Why The Elven Blade, Huh? Nord Steel Not Good Enough For You?

For @Sindri

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On his return from the moors, Aarkron had a run-in with a lynx who was walking a little too close to Northfall borders. Of course, it wouldn't leave peacefully, and so he came strolling back through Northfall's walls with fresh gashes across his face and shoulders, a few bite marks scattered across his frame - an annoyance really more than anything.

Nothing a few herbs he had collected previously wouldn't help at least. By morning he would most likely feel as good as new, a bit scabby but that was nothing new really.

In his usual routine, the man was growing a bit sloppy with his avoidance of others. The comfort of his path had left him lazy with caution as he focussed only on one thing most evenings like today, and that was to make it back to his den to rest after what felt like a long day.

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The smell of blood rose her to attention, as did it always. It was a scent familiar to her yet could not quite pin it down. The last fight she had was with those of Dragonford and the smell alone had her itching for a war she did not know would ever come to an end. It's been too long. They had many in their ranks yet two pregnant females and five children among them. How many did Vendrussel have at her helm? When Northfall marched upon the islands, how many would risk their lives to save Vendrussel's own?

Snorting, she followed the trail. Rather, came closer toward it from the front. What she was greeted with was the man she had once been tearing into. The traitor of Dragonford. The one of two, now. He had avoided her for long enough. Really, she had been avoiding him too. Sunflower eyes narrowed and legs widened, she stares down the white behemoth. “Has life on 'the other side' been treating you any better?”
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There she was. The one he had been avoiding since his arrival in Northfall. Carefully clocking himself in and out of the pack - some days earlier, some days later for the sake of not being too predictable. Of course, that would end today as he became more predictable in his path, easily found by the already defensive woman judging by her stance and bite in her tone. As before, he was uninterested in battling with her.

Though he understood why she was so gung-ho about attacking him on sight the last time, he was still rather bitter that she would have preferred that than to talk and see what kind of man he was. What kind of followers Vendrussel have and if any knew, and agreed with her ways or beliefs. He was ignorant once, where bliss was found - and it was when the pieces of a larger puzzle fell into place did he then choose a side he was now free to pick.

“No.” He snorted. “It's the same.” He didn't do much in Dragonford just as he didn't do much here other than keep to himself. The only time he ever stuck his nose into the business of others is when he deemed it necessary - not because he was bored and seeking trouble or glory.

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He snorted, his words flat. Her stance remained aggressive and now it acted dominately so as well as her tail changed. Instead of rigid behind her it rose high. Whether he lived her or not, he had decided on his own accord to come here to join their ranks. He knee it would be a challenge but he wouldn't be challenging the Regent of this pack lest he wished to be put in his proper place in this hierarchy.

“Then why are you here, if you do not love your home? If you do not open yourself up to us in order to gain our trust?” She speaks calmly, despite her stance. He had been reclusive, keeping at bay from everyone. The pack could never trust him if they did not know him. “Northfall has no room for those who don't have pride for their pack or loyalty to its members.” He had been here long enough and still had not shown to hold either.
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She was testing him - and he didn't like it. There was no reason for her to act dominantly toward him as he posed no challenge, but now... he felt threatened. Naturally his face was tense, but it grew as he felt the muscles in his jaw tighten. Was she really going to risk losing someone who offered themselves as an ally, just for one incident on the beach - after he himself had gone out of his way to hear both sides and pick what he felt was righteous?

She questioned him, and his eyes narrowed. “Because of you.” He accused. “I offered my services, and knew you would act like this. Why would I open up when I must be guarded?” Once already she had attacked unprovoked, and if it were him, she wouldn't be in a leadership position with such a bloodlust picking fights the way she did even with the history she shared with Vendrussel.

“I have no reason for pride yet, I didn't agree with Vendrussel and offered to do my part to right her wrongs forced onto me. If you don't want me here, I will gladly leave.” And take everything he had brought here with him. Herbs, food he had left in the caches. Take it all with him as it was his if Northfall, if Sindri, was less than thankful. It was her choice really, and would Ragnar appreciate it? They were a pack of mostly pregnant women and children, was it wise to chase off a capable fighter, healer and member who was doing more than his fair share even if it meant he was a little reclusive due to the hatred of one of their higher ups?

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If he was doing more then his fair share, she wasn't seeing it. No one was seeing much of anything with how he had been so distant with everyone. He must have thought her a fool, to think she felt he had only been avoiding her. Sindri had eyes and ears everywhere and there was not a thing that Ragnar was aware of that she was not.

“Because of just me? You avoid making relations with anyone in your entire pack because of me?” A scoff. She had caught him in his bullshit and she wasnt going to let it slide either. “I am happy you are so thoughtful of my opinions but you do not need to be a shadow to all just because I don't trust a thing that comes out of your fucking mouth.” She snarls and she mocks, watching his every move should he be the first to attack this round. Apparently Vendrussel had rubbed off on him, unable to see that he was the one who was wrong. But he could still fix that. She could not.

And unknowingly so, she would quote the exact same words back to him that he had only just yesterday said to Serenity. “Then you shouldn't have joined us if you have no trust in us.” She snorts, spatting on the earth between them as she turned to leave. She would not tell him to stay or to go. If his hatred for Vendrussel was greater then his hatred he had gathered towards her, he would make for a good warrior to their cause. She was no fool to think otherwise but that didn't mean she had to like him either.
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“Yes, I kept to myself because of you. Knowing you would find any reason to hate me still. Better to mind my own business and be hated than stick my nose out and garner more attention.” And this was becoming a bigger pain than he was willing to take. To sit here and listen to her spew on and on when he had given no reason other than being a part of Dragonford once upon a time.

