Mountain King [closed]

[HeIsKing]

Bramble hummed a bit at Reed's word, running a hand through his shaggy, curly hair. It was obvious that he was almost totally relaxed now, his eyes sliding from the other wolf back to his pack in quick-second intervals. When he spoke of his brother, the corners of Bramble's mouth turned down at the sides, one of his hands digging into the side of his hip.

"I am proud of it, but I'm afraid my brother still has a part of him that tells him he should be leader." It was only natural, that Snowfall would feel that he should be leader over Bramble. He was an Alpha, after all, and following the commands of an Omega went against every fiber of his being. Still, it didn't change the order of things, and Snowfall was smart enough to know that.

Eventually, they came upon the pack's main camp. It was a large clearing, with a log cabin on one end, and the gaping mouth of a cave on the other. Most of the pack headed to the cave, but Snowfall bounded up the steps of the cabin and disappeared inside of it. "The cabin is my home, and the home of the upper-ranking wolves," Bramble explained to Reed. "The rest of the wolves sleep in the cave."

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Reed eyed the other wolf at the subtle shift in demeanor after mentioning his brother, deciding not to pry at something that was clearly not the business of a stranger. The Omega was right, no matter how docile Snowfall seemed to be about the situation there was a fine line between knowing what was right and instinct. Specifically when it came to their kind.

Trying his best to offer a toothy smile, Reed tried bringing a bit of positivity to their current conversation. "True, but if you've proven yourself once I have no doubt you'll be able to hold your position." Golden eyes shifted across the clearing, taking in the shapes of the other pack members. "They respect you," he added, nodding his head in their direction. "Even for a newcomer like myself it's obvious."

For a moment, Reed wasn't quite sure what to say. Back where he'd come from, they lived mostly in ice tunnels or caves they'd stolen from bears. The cabin was rather intimidating if he was being honest, never having seen a structure like that except for passing by human lands. After a moment, he'd noticed he'd stopped walking and rubbed the short hair at the back of his neck nervously as he tilted his head and chuckled. "Well that's not what I was expecting," he finally admitted.

[HeIsKing]

Bramble couldn't help but lift his head a bit at Reed's statement, pride surging through him. Yes, he had proven himself, time and time again, to be a worthy leader. There were few wolves in his pack who would hold doubt in him, and if they did, they never spoke of it. Indeed, he'd made himself into the Mountain King, and he'd earned his title.

"Don't get me wrong, we're still wild," Bramble told Reed, pulling at a tangle in his messy hair. "The cabin was here when we got here. It had been abandoned for a long time; most humans can't handle living up here in the mountains. We've had a few come, but once the winter months set in, they go running." He chuckled a bit at that, rolling his eyes when he thought of how weak their human cousins were.

"You get your choice of living in the cabin or in the caves, since you're an Alpha and therefore higher ranking than most of the wolves in the pack." Most of the pack members happened to be either Betas or Omegas, and were all low-ranking, with the exception of their Healer, who was a Beta.

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Reed let his gaze wander between the cabin and the cave, silent while he debated with himself. Part of him wanted to accept the invitation as a higher ranking wolf and take his place in the cabin...but there was still a stronger part of him that felt uneasy at the idea of strange walls around him. When he returned his gaze to Bramble he offered a light smile.

"If it's all the same to you," he started. "I think I'd like to sleep in the cave. At least for now, I don't want to step on any toes or anything. Caves are more my style anyway. The cabin looks warm, I think I'd sweat to death." He let out a chuckle at that, brushing back silver bangs. Plus there wasn't Bramble's brother in the cave, which meant he'd probably be able to sleep without a death glare.

He paused for a moment though, cocking his head at Bramble with a coy glance. "Unless of course, you don't trust me out of your sight..."