Raziel found himself shrinking a bit under the elder wolf's gaze, but despite himself, found the familiar blackness of his fur comforting. Whatever abnormality Branwen had to make her fur so dark, this wolf certainly shared. "I'm Raziel of the Endeavor Pack," he said. "I don't mean any trouble. I encountered your companion here--" he gestured a paw towards the younger she-wolf-- "and, well, I was curious." He stepped forward, hoping he'd made it clear he wasn't a threat. "Are you from a neighboring territory? My pack is relatively young, you see, and we've had a chaotic past year. We'd love to keep good relationships up with any nearby packs."
"Can we make friends with this one?" The female whined, cutting off her mentor as he was about to speak. The male paused to glare at the female until she flattered her ears in acceptance that she was not permitted to speak then spoke himself. "Our pack lives nearby, yes. I probably should take you to the alpha but I'm pretty sure she'd try to kill you..." he trailed off for a moment. "unless my companion wants to fetch her?" The female paused then nodded and ran off. The elder wolf sat, curling his tail over his paws. "Sit. Tell me about yourself and your pack." He was not asking.
Raziel inclined his head and sat as the wolf commanded. He was not about to do anything to convince that wolf's leader to kill him. Branwen would lose her mind and it would end well for nobody.
"I'm a scout, and I'm good with the pups, so I help out mothers with their young. My pack is young, but we're resilient," Raziel says. "We live in a valley between two mountains. I arrived to that pack not long ago, but I was welcomed in by its founder, Alderic." He swallows. "Alderic died only months afterward. We are unsure exactly why. My friend Branwen took his place. It's been...chaotic for us, but we're surviving just fine." He hesitates. "And you?"
"The only thing you need to know about myself is that I don't take kindly to stupidity. The only thing you need to know about the pack is most of them won't hurt you unless you hurt them. I'll give you one warning, as a token of my good intent: try not be scared of the alpha. She-" "Finish that and your veins get fed to the fish in the creek," a growl shut the black wolf up. A rather large white... creature had come up behind the two males, presumably the one who had spoken. The young female lurked behind the creature, clearly nervous. The male, Magnus, flinched, his ears flattening. "Alpha..."
Raziel immediately found it very difficult to heed the old wolf's advice and to not be intimidated by the alpha. "I'm Raziel," he said for what felt like the tenth time. "I mean no harm. I..." his mouth betrayed him, quitting his usual spiel in favor of what seemed like a last-ditch attempt to get his own veins fed to the fish. "What are you?"
Raziel immediately bit his tongue. Idiot, idiot, idiot. Maybe, at the very least, this creature would have pity on his obvious incompetence. He figured that continuing to blather would only make it worse, so held his breath and prepared for the worst.
The creature barked a laugh, her wings lifting slightly then settling against her back. "I have three answers to that and none will make you any less concerned for your life. Don't worry, I won't tear your throat out just yet." She wagged her serpent tail, seeming a bit more friendly- trying to at least. She paused to glare at the melanistic male until he slunk away, the female scout trailing after him. Once they were gone, the creature spoke again. "But the answer I'll give you is a Cryptid. My scout said your pack has residence nearby?"
Not exactly enthused about being alone with the Cryptid, Raziel watched the other two disappear out of sight. "Yes," he said, "my pack resides in a valley between two mountains, north of here." He hesitated. Did he really want these strangers in his home territory?
But it was obvious enough that he'd much rather have this wolf as an ally then an enemy. "I could take you there, if you'd like," he suggested. "I'm sure my alpha would want to meet you. We're not a powerful pack, but we're successful hunters—we could trade furs and meat with your wolves."
He eyed the cryptid again, trying to focus on what made her more wolf like; ignoring her extremities, her body was very much that of a wolf. The tension in his shoulders eased a bit. If he took her back to the pack, at least, he wouldn't be alone with her anymore.
She nodded. "I would like that, yes. Perhaps a conversation with your alpha would bode well for both of us," she paused then shook herself. Her form seemed to become that of a normal white wolf, though her third eye remained. "Lead the way." She figured you hadn't seen magic before, but that was beside her point. Sailga had taught the Cryptid fairly well- though she knew more magic than the female in the first place.
Raziel watched the transformation in awe, then collected himself, blinked, and shut his gaping jaw. "Right. Of course. This way."
He led the Cryptid northward, the terrain becoming rockier and more sparsely vegetated. The sun was rising further, the heat of the day finally setting in. They were very near the territory now. Raziel ducked under a low hanging branch, into a clearing, the other wolf at his heels, when—
"Stop right there!" Snarled a familiar voice.
A she wolf, her brown and orange coat splotched with white and black in a unique, almost feline pattern, leapt onto a boulder in front of them. She was young, maybe a bit older than Raziel, but was already covered in scars. "What did you do this time, Raziel? Who's this?" She demanded, stalking forward.
"Tika, please," Raziel said, gaze flitting back to the Cryptid behind him. "Not right now."
The white "wolf" paused, studying the strange new wolf. Her tail wagged slightly, trying to display a bit of being friendly. She wasn't going to start a fight but would protect herself. She did her best to keep her form stable, not wanting to startle anybody. She scanned the clearing, her third eye shut to try and make herself seem a bit more normal.
