Fires and Storms

Okay, maybe this wasn't his wisest decision. He'd never been quite this far out of his pack's territory before, but really, since when did he make wise choices? Never. And after that... incident with that lynx and Malakai... The young boy growled just thinking about it. He still couldn't believe it, his own friend! Someone he used to consider a brother, just up and ditched him and Zero in the face of danger. Shepherd padded along with his yellow eyes to the ground in spiteful thought, trekking over hills of rolling grassland and occasionally looking over his shoulder to ensure he could still see the Vertok mountains. After a few hours of walking, they eventually became blue with distance. Good riddance. The farther he was away from that place, the better. It wasn't home, that wasn't his family, and apparently, not his friends either. The boy huffed indignantly. At least he didn't have much to worry about out here. He was too big for the birds to carry off like the pack elders had warned him of earlier on in his life, and that lynx, it had appeared in the forest so it made sense that it wouldn't be out here, right? Totally, yeah. Sure, maybe he was a little...worried, about running into the creature again, especially without Zero at his side... but at least he wasn't cowering in the mountain caverns like someone he thought he could trust! The little...bitch. Shepherd's grumbling thoughts went on and on just like his paws, carrying him further and further away from 'home' until eventually the sound of rustling in the grasses pulled his attention back to the present.

The boy paused, his big (and now one torn ears, thanks to that bastard Kai!) perked upwards. Something was scurrying about, something small, and something he could finally recognize in this sea of grass. He stalked forward a pace, listened, and then broke into a bounding gallop after the tiny critter. It was right there! He could see its little skinny tail as it zigged and zagged in a desperate attempt to escape with its life. Little did the field mouse know, it was being hunted by a skilled and keen predator (it was not, in reality, but still). Soon enough Shepherd was in distance and bounded forward, his muzzle ramming into the ground and sharp needle teeth clamping down around the critter. He actually did it! And in his haste, he tripped over his own paws and his momentum hurtled him heels over head, bursting through the edge of the grass and onto the mud of a riverbank. By far the least graceful thing a young hunter could display, but oh well, at least he still held his prize tight in his jaws. He landed on his back and rolled to the side, not even bothering to check his surroundings before grasping the mouse between his big paws and biting its little head off. Delicious, surely a prize worthy of his natural prowess. He was almost glad he'd had to learn to hunt tiny prey like this before; after all that walking from this morning, he had certainly needed a snack.

Wait a minute. What was that?

From the corner of his eye, Shepherd caught a glimpse of white, abruptly raising his head from his mini-meal. Zero? No. Yellow eyes squinted. There was another wolf just before him, seemingly his own age, if not a little older. No, surely he was older, it'd be lame if he wasn't. But he wasn't sure. The charcoal and orange boy rose to sit on his haunches - fur particularly askew from his little chase through the grass - and looked around. Where even was he? What was that... roaring sound? He'd never heard that before. Shepherd looked to his right. Were those the Vertok mountains? Or... he looked to his left, were they those over there? Shoot, he had lost track during his twisting and turning chase after the rodent. Well, he certainly couldn't make a fool of himself, and there didn't seem to be any adults around, so he brought his attention back to the pup before him.

"What're you doin' here?" He asked her. Her? Him? Them? If Zero had taught him one thing, he couldn't judge from looks, oh well. Point was, he totally knew where 'here' was, came here all the time, so who was this pup?


Cheshire this gonna be GOOD

"Having a drink. What else?" Well... that was pretty simple, but she did answer him at least. To be fair, Shepherd hadn't even realized that there was water in this here riverbed to begin with. Most creeks and stuff he found were completely dry, save for a few stagnant pools that even a miscreant like himself wouldn't bother with drinking. Even the massive lake he had visited earlier on in the season was starting to fade away into nothing but a muddy little pond. At least some good water still existed somewhere, so he would have to remember it was here, despite not knowing where 'here' even was. However, as the fellow pup turned his question back on him, he had already forgotten what he was supposed to remember.

