In Dire Straits

Silence is golden.

Frankly, any silence was golden at this point.

Cancer had spent the better part of his time since arriving in Alteron exploring the landscape. Unfortunately, this meant running in to others that also inhabited the lands...and somehow that meant bumping in to other frequent fliers. Frequent fliers with stutters and a lack of understanding when to shut up. He wasn't exactly sure how he'd kept running in to the same individuals (individual), but somehow whether it was fate, destiny, or his own shit luck; Cancer found himself in a large home with more than enough room to spread out and the same four faces that he'd seen since he first arrived.

Today felt different though. Yes, the world was still damp. Yes, the fog was still thick. Yes, the abundance of thick foliage blocking most of the sunlight made things exceptionally harder for him in accordance to what time of day it was. And yes, he was still somehow extremely lost, but there was something in the air that gave him the hope and strength to carry on.

That something in the air?

Blood.

Yes, it was the strong stench of a fresh kill that had the male blundering through the thick forest with absolute certainty this day. His stomach was aching and his nose was filled with the sickly sweet smell of blood. Was it a pack member? Breakfast? He didn't know, but he was sure as hell going to find out.

The large wolf treaded softly through the underbrush (he was learning now how to soften his foot falls against dead leaves and twigs) eyes darting this way and that as he hoped to find the source of the delightfully delectable smells of a meal. It didn't take him long to find the source either.

A few yards from his vantage point stood another member of Alteron with a fresh kill. Well, he assumed they were from Alteron at any rate. He paused as he caught wind of the scent of her and the kill mixing. His stomach gurgled louder and he felt himself stifling a growl as he watched her tear in to the tender part of the deers belly. It took Cancer every ounce of himself to not stand there with drool hanging from his lips. Slowly, he proceeded forward.

"Howdy there, err, neighbor," he called out once he was close enough. Green eyes shot from the backside of this wolf to the carcass and then back to her. His ears perked, chest puffed out a little (there was no one of any real significant rank around right?) as he stopped a few feet from her and sat on his rump. Cancer did his best to deduce whether this one was a stutter hound or if they were as devious as him. Well, only one way to find out!

"See you found yourself a nice catch. Take it down by yourself?"

Well, so much for silent solitude.

Looking up from her fallen prey, the deer's neck still clenched between her teeth, Althea caught sight of Cancer. Really, he wasn't hard to miss considering his size and crimson pelt. He stood out rather blatantly, almost like dried blood on leaves. She studied him for a moment, face holding the usual deadpan expression that she typically wore. And still holding the deer tight in her jaws. He looked hungry and was also much larger, but he smelled of Alteron. Must be a packmate, she figured, relaxing just the slightest but still clinging to her kill.

As she continued to stare at him, she took note of the body language and sheer confidence that the other was exuding. He seemed like the cocky sort, completely full of himself and believing he had a right to everything above everyone else. Especially when he sat down as if he owned the land he walked upon. She nearly rolled her eyes at him, but simply yanked the deer's carcass away from him instead. The kill was hers, not his. Regardless of if they were members of the same pack or not, she wasn't about to back down so easily.

He was big and strong, why couldn't he take down his own deer? Sure, she had scared off the rest of the herd, but there were probably some stragglers that would be easy to pick off. If someone as small and lightweight as she could do it, surely he could as well. Or was he simply inept? Or lazy. Lazy seemed like the most plausible answer if Thea were honest. Cocky and lazy. Traits that never went together well enough to make a likable individual.

Releasing the deer's neck from her grip, Althea bared her sharp, bloody teeth at Cancer. "Go away," she mouthed, clicking her teeth for extra emphasis. She didn't want to be bothered by someone she didn't know, least of all someone who seemed like the cockiest person to walk the earth. Once again grabbing the deer by its broken neck, she yanked it yet another few feet away from him, never once letting her narrowed gaze leave him.

Speech:#ffcc33

He watched her bare her teeth at him and for a second, Cancer found himself backing up just an inch. Yet what came next had the male both puzzled and amused. She was moving her mouth and clicking her teeth but no vocal sound came out of her. He blinked, his ears perking up as a shocked and amused look took hold of him.

'Holy shit,'he thought to himself as he stared at her, 'she's mute. She can't talk.'

A slow, crooked smile found itself replacing his amused look; green eyes narrowing as he took a step forward and offering her a wide, toothy grin.

