A God's pack

The lore for my wolf pack, a group of werewolves led by a heir-god of Time. In this universe Gods do still age, get sick, and die, most Gods pass their power onto their children but the story goes that the original God of Time and God of Space were twins who worked in perfect harmony and, when they picked their heirs, they both picked their nephews; creating a tradition where the families switch which Godhood they belong to each generation. Example; Time is the heir to, surprise, the Time god but his father is the god of Space. 

I'll be doing a few days of catchup where I introduce my wolves in the order they appear, time passing by months with each day, multiple things might happen in a single update since it is only a day for me and not them.

The start

A promise made, the Oracle had told him that power waited for him beyound the horizon of his home away from the godly beings he knew. Time had hesitated, asking the pale being to explain, causing the Oracle to turn their starry eyes to him. The silence stretched for so long that he had opened his maw to repeat his question when the other finally deemed to respond.

"Look to the stars and they shall guide you." Right now, the only stars that Time was seeing were the golden cracks in the mystic's eyes.... More importantly was the source for those words.

"What, like the legends?" He responded incredulously, which caused the being known only as the Oracle to nod slowly. That only caused more questions, there were hundreds of thousands of stars... Which were he intended to follow? The Oracle seemed to sense his doubts, gesturing to the tall, distant, moutains that bit into the sky like earthy teeth. 

"The mountains, walk their peeks." The oracle got up, seeming to be done offering explanation, but Time was unsastified and wasnt done with his questioning.

"Why should I venture into the danger? You mentioned power, what did you mean?" The mystic sighed, shaking his head as the young god-heir followed him pace-for-pace.

"You and yours long for a return to power, for your domain to be stronger than your competitors, do as I have instructed and your power will be greater than the material gods once more." Time stopped in his tracks at this, he had been dreading the days to come where his cousin would, rightfully, be able to tell him what to do. The Oracle paused too, glancing at him over their shoulder with dark eyes.

"Leave behind the followers of your father, cross the moutains and make your own. With patience and resiliance you will become more powerful than he the moment your godly power is passed properly." 

"Thank you, Oracle." The mystic blinked at Time before nodding shortly and leaving the young god to his thoughts. So, the stars had plans for him? There was little to lose and so much to gain if what the Oracle said was true, there was no ignoring those pretty words. Time glanced around the small temple that he was in, taking in the ancient stone for one last time before he quickly left the steps. His father needed no goodbyes, nor their followers, the sooner he got started on this the better.

Day 1

The beautiful, enchanting, meadows that he had spent most of his life in eventually turned to marshes, turned to swamps, turned to deep and ancient forests, the only thing beckoning him onward were the pearly snow-tops of the mountains that were his destination. As the age-old trees began to thin out into long plains, Time's heart stopped as he stood at the feet of the mountains he had been told to venture for. His hair stood on end, a feeling like electricity jumping across his skin, as he stared up at backlit fang. The moon was starting to set, the dark velvet of night making the pale outline of the mountain pop against the black and gold expanse. He had spent his entire existence in some grassy field, sure it had flowers, but that couldn't compare to this. The rolling mist, the cold winds, it felt like the air itself was bleeding power. This had to have been where the Oracle had been intending, he just had to cross the rest of this long stretch of meadow to get there. 

Here, Time felt like he was being watched by curious eyes, but he couldn't help but believe that it was simply the breath of the Moutain's heart that was making him feel this way. It had been the same when he met the God of Earth for the first time. Ancient, wise, powerful. The dark god was prepared to simply stride across the entire grassy plain and ascend to the peaks, but as he walked he could feel a strange pull to his left. Pausing, Time took the chance to carefully take in the grasslands to see a small shadow. Humanoid. He felt compelled to speak with them, like this was destiny, Time quietly approached the stranger with purpose. 

The closer he got the better he could see them, see her. A lithe woman with long, brilliant red, hair in a neat braid that was settled onto her shoulders. Clothes a vibrant, but pale, religious blue it became quite obvious what he was looking at. A young priestess praying to the stars, something that he had been told was common for those of the old sect. Time cleared his throat, causing the other to startle, before speaking. 

"What are you doing out here all on your own, sister?" his voice was not unkind, but she was still tense regardless. No one could blame her, she was alone in the middle of the night and had been walked upon without realizing. The red-haired woman took a deep breath, he could feel her restrained panic on the air from here, before she closed her eyes once again and whispered words he couldn't catch.

"I was asked to come and wait here." she responded, her voice a false calm that he could respect in any mortal. 

"And who asked you to do that? The Sect's Father?" his voice humorous, but also amused. She blinked, her eyes were a surprisingly rich blue that he hadn't noticed before. The priestess turned to look at him, though she remained in the kneeling posture that one would expect of a praying human, she had opened her mouth to respond but it seems that something caught her tongue as words refused to come out. Time tilted his head expectantly at her, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning back slightly. 

"What, am I not good enough to talk to anymore?" merely a joke, but the priestess jumped to her feet with surprising speed and quickly clasped Time's ruby-ringed hand into both of her's. Those blue eyes had shifted into a look of admiration.... or... devotion. 

"You-!"

"-me?" 

"You were the one they told me to wait here for, I could never mistake the look of a God for anything else." Wait, what? Since when could mortals identify a God on sight? The woman's hands tightened their grip around his, unconsciously digging her nails into his skin, as she leaned forward much like a curious, awed, child.

"...You were waiting for me?.. Do you even know who I am?" he responded, he couldn't keep the disbelief out of his tone no matter how hard he tried.

"Of course I do, I could never mistake someone like you for anyone else, you are the God of Time." and she was right, it's not like he had introduced himself or given out his name to tip her off to his appropriately chosen path, she just knew. 

"Who... who told you to wait here for me?" the woman closed her eyes, still leaning in close like someone might when trying to place a familiar fragrance. 

"He said his name was.... Ott'ou, he didn't tell me who he was." Ott'ou, of course, the current God of Time and his uncle. The two of them had never been very close, Ott'ou had always seemed to dislike the idea of having him as a successor and had been quite cold for the majority of his life... why would he possibly send someone here to help him? Had he also heard the Oracle... and if he had why would he help? That would merely weaken the standing of his own son. In Time's confusion, he hadn't noticed the priestess staring at him with interest. 

