Attitude Check

[attr="class","scroll"]
Helva found herself wandering out of the safety of the den site often. Not only was the place filled with constant infighting, little could be found there. Creating a mound, she hoped off the top and continued her silent trek through the prairie. While the Sanzin territory was wide and vast, it lacked in diversity. Wherever one looked, it was mostly fields and plains. Though the ocean did make for a pleasant change. As it was now, she had no destination in mind. Helva simply walked wherever she was inclined.
[break][break]
The little pup stopped for a moment. Her ears flicked and she turned her nose to the air as something new caught her senses. It was a scent she was largely unfamiliar with. Having never left her home territory, Helva had yet to met with any wolves from other packs or places. Following the scent to the border, she pushed through the reeds to come across another pup not too different from herself. Streaks of cream accented a white coat and greying muzzle. An angular face denoted a more feminine appearance. The unfamiliar scent was coming from this youngster. This was a pup she'd never seen before. "Who are you?" she probed, suspicious. Life in the Sanzin had not raised her to be particularly trusting.
[break][break]
Helva adopted a wary stance and kept her distance from the newcomer. "What do you want?" she queried, eyeing the other pup. Most meetings in the Sanzin were not on friendly terms. She could only assume this wolf also had similar inclinations. Sizing them up, if it came down to a fight, Helva felt confident she could take them. She hadn't established her place in the zero's hierarchy by wishful thinking.

[attr="class","scroll"]
Helva's eyes rooved over the other pup, looking for signs of aggression. Internally, she breathed a small sigh of relief. This pup didn't seem to be itching for a fight. It was a welcome change from the bellicose atmosphere of the Sanzin. Though it did annoy her that she answered her question with a question. That annoyance was quelled when the newcomer did end up answering her. The pup's name surprised Helva. Zero? Zero wasn't a name. She was a zero. Helva eyed the other pup suspiciously. The fact that they were so forthcoming, albeit in an grudging manner, threw off a hoard of alerts in Helva's mind.
[break][break]
"You're no Sanzin," she stated, matter-of-factly. Her ears fell back warily. If they weren't Sanzin, who were they? Anyone outside the Sanzin were dangerous. They couldn't be trusted. Though that same thought could extend to her packmates. "Where did you come from?" she demanded. Unlike Zero, Helva didn't care to disclose her name. Proper introductions were far from her mind. What she wanted now, more than anything, was to determine if Zero was a threat. Her life in the Sanzin had taught her to never underestimate anyone. To do so was the height of folly.

[attr="class","scroll"]
What a prickly pup. Though she hadn't been the most polite herself to begin with. Politeness wasn't in her vocabulary anyways. It seemed she should have held off on her assessment. She definitely wasn't Sanzin. Her scent told Helva as much. But she definitely wasn't nice either. No matter. It wasn't as if she'd never dealt with this type before. Cocky and arrogant were fairly common in the Sanzin. She huffed, ears back in an air of annoyance, "Fine." If she wasn't going to say, no amount of prodding would change that.
[break][break]
Helva's eyes narrowed as the other raised her tail. If that was how she wanted to play, she better be able to match it. Helva wasn't one to start a fight, but she wouldn't roll over if it came down to it. But who could Zero be looking for in the Sanzin? And why? Honestly, no one in the Sanzin seemed to be worth finding. Well, maybe except for the high ranks. The Suit and her Aces were pretty stunning. The Suit and her father especially so. Though, Zero wasn't a member of the Sanzin. It was more likely she was looking for a loner or someone from her own pack. "Who are you looking for?" she probed. At this point though, it didn't seem like she'd get a decent answer.

