The taste....(open)

[sage]

Bacchus had not been the new alpha for long. He could still taste the old alphas blood on his whiskers. How long would it take for the pack to adjust to a new ruler? Not long he would imagine, seeing as how he had to share his power with three others. He had not spoken to the other alpha since his takeover, though the omegas were constantly milling around the caves keeping the peace. With a yawn Bacchus stared at the sunlight that glimmered just outside the cave, squinting his eyes against the harshness of it.

There were many things that Bacchus would have to adjust to….many that would change now that he was alpha. He could no longer fly off the handle like he had been known to on occasion. He had always been hot headed for a Shadow….but now he would have to bite down hard on those urges and set an example for the rest of the pack. Battling was in his blood, but that was not the way here. Assassinations occurred without any instance or significant disturbance within the pack. Even his own takeover had done little to shake the solid foundation of the Shadows.

He yawned, jaws stretching wide to reveal a set of large teeth that were starting to yellow with age. His golden eyes squinted shut against the daylight before he turned back to the dark confined of the cave. Members…..they needed members, as the other packs grew and amassed the Shadows seemed to stay constant. Ever stricken by their ways. There were few wolves that could deal with the rules of the Shadows, but those that could always turned out to be undoubtedly loyal. The sound of nails clicking on stone made Bacchus turn his skull to the entrance, curiosity written across his features…..who would have ventured out in the daylight?

~309 words~

[Crimson]

A shadow. Slender, silent, motionless. It watched without him without a sound, a movement, an indication of presence. However, watching him, she felt a strange prickling starting at the top of her spine and traveling to the bottom; she shouldn't be spying on him. She had to leave. However, she wasn't as used to sneaking about as a Soundless would be; although slim and swift, she was built for fighting on open ground. As she turned and took a step away, her nails hit rock, and she winced at the loudness of the careless movement. A flash of movement out of the corner of her eye, and the new alpha had turned his face her way.

She didn't panic. There wasn't anything to be afraid of, he's a wolf just like you, is what she kept telling herself. Slowly, smoothly, she turned, twin suns flashing in the shadows in which she stood. They were both used to darkness; she was certain that he could see her short, dark coat, tan streaks, plain features, and slightly lowered head just fine. She never stood up straight. There was no point, in her mind. She watched him carefully, although not with hostility, as she dipped her head to him respectfully, the sun outlining one slender foreleg, which was still lingering in the entrance- the step she'd taken that had given her away.

"Good morning..." she greeted, rather lamely.

[sage]

It was odd for anyone to be up at this time, especially one of the Merciless. His eyes skirted right over the plain female, not registering her lightly mottled coat in the dim light of the cave. But at once her searing eyes snatched his attention and the brute was forced to suppress a growl. Shasta…..that was her name, he had known of the female for a while now……but that was it. They had never so much as exchanged one word….not that it was a strange thing in this pack. Talking was…..a hindrance at times. But it seemed that she was feeling talkative this morning……or she felt uncomfortable with his gaze on her. Her greeting was short and sweet, though a little sour. He could not blame her……everyone seemed a little…..uneasy with him now that his rank had changed. But soon enough everyone would fall into the pattern of life again. Wrinkling his nose the silver tinged male curled his legs beneath his body and forced his burly frame into a standing position.

Affection was not condoned by this pack, though neither was animosity among its members. With his fluffy tail high in the air the brute took a step forward, keeping his head high as a sign of his dominance. Her own head was ducked, if only for a moment in submission. But he would accept it…..no use in fighting about something so trivial…. “Morning…..” He answered back, his tone gruff.

Twisting his body about he looked back to see several dark shadows sleeping in the cool confines of the cave…..why this one was awake was curious to the older male. Had she been out on some mission he was not aware of? Or had she been held captive by another pack? His golden eyes flickered down her sinewy frame, but he could see no fresh wounds…..though with the dark pelt that most of them carried wounds were hard to see. A blessing if there ever was one.

Lifting his eyes back to catch her own surprisingly bright ones he spoke again, a slight twitch of the skull turning his head slightly off kilter. “Your up late……”

[Crimson]

Her own fiery golden eyes flickered away. "I couldn't sleep," she lied, voice even. She was a good liar, but he was a good reader. A good reader of faces, at least, as far as she could gather from the piercing steeliness of his eyes. Was he a good reader of lies, too? Shasta felt like she should ask him what he himself was doing up so late, but doing so might be seen as an act of suspicion or disrespect, so she stuffed the question back down her throat and made sure not to meet his gaze; cold and emotionless, she might seem, but her eyes could give away everything if they were met. She made a mental note to make sure they were never met.