"I was taught the old gods had all left us-" they had, these people hadn't known a god's favor in generations. "-why would someone as perfect and godly as you ever deem to leave your own and walk among us?" a good question, smart girl, but not one he was going to answer. 

"What's your name?" topic shift, not even a little subtle. 

"I am Robin, do you have another-?"

"I am Time." the look on her face said she probably thought he was merely stating his conceptual being, but his father had really been that unimaginative with his name. 

"I am here to raise a new community out of the rubble here, to start a new, you will help me do that won't you?" she seemed to be the affectionate sort, maybe... Time placed his free hand over one of the hands that Robin had been using to hold his with a vice-grip. That got the reaction he wanted; delight, excitement, and a good dose of trusting euphoria. 

"Yes! Anything you need, I'm your girl!" she responded eagerly, Time allowed the touch to linger for a few moments more before carefully, neutrally, pulling his hands away from her's. He wanted to step back, get some space, but Robin would probably take that poorly.

"Thank you, Robin, I knew I could count on you." the first follower of, hopefully, many and he hadn't even ascended the mountain yet. Not a bad start. 

The mountain trek was, obviously, rocky and dangerous. The sharpness, and strange youth, of the mountain making it tough, tall, and unabiding to outsiders. When they had made it to the mountain's foot he had initially thought that Robin would be able to help find a safe path of travel... turns out she wasn't from the mountains either and was equally in the dark on the best way to the summit. They had made good time in the beginning, but Robin being mortal meant that after a few hours of walking up a steep, narrow, path that she was slowing down with fatigue. This, normally, wouldn't have been too much of a bother, mortals needed sleep and food afterall, but the prickling of dampness against his skin was making Time impatient. If they didn't move faster they were going to get stuck out in the open in the eye of a storm. 

The dark being's eyes were on the mountain, looking up the rocky slope, when a startled gasp returned his attention to Robin just in time to see her slip and nearly throw herself off the path edge. Thankfully, she had gotten lucky and leaned against the fall enough to just have one of her legs hanging off the uneven path, but the fact that she had nearly bit the dust was not lost on the red-head. 

"Are you alright?" Time tried to suppress his irritation, it was not her fault she was a mortal afterall, as he moved to help the priestess to her feet and dust her off. She was trying not to shake, but Time was not a blind man and she was not good at hiding it. 

"Can we... can we take a break?" Robin asked, seems that her fatigue was the reason for her slip up. 

"Soon, I promise. It will start to rain soon and we don't want to get caught in it." Robin looked a little disheartened at his words, understandably afraid that her next slip would not end so lucky. Time couldn't blame her, but he could feel the clouds pressing close, they didn't have time to sit around and wait for her to feel better. 

"Stay close to the mountain's slope, okay? If you fall I'll catch you." he didn't like walking side-by-side on such a narrow path, but it seemed to make Robin feel better even if she was pressed into the rocky wall a bit. Luck willing, she wouldn't trip up again. The trek up the winding path continued, Time trying to not get too upset with the slow pace they had resumed at. Atleast they were still moving. But, the rains didn't seem interested in giving them more time to find a cave to cower in, the clouds broke like the tension leading up to a bar fight. Droplets, at first, a light rain, but the downpour took only moments to arrive after. Walking the mountain was already dangerous enough without the slickness of the rocks underfoot to add to the equation. Time didn't like it, but he pressed again the mountain wall around Robin to keep from being close to the slick path-edge. With the rain came the darkening of the sky. Had he pissed off one of the other gods to cause such poor fortune? Now, rather blind, Robin was obviously trying to suppress the panic that came with not bring able to see, being wet, and in being in danger all at the same time. 

"It is okay, Robin, you won't slip or fall. I can see just fine, just stay close to me and you have nothing to fear." he assured, allowing the priestess to blindly grab his hand with her shaking one. Mortals. While he hadn't been lying, it was a little bit of a stretch to say he could see 'just fine'. He could see better than Robin, no doubt, but it was still a lot darker than one would prefer when scaling an unfamiliar mountain. Cautiously, Time began to guide Robin along the path once more. The longer they were out here, the more dangerous it would become. Closing his eyes, Time huffed as he placed his free hand onto the mountain's side. He could still feel the looming heart of the landmark, the experience, it would be easy to get lost in such a vast ocean of ether but using the mountain's own being he would be able to find a safe space easier. Robin seemed awfully confused as to why they were waiting now, but her mind ebbed out at Time focused on the rock's essence. Deep breaths, location, looking for deep stab-like marks on the surface. 

Opening his eyes once more he turned to look at Robin, it seems he was the only thing she was able to see in the darkness... likely do the natural glow of his eyes. Something that she shared. Ah, Werewolf. 

"You do trust me, don't you, Robin?" he could tell that question made her uneasy, but she nodded mutely.

"I know where a cave is, not far from here, but you will have to trust me and follow my instructions. Do you understand?" she nodded again. Time twisted his hand in her's, firmly taking it, before returning to the path with a new purpose. Not far from this path there was an old off-shoot, a part of the path weathered away and now there was only one way to get across. Jumping the distance. In the dark. In the wet. Time didn't like it, but it was the only shelter for hours. It took some coaxing to get Robin to leave the mountain's wall and follow him towards the path, it would take more to get her to blindly jump a distance she couldn't see. Hopefully, she trusted him enough to do so. 

"Stop here." he instructed, not that he had any need to she had already almost ran directly into him when he paused. 

"We're almost there, but there is a gap ahead that we'll have to cross." he could feel Robin stiffen, her blue eyes staring into the darkness like she was trying to will herself to be able to see what he was talking about.

"How big?" she asked, both hopeful and anxious.

"Big enough that we'll have to jump it." 

"In the dark?" fear, disbelief that he was even proposing such a thing. "In the rain?" 

"Yes, I'll jump over first."

"I can't see like you can, how will I know how far to jump?" panic rippled across her aura like a tsunami. 

"Jump as far, as hard, as you can. I will catch you." she didn't look convinced, Time couldn't blame her.

