"You are certainly a very smart wolf," Vice murmured after hearing her out. As far as he could tell Silver was the smartest wolf he had ever met; Shagari had been a fool to claim the Barran Wastes and to declare war on Frigid Plague, and Neon...Well, Neon had betrayed his pack by going to Gypsy for a power without permission, and a very dangerous power at that. Inferno. It was practically untested! Any wolf who acquired it would die within a year-- a most undesirable fate to befall any wolf, much less the gamma of Escor. Of course, Vice had also asked Gypsy for a power, but he would have kept it a secret had she given it to him without first assigning him this stupid task. And that other wolf who had joined...he was blanking on his name...Thanos? Yes, that sounded familiar. No one knew anything about Thanos.

"You shall be my beta," he announced to the silver she-wolf, having made up his mind. She was smart, respectful, persuasive-- she even obeyed his silent command to come forward. The perfect choice, and he didn't care if he met someone with all these qualities and more in the future. They would have to take it up with Silver if they wanted her position. That was how a pack worked-- at least, how his pack would work.

It took several minutes of trotting in silence before he realized that the faint heat radiating from Senka's body as she traveled beside him could no longer be felt. He stopped immediately and half-turned, looking back the way they had come. A long way off he could see a wolf-shaped creature. That must be Senka, thought Vice, eyes narrowed against the glare of the sinking sun. Damn, he had already offended her and she hadn't even been in the pack for a day. Vice said not a word but sat down facing Senka as she walked slowly in their direction, expecting Silver to do the same. If the brown wolf was smart she would pick up her pace-- soon her thirst would become more persistent and though death was not an immediate threat at the moment she would die without water. But they would reach water well within that time. About fifteen minutes of trotting would get them there, but it would take more than an hour at Senka's current pace.

As she grew closer Vice noticed that the wolfess seemed to be following the pawprints of the other two wolves. How stupid could you get? The winds were picking up-- a storm was brewing and soon the gusts would wipe away all trace of the trio. They had to get out of the Wastes before the storm hit or they would all be stuck in the middle of a blinding sandstorm.

The male barked impatiently to tell Senka to hurry up-- he would apologize when she caught up.

Vice was just as surprised as Senka herself as he watched her speed up-- were his leadership skills that good, to make this wolf who obviously resented and disliked him obey him? Or was it just instinct that held the pack together-- wolves were, after all, social animals with respect for authority running in their veins. Or perhaps it was her need to find water, and Vice alone knew the way? Well, he would find out soon enough. If she deserted them when she had gotten her fill of water, or when he had led them out of this lifeless arid plain, he would know what her intentions really were.

Vice stood as Senka neared him and Silver and was about to speak, but stopped as she just jogged right past him. This was ultimate disrespect, but he figured he had earned it and he was hardly in any position to confront her about it. One wrong word on his part and Senka would leave the pack, which was the last thing he wanted even if she was an arrogant, immature bitch. But who knows-- perhaps she would change. Sometimes that happened.

Instead of challenging the female he turned and trotted after her, gesturing for Silver to do the same, and caught up with her. This time he stayed level with her shoulder and said quietly, "I'm sorry, Senka. I did not mean to offend you." Both his eyes and his heart were sincere. He decided he would wait for a reply from her before taking up the alpha's position again-- A smart wolf admitted that an alpha was nothing without his pack-- just another loner. He could not afford to alienate this female already.

By the time Vice had led them to the watering hole his own thirst had grown and become more pronounced. His entire mouth felt like it was made of sandpaper-- which it practically was. He had inhaled so much sand it would be surprising if some of it had not found its way into his mouth.

Through the barrage of tiny grains Vice spotted, with his eyes narrowed to slits against the sand and pelting winds, what he had been waiting for: The water. The last fifty yards he sprinted, unable to contain his desperation any longer. The white wolf plunged into the muddy, unappealing water and started lapping it up, wishing he could put his muzzle in and suck it up like a deer. The limited amount of water he could take in was frustrating beyond belief, but he dealt with it, refusing to be phased by something so minor and ashamed he had even noticed it. Longing and frustration were signs of weakness.

Soon he had drunk his fill of the water that tasted like mud and was warmer than he would have liked, heated by the sun, though his parched mouth would not have known the difference had it been a crystal-clear spring.

Vice trudged through the water, eyes still narrowed against the forceful gusts, until he was standing on level ground once more. He shook the water from his pelt-- the male felt refreshed and somehow cleaner, even though his white fur was stained brown by the mud. All the moisture in his fur seemed to have been sucked out by the wind and all that was left scrubbed out by the grains of sand the wind drove deep beneath his fur. Now he felt much better.

He looked around curiously through slitted eyes, wondering when Senka and Silver would be ready to go.

Noticing the uneasy look Senka threw at him, Vice realized he must have done something to offend her...again, so he nodded apologetically just in case. The female averted her gaze, giving Vice no clue as to what she was thinking, so he just let it go. Now was not the time for this kind of thing.

Vice grinned back at Silver, though not understanding why, and nodded in agreement. "My thoughts exactly," he replied, referring to her suggestion that they run on the way out. He stood up as he realized that they were both ready to go and immediately turned south, trotting. Once they were all settled into their proper hierarchical positions he would pick up the pace-- although now he was worried about the water sloshing around in all of their bellies. It might make them sick, or at least give them horrible cramps. Well, Vice was ready to risk that to get out of here before the storm hit-- about half an hour from now, he estimated. There was a static kind of tension and the smell of thunder in the air as they ran, making Vice uneasy and jumpy.

((Shall I make a new thread somewhere, preferably the Hunting Plains?))