"Hunting, what else?" The boy offered a prideful smirk and puff of his chest with the comeback. Of course, he wouldn't doubt that she would be impressed. A strapping young man like himself, successfully taking down prey independently? Who wouldn't be impressed by him, really. And, speaking of that snack... Shepherd lowered himself back down to finish what he started, gripping the small meal between his big paws and munching away. "Who're you, anyways?" He asked with his mouth full. Truly, a poster child of good manners. He eyed the girl as he quickly ate. She certainly wasn't someone from his pack, and while he was aware of at least one or two other packs living in the same valley, the reckless boy didn't even stop to think that maybe he had found himself wandering into one of their territories. That, or he simply didn't care. After all, what could they do to him that would matter? Nuthin'. Maybe she was even a loner pup. He could believe that, as he faintly recalled Kai once mentioning that he had run into a girl on her own and younger than them, even! Wait, was that the chick that was there with the other chick and the dude when the thing happened? The possibility only just clicked with him, but, he figured it didn't quite matter now. He was still livid about everything to do with that day and the lynx. At least now he had something to entertain him, after boringly walking and brooding all morning.


Cheshire

The young boy finished his little meal quick enough, reducing it to clean, crushed bones. He had learned to savor every bite of a snack during desperate times, and to never waste. One of the very few decent things about him, perhaps. And as the female pup seemed to take pause, studying him, perhaps? Shepherd paid no mind in trying to look presentable. In his casual, almost bored stance he stood, padding over to the sorry excuse of a river and helping himself to the tepid stream. It was so shallow that his tongue brushed the muddy bottom with each lap, leaving an unpleasant gritty taste in his mouth, but it wasn't the first time he'd eaten a little dirt, and surely wouldn't be the last. Not bad.

The pale girl introduced herself then, to which Shepherd didn't even miss a beat before grinning that shit-eating grin over his shoulder and replying, "That's one Helva name." His tone was mischievous and, sad as it may be, very proud. But what this Helva said next gave him pause. Sanzin... he bent down for one last lap of water, spitting out some of the mud that followed as he thought for a minute. "Yeah... yeah, that's the pack that the Vertok always talk shit about!" He finished his train of thought aloud. At least, he was pretty sure that was where he recognized the name from. Shepherd may or may not have a tendency to eaves-drop whenever he was bored and lurking around the Vertok's main camp - what other way was he offered to learn, after all? - and though he hardly cared enough to recall most things, he remembered at least a couple of Vertok wolves not having very pleasant taste for Sanzin. Him, though? Well, surely nowhere could be worse than that traitorous pack. And Helva didn't seem too bad, so far.

"And you? Who are you?" The girl asked, naturally. Shepherd had no reason to decline - frankly, he didn't know any better, and especially didn't even realize that it could be a mistake to reveal not only his name but his affiliation to that of a Sanzin wolf. "Shepherd," The pup drawled, plopping his buttocks back to the mud with the least amount of grace he could muster. "Shepherd Divine. Or just Shep, if yer cool enough." He added, a hint of a challenge in his voice. Truly, his nickname had absolutely no meaning to coolness, but he wanted to see the kid's reaction, just for fun if nothing else. The broad, toothy grin that remained plastered on his scruffy face showed it clear as day, too.

Cheshire

Shepherd's clever pun seemed to fly right over the other pups' head. Tch, he thought to himself with a subtle eye-roll. Perhaps she just wasn't quick enough; not everyone could be on his level, after all. Or, judging by her dry tone of voice, maybe she was just a short stick in a deep puddle of mud.

"Are you part of the Vertok?" Came the a rather redundant question. He had mentioned them, hadn't he? How else would he know what they talked about? Well, he had no reason to keep the Vertok's secrets from someone who was just a pretty face, so it seemed. "Not by choice," he spoke with disdain on his tongue, plopping his rear end down on the riverside. "I was born there. Don't recommend it, though, they suck more than the stories I've heard 'bout your pack." And depending on what adult had been talking, like Queen Reeks-a-lot, the Sanzin sure did suck, Shepherd, however, couldn't see why - he hadn't heard much more than not to trust Sanzin wolves and that they were just bad, nobody would bother to tell a young pup whatever horror stories there were, and that only fueled his curiosity more. After all, he would already trust any other pack more than the Vertok out of spite if anything. Although, if all of them were like this kid, then they must be pretty boring.

He lightly scoffed as she used his full name. So much for being cool - the boy had to admit even if just to himself, he could get more entertainment out of Malakai, and that was saying something! Not that he missed him in this situation, though. No way.

"What about you is so divine?" Helva questioned. Shepherd didn't quite understand what she meant, but he humored himself with an arrogant jest. "Isn't it obvious~?" He cooed through his trademark shit-eating grin. He placed a paw on his chest theatrically, head titled and lidded eyes looking down at the girl, before he dropped the act: frankly rather bored. "It's my family name, genius. They kinda have a whole godly thing goin' on." Wolves of divinity, they considered themselves. He didn't know too much about it, as his mother hadn't spared him much information in his young age. Stupid adults, tch. To distract himself, the fiery boy looked Helva up and down with a quirked brow. "Don't you have a family name or somethin'?"

