Alan's smile waned soon after April popped the candy in her mouth, worried that she disliked it. For a moment, it seemed like she was going to outright spit it out, but his fears didn't come to pass. His friend's smile reassured him that his token was satisfactory, which was about as much as he had hoped for. Just to be sure, he was going to inquire, when their packmate invited them to sit by the fire. The smell of the meat had not been forgotten in the slightest during his exchange of gifts with April, and happily allowed himself to be led to the fire, hunger overtaking shyness. Smiling thankfully at Kakasha, his gaze briefly falling on the other she-wolf, his smile fading just a little, remaining polite but tense. That pretty much described his interactions with that woman as a whole...<br/><br/>As their eyes met, the hairs on his neck prickled and stood at attention. He did not know what it was, but there was something about that wolf that made him feel ill at ease. Maybe it was the stench of the smokes, or maybe it was just the looks he got from her now and again. There were times when he could almost feel the eyes on him... while most of the pack gave him funny looks at times, the vibe he got from her was at times downright resentful. The wolf in him certainly did not appreciate being stared down, not in the slightest. It took a titanic effort on Alan's part to keep his smile from curling up to bare his teeth at the perceived challenge, regardless if it was real or a product of anxiety. Nothing could stop the glint in his eyes as the wolf stirred within him. Mentally grabbing the beast by the scruff of the neck, Alan dragged it snarling and biting back into it's cage, slamming the door as he gave a small nod to Michelle.<br/><br/>"Good morning, everybody." Alan greeted the two wearily, now looking at Kakasha's kill. The smell was nearly overwhelming... He watched the seared flesh browning, its juices welling up to the surface and dribbling off onto the hot coals beneath, savoring the crackle and pop of the sizzling fat... Alan counted himself lucky to not be drooling on the cave floor. In anticipation of the meal, he drew the bowie knife sheathed at his left hip. The hilt of the foot-long blade took to his grip like the handshake of an old friend. The weapon was a strange limbo between what could be considered a knife and what was a sword... Distracting himself from the meat, Alan ran his thumb over the edge perpendicularly, satisfied as it tugged at the skin of his thumb. He already knew how sharp the weapon was when he had drawn it; sharper than anything crafted by mortal hands had any right to be. This examination of the weapon had become something of a ritual, along with stropping the blade on the back of a hide after any cutting task, as well as cleaning it.<br/><br/>As he finished giving the blade a once-over, familiar scents wafted to him. This was different though. There were other scents,<span style="font-style: italic">odd</span>scents mixed in. Looking up to the mouth of the cave, Alan watched as the other pack members returned, company in tow. Unconsciously squeezing the hilt of his knife in a white-knuckle grip, a low growl issued from his throat at the approach of the strangers, barely audible. Thomas, Aiden and Seravi seemed to be unharmed, which lead him to believe that the stragglers were new recruits. â€œThe white one needs to eat, then we can show him how to shift back.â€ Aiden explained as she headed into the back of the cave to change, said wolf plopping down onto a pile of pelts. As Aiden returned and teased Kakasha about her cooking skills, Alan kept his eyes locked on the newcomer, his hairs still standing on end. Shift back? Must have been this one's first change... but why was he so calm, exhaustion and starvation aside?  His first change had been an uncontrolled rampage... â€œAnyone know what day it is? Eryan was supposed to be back this week...â€ Aiden's question drew him from his thoughts, going back to tending his bowie knife. "Tuesday... What happened out there?" He asked, motioning to the white wolf with his blade.