"This is the only cave for hours more of walking, Robin, every moment we stay out here the paths will get more slick and unstable, you need shelter. This is it. Trust that I will not let you get hurt." the doubt, mostly, evaporated at his words. He was right, she knew he was, she was an exhausted mortal who needed out of the storm before she froze. The priestess swallowed, before nodding. Time clasped both of his hands around the one he had been leading her by, leaning in slightly so she could use the glow of both of their eyes to see how genuine he looked, before removing his hand from her grasp and turning to the broken path. No further hesitation, the young god jumped the gap with a fair amount of ease. The ground was wet, causing him a moment of slide, but no worse for wear he was on the other side. The gap was, about, the distance one could expect most healthy individuals to jump at maximum. But Robin was a priest, Time didn't know exactly how capable she was, so he stepped up to the edge of the gap expecting the worse. Hopefully, her complete blindness and fear would lead to her over-estimating the jump enough to get her over that gap without problem. 

"Your turn now, Robin. We're almost done." he could see, vaugely, through the dark the red-head tensing before taking a few steps back. Was she unwilling? He couldn't blame her if she was, it was a lot to ask for so soon, only a truely devout- the thought cut short as Robin sprinted and lept across the gap with a surprising amount of power. Right, of course, Werewolves were stronger than humans so they could probably jump further, right? Robin over-estimated the jump by a bit, prefferable to what would happen if she had done the oppisite, causing Time to stumble back a few steps as he caught the mortal and carefully set her onto the ground. Robin would probably have a panic-attack the second they were out of danger, but for the moment she was still steady enough. Time carefully took the priestess's face and lightly pressed a small kiss to her fore-head, more like a parent would to a well-behaved child than anything else. 

"You did very well, the hardest part is over." Robin was almost glowing with the encouragment, and Time allowed her just a second to bask in it before he pushed her infront of him and pressed her to keep moving. It didn't take long, a few more dangerous moments, before they got to the cave. Thank the stars above, he was quite tired of being a soaking mess. Seeing as she was walking ahead of him, Robin noticed the crevice in the rock before he could say anything. 

"Is this-?"

"The cave I mentioned? Yes, it is." she immedietely ducked into it, hands blindly kept to the wall as Time followed into the divet in the mountain-side. Shelter, aquired. Now, he would need to get some thing to feed a fire... though Robin just looked thankful to be able to sit down out of the rain. She was visibly shaking now, though if it was a delayed panic attack or just the cold setting in he couldn't really tell.

"Are you alright, Robin?" the red-head nodded to his question, deep blue eyes looking up and only finding him by his own glowing orange ones.

"Yes, I never doubted you." Time didn't believe her words, he could see the wavering when he asked her to take that blind leap but considering the circumstances he couldn't really fault her for it.

"Thank you for trusting me, I know I was asking a lot of you very quickly." a pause a he looked out of the cave mouth, back at the storm. 

"I need to look for some supplies, a cave alone does not a shelter make, I'll be back." Robin got up at his words, looking as if she intended to follow him but Time crossed the cave with a tsk and put his hands onto her shoulders to force her to sit back down. Something she complied with, allbiet it reluctantly. 

"Stay here, I will be back." she frowned but nodded, whispering a quiet 'be safe' to him as he left the cave once more. 

Day 4

It had been raining for three days, seriously which God had he ticked off to deserve this? He had spent the last few days acquiring the things needed to keep mortals in good health; food, a way to store the freshly fallen storm rain, and a fire to get rid of the wet-chill. While the first night had been hell for Robin she seemed in much better standing now, sitting close to the fire and warming her hands with it. 

"How long do you think it will rain for?" she asked, off-handedly breaking the long-standing silence without even glancing his way. 

"A few more days, probably, if I had to guess." its not like he was God of water or weather so he had no real knowledge on that front, his guess was no better than her's at this point. 

"Are you okay with waiting with me in a cave for that long?" Time turned to look at Robin, her eyes set on the fire. She must be feeling like dead-weight with how she was holding him here. 

"Why wouldn't I be? You're the first one who agreed to help me, I'm not going to leave you to fend for yourself in some cave on the side of a mountain." she glance at him, giving him a long look, before returning her gaze to the fire. Time was unsure of what she was thinking, a neutral expression kept on her face throughout the entire conversation, but his attention was brought else-where before he had the opprotunity to press it. 

"What are you two doing out here in a storm?" the unfamiliar voice was rough, like a blacksmith's, and Time turned to look at the man. Tall, dark tanned skin, and short sun-bleached hair. The man was soaked through, as one would expect with the seemingly endless rain, but that didn't seem to dampen his spirits any. 

"Who are you?" Time responded, glowering at the stranger who lifted his hands in mock-surrender with the sunniest smile on his face. 

"'ey now, I don't mean no harm. Just looking to get out of the rain for a bit  'same as you folks." Time was about to repeat himself when he noticed Robin stepping up beside him with a curious look on her face.

"We were following the narrow path up the mountain when it started raining, we've been waiting the storm out since." she explained to him, cause Time to frown slightly.

"Ahh, yeah these rocky parts can be dangerous at the best of times so that's probably smart."

"I am Time." since the man hadn't yet given out his name Time would start. The stranger's grey eyes flashed at this, smile widening into a toothy one that showed off rather sharp canines. 

"Ah, beggin' my pardon, Mister, the people around these parts call me the Hunter." a mock bow, before straightening up once more. "But you can call me Vaitelin, if it's suitin' ya'." 

"Do you know this area very well?" Robin piped in, not introducing herself. 

"'Sure do, know these craggy cliffs like the back of my hand." The man, Vaitelin, responded happily.

"Do you, perchance, know of a better place to hide from the storm.... or maybe even a place to start building a small communinity?" the priestess asked hopefully, the hunter seemed to think on this for some time before nodding briefly. The sandy-colored man crossed the cave floor, stomping out the small fire, and flattening his still wet hair back out of his face. 

"Follow me, stay close, I'm thinkin' I know just the place for ya'll." 

Trees, tall and bold and old. The trek up the mountain went much faster this time with an experienced guide to lead them along the paths. Time hadn't been thrilled about being soaked through again, but the vibrant energy that Vaitelin had seemed to infect Robin so at least someone was enjoying the wet walk. How they had got so high up so fast was beyond him, but the thick leaf canopy was doing wonders at keeping most of the rain out. A, mostly, flat section that was large and covered in ancient, strong, yet sparse trees. A truly perfect place to start. A feeling of gratitude washed over him, so strong it was almost like it belongs to someone else, as he turned to look at their humble guide.

