Forestshadow Territory | Scout House | October 5 Oktober 26 | 9:27 AM

"How about no?" Jamie said, the blond pretty boy, as the other Scouts liked to call him.

"You don't even know what I was going to ask," Izekiel grumbled, the dark-brown-haired Scout flipping his pancake. The smell of maple syrup mingled with bacon and eggs, slowly drifting through the wide archway into the hallway and up the stairs. Before either man could say another word, four pairs of heavy, tired footsteps could be heard.

The redhead was the first to come downstairs, shirtless, with his pajama pants hanging loosely from his hips and offering a rather generous glimpse of what might be hiding further down. He made no effort to conceal anything, even scratching his backside as he headed toward the refrigerator, his long red hair swaying in soft waves behind him despite somehow still sticking out in every direction.

For a long moment, silence settled over the kitchen as Nathaniel retrieved the milk from the refrigerator, a task that took the sleepy Gamma nearly two full minutes. It was painfully obvious that he wasn't quite awake yet. He acknowledged it with a grumble before searching for a bowl and some cornflakes.

"Well, good morning to you too, Sunshine," Izekiel remarked as he tossed the pancake onto his plate, switched off the stove, and settled at the small birchwood table, propping his elbow on the tabletop with his head nearly resting on his plate.

"Hm... what?" Nathaniel mumbled through a yawn, dragging his right hand through his hair before rubbing it over his face. "Man, I'm way too tired, and it's way too early for any of this..." he complained with another loud yawn, setting his bowl on the table with his left hand before dropping onto the dark oak stool with a long groan. "Morning, or whatever..." he added, finally shoveling his first spoonful of cornflakes into his mouth and chewing with obvious satisfaction.

"What's the plan, you idiots?" Ricco asked as he entered the kitchen. The black-haired Scout with blondish-red tips was the last of the four housemates to make an appearance, already fully dressed and considerably more awake than the other three combined. He headed straight for Jamie, pulled him close, and planted a kiss on his cheek.

"I'm trying to decide whether I should be offended by you calling me an idiot..." Jamie muttered, tilting his head slightly to the side.

"You two seriously overdid it last night. Way too loud... way too long... and my room is on the other side of the hallway. I swear by Selene, my ceiling lamp was shaking," Nathaniel complained sleepily.

"You're exaggerating," Ricco said with a shake of his head.

"No, he's not. Move out and build yourselves a cabin... so someone else can move in here who doesn't feel the need to jump each other every chance they get..." Izekiel muttered, dropping his fork onto his plate, though there was no real bite to his words.

Jamie let out an amused snort. "Zeky... are you jealous...? Maybe you'd like to join us tonight...?" he teased his friend, earning nothing more than an affectionately raised middle finger in response.

"Is anyone going to answer my question?" Ricco asked, resting his chin on Jamie's shoulder as he looked at the other two Scouts.

"I'm thinking of checking out the southeast today," Nathaniel replied, a little more awake than he'd been five minutes ago.

"I'll come with you," Izekiel answered, sliding his plate toward the middle of the table. "Someone has to keep an eye on you, after all."

Nathaniel merely rolled his eyes and gave a slight nod, sending a few strands of red hair falling across his face.

"Looks like you and I are taking the northern buffer zone, Ric..." Jamie said with a loving grin, turning his head a little further toward his mate before pressing a gentle, affectionate kiss to the corner of his mouth.

"Yeah, maybe this time you'll actually remember to do some scouting... I'm sure Sophia would appreciate a proper report..." Izekiel grumbled, though the dark-brown-haired Scout was considerably more awake by now, and the grin spreading across his lips grew wider.

The two mates merely chuckled in amusement, giving the other two a playful wink before disappearing from the kitchen.

Nathaniel and Izekiel exchanged a single glance, then silently got to their feet and placed their dishes in the sink. "Ten minutes?" Izekiel asked.

"Outside in ten..." Nathaniel confirmed, both of them knowing perfectly well what would happen next, as he briefly checked the clock. 9:47 AM.

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Forestshadow Territory | Scout House | October 5, Oktober 26 | 9:57 AM

Nathaniel was the first one outside, dressed in black pants, a dark brown shirt, and brown hiking boots, his hands tucked into his pockets and his hair neatly combed. Izekiel stumbled through the wooden doorway barefoot, his shoes tucked under his right arm, one leg already in his pants while the other was still halfway into its pant leg. His shirt hung crookedly, and his brown hair was sticking out in every direction.

"Selene... I barely made it out of there... Those two seriously can't keep their hands off each other," he joked, knowing all too well what people said about fated mates. Apparently, they simply couldn't keep their hands off each other.

Nathaniel let out a quiet laugh and merely nodded, watching his friend continue getting dressed as he hopped around barefoot until he'd finally pulled up his pants and fastened them. Izekiel straightened his shirt shortly afterward and ran a hand through his hair. "You're such an idiot. When you finally find your mate someday, I'm going to laugh my ass off," Nathaniel teased him.

