As the Cogs Start to Turn (super open)

Deep in the Eastern forest Khalessi could be found, sprinting behind a doe and fawn along a narrow and worn down path. She had found it awhile ago, the only wolf in the area to know of it's presence. It was how the large game traveled from place to place, concealed by the thick dense foliage of the forest. It was damn near impossible to maneuver through, but wear down a path long enough and there you had it, a way to different areas of the territory without being caught by predators. Past generations from the herd must have done the deed long ago, and still had managed to keep it secret, until they met their match. Dear old Khalessi was not a hunter to be fooled, and quickly learned the network of trails shortly after her discovery. Now, she used it to her advantage, concealing herself from an old allegiance, while still feeding from their stock. It's not like she wasn't allowed within the territory; technically she was still a part of the pack, but she rather keep the path a secret, one to be exploited by herself alone until she was ready to share it.

Hot on their heels the white female veered the sharp right, following the bend as the escapee's did. The bend alerted her to their closeness to the forest edge near the banished plains, so all she would have to do was convince her meal to go left at the fork in the path ahead instead of heading back towards the center of the eastern forest. Lengthening her stride she positioned herself smack dab in the middle of the pair, gaining ground until she was risking a possible kick to the face. Right to the mother and left to the offspring, the gap between them slightly increased, and Khalessi could see the mark quickly approaching. She kept a steady pace, and equally balanced herself between the two. When it came time to choose a direction the pressure split the pair, causing the fawn to freak and correct itself to be by mommy's side. It stumbled and fell along an elevated patch of dirt in the process and was left behind before it could even stand again. Usually, the she wolf would take advantage of the situation, but the small mammal was hardly adequate to fit the purpose of this hunt. Khalessi slowed her pace considerably, a blessing to the tiring doe ahead of her, now that the chase was over all Khalessi had to do was herd the animal straight to it's death. Content with a trot she watched as the animal would sprint ahead far enough where it could pause and look back, torn between her offspring and not wanting to be eaten by the approaching wolf.

The trail was starting to become rugged again, and she could feel the roots of trees trying to protrude from the surface. Ferns and bush were closing in on the both of them and finally Khalessi and doe were treading on unmarked ground. As the treeline separating desert from forest came closer she started to scan the thicker shrubbery for something in particular. She didn't have to search long, as a deep and disturbing rumble filled the vicinity at the exact moment a large mass projected itself into the air and straight into the unsuspecting prey. Khalessi jolted forward as both mass and doe went crashing down to the forest floor, pinned between two trees and a thorn bush, she aided the large male in keeping the game down until it was finished off and they both could get up and look at each other with satisfaction. Normally two wolves alone couldn't take down a kill such as this, but with Blaze's abnormally large size and her experience, they were the equivalent of four semi-experienced wolves. Which greatly increased the odds.

Latching back onto the neck Blaze pulled the creature the last couple feet to cross the pack territory and place the meal onto neutral lands, while Khalessi tried to regain her breath from the long run. When the kill was situated on the dusty earthen floor of the banished plains she lifted her head but was interrupted by Blaze's rough vocals.

"Allow me...they'll instantly recognize your voice and come running. We don't need any members crashing the party". He waited for Khalessi's nod of acceptance, and when she began to feast Blaze lifted his head to the sky and howled the announcement of their hunting victory. Although it was prideful and celebratory, the vocals also carried a rare tone of invitation. Blaze needed to know exactly how many loners were in the region, and a large free meal was certainly going to bring that knowledge to him. No loner he knew would turn down the opportunity to feast.

((Inferno continued from: https://incendio.rpg-board.net/t98p75-stubborn-jenn#1712 ))

It had been a month after Inferno had left the pack of Silverlight, and it had been rough since then. The wolf had lived for a long time on his own before joining Silverlight, but he had left the pack with severe wounds from the fight with Blitz, the alpha and Inferno's former friend. That had made the idea of travel any further than the Banished Plains improbable, though somehow the wolf didn't have it in him to leave anyway. He was still attached to the land and couldn't pull himself away.