He had kept to himself. Attended to the pregnant. Watched the borders. Gave food to the caches and even built a medicine den - kept his nose clean and paws away from trouble, even assisted in keeping one of the little troublemaking puppies out of harm's way. For what? “Then Ragnar shouldn't have welcomed me.” He spat back with his own growl. It was a two way street after all. Had the trust in him been so low then she should have said something earlier about letting any previous Ford wolves in, and Ragnar should have turned down Aarkron's offer.

“You forget this isn't my war. I could have, and still can, leave and play no part in it.” To which, he desired nothing more than to do just that. “Why put my trust in those who can't fathom trusting me?” It goes both ways after all.

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He agrees. She didn't think he would, but he agrees with her. That his reclusive nature towards everyone in the pack including herself, was all because of her. She wouldn't say it, but she felt a sense of pride, that a man as imposing by sight alone as he was, had been forced to keep in the shadows because he wanted to avoid rubbing her the wrong way further. Little ol Sindri.

“I'm not asking you to.” She finally said, once he was finished. She didn't bother turning around- kept her back and ass to him, but did move her head around her foreleg to give him a look. “You keep saying 'those', 'you all', 'we'. I do not speak for all of Northfall when I say I don't like you or don't trust you- get it straight. If Ragnar invited you here, so be it. But don't let my judgement take it out on the whole pack.”

She shifts then, only half turning. A single paw remains lifted, for she is ready to go before they ended up loosing a member because both she and Aarkon couldnt shut their mouthes. “You do not trust me for attacking you, as a member of an enemy pack and I don't trust you, as you could very well be infiltrating us for all i know. So it seems we're at an impass.”
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I'm not asking you to. “And yet I offered my services.” Risking his own skin and health for a war that he had no interest in being a part of. In righting the wrongs that Vendrussel had done by showing he didn't affiliate with the likes of her. He did more than talk the talk - he walked the walk.

“As regent, a part of the higher rankings, it will affect how I see the others.” Frankly, he didn't think Sindri was any more deserving of being so high up in the rankings as Vendrussel was on her side. Both women were too brash to have such a position of power. To be looming over others. How could he trust she wasn't poisoning his well by whispering venom to their fellow packmates? That they too wouldn't turn on him as he slept simply because of his previous affiliations?

“You forget Vendrussel acted alone. I sought the answers and reasons for this war myself.” He didn't have to, but he did. He could have lived in bliss as a Dragonford member, or walked away from it all and align himself with neither side. “You attacked me, making this personal. So if you want me to be any part of this war on your side, leave me be, or I leave before the North and dragons clash.”

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He was awfully contradicting and awfully paranoid. He had offered his services but why was the question? If he was in so much fear that everyone in the pack hated him and was out to get him, why did he stay? It made Sindri only not trust him more, only made her question further that there had to be some kind of secret motive or maybe he just really hated himself so much that he needed to prove that he could do some kind of 'righting the wrongs' in some kind of manner.

Then, she snorts. “I'd assume that you've faced war before, given your face.” Speaking on behalf of his scarred features which littered his body. “Just because Vendrussel did what she did with her own jaws doesn't mean she will be alone in this. Northfall is at war with Dragonford. I highly doubt those loyal to her would just hand her over to us.” But apparently, he wasn't loyal to her. Excuse Sindri for not assuming he was a traitor. Which apparently he was, given how he also now threatened to leave Northfall if he didnt have shit his way. Pathetic excuse for a pack animal.

“Thinking that getting a few cuts and bruises in a war without us sitting down and talking it out first is a fucking fantasy.” What a pussy. “Take it personal all you want, but it isnt.” She didn't care and didn't care if he stayed, either. It would be a loss, yes, but Aarkon was making it clear he wasn't staying here because he really cared about the pack. He seemed to only care about showing how much worth he was to the pack and how easily he could take it away from them if they didn't appease his needs. Which was flat out horrible, honestly. Sindri had expected him to be a reclusive asshole, but not this. This was just fucking disgusting.

“I'll leave you alone.” She then said lowly, flatly. And she would. She wanted nothing to do with him. He had gone from irritating her, her untrusting him, to him flat out sickening her with how he dangled himself in front of a hurting pack trying to avenge their daughter's death like a piece of prized meat. She felt the rage and disgust growing in her so much she began to shake and bile rose up into her throat and then....

BLECCCKKKK!!!
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In the end, it didn't matter what Sindri thought of him. So long as she left him the hell alone and didn't come to sneak up on him while he slept, or talked other members into attacking him despite the assistance he was offering during their war - he'd still pull his weight even if it meant he wouldn't participate much in their group activities. Trust was a two-way street, and if Sindri demanded he would trust her first - she would have to be willing to do the same.

“You love to assume everything based on appearances.” He spat in return. Despite his face, Aarkron too could assume that he had fought in a war before - but he didn't remember any of it. His first memories were in the oasis with Vendrussel and nothing else. If he was in a war, he was as ill-equipped as anyone and only could rely on muscle memory if his body remembered any of it. “Ragnar is wiser than you, making allies out of enemies will aid you more than spitting venom at those who offer their services.” After all, it was Ragnar he had offered to help, not Sindri. Had it been her who lead Northfall, he would have left both packs to destroy themselves without him.

As she finally relented in leaving him alone and turned to leave, he'd call that a victory. She was a hateful woman who seemed to hold on to any reason to hate Aarkron no matter what he did. Even if he did participate, she would only find it suspicious for other reasons. She'd dig through his actions and make mountains out of molehills. Speaking to her would be nothing more productive than arguing with a boulder. He wouldn't turn his back on the woman to walk away, and instead waited for her to do so first... whos to say she wouldn't strike him with his back turned, after all it was she who approached him negatively both times they had interacted.

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