Marrec

Marrec poked his head out of the closet when he heard the two men start moving around downstairs. An exasperated sigh followed the second tumble of the pillow down from the shelf, which Marrec proceeded to grab and smash onto the shelf for the third time. Grumbling to himself, there werewolf exited the closet, closed the door behind him, and went to the locked door that stood between him and William.

He was about to begin unlocking the door to the basement when Markus came around the corner. Turning towards the Ulfric, Marrec listened attentively to the list of orders.

“Ah… Hello my friend I am.. Home. Up in the den there are two dead bodies. Go get the Bolverk send him to me. Clean up the bodies. Then go replace the hunter’s bullets with blanks. First give me my pistol though.”

“Of course, Markus. The kid has a wound on his head – I was going to get him a first aid kit or something. I'll bring one on the way back, assuming they're still alive.” Chuckling, Marrec fished the borrowed pistol out from his jeans and handed it to the Ulfric before leaving to complete his errands and in search of the Bolverk. On the way, he grabbed the bodies and brought them to a large room that had once been a bedroom before it had been turned into miniature clinic. Setting the bodies down, he backed out and shut the door. Satisfied that the werewolves wouldn't be startled by stumbling over corpses enroute to the kitchen, Marrec struck off in hopes of quickly locating the pack's Bolverk @Urukhai.

Sam

Sam woke slowly, mind unwilling to surface from hazy, pleasant dreams. She stretched beneath the thin cotton sheet, twisting her body and yawning loudly. Forcing her eyes open, she eyed the ceiling for a long moment before struggling into a sitting position. Given the drag of sleep that still clung to her, Sam wasn't initially sure why she was awake, only to notice James was awake as well.

Swinging her legs off the bed, Sam rose to her feet with a lithe grace and glanced at James. Dark eyes sought his as she moved towards the cabin's door.

“Let's walk to the pack house so we can get some clothes and food.” As she said it, her stomach grumbled, reminding Sam that she had skipped dinner due to the eventful evening. She pushed her way out of the cabin, propping the door open with her hip as she waited for James to walk past her.

“How'd you become a werewolf?” Sam asked the question in a light tone, though she knew the question could very well bring ugly memories to the surface.

Slowly trailed behind the Lupa, the Enforcer, the hunter 'William', and the young man, 'Ryan'. Without much care for whatever she'd heard at this point, she'd turn the opposite direction to the others at the entrance of the house and trailed off on her own, heading towards the guest bedrooms.

She'd soon turn within on of the dwellings, door still wide from her earlier exit and lightly swung it closed behind her. Still wearing her demin shorts and ivory white singlet she'd stretch out, arms raising high and legs tensing as she pushed onto the balls of her feet and arched her spine a bit backwards, small cracks could be heard here and there before she relaxed once more and now carelessly walk towards that decently sized singe bed.

One single arm would reach down as she pulled, what looked like, pale baby blue covers back and began to mold herself onto the cloud like mattress while pulling the warm coverings over her figure. Wrapped up loosely she'd roll and face the wall, her entire form almost pressed against it as she thought over the days events and the found strangers, images drifting through her mind as she took in a deep breath and sighed quickly before closing her lids and allowing herself to calm for a peaceful nights slumber.

---

Tossed and turned within her cocoon of layers, eyes closed though visibly moving as she mumbled lightly in her sleep, arms pulling close and pushing away every now and then as she rolled upon the bed slowly in what appeared to be a dream of some sort. This was of course, until she rolled to her back and suddenly sat up, eyes wide as she breathed heavily and looked around, her own pounding heart marching through her ears as she lightly cussed under her breath and pulled her knees up to her chest, two lanky arms of alabaster wrapping around the two limbs and their blue covering.

Slowly catching her breath she'd rest her head on her knee's, glancing about the room as she huffed and tried to focus on the sounds about the house, the sound of the entrance opening and a figure beginning to move about signaled what she assumed to be the return of the Ulfric. Almost too uncertain of what he'd do to the two humans down stairs she'd close her eyes and merely remain where she was, the faint conversing between he and his Enforcer 'Marrec' filling her ears alongside a few others who were now awake and gathered in their own small groups around the house.

As her stomach partially rumbled she'd shake it off and shift so that while hugging her knee's she'd partially lean against the wall beside her, eyes closed as she still listened to that now slowing beat from her chest.

