[IC] The Way Of Wolves

[ravenhuffle]

Out on the edge of Colorado City there sits what most would call a mansion. The house sets on a 150 acre lot and is hidden from prying eyes by large trees that cover the entire privet property. Red brick and white trimmed windows, columns, and doors graced the exterior of the three story home and five steps lead up to the white wrap-around porch. The grounds around the overly large house was not kept but rather allowed to grow wild and reflect the current season. At any given day there could be two to fifteen cars parked in between the trees, on the makeshift cobble road, and in the garage. Not that anyone driving by would even know that there was a house in the midst of the forest, much less so many cars parked outside.

This mansion belongs to the Alpha of the Colorado City Wolf Pack, Seth, and his twin sister and second-in-command, Aurora. Though more often than not all ten bedrooms of the house were occupied by different members of the pack. Sometimes even the couches and floors were taken up. Seth kept an open door policy to all of his pack, it was his policy that an alpha should be willing to do anything for the safety and comfort of his pack. That included letting everyone come and go as they wished. It did help keep the house interesting, though no one ever said being a werewolf would be boring.

“Can I wake her up, boss?” Jake, the youngest and newest wolf, asked in an over eager tone.

Seth looked over his shoulder and rolled his eyes from his spot at the stove where he was flipping pancakes. Beside him Bryan worked on scrambled eggs and bacon. The “her” in question jumped down the last three steps into the kitchen using the wall to help her swing as she landed. Her chestnut colored hair was pulled back in a ponytail except for the strands that were too short to reach all the way to the back of her head, thus giving her face a nice frame. Aurora stopped behind Jake and rubbed his hair affectionately.

“Like I could sleep with all of you down here making such a ruckus!” Aurora said with a smirk.

“I tried to keep them quiet.” Jake promised putting a hand on his heart. “I promise!”

“Says the pup that wanted to come wake me up.” Aurora laughed as she took a seat at the kitchen island beside the newly changed wolf.

“I would have gone to get you myself if I thought you would skip the best meal of the day.” Bryan said putting a plate of pancakes, eggs, and bacon in front of Aurora and Jake.

Aurora rolled her eyes but dug into her breakfast without thought. One by one the other pack members that were in the house made their way into the kitchen for breakfast. Some stood with their plates in their hands, others crowded around the island, and others sat on the kitchen counters. A steady hum of conversations filled the room and she just allowed the individual voices blend into a white noise. This was her home and these wolves were her family.

“You look dazed, love.” A hand reached out and gently caressed her cheek. Her bright blue eyes lifted up to meet warm chocolate ones and a smile pulled her lips upward. Logan was always the flirty one but he was also the only one that could make her smile when she did not want to.

“I was just enjoying this. Everyone talking and eating.” Aurora kissed Logan’s palm and he pulled his hand away. “It is relaxing.”

“Yeah, no one is fighting today.” Logan commented as he shoved a whole pancake into his mouth.

Aurora laughed and turned her attention back to her food. She was second in command in her pack but she was also the only female werewolf, so despite her rank every one of her pack members saw her as the delicate flower to hold and protect. She always joked that she did not have one brother, she had several dozen. Hell, if she wanted too she could kick all of their butts any time, any day.

“You’re spacing again.” Jake said snapping his finger front of her face. Aurora growled and snapped at the pups fingers. Jake yelped and pulled his hand away quickly.

“Don’t snap at me boy.” She told him in a low warning tone.

“Someone woke up in a bad mood.” Seth said in a matter-of-fact voice from behind Aurora. Aurora looked back at him and he smiled from around the bacon strip that was halfway in his mouth.

“Is someone on her month cycle?” Jake asked with a playful laugh. Aurora narrowed her eyes and her hand shot around the little pup’s neck as she lifted him off the stool he was sitting on.

“Aurora.” Seth said calmly but it carried the weight of his alpha authority.

Aurora let him go and Jake quickly picked up his plate and made a beeline to the farthest corner in the room next to Marcus. Marcus looked up at Seth with a cold gaze and simply slapped him upside the head causing Jake to bang his head on the cabinet. Jake rubbed his head but remained silent just like the rest of the room.

“I am going for a run.” Aurora shove her plate away and stood up. Seth put a hand on her shoulder but she knocked it off. “Alone.” She said without looking back.

Aurora pulled her purple shirt over her head and threw it to the side as she walked out the back door. Sometimes she truly hated living in a house of all males. True, they could be a lot of fun but the past several months had been worse than usual thanks to Seth pulling in a newly turned, stupid, teenage pup. Jake had turned twenty just a week earlier but his new age has not improved his maturity or his ability to interact with a female. More often than not, Jake was making some comment about her body, or her anger being due to her “monthly cycle,” or some other kind of jab at her being a female.

