Evening is approaching now and Justin is still tucked away in the garage. His nose has been snapped back into place but still appears a bit crooked and quite swollen. He is wearing just a pair of loose shorts and his shirt is covered in blood and laying on the ground. Currently the ahroun is working the punching bag methodically, hammering away on it with his fists as his sweat covered body glistens from exertion.

Urrah-friendly as Three-Mountains may be, he is still a Pure One and a Lupus and there are days he needs the fresh air and space. So the past few days he's been out in the woods and so it so happens he's swinging past Edgewood when he smells a fresh scent of his packmate. The coywolf follows the trail and is soon poking his nose into the door before stepping in completely. A whuff announces his arrival, if it's loud enough to carry over the sound of the bag.

If anyone wanted a ride from the city, they could have hitched one with Felix; he's parked the Caddy out front and made a pass through the kitchen on the way to the garage, stepping in with a beer and the last couple bites of a sandwich. He pauses on seeing the bag occupied, and his brows go up when he sees by whom and the state he's in. "So, should I see the other guy?" he asks by way of greeting, flashing a quick grin over to the lupus when he hears that whuff. "...or has the bag started retaliatin'?"

Apparently having taken Felix up on that ride, Benny follows Felix into the garage and has a similar expression on his face, directed toward the Ahroun. "If you want, I can take care of that for you, ya know," he says, waggling his fingers in a way that suggests he has some magic or voodoo. He wastes no time in pulling a cigar from his pocket and torching it off, taking a deep drag and closing his eye in a relaxed fashion as the smoke fills his lungs.

Giving the bag a few more punches, Justin catches it and glances over to the three of his packmates. He gives them a wide grin upon his face which looks awkward with that crooked nose. "Nah, I can just shift and it will pop back into place. Just haven't bothered yet." He gives his wet chest a slap, scratching his fingers along the tanned flesh. "Other guy is fine. I didn't even hit back."

Three-Mountains curls up a side of his lips, showing his displeasure that anyone would be hitting his packmate. The lone Uktena walks right up to Justin and immediately gives him a thorough sniffing over to ensure there's no injuries not being disclosed. There's a disgruntled huff as he goes, a statement of annoyance needing no words to understand.

Felix finishes off his sandwich, and Benny's cigar has his hand drifting toward the pocket his own smokes and lighter are usually in, though he doesn't currently finish the movement, having a drink of his beer as he strolls over toward the Ahroun instead. "Now, where I come from, most times that ain't somethin' to brag about," he teases, taking a better look at the damage as he gets nearer. "But I reckon you got your reasons. So what's the story?"

Benny snorts and shakes his head, blowing out a thick cloud of smoke which hangs in the musty air of the garage. He moves over to the weight bench and lays down on it backward, placing his feet up onto the press bar and stares up at the ceiling. He holds his arms out to either side like wings, his knuckles grazing the floor, the cigar clenched between his teeth. Around it he says, "I imagine that is one of the downsides to being a rage filled monster."

Kneeling down, Justin wraps his arms around Watcher's shoulders and neck, pulling the coywolf into a hug as he huffs against his fur. "I am fine." He ensures his best friend, giving him a ruffling. To the other two, he says, "Found Marcos in here working out and some words were said back and forth. He decked me in the face, and then I challenged him for the right to be Fostern. He accepted and said that in a few weeks when the moon starts to go back to full, he will send me in the Umbra most likely to my death."

Three-Mountains grunts as he's hauled in for a hug, taking the offered embrace gracefully even if he's twisted at a weird angle - having been mid-circling when he was grabbed. He eyes Justin and emphasizes he best be alright before he squirms himself free to take a few steps away and sits. He listens to the story with his ears slowly turning backwards as it continues. At the end of it, he's showing all his teeth in outrage at the challenge being used to try and kill his friend.

"Aw, man. Told you I wanted to see it when you did!" Felix complains, and sighs, shaking his head. He finishes off the beer, sticking the empty in his jacket pocket, and sits on another handy piece of nearby equipment. "...and if he means he's gonna try on purpose, maybe you oughta get the Master of the Challenge in on things, 'cause that's kinda bullshit. If it's just gonna be hard, that's one thing..." He takes another look at the slowly healing nose. "What words got said?"

Benny listens in from his place on the bench, the cigar tip moving to and fro as he inhales and then exhales around it. He lifts his feet and places them back on the floor, bringing his eyes around to Justin. "Did he say he was going to try and kill you, or did he say you might die in the attempt? Those are two different scenarios."