His wounds had healed, slowly, with a few bouts of fortunately non-lethal infection, but having been so deep, so many, and untended by anyone but himself, they had left numerous scars, and one bite on his foreleg had left some permanent damage after becoming severely infected. Inferno had managed to beat that one, but the inflammation and scarring from the infection had left his foreleg joint maimed, and though the leg could function well enough, it was immensely painful and likely would always be, leaving the wolf with a limp.

The wolf had been searching with no luck for food for a couple of days. He was much skinnier than he'd been in the pack - which was thin enough naturally - but his lean frame took to it well enough, and he wasn't starving. The unexpected invitation to a meal had Inferno halting in his tracks, a paw raised and ears pricked curiously. Was it possible that the Banished Plains were large enough for him to miss the presence of others here? Obviously, especially if they were hanging out so close to the borders...But the wolf was hungry, and more than that, his intrigue was piqued (as well as his suspicion). What kind of rogue called others together like this? His question was answered soon upon seeing Blaze and...Khalessi? As per the message, there was also food.

"Khalessi?" queried Inferno in distanced disbelief. It was odd to see her, but it was unsettling, too, as was the male she was with. His hackles rose slightly in defense. If the invitation had been a trick, there'd be trouble.

With the call out of the way the large male turned back to the doe, finding Khalessi already tearing into the hind leg of the dead carcass. It didn't bother him that she had already started eating before him, and in fact it was quite satisfying. Khalessi was a female of pack standards, and had always been one more comfortable among the rules and system of a hierarchy. To witness her break the habit meant that Blaze had the ability to severe the traditions built long ago by the wolves ancestors which in his mind, was true freedom. Within himself some spark ignited a small flame and for once he felt right about doing all of this, even if it had been in a slightly negative way. Finding a spot by the chest the wolf lied down without a word and dug into the flesh above the doe's heart.

While pulling off another chunk of meat, Khalessi stopped mid way and released the piece in her mouth before lifting her head to the deserted landscape ahead. Something was odd, and she stood trying to sense the oncoming presence that she felt. Suddenly, her ears twitched to the sound of her name, and she turned around to face a familiar face of better days. Inferno had come from the trees, but instead of greeting him she just stood, tall and tail raised with a maw bloodied from her current ongoing lunch. Khalessi had never been much for words, but rather expressed herself through attitude and an outward presence. Her light hazel eyes turned cold as she scanned the male before her, and it was a look that clearly stated she was no longer his family.

Blaze, now interrupted by the approach of another male, stood and walked up to Khalessi's side. Judging by her reaction from the male he was certain that Khalessi knew him from the pack. This made him smirk in disbelief and he seated himself before addressing the stranger. "What is this Khalessi? A former pack mate perhaps?" Blaze studied the male with slight curiosity "You do know that your side is that way, right?" he nodded in the direction of the pack lands and waited to see if the male was foolish enough to try and piss him off on neutral turf.

Khalessi's reaction was not surprising; Inferno had known from the second he saw her that if she was alive and not in the pack lands, then she had turned from them. It was disappointing and a bit painful that her eyes showed not even a sign of the former bond they'd had. The male knew about moving on and understood, mirroring her coldness in his own eyes as she disowned him, though if it had been Fallon, her heart would have broken.

There was nothing left for him to say to Khalessi as Inferno accepted and adopted her decision to not salvage anything of the past, so he turned to the male, a lip curling up in immediate disapproval. "My side is where I want it to be," the tall wolf replied, flicking an ear in annoyance already at the smug and obnoxious wolf, "And it's not over there."

Shifting his feet in impatience already, he nodded to the carcass. "This still up for grabs?" If not, Inferno had no more reason to be here and endure the self-important drawling of Khalessi's partner.

Blaze looked to Khalessi at this question, but her lowering of stance and turning back to her hard work's prize only alerted him that she cared not how he answered. Blaze watched her for a moment, risking a blind eye to the stranger as he tried to decipher her motives. After awhile he turned back to him and stood to rejoin Khalessi. "Only to those who don't have a place to go" he finally retorted then walked back over to the carcass and resumed his place at the chest area by the heart.

He didn't know who the male was, but Khalessi had given him enough detail on the pack members, as soon as he learned a name the pieces would fall into place. For now, he would allow the male the comfort, besides it didn't exactly look like he was having a good time outside of pack life or that he was much of a threat given his physical situation. Hopefully, god willing, Blaze would be able to change all that when the time came. He had a hefty plan to live up to, one that would require Khalessi, this stranger, and whoever else was available, to fulfill.

