A day and a half after he'd left
@Shale at the outskirts of the maplewood, Fus tracked down the pack he was courting and dragged the almost-fresh carcass of the lamb he'd procured to the borders. Once there, he tilted back his head and gave a loud howl, announcing his triumphant return alongside the presence of food - ringing the dinner bell, basically.
Beside the lamb were several saliva-soaked eagle feathers. Fus noticed that they were not very neat and began trying to groom the vanes back together. It wouldn't do to present rumpled feathers to the pack, even with a nice lamb to smooth things over.
PPing Shale in my posts.
the howl was enough to catch his attention, but the smell of fresh meat that went along with it, as aditya approached, sealed the deal. interest thoroughly piqued, he trotted up to the man with a kind expression etched into the lines of his face, smiling. he nodded down at the kill, a question in his eyes, before looking back at the stranger, tilting his head.
"welcome," he said warmly. "you come bearing food! that certainly gets you off on the right foot." pawsteps behind him had his ears swiveling back; he twisted to see shale right on his heels, looking a bit dour. the older man's countenance did brighten, however, upon spotting the kill. did these two know each other? aditya regarded his packmate in some puzzlement.
found him in the maplewood. upon explaining their arrangement, adi grinned, understanding. the more the merrier, anyway. he hadn't seen kuldip for some time, and was beginning to worry about the joiner. aditya, shaking off this negative sentiment (for now), turned back to the man. "well, it seems as if you've lived up to your word," he remarked. "what else can you offer morningside, besides hunting skills?"
Fus backed a few steps away from the kill as he was approached. There was the dour man that had repelled him from the maplewood, but with him was another that Fus did not know. He could not help but admire the burnished gold of his pelt, nor the eager wag of his tail as he observed the warmth and humor in his eyes.
"Not much else," he was sorry to admit, "I'm a fair fighter and I can watch borders as well as anyone, but hunting is my only real strength." Besides, he did not want to fashion himself a warrior in their eyes. He would sooner talk than fight, and he was not much one for talking, either.
"If you won't have me, keep the lamb in good favor," he said to the pair, not wanting to worry about him taking it badly. "But pray, direct me elsewhere if you can. My roaming days are past me."
with a murmured farewell, shale departed the scene, leaving aditya and the stranger--and the lamb at their paws--staring at each other. adi smiled, shaking his head. "we'll take you and the lamb, too," he said amiably. "i'm not of the mind to turn away someone who's brought us food, especially with all the mouths we have to feed."
thus invited, aditya stepped aside, allowing the man to step over the border if he so chose. "what's your name?" he queried. "i am aditya. the man you spoke with in the maplewood is shale." no wonder shale had been so keen to bring this man to dawnlark plains; his litter was the biggest of all, and growing like weeds. they'd pick apart this lamb in mere seconds, if their stomachs were as big as their appetites.
There was something about the man - a goodness that Fus could not wholly wrap his head around - that made the northerner certain he'd found a place with the right people. Shale had thrown him, somewhat, with his starveling features and burning eyes, but meeting Aditya had smoothed over all his worries. The tawny man stepped aside in welcome, and Fus stepped toward him with his head bowed, tail whisking and ears splayed to either side.
"Fus," he replied, settling a paw over the lamb's body. "Where should I put this, Aditya?" The name tripped him up for a moment, but he didn't embarrass himself by mispronouncing it or stuttering. Even though addressing the man as such sent and odd ripple down his spine. It was the beginning, he thought. This would not be the last time he would ask for direction, for orders. Tell me what to do, and I will do it. Somehow - with his eyes, with his smile, with the sun the gleamed off the cinnamon in his pelt - he had won Fus's allegiance.
"fus," aditya repeated, grinning. short and sweet. at the man's question, he nodded slowly, thinking. "we'll take it to a cache. i'll show you where the nearest one is. follow me?" he offered, still looking over his shoulder as he began to pad away. trusting that fus would follow, he still kept his pace slow; lambs weren't the lightest of game to lug around.
"our pups are grown, and wandering around the territory freely; still, i'd warn you against going near the whelping dens," adi continued, voice pitched enough that fus could hear him. the time had passed where the children were defenseless, but the mothers still were fierce enough to let fus have it, should he approach without permission. "you should stay close to me until you're a more full-fledged member of morningside; i'll be your mentor. come to me with any questions or concerns you might have."