"He made it pretty clear he didn't think much of me or my chances. Said I don't know shit about being an Ahroun cuz' I ain't had any packmates die on me yet and that I don't know anguish and blah blah blah. He was throwing major shade at me. All I know is that I'm going into the Umbra and he didn't tell me what and why. Either way, he probably didn't know that we live in the Umbra for our pack purpose so I'm not freaking out about it." Justin says as he give a stretch of his body upwards. "I'm not even tripping. I'm going to handle it and I'm gonna come back a Fostern."

Three-Mountains continues to look unconvinced with his hackles up. If he acts dishonorable I will rip him apart! The coywolf growls ominously. We know his plan, we can make sure you are safe. Hunt wisely. He gives himself a shake to try and settle his fur, though it's clear he's entirely displeased with the whole affair.

Felix nods to Benny as the Theurge asks his questions, and when Justin answers his own, he rolls his eyes, relaxing into the seat he's chosen. "Yeah, 'cause losin' packmates's the true test of a warrior. Upside, if he's really underestimatin' you it might not be nearly as hard as he's thinkin'," he says, "but either way, we're not talkin' 'bout freakin' out about it, just whether we're talkin' it's-fuckin'-dangerous or I'mma-fuckin'-get-you-killed,-sucka." The cigarettes do come out now. "Good goin', though."

Benny nods his head and says, "Sounds like you'll be fine. Maybe you won't die but will just lose a limb or something like you Ahroun think is all glorious. You know..." he inhales and puffs out a cloud of smoke, "Maybe just like a leg at the knee, then we can set you up with a sick ass peg leg... get you a fucking parrot." He shakes his head, looking at him with the distorted lenses of imagining him with just such a peg leg and parrot. "That would be fucking great. I'm jealous."

"I already got Three Mountains here, I don't need a parrot. I can get him on my shoulder just fine." With that, Justin tries to heft the Uktena up and duck under him to give him a piggy back ride, which looks both photo and cringe worthy. "Frederick was down here earlier talking to me about it. He was pretty pissed off and super concerned. Called us his 'pack' which may have been a slip of the tongue." He says with a wily grin. "Hilarious that when he first got here and he thought we suck, and then he had one combat situation with us and all of a sudden he thinks we're brothers in arms." He struggles under Watcher's weight. "He really likes us now. I think he'd be miserable if shit happened to any of us."

Three-Mountains may not be as large as a wolf, but the coyote hybrid is still a solid animal. While he doesn't flail to get down, the Galliard does turn himself around enough to part his jaws and oh-so-delicately place them around the head of Justin (and most likely immediately begins drooling). There's certainly no missing someone ate something that may have already been dead for awhile. And recently.

Felix laughs, glancing to Benny and then to Justin, clearly imagining the same thing. "Awesome. We could call him Cap'n Nobeard. Teach the parrot dirty jokes. Yeah, I reckon that sounds like a plan. ...y'know what's weird, all those pirates walkin' 'round with parrots sittin' on their shoulders, but you never see 'em with bird shit runnin' all down their coat." He laughs again as Justin hefts their packmate, adding, "Man, now THAT you REALLY don't want runnin' down your shirt." He exhales a breath of smoke, watching. "Yeah? Mm. Good, 'cause we're awesome. Well, an' also just in general."

Benny smirks as he watches the display of Watcher hefting. He blows out another cloud of smoke which swirls to join Felix's. He swivels back around to put his feet up on the bar and lay back down on the bench. After a few moments he says, "Did Lord Silver Fang happen to say how long he expected this challenge to take to complete?"

"Ugh! Dude, your breath reeks. Did you eat your own shit or something." Justin crawls out from under his friend, then pushes him over to his side before scrubbing the drool out of his head. "No, he said it will be a long trip, that was it. So obviously he had something in mind well before I even got there."

Three-Mountains snorts with enough force to fluff Justin's hair as he's set back down. He flicks his tongue across his nose as he regards the Ahroun placidly. He found what was left of a pack's kill they did not want. He was hungry.

"Why would his own smell worse'n anyone else's?" Felix asks Justin, "I mean, if he WAS gonna eat shit, at least he'd know where that'd been. ...an' be puttin' it back there, I guess." He wrinkles his nose. "Think he had it in mind for you, or just in general? 'cause if it was for you, suggests he was expectin' you to ask him. 's interestin'."

Benny considers for a few moments, hmming to himself before he says, "I doubt he is trying to kill you. Perhaps he did have one in mind for you, even expected you to ask him like Felix says..." He frowns in thought. "He doesn't seem overly stupid." He considers for a few moments and then says, "I would like to submit that we take a vote on who will be Alpha, given that you are about to venture to your doom, or hopefully just your left lower leg's doom. We have gotten a chance to get to know each other, been tested in combat, and I think we need an official leader." He inhales on his cigar, the end glowing a fierce orange as it swivels in his mouth, his eyebrows bobbing up and down.