Khalessi quietly took interest in Blaze's reply and aggressively tore off the piece of meat she had been after upon hearing his response. Why should she give Inferno the courtesy of feasting from her kill? He hadn't cared about her, none of them had, so why should she be concerned if they starved or not? So suddenly she had regretted not speaking up, not that she wasn't able to deny him now. Blaze worked in a way that allowed everyone the same right and privileges as another, without the feeling of emptiness as a loner. So if she wanted to she could have said something then and kept Inferno from getting any closer, but something stopped her, perhaps because she just felt that it was too late. Khalessi risked a glance over at Inferno, then Blaze and a disgust for both of them made a heavy feeling settle in her gut. She knew being with the both of them would be unsettling, but it was a weakness she was not willing to show. Khalessi would play along with this little game Blaze was conjuring up, but only because it held a promise to what she really wanted, and once she had it she would be free from this place and the ones who resided here. For now she just dug her muzzle deeper into flesh and insisted on just taking things one day at a time. She would get through this like so many times before.

Well, Inferno met Blaze's qualifications. He hung back for a moment, though, watching the other male and Khalessi. Khalessi...what had happened? All this time the pack had spent mourning, on the lookout for her return, only to find out that she had chosen to stay away? That brought on the important question: what did Blaze have to offer that life in Silverlight hadn't? Inferno knew his motivations for leaving, but Khalessi's were a mystery, a mystery that , by her cold receiving of her former pack mate, would probably not be revealed. He'd have to be ok with that.

The male took a position on the far side of the kill and tore into the meat, relishing the feel of so much food in his mouth. It wouldn't be long until he could hunt well again, but the time and energy it had taken him to heal had him wanting for enough food. Once finished, the wolf stepped back and studied Blaze. Khalessi and Blaze were obviously a team out here, and until Inferno had recovered completely, teaming up with them would make life a lot easier...but their little duo seemed odd. Why would rogues team up here in the Banished Plains? If they were intent on banding together, why not make it official and find their own territory, establish a pack? Curiosity too great to just let that one go before again considering the possibility of alliance, Inferno sat down and, without hiding his skepticism about the situation, asked, "How is it that you don't have anywhere to go? For two wolves, there are plenty of alternatives to this place..."

Khalessi had finished before everyone else and got up to settle a few feet away from the pair that were still eating. She used the time to clean her paws and muzzle trying to lick as much blood away from it as possible. Her ears tracked Inferno's movement as he too finished eating, but being too caught up in cleanliness she didn't pay much attention to him, until he questioned their situation and motives.

Still laying down the white female lifted her head to Inferno and scoffed at the idea of running away to create a pack with Blaze. It was a funny thought actually. "Him, in a pack? That's amusing, his blood is probably boiling just from the sight of you". Khalessi looked to the male who side glanced her in acknowledgement but was too busy scarfing down the organ he had been after all along. It's not like he could say much, the comment wasn't too far off. Blaze did well with females, and males just evoked a natural sense of aggression. However, they were much more tolerable when not trying to shove title and power down his throat as if they could control him. Rules and regulations, traditional pack life period just didn't cut it for him. "This is just temporary, then we will be on our separate ways" Khalessi looked back to Inferno searching his eyes as she expected more questions. She didn't know if she could ever join a pack again, especially not after the hurt and betrayal she had to endure from the last one, and damn Blaze altogether, she was eager to get rid of him once he fulfilled her use for him.

It became obvious quickly from that short interchange that the relationship between Khalessi and Blaze was not what he thought, especially the part where Blaze was the one in charge. Actually, Inferno was having a hard time figuring out the structure of this alliance. Rayne and Eve had joined temporarily as rogues, but there was the distinct bond of a mutual goal between them, more than just being able to survive. Blaze's thoughts were hard to pin point at the moment, but Inferno had a before and after basis to gauge Khalessi, and while she might have been aloof before, now her attitude seemed almost despising. That and her quip about Blaze killed any desire to join them. He had standards and sense, and extra food was not worth dealing with this, not that Blaze would see another male tagging along as an option anyway.