[attr="class","scroll"]
Even though she wasn't a Sanzin, her attitude qualified her as one. Helva rolled her eyes. Why was everyone like this, Sanzin or not? She hadn't been planning on helping this sassy fae-child anyways. Given her attitude thus far, any thoughts of helping Zero were long gone. Only a fake Sanzin helped other anyways. That wasn't the pack's way after all. In the Sanzin, it was all for one.
[break][break]
She was starting to think she'd just leave this prickly foreigner to her business and forget all about her. Who cared what happened to this pup anyways. Her next words stopped Helva in her tracks. The description immediately brought to mind the Sanzin Suit, Artemis. What 'important business' could a lost pup have with the pack's great leader? The speckled zero's eyes narrowed in suspicion. There was no way Zero posed any threat to Artemis. Even so, Helva couldn't help her suspicions.
[break][break]
"Is that so," she said, smoothly. Her tail swished as she stood taller. "What business might that be?" she probed. With all the questions she'd been asking, Helva doubted that Zero would be so willing to answer any more. Despite her protests, the outsider had still answered her questions. Maybe she was just a pushover and only acted tough. It occurred to her again what a strange name Zero was. Who would think to name their child after a rank? Helva eyed Zero quizzically, did she know she was named after a rank? Wouldn't that get super confusing?

[attr="class","scroll"]
Her attitude was starting to get on Helva's nerves. The little Sanzin thought she had thicker skin, but something about this particular pup ticked her off. That arrogance and pride wasn't unfamiliar. It was commonplace in her pack. So why was she so annoyed with this one? A question for later as it seemed she needed to add another trait to this trespasser: impatient. The pup seemed to want to leave on her merry task to find the Sanzin's Suit. Hadn't anyone ever told her it was rude to leave someone when they were still talking? Probably not, based on how she acted.
[break][break]
"Maybe to mannerless crudes," she retorted. It took a moment for her mind to catch up to what she'd heard. Helva paused, blinking as she processed the words. All girls? Was she not also a girl? She looked at Zero. Was this a girl? "Hold on," she paused, "Aren't you a girl?" Was Zero actually ... a boy? Had she been mistaken this whole time? Even though she and Zero looked so similar?

[attr="class","scroll"]
Helva looked at Zero with a perplexed expression at his blank stare. Was what she'd said so bizarre? Or maybe their head was just empty. Honestly, she wouldn't put it past them. They didn't seem all that bright. She got her answer soon enough as Zero began to speak. It seemed her little remark had hit pretty hard. If his indignation was anything to go by, he was clearly not a girl.
[break][break]
The little Sanzin rolled her eyes, "Okay, not a girl Zero." This pup was proving rather irksome with his short fuse and pride. When was she pretending to smart? Maybe he was just dumb. She wasn't planning on helping him in the first place, but now she wanted him gone. A normal pup might look to the adults in the pack for help, but the adults in the Sanzin were unreliable.
[break][break]
"Well, not a girl Zero, do you have a plan to find your mystery wolf?" Helva asked, annoyed, "If you don't, you should just turn back. Don't want you getting your little pride hurt more." Petty, maybe. But Helva wasn't raised to be a nice person. She'd been raised to fight whether that was with words or fangs. The speckled Sanzin normally wouldn't have cared about one measly insult, but Zero ticked her off. He was just like the prideful pups who didn't know their place, all bluff and bluster. The type she had to put in their place.

[attr="class","scroll"]
She didn't know where Zero had come from, but in the Sanzin, a growl meant a challenge and that meant a fight. Zero was no Sanzin that was for sure, but that didn't mean she'd give him the benefit of the doubt. Helva drew herself up, tall and proud. Her tail raised in challenge. "Alright, Zero," she said coldly. If he wanted to fight, she wasn't going to back down.
[break][break]
Clearly, this pup had little to speak of in his head. Helva rolled her eyes, exasperated, "Do you even know where you are?" The Sanzin wasn't a good place to wander aimlessly. They were as lawless as they came. The adults were more likely to hurt than help. She had her doubts about what would happen if Zero was found by a pack member.
[break][break]
She had no obligation to help him though, especially with the attitude he'd given her. It was highly unlikely he'd find Artemis anyways, as brainless as he was. As a result, Helva made no attempts to block his path. She let him pass without a fuss. With the lack of sense he appeared to have, the speckled Sanzin doubted he'd make it long. "I doubt that," she said, eyeing the foreign pup.