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Flick. Flick.

Prismatic blue and purple eyes watched from beneath half-closed lids as the Lieutenant practiced, the girl's hands absentmindedly shaving slivers of wood from a stick with her favorite knife. She did this so often that she barely needed to even look down anymore, freeing her mind and eyes to focus on her other practiced activity - people watching. Kael watched from afar so that her contrasting features, her trademark, would not distract the new officer. Though from that distance she probably looked bald.

The Apprentice lay against the belly of her wolf...and though they were obviously quite different, their aesthetic contradictions made them similar. Kael's white hair lay against the white belly of her wolf, hence why she might appear bald. The only parts of the wolf that were white, though, were that belly, his paws, the tip of his tail, and a bit of his face. The rest of him was a dark, rusty-red. Similarly, Kael's white hair was only a portion of her, and contrasted sharply with her sun-darkened skin. Besides a similar thought pattern, that's where the similarities ended. Unique to the rider was her eyes, shards of blue against a purple base (or vise versa...she really couldn't tell), and the line of scars covering her right arm. They were partially hidden by a piece of cloth wrapped around the skin near her wrist and covering her hand. It was held on by a piece of red-hued leather. That area was the most gnarled, and it was better if it stay hidden.

Flick. Fli-

Her perfectly smooth creation was marred by a notch in the wood, the crack of a rifle's fire causing her hand to move too quickly. Well shoot, there went all her hard work. Only mildly annoyed, she set the knife and stick down beside her, and stretched backwards. A rumble echoed in the throat of her companion and even across their mental link, and she smiled.

You should go practice.

His voice was rough and low, a comforting sort of sound. It was much clearer, more personal, then the voices of other wolves. Kael was a Seer - another anomaly to add to her collection - and could therefore listen to the thoughts of wolves other than her own. It was useful. Or would be, once she could actually use the ability well enough to be useful....she should probably go do a bit of target practice. Honestly, she much preferred the training involving wolf and rider to the type involving rider and rifle, but both were necessary. If rifles weren't so essential to their task, she wouldn't bother with them at all.

I know, and I will. But mother nature bids me rest right now, and who am I to argue?

The wolf chuckled, and then went silent. Her eyes narrowed a little as she watched the Lieutenant, studying her movements. If Kael was the jealous type, she certainly would be - ambition was nearly wasted on her due to an annoying gender difference, the title of anything higher than Private clearly out of her reach....but that was ok. Fate delt everyone a hand on purpose, and she would be respected regardless. The Apprentice was diplomatic and helpful, good at what she did and good at assisting others if they hadn't a clue. Ambition would not allow her to be anything else than the absolute best, so that's exactly what she would aim for.

You have a long way to go.

I know...and so do you. Your footwork is at a less-than-desirable level.

I have big feet. And four of them.

She smiled, then picked up the stick again. Maybe that notch could be worked out....

Flick. Flick.

You should go over there.

You're doing quite a bit of 'you should do this' and 'you should do that' today. Stop ordering me around. The only reason you want to go over there is because you think you're hot stuff.

The feigned annoyance was answered with a snort. I am hot stuff, thank you very much. All the ladies want a piece of my dark fur. They like the bad-boys.

Kael burst out into laughter - very loud, very obnoxious laughter - and nearly fell over. Bad boy! Right. Dearheart, the worst you've ever done is trick another pup into letting you "borrow" his treat.

Exactly! Danger, intrigue.....petty thievery....it has to be a felony somewhere.

Kael chuckled softly and shook her head, standing to her feet after a little stretch. Ember copied her - that wolf certainly did have a sense of humor and a wit that she lacked, for the most part. But she could go over there and at least say hello, and find out whether or not this 'Lieutenant Riya' was a friendly soul. Perhaps, being of a higher rank, she could pass on some knowledge or wisdom of some sort....or perhaps she would simply scoff at the odd girl. It had happened before. Funny how pompous those in authority could be.

I'll go over there, but only if you promise not to make a total butt of yourself. Don't flirt, please.

Flirt? I don't have to. My natural charm does all the work for me, he answered, tossing his head and arching his neck. Pfft. Whatever.

Kael motioned with her head for him to follow as she started walking in the Lieutenant's direction.

I'm dead sexy.

Oh hush! Kael responded, earning another chuckle from the wolf. He really wasn't as egotistical as he pretended - he just liked to have fun, and having fun usually came in the form of joking about just how sexy he was to Kael. She had fun with it too, but sometimes he needed to be a bit more serious about things. That wolf had to be the most laid-back, most easily entertained creature she had ever seen...hardly the persona for a leader. Yet, he acted the part when he needed to. She often wondered if it was just an act or not. Knowing how he liked to have fun, it was probably just a game for him.

Not that it mattered. Right now, he was a diplomatic goofball.

Greetings, Lady Stardust. You are looking lovely today. he said smoothly, bowing lightly and keeping his head low - only proper procedure for a lower wolf speaking with an Alpha. How are you feeling?