Valerie had gone to bed the previous night shortly after issuing orders to the others in regards to guards and making sure no one left alone anymore that day, especially with other hunters prowling the area. She had changed though she hadn't slept much that night, having stayed up reading with the lamp on next to her even though she didn't need it to know the words her fingers touched. She'd fallen asleep sitting up though the opening of the door downstairs woke her from the light and fitful slumber she had drifted into and she shot out of bed, her slim hand grabbing the dagger she kept next to her when her mate wasn't there and stepped silently to the door. She pressed her ear against it first, listening to see if anyone was coming toward her though she heard nothing but the voices of Markus and Marrec downstairs. Forgetting the dagger was in her hand she flung open the door and stumbled down the stairs, losing both of her slippers in the process and nearly falling once. The steel blade slipped from her grasp as she clutched to railing then though she made it down without stepping on it or hurting herself this time.

"Markus!"

There was a lightness in her voice as she spoke, walking through the hallway and door until she was smelled it - Death. There were dead wolves here. She froze in the doorway, her long pink hair falling around her in tangle tendrils passed her shoulders, light against the dark fabric of the shirt she wore over a pair of plaid pajama pants. She was bare foot and the relaxed smile on her face had vanished when she'd scented the blood and death that permeated the air around her. She hated it enough that it made her want to vomit though even more than that she wanted to find whoever had done this and destroy every part of their being. Above all else she wanted to cry. She could feel the sting of tears in the back of her eyes but she didn't allow them to leave, not one would fall from her eyes until this was over with and she could mourn their deaths in peace, without the presence of hunters around the house. Her gaze fell as her shoulders tensed, her hands curling at her sides while she sucked in a deep, ragged breath and forced away the sadness that would show in her eyes now for a very long time.

The Lupa had always been a woman to feel more profoundly than many of their kin, her humanity it such well kept form that she felt the deaths as if they were a park of her soul being torn from her again. Pieces and places that could never truly be replaced for her. No matter how often someone died it was always like this, but the tang of fury in the back of her throat was something only a Hunter could give her. She opened her mouth, floundering for the proper words though she had never been good at this when she needed to be, never right away. She drew in another breath and stepped toward the bodies, kneeling next to them to brush her hand along their flanks and adjust them so they looked as if they were sleeping, friendlier to wake up to no doubt but these deaths would ripple through the pack without question and she knew her pack would call for blood in return and few would stop before getting it. She stood then, using the back of her hand to push the tears from her face while she set her jaw and went to find her mate by the basement door.

James looked up when the woman stood from her cot; keeping his blue eyes trained on her face and nothing more. Her long hair billowed down like waves over her shoulders and her eyes were gazing curiously down at him; her body moving with an eased grace that made James hold his breath for a moment.

Shaking his head he reluctantly stood, then stalked quietly out of the cabin door past the Geri. Her words came into his mind just as easily as a thought, How did you become a werewolf?

Before that she had mentioned returning to the pack home, which he looked foreword to......but that second question.....

Letting out a sigh he shrugged,

"I was walking home from work, in a city not far from here......on my route home I had to pass through the 'questionable' parts of town."

A small smile came to his face despite the pain that had come with that night.

"I was almost home when I took a detour down an alleyway to avoid a suspicious group of kids on the street. Everything was going alright......until I found this HUGE man.....or....wolf man....standing in the dark."

It was one of those forms between human and wolf, but James couldn't remember what they were called.....

"Truth be told I was pretty frightened; especially when the guy started cursing and snarling at me........probably angry he had allowed someone to find him.......well one thing led to another, then I found myself very nearly dying in my bed a few days later. How I survived the change......I don't know."

James looked up at the woman with a chuckle, "For a long time I just ignored what I had become.......guess there aren't many people who chose to do that now is there?"

Night Before

The meal had been a success, despite developments rising. A wounded hunter had arrived at the pack's home; which made Vashti wary. Now two hunters were within the house walls.

After the very late dinner, she was given a guest room to sleep in. It had been months since Vashti had even seen a proper bed.....and oh how comfortable it was.
Wrapping herself in the blankets, wearing nothing but an oversized tanktop she had found in the room's dresser, Vashti was welcomed into a deep sleep; something she hadn't had since leaving her pack.

Morning

Vashti awoke slowly when a new but sadly familiar scent came through her dreams and to her senses. It soured her sleep and made her writhe in her bed, before her dark brown eyes opened and she stared up at the ceiling with a heavy sigh.