"How did you know about this place?" he asked.

"I 'ave been known to set up a camp here, once or twice." Time examined the hunter for a long moment, the sandy-haired man scratching his face in an attempt to suppress the embarrassment of being stared at so intently, he was obviously a skilled individual. 

"Do you have a pack to return to?" Time found himself asking, causing Vaitelin to balk like he had just been found out to be a criminal.

"Now, I 'ave no Idea what you are talking about, mister, I'm just a-"

"Don't worry, Vaitelin, I'm a werewolf too. Time isn't the kind to threaten us." Robin cut in, her voice confident, which seemed to put the grey-eyed man to relax.

"... that's... good to know. No, I'm more of a... traveler. I don't have a pack." 

"You could join us." Time offered it so instantly that Vaitelin looked like he had whiplash. The hunter opened his mouth as if to speak, before closing it again and shifting his gaze to Robin with a thoughtful look. 

"You could still come and go as you please, hunt alone if you desire, but we would be here to defend you." the young god added. 

"Well, when you talkin' like that how could I possibly say no? Yeah, I'll join you, stick around... for now anyway." a bright smile as on Vaitelin's face as he spoke. Good, another follower to add to the group. 

Day 12

Things were progressing now that there was a set place to start, but just the three of them meant things were still not going as fast as Time would prefer. Vaitelin was constantly proving himself an asset, bringing back a surprising amount of food for a solo-hunter and managing a good amount of building otherwise, and Robin was getting them sorted with water. But, as charming as Time could be if pressed, finding people willing to join was harder than he thought... and he was beginning to believe that he might have to specifically seek out werewolves for this endeavor. The sky beginning to darken on the first week of their time here, Time was settled a bit away from the other two who were having an animated discussion about.. something, when a shift behind him caused the young god to startle to his feet and turn to glare at the source. 

A strangely familiar face stared back at him, the young and elegant features of a demi-god he knew fairly well. 

"Astaira? Did you follow me out here?" Time's voice filled with enough surprise to draw the bickering two at the fire's attention to the new woman who had appeared at the edge of the clearing. 

"Time, I was starting to think I was chasing fireflies!" she responded in a breezy voice, like she had spent the entire time walking without break. Astaira, half-mortal daughter of the goddess of fertility and love. While, normally, a woman with naturally grey hair filled with random streaks of color wouldn't be considered particularly attractive but Astaira's bloodline meant it impossible for her to not be considered beautiful. 

"That doesn't answer my question, Astaira. Why are you here?" he repeated, glancing shortly over his shoulder as the crunching sound alerted him to Vaitelin stepping up to his side. 

"Well, see, here's the thing-" Time couldn't help but scoff at her already, but he patiently waited for her excuses. 

"You know how I got betrothed to lord Sar'ene?" his cousin, and the future god of space. 

"Of course I do, what of it?" he responded shortly.

"Well, Sar'ene is great and all but I was thinking I would prefer to find my own way and my own love, ya'know? And when I heard your father talking to the Oracle I thought to myself 'hey, Time's always been a free spirit, maybe following him would be better than staying.' Ya'know?" Astaira's smile was hopeful, but a small amount of guilt lingered there. 

"You want to join my group so you don't have to get married, that's what you're saying?" the grey-haired woman laughed nervously, running a hand through her hair to have something to do with herself.

"Uh, yeah, well when you put it like that-"

"You can stay." a long pause followed his words, Astaira staring at him mutely like she was trying to figure out if he was joking or not before she smiled brightly. Time didn't have much chance to respond before his old friend jumped him with a hug.

"I knew I could count on you! You're the best!" she finally released him, suddenly seeming to remember that Time didn't really like to be touched. 

"And, uh, I'll pull my weight around here too. I can be a pretty good hunter too, ya'know... maybe convince some more people to join up with us, too?" she offered, like it was an afterthought. 

"A hunter... so long as I don't have to try to work around her, sounds fine to me." Vaitelin commented, suddenly reminding Time of the fact that the other two had been privy to the whole conversation. Time glanced over his shoulder, the hunter standing at close standing with himself, arms crossed, and Robin was... minding her own business by the fire. That's why she was the favorite. 

"Any help you can give would be appreciated, Astaira. This is Vaitelin, our current hunter, and the small one by the fire is Robin-" Astaira waved her hand dismissively. 

"Yeah, yeah, It doesn't really matter who they are. We'll get to know everyone eventually." Vaitelin seemed offended by her words, but he was smart enough to keep it to himself as he turned to go sit-down with Robin once more.

"Try not to cause more issues than you solve, Astaira." Time warned, tiredly, before turning to guide her towards the fire. Astaira, as difficult as she could be, would be an asset in getting more members to join. 

Day 23

Time wasn't exactly a hunter, so how he had been talked into going on a hunting party with Vaitelin and Astaria was beyond him. Probably something to do with the hunter's pleading eyes when Astaria announced she would be going with him on his hunt today. So far, Astaria had thrown some rather passive-aggressive remarks at the sandy-haired man but he had managed to keep his tongue to himself, was it like this every time they went hunting? No wonder Vaitelin had been running off so early nowadays,  he was desperately trying to steer clear of the demi-god. Time couldn't blame the man, he was already getting tired of Astaria's attitude and it wasn't even directed at him.

"You know, Viaite, you should really respond to a lady when she addresses you." the grey-haired woman sniffed, frowning at the hunter as she went out of her way to butcher the man's name.

"You should probably stop talking so much, you are going to scare everything away at this rate. Its a wonder you catch anything at all if this is how you go about it." Time responded shortly, a look of surprise being shot his way by both of the other parties involved, he tried not to think too much on the big grin that ended up on Vaitelin's face at being defended. 

"I agree with your leader there, missy, you three are going to attract a lot of unwanted attention that way." everyone's attention was now on the new voice, a light tan man with golden-blonde hair that glowed in the small beam of sunlight he was standing in. 

"Excuse me, but I don't remember asking for the opinion of some random as-" Astaira was obviously in a bad mood now, Time quickly cut her off.

