Sunbeam Lair I walk this empty street on the Boulevard of Broken Dreams

@Asterr

 The world that had been spinning had finally slowed down. For the time being, anyway. The young wolf stood, as if she were a shadow without an owner. One more time, she licked her lips, before sending a weak, muffled-like howl where she immediately looked downwards, half in embarrassment and the other half, for submission. Still, it was the loudest sound she had produced since the attack; improvement. 


 She shuffled in her spot, staring at her jet black paws nervously. She was clear with the trades she wanted to pursue. Medic, Naturalist, and maybe scout. She couldn't even talk, so the scout trade would have to wait. Still, she had lots of time experimenting with the plants in Haunted Woods, so her knowledge wasn't so bad. 


 She was confident with her choice, and there was no backing out now. Even if she wanted to. Her grey and blue eyes scanned the land, ears twitching.

A few days had passed since her last visit to the broken girl she'd taken to mending, but it was not of a major concern. Physically, she'd improved considerably, and Asterr was certain that no further treatment would be necessary. Her lack of speech had continued to cause worry within the yearling, but she'd eventually grown used to it, accepting it as a new norm. Even still, she often wondered what the cause behind her silence was, but could never bring herself to look further into it. No, in her mind, doing so might only cause the both of them a great deal of stress, and such was something she'd wished not to do. Thus, the silence was accepted and rarely questioned, and words were carefully picked so that any responses could be given and understood. Lunae very well could have turned the dragoness into an expert of yes-or-no questions.

Asterr had been nestled beneath the canopy of an oak tree when a howl awoke her, the voice unrecognizable. Never before had she heard the other girl's voice, after all, and so she'd had no way of knowing right off the bat. The lack of recognition didn't really matter, of course, for she understood immediately that it was a summoning howl; her presence at the borders was being requested, and by an outsider. That had motivated her to wake fully and shake free her coat of any lingering debris, before setting out in the direction the call had come from. Her pace was moderate, body still waking up with each step taken, but she saw no issue with that. If the assumed stranger was unable to wait, then that would alert the chieftess to one of their less desirable traits. In part, her pace was the result of a plan, but it was also partially due to her having woken up only moments prior.

When the girl had finally gotten close enough to see the one that had called her, the ears atop her crown were quick to perk up. Even her expression seemed to brighten, though within there lingered a hint of concern. Had something happened? The rest of the distance between them was then closed as soon as possible, and an opportunity was taken to observe the other's body language. There was submission within the way that she stood, bringing forth a single question: "Have you come to join us?"

The familiar voice came after a moment, and her posture relaxed for a moment before becoming stiff again. Thankfully, the alpha asked a yes-or-no question, aware of her unable to talk. So, she nodded, as this was her purpose. Her tail lowered, respecting the she-wolf's high status. 

 The shadowy wolf knew about submission, due to her past (forming) pack, but she relied on mostly her instincts anyways. Again she licked her lips, even if she wasn't going to speak.

A nod, confirmation of her intentions for having called the chieftess. By then, Asterr knew well that the other could only respond to yes-or-no questions, which made the next part difficult. Normally, when speaking to a potential recruit, a series of queries would be presented, few of which were able to be answered by a nod or shake of the head. Needing to adjust the next section of their meeting, Asterr fell silent, a thoughtful expression scrawled across her face. While she'd said nothing, it was made clear by appearance alone that she was considering how she might word her next questions, having to think of a way that would allow for the other to answer. It was not as simple as one might expect it to be, having to mend together some sort of makeshift style of questioning. Clearly, the girl was not a questioner for polygraph tests.

"Have you given any thought towards what you might like to do while with us?" she began. "Any trades you have considered pursuing?" She knew not yet how she might go about figuring out exactly which trades, if any, the girl was most interested in. Perhaps a game of charades would be in order, or some other method would need thought up. It would be a slight struggle, if only because conversing with a mute was still so new to her.

The docile little Ember had been stumbling around Ryujin all day, and now had a bundle of chamomile that Asterr had taught her how to find in her mouth. Only by the sight of her alpha's footprints did she find the odd scene, a strange dark woman nodding at her alphess. "U-Uh this may not be the greatest time but I brought you some chamomile. I didn't know how to find where to put it, heh. Um, hi there!" She first spoke to her alpha, then the stranger, giving a bright smile.