Laying there, the scent came again and Vashti frowned.

Blood......why could she smell blood?

Taking in a sharp breath Vashti remembered the two hunters just downstairs. Had they attacked the others? Were they down there bleeding on the floor?

Not often did such nerve wrecking thoughts come across her mind, but after the good that the pack did for her, Vashti found she was quite worried for the pack's well being.
Maybe it was because she missed her own pack....

Leaping out of bed, Vashti didn't bother changing her clothes. Instead she rushed out the bedroom door, then flew down the stairs.

Sam

As James walked past her, Sam took the fleeting liberty of allowing her charcoal gaze to drift along his form with blatant curiosity. The corner of her mouth twitched with amusement at her own behavior before she stepped away from the cabin and turned to latch the door. Although she'd definitely been one to flatten a wayward werewolf or two for becoming a little too rowdy amongst their nude pack members when the attention was unwanted, Sam was loath to ignore a nice view of someone she didn't know enough to scorn.

Catching up to James in time to watch his expression change in reaction to her question, Sam experienced a flicker of regret at having asked, but knew she'd have done so again if it meant protecting the pack. It was, perhaps, her most conflicting moment to demand information from others when she would fight to keep her own story hidden. When he had finished the telling, Sam reached out a hand to lightly press his shoulder and offered a slight smile.

“It's not so bad being a werewolf. And many people ignore who they are, I suppose. We just can't do so very well when the moon forces us to obey once a month.” Athough Sam felt a certain reluctance to reach the pack house and dive into the waiting fray, she kept them at a quick pace until they finally broke through the tree line and approached the house. Sam sprang up the stairs, heading for the cabinet of drawers. She inspected several, turning to speculatively eye James between each drawer, and finally found clothing she thought would fit well. Pointing to it, she stepped aside to pull out her own clothing.

“Those should fit. You can riffle around if you want something else.”
Sam tugged on jeans and a tank top, skipping the undergarments and shoes that were too likely to be destroyed. During her 8 months as a werewolf, Sam had ruined enough clothing. Once dressed, Sam turned, settled her shoulder and hip against the cabinet, and studiously watched James.

Staring at his pistol in hand and pulled the magazine out. With his thumb he flicked the bullets out onto the floor and then ejected the one he had in the chamber as well. Turning he looked up at Val and tilted his head slightly. “We will talk in a bit. I have something important to deal with first.” His tone didn’t hold much in the room for back talk, he had quite a long night and he wanted to get what could be grizzly business over as quickly as possible. He turned back towards the door and took a deep breath hunching up his shoulders and sliding the pistol in the back of his pants and taking the meat tenderizer into his fist.

His left hand came up and he pushed the door open a bit and looked back whispering. “Get your medical kit ready just in case.” and then he was through the door letting it close behind him. He stood at the top of the stairs looking down at the two humans that had been locked in his basement over night. His eyes flickered to William but stuck to Ryan for a few moments longer taking in his injures, most of them seemed for the most part superficial and if he hadn’t died over night from them he might be just fine, and who was to know whether or not he got those wounds from killing wolfs.

Booted feet slowly brought him down to the bottom of the stairs with thudding stomps before he stopped and stared at the wall for a moment. “Why are you here… Both of you, but speak one at a time. I want the real reasons… What has brought you to Odessa?” He turned towards William and pointed. “You speak first.” Then he pointed the meat tenderizer at Ryan “Then you.” His tone and stance showed that he was brooking no nonsense and that he might very well kill them with that meat tenderizer if he got mad enough.

William stood by the door for a moment after knocking on it. There was only silence for the short while, and then the muffled voices from outside the door. William came down the stairs glancing over at Ryan. "Boy, clean your face off and look presentable. We're about to have company." The werewolf hunter approached his cot and sat down, hearing the door atop the stairs creaking open. The Ulfric slowly came down the stairs, wielding a rather barbaric tool. He asked for reasons, and he asked for William to explain himself first.

The hunter glanced over at Ryan, grumbling something about him being a bumbling fool before returning his gaze to the Ulfric. "Your questions I will answer freely, and with honesty. The man beside me is not dead yet, nor I, so that gives me some glimpse of hope in your group." William smiled weakly as he watched the pack leader. He was analyzing his movements, waiting to see if he'd do anything sudden. "The name is William, William Hendrick. If you're caught up with your history, perhaps you'd know the name." The hunter smirked, although his eyes were still set on the tenderizer. "Though there has been a shift of power in our organization. We're in the process of some reforms at the moment. A good example would be me locked in here rather than you face down in the snow out there last night."