"Is there something you were wanting of us, stranger?" 

the golden man, with eyes not very unlike Robin's, rubbed a hand over his stubbled face as he considered something. Time watched, closely, as the strange man tilted his head, casting his face in just enough shade for the glow of his eyes to be more obvious. Another werewolf? Was there some kind of power that drew them here?

"You know, I've been in these mountains just as long as that hunter has-" he gestured to Vaitelin who frowned at the slick-looking stranger. "-I could be just as useful to you as that oaf... if not more so." 

"Why would I want the help of an outlaw?" a guess, but by the narrowing of his blue eyes he could tell it had been a good one.

"Because I can help you, yeah, hunter here might be good at catching you a goat or two, but I'm a much better survivor. I can do more for you, and all I ask is that you defend me if someone tries anything.... unfortunate. That's not too much to ask for is it? You help me, I help you. Easy." a big boast with, so far, no proof. It also seemed that Vaitelin and this guy had crossed paths before. Time turned his attention to his sandy-haired companion, who seemed to deflate a bit under his questioning gaze. 

"I hate to admit it to ya', sir, but uh.. he's not exactly lying. He's be scavenging these mountains longer than I 'ave and has never needed any help, as far as I know. He's, uh, pretty good at handling himself, I reckon'." Vaitelin really did seem to hate that he was agreeing with the stranger, eyes focused on the forest beyond Time instead of on him. 

"Do we get to know your name, or should I just call you the Outlaw?" the young god asked, finally, after a long wait. The golden-haired man stood up straight, a dangerous smile cutting across his features in a way that made Time's hairs stand on end. He was taller than he looked, lithe, but obviously very healthy. 

"You may call me Relis, pleasure dealing with you, young god." the second time someone had known what he was without him having to tell them, though when this 'Relis' said it it felt like a challenge, or a threat, instead of something out of devotion. If the aura of this man wasn't that of someone who could single-handedly drag their group through winter he would have said no... but there was no way he was going to turn down someone so obviously capable. Hopefully, that wouldn't come back to bite him later on.

"Come on then, guess you can prove yourself by helping us take something down." he ordered vaguely, gesturing for the others to follow as he started to walk once more. 

"Sure, I can do that. Just don't let little miss silver-fox get mad when I show her up." 

Oh, it was going to be one of those days. Stars end him. 

Day 45

It had been a fair half-moon since Relis had joined their little group, and while Time couldn't say that he trusted the lanky golden-boy as far as he could throw him he couldn't say that Relis hadn't proved to be just as useful as he had promised he'd be. While Vaitelin and him, obviously, had a sour history the three of them could raise a house rather quick... even if Time was doing most of the heavy lifting.

Rubbing his hands together to rid them of the debris, Time quietly walked to the edge of the clearing to overlook the meadows and forest below. Movement out of the corner of his eye alerted him to Relis seated on a taller ledge, Time didn't bother to glance at the dishonest-werewolf but merely nodded in greeting. Usually, that was the extent of their interactions but the sound of Relis dropping down from the ledge and approaching him told Time that the slippery-sneak had something to say.

"Time, been awfully busy the three of us lately, have we not?" he, obviously, didn't think much of Astaira.

"She may not be helping with the building but she has been shown to be more capable at hunting than yourself, Relis." Time responded pointedly, turning his orange eyes to the lanky man to give him a look of warning before he started on another tirade about the demi-god. Relis frowned in response, pursing his lips as he regarded Time's expression before deciding that wasn't the hill worth dying on. As much as Time didn't trust him, it had not been lost on him that Relis seemed much more forward, and honest, with him than with any of the others in the group. Almost, as if, he might actually have some modicum of respect for the young god. Relis's presence still put Time on edge, however, and he couldn't bring himself to be particularly flattered by being the lying man's favorite. 

"Perhaps, but that is actually what I wanted to talk to you about." the golden-haired man responded, taking a few steps closer to Time to stand at a more... friendly distance. 

"Well, I'm listening, so talk." Time crossed his arms, trying to appear impatient instead of defensive, odd how this mortal could put him on edge without so much as a threat. 

"I know a rather.... well-respected hunter in the area, works solo, but she is quite skilled. If you could convince her to join I think she would be quite the asset." 

"If she works alone why would she help us?" the young god responded shortly, causing Relis to step back and dip his head in a placating way.

"She is a werewolf, like the majority of the group you have here, as well as an old friend of mine. If you allow me to I could.. go scouting for her... convince her to help us. Help you." the tall man's posture was poor, but even hunched over a bit he was still taller than Time but a few inches, Relis seemed aware of this and tilted his head to the side will relaxing his posture further to put them on more of an even footing.

"Why are you offering this, is there something you gain from this?" Time didn't trust this, didn't trust Relis. The lair of a man seemed slightly offended by the implications cleary hanging on the god's words. 

"Besides helping the group who agreed to defend me?" Relis responded, but when Time simply narrowed his eyes further with distrust the lanky man sighed, theatrically. "Felis is a friend of mine, her being here would mean that I do not have to worry about if she got mauled by a bear anymore... AND she would bring in more food and leather for the group. She is not evil, she just does not trust humans and since those are, frankly, absent here I do not see why she would not work well here." a long silence followed as Time stared daggers into the blue eyes of the outlaw he had allowed into his pack, searching for deceit or malice, he found only a disquieting amount of honesty. In the eyes of a known liar. 

"Fine, look for your friend and make your attempts at persuading her... but know that if she messes up that you vouched for her." a warning, and a reference to familiar bonds. Relis smiled, an expression like a fox who had outsmarted the hunter, before dipping into a mock bow. 

"She will vouch for me too, I am sure. I shall not take long, Time god." a promise Time didn't believe, but said nothing about as the outlaw quickly turned to start his quest to find this friend of his. Time wasn't sure if agreeing to that man's offer was a good idea, eventually, he would see.

Day 49

It had been four days since the slippery eel known as Relis has departed on a possible expedition to find an 'old friend' of his. Time was quite beginning to think he wouldn't need to worry about the golden-boy anymore. On a patrol of the lower plains that marked the foot of their mountain, the dark being was rather out-of-sorts when a large, golden, wolf barreled into him and knocked him over. Not just any wolf, but the size it was obviously a werewolf, but even so the fact that this one had managed to ground him so easy was slightly sobering. Most werewolves weren't much more capable of downing him than any normal human would be, who was this? Time growled in warning, getting to all fours despite the weight of the being who pushed him over. The obvious aggression seemed to cause the werewolf to back off and allow him to get back up. Golden bright fur, lanky, and blue eyes...

