The Sunspire Stalking? Merely curious

All welcome but hoping for @Malice or @Cogitemus

A yawn escaped the maw of the torbie female, reflecting back to her journey from the coastline into the mountains as she trotted quite subdued along a cleft of rock. Beside her, rolling stretches of snow blanketed the vale, adding a serene touch to the landscape. Pretty as it was, Renn wasn't here for the scenery. The trail of two wolves cut delicately through the terrain, ones she had been following since her travels began, and she continued to shadow the scents.

The land began to slope upwards until Renn was able to make out a jut of rock up ahead. If she wanted to advance her search for the canines, she'd have to carry on. Twitching her tail at the annoyance of a probable climb, she continued onwards before leaping the remaining distance onto a shallow ledge. A trail veered off to her left, presumably the path her guides had takes, so she loped her way along. After a few minutes, the terrain began to flatten out, leaving Renn on gaze down upon a rocky canyon. A ghost of a smile played across her features as she realised this must be where the two canids had decided to settle.

Your wish has been granted! *Insert awesome hand waving technique here*

The dark queen made her way up a higher place, again looking around for possible followers. They already had a few interested in the matter, but the more the merrier! The view here was breathtaking, and it made her pause for a moment as she took in the sight. What a perfect place. She was not a fan of climbing, nor mountains as a whole, but this place had everything they needed.

As she was thinking about the future, the wind turned, blowing a scent her way. It was not one of her possible members, nor her lover, so it had to be someone bold enough to linger around the canyon despite there being enough signs that there were inhabitants. She shrugged, her nose already on the ground to follow the female scent. While their claim wasn't official in any way, she still wanted to protect these lands against intruders.

Not long after her climb to a higher part of the mountain, a black presence was standing right there, looking over their possible home. 

Hello? The dark queen called out to the stranger, wanting to ask what she was doing here. And, who knows, maybe she was interested in joining. 

The man followed behind Malice, when another wolfs scent caught his attention. The male looked over to the wolf his lover had greeted. He dipped his head at the new wolf. "Ahoj, jsem Cogitemus." He said. Hopefully this loner was looking for some company.

Standing at the summit, Renn overlooked the tumbling golden river of rock, her fur rippling in the breeze. Her optics narrowed but her tail  twitched in excitement as she caught sight of two shadows travelling across the scenery towards her. Could these be the canines she had followed? She flared her nostrils and breathed in their scent, sweet and strong and judging by the was they pressed their pelts together, they were mates or at least lovers, she thought. A questioning yip pierced the cool winters air, a simple 'hello', a greeting. Padding a little warily to the edge of the cleft, she returned the call.

"Greetings, " the femora replied, her posture neutral, not wanting to reveal any weaknesses or strengths. When she had ran with her birth pack, she had gained knowledge through the experience of her alphas who dealt with strangers seriously but with respect. Now it was time for her to put those abilities to the test. "I'm Renn," she added, "I've heard roumers of a new pack beginning to form." Hopefully she'd said nothing wrong by stating the facts.

The dark queen didn't glance at her lover as he greeted the stranger, her yellow gaze fixated on the dark female. It was not every day that they found someone interested in their place, though she hoped there would be more in the future. The stranger stood on equal grounds as the two lovers, showing no signs of a threat nor a desire to submit to them. But, they were on neutral grounds, so the spawn of Satan couldn't call her out on her actions. She was cruel, but fair. This girl hadn't done anything to anger her.

The dark girl chipped a nice greeting, followed by her name and Malice nodded, a faint smile on her features. She knew about their plans of wanting to start a pack, something that seemed off to the daughter of Lucifer. Had someone told her? If so, who had been so stupid to tell a stranger something of such great value? What if she had been from a pack in the area, and she had told her whole pack about it so that they could destroy their new, kind of established home? The queen didn't know, but was sure to ask around once they were settled and done.

The rumors are right. She responded blankly, wondering if the stranger had traveled here to join. I am Malice. Malice Lanius. She introduced herself, pausing after to let Cog introduce himself as well if he wanted to.