"Well, if the purpose of this was simply to share a meal, then I'll be off," said the wolf curtly, getting to his feet and looking from Khalessi to Blaze and back, as if silently questioning, again, the oddity of being called here but such obviously antisocial wolves, at least as far as Inferno's presence was concerned.

Blaze eventually finished his portion and sat down to watch the male and Khalessi interact. When the wolf tried to excuse himself he shot Khalessi a glance a sign that he wasn't exactly trusting this encounter to stay secret. Khalessi easily caught on to the silent message and agreed that she didn't exactly need Inferno going back to the pack and alerting them that she was fine and well, and up to no good. She preferred them to be surprised when it came time for her encounter, especially when it came to confronting Blitzen. She locked eyes with Inferno, trying to get a better read. It's not like she knew him well, other than observing him in a group setting and making educated guesses as to his persona, that's as far as her knowledge went of Inferno. They hadn't exactly spent one on one time with each other. In fact she wasn't sure she ever had enough time to spend with any of the pack members, which was starting to explain a lot.

Without getting up Khalessi nodded in agreement, but then noticing his questioning look she had to make a small comment. "I assume that means you wont be enlightening us as to what you're doing out here and why you look like such a wreck, Inferno." Blaze flicked his ears as he caught the name and he curled his tail while narrowing his eyes on the stranger. So they were dealing with the beta. How odd that they would find him out here in this condition, perhaps Blaze wouldn't be needed in this area after all. It seemed the pack was falling apart perfectly fine without him.

Inferno shook his head and narrowed his eyes at Khalessi's off-handed comment. She still wasn't divulging anything, and he was ready to head off. It might not look like it to the white wolfess, but he had things to do, and wasting time playing keep-away with motives and useful information was not one of those things. "I'm quite content with enlightening you, Khalessi, about as much as you've enlightened me as to what you are doing here. Dodging my questions won't get any of yours answered," the wolf responded with a shrug. His former pack-mate had always been reserved, but in this situation - with her obviously turned against the pack yet hanging around - made "reserved" into something secretive and sinister. And with Blaze hanging around, Inferno knew for certain there was something brewing, and he was trying to piece together that with the call. Inferno's weakness of an intense curiosity for everything, especially if it had to do with Silverlight, caused him to give Khalessi a second chance to let him in or not. If she chose the latter, he would be on his way. After a month, and having recovered sufficiently to get back to work well enough, Inferno was ready to get his own plans in motion. So far, Khalessi as an asset or a hindrance was flip-flopping along with his speculations about what was going on with her, and Blaze.

Ember had been traveling for months on her own, and if she were to really calculate the time since she had deserted her 'pack', she was nearing about a year now. Not that she really cared, though. She had never held any affection for her pack, nor for the whole idea of a pack or hierarchy or whatever the hell they wanted to call it. But her background didn't matter to her, nor did her current situation. The only thing that mattered to her now was the meals that were constantly seeming to outsmart her. She had taken note of a very very faint pack scent a few days back, but had never really cared to stop and think before continuing on, and ever since she had, her attempts at hunting had been less and less likely to succeed. For the life of her, though, she couldn't figure out why, and this left her as a miserable, nearly starving, pissed off female. Not exactly someone most other predators wanted to deal with.

This helped her to survive as she traveled into the banished lands unknowingly, but her strength was definitely fading, and if she didn't get a meal soon, she feared that she might be forced to grovel for a stupid pack to keep from starving to death. That morning she woke to the sound (and pain) of her stomach growling angrily, and she groaned, getting to her feet and pinning her ears to her head miserably. She knew there was a pack not too far off, and no matter how much it irked her, she knew that she had no choice. Either put up with a pack again, or starve. And well, she wasn't quite ready to die yet, so she headed towards the pack borders reluctantly. However, just as she was mentally preparing to take her first plunge back into horrible pack life, she heard a howl, one that did not seem to call to a pack, but to any lone wolves in the area. Her ears perked up instantly, surprised to note that the call was an invitation...to a kill. Silently thanking the heavens, she turned on her heel and started off slowly in the direction of the call. Unfortunately, it took her quite a while, since it had come from a location deeper into the banished lands, but she made her way near eventually, coming to a stop as voices echoed through her ears and scents filled her nose.