"Was that truly necessary, Relis?" his aggravation causing his hair to stand on end as he glared at the shifted being, the sad look he had been wearing shifting to a pleased one as his name was stated without hesitation. Yup, no doubt, this was that tricky outlaw. Shifting back into the human form was not an, exactly, unusual sight. Time had seen werewolves do it before. But it was a little strange to see the wolf turn into someone he actually knew, to a certain extent, the others that he had gathered seemed quite happy to stay outside of their wolf forms. 

"What, no 'Oh, Relis, I can not believe how useful and valuable you are to the pack.'?" the golden-haired man asked, theatrically, though he did seem a little disappointed when Time just frowned at him and refused to play along. Behind him was another being, a woman who was tall and built like a brick wall. Her dark brown eyes sizing Time up as she stepped up to stand beside the annoying out-law.

"You must be Felis, I take it?" he asked, though he wasn't interested in mortals there was no denying that he found her attractive. Powerful, covered in scars, tall, and dark skin adorned in paler paints, if she had been a demi-god at the very least he might have been smitten with her. Shame. 

"Yes, Relis spoke highly of your pack... said that you were all werewolves... but you don't look like one of us to me." distrust, but weither it was because she didn't believe Relis either or if she didn't trust him it was hard to say.

"Mostly werewolves-"

"I'm not settling for mostly, I don't deal with humans." a growl, she seemed quite displeased. Time didn't even have a chance to say anything else before Relis stepped in.

"All of the mortals in this pack are werewolves! So, all werewolves! The only exceptions is this one, who is a God, and that one annoying demi-god that you'll be hunting with." at his explanation, Felis seemed to examine Time more closely, regarding him with narrowed eyes as if searching for some tall-tale sign of his divinity. "And, as much as I detest her, I think you  will get along with Astaira just fine!" Felis didn't react to the golden-man's addition, merely staring a hole through Time before stepping back and nodding shortly. 

"Fine, I can deal with Gods. As long as you don't pick up any disgusting dirt-bloods we'll be fine you and I." she... really did not have a way with words did she?

"Noted. So, you'll help us then?

"Was there ever a doubt? Show me the camp, let me see what I'm working with." Felis seemed indifferent to the idea of staying here, but Relis seemed pleased. Atleast someone was happy with this turn of events, cause it certainly wasn't him or this new lady they had picked up. 

Day 76

Time had been uncertain about Felis, but she fell into place with the group like a missing piece of the puzzle. Astaira and her worked together like the feathers of a bird's wing and together their hunts became an almost assured thing. Looking back, it was now 2 1/2 months beyond when he had left his old home in the meadows, but he felt just as at peace here with the strange pack of werewolves he had managed to acrew. Vaitelin still did most things alone, and Relis was often missing-in-action as he spent most of his time scouting for valuable resources, but things were falling into a familiar pattern none-the-less...

"You can't just.... overlook me like that! We had a plan, you could have gotten me hurt being so reckless!" including this more annoying aspect. As well as Astaira and Felis worked together Robin did not. The priestess was not a skilled hunter and her precise manner of looking at things made on-the-cuff choices ruffle her feathers something fierce. Time lifted his head, looking carefully at the exchange, before having a miniature heart-attack when he noticed an extra woman standing among the hunting party. 

"Its a hunt, not a tea-party, if your dainty paws can't keep up then stop holding us back and just admit to being useless." Felis growled in response, grey hair a massive, sweaty, mess from what was, no doubt, a hard hunt that had ended poorly. 

"Excuse me? If not for me you three would-" Robin was vastly outnumbered and picking a fight with the wrong group of woman. Astaira was not, generally, the kind to go looking for a fight but she'd sure finish them... and Felis was easier to provoke than a mother bear. 

"-If not for you, us three would have taken down that deer instead of having to worry about Miss.miss being underfoot and tripping us up! You're useless, you don't know how to hunt, or track, and I'm tired of having to play nice with such a worthless excuse for a werewolf. We'd be better off without such a dead-weight, but you being his lord's favorite why don't you just be a good little girl and sit next to the fire and look pretty for us. We'd all eat better if you gave up the pretense." Ouch, Astaira was not in the mood to play and it was obvious by the look on Robin's face that she wasn't sure how to respond. 

"Oh, yeah? You're sooo good, and godly, and perfect, then? Never make mistakes do you? Why don't you prove it, then, and stop talking so much!" O-kay, now Robin was asking for a fight and everyone was bristling and baring teeth. If he didn't step in there would be blood on the camp floor. Time got to his feet, carefully dusting the stone chips off himself as he strode to stand between the three hunters and Robin.

"Ooooh, gonna hide behind his lordship now are we?" Astaira was not backing down, the black-haired woman he couldn't remember the name of didn't seem to be stepping back, either. 

"Alright, alright, that's quite enough now. None of you will be very useful to anyone wounded" 

"We wouldn't be the one's bloodied." a threat, this time from Felis who had been the only one with enough brain-power to step back when he put himself in the middle of them. 

"Last warning, that's enough. This conversation is over I will not stand by and allow you all to bicker and brawl directly in the middle of the camp." a warning, orange eyes sharp as he dared any of the three aggressive hunters to challenge him. None did, they were short, impatient, but not dumb. Astaira glowered around him, surely at a smug-looking Robin, before turning and storming off with the distinct look that she was going to take her frustration out on poor Vaitelin next time she saw him. Felis and the black-haired woman briefly stayed behind, before exchanging a look and crossing the camp together. The camp air was still tense but the direct danger of blood being drawn had passed. Time let out a short breath, before turning to look at Robin who looked the least upset with how things ended... which she would be considering he had stepped in on her behalf. 

"Must you start fights with Astaira, Robin?" Time asked, tone filled with enough disappointment to make the red-head wince and look like a chastised child. 