She stripped rest of her clothing and left it a good mile from the house in a neat pile. Anger roared through her from Jake’s comment and the lack of defense from the rest of her pack. Maybe if she had not relented her alpha tendency to her brother it might not have been so bad. Aurora stretched her back and let out a half scream, half growl as the bones popped, stretched, and reshaped. With a thud she landed on her hands and knees. Another wave made her cry out and throw her head against the ground. The third wave was more of a growl then a scream. A few more stretches of muscles and skin and popping bones and Aurora was fully changed into her grey haired wolf self.

It was almost as if she was testing her paws and their ability to hold her weight as she took her first couple of steps, but then she just stretched and took off in a dead run. The wind blew through her fur as she darted around trees and jumped over obstacles in her path. The anger she felt towards her pack, specifically towards Jake ran out of her system like the wind ran through her fur. As her mind cleared she was able to start truly thinking about why she had gotten so mad. Yes, he had snapped his fingers in her face and commented about her time of month but was that really reason to get mad?

Then it dawned on her and she came to a sliding stop. Her brother was angry at something and she had absorbed his anger. Again. She turned back to the direction of the house. What had made Seth so mad that it leaked to her?

[StarfrostedFox]

Fresh powdery snow was beginning to drift in fat flakes from the underside of thick iron grey clouds hanging low in the sky, Coding the already snowy landscape with an unblemished layer of white. Between the snow, the frosty temperatures, and the way that each breath fogged in the air in front of mouths and noses, mother nature was giving the impression that winter was still lingering, though spring greens and warmer temperatures were beginning to blossom in abundance on the valley floor. Yet higher on the mountain's shoulders and head, winter still clung unforgivingly to the landscape.

As the moon hung heavy and full close to the western horizon, just managing to peek out under the lip of the cloud cover, two wolves threaded their way across the fresh powder in a winding line that threaded through the trees of the mountain forest, their lithe figures expertly maneuvering around snow laden bushes and frosty trunks, ears perked as they both seemed to be listening to a group of younger wolves farther ahead of them. Puffs of white fog erupted from their open muzzles as They kept up a steady ground eating lope, pink tongues lolling out as they panted With the exertion. The Larger leading wolf Was a shaggy thick coated male, his fur as blindingly white as the surrounding snow, but changed abruptly to black along each of his legs from shoulder and hip down to his toes and the majority of his face, save for the fringes of his cheeks and the top of his forehead, the color fading slightly closer to the edges, becoming a dark grey. A pale grey stripe also ran from the base of his skull to the middle of his tail, this raised high in the air behind him.

His companion Was a smaller and lithly Built creature, with ample Amounts of fluffy white fur That made her appear bigger then she actually was. But splashed unevenly across her back in a saddle pattern, tipping her bushy tail, And splashed onto each of her paws and ears As well as a streak above her pink nose was a russet brown. Then, As if this hadn't been enough, it appeared as if someone had taken paint the exact same shades Of her coat And randomly splattered the opposite color with speckles, creating a multitude of red speckles in her white areas and a handful of white within the red. If the way her tail kept waving In the air behind her was any indication, her personality was as sweet as the powdered sugar her fur resembled. At least, she was as much as she could, despite being a werewolf. Vivid gold eyes Sparkling with bright excitement, She somehow managed to bounce Forward and playfully nip at the end of The tail in front of her, erupting Into giggles as it brought her companion to an abrupt halt, his icy blue gaze falling on her And staring disapprovingly.

"Cassidy," he projected his thoughts sharply into her mind, releasing a loud huff, "This is no time to be playing games. You're old enough to know that, especially-" His ears turned back against his head as this resulted in further giggles that interrupted him, definitely not the result he had been hoping for. A small crease formed along his forehead, Making him look more worried than anything, especially not the anger that he felt bubbling up.

Briefly baring her white teeth in a wolfish Version of a grin, Cassidy seemed thoroughly unfazed as she bounced forward once again and swiped her tongue across the puckering in his forehead, probably because she knew she could out run the larger male if she needed to, The idea making her tail wiggle happily. "Aw, my dear brother Hutch," she chirped as she plopped her rump in the snow And began to create her own version of a snow angel with her bushy Appendage., "You're just grumpy because we have to plow through fresh snow." Her fur puffed up a little as she saw him open his mouth to refute her statement and she quickly added, "and the fact that no fresh game has shown up for the youngsters to prove themselves with." At this, she tilted her head in the direction of the three younger wolves, freshly turned and looking to prove themselves on a first hunt.

Hutch shut his muzzle With a soft click of his teeth, ears lifting Slowly as he regarded his Younger sister. She may not have been his full sibling, his father having found a new mate after his own mother had died, but she somehow had a softening effect On him that couldn't deny his fondness for her. And that was only part of the reason why he had asked her to accompany him. Her near perpetual sphere of happiness was just a bonus he was going to have to live with. Despite this, it didn't stop the small snort that escaped him in a cloud Of white. "I'm just... worried... What if I completely mess up this whole hunting assessment? I don't understand why my father asked the Alpha to give me this sort of assignment. I don't really... Connect with anyone else. ."