She was now surprised to find herself nervous and cautious, unsure of the true intentions of this little group. She wasn't sure which wolf had made the call, only that it had been a male and two were present. She lingered for a while on the outskirts of the trees, watching and listening for any signs of hostility or mal-intent. However, even when she judged them to be inviting still, and could not manage to force herself out of the trees to make a cautious approach. Instead, she lingered curiously, silently willing her stomach to keep quiet as to not give away her position. She was in no shape to fight three wolves, not even to flee them, so she had to be more than sure of their welcome before stepping out into their view.

Blaze smirked at Inferno's answer to Khalessi's question, and he felt especially proud as he watched the white female tense up. She looked as if she was about to release much due anger on the beta that was most likely really meant for him. Although fear of ruining her only chance at what she wanted had kept her feelings at bay recently, he wasn't sure how much longer Khalessi would hold out before she erupted. If it happened to be at this very moment however, he was glad it would be Inferno to take the blunt damage of her fury. Blaze wasn't exactly knowing of what she was capable of, and being still a mystery to him he wasn't about to go blindly finding out.

However, perhaps it was his sense of cockiness that caused him to interrupt, just before she could let out another word, or lunge at her previous beta. "Have you ever seen this one become engulfed in the hunt? Quite marvelous really, the way she can tune out everything around her and just focus on a single target. I've never seen her miss, or her plan falter; and of my six years, I've never seen anything like it, ever. How easy it is to catch her in a trance though, I desperately needed someone that could do what I couldn't, and she made the ambush easy, almost effortless" Blaze scanned Khalessi's form; the smirk from before still slightly pulling at the corners of his muzzle. "I kept her weak, every day becoming more and more insecure as to how I could convince her to help me, but luckily I had you and your pack to help me out. Any time she was conscious she would tell me all the things she and her pack would do to me once she was found, and I actually began to believe her. Imagine her surprise...her pain, when I told her no one was looking for her, and she had been replaced so easily by some Fallon character. I enlightened her, showed her the true facade she had been taught to accept since birth, and after that..."

Something in Khalessi made her rise, she had been on edge from the very moment that Blaze's deep drawl started to fill her ears, but now a deep rumble was filling the inner depths of her esophagus and gaining in intensity as she slowly began to walk towards the larger male. Khalessi stood tall, like the regal wolf that she was, and her tail became erect in direct challenge to him. "Watch yourself" she was warned by him, but it made no difference and didn't make her stop in her advances. Although she showed no outward signs of aggression her eyes said otherwise as she coolly stared Blaze down with a gaze that lacked decency and morality. Only until she was mere inches away did she speak in a low and threatening tone, "Your victory stemmed from my growing comforts within Silverlight, and that is the only reason you were able to succeed. Now that your opportunity has ended, know that the reason why you're still alive is because I'm using you to get what I want... and if you were wise, you would dare not forget it!" the lips of her muzzle slowly bunched as she exposed her canines to him, taunting him to foolishly lunge into battle.

Although Blaze's instincts wanted to call a bluff, he didn't move, deciding that her internal pain and suffering had made her too unpredictable to risk calling it. Luckily, there was some good coming out of this confrontation, though most people would say it looked to be a shaky allegiance doomed from the start, Blaze saw a female scorned almost to the brink of no return. This is exactly what he had needed and wanted, a less likelier chance of returning to former ways, and the more he pushed at Khalessi, the more she seemed willing to crossover to his side, consciously or not.

Suddenly Khalessi seemed to relax, returning to normal (well normal for recent days), and her ears twitched and turned to catch something off about the foliage nearby. She paused, listening for a moment then scanning the tree line for anything that didn't quite belong. Something deep in her tracking gut told her so, but upon no visual conformation Khalessi snorted then moved away from Blaze, and took a few steps toward the trees in hesitation.