"Right back at you. When you're standing there like a statue, your jaw practically hitting the ground while you start drooling, I'm taking pictures... No, actually, I'm having a statue built right in front of our house," Izekiel joked, tossing his shoes onto the ground before slipping them on.

Once he was finally ready, the two headed off toward the southeastern buffer zone.

---

Forestshadow Territory | Southeast, Close to the Buffer Zone | October 5, 2026 | 1:57 PM

The two Scouts moved attentively through the undergrowth, taking their usual pauses to survey their surroundings, search for signs of Rogues or Ferals, and observe the local wildlife to keep track of their populations. Winter was approaching, and it was important to ensure they had enough food without driving the wildlife out of Forestshadow entirely.

"I think we'll have plenty of wild boar and rabbits this winter. I heard a few guards mention they'd spotted deer migrating north," Izekiel explained as they watched a small group of deer making their way through the dense undergrowth.

"Yeah, Sophia received a few reports that the deer population has been declining too, especially around here," Nathaniel remarked before kneeling to examine the damp ground. He brushed a few leaves aside with his fingertips. "Deer passed through here... heading north..." he observed as Izekiel walked past him and raised his head into the wind.

"Do you smell that?" the brown-haired Scout asked, taking another step forward while his eyes scanned the thicket.

Nathaniel kept his gaze on the ground for another moment before looking up, immediately noticing the sudden change in Izekiel's entire posture. Bracing himself with his right hand flat against the ground, he pushed himself up, brushing a few leaves aside in the process. He caught sight of it out of the corner of his eye before he could even smell it. "Blood," he remarked, spotting a tiny stain barely larger than a pinhead.

The redhead brushed his fingers across the stain, rubbing the blood between his thumb and index finger before bringing it to his nose. He sniffed it, then lifted his gaze sharply. "Deer. Fairly fresh. Maybe an hour old," Nathaniel said as he finally rose to his feet. "Matches the tracks. Something or someone chased the herd," he added, moving past Izekiel.

"We don't hunt this close to the border. That can only mean one thing," Izekiel replied as he moved through the undergrowth and dense thicket, keeping slightly to Nathaniel's side.

Their footsteps were silent, without any unnecessary rustling or branches and twigs snapping beneath their boots. The two stopped behind a bush, watching the buffer zone for movement, searching for anything that might have chased the deer. Before they could continue, Nathaniel felt his phone vibrate in his pants pocket. He answered without really looking at it.

"We're tracking a group of Rogues heading south along the edge of the buffer zone," Rhyven's voice came through the phone. "They came from Ironfang, moved around Glasshaven, and now seem to be continuing south. I need you and the other Scouts at the zone immediately so you can keep following them if necessary."

Nathaniel gave a snort, half serious and half amused. "As usual, I'm one step ahead of you. Izekiel and I are already here. Figured we'd take a look around... But we can talk about that later. Where are you?" he asked quietly, his eyes continuing to scan the surrounding forest.

"I'm in a Jeep with two men and {{User}}. About a quarter of a mile behind the Rogues." Rhyven paused briefly. "We're near Twilight Clearing. Another ten minutes."

Nathaniel nodded, tapping Izekiel on the shoulder and motioning for him to follow. "We're on our way. Meet you there in ten minutes..." he replied quietly. The two men began to retreat, only to stop for a moment as a lone wolf, its fur already brown and missing in several places, raced past them and disappeared deeper into the buffer zone.

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Forestshadow Territory | Southeast, Near the Buffer Zone, Twilight Clearing | October 5, 2026 | 2:15 PM

"A Rogue, Nath. Another group heading in that direction. That's no coincidence..." Izekiel growled, glancing back toward the general direction they'd come from as he paced along the edge of the clearing, flattening the grass a little more with every step.

Nathaniel sat quietly on a small rock, absentmindedly chewing on a blade of grass between his lips. "That's no coincidence... Either there's something we don't know, or the Rogues are being driven out of the north. The question is, which of the three packs up there is driving them south...?" he murmured, pulling the blade of grass from his mouth and flicking it away.

Before either of them could say another word, a black off-road Jeep burst through the undergrowth and into the clearing, coming to a stop near them. Rhyven opened his door and climbed out, followed by the two men accompanying him. The passenger door opened as well, and {{User}} stepped out to stand directly beside her brother.

Nathaniel wasn't entirely sure where she'd been lately. It had probably been a year or so since he'd last seen her, but the moment his eyes met hers, his pupils widened and his wolf immediately surged forward from within.

For a moment, everything else was forgotten. The wildlife populations. The blood. The Rogues. All he could see was {{User}} and how beautiful she was, how her scent overwhelmed his senses, how his wolf cried out for his mate. It was as though time itself had stopped around him, leaving everything frozen in place.

Both Izekiel and Rhyven immediately noticed that something was wrong with Nathaniel. "You've got to be kidding me..." Izekiel muttered as the realization hit him, his own worries momentarily forgotten.

Meanwhile, Rhyven was still looking between Nathaniel and {{User}}, visibly confused. "{{User}}?" he asked his sister, staring at her in disbelief for a long moment. "Tell me this isn't what I think it is...." he added, his voice carrying none of the sharp authority of a Beta.