Arthur finished off the meat quickly, shifting and pulling a waterbottle out of his pocket. Taking a long drink he capped it, relaxing back against the tree. He stayed silent, though he kept one eye on the other, and his other eye on his packmates.
James finished his own snacks relatively quickly, eventually standing and stretching. The others sitting down all seemed to be avoiding his gaze now, afraid of upsetting him
Arthur watched their actions carefully, noting how they reacted to the other. Watching his movements carefully, he stayed where he was. Well… whoever this guy is… he's definitely the Alpha, and a strong one too… Definitely not one to cross….
I would keep my guard up if I were you…
No duh!
"Finished?" James asked, smiling a bit as he spoke. He figured by now the other would be feeling at least somewhat better, since he knew he had been hungry before
Arthur nodded, "Yeah.. thank you…" he said it gratefully, being sure to keep any uneasiness out of his voice.
"Anything else you need?" James asked, sitting down again before stretching, thinking it funny how on edge Arthur seemed
"No…" he said quietly, closing his eyes for a second, "Though I did wanna ask you why you would help me out…" he said carefully, "After all I'm just a rogue…"
"Because as alpha of this pack, I take it upon myself to help strays such as yourself. We were all ones ourselves, once," James hummed
"A stray am I?" asked Arthur, leaning back and stretching out a bit. Well it looks like I was right about the Alpha bit….
"Obviously. Packless, unmarked. Wandering. I was the first, after I was nearly burned alive in the 1800's. And after that, we began to grow. Two. Then three. Then five. Then we grew until there were 23 of us total," James explained
"Im more or less a rogue by choice…" said Arthur. "I have siblings.. family like me who would probably take me back…" he trailed off, a pang of guilt hitting him. "But something happened… and I needed time to myself.."
"Then why not stay, hm?" James purred, trailing a fingertip gently along Arthur's jawline now. "At least until you…figure things out."
Arthur stard at him, more than a little surprised at the touch… "I… I guess I could stick around… for a little while…."
James smiled at that, and he patted Arthur's cheek before letting go. "Good," he hummed, smirking ever so slightly now
Arthur continued to stare at him, speechless. He felt his cheeks go slightly red, I think I may have gotten myself into a lot more than I asked for….
James chuckled a little at Arthur's reaction, sensing his mixed feelings. "What say we go find the others, hm? Introductions are in order."
Arthur was still a bit stunned, "uhm… I never actually got your name……" he said trying to at least sound calm.
"James. James Harlock," he answered, grinning as he spoke. "Now, off to town. I'm sure the others would enjoy meeting you," he hummed
"I take it I've inadvertently joined the pack?" asked Arthur, getting to his feet again, figuring he may as well play along.
"Not yet, no. Joining is of your own decision and volition, not because you feel obligated to do so," James answered as he began to walk
Arthur sighed, "Good… I'm not so sure I'm ready for that at the moment…" he said, careful of how he worded it, as he followed James, this time being careful to match his pace.
James simply hummed, following a very small trail that you wouldn't be able to tell was there unless someone pointed it out
Arthur studied the trail they were following, noting the sights and sounds as he tailed James.
"How long have you been in this area, Arthur? A day? A week?" James asked, keeping a brisk pace as he walked
"Couple days" replied Arthur smoothly, "May I ask why this matters to you?"
"I like to keep tabs on the surrounding area. And I prefer knowing all I can about those I meet," James replied, running a hand through his dark curls
Well good luck with me pal! thought Arthur almost instantly.
"Alright…" said Arthur, making sure he'd matched James pace before going back to his thinking.
Eventually, they reached the treeline, and James followed the trail out until they had left the section entirely. There was a town in the distance, not terribly far
Arthur studied it for a moment, forcing himself not to tense up at the thought of having to deal with more people.
"Come on, we can introduce you to the few in town. About half are still off in the forest, but there should be four or so in town," James hummed