Cassidy's eyes lit up as if she had just accomplished something very difficult. Her brother didn't normally come out of his shell and admit so readily that he was worried, not even to her. "Exactly! You're so down and stressed that I can't help it. You should be happy that Father has spoken so highly of you to Thatcher. The Alpha is showing trust in the opinion of his second and in turn is trusting you with something very important. He would never trust me with something as major as testing young werewolves... Maybe he is trying to give you confidence to try and move up in the ranks." Cassidy piped cheerfully, Jumping up to her paws and shaking out her coat vigorously, dislodging any snow that had had the thought to hitchhike. "Why deny a bit of sunshine?" She asked brightly, once again turning towards the distant recruits and starting off at a trot, her tail held high.

After a moment, Hutch bounded After her retreating figure, gently biting at her neck as he passed by, prompting them into both running again. "It's night time Cass." He said with one of his rare chuckles.

"Exactly why it is called for!" The she wolf said in a matter of fact tone. "There's nothing quite like the happiness you get from making your brother forget his worries momentarily." Her head tilted back slightly, her mental laughter strong enough that a barking version of the noise escaped her maw, bubbling up towards the night sky.

"well if you want that happiness to continue, you better shut your mouth before you scare off all the prey on the entire mountain." Hutch growled over his shoulder, receiving a cheeky and completely silent grin in return that made him shake his head ruefully, but smile softly when he was sure his sister couldn't see him doing so.

But soon, sooner than he would have liked, Hutch found himself sinking back into his surly mood from earlier, his thoughts drifting back into all of his concerns. For if Cassidy was right and their father was trying to push him into challenging for a higher rank, a fight between them would break out inevitably. He wasn't concerned with rising in the pack hierarchy, content with living his life in the middle, showing his dominance just enough to not attract an endless amount of fights, but not giving into the pressure of becoming submissive and sinking to the bottom of the pack where he would be guaranteed to end up The target of someone else's frustration. Growl rumbling silently in his throat, the white and black werewolf pushed himself up onto the crest of a low hill, coming to a slow stop as the land fell away before him in a sheer cliff that looked out over an indentation within the side of the mountain where his people called home.

The village, Snowden, wasn't very large in comparison to the nearby Colorado city, but Hutch could have named every single soul that lived within its secretive boundaries. He had touched most of their minds with his own thoughts as they ran together as wolves. He could have counted the completely human inhabitants on one hand, something that would have been impossible within the city boundaries. The Alpha of the Snowden pack of werewolves hadn't wanted to put his family through The added stress of trying to keep their condition a secret from the humans by putting them in a city as other packs had chosen to do... He didn't want to restrict the changing of their shapes as they desired... He didn't want them to feel like monsters.

Releasing a slow controlled sigh, Hutch flickered his thoughts towards the new wolves, tasting some of the disappointment and anticipation from the emotions that they had yet to learn to keep from leaking over their thoughts with every connection. With that touch, the reminder of his task washed over him again, his body turning away from the village and plunging him back into the forest.

Hours had seemed to drag by as the wolves had steadily threaded their way down the mountain side, searching for prey that had fled from the storm. It wasn't until they were nearly to the ground level when they discovered a herd of deer grazing on tender shoots of grass, The younger wolves excitedly working together haphazardly to separate a large buck from the others, Hutch doing his best to guide their actions with comments and images, gaining additional insights after prompting Cassidy to do so. Finally, as the sky was beginning to lighten to a pale grey tinged with pink, Hutch at last allowed himself to feel a surge of pride as he watched the trio of newcomers overcome the struggling deer, The animal sinking to the ground amidst a mass of grey and brown fur.

Suddenly uncomfortable with the swell of emotions, the Black and white werewolf turned his head to look down at his sister, shuffling his paws. "can I trust you to watch them until I return?" He asked her, watching an expression of surprise cross her face before she nodded once.

"where are you going?" Cassidy queried curiously, tilting her head to one side.

He had to think quickly for a moment before he found his excuse, already turning towards the forest. "I am going to check the border while we're here, give the young ones a chance to enjoy their first kill without me watching over their shoulders.

The look of confusion that had been coloring her expression faded away at his words, her ready acceptance of his excuse refreshing. She blinked her golden eyes at him once before she sank to her haunches in the snow free grass, turning her attention back to the feast. One last thought was sent his way as Hutch vanished into the trees. "be safe.."