The male's attention shifted over to Blaze as he randomly began talking. Though Inferno initially had zero interest in anything the other had to say, the realization that Blaze was at fault for Khalessi's betrayal had him snarling even before Khalessi moved in on Blaze. Unfortunately, Inferno and Khalessi's anger toward Blaze stemmed from very different sources, but it was almost satisfying to watch a clear confirmation that whatever bond there was between the pair was shaky. Khalessi also didn't seem to be lying about the 'temporary' part, and Inferno was sure now that the ominous feeling he got from Khalessi was not just in his head; she was here for a purpose, and after what Blaze had revealed, it couldn't be good.

Inferno quit his enraged snarling as the other two wolves sorted themselves out, but his insides were writhing and boiling like flames in his frustration and fury. He wanted to grab Khalessi by the neck and shake her until she understood - Blaze was wrong! Khalessi was wrong! 'Easily replaced'? Their head hunter had been gone so long, and only a month ago did the pack finally decide that it was time to assign a new head hunter, move on if possible. If only he could shove the truth at her, that she was still loved in the pack. That she always had been! But Inferno had never been gifted with the ability to express those things, and he was not the wolf he once was, the wolf who would have tried anyway to bring Khalessi to the light; instead, the wolf could only seethe, a disillusioned wolf's outlet for mourning what cannot be changed.

The white wolf's distraction with the trees refocused Inferno's attention in the same direction. After scanning the foliage, the wolf snorted and then voiced a short howl. It was an angry, goading challenge to the air, just going off what Khalessi was wondering about, that called out any dawdlers. If other loners were any bit hungry, then turning away from this free meal was ridiculous, and the wolf was seeing enough red that calling others to this kill that wasn't his merely worked as an outlet for his angry energy. He was ready to leave anyway, leave any trouble to Khalessi and Blaze. They deserved it, for some reason.

Ember flinched as the white female's gaze turned in her direction. Damn, they could tell that she was there. She exhaled softly in relief as the female looked away, but jumped at the sound of one of the males howling and demanding that she show herself. There was something about this male, something different from the other two wolves. He didn't behave like a lone male. He acted like he was a high ranking pack member. It confused her, and kept her cautious. Finally, she swallowed nervously, getting to her feet and flattening her ears to her head. This choice took her a lot less time than the chocie to grovel to the pack for food. The smell of the kill was simply too strong and she was starving. She took a deep breath, letting her body relax, with the exception of an observant alertness, and stepped out of the trees towards the three wolves.

Almost as if on cue, her stomach growled almost the exact moment that she stepped into the light. "That for everyone?" She asked, her voice calm and hopeful, but also obviously distrustful. She wasn't an idiot, she knew that there was a chance that these wolves could turn on her for any reason, and she kept her eye on all three, keeping enough distance so that none of them could circle around behind her. "I haven't eaten in days." She added, sitting down and waiting for some sort of confirmation that she was allowed to eat from any of the three wolves.

Inferno's howl spooked her a bit, as was indicated when she slightly jumped at his angered howl that came out of no where. She had been too focused on the trees and with Inferno behind her the howl was just unexpected. She snapped her head back at him giving a slight glare; more to the fact that he sounded angry if anything. Angry? What did Inferno have to be angry about? Because he had found her out here healthy and not willing to go back to Silverlight? She snorted at the thought, he had no idea what angry was until he had been placed in her same predicament. Which led her to realize that he had yet to "enlighten" her as to why he too was out here among the banished plains; where pack members where not allowed to go. She also wondered about his injuries, Khalessi didn't ever remember Inferno having a limp in his walk, and looking this hideous.

Before she could speak though a unfamiliar face came from the trees, and Khalessi had to return her attention in that direction, automatically assessing the situation for any signs of danger. The female looked harmless enough however, and Khalessi relaxed her form to keep herself from scaring off the hungry female. In truth, the white female was eager to add some estrogen to the group. However, before she could answer the loners question Blaze had spoken up.

"Of course it is, we sent out the invitation didn't we?" He sidestepped away from the fallen doe, a gesture of permission so that the newcomer could eat. There had been a lot more loners in the area then Blaze had expected, because none of the ones that were here matched the scents that he had picked up on while he had been taking care of Khalessi. There were at least three others, so Blaze was starting to get a good amount of info that he was trying to collect with this free meal. "What is your name?" he inquired, while scanning the red wolf's form with slight interest. Hungry is what she did look, but attractive even more so and that sparked something deep within Blaze, a trait of his that had been stowed away for quite some time now.

