Pine

[ Arrogant ]

Wicker felt the eyes on the scruff of his neck long before he could see them. Whoever had been following him through the forest hadn't been subtle--the lack of birdsong, the crunch of twigs, a stray breeze carrying an unfamiliar scent all betrayed the visitor's presence. Wicker pretended not to notice for a while. He expected that they would make themselves known soon enough--yet, as the sun sank in the sky, annoyance scratched at the back of his mind. Was this wolf just going to follow him all day?

"Do I have a secret admirer?" He asked the open air. No response. "Nothing to say? Perhaps I should drag you out of those bushes and teach you some manners." That got his stalker's attention. A shadow crawled forwards from the bushes. Their head was dipped low, but their eyes flashed in defiance.

"You're the alpha, right? From the mountain pack?" The adolescent's voice betrayed his age. 

"King," Wicker corrected.

"Oh.." The young wolf edged further from the shadows and straightened up, sucking in a long breath. "King. Let me join your pack." 

Wicker regarded the wolf. He tried his best to seem confident, head now held high and chest puffed out. Determination gleamed in his eyes, yet his gaze faltered when Wicker met it. The adolescent's pelt was ragged as if he had been wandering for days with hardly a decent meal. "What's your name?" Wicker eventually asked.

"Uh. Pine."

"Pine, walk with me."

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Pine could barely sleep that night. It had been months since he had first met Wicker in the woods--so many months, in fact, that Pine was hardly an adolescent anymore. He had grown to be one of the larger wolves of the pack, and with the rising sun, he would be welcomed as a fully-fledged Scout. 

Scout. The word rang in his ears. It would be a good life, one dedicated to exploration and discovery. Every day something new to see. Yet, something about it left a hollowness in his chest like a meal that didn't quite satisfy. Don't be ungrateful, he told himself for the hundredth time. You should be happy to have any role at all. While Pine had grown to a healthy weight again with Serpent's Keep pack, he easily remembered the hunger he felt when he was on his own. 

But why had he struck out on his own like that? Why had he decided to leave his own pack and risk starvation? To become a mere scout, one of the lowest ranking members within Serpent's Keep? He was tired of being treated like a pup who needed to be taken care of. He wanted to be the protector for once in his life, not the protected. Otherwise, he might as well stay in the pup's den with Clover forever.

He was already on his feet and heading out of the pup's den by the time he decided to talk to King Wicker. By any means necessary, he would convince the King to accept him as a hunter.

```

"Are you nervous?" Pine startled, his eyes darting from staring at the ground to eyeing his packmate. Titan was giving him a gentle, almost pitiful smile.

"No," Pine barked, looking away. "I've hunted before. On my own. Just make sure you can keep up." He stalked onwards, ahead of his new hunting party. "Are we leaving or what?"

Titan rolled his eyes and grinned in good humor. Pine may be one of the larger wolves in the pack, but he clearly still had some growing to do. Stone, who had given up his role as Finisher for pine, was less amused. "If this is how Wicker manages his hunters, I'll be surprised if we ever catch anything again." Titan gave him a shove as he pressed forwards, trotting to catch up with the eager young Pine. Sure, it may be rocky at first, but Titan had faith in their rag-tag hunting party.

Finding the scent of a hare amongst the rocky outcrop was simple. This time of year, they were practically throwing themselves underfoot with how numerous they were--at least, according to Titan. Pine tried to reassure himself with this, telling himself over and over that he could finish off their prey in his sleep. The further the hunt progressed, the more his nerves ate away at him. 

But now was not the time to falter. Pine, Riko, and Titan were weaving their way through the rocks and trees in pursuit of the prey. It was hard to hear anything over his heart pounding away in his ears. 

"Pine--left!" Riko shouted, lunging forward towards a hare that went streaking past. Pine nearly fumbled over his own paws in surprise as the grey shape streaked towards him. In a panic, he lunged forwards--and clamped his teeth into thin air. 

"No!" He barked in frustration and turned on his heels, determined not to let the hare escape. The world around him fell away. All that existed was him and the hare. His paws pounded against the ground, his breath tore through his lungs. Just a little faster... a little more...

This time, when Pine leaped, he was certain of his target. His teeth met with fur and bone, and in one swift shake of his head, the hunt was over. The world came into focus again around him as if he was waking up from a dream. 

"Nice job!" Riko barked, crashing into Pine's side with enough force to nearly floor him. 

"Hey!" Pine couldn't keep the excitement out of his voice. He shoved Riko back with a playful growl. 

Before Riko could retaliate, Titan stepped between them. "Good job, Pine. We knew you could do it." Pine felt his ears grow hot and he shrugged as if the compliment wasn't already going to his head.

"Yeah. Uh, thanks."