The gray brute knew that he was doing his job right. He could tell that the black brute before him was relaxing, letting his guard down. What a very foolish thing to do around any wolf, especially one that came from Abendrot. But Danger did not know that Grey Wind was from Abendrot, there was no way that he could know with the multiple scents of different packs on his pelt. The brute would never let his guard down around a strange wolf on his borders, even if the lupine seemed perfectly harmless. He longed to do something to teach the foolish wolf, to let him know that he should never become comfortable around someone so quickly. But that would not work with the façade he was pulling off right now, so he stayed still and a good distance away from Danger, still outside the pack’s territory at the border. Grey Wind described the pack that he had come from, and even though most of what he was telling Danger were lies, this tale was not. When he left him home he had gone to another pack with his sisters for a time before leaving to go lead wolves on his own, and that pack was nothing but pure evil. He had no choice leaving his sisters behind, and it was one of the few things in his life that truly haunted him.

Danger went on to answer Grey Wind’s questions about the wolves in the pack, “Well Greyjoy, I think you’d like it here. The wolves are…The wolves are fine.” The grey brute wondered how much Danger really knew about the wolves here, his hesitation making Grey Wind question the reliability of the brute. Not necessarily that he was lying, but just that he may not know enough about the wolves to satisfy Grey Wind. The brute continued, “It’s…peaceful here. Bright Moon is pretty low-key. No drama or whatever. Um . . . Darcia's cool? I don't think he's a tyrant, or anything. He's a little distant. But not in a bad way." Grey Wind could tell that Danger was becoming nervous as he bit his lip and lowered his unseeing gaze towards the ground. The brute was even less convinced that Danger knew what he was talking about now. The black brute had paused and stumbled on the words, not seeming comfortable with the way he was describing the pack and the alpha and Grey Wind knew he was wasting his time. He stood in annoyance, needing to come up with an excuse to meet someone else and learn some actual important aspects about this pack. He made himself stifle an annoyed growl that was itching in his throat, knowing that Danger would hear it if he did so and he would have no way to explain that.

Before Grey Wind had a chance to reply to Danger’s words another black lupine joined them, this one with mismatched eyes. He spoke as soon as he appeared through the trees, approaching Danger, “Not a tyrant but a vigilante who has taken on title of sentinel. And you, Danger, are not a refugee but a King.” Well the grey brute disagreed with those words, there was nothing king-like about the Danger, but he knew that a lot of other packs had different views than Abendrot on what was king worthy. The new brute was staring at Grey Wind, and he had to force his hair to stay still, to not curl his lip and snarl at the stare like he normally would do. The next words that the stranger spoke worried Grey Wind, “Your eyes betray your body language, stranger. You tremble there at the ground, but your eyes stay lifted, steady. And, the makeup of your musculature is not that of one who cowers. I do not find joy in games of pretend. They are often full of, if not made entirely of, malice. But of course, a transient is no enemy of mine. Stand yourself straight as you normally would. There are no secrets in these lands, but I do not press my soldiers or my valkyries to tell me anything. Danger knows nothing of me, save that my loyalty to my kin knows no bounds.” The mismatched orbed brute gave a different kind of stare to Grey Wind that he knew was supposed to be intimidating and to frighten him, but after the brute’s words he would not cower at the gaze. The grey brujo was not one that would cower to anyone, and now was no different, no matter what kind of death stare this stranger glared in his direction.

Grey Wind must have changed his actions unconsciously when he realized that Danger was blind. He had been stupid, so very stupid. And a mistake like this could cost him his life. He would not let himself be killed at Bright Moon though, there was no way in hell that that was happening. At least this brute did not seem to know who he really was, which was good. He rose up to his normal posture, one of ranking and power, one that felt more comfortable. His yellow gaze met the mismatched eyes of the stranger, showing him that he indeed was stronger than he let Danger believe, that he was not one to roll over for just anyone. He chose his next words carefully, knowing he was treading a dangerous line now, ”I meant no offence. I just know it is proper to place yourself below others when you are at their pack. I was only doing what I was told before, but I have not had to perform in such ways often so it is still foreign to me.” Again, his words were true. Being born into a family of power had had him in a position where others were always below him, not the other way around, and when he first went to Abendrot was the first time he had truly submitted, not like he was pretending to now.

The stranger before him spoke again after he walked closer to Danger, rubbing his shoulder against the other black brute to let him know he was there. “I have no interest in a harvest sown and reaped on the same day. Come in, Greyjoy. Those who seek often do not leave.” It took all that Grey Wind had not to snarl at his words, did this brute dare to threaten him? He could tear him and Danger apart if he needed to, if that’s what it came to. He remembered what Marx had said, that it was not to go in and fight, but he knew Marx would not blame him if violence ensued. Grey Wind knew that this brute was challenging him, and he could now only assume that he was the alpha of these lands. His scent had been strong on the border, even though he did not hold his body like an alpha normally would. So the grey warrior decided to challenge back, not that this stranger knew he was no cowering lupine, he might as well see what this alpha was made of. ”You must be Darcia I presume? You do not hold yourself to be an alpha, but your words are ones of someone who runs this pack. You would chose to invite someone like me in? Someone who, as you say, plays games of pretend? Do you just let any old lupine crawl into this pack?” He did not care anymore if Darcia discovered where he was from, he had learned a bit from Danger and he would learn exactly what he needed to know based on how this little interaction went. Grey Wind continued to hold himself as he normally would, tail untucked and ears upright, yellows orbs flashing as a smile appeared on his maw, showing his dangerous ivories as he waited to see how the lupines before him would respond.