"What's the matter, clicker? Can't talk?"

It was as if the holy grail had opened up to him and given him a gift. The red brute's tail whipped behind him excitedly as he advanced some more, his mouth salivating as he turned his gaze from her to the deer.

"Well, seems like you're doing pretty well for yourself there, Clicker. That is your name, right? Or, do you not have a name? Say yes if you have a name, or no if you don't." His smile widened.

He turned from the carcass back to her and shot her a devilish grin. Oh, what luck. The thing about Alteron for him thus far was his need to show that he was 'capable' of being a community man; that he held whatever beliefs the pack held and was a 'team player'. But alone, here in the wilderness with someone who couldn't talk, or even scream, well...that brought about a whole new onslaught of possibilities.

Cancer reclined though, falling to his rump and watching her. He didn't make a move for the deer, but his gaze remained fixed on Althea, the smile never leaving his face.

"How's a funny little thing like you end up here in the big, bad world, hmm?" He gave a chuckle as he shook his head in disbelief. How, he wondered, could he have been so lucky.

She took a note of pride when Cancer backed up, just a bit, if only for a moment. She was nearly half his size and she still managed to get him to back up. Perhaps he wasn't so cocky or confident, especially if she of all people could get him to back up. Although, that didn't seem quite so likely as him simply being surprised. Regardless, she was still happy with herself. Still cocky now, asshole? she thought snidely, not letting her vindication grace her features. However, such feelings of pride and gratification slipped from her mind at a moment's notice when she saw the glint of amusement in his features. Yikes. She probably made a bad decision at some point, hadn't she? Goddammit.

A crooked smile was her first warning, one she took to heart. She immediately latched back onto her deer in a moment of slight fear, attributing it to her paranoia. She wasn't scared of him! He was just some dumbass who thought he deserved everything. Then he took a step forward, his shadow coming over closer toward her and the deer's carcass. Not today, mister. Another firm yank, the deer following her as she backed up again. If need be, she was willing to ditch the deer. She could easily hunt another if needed, surely, but it would be a hassle to track down the herd and get close enough yet again. Amidst her thoughts, she heard him speak.

Clicker. Did he just call me CLICKER?

For a moment, her anger didn't show. And it didn't. But beyond her lavender gaze, she was fuming. Who the hell did he think he was? What kind of shitty nickname was that? How dare he insult her? Various methods of murder flickered through her mind, but she still held fast to her deer. It was the only thing keeping her from going for his neck. It wouldn't be good for her reputation if she killed another packmate after being here for only a few days. Not to mention how much larger than he was and how easily he could probably take her in a fight. She wasn't trained in any way, having only known hunting for much of her life despite her temper. She had only spilled the blood of her peers on a few occasions.

But as he took some steps forward, she thought about it in earnest. She yanked her deer back yet again, careful of the soft ground on which she stood. If she wasn't keen, she could easily slip. Such a mistake was one she couldn't very exactly afford.

The idiot just kept on talking. He just loved the sound of his own voice, didn't he? Frankly, she found it grating. Each word that came out of that big fucking mouth was another step towards a break in her control, another tick for the time bomb. Althea. Althea. My name is ALTHEA. Not fucking Clicker or any other name you might "give" me. If she could, she would scream it from every mountain's peak in the damn world, spitting in the face of fate with each syllable. His mocking was tiring and annoying, not quite the sort of conversation that she could tolerate, at the moment. He didn't even look at her when he spoke to her!

He sat down, but that did nothing to soothe her nerves. She hadn't noticed, but her muscles were tensed and her fur stood on edge. If she didn't reign herself in, she could snap at any moment. Regardless of his sudden cease in advancements toward her deer, she yanked it with her again, giving herself a good distance between them. She could outrun him, surely. Longer legs or not, she had lived her life with running in her blood. Yes, yes; she could outrun him, but only if there was a good distance between them. She didn't want his jaws snapping toward her tail of paws.

He spoke, yet again, something she had come to despise. Funny little thing he called her. Oh, she was little. She would acknowledge this. She was coming to be familiar with the differences between her and the wolves that inhabited these expansive lands. But how funny it would be when she sank her teeth into his throat? An unlikely thing, but certainly tempting. She hated how he laughed and shook his head, almost dismissive about her existence. She almost hated it enough to break her hold on the deer's neck and snarl at him. But she didn't. Rather, she tightened her grip on it, the deer's neck cracking for the second time.