Lunae had practiced drawing a leaf shape into the ground, and was about to, when another voice appeared. The shadowy wolf blinked, trying to decipher if she had heard the voice before. She would have to go with no, but the plant seemed familiar. 

 Dipping her head as a greeting, she also gave a small smile, before she attempted to get her focus back on Asterr. It was weird, she had to admit, to see another wolf. Her mismatched eyes caught a glimpse of red fur, which must've been the wolf. 

 Instead of going on, she patently waited for the red wolf and Asterr to talk. After all, this red wolf was part of her pack, top priority.

As she'd been awaiting a response from the darkling, another presence had made herself known. Sorrel was there, carrying along chamomile between her jaws, and had addressed the leading figure right away. A glance was offered to her, but Lunae held the larger portion of her attention, still. The words, however, had served as a reminder that the ember was still in need of more lessons, for the proper technique for storing away the various plants had not yet been taught. With that in mind, her muzzle tilted in the younger's direction, observing her for a brief moment before speaking. "I will teach you how to properly store everything at a later date," she'd stated, her words direct so that she might be able to focus entirely upon the mute once more. "For now, please wait." She'd said nothing of how the outsider could not speak, as it'd gone over her head entirely. Having been seeing the unnamed girl for so long, she'd forgotten that others might not be aware of her silence.

"You have my attention once again," Asterr voiced, the words directed towards Lunae. "Let me know of what trades you might be interested in. If you must act it out, that is fine." She'd smiled, then, silently offering some moral support. How difficult it must be, going through life unable to be truly heard. But, in a way, perhaps the lack of words was for the better. A body's natural reactions could tell no lies, but a mouth could. As she'd thought that, a problem came to mind, one of which she could not solve right away. "If you can think of any way to do so, I would appreciate it if you could give your name." Or a name, if there was no way of acting out her current one.

It was easy, because she had practiced. First a curve, then another one, and finally a little line going out. A leaf, shaky, but still visible. Her eyes were focused on the little drawing on the ground, unaware if the red wolf would stay or not. 

 She would struggle to draw something to represent a naturalist, her ears pricking up when Asterr asked for her name. Her name. Lunae Lupus Libertatem. Of the moon. Something she held close to herself, after all that, she wouldn't abandon. 

 After a long moment of brainstorming, she finally did the obvious. Backing away from the leaf, and now, the moon; so Asterr could see the two (shaky) drawings. An audible breath left her lips, an attempt to calm her jittery nerves.

Minor pp of sending Sorrel off on her way, just so she isn't forgotten in the background~
Also, assuming Lunae drew a crescent, since a full moon would just be a circle, lmao. PM me if you'd meant for it to be a full, though!

Asterr observed as the other seemed to begin drawing in the dirt, her lines shaky, but it was suspected that the point would be gotten across. While she'd worked on that, the chieftess had looked to the small ember, silently dismissing her—a request the younger wolf had then honoured. It was a matter that was meant to be settled between the yearling and the one she'd previously been looking after, something that did not demand any outside parties getting involved. Surely, yes, a time would come in which the tribe would need to meet her, but it was not yet that time. To wait for that they must, as the darkling had yet to even be officially accepted in. Honestly, it was doubtful that she'd be turned away, but even still, such situations needed to go through the correct channels so as to ensure favouritism was never suggested.

When the drawings had been completed and the female welcomed to view them, she'd wasted no time in working to interpret their meanings. The leaf, which had first caught her attention, could imply several things. Medic, botanist, toxicologist... Really, there was no proper way in which she could properly narrow it down, so she'd chosen to go with the only one she felt could be assumed. "An interest in plants, yes? I am sure you would make a fine botanist," she'd voiced, offering a smile before glancing to the other scribble. It appeared to be a crescent, and given the time between when that one was made and the first, she'd assumed it to be related to the girl's name in some way. How, though, she did not know for sure. "Moon?" the dragoness questioned. "Crescent? Are either of those your name?" Truthfully, never would she be able to guess the other wolf's given name.

its great!!!

 The first drawing was fine, even if it looked like she drew it with a... um, leaf. But, when Asterr had said 'Moon' her ears perked up in recognition. She would gladly accept the name, as she dismissed the other suggestion. 

 