"Three-Mountains would be Alpha while I am on my challenge, as he is currently our Beta and the last remaining original member of the pack. It's not really up for discussion." Justin says as he goes back to the punching bag, giving it a shove, then starts to hammer into it with his fists once more. "He also has OhNo's strongest favor which I don't think is a secret to anyone. When I get back as a Fostern, I will take over as leadership."

Three-Mountains looks to Benny at his discussion of alphaship. Before he can put in his two cents the declaration is made by Justin he'd take over. The Lupus has a fairly neutral expression, thoughtful but neither approving or disproving. He only states in the end that the best, strongest, and smartest will lead. It is the right way.

Felix tilts his head and regards Justin a moment while he smokes. "Well, you sure changed your tune since last time it came up," he says mildly, and shrugs. "No offense meant to Henry, an' I reckon it mighta been different earlier, but mosta the time since I got here Justin's been more or less actin'-Alpha anyhow. Might as well make it official. An' presumably the Beta holds the fort durin', say, challenge-type absences, yeah..." He studies Three-Mountains for a few moments, this time.

Benny tilts his head to the side listening to Justin, Three-Mountains and Felix and then says, "And what makes you more qualified to lead than anyone else in the pack? If you think it only your impending return as Fostern, then you will be disappointed to know that I have also issued a challenge to Sera, the Silent Strider. I too hope to be climbing the ranks in the Nation soon." He lifts a brow and says, "And from what I heard, your argument with the Silver Fang was due to your belief that things had grown too stagnant, resistant to change in St. Claire. In the spirit of THAT argument, does it matter if you two are original members or not, should someone else be more fit to lead?"

Rubbing a thumb along his nose, Justin says, "If you want Alpha, Benny, feel free to challenge me for it. I'm claiming it. When /I/ first brought this pack together, it was to gain the favor of Lady Luck. Everything was about chance. It would be about who had the best idea at the time would be Alpha. Obviously that didn't work out too well. We didn't get Lady Luck, Fitz proved to be a total asshole and Henry was never invested in us the moment he found out Coyote was going to be our spirit guide." The Ahroun says as he turns to each of them, giving each a glance. "This pack needs a real Alpha this time around, one who can make sound decisions and keep to the spirit of the pack. I believe in my ability and I believe in Three-Mountain's as well. Otherwise, we're all Garou here. Step up and let's throw down like Garou do."

Three-Mountains listens to Ahroun and Theurge state their positions. It's when Justin voices a throwdown that the Galliard makes his suggestion, shifting up to his Hispo form to communicate more easily. ~We follow Coyote. We are not a pack of war but of cunning. Either wait to let rank decide or, if you cannot, let it be decided in a contest of wits. That will determine best who can lead in the spirit of the pack.~

Felix watches the others, and something about the other Galliard's suggestion makes him relax slightly. "Sounds reasonable," he agrees quietly, and settles back a bit, clearly not including himself in the pool of potential imminent-challengers. For anything, unless someone's claimed some kind of lounging-and-smoking title when he wasn't looking.

Benny considers this, smiling at Justin. He nods and says, "I am not sure that I agree with throwing down being the best indication, of a successful leader in an umbral pack, but... sure. If you are going to claim being my better, I suppose I have enough nerve to let you prove it." He lifts his boot and snuffs out his cigar on the bottom of it and then pushes himself to his feet, tucking the extinguished cigar in his pocket. He glances sideways toward Three Mountains and says, "What do you have in mind?"

"That is how /Garou/ settle shit, for years. It doesn't matter what the pack purpose is. It is about the strongest and most capable wolf in the pack. Out in the fucking woods, wolves don't sit around trying to figure out who is most cunning, they figure out who is most strong. Who can keep the pack the safest. I'm not doing this for ego, I'm doing this for the pack." Justin says with a visible frown upon his face as he pointedly stares down at Benny. "And the only reason why you'd bring shit up like this is if you don't think I'm capable of being the Alpha here. Is /that/ what you are saying?"

Three-Mountains tilts his head in consideration. ~...~ He begins to look like he was going to say something but he stops, eyes going unfocused. It's barely a split second but when he looks back up at the pack it's with a razor sharp focus. There's something off there, like someone else was looking out through his eyes and they're filled with a dark, predatory humor. ~You claim to know what is in the best interest of Coyote, do you? Those are big pants to fill, boys. Pants big enough to hold the sun and the moon and the stars. But who needs pants, am I right? Unnecessary burden. Let the planets fly free!~ He slides himself between the competitors, tail whisking behind him. ~You're not wolves. You're Garou. You /are/ supposed to have brains behind those teeth, right, or are all those claims of wisdom just hot air and piss? Easily cast off but leave a stink in their wake.~

Felix continues watching the others, smoking absently. "So, see, I don't wanna be Alpha," he says, "I don't wanna be Alpha, 'cause I know what I'm good at and what I ain't so much, an' I wanna follow someone better at what I ain't so much. Thinky-planny shit mainly. I ain't totally terrible at it, I just never remember to do it aheada time. Now, based on evidence so far, I reckon that's all y'all. My point bein', from my personal point of view, I can see the tradition argument, but I like the cunnin' suggestion. But that said... challenged gets to pick, right?" He pauses. "If the challenged's pretty sure fightin's how he's most likely to win, 'spose there's an argument that's actually the more cunnin' choice, if winnin's the outcome you're goin' for."