The quick snick-snicking of his nails over the surface of yet another mostly buried Boulder was the only company that followed the white wolf as he wove his way around and through the sea of ever thinning trees, his thoughts focused on unknotting the tension lacing The muscles in his back and neck. Despite the enticing shadows of the trees that were just starting to acquire their true colors, he seemed to prefer avoiding them and allowing the sunlight to dance over his glossy thick fur. For a moment, his vibrant blue eyes flickered towards the sound of fluttering wings and his body paused with one paw lifted in the act of taking a step. Head turning slowly as he watched the startled bird flee into the sky. Hutch then let out a soft snort before continuing his wandering.All at once, without any warning, the undergrowth and trees suddenly fell away into a large field of early spring wildflowers that were finally starting to bloom after the long months of winter. Blinking a few times, he stumbled to a halt and looked around slowly, giving his tail a few flicks before he approached cautiously, tilting his large ears forward. Once he was a foot or so away from the first of the flowers, he stopped again and tilted his head to the side, considering the delicate white and purple petals. Then he snorted, trailing forward into the sweet smelling mass and sank to his belly with a sigh, resting his chin on one of his heavy front paws before he closed his eyes, taking the time he needed to work the bubbling anger out of his system before he returned home.

[ravenhuffle]

Only here, in this place of solitude surrounded by centuries old tall oak trees, could Aurora truly trust that her feelings were her own. While she loved her brother deeply she was increasingly becoming more annoyed with him recently. Not that she could pinpoint when exactly it started happening, but within the past couple of months it seemed as if Seth was more on edge then general. Normally a sister probably would not care about a brothers mood swings enough to become agitated, but most siblings did not have an emotional connection either.

A soft clinking of sharp nails on cold stone caused Aurora’s black and white speckled ears to rotate towards the south directly to her left. Intelligent sapphire eyes peered into the gaps between the trees. Just beyond the trees loomed the spine of mountains that made up the southern border of the extensive property. Aurora could have sworn that she made it clear to her pack that she wanted to be left alone. Leaning onto the back of her padded paws to keep her nails from hitting the ground Aurora moved through the shadow of the trees like a whisper in the dark. Her jet black fur blended nearly seamlessly with the shadows cast by the trees. The only white in her fur was splattered in tiny drops of color on her ears and paws.

Walking on the pads of her paws made her footfalls nearly impossible to hear. With this silent movement, the black wolf made her way quickly through the trees, her ears pointed forward to listen to the sharp sound of nails. Pretty soon she found herself on the edge of a meadow watching a white, black and gray wolf walk tenderly through the opening of the trees. Brightly colored flowers cover the ground of the meadow giving the ground an appearance of a soft multicolored carpet.

This wolf was not a part of her pack, she knew every single member and what his wolf half looked like. The bright white fur that faded to black at his legs and paws, and the unique gray stripe was a pattern she had never seen before. Avina walked along the outer edge of the meadow making sure to keep to the shadows and to keep her nails from hitting the ground as she followed the larger males as he moved to the middle of the open carpet. Out of nowhere, the male plopped himself down on the flowers with a huff. It seemed to her like he was letting go of something that had been troubling him.

With her own huff she sad back on her hind hunches and continued to watch the new wolf. Was he a werewolf or just a wolf, she wondered with a tilt of her head. Avina squinted her eyes causing the skin around her nuzzle to wrinkle and expose her white teeth. There was intelligence in the eyes of the other wolf as if he was thinking of something other than the instinct to survive. Avina stood up once more and took a moment to glance back through the maze of the forest to where her house stood still hidden by trees. Her brother would not approve of her interacting with a werewolf that was not in their pack, much less a male. Aurora huffed at her brother. The puff of air that came from her soft gray nose was visible even in the dim light of the tree canopy.

Aurora took a few tentative steps forward until the sun from the open sky was illuminating her deep black fur giving a glossy look to the strands of hair. For a few long moments she just stood there unsure of rather the other wolf saw her or not. Finally she got the courage to continue moving forward. Her footfalls were graceful and precise, only on two or three steps did she crush a flower. Once she found herself within a few feet of the male she plopped down onto the ground the same way he had done just a few minutes before.

[StarfrostedFox]

Just as Hutch was finally beginning the process of loosening the tension in the muscles lining his neck, there came a soft exhalation from somewhere within the trees that had his eyes snapping open and immediately scanning the fringes of the woods, ears perking forward. He waited there for the space of what felt like a dozen heartbeats, on tenter hooks for the appearance of a set of gold eyes... Or a flash of red and white fur... Anything to tell him that Cassidy had come sneaking after him to make sure that he was actually checking the border. Which he wasn't, but that was besides the point. But after several long minutes of watching the edge of the trees, scrutinizing the shadows and even going so far as to look back over each shoulder, nothing happened. No bouncy little sister appeared, no new changeling horde falling over one another coming to drag him back to the hunt came bursting out of the undergrowth.. He didn't even see any hint of a bird or some other small animal that could explain the sound he heard. Blinking mildly, Hutch tilted his head slightly as he considered The different possibilities, finally concluding that it must've been the wind rushing around the trees, a residue from the storm earlier that day, or perhaps a squirrel zooming up a tree trunk. Growling softly in his throat, The white and black werewolf lowered his chin back down to his paws, Turning both of his ears back and determinedly Focusing on relaxing his muscles and not on listening to the forest around him, letting his eyes slide shut to reduce the temptation to continue squinting into the shadows.