He couldn't help but laugh.

If there was one flaw to Cancer's entire persona; pride would be one of his greatest downfalls. Followed swiftly by lust, greed, envy, and wrath.

Yet his laughter subsided as the noise of a cracking bone wafted in to his ears. Bright green eyes which had only moments ago been hidden behind closed lids were now staring down at Althea; that bright smile brimming once more from ear to ear. Honestly? She was kind of cute in that spunky way. He had no need for her, but he could admire the adorable nature in her trying to appear bigger than she was.

It must have been simply draining for one such as her to act like she was something other than puny.

The fringe dire rose to his feet once more, letting out another soft chuckle as he watched her clutch on to her dinner with her life. Was she terrified? Worried? Cancer couldn't help but contemplate through the thoughts that must have been running through her mind at this point. Clearly she'd made no mention of being able to talk save for some clicks and the boy mused her to be a mute. Cancer couldn't have gotten any luckier if he'd tried.

"You must be new here, Clicker," he growled with a sort of euphoric pleasantry just at the mere thought of them being one in the same, "Don't worry. I'm not going to eat your dinner."

It probably didn't sound like much of a consolation prize for Althea, and the fact that Cancer found himself having to announce it made it sound all the more ridiculous.

Yet as he watched her, he couldn't help but notice something that separated her from the others he had met so far. Was he interested? It was too hard to say.

"But...you look smart. Smarter than the other fucks around here," he mused, eyes narrowing. Cancer paused for a moment as he looked her up and down. Hmm. She had potential if nothing else. And one other plus side was he inability to talk. He doubted very much anyone would ever take her seriously. She probably fell in that line of stuttering fucks who couldn't get a word in edgewise. Sure, she could come off as being dominant, but Cancer was sure at the end of the day with her...disability...she'd be lumped in to the rest of the pack that were incapable of taking care of themselves.

The crooked smile on Cancer only grew as thoughts began pouring in to his head.

"So, Clicker," he began, body stretching as he laid down and looked at her, "tell me something. Why are you here in the middle of a sea of stuttering chickens that have half a brain and no sense about them? Hmm?"

When he stood, Althea flinched away on instinct. His grin made her tense even more, setting a paw on the deer's carcass and yanking it back once again. This is wrong and I should run, she told herself, looking up at those green eyes. While it would scathe her pride to ever admit it, she was worried. If the situation came down to it, she could never hold a fight against him. Still, her anger raged on, demanding blood as atonement for his mockery. Her concern argued back, quelling it enough for her to think past the red blotting out her vision and instead focus on manners of escape if it were to come down to it.

When he spoke, Althea's thoughts paused. She couldn't let him have that kind of effect, where everything came to a halt just so she could hear what words he spoke. She couldn't let him have any sort of hold on her, such thoughts only leading toward bolstering his ego. No, she couldn't let him know that he had a vice on her thoughts, each one leading back to him in some way, shape, or form. How to escape him, how to placate him (other than giving up her deer), how to ignore him. She was smart, yes, smart enough to realize what cards she had and which ones she shouldn't show; this was one of them.

He told her he would not eat her dinner and yet, Althea was not calmed. Rather, one could say that, with his statement, she was farther from calm. Wolves do not prey on wolves and yet he looks at me as if I am a helpless lamb. Sure, he did not mean to eat the deer that she so desperately clung to, but such a statement didn't mean she was off the table. It wasn't as if she would put something as barbaric and gruesome past this fellow considering how... awful he was from the get-go. Oh, she remembered being told not to judge a book by its cover, but something (many somethings, actually) made her consider such an outcome.

And then he was speaking again, cutting off her thoughts of potential cannibalism. "But...you look-" please don't say appetizing "-smart. Smarter than the other fucks around here." Well, that she wasn't so sure of. Some of them, yes, but not all. She had always been sharp, taking each challenge the world had sent at her with stride, the occasional stumble in her step being exempt. But sharp enough to keep up with some of Alteron's minds? Not quite, no. But she was not the dullest knife in the drawer. Yes, she was smart. Smart enough to take note of the gears she could practically see turning in Cancer's mind, smart enough to realize that what become of his thoughts would not necessarily be good.

And his smile only grew. Nope, definitely not good.

