Alden liked it when Blue came over like that, put his head on his chest and acted sweet. He liked it even more when he was doing it to piss Garlan off. He petted him gently. Alden was never usually rough with him, just determined, and he was more creative than Lofgren when it came to the games he played with Blue. He never hurt him out of malice like Garlan did. Alden wanted to keep him healthy. All the other wolves seemed to know better, and Lofgren seemed to put forth some effort into not breaking the boy.<br/><br/>Alden sat up, sliding Blue over him and cupping his chin as he bent to kiss him.<br/><br/>“Why don't you show Garlan what I've taught you?” Alden directed, but it was not a request. He pressed his shoulders down, not harshly if Blue didn't resist him. He'd know what he was to do by now, and usually there was little protest from him. Lofgren thought they had him trained. Alden thought he was just despondent. Either would work, for their purposes. Alden lifted his semi-erect cock to Blue's mouth, and let him take it from there. From over Blue, he was looking at Garlan with a smug look on his face. Alden hadn't known how much he enjoyed messing with the other wolf before. It came down to respect; Alden didn't have an ounce of it for Garlan, and it was probably like that for a long time even before Blue.<br/><br/>Alden pulled him up briefly to slide fingers into his mouth, before letting him resume. He changed position so that he was sitting on his legs, and could curl over the top of Blue even as he was sucking him off. He made eye contact again with Garlan, before he slid two fingers into the boy, something the other wolf would never get a feel for. Alden could tell Garlan was seething, but he never expected him to charge at him like he did.<br/><br/>Alden tried to get away from Blue as the scrawnier wolf hurtled towards the both of them. He expected teeth to land for him, and he was transforming, ready to do more than just defend himself, but Garlan didn't go for him. His teeth landed over Blue's back, seeking to maim and render flesh. Garlan only had him for a few seconds, but a full on assault like that was enough to kill Blue if he got him in the right spot. Alden pried him away from the bleeding human with teeth, and the fight that erupted was saturated with the frustration that Garlan had been holding in. The two were aiming to kill one another now that Alden wouldn't let him get back to his original human target. Their snarls, and the scent of heavy bloodshed wafted throughout the forest. Lofgren was the one who put an end to all of it, throwing himself into the mix and daring either to put misplaced teeth on him. Garlan, if only for fear of self preservation, finally moved off and Alden could go to the boy and survey the damage.<br/><br/>There was a lot of blood and Alden didn't know what to do for it besides try to get it stopped. He looked to Lofgren, who seemed to care less about Blue's life, but Alden was determined not to let him go. His own injuries were momentarily forgotten as he hefted Blue up, and carried him hurriedly back to the cabin. If the bleeding couldn't be stopped, he would be lost. If Garlan had gotten an artery, there was nothing he could do for it. He pulled drawers out to deposit them in the floor, searching for anything he could use. He found a roll of fishing line, and the thinnest fishing hook the old man had kept. He could find nothing better to try to put the young man back together, nor was he practiced in the art of stitching flesh. They didn't have time to bring him to any of the others. Alden would have to make due, and hope that it was enough.<br/><br/>Of course, the fish hook was ill-equipped for what he was trying to use it for. It was frustrating, at first, and it certainly wasn't pretty, but he managed to knit the worst of it together, at least enough that the boy might not bleed to death. He couldn't attest to using the most hygienic methods, so there was no telling if infection would be what finally finished him off.<br/><br/>–<br/><br/>Jamsen had been gone for a while, as he was prone to do when him and Lofgren had a serious disagreement. Most thought he went off to lick his wounds somewhere, and nurse his wounded pride, but this time he'd sought out someone who might have been able to do something about the mess his pack had created. It was the only sensible choice that he had. They had a tentative understanding with the neighboring pack, and were far enough away that they didn't fight for resources. They didn't agree on most things, but they did agree to live beside each other with little in way of skirmishes.<br/><br/>Jamsen walked up carefully, slowly. He was alone, so it was unlikely they would see him as a threat, but their pack was a little different than his own. It was larger, for one. They also lived a little more civilized than the rest did, in a cluster of cabins they built close together. They were a little logging and fishing community, still mostly off the grid, nearly as unbothered as Lofgren was with society, but a little more integrated and adaptable. They had a lot of family groups, whereas his pack was made up mostly of males. Any females that they did have, Lofgren most certainly laid claim to, but that wasn't the traditional way of mating that this pack still upheld.<br/><br/>He knew it wouldn't take long before he had their attention, and the first one to meet him, coming out in a flurry, was Synnove, mate to alpha Sieger. Her gaze was intense, her pace agitated. Jamsen tried to make his body language quiet. Sieger wasn't too far behind her, luckily, as he was the slightly more level headed of the pair.<br/><br/>“I came to talk to the both of you about something. It will involve both our packs if things turn bad,” Jamsen explained, and Sieger was the one to invite him inside. There, Jamsen explained to him all about Blue, and the packs extended plans for him. Sieger knew of a boy that had gone missing in their territory, but he hadn't thought to investigate. It would seem he would need to.<br/><br/>“They're not organized, and they're reckless. They're going to start a manhunt, and that's going to either push Lofgren into your territory, or it's going to to start an investigation. Blue knows too much. If he gets loose, or rescued, I fear for what that will mean for all of us,” Jamsen repeated his thoughts, and this time he wasn't met with anger for his suggestions.<br/><br/>“And what would you have us do?” Synnove questioned, brows furrowing.<br/><br/>“Isn't it obvious? We're going to have to clean up their mess, and dispose of him the right way,” Sieger said, settling back into his chair. Jamsen nodded, knowing that Sieger would see sense in all this madness. Synnove was frowning, but Sieger was right. They couldn't take the risk to their pack, and they had a lot more to loose than Lofgren did. With minds made up, they gathered a large group of their more capable wolves, while leaving enough at home to remain protected. It would be enough to get control of the situation. Jamsen wouldn't fight, and Lofgren was their biggest threat, but together the mated pair of leaders could handle him. Alaric, Synnove's twin brother was never too far either. And then there was Eivind, who was quite capable when he put his mind to it. The others were there for numbers, so that hopefully it wouldn't come down to a fight at all. It was meant to be quick, and clean, so that they could move the body far enough away that it wouldn't implicate either of their packs.