He was not, therefore, prepared to handle The surprise he got when the other wolf unexpectedly joined him in the field of wildflowers. She didn't make a sound as she moved out from the cover of the trees, didn't give away her position as she picked her way through the flowers to his side. And it was only when she settled into a similar position A few feet away from him and her scent was wafted in his direction that Hutch even realized that he was not alone. But as soon as that reality settled into place, his muscles went taut, eyelids flying open and muzzle wrinkling to expose his fangs, and he half sprang into an almost Crouch as he stared at the unfamiliar Black Wolf that had lowered herself to her belly in front of him. That vulnerable position, in the face of an absolute stranger, was perhaps the only reason why he didn't immediately spring into an attack.

Hackles stiff along the back of his neck, Hutch tried to work the snarl off of his face as he carefully studied the she wolf, and had just managed to soften the expression into something that managed to hide his teeth but kept his muzzle wrinkled somewhat when he finally sank back down to his own belly slowly. Nostrils dilating as he breathed in her unfamiliar scent, Hutch began to wonder just who this newcomer was. A new member of the pack perhaps? Someone brought in from another pack for rehabilitation purposes? That had been known to happen on occasion, though it was a rare occurrence. And if that were the case, why would the Alpha be sending her out so quickly after joining the pack? There was no way he would be trusting enough to ask Hutch to oversee the integration of an outsider on top of testing young werewolves... Would he?

Tentatively, Hutch stretched out A curious thought, projecting his question about the wolf's identity in the direction of her mind... And found nothing to connect to. He blinked twice quickly with surprise, his head jerking back slightly with his shock. He had only thrice before in his life met another werewolf who's thoughts he couldn't connect with. None of them had been part of his pack. The idea of a wolf from another pack or even simply a loaner behaving so submissively around him made his thoughts reel with bewilderment. He had never encountered such an anomaly. Unable to project his question therefore, Hutch found himself instead tilting his head in such a way as to ask the question. Who are you? Where are you from? He hoped she would understand.

[ravenhuffle]

It was not until she settled down that the other wolf even noticed her. Sophia knew she was good at moving around silently when she wanted to, but when the white and gray wolf in front of her pulled his muzzle back to show his fangs she started to question if she should have snuck up on him. Her wolf almost growled back, but Sophia pulled back and remained completely still even though every muscle in her body was taunt waiting for an attack. Just above the half-crouched wolf’s head she could see the hair on his hackles standing up. Perhaps it truly was not a good idea having snuck up on a larger male wolf. If he decided to attack she could seriously injure him, or maybe he would injure her. He was rather a big wolf after all. Then again, she wasn’t second in her pack for nothing. The large wolf started to relax his muzzle a little, so Sophia lifted her head slowly as not to startle him. Confusion was written in his eyes and all over his face, he was trying to figure out something though she wasn’t sure what.

It was pretty obvious that he tried reaching out to her to talk only to find that he was unable. The way he pulled back and shook his head caused her to pull her muzzle back in a wolfish grin. Silly thing, trying to talk outside of a pack could send an electrical shock through the body. What she could not figure out was if he was a lone wolf or if he belonged to a pack. If shad had to guess she would say a pack considering he tried to establish communication. Her ears cocked to the side as she listened for the foot falls of other wolves to make sure he did not have other wolves moving in around her, but all she heard was her and the male’ breathing. Maybe he was a part of the large pack that lived isolated up in the mountains just north of her and her brother’s property? Her brother had tried to reach out to the alpha of their neighboring pack, but the pack seemed to shun outsiders. Perhaps that was why this male was so defensive, he hasn’t had much experience interacting with other packs or even humans if she had to guess.

The other wolf seemed to have finally calmed down considering he had tilted his head at her. She stood up and shook her body to get rid of the dirt that had clung to her underbelly. Her bright blue eyes looked back at him as her tail twitched from side to side. She knew he was questioning who she was but she had no way of answering him unless she shifted back to human form which was painful to say the least. Not to mention she would have to change back again. Communication was impossible if she stayed in her current form though. Sophia took a couple of steps away from the wolf then lowered her head. Changing wasn’t hard, it was bringing her wolf into submission and pulling her full humanity back out that was hard.

The sound of wood splintering echoed through the meadow as her legs broke in half and began to stretch. Next her jaw popped out of place and began to shrink from a muzzle to a humanoid shape. The black fur covering her body pulled back into her skin and her skin faded from a dull pink to a light peach. Behind her, her hind legs stretched and her back paws morphed into human feet while her fore legs stretched and turned into arms and hands. Once the change was done, Sophia stayed on her hands and knees trying to calm her heavy breathing. The change back to human always seemed worse than the change to a wolf. After a moment of catching her breath, Sophia pulled herself up into an upright position on her knees while crossing her arms to cover her chest. Her clothes were stashed in the woods still somewhere near the house.