Ember physically (unintentionally even) relaxed a bit as the white female relaxed after she was seen by the group. But although it appeared the other female was about to speak, she was cut off by the male who's voice had made the invitation in the first place. At first, his response made her flick her ears backwards at the tone, making her sound foolish, but as he moved away, she couldn't help but approach and sniff at the meal, keeping a cautious eye on the other wolves. She even stepped over the kill so that she was on the opposite side and all three wolves were in her sights. When he asked her her name, she looked up and did her best to ignore the meat below her long enough to answer. "Ember." She said softly, her face relaxed, and her ears perked curiously as she looked over at the questioning male. She wasn't sure what he was thinking, but something about the way he watched her intruiged her enough to make her study him for a few moments before beginning her meal.

She had put off her intense hunger long enough, and hoping they didn't find offense in her eating, she tore at the meat and ate enough to fill her belly, which looked like it had not been satisfied in quite some time. When she finished, she sat down, licking her lips and grooming herself clean of blood and loose fur while she silently studied the other wolves. After she finished, however, she took a deep breath, even yawned slightly, and addressed them softly. "Thank you." She said, her voice less nervous and suspicious than before, and more calm and gratious than she had meant it to be. But either way, she did appreciate the meal.

Inferno watched skeptically as Ember walked over and ate a share of the meal. Her presence kept him from taking off as he'd been just about to do. Blaze and Khalessi alone didn't pose much of a threat in Inferno's mind, but that was before it was proven that there actually were other loners wandering around the Banished Plains. If Ember could appear out of no where, who else was out here in this wasteland unaccounted for? And what were they doing? Even if they had no agenda, there was a high likelihood that they'd get sucked into whatever little scheme Khalessi had brewing. The male glanced over at her at the thought; he'd never discovered just what she was doing.

Well, he could ask Ember. Inferno was quite positive that the flame-colored female would answer as Khalessi hadn't. "What brings you out here, Ember?" he asked, narrowing his eyes at the female, awaiting her answer. There had been enough time while she was eating to appreciate her looks, but now he was all business.

Ember tilted her head to the side as the copper colored male spoke, addressing her and asking her what her purpose was here. She studied him for a moment, picking up a hint of lingering authority in his voice that could only come from a high ranking pack position. But soon she opened her mouth to speak, her voice soft and delicate like her form, but calm and confident at the same time. "I have been wandering for months, with no particular destination in mind." She said softly, glancing over at the other male and the female as she spoke. "As I neared closer and closer to this territory, the prey grew harder to catch. I was grateful to hear the call to this kill, for it saved me from having to beg for food from the local pack." She said, glancing towards the pack borders and then back at the copper colored male. "You were one of them, weren't you?" She asked curiously, no hint of judgement in her voice, just a confused curiosity.

As she posed her question, she looked at the other two wolves as well. She had introduced herself, but she now realized that she had no idea what their names were, or what their motive behind sharing their meal was. She mentally kicked herself for not being more careful, but she had gotten a meal and no one had gotten hurt, so she didn't chide herself too harshly. She figured that they would introduce themselves eventually, and she was in no hurry, nor did she have a destination, so she didn't see any harm in sticking around for a bit.

Ember's story had the male almost grimacing in caustic pity. What kind of idiot wolf would continue heading in the direction that correlated with scarcer prey? There had to have been some other trick to Ember's survival along the way, because while she was nice to look at and everything, she didn't really look like loner material. Inferno inclined his head a bit at Ember's pointed question and flicked back his ears slightly. That really was no business of hers, just as his reasons for leaving weren't the business of Khalessi. The curiosity in Ember's tone resonated with him, though. He knew what it was to be curious, and he would answer her if she answered his question. This game hadn't worked with his former pack mate Khalessi, but perhaps this female would be up for it. "Is there any particular reason you care?" he growled, though a second question popped up: what caused her to jump to that assumption? Whatever it was, it marked only Inferno and not Khalessi, at least as of yet, who had also been in the pack.