William cleared his throat before he continued. "It might be hard to see Vargr, but we're cut from the same fabric, you and I. I'm here because my oath decrees I be, and you because of your bond. I've been tracking a rather savage group, been on the move for quite a while if you hadn't noticed." He ran his fingers along his bushy mustache for a short moment. "Decided i'd try to cut them off and see what lied ahead, so here I am now." William opened his coat and removed his flask of whiskey, offering it to the Ulfric. "I know there is bad blood between us. There probably always will be. We are both predators, hunting under the same moon for different purposes. There will always be bad blood, but for now, it doesn't have to either of ours."

Eventually drew herself from the wall of her room, blinking lightly as she cast off the pale sheets and extended her legs off the raised bed pale feet lightly sliding into what appeared to be fluffy white slippers... Slippers that bore large, pointed ears, a pink nose, eyes and whiskers, all of which resembled a bunny. As she done so she'd wiggle her feet lightly and smile at the comfortable footwear before pushing herself upon lanky stilts.

Glancing about she'd stretch out lightly, twisting around this way and that as she cracked her spine and fingers and all those important things before heading for the bathroom, quickly brushing out her hair and removing knots she'd leave it down before using the loo and flushing the toilet, the sound barely reverberating around the building due to it's design before she washed her hands with a light orange fragrance soap and headed for the main bedroom door.

Quickly opening it, emerging and closing it behind her she'd begin to lightly tread down the length of the corridor, slippers hopping with every step as she smiled lightly at nothing and headed for the kitchen, the stench of blood and death danced through the house's still air, causing her nose to wrinkle, barely able to ignore it as she moved straight for the fridge.

Opening it's massive door she'd reach in and grab an entire carton of eggs, a bottle of milk, some butter and slam the door shut while turning to place the items down and scrambling about for a bowl, bread and salt, "Jeez, why is everything scattered throughout these cupboards, is no one capable of organizing," she'd mumble lightly to herself. Finding everything she'd set herself up at the bench, cracking almost all the eggs and spilling the contents into a bowl she'd drop the shells into a bin nearby, lightly a gentle hum would emerge as she focused on her set task.

Before long she'd pour in milk, add some salt and begin stirring with a fork since she couldn't be hassled finding anything else, as the mixture was complete she'd place a large pan on a heating element and continue humming to herself while wiggling in what looked like some form of dance, slender fingers reaching for some bread as she began soaking piece by piece in the egg, milk and salt mixture until she had a decently sized stack. Hovering a hand over the pans base she'd nod lightly and using the same fork from the mixing, scoop out some butter and dump it on the sizzling surface spreading it over he entire section before dumping 3 pieces of soaked eggy bread upon it.

"Oh this is going to be amazing, everyone will be happy" she said almost singing it to herself as she smiled and seemed to be in what appeared to be a decent mood. Quickly grabbing a spatula she'd flip the bread after a moment and wait a while longer, slowly serve all the golden bread on one large plate, who needs separate serves when you live under one roof anyway, she thought to herself before continuing with her breakfast cooking, she may not have provided much help to the pack, but she certainly was a good cook when it came to keeping the hungry wolves fed and nothing was better than a belly full of warm french toast on a chilly day.

The scent of the fried meal would begin to override that of the foul death somewhere within the house, slinking through every crack and room as the cooking continued, it was a quick and easy breakfast call to those who were hungry, though usually the Ulfric got the first pickings if he so wished or showed up considering some were perfect and others under-cooked, or well, overcooked.

North rolled over, trying to block out the light beaming down on her face oppressively. With a slight huff, she reached up and rubbed her eyes, noticing as she did so that the backs of her front feet felt strangely smooth - and that she could move them that way at all. With a small catch in her throat, she slowly opened her eyes. Small hands greeted her; shaky and thin, but most importantly clad only in pale, cold skin. Sitting up in shock, it came to her attention that she was quite cold. This, she noted with a blush that brought a hint of color to her previously washed-out cheeks, was probably because she wasn't wearing anything.