"Why are you here in the middle of a sea of stuttering chickens that have half a brain and no sense about them? Hmm?" Hell if she knew. Well, she did know. She needed a place to stay for the winter, where food was not hard to find and company was not hard to keep. Gazing up at Cancer, Althea decided that perhaps it would be best if she tried her luck with the biting cold instead.

Silence only grew and the void of communication left Cancer's heart feeling full and excited.

He watched her expressions as she seemed to tamper with the ideas of leaving, fighting, and doing whatever came as necessity for her survival. It was a spunk that Cancer found intriguing. How far would she be willing to go?

"You know," he began after a long pause, the fringe stretching and laying down with his head lifted to look at her; gaze never breaking from her line of sight, "this place is interesting. I'm sure you've seen it here too." He hummed a bit as he smiled up at her. "They're idiots. The lot of them. I'm sure if you could speak you'd be agreeing with me." Cancer gave a chuckle as he finally allowed for his gaze to separate from her as he shook his head.

"I just don't get them. They're idiots. They allow useless fucks in to this land and then baby them in the hopes of fostering what-- a safe space?" The brute snorted loudly as he gave a full guffaw of a laugh. "I wish you could talk, Clicker. It would uh...be interesting, to hear your thoughts on this place."

Green eyes flashed back up to look Althea in the face; toothy grin still plastered across his features. His tone shifted from light and heart to a more calm, serious matter of fact.

"But for real," he began, shifting in to a more comfortable position, "this place is a dump. You're smart enough to see it. You're probably only here just to get out of the elements til spring. Smart move, really. Food's plentiful here, the lot of the pack are incapable of caring for themselves...Honestly there's nothing worth anyone with a brain's time." Cancer's smile dipped in to a disapproving shake of his head.

"What a shame."

When he laid down, far more relaxed than Thea was, she narrowed her violet eyes. He was too relaxed, too cheerful, and far too fond of prolonged eye contact. Huffing quietly, she released the doe's neck from her jaws and licking the blood from her pointed teeth, idly listening to Cancer speak. She was still far from relaxed, certainly, but she allowed her muscles to loosen just a bit. Even if things turned sour, she could easily escape before he could even get to his paws. Or perhaps she was just rationalizing like the fool she was.

She looked at him with a slightly tilted head and deadpan expression at his comment about her sharing similar opinions about Alteron with him. She'd hardly been here long enough to have a proper opinion on those that gathered here and if she did, she would certainly be one to talk (or, rather, think). Finally, he broke eye contact and in that break she sat down, putting one paw on her doe before sinking her ivory fangs into its shoulder, tearing the flesh away with ease, all while keeping her lavender gaze on Cancer.

She listened to his little rant, all the while taking chunks out of her meal. She kept herself busy with the doe, trying to keep herself from scoffing at his comment of "useless fucks." Amusing considering that he talked to someone like her about this. She was practically useless herself. In a way, she was almost thankful that she was so easily allowed onto their lands and into the pack. She could hardly show her usefulness (and there wasn't much of that aside from hunting, if you asked her) but she was so quickly accepted into their ranks.

Ignoring his laughter at the thought of Alteron being a safe space, ears twitching at the noise, she licked the blood from her lips. Looking up, she met his green gaze as he spoke of her intentions in the pack. Huh, he hit the nail on the mark for once. Shrugging and giving the slightest semblance of a nod in affirmation of his theory, the honey gold wolf returned the majority of her attention to her gnawing at the tendons holding the leg to the doe's body.

Her teeth cut through the flesh with ease. It was to be expected considering that they were meant to pierce hides far tougher than the flesh of a simple white-tailed doe, the product of years of natural selection. When just a few strips of flesh were left, she stood up and once again placed her paw on the doe's body. Reaching forward, she took the foreleg in her teeth and yanked it from the body, hurling it in Cancer's direction before she would, again, sit down and continue eating. The leg would be a peace offering if Cancer took it to be one, or, in Althea's case, a reason for him to fucking leave her alone already.

Speech:#ffcc33

The silence continued and yet, and yet, it seemed as if Cancer was possibly getting somewhere. He watched as Althea took hold of her meal and began to slowly chew; defensively chew? before ripping off a leg and hurling it at him. The boy jumped and moved back just in time, but it was near enough to his head that had his reflexes not readied him, he would have surely been hit by it. Instinct kicked in as his fur bristled and teeth bore, but he settled himself as he looked down to the meat and then back to her. His facade retreated as he took the leg as a peace offering; as if she were welcoming him in to her home and in to her inner circle. The large fringe smiled and pulled the leg back, ripping a piece of flesh off and eating it. It seemed he had made the right choice after all in her.