Ember could already see the judgement in the copper male's eyes as he looked at her. Personally, she cared little about what he thought about her, or of his opinions of anything at the moment either. But as he questioned her with a growl, she simple responded with a patient smile. "No, in fact, there really is no reason that I care. I was simply curious. It's just the way you talk and carry yourself. It's not like most lone wolves that I've run into." She said softly, realizing right away that impatience and a firey response would only cause this male to get angry. Plus, she had no reason to annoy him and she could honestly care less if he had been a pack member or not. It had all come down to simple curiosity. As for her reasons for coming up this way, he had no business, she respected that she had no business in his affairs either.

He went back on his original rules. Ember's answer hadn't satisfied him, so he wasn't going to share. And according to her, there was no dire need to continue talking about that anyway. "Apparently the lone wolves you've met couldn't figure out that dignity isn't spawned by pack membership." Inferno, Khalessi, and Blaze all had that one down. Inferno acted the exact same even before joining Silverlight.

Inferno looked over at Khalessi and then Blaze, assessing their expressions and trying to translate those into their opinions on Ember. He was sure of one, thing: if they were up to something and were recruiting, Ember was the perfect candidate. She'd already admitted to the extreme difficulty of her surviving out here, so banding with Khalessi and Blaze would be the perfect solution for her. Inferno was determined to stay until they explained themselves to Ember. While they still seemed to be regarding her, Inferno continued, to drag out the time, "You decided to come join this sorry group instead of a pack? You have problems getting along with others, too?" He glanced meaningfully over at Blaze and then back to Ember, tilting his head in mock curiosity.

Ember did her best to ignore Inferno's words, mentally labeling him as 'does not play well with others' or 'should be held in solitary confinement'. Something along those lines at least. It kept her, after all, from getting annoyed and ultimately encouraging him. She glanced over at Khalessi and Blaze as Inferno looked over at them, and when he questioned her again, her eyes returned to his form. "No, it's not that I don't get along with most wolves, it's just the self-rightious, egotistical, stuck-up ones like you that don't really like me." She said, smiling almost innocently up at him, her voice just as patient as ever. "Hm, I wonder why that might be?" She said, the mock question followed by an innocent tilt of her head and a patient smile on her face. Yes, she knew that her words would piss him off, but honestly, she found that she could care less. Attacking her right now would do him no good, and it was obvious to her that he wasn't in the best shape and she could easily outrun him if she needed to. But once again, she found that she didn't care about that, she just basically wanted to shut him up at this point.

The wolf curled up a lip into a sneer as Ember kept talking. Oh, so she thought she was a sassy little cookie, did she? He'd been living with himself for quite a while, and he had heard insults from the best and insults from the base. This little female's speech was one Inferno could have quoted right along with her, that's how many times he'd heard it. "From first-hand experience, I can honestly tell you that it's because we like a challenge. Brains, brawn - take your pick - you come up too short to be worth enduring that inane blather spilling from your mouth. 'Egotistical'? 'Stuck-up'? My, cut straight to my heart with those outstanding observations," he leered disdainfully, though tilting his head patronizingly at the end as if she'd done the best she could.

In the end, Ember found all she could do was laugh at him. In all honesty, she found his words, his behaviors, and his entire demeanor amusing, even if he meant it to be insulting and rude. That fact only made her laugh harder. It took a little while to calm herself down, and she found herself gasping for short breaths as she finally managed to shake her head and calm down. Finally she looked up at him once more, her eyes still glittering with laughter as she shook her head and turned back towards the other two wolves. "So, what do you two think? Have I fallen 'too short to be worth enduring'?" She asked, using Inferno's words and laughing softly. "Well, I can honestly say it has been entertaining to meet you, whoever you are." She said, making note that none of the three wolves had introduced themselves to her yet.

Inferno shook his head at her in almost-pity. What a sad life she must lead if this asinine exchange had her practically crying with laughter. Well, she had just proven his point about her intelligence and worth as a sensible creature.

The only reason he had stayed and listened to her useless chatter for this long was that he was still hoping to finally learn what was actually going on with Khalessi and Blaze. Inferno sat down and turned his attention to the other two, glad Ember had called them out of their silence. No matter what their answer to the deep question proposed by the two-celled brain of hers, surely conversation would bend around soon to what purpose Ember could serve for the two conniving loners. What was going on in Khalessi's head actually did matter, and it was time to find out exactly what that was.