"It's not my fault, she's been saying awful things about me all day. Ask Surie-" ah, right, he always forgot about Surie. The black-haired woman, she was very quiet and stoic so he often forgot she existed, often registering her as a shadow... come to think of it he didn't even remember how or when she joined the group... had to have been recently, right?

"-I did my best, Astaira and Felis put me in the position I'm the worst at on purpose." Robin sounded like a youngling making excuses to get out of trouble, but the look Time gave her made the priestess deflate. 

"I hate to give Astaira room to be smug or, Stars forbid, right but... if you can not reframe from causing trouble with the hunters I'm going to stop letting you join them.-" Robin's eyes filled with shock and she opened her mouth, obviously to further defend herself, but Time held up a hand to quiet her as he continued. "They have an extremely important job they fulfill for the pack, you know this, and if this trouble continues it will spell disaster come winter months. I don't want anyone to get hurt, least of all you, please stop antagonizing them." Robin looked dejected, defeated, and upset, but Time waited for her response with an expectant look.

"I... understand. I will do better." a long pause, waiting to see if Robin had anything else to say before Time nodded shortly.

"Good, thank you. In the mean-time, I will try to figure out something else you can help with." no objection now, good. Now if they could only handle tomorrow without another fight. 

Day 98

Another moon passed, Robin was acting a little strange so Time was doing whatever he could to find excuses to not be in camp. Something about her behavior made him uncomfortable and, based on absences, some of the other pack members felt similarly. At least the red-head didn't seem to be taking it personally, which he was glad for.

Patroling along the forest's edge that marked the end of the meadow, Time absent-mindedly brushed a hand against one of the old trees. Something like a shock jolted up his hand, like a warning, someone else had been frequenting this border. Narrowing his eyes, the young god leaned into the deep well of energy that the forest kept in its roots, trying to figure out if this being was one of his. It wasn't. The forest knew it as a strange thing of clay, blood, and prairie grass, with massive calloused hands and claws. Another werewolf drawn to this place? Was it dangerous? Time glanced over his shoulder at the mountain that the camp was in, frowning before venturing deeper into the woods. He needed to confront this individual, see if they were a threat. Time strode through the trees with purpose, he was no hunter but the trees were forthcoming with what they knew. He was getting closer, he could feel it in the way his hands prickled, and it only pressed him to pick up his pace. Without stopping to consider the repercussions of jumping a werewolf, Time darted through the trees and used his momentum to shove the stranger to the ground. The scuffle to gain the upperhand was instant, but being an heir-god he had the advantage and despite the stranger's thrashing the pin became rather steadfast rather quick. Most werewolves would bristle, growl, bare teeth in this situation but this one remained silent. Submissive, almost. It was a man, built like a wall, with dark skin and ruffled dark brown hair... probably only a mess from the little spat they just had, not intentional... what was intentional was the faded red war-paint that was painted on much like a mask, most likely the blood he was sensing, and the pale tan clay-paint that highlighted his throat. Bold. 

"What are you doing on our border?" Time demanded, glowering down at the strange man.

"Patrolling." the other responded, it looked like he hadn't been expecting a fight. 

"Do you not have enough space in the forest to not toe our lines?" a deep frown found its way on Time's face.

"No, I was patrolling for you." 

"Excuse me, what? Why in the world would you do that?" Strange, very strange. 

"May I sit up before I explain myself?" a small, wry, anxious smile that managed to make Time feel enough momentary guilt for him to release the werewolf and give him some space. 

"I knew the moment that you ascended the mountains that you were powerful, a God,-" the third mortal so far that had seen him for what he was. Time tried to hide his surprise. "-it would be impossible to ignore how the entire area became yours simply because you were... here. So I've been watching this border for you." 

"The whole time we've been here?"

"No, not all of it. I lived in the prairies before. I had to travel here first... but for some of it." he seemed very genuine, and the words he said matched up with the information he had at his disposal. 

"If you wanted to help me why have you been hiding?" an embarrassed look crossed the man's face now as he began to untangle his hair, not looking at Time now as he whistled. He looked downright guilty.

"I, uh, didn't know if you would accept a werewolf as a follower?" 

"My entire group is werewolves, didn't you notice?"

"Yeaaah, but I didn't realize until a week or so ago and it felt too late to change anything, sooo." guilty was the wrong word, sheepish was more like it. 

"So, are you going to join us now or are you just going to keep walking the tree-line by yourself?" the man's eyes flashed brilliant green at those words, the bashful smile he had been wearing turning into a large, warm, toothy grin that reminded Time of a mischievous child.

"If you'll have me, I'll go where ever you go, Sir." that sounded awfully like a promise. 

"Welcome to the pack, then, I'm Time." 

"Bear, consider me your personal bodyguard from here-on out." a playful wink that made Time snort. 

"I fail to see why I need a guard, but I won't complain. Let's finish this patrol then we can introduce you to everyone else."

"Aye-aye, sir."

"Try not to embarrass me."

"Hah! Sorry, no promises there, sir." the rest of the patrol, and subsequent walk up the mountain, was filled with Bear talking up a storm. Strangely enough, Time didn't mind the fact that he seemed to have no mute button. Another follower to add to the list.

Day 119

Bear was something of Time's personal shadow since he had arrived, seems he hadn't been joking about going with him where ever he went. Normally, being watched and followed so closely would aggravate the dark man, after all he was a god not a child who needed to be protected from itself, but Bear managed to mind his own business and provide good enough company to not bother Time with his consistent presence. It had been a fair few weeks since the charming werewolf had joined them and he seemed to be capable of getting along with everyone else just fine... the exclusion of Surie who had a distaste for anyone who referenced his god-hood too often.

Today, he had been talked into another hunt with Vaitelin... featuring the elusive Relis as well who seemed eager to prove himself the superior out of the two of them.

"I am just saying, if Bear moved up the path and sat in ambush we could take this buck down in record time." Relis and Vaitelin were having some disagreements on the exact plan they should use and, considering that Time was no hunter, he was content to let the two bicker like hens over the course they took.

"I'm not leaving Time back here with you for something so minor as a short hunt, Relis, try something else." Bear cut into the conversation, causing the golden-haired man to cast a quick glare his way which was only responded to with a bold smile. 

"I never agreed to helping you hunt, anyway, so don't look so sour." Vaitelin coughed, badly trying to hide a laugh, in response. An attempt was made to suppress the grin on his face but it was a really bad one. 