Scanning the room, North quickly noticed the clothes that (she assumed) Sasha had brought her. She slid out of bed and knelt down, looking for something that would provide her with the coverage that she was used to. After putting on the necessary undergarments, she settled on a black V-necked sweater, a red cami, a red skirt cut right above the knee, and black leggings. Once she deemed herself presentable, she headed down to the kitchen mentioned in Sasha's note.

Almost bounding down the stairway Vashti came to a stop on the main floor, wearing nothing but an oversized tanktop that reached halfway down her thighs. Standing there her head went high and she sniffed at the air.

The stench of blood was strong now, but she couldn't pinpoint the source.....not through the smell of food in the kitchen.
Blinking in confusion Vashti turned her gaze in the direction of the distant room.

Who could be cooking a meal? At this time?

All she knew was that someone.....was dead....laying motionless somewhere in the house, and one of the pack members were content making a meal.....something was very wrong.

Stepping slower now Vashti approached the kitchen; head high with her mop of brown hair dangling in a wavy mess over her shoulders. Skin clammy from the dread of death, she rubbed her arms and entered the kitchen to find Ace there; cooking what seemed to be a delicious meal.

Tilting her head to one side Vashti stalked closer and leaned against one of the counters. Her voice was tight, "What happened? I smell blood....."

Glancing around she made a small worried sound, "Is the Ulfric alright? Was one of the packmembers injured by the hunter?"

She spoke with a desperate urgency; was that what was wrong the night before? When the Ulfric went into the forest?

Aldo had been soaking in the hot tub for... he glanced lazily at the clock. Around three hours. For part of the time, he'd been half asleep and laying nearly completely under the water, with everything above his chin, of course, above the surface. From time to time though he switched, like a napping wolf, into a state of alertness, before slipping away again, and as the morning continued and the pack became more active Aldo slowly entered a more awake state. He listened silently to the happenings; the hot water had done quite a bit to relax the man but now that he was waking up and becoming more alert, the events of last night started to trickle back. There were humans in the house, and not the good kind that he had been when he was a human and his long-dead friend was one of the Odessa Pack.

His sensitive ears (although he was deaf compared to his lupus form) picked up the rushed thuds of feet bounding down the stairs, the source of which he couldn't place until the pleasant but faint smell of Vashti diffused into his nose. With more ease, he heard heavier, more assertive footsteps; he didn't need to smell the Ulfric to know it was him, to feel his energy. The footsteps headed downward, into the basement, and Aldo shivered.

A smell of rotting hit him, and he decided that now was the time to investigate. He lifted himself, dripping, out of the hot tub, draped a towel over himself carelessly. And then he arrived in front of two dead werewolves and wished that he had never gotten out of the water. Trying to swallow back a whimper of distress as well as the urge to shift, Aldo stepped back and looked sharply away. He'd gotten a glimpse of their wounds. "Faen," he snarled, and took a tense seat nearby. He was trembling and trying as hard as he could not to shift, digging his fingernails into his palms. And simultaneously, he was fighting the urge to vomit. Judging from the feeling in his stomach it wasn't going to be a winning battle.

The smell of food wafted toward him, but Aldo couldn't fathom why anyone would want to eat when there were two dead members of their own pack lying on the floor. Slowly he turned his head toward the kitchen, unsure of how to respond to Acacia's apparently-buoyant mood. A fairly-sharp tooth was digging into his lip until it bled and released the scent of yet more blood, although this time fresh and not very much.

James had listened to the Geri in silence; only nodding and giving a small smile while she spoke. He was quiet that way; quiet and respectful.

Trudging through the snow he wasn't sure if he was relieved, or otherwise, when he saw a large and beautifully built house in the distance. This was the pack home? Wow, was all he could think.

As they approached James watched the Geri bound up some stairs to one of the house's front decks. She moved towards a large cabinet set outside.....he assumed this was the pack's clothing supply.

When the woman began to rifle through the drawers and found clothing suitable to her liking, James let out a small sigh. As she moved off to dress he went foreword and found a loose fitting red t-shirt, and a pair of comfortable looking jeans. Tugging them on without much pause he looked up to see the Geri dressed and leaned against the cabinet; staring down at him. Her dark eyes were studious and full of something that made James wary of his appearance; almost like she was judging him.....the way he had once seen a cat perched on a windowsill, gazing out at a stray dog walking past.