"I could become Alpha if I wanted to," he growled after a moment, smirking as he tore in to another section of leg, "and it wouldn't be difficult. This place is crawling with enough idiots that all you would need to do is whisper little doubts in to their brain. Make them think differently." Green eyes shot up to hold Althea's gaze as he chewed slowly.

"Make them see how this pack really is. A handicap for them. They can't excel at anything if they're constantly being pampered by their lackluster leaders." Cancer stretched out a bit as he settled in once more, gaze leaving Althea and returning back to his meal. "You understand, I'm sure. Wanting to prove your worth but being unable to because of your..." he paused, thinking for a moment, "...condition."

Yet the red male found himself sitting up and pushing away the leg for a moment as if to discuss proper business. He gave a snort and looked up to the damp treetops and the heavy rainforest atmosphere that surrounded them. It made him sick to his stomach.

"It's not fair. Not really. You're probably more qualified than any of the others here." He snorted, shaking his head.

"But they'll never give you that chance because you can't speak. And you can't prove yourself if you don't have a voice to show you're capable. That's okay though," Cancer hummed, flashing her a small smile, "because I can see it in you."

Throwing the leg at him didn't work. That was... unfortunate. Unfortunate indeed because he remained in her vicinity. But at least it had been entertaining to watch the leg fly at him and watch him just narrowly avoid it. She commended herself for her aim, even as she held up a paw to her bloody maw to hide her silent, mocking snickers. When he picked up the leg, he smiled at her and she almost frowned. Instead, she merely bowed her head to the meat and once again sank her teeth into the doe's flesh before it began to grow cold.

When he stated, so blatantly, that he could be alpha, she ducked her head down and took a huge chunk of meat in her teeth to keep from bursting into silent laughter. How amusing it would be to witness him fail. Surely, a fall from that ego would kill him, she thought, gazing at him curiously as he continued to speak of his potential plans. He was not a complete fool, she supposed, but damn close. He was underestimating the citizens of Alteron, she was sure. Though she had only witnessed a sliver of their people and culture, she could tell that some carefully placed words and whispered doubts could not so easily sway their loyalty to the Triumvirate.

She was far less tense than she was, more amused and dismissive. He was off his rocks if he thought he could so easily sow seeds of disloyalty amongst Alteron's fields. Had he even met all three of the leaders? Surely, then, he would rethink. She would if she were him at least. Although, having witnessed the sheer enormity of his damn ego, she wouldn't be surprised if he brushed off all three members of the Major Arcana with little thought, too preoccupied with his quest for power. A fool. A complete, utter fool. She let out a harsh exhale of air in a scoff at the thought.

"You understand, I'm sure. Wanting to prove your worth but being unable to because of your... condition."

At that, she paused and scowled at him with narrowed violet eyes. I do not need a voice to show that I am worthy to stand amongst Alteron's ranks. You really are a fool to think that, she thought, clenching her teeth enough that her jaw ached. She was worthy, voice or not. She didn't need one to prove that.

She watched him stand with her eyes still narrowed, her lips still turned in a scowl. How easy it would be to slip to her feet and rise up to sink her blood-stained teeth into his throat. But foolish. And she was no fool, she had made her mistakes and she refused to make them twice. She was not skilled nor large enough to fight Cancer, let alone prove her point. She would let the doe at her paws prove her point, of her capabilities. She could not fight, no, but she was gifted in the hunt. Even with a pelt that shown like spun gold in the right light, she could hide amongst any grass. She was sure she could take down plenty prey with little assistance if it was not too large. How unfortunate that Cancer was far larger than she.

He spoke of fairness and it was at that she silently laughed, mouth parted slightly. When her harsh amusement faded, she turned her gaze away to look toward a horizon she could not see fore it was blocked by trees. Nothing is fair. If life were fair I would still have a voice, if life were fair I would be but a pile of bones with my marrow sucked dry. She looked back at him after taking another bite from her prize, her paw once again possessively poised upon the doe's shoulder. She frowned. Althea did not care for what Cancer "saw in her," not when she would damn herself if she didn't prove his assumptions about her voice (or, rather, lack thereof) being her downfall.