“I am Sophia.” She said at last. “Second in Command of the Colorado City Pack. Who are you?”

[StarfrostedFox]

Hutch instinctively stiffened as the she wolf rose to her paws, watching her carefully as she shook out her midnight fur, though his shoulders relaxed somewhat as she regarded him with a thoughtful expression and a swish of her tail before taking a few deliberate steps backwards. As soon as she bowed her head, The confusion he had begun to feel at her actions vanished as quickly as if someone had popped the emotion like a bubble. He hadn't been anticipating her changing in front of him, but had to hold back the self directed snort of derision at the simple fact that he hadn't expected the obvious. How else was she going to be able to tell him who she was? Draping his head across his forepaws, the white and black wolf listened in silence at the familiar snap and pop cacophony that accompanied the change, making a concerted effort to focus his gaze into the forest to give her what privacy he could offer.

As the heavy panting morphed into The sound of a set of human lungs working and the painful creaking quieted, Hutch found himself counting slowly to twenty before readjusting his head and focusing his white blue gaze on the young chestnut haired woman just straightening from a prone position and crossing her arms across her chest. She was rather pretty, he couldn't help but admit that, The way she had cut her hair to frame her face and The rounded shape of her eyes, but part of him quietly wondered if he was just thinking that because she was the first female werewolf he had seen since his sister had survived the change. No... There was a certain beauty to her face, even if he hadn't been so obviously aware of her supernatural status.

"I am Sophia." She said when she had finally caught her breath, immediately causing his ears to perk as he listened attentively. "Second in Command of the Colorado City Pack. Who are you?"

Ah yes, she had inevitably asked the question Hutch had seen coming from the moment he had realized she was transforming. Of course, that would mean he was obligated to revert to his human form as well if he intended on giving her a response... Staring quietly at Sophia for several long seconds, Almost as if he were stubbornly going to stay laying down, the Big wolf finally released a long sigh before rising to his paws and giving his own shaggy coat a shake. Stepping back, he lowered his head and closed his eyes in concentration, gritting his teeth together as the uncomfortable prickle that preceded the change spread throughout his body.

Amid the popping of his own joints, the cracking of his bones, and the squirm of muscles as they shifted and readjusted, Hutch tried to absorb The information that had been given to him, tried to comprehend why the second of a city pack would come out into the woods on her own. He could feel it when the fur receded into his skin, when the tail shrank away into nothing, and when his thumbs popped back into place on his hands, pain prickling over his raw skin as he was the one now panting into the dirt, and he took a moment to collect himself and his humanity before pushing back from the ground and folding his legs beneath him as he sat. Hazel eyes slowly opening to focus warily on Sophia, Hutch courteously propped his elbows on his thighs, draping his arms across One another to conceal anything that might be embarrassing to her.

"...Hutch." He at last responded in a smooth baritone, answering her question simply. "I'm part of the Snowden Moutan Pack." He almost lifted one of his hands to gesture back over his shoulder at the looming mountain range behind him, but caught himself at the last moment just as the muscles in his shoulder twitched to follow through with the action. After all, he wasn't sure how touchy city wolves were about nudity. "So Sophia... What brings you to the forest?" Alone, He added mentally, highly curious about her answer but trying not to show it on his face.

[ravenhuffle]

The wolf was stubborn, Sophia decided as she sat there in the nude surrounded by cold white snow and brightly colored flowers with only the sun’s rays to bring any warmth to her bare skin. For a moment she allowed herself to miss her midnight fur’s warmth. Still the wolf sat across from her with his head on his paws, warm in his fur and seeming to refuse to shift to talk with her. He was the one that questioned first, he should have known she would have asked for the same answers in return. Finally the he wolf stood up and shook out his multi-colored fur before taking a few steps away. With a soft smile Sophia turned her head to the side and closed her eyes to give him the same privacy that he had given her.

With her eyes closed, she tried to drown out the sounds popping bones, stretching flesh, and hair being pulled back into the body that sounded oddly like nails on a chalkboard to her by focusing on the sounds of spring. In the forest she could hear the pitter patter of padded feet that belonged to a rabbit, the high-pitched chirp of birds, and the sliding sound of a snake moving along the ground. While listening to the song of nature, Sophia did not even realize the male wolf was done changing until he said his name. Sapphire blue eyes snapped open and turned to focus on the wolf, now turned man, in front of her. The man that sat in front of her was not what she was expecting when she saw him in his wolf form. His wolf was large and powerful while the man seemed tall and lanky without the strong muscles that his wolf seemed to promise. Not that he looked weak, just that he was not as strong as she thought he would appear. Though in a rugged way he was very handsome and his almond shaped eyes really suited his face.