Then again, he was a stray after all. This woman was a beautiful creature; much higher than he could ever be in importance.

Tilting his head James smiled slightly; curious of her interest in him, "What?"

Standing he stretched a moment and heard the joints in his back pop, before he blinked and turned to the woman. He had not yet heard her name.....at least that he knew of.

"Say....what is your name?"

Ryan listened to William explain why they were locked inside the basement, though he still was confused on what was going on. Hmm, I guess that makes sense. Then William turned to him and told him to wash up for company. Ryan looked around the room and found a plastic mop sink in the adjacent corner of the room. He walked over to it and turned it on as the door to the basement opened. He didn't see Markus come in, but he heard his footsteps going down the stairs as Ryan washed the dried blood from his face. Once he was finished, he turned to the bearded man and politely listened to William finish his story. History? Organization? Vargr? Tracking a savage group? Bad blood? What is he talking about? Why does everyone seem so cryptic around me? Then everyone turned to Ryan, expecting him to speak.

"Um, hi? Uh, my name is Ryan Thompson. I was just planning on passing through town, going out on a hunting trip, hoping to catch some w- wolves. Then this HUGE ASS s- semi-truck came out of nowhere, I think the driver was drunk, and I tried to avoid him. I didn't get hit, but I lost control of my pick-up and hydroplaned... No wait, that's when it's water. What's it called when it's ice? Doesn't matter. Anyway, I drove off the road and crashed my car. Completely totaled. So I climbed away from the wreck and just started walking in the snow. By pure luck, I saw this place and came here. Annnnd... Yeah, that's about it," Ryan said.

Ryan turned back to the corner where he had slept, only now noticing the multiple cots in the room like the one William had slept on. Where the hell did those come from? Ryan sat down on the floor, next to him was a small blood stain where his head had been during the night. What's that guy got in his hand? A hammer? Odd looking hammer? Wonder what he plans on doing with it. Oh, hey. I should ask him about that girl from yesterday. "Oh hey, by the way, is that redhead girl single?" Ryan's stomach growled loudly. "And do you have any food?"

Listening intently all the while keeping his eyes on both of them Markus tapped the meat tenderizer on his thigh. He stared at William for a moment and pointed the hammer at him again. “After I finish questioning Ryan here, you and me are going to speak in private.” He takes a step towards Ryan and crouches down in front of him the hammer hanging in his hand. he kept looking out of the corner of his eye watching William and taking a few deep breaths. “And have you killed any wolves? You know hunting wolves is illegal right now correct? After all there is no season in this area of Colorado.” He tenses up a bit waiting for a answer. “You see I ask because just last night I found two dead wolves in the woods, and I’m kind of the Game Warden around this area.”

His thoughts were muddled now. He hated how cryptic people could be when being questioned. if the answers coming didn’t start gaining more clarity, he figured he may have to go through the brutal task of using the hammer he’d brought with him. Meat tenderizer to the groin usually made people talk pretty quick. His head tilted a bit causing his hair to fall to the side of his head as he didn’t have it pulled back in a top knot at the moment.

Sam

“What?”

A shrug rolled her shoulders upward as Sam continued to watch him with a rather serious quality to her dark eyes. She was still contemplating how to answer when he asked her name. A soft laugh spilled from her mouth, holding a bright, merry edge that was reminiscent of the adventurer she used to be.

“Samantha, but most people call me Sam. Laziness on their part, I think,” she said as she moved past James and towards the house's rear door. Instead of immediately opening the door, she turned to him and let a frown mar her brow as she considered the path her thoughts had taken, hand resting lightly on the sliding door's handle. Her foot tapped the ground several times while she picked what she wanted to say.

“You've been very... tame since we met. I'm simply wondering what you'd be like if you were in your element, James. We have plenty of tame werewolves around here – or well, around Odessa. Those who live in the pack house are a little more interesting. A little fire is nice sometimes – something a person can warm themselves against, no?” Her frown briefly deepened, casting her eyes into shadow as she wondered if she had spoken far too freely.

Forefinger and thumb pinched the bridge of her nose, a gesture that often followed anxiety in the woman. She peered past James to observe their surroundings before returning her attention to his face. Her body showed hesitation, unwilling as she was to simply walk inside and lose the present pace of the moment. Once inside, she would be Geri, and that would mean she'd let her self go to assume the position. It had been her choice given past experiences, but Sam still relished the brief moments of quiet.