After his interactions with Holly and getting confirmation with the one known as Claire, it was understood that Holly was defensive but rightfully so. She was terrified, not understanding why she was chosen, or rather, why she was nearly mauled to death, only to then adapt and drastically change to an unfamiliar lifestyle. He sensed consternation within her when he first found her in the snow. It was different for Okomi though, for he had the wolf's blood from conception. However, with most of the originals dying out, many wolf packs were needing more members to either mix in bloodlines, or if they were anything like Okagi's wolves, it was out of territory control, which made the Arapaho recoil with disdain. As much as he didn't want to show trepidation, in his gut, he knew that Okagi's pack was expanding; his former alpha could easily take over this dwelling like a piece of cake. Peace would not remain long as they would need to prepare for the foreboding and upcoming battle.<br/><br/>For now, the calm, older female made Okomi feel safe. She trusted his character and judging by her own presence, she genuinely wanted to help Holly. She didn't seem to be the type to control her, but at the same time, they were trying to be protective of her ever since the attack. It made sense for one's pack to instinctively protect their own. Not to say that Holly was a weak link, but she still had much to learn about this wild world. She was no longer considered human, but a supernatural, and for her to have a stubborn streak would prove to be a bit of a challenge to break through to her. Fortunately, Okomi would not give up on her, no matter how much she clashed with everyone. He ascertained that she was in distress and wanted to be home with her actual family, but life would never be the same for her again. As much as she probably would have liked to be left alone, Okomi wouldn't abandon her and neither would Claire.<br/><br/><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#b35900">"I wish I had known her sooner. I actually found her while I was in wolf form, and I wish to stay by her side," </span>he stated in a whispered, assertive tone but realized he needed approval first and locked his russet eyes with Claire.<span class="fixed-color" style="color:#b35900">"I hope you don't mind me imposing. I am Okomi."</span>He sought for acceptance and would extend his hand. He would be able to tell his backstory later. Right now they needed to tend to Holly's wound. If he wanted to, he could easily have taken the thorn out without needing the medical kit, but he also didn't want to expose his powers just yet. He needed to understand how Holly's pack operated. He didn't detect any sort of malice which gave him great relief, but he, too, was scarred from being taken advantage of and thrown out by the corrupt Okagi.<br/><br/>He would wait for Claire's return and would assist her, making sure she was the one to pull the irksome thorn out. Once that task was done, he would wait for Claire to show him the way to his room, and hopefully, he would be able to speak to Holly's alpha at some point, either later or first thing in the morning.<span class="fixed-color" style="color:#b35900"> </span><i><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#b35900">I sure hope the others come back soon</span>, </i>he thought to himself, not fond of how long Griff and Tris were taking to return from their patrol. He hoped for their safe return despite their awkward encounter. Okomi was prepared to start at the bottom if necessary and work his way up the totem pole--as long as he had shelter and would be recognized and respected by others, that would give him enough purpose and contentment.<br/><div style="text-align: center"><div class="bbImageWrapper lazyload js-lbImage" data-lb-caption-extra-html="" data-lb-sidebar-href="" data-single-image="1" data-src="/proxy.php?image=https%3A%2F%2Fci3.googleusercontent.com%2Fproxy%2FY97dnWiNLhYrQRYzITQNQVtslKaBgDFPle6UVOpifbeFv1Trk4W_uS-wZ2PchMZsikLnl3b0Fg6XXKLeso0yH-JRZJdAYPi5RQzogczh%3Ds0-d-e1-ft%23https%3A%2F%2Fcbskfrog.files.wordpress.com%2F2013%2F03%2Fdivider.png&amp;hash=2007239a3a3ed0555762ba770df3e441" title="Y97dnWiNLhYrQRYzITQNQVtslKaBgDFPle6UVOpifbeFv1Trk4W_uS-wZ2PchMZsikLnl3b0Fg6XXKLeso0yH-JRZJdAYPi5RQzogczh=s0-d-e1-ft">
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</div></div>The white-wolved twins were agitated when their pursuit came to a short stop. The unknown wolves took the hint and high-tailed back to their own territory; however, that didn't bode well for the brother and sister duo. They would have to answer to Blair; she would see their lack of pursuit as a failure to complete their mission. They were already cringing with uncertainty, never knowing what kind of mood their beta would settle for.<br/><br/>Piper and Paul loped side by side and tracked Blair's location just a mile or so from the main Okagi camp. They could hear the smokey wolf vocalize a bitter growl at them and she immediately lunged toward them. She wasn't that much bigger than them, but her sheer power and fighting experience was not to be underestimated. Brother and sister were knocked down--their backs were pressed against the wet, cold snow, presenting their bellies in submission. Piper was the first to plead and begged for forgiveness.<br/><br/>"Blair, we're sorry!" she whined pathetically. "We wanted to chase them down, but they were far gone. We didn't want to waste energy."<br/><br/><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#bfbfbf">"IF YOU WANTED TO CHASE THEM DOWN, WHY DID YOU HESITATE, THEN?"</span>Her golden beady eyes were dead focused on the failed pup, snarling at the younger female with belligerence.<br/><br/><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#404040">"Blair, don't yell, please. We're sorry, we truly are!"</span>chimed Paul, trying to aid his sister, but he wished he didn't. The next thing he knew, his neck met with Blair's gripped jaw. Her teeth clenched and pressed down on his furred neck, suffocating him. Oh how she was close to ending his life, but she wanted to teach them both a lesson, to not fail and to follow through with a damn order. She couldn't bear to think what would have happened if Okagi found out about their mishap. Blair would end up having demerits and possibly have her rank pulled. Okagi was far crueler than Blair, and the twins had to learn how to toughen up quickly.<br/><br/>Piper yelped and cried out, viewing Blair's near-to-death hold on her brother. Shit, Blair was not playing around. They would remember this memory and do their best not to mess up again. They thought because of their age they would get more leeway, but that wasn't the case, not anymore at least. They were in a midst of territorial expansion and they were showing weakness. Blair released Paul and then drew her attention to Piper, shushing her with her right forepaw, glaring with great intensity. Her eyes would dart from left to right, making sure both had their undivided attention toward their beta.<br/><br/><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#bfbfbf">"If I had no soul, I would've killed you both on the spot. I've granted you mercy for today. You are very lucky that Okagi wasn't here to witness your failure. It might have cost your lives. From now on, you will train harder. You don't get to play around like you once did. Your youthful days are over. We are preparing for war. You will be victorious and will celebrate once we eliminate our enemies, but until then, you must always, ALWAYS be primed to defend your territory and never allow failure to happen again. If you allow it to, don't bother returning again, do you understand?" </span><br/><br/>"YES,<span class="fixed-color" style="color:#404040">YES!"</span>Both exclaimed in unison until she dismissed them, bolting off quickly with their tails tucked beneath their legs. Later that night, they were given measly scraps and barely had enough heat to sleep comfortably well. They desperately clung to each other for warmth and support, realizing they would need to push themselves much harder for their own survival. Their enemies were laughable compared to their very own packmates. They took Blair's advice to heart and hoped to never disappoint her again.