Silver Lining

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(Hi, hello, yes I'm alive. I've fallen behind and have been unbelievably busy but I appreciate your patience)

There's a hair-raising cackle that emanates from Rano, his blood-red orbs casting an unbothered glance at the gray and white wolf that comes crashing through the trees.

"The Stray," the alpha greets, despite tilting his head as his attention turns back to Felix, "Want pet, yes? Have. The Untamed reasonable."

The silvernette snarls at the blatant desire in the feral king's eyes, snapping at the wandering paw that tries to taunt Jeongin when the youngest scrambles towards the safety of Chan.

He's still a pup and he smells his alpha, Felix reasons to himself at the bitter realization that Jeongin was willing to abandon him just to save his own skin, I would have done the same thing if I knew I had no chance of surviving...

But Chan doesn't leave at just the return of his pack member; he's still in an attack stance, still growling dauntingly. If Felix knew where the other feral groupees were hiding, he would think that the two of them could actually take Rano in a fight (and he ignores the rapid thumping of his heart from Chan's insistence to stay and defend him).

But he just... worries about the aftermath; he doesn't wish to see any more of the ones he holds dear fall victim to the wild beasts.

"Waited have I." The feral leader's limbs are lengthy, spindly; they move with eeriness as he begins to circle the omega in a hunting manner. "Searched have I since meeting of ours, The Slippery."

Chan's growl rises in volume with a note of possessiveness in his tone; under any other circumstances, Felix would have scoffed at the young alpha trying to stake his claim.

Rano doesn't waver; if anything, that wanton desire in his expression only grows.

"Smelled omega heat in land of The Exodus," a deep hatred and disdain tinges his gravelly voice, crimson orbs darkening, "Thought was you, but only mate of The Wastrel. The Exodus slaughter us with numb face; one left is I."

It feels like a bucket of cold water was dumped upon the silvernette at the feral's confession. Rano sacrificed the fragile peace between the Wolf Gangs of Miroh and his entire pack just for Felix? This turf war is because of Felix?

"War for nothing; no pack for nothing. The Exodus now The Lupin."

The silvernette doesn't know the southward pack very well, just that they have been here the longest (besides the ferals, of course) and are close with the Skz, but it sounds like they are a force to be reckoned with if they managed to wipe out the ferals almost entirely.

He's confused by the amount of name's Rano has seemed to assign to them though (the feral leader only names those that are seen as a threat or worthy of his attention, so to speak. To be coined "The Slippery" by him, while being a low-ranking wolf like an omega no less, means that Felix had left quite the impression... And that Rano won't be letting him go anytime soon).

"The Wastrel" and "The Exodus" makes it sound like they have two alphas in their ranks, which is nearly unheard of. And the fact that The Exodus is now named The Lupin makes Felix wary.

From what he remembers in the stories his mother used to tell him, the title of Lupin translates roughly to "wolf king" in old weregang hierarchy. It was used to address the most feared alpha leader in a region.

So for Rano to be scared... This must have been one brutal turf war...

Felix is practically dragged from his thoughts as the stench of putrid meat assails his nostrils, Rano's face significantly closer than before as he states with accusatory narrowed eyes,