What has brought you here?

He was surprised on how friendly the girl was. He nodded, the rumors were true. "The rumors are true, and following up with Malices question, what brought you here?" He asked. This girl seemed eager to see them, which was actually nice to see. He glanced over her, it seemed like the wolves they recruited were all black, but it was his favorite color, and it was nice to have an elusive color.

"You'd be surprised at how far a simple bark can travel when at the coast," she spoke, still keeping a neutral posture. As far as she knew, no current packs roamed the canyon so surely she wasn't trespassing. As she listened to the wolves introduce themselves, she too noticed that they both bore dark pelts. Maybe that was good, maybe not, but their pigments would definitely melt into the shadows.

Lowering her gaze in a slightly submissive manner, she continued to answer the others question. "I wish to be a part of your following," she stated simply, wondering if it was enough to satisfy the dark queen. Probably not. But she was young and hadn't had much experience with formal encounters like these.

At the coast? Had this stranger followed them all the way to the mountains? She raised an eyebrow at the other girl's words before questioning it. At the coast you say? Have you've been following us? She asked, not angry, just curious. This stranger was getting more and more weird by the minute, though she liked the new kind of encountering. If the wolf had followed them, it showed great dedication and patience since the dark queen had no idea they had been followed.

She finally showed signs of wanting to submit to the pair, something that was highly appreciated. It was nice to have wolves around that understood the hierarchy. As she requested to join them, Malice had already been thinking about recruiting her, but this made the matter a lot more simple. Though they couldn't take in any lone wolf lingering around the mountain while gaining nothing, so she had to ask her about her possible skills or desires to get one.

What can we call you? She asked, pausing for her to answer before moving on to the next question. What will you be able to offer us? Skills, desires, dedication? Though she didn't find skills to be that important, she was interested in what others were capable of. Desires and dedication to the pack's well-being were a bit more important to the queen.

He cocked his head. "Have you been following us?" He asked, not rudely, though it did make him take a step closer to Malice. He flicked his tail, and waited for an answer. It wouldn't be a big deal, but he wanted to know.

Flicking her ears from side to side, the femora regarded the sudden rush of questions. It came to no surprise really that the dark pair were so intrigued about her, seeing as she had, to them, randomly showed up in the place they would soon call home. "In answer, yes I did decide to shadow you," she replied and, sensing the couples growing wariness, tucked her tail between her legs in yet another obvious sign of submission. It felt slightly strange submitting to two strangers she barely knew but if she was to become part of their pack, she knew a respectful bond was necessary.

"As for skills," she continued, moving onto the dark queens second question, "All I can really vouch for is my unwavering loyalty. Yes I may seem to have the mindset and framework of a hunter but I have little experience in the trade." She paused, choosing her words carefully."I am, however, willing to learn to increase my knowledge and abilities. As soon as she spoke, she realised she had portrayed herself as rather weak and useless, far from what she was hoping to achieve. "And please, call me Renn." Her stomach churned as she awaited the pairs response.

It came as almost no surprise to have her thoughts comfort by the stranger, but she was impressed by this wolf's stalking. She had the ability to become a spy or scout, seeing as how she had followed them without them knowing anything. The girl showed yet another sign of wanting to submit, leaving the queen free to relax her muscles as well as her mind. It seemed no-one here was picking a fight. And, more importantly, it made her trust the stranger a bit more. You're quite the shadow then, true spy material if you ask me. I had no idea another presence was near us the whole time.

Next came the answer to her second question. Her saying she was loyal was more than enough to increase her changes of getting in, but of course, actions spoke louder than words. She would keep the stranger to her words, but she had yet to see if this wolf was a being capable of keeping their promises. Her lack of traits was not the deciding factor if she would get in or not, seeing as how she was open for new knowledge. Perhaps the other members could teach her how to hunt or another trade she desired, but that was in the future.

Yes, the queen had made up her mind. She would let the wolf that introduced herself as Renn be a part of their pack. If, of course, Cog was okay with it too. He had not spoken much in the conversation, but showed no signs of being disinterested in the new face.