Oh come ON... Kael laughed inwardly, nearly shaking her head at Ember's attempt at being a ladies' man. The Apprentice continued to approach the pair as Riya spoke to her and Ember, smiling a little. She concentrated for a moment on attempting to hear Stardust's response to Ember, hoping that this time it would work. It only worked about 5% of the time, but she had not known about this ability for very long, and it progressed slowly. The mental exercise was difficult. In the meantime...

Kael saluted - again, basic procedure - and then responded. "Indeed...apologies for interrupting your practice, Lieutenant. Ember wanted to come over here, and I figured it wouldn't hurt to perhaps learn some better marksmanship by closer observation," the girl stated.

"Ember says thank you, by the way." she added, hearing a rumble of approval come from her mental link with the wolf. "And hello, Stardust. I hope you are fairing well."

He was sincere....trying a little too hard, but sincere nonetheless.

Aha, you have caught the mistake in my words. You are always a refreshing sight. he replied with a chuckle, lifting his head once his submission was acknowledged. I think it's a superb day for a nice sun-bath. I just got done taking one, actually. Feelin' in the mood for a little run. He ended the statement with a little dance, of sorts, hopping very lightly from one foot to the next. Silly little adolescent male.

He flicked his eyes to the rifle, and then to Kael very quickly....before deciding that it was ok. It was a very quick change of mood, from lighthearted to serious and then back again, but...he did it every time. With his companion's arm the way it was, he was always wary.

Kael caught most of Stardust's reply - the gist of it, anyway. She was immediately proud of herself, but also immediately fatigued by the effort. The Apprentice was thankful that the wolf then decided to convey a message directly to her, to which she replied with a smile and a nod. "Good point," she stated as she grasped the rifle with the unmarred arm. It had been a while since she had done any rifle training...and it would probably show. That's ok - Kael had no qualms about doing poorly at something she barely cared to master.

The girl lifted the rifle to her left shoulder, using the right arm to steady it instead of take the brunt of the recoil's impact. She could probably shoot with either arm, but...she much preferred the left, due to the fact that the other one always caused some strain. Kael leveled her eyes and settled it into the shoulder, pausing to aim...and then firing. The shot rang in her ears and scattered her concentration, but she was able to see that it was no where near the perfect center that the Lieutenant hit - about a little less than half-way between the middle and outer ring. However, it was still on the board, and within the rings. That much she was thankful for.

Kael thought about taking another shot...but stopped, looking over at Riya. "Try again, or do you have a suggestion?"

Skye rode silently on Starsingers back, she was approaching the White Shadow fort at a good pace and had been making relatively good time. Damien Had decided to send her over here to see how everything was going, not exactly a mission, more to keep comunication between the forts current and updated. Skye had been asigned tasks like this often as of late, things that kept her moving and busy but really anyone could do. She suspected that Damien just wanted to keep her busy, and secretly apreciated it. After all being alone only bred ill thoughts...Skye shook her head, she wouldnt go into that now. A rustling to her left and a chance glimpse at a shadowy form brought the other reason she had been running comunications duty. Bigpaw always hung around her like a ghost, he unerved some of the younger recruits who werent used to him...or those who had been used to his former self.

Skye knew he was always around, but for some reason mostly hidden, he didnt seem to want to come out or be a normal wolf, he was just like a ghost. Sometimes she wondered if he had died out there and what came back was just his spirit...his really big and fuzzy spirit...

"I can hear him"

Starsingers voice came into Skyes thoughts slowly

"Yeah he is always out there, its nice sometimes"

Skye sometimes felt comforted by the large wolfs pressence

"If you say so, he can be about as fun as horseflies in the summer as far as I know"

Starsinger joked, trying to lighten the mood, he loved his brother dearly but seriously his brother was so strange sometimes!

Skye was about to answer but thats when she spotted the alpha wolf...what was her name...Stardust! Starsinger spotted her a short time later and they made a beeline straight for her...and a new recruit...no wait she had a wolf, then an aprentice. The wolf and rider were careful in their approach, they saw the rifle training and getting shot was the last thing any of them needed. Skye looked uneasily around, searching for Bigpaw, he was the only suicidal wolf she knew, he had good reason but still she had to worry about him. As usual he was ghosting around, not really in the way but making his presence known. Skye relaxed and continued her approach, she noticed that the Alphas rider....Riya was her name, was giving a rifle lesson, so she didnt interupt. Skye dismounted and waited to be addressed, like a good soldier.

Starsinger noticed the Alpha and another male, a young male were seemingly in a playfull mood today. He chuckled to himself and looked to the youngins. The Alpha was ranked much higher than he was but he was a bit older than her so to him they were still young. He would never disrespect her, she wasnt his Alpha but she was an Alpha and so he prepared to show his submission. But for the moment he was content watching the two wolves watch the humans.