“Hutch.” She repeated softly in a soft-spoken tone as if she was testing the taste of his name in her mouth. “I know of you pack. My brother tried to form a relation with them when we first settled here, but your alpha refused to see him.” Sophia shivered a little and turned her head to look out around the meadow rather than focusing Hutch’s intimidatingly focused gaze. It was not as if she was unused to her pack seeing her naked body, or her theirs, but it felt different when he looked at her. She wasn’t really sure why it bothered her, honestly. Eventually her eyes drifted back to him making sure to look directly back into his eyes so that her own orbs did not wander.

“I am not truly alone. This is my Alpha and I’s property, and we run these forests as wolves all the time. All I would have to do is howl and my pack would be on my heels within a minute.” She paused for a moment and settled into a more comfortable position so that her feet were flat against the ground. “I came to get away from my pack.” She admitted honestly after a long moment of silence. “What about you? Why are you so far away from your pack?” She tilted her head to motion to the mountains where she knew the Snowden Mountain Pack resides.

When her brother first went to try and meet with Hutch’s pack, he refused to allow her to come. He claimed it was because he was unsure of how barbaric the pack was and he did not want to endanger her. Not that she believed that was his real reason to keep her from coming. When he finally made his way back down the mountain, Sophia felt his anger before he even walked through the door. He did not talk about what had happened that day that day or any day after. Seth went as far as saying interacting with those from that pack was forbidden. That thought made her turn her head towards he house and listen for a moment just to make sure she did not hear anyone approaching them. Only the sounds of nature reached her sensitive ears so she made herself relax a little as she turned back to Hutch.

[StarfrostedFox]

Her voice, the way she said his name, it was all so unfamiliar. For a long moment, Hutch simply sat facing her with a quizzical expression on his face, a slight tilt to his head. As she began to tell him of her Brother, the way he had attempted to make contact with his Alpha, his lips turned down somewhat. This was the first time he had ever heard of the Alpha of the city pack coming to visit Snowden... Not even his father had mentioned such a thing. Glancing thoughtfully towards the Mountainy forest, he unconsciously rubbed at a spot on his chin with the tips of his fingers on one hand. Why would they be keeping something like that from the rest of the pack? He wondered if Cassidy knew anything about this...

His thoughts were finally pulled back to Sophia and Hutch quickly lowered his hand back down to rest on top of The back of his other hand, wondering if she had been bothered by his slip up by the way she readjusted her legs and feet. His skin prickled uncomfortably as she talked about how easy it would be to call her pack, making him think that he truly had offended her in someway by his words or actions. But then she talked about how she had wanted to get away from the others and he instinctively relaxed. Hadn't he been doing that exact same thing? He could just as easily call his sister and the trio of new wolves to his own aid. ... Not that he had any desire to do so. Even just the thought of calling for help made him want to cringe, though he kept the expression from his face just barely. The only thing that managed to slip past his control was a slight tightening around the corners of his eyes.

"I am out here for the same reason... Not so much getting away from my pack, as much as it is getting away from my sister." He finally admitted, Somewhat surprised by his truthfulness. He wasn't the most trusting of people, or the most chatty, so it shocked him even more when he continued on with his explanation. "We just had three wolves successfully survive the change. I was asked to supervise their first hunt and I asked my younger sister to come with me. There was quite The snowstorm up on the mountains that it seems to of driven all the game down here... I needed some time away from the others to sort out some things..." It wasn't everything, but it was close enough when it came to Hutch. He felt slightly self-conscious for having said so much, glancing down quickly as a result to study the grains of dirt that had stuck to his knees and shins. "... Why did you want to get away from your pack?" He asked hesitantly after a moment, genuinely curious about her reasons for escaping.

[ravenhuffle]

Sophia was the only female wolf in her pack, and none of the males were shy about striping in front of her. Though there was something different about Hutch, maybe it was because he was not a part of her pack or maybe because she found him attractive. Either way, when he moved his hand up to his chin, the motion caught her eye and before she could stop herself she was looking at his entire physic from his eyes to where his legs touched the ground and back again. A blush formed on her cheeks and she quickly moved her head to the side so that her hair fell over her face like a veil to hide her face and the fact that she had just checked him out.

Out of embarrassment, Sophia kept her head turned as she listened to him talk about wanting to get away from his sister. At the mention of another female wolf, Sophia looked back at him with eager interest. She ran a hand through her hair to push it away from her face before it occurred to her what the motion revealed. The light pink that was brushed across the bridge of her nose and cheeks deepened to a deeper red that spread to her neck. Quickly she put her arm back where it was and gave a soft cough to clear her throat and to buy her a minute before speaking.

“You have a sister?” She finally managed in a tone that would have been too low for human ears to hear. “I have never meet another female werewolf, I was starting to think I was the only one. I would really like to meet her sometime.” Her voice slowly went back to her normal tone as she talked. The idea of another female wolf made her very excited. Finally she could stop thinking she was the only female werewolf to ever survive a bite!