Benny raises an eyebrow at Justin's blustering and says, "No, I did not say I doubt you. I just believe that you are wrong." His frown matches Justin's, though with less personal feelings intermixed as he continues, "I believe you are wrong about everything you just said. If all Garou solved their problems with tooth and claw we would all be packs of war. Why else are there spirits of wisdom, cunning, and war? Each has its place--" He trails away as he glances toward Three-Mountains and his situation he is having. Finally he nods in agreement, "We are an Umbral Reconnaissance pack. Brains are just as important as brawn. Surely you do not believe an Ahroun is more at home in umbral matters than a Theurge? And finally..." he unhooks his belt and thrusts his pants down around his ankles like he is planting a flag in conquered territory, "Who DOES need pants?"

As it appears that Watcher's past-life has come to make their presence known, Justin turns to the Uktena and rubs a hand along his face again, wincing at the soreness of his nose still. Frustration has boiled beneath his skin as Benny continues to talk and it looks like the monster wants to leap out of his throat, but for now he bites it back down. Folding his arms over his chest, his muscles give a bit of a flex as he listens to the Uktena.

~How can one test a Garou to be worthy of Coyote? Your people are Deathbringers yet slew the bearfolk because they wouldn't teach you how to avoid it. So hypocritical.~ Three-Mountains, or whoever is driving that bus, says. It certainly doesn't sound like the straightforward Uktena. ~No need to battle everything with blood. You would think a race on the edge of oblivion would recognize that, but then Gaia didn't bring you about for your brains, did she? That's Coyote's job. So you wanna prove your worth then prove you've got the brains. Coyote brought fire to Man. Bring something of value back to the pack, something to help it endure the dark nights and cold days to come.~

The other Galliard just continues with his watching and smoking plan, though the pants-loss gets a brief grin. Otherwise Felix is quiet and thoughtful, especially after Three-Mountains(ish)'s proposal.

Benny doesn't make a move to lift his pants back up waist high, but he does turn his full attention toward Three Mountains. "You would have us retrieve something from the Umbra, or something from the Physical realm?" Unlike Justin, Benny doesn't seem mad in the least, standing there with his pants around his ankles.

~Does it matter?~ Three-Mountains-former says to Benny with a toothy, gaping smile. ~I'm challenging you to think not follow a checklist. A leader decides what's the best for his pack, doesn't he? So go out, think, and find. Easy peasy. Not smart enough? Then accept defeat. Till the full moon seems fair, yes? The your challenges may make the whole thing moot but you can have fun in the meantime. So hop to it!~ And with that said the coywolf is trotting for the door. ~I'm going to go enjoy the rest of the evening and see what trouble I can find. Smell ya later!~

Felix watches the coywolf go, with a faint smile, then glances to the others, just waiting.

Justin rubs a hand along his face as he glances to the other two, then turns and follows after the Uktena as he shoves his hands into his pockets.

<OOC> Benny says "Sorry, got a phone call. Trying to get off as soon as I can"
<OOC> Justin says "lulz."
<OOC> Felix snirks.
<OOC> Justin says "Remember, you're paying by the minute."

Benny watches the other two go and then turns his attention to Felix and shrugs simply, sitting back down on the weight bench and lighting his cigar back up. He shakes his head slowly for a moment, but never says anything.

Felix watches after Justin again, still looking thoughtful, and it's a few seconds before he looks back to Benny. He returns the shrug, and puts out the last dregs of his cigarette. "Well, reckon alla that coulda gone smoother. So. You get your rank challenge laid out yet?" he asks, standing and stretching.

Benny nods and says, "It is on, for sure. Not sure of the details yet though." He juts his chin after Justin and says, "Why's he take everything so personal?"

Felix slips off his jacket, draping it where he was just sitting, and stretches a bit more. "I dunno, wouldn't say I'd found him takin' everythin' that way, in general. Ain't no way to challenge leadership without gettin' at least a little personal, though. Ain't that many ways it doesn't boil down to 'I think I can do this better'n you.'"

[...and Benny idled out. Alas.]