Bigpaw lingered just beyond the practice grounds. He knew they could scent him, maybe even see him, but he didnt care. He paced around the edges like a ghost, nose to the ground, pattern eratic. He wouldnt approach the wolves, no they had their presious humans with them. Well he wouldnt let them flaunt their happiness in front of him. He would stay where he was and keep scenting. It was an old habit, he always liked to know the scent of everything. As he paced he might have been mistaken for anyones wolf, just sniffing around looking for a digging spot. Though to those who were far away he might look closer than he really was. He was larger than the average wolf, and even in his adult years he had never outgrown his big paws and overly bushy tail. He chanced one glance at the wolves who seemed a little apart from the humans, and accidentaly saw their happy faces. He snarled, and went back to his sniffing and pacing.

Four years in the Patrol had acquainted Riya with nearly every officer and their wolf, and as a future leader, she was also familiar with the higher ranks of New Eve. That and Damien had a penchant for visiting far too often, bringing news of everything that went on in his Patrol, important or not.

Noting that the rider - Sergeant Skye if she recalled properly - was waiting on them, Riya kept her attention on Kael, who was preparing to take a second shot. Admirable that the Apprentice was not easily distracted, and Riya added that to the growing list of reasons not to dislike the young woman. Petty as she may be, especially about Seers, Riya kept such opinions to herself and understood when someone was truly dependable and trustworthy. In this case, Kael was proving to be one such a person, much to her disappointment. It was much easier to dislike someone when there was a real reason for doing so.

But at the moment, Riya could only compliment Kael. She'd never bothered to interact with any Apprentices in the past, but she could see why her wolf thought so highly of this one. Riya smiled and nodded approvingly at both the young woman's concentration and improvement. "Much better."

Very good, Stardust added, quite pleased by Kael's ability to listen and execute. Many Apprentices were incapable of doing so, which irritated her to no end.

Finally glancing towards the waiting Wolfrider pair, whom she had noticed the moment they set foot into the Fort, Stardust looked down at Starsinger almost expectantly. Her ear twitched in the direction of a quiet snarl by the Stray beyond the field, but that was the extent of her interest. It was neither her duty, nor her place, to say anything about a wolf who had lost his human. A devastating loss, she could only imagine, that was suffered by many in her pack as well. All she could do was offer them the support of a pack so they would not feel completely lost and alone. That was the duty of an Alpha.

Now turning to face the dismounted officer, Riya greeted Skye with a polite tilt of the head. She recalled seeing the Sergeant a couple of times, usually sent by Damien to deliver a message or the like, even if he visited their Patrol more often than she did. Riya had a suspicion that he just liked making lower ranks do unnecessary work. "Sergeant Skye, what brings you here today?"

Kael smiled ever so slightly, nodding a little at the compliments. "Thank you, Lieutenant..and you too, Stardust. I shall have to continue practicing...though perhaps not right now."

The statement introduced the move of her attention from the rifle to the new pair. They were visitors from the other Fort, it seemed, come to relay some sort of message. She remained silent as Riya spoke and the other answered, studying the visiting Sergeant and her wolf with a somewhat blank expression. Blank, disinterested...neither of those were true interpretations of what she was thinking. Honestly, though, that's exactly what it looked like. Behind that expression her mind whirred away.

Sergeant Skye and Starsinger of the New Eve Fort. Huh. She had not heard too much about them but the names weren't entirely unfamiliar. Kael studied her face and posture of the human first before moving on to Starsinger, briefly reaching out with her mind t'wards the wolf..and getting nothing. An unsurprising conclusion. Had the Lieutenant not been standing right there the Apprentice probably would have then voiced how redundant the relaying of that message was, and inquired as to the workload of the soldiers in a fort that obviously had so little to actually do. Sadly that was neither prudent nor acceptable in the presence of two higher ranking officers, so...she simply watched, and listened. The redundancy of the message was probably a good sign anyway - if they were really that bored, then all must be going well.

Either that, or someone really needed to get fired.

Hmmm. Skye just twitched. Odd.

Now now, let us not pass judgement on those we have never met. Besides, we have three visitors. What would a bystander think?

Of course not, I would never seriously do such a thing unless it was merited. Three visitors?

Do you not sense him, hiding afar off?

Kael's attention again shifted a minute amount to look beyond the individual she was originally studying in order to view another in the distance. Sure enough, there along the edge of her decent vision was a form nearly dancing back in forth in a controlled agitation. Her prismatic eyes narrowed, expression taking on a subtly more troubled look. A Stray...oh, how she hated to see them. Especially in the winter-time, like now, when the season reflected what those creatures had to feel inside. If that ever happened-

It won't. Ember answered sharply, his playful tone replaced by a finality that echoed through his deep voice. He absolutely refused to let such thoughts ever be entertained.

As long as either of us have a say in it, you're absolutely right she responded soothingly, not wanting to ruin his good mood. Almost immediately she felt him return to 'normal' and relaxed herself. Once again, time to return to the matter at hand.

Greetings, comrade! Ember conveyed to Starsinger, bowing his head only slightly in the acknowledging of yet another higher ranking being. Would you like to go for a run with Stardust and I?...that is, if she is still willing to do so? the male inquired with a twist of the head t'wards Stardust. If she had changed her mind, maybe some rustic charm could change it again...