“I remember that snow storm! It lasted for several days, right? I have noticed that the game has been more sparse than normal since the storm. But then again, game is always a little hard to find on our property, it is like animals are instinctively aware that predators lurk in these woods. Does your pack gain new wolves regularly? We have only one new wolf, and he joined us a year ago. It is rare for us to have new wolves.” Sophia paused for a moment and looked into the woods towards where her house sat. She wasn’t sure if her brother would approve of all the information she was giving away about the pack, especially with a Snowden pack member since he seemed to distrust them so much. For whatever reason though, she seemed to have an unexplainable feeling that she could trust Hutch.

Hutch’s question caught her off guard and her face closed off just a little. The reason she wanted to get away was because her brother’s anger was spreading to her, but their connection was not even something they shared with their own pack much less strangers. “Umm..” Sophia looked at the ground for a moment to collect her thoughts then decided to go with as much truth as she could give. “Our new wolf is not used to being around women in general, and he said several things that made my blood boil and my skin crawl. So I decided to go out running before I changed in the middle of the kitchen, and I am pretty sure my pack members knew to leave me alone that that point.” She gave a half laugh. It was not the full truth, but it was close enough considering she included everything but her brother’s anger fueling her own. “What about you? Why did you need to get away?” she asked in curiosity.

[StarfrostedFox]

As he had turned back to answer her question, Hutch found himself silently wondering why Sophia had turned her face away from him, her chestnut hair falling in a sheet between them. When he had eventually spoken of his sister, Sophia had rather quickly looked back in his direction, her blue gaze bright with interest, a faint coloring of pink in her cheeks, and he then wondered why she had flushed. He had just silently admitted to himself that he found the coloring attractive and was starting to theorize that it had been called into being by her excitement when the woman reached up to brush away some of the tresses from her face. He had just enough time to register the movement and firmly resolve not to look down when her cheeks flooded with a darker color. He subtly deepened his breaths, catching the hint of... embarrassment, he decided, mingled with the scent of human and wolf. He looked, He couldn't deny that, without actually moving his eyes to do so. He liked what he saw. She was a beautiful woman, she shouldn't be embarrassed about the body she had been blessed with. He had just opened his mouth to tell her so, though it went against his natural nature, when she quickly dropped her arm back into place and was saying how she would like to meet his sister one day. Slowly, Hutch closed his mouth again, giving a solitary nod of acknowledgment, regretting the lost opportunity for a well-deserved compliment. Mentally, he tucked The comment away in the back of his mind, hoping to have the chance to give it in the future. For now, he reluctantly turned his thoughts back to his sister, the newcomers, The responsibilities his father was trying to give him...

He didn't answer all of her questions immediately, waiting patiently for her to talk herself out, giving himself ample opportunity to collect his thoughts. But when his silence finally would start to be considered rude, he released the breath he hadn't realized he had been holding in an abrupt sigh. "No. New wolves are not common place in our pack. To have three changes at once is almost unheard of... And to have these three change after almost a decade without any... It's strange." He admitted, Tilting his head thoughtfully as he considered the odds. They weren't good, Even with favorable circumstances.

Resisting the sudden urge to grimace as he then admitted to the reason why he had sought solitude, Hutch's Voice almost deepened into a grumble, or perhaps it was more accurately described as a growl. "My sister, Cassidy, can be a little... irritating at times. Even though she is a werewolf, she is positively bubbly." He couldn't help the roll his eyes gave. "She was on one earlier, gushing about the wonderful opportunity the Alpha has given me by asking me to do something so important as leading a first hunt." He could feel himself bristling at the remembered emotions and comments, he couldn't help it. Even though he had wanted to make some sort of sarcastic remark about the manners of her pack's own new Wolf, his earlier irritation was resurfacing, smothering out any thought he had had of flirting. "I had to get away from her before I ripped out her hamstring or something worse to leave her behind. I couldn't take the cheery positivity she was spouting when I just wanted to be angry with my father and the Alpha for trying to force me into accepting higher responsibility. I don't want to be a dominant!"

Instinctively, Hutch's entire body went completely still, his muscles stiffening with the realization of just how much he had admitted to. Never before had he opened up to someone as much as he had been doing with this stranger, Not even his sister, who he was closest with despite being irritated with her frequently. The idea of admitting to such weakness had his mouth going dry, but almost immediately flared his irritation. He didn't care about being weak, he didn't care about being strong, it shouldn't matter that he voiced his opinion. But his wolf didn't like the feeling one bit. The wolf snarled in his mind, Demanding that the statement be refuted, irritated at his human half. Ignoring the prideful beast, ignoring the effect he might have on Sophia,, Hutch surged onto his feet, whirling around until his back was to the woman and taking a few strides away, coming to a stop with his fists clenched and his shoulders taut.