Cheshire

The girl asked him what he knew of her pack, and the best answer he had was a shrug. "That they suck?" He offered, bluntly. "Dunno, us pups ain't worth sharin' much with. We're just told not to go nowhere near you guys, or go alone away from the caves at all for that matter. It's stupid." He shrugged again, his face forming a resentful pout.

His head raised and his ears shot forward at her next statement. It was spoken as if it was such a common fact, and that irked him. Not for the sake of the Vertok's honor, certainly not, but for the sake of his pride. "Yeah, well, don't group me into that!" He jabbed a paw in her direction, heated for a moment. He got over it quickly, though, making his point clear. "I agree, but I would never be content with that. All the Vertok does is whine and complain about this or that. But I'm not spineless. I'll make a name for myself." Unlike one Vertok he knew, who he could easily call a coward... His demeanor shifted as he decided to end his rant, and once again a smug, toothy grin found itself on his muzzle. "Since there ain't much competition, you can consider me the coolest Vertok you'll ever meet."

Just as Shep tried to lighten the mood, Helva brought it right back down again. What was with this pup? All negative and lame, at least in tone - her words actually sounded kinda great. "No parents, huh? Cool." He commented, sensitive as ever. "So you can just do whatever you want and nobody tries to control you or tell you what not to do?" He leaned forward with interest, now. This theory would at least support why she was way out here all alone. "I'm jealous. My parents are so annoying, always looking down their noses at me," He sniffed indignantly, proudly, "They can't control me, though, I can handle myself."

Cheshire

Oh, now this was fun.

Shepherd didn't fail to notice the shift in Helva's body language. For as boring and placid as she had been up until this point, her silvery fur now fluffed up and a paw shifted in the dry soil. She may look down on him with condescension, but she was finally showing some emotion, and to this an amused smirk slid onto his face, yellow eyes narrowing. He loved getting under someone's skin. "Ooh, scary," He cooed antagonistically. Really, he wasn't afraid of the Sanzin in the slightest, no matter what the adults or this girl warned him of. In his young mind, he figures that he's already seen the worst of it thanks to the upbringing his parents have offered him. And he's got one or two scars to prove it! "Goin' off the looks of you, they can't do any worse than the Vertok already has. I'd like to see you guys try." Smugness was written all over his face; an expression far more collected than reasonable, considering the tango he was dancing with something he truly had no idea about.

The tension seemed to break in a way entirely unexpected to the boy. He'd almost been hoping to see how far he could push Helva before her stoic demeanor failed. Instead, his grin simply fell into an open-mouthed, totally confused, and slightly judgemental gaze. "Uh...duh?" Had him saying that they suck and all gone straight over her head? Honestly, Shepherd couldn't help but be amused that she thought otherwise. His shoulders jolted with a small huff of curious laughter. "I dunno what I said to imply that I liked them at all, but, yeah. Now I'm definitely not scared of your pack." Insulting as his words probably were, he didn't mean them in any ill way, for once. For the first time, a genuine grin was placed on his muzzle when she actually acknowledged his jest, and he claimed his title of the coolest Vertok in the valley. Not exactly a title to be proud of, but...still.

"Awesome!" He exclaimed with a tone far more delighted than appropriate for the topic. "So you don't get in trouble for nuthin', either? Not to stroke yer ego or anything, but your pack does sound so much better than mine," Maybe when he was born, the wicked witch of the mountains actually stole him from the Sanzin and punished him with a childhood in the Vertok, he thought sourly. Helva asked him why he didn't just leave, and Shepherd raised his paw to gesture to the scene around them. "Do you see any mountains or adults here?" He questioned, "Nobody has stopped me from coming all the way out here, or any other time I wandered off, for that matter. The only reason I ever went back was because my friends needed me," And because he would eventually get too hungry, or too lonely, or too scared... but she didn't need to know that part. "But maybe I won't ever go back again." After all, he just had a successful hunt for that mouse! It would hold him over for a day or two, probably. And nobody back home cared enough to wonder where he had gone. Sure, there was Zero, but... the two of them left the caves all the time together. Shep would just go back to the mountains and wait for him to show up in one of their usual spots, and then they would both leave the Vertok for good!

Cheshire