"...Bacchus, correct?" she ventured, tying to change the subject. "You are rather well-known among the Merciless." 'Well-known' as in 'annoyingly famous'. All they ever talked about was BacchusBacchusBacchus. Bacchusthis, Bacchusthat. Bacchus is such a good fighter, Bacchus is such a new leader. Shasta had seen enough alphas fall to know that the chatter happened every time, and the chatter died down eventually every time. Eventually seemed too far away, though. She was getting tired of wolves asking her what she thought of the Magical Bacchus-wolf.

Selfish reasons for disliking him, maybe, but reasons nevertheless.

[sage]

The hint of a smirk lingered on his muzzle as he stared at the female, she couldn’t sleep……it didn’t sound very truthful…..though who was he to pry into her business. While he was an alpha his members were still free to live their own lives…..a good thing or he would have never lasted in this pack. “Is that right…..?” He said slowly, his words carefully forming each syllable. He was beginning to take on the accent of the Shadows, but at times his old way of speaking would still peak through. Now was one of those times.

He tilted his head when she pronounced his name, perhaps his takeover had not been as big of news as he had hoped. Oh well…..Other than becoming alpha Bacchus had never really done anything noteworthy…..If anything he was constantly in some sort of trouble from the old alpha, though nothing bad enough to earn him a shameful scar. Well known among the merciless? Well that was news to him.

“I see….” he said simply, wondering if he detected a hint of something in her tone. But as quickly as he noticed it the nuance was gone, leaving him wondering if it was all in his imagination. He took a step back, gesturing into the cave with a wave of his skull. “…..it’s not in our nature to be awake at this hour Shasta. Stay inside the caves. Others might……exploit a weakness if they catch you outside alone.”

It wasn’t a warning, not exactly. But he was somewhat firm in the deliverance. While he might not feel love or compassion for each member of his pack he did feel protective of them. Responsible for their wellbeing, it was an unexpected drawback to his position. He had never had pups…..but he imagined this worry was something like what a parent would feel. His eyes roved over the mottled female for a moment before flickering to the ceiling to see a small bat crawling across the stone.

He sat down, a large yawn splitting his face. He was going to have to sleep soon…..he wasn’t even sure what had kept him up this long. Perhaps it was the new weight of responsibility. Or maybe it was something else…..Springtime was here. Pups would be born soon. Though he knew not of any pregnant females in his pack. It was always possible someone had snuck out and had a secret liaisons, though he wasn’t aware of anyone requesting the right to breed from the council. Swallowing another yawn his head dipped back down to eye the bright eyed wolf before him. His eyes playing across her plain features.

Would this finally be the year he mated? Would he bring pups into this forsaken world? He doubted it……

[Crimson]

Shasta dipped her head. "Of course..." She paused. Would it be considered going too far to tell him that any wolf attempting to exploit a weakness of hers would meet a painful and sudden end? Probably. Although, she couldn't help herself from adding, "However, I consider something like that happening highly unlikely." Shasta was no fool, and Shasta was no weakling. She wanted him to let him know that in the most subtle way possible.

Stepping back from the light warming her fur, the slender brownish-black Merciless settled back into the darkness, glancing up at a movement on the ceiling. It was a bat, wide awake and obviously restless. How the little creature mirrored her mood at the moment- how could she possibly sleep at a time like this? It wasn't like she could explain it to Bacchus that she was lying down but not closing her eyes for a reason. Not like he'd care much, anyway. As she watched the lively little creature shifting and fluttering its wings, her head tilted, and her eyes, which had darkened when she stepped back into the shadows, caught a little ray of light filtering in the entrance. For a moment, they blazed deep golden fire before she shrank back, pupils dilating and then expanding as she blinked and settled back down. Still, she could not rest, not even in the comfort of the familiar darkness and the silence made by other sleeping wolves around the cavern. Sighing softly, Shasta rolled onto her side, closed her eyes, opened them, rolled onto her stomach, closed her eyes, opened them. She wasn't making any progress, that was for sure.