We ask nothing more than loyalty and a desire to join us, though your lack of skills is no problem. It's a shame you think of yourself as having no skills at all, despite your hunter one, as I am sure you have potential for many. She commented, already hinting at what must come next. I would like you to join us, if my lover here,Cogitemus, is okay with it too. She said, giving him a small look, a smile on her muzzle.

So she was following them, that was amazing for her to believe her skills were little to none. He shook his head. "Renn, I believe you possess a very doby talent in spy work." He said. "Doby mean good, but I really think that spy work is your calling, and you should work on it." he spoke. The girl was very good, it was amazing not even truly feel her presence.

He statement about loyalty didn't mean much to him. "I believe you think you can show loyalty, but what is important is choosing your loyalty to the pack over your own needs. This pack will be tight, and very family like if the rules of loyalty are followed. Loyalty can only be shown, not told." He spoke. His words were wise, but true. If this pack was to stay together, they needed to trust each other.

Malice spoke truth in her confidence, or lack of. "You need to get a greater self confidence, no one is here to hurt you." He said. "You can always come to me to talk, but I do agree, I think you should be apart of Moonlit hills. I can give you small spy missions, and offer you a bit of training in spywork, so come to me, or I'm sure Malice, if you need anything."

Their words were wise and full of truth and as Renn listened, she began to understand just how important trusting and believing in yourself really was. And spywork? Wow, she hadn't expected to be praised for stalking the dark pair. "I will take your advise and try my best to follow up my talent in undercover work," she decided, trying to ignore the bubbles of doubt floating around her head. It would take time but Renn was up for the challenge.

Still averting her gaze, the torbie femora padded forward, picking her way down from the summit to stand within the enclosed walls of the Canyon. What would her mother do now? She shook her pelt slightly, ignoring the enquiery and continued forward, stopping just in front of the dark queen and her mate. "I promise that I'll live up to my word of loyalty," she pledged, "And put the needs of the pack before my own. Thank you for accepting me as a part of your following, She finished and leant forward to give each wolf a respectful lick on the shoulder.

1 more post from the both of you probably, and this can be archived! Renn, are you familiar with fading? If so you could, if not I can always post once more.

The queen smiled brightly, something she didn't do very often, but this was kind of a special moment for her and for the pack itself. They now had a new member, one that would go deeper in on her talent as a spy. As she stepped forward, the new face spoke, pledging her loyalty. It was a treat for the queen's ears to hear, though only time would tell if the new member would keep her promises.

Thank you for showing interest into joining us on this journey. She said, accepting the new member's way of showing respect. Would you like a tour of the area, or rather explore on you own?

The man gave a small smile, and tilted his head. "Thanks for following us Renn." He joked. He listened to Malice. "Why don't we let her eat for today Malice, and either you or I can go out and give her a tour." he said, giving the girl a glance. "We have a small prey pile, take your pick." he said. Even if the girl wasn't hungry, she should eat a bit. She traveled a long ways, he should know, he and Malice made the same trip.

Attempting to fade out this thread. Hope this is ok! :)

A slight smile played out across her features as the torbie female nodded her consent to the dark couple and began to turn away. For the first time in her life, she had actually achieved something worth feeling proud of. Behind her, the murmurs of the others still captured a fraction of her attention but she had other matters to attend to. 

Locating the prey that they had mentioned, she bend down, clamping a rabbit firmly in her jaws. It was true, her stomach had begun to growl and after her long treck, she was craving for a chance to unwind and replenish her strength. A slab of horizontal rock offered a comfortable spot to eat so she leapt up, settling down with her quarry between her paws.

The next few days would be an absolute mystery to her but she knew the forming pack would have to decide on many important things which could deeply affect the success of the group in the future. Whilst she had been contemplating her thoughts, she had absent mindedly made quick work of her meal which was, by now, a half eaten carcass. She shook her pelt again and rose once more to stand, snagging the remainder off her rabbit and trotting away to finish eating in peace.