"Fine, we could do things your way but if we lose this catch do not forget that I disagreed with it." Relis seemed eager to be done with this, Time couldn't help but agree with the sentiment. 

"Okay, so, what do you need me to do?" all eyes turned to Vaitelin at Time's question.

"You two spook the buck into the direction of the Rockies, chase him but keep 'em at a distance, I'll handle the rest." 

"You sound awfully cocky, Viaite." the dishonest werewolf said in a near-growl, managing to butcher the other's name in the same way as Astaira had, leaving Time to wonder just how much of that argument Relis had been privy to before he joined. 

"I wouldn' say 'cocky', I'd say... confident. Assured. I know what I'm doin'." Relis rolled his eyes at the assertion and the self-confident look on the hunter's face. 

"Whatever, we should get moving."

Ouch, while it was difficult to kill a God it was still lucky that Bear was so quick to drag him out of the way. Bucks are more aggressive than does and when Vaitelin's plan didn't work out right the deer had decided enough was enough. While Time wasn't sure it would have actually killed him, he still was thankful that he hadn't ended up being gored by the angry thing.... though the scars probably would have looked neat by the end.

"That was the most reckless attempt at a hunt I've ever seen! What kind of plan was that supposed to be? The one where you get someone killed?" and Bear was not happy. Anger sounded weird on him, he was normally very relaxed and easy-going.

"'Ay now, yeah the plan did kind of... fall apart at the end there but no one got hurt!  Sometimes you just got to think on your feet! The prey isn't always gonna respond how you think it will." Vaitelin responded in self-defense. Time hadn't bother getting up from his place on the ground, yet, catching his breath after the long, draw out, chase and subsequent whiplash of being thrown by someone aptly named Bear. The painted wolf was half-bristled, having something of an aggressive stare-down with the hunter several feet away. Bear had nearly jumped the other, generally, friendly wolf when he had first reacted. Thankfully, Relis had jumped into the middle just in time to prevent blood being spilled but Bear still seemed eager to verbally tear the sandy-colored werewolf apart.... speaking of Relis, where had he ended up? 

A sharp pang to his right quickly alerted him to Relis, who had been kneeling next to him for who knows how long, which he had somehow overlooked during the commotion between Bear and Vaitelin. The shock between both sudden pain and contact made Time draw away with an aggravated hiss. 

"I am just checking to see if you broke anything when Bear threw you, even Gods can get fractured ribs." strange, Time couldn't help the distrust that gripped his lungs as he stared at Relis, he was certainly not the concerned or caring type so why would it matter to him even if he had cracked something? Apparently, the scowl he was giving wasn't enough to dissuade the golden-haired man.

"Please hold still, this should only take a minute." before he could even muster a disagreeable reply Relis had already moved a bit closer and prodded him in the side. Something that felt like it had just jabbed him in both the lung and the brain at the same time. Time hadn't been well acquainted with pain so, maybe, he had a poor tolerance for it but he could swear he could see stars. An undignified wheeze escaped him as a small amount of pressure was exerted to the curve of his mid ribcage. Yup, broken. Relis tsked, though if it was at his reaction or the situation he couldn't really say... not that he had much brainpower to think on it with how the world was spinning. 

"Hey! Idiots!" Relis could be surprisingly loud and viper-like when he wanted to be. Time hadn't even noticed that Bear and Vaitelin were still arguing in the background, but he was well aware of its absence as the two fell silent at the interruption. 

"Come here." a command. Time carefully removed Relis's hand from his side now, the seething that the blond was doing making him rather concerned that, if provoked, he'd end up causing more harm to his already broken ribs. 

"'Ay, what's the glarin' for?" Vaitelin's voice was closer now, Time shifted so he could look at the group. At least the bickering between them hadn't led to anything worse than some harsh words. To call Relis's look 'glaring' was a little on the light side, though, if mortals could kill with a look the hunter would be quite dead. The blond outlaw nearly jumped to his feet, bristling. 

"Take a wild guess, Viaite, want to ask Time why I am so mad?" the sandy-haired man turned his gaze to Time now, a confused look on his face, but Relis hadn't been being literal. 

"You said 'no one got hurt', right? That's what you said. But you did not even bother to check, did you? So, why not come down here and check to see what the problem could possibly be." Vaitelin opened his mouth to respond but the second he did Relis just went back to talking. "No, really, come down here. Feel just how broken Time's rib is and tell me again about how no one got hurt."  a very odd thing for Relis to be defending him, really drove in the point that he had made earlier though.

"I said that if something happened it would be your fault, and this-" he gestured sharply at Time causing the young-god to flinch, his subconscious still labeling Relis as a threat despite his mortality. "- this is your fault. You should have allowed us to back off the target when the plan went astray, not pushed us to try to take it down at such an obvious disadvantage. You are the reason one of your fellow hunters is hurt and you do not even have the decency to ask." hopefully, Relis was done with his tirade now. The mix of his volume, sheer seething rage, and also the amount he had said left the lanky wolf sounding like he had just finished another hunt by himself. 

"I.... he's a god, right?... I didn't know they could get hurt." a weak response that caused an ugly, short, laugh from the outlaw as he closed the distance between him and Vaitelin. While Vaitelin was a fair-sized man, Relis was much taller than him and his lankiness just added to how.... overwhelming he often felt. Time didn't envy the hunter with the current situation he was in. 

"I'm sorry, I broke your ribs when I grabbed you, didn't I?" Bear asked, a suitably guilty look on his face. 

"Don't worry so much, I'm a God not a doll, I just got really unlucky with a vengeful rock on the way down." an attempt at a joke, but he didn't look convinced... it would have to do, though, too much talking was painful. Returning his attention to Vaitelin and Relis, he was glad that the two's conversation seemed to have worked itself out without him needing to intervene. Relis looked a bit calmer, more self-satisfied than anything, and any defensiveness that Vaitelin had once presented seemed gone for the moment. Good, maybe they could get back to camp without any further problems. Time carefully got to his feet, trying to ignore the screaming in his side. 

"Bad hunts happen, we still have food, we should return to camp before any more bad luck decides to find us." the rest of the group seemed to agree. Now... how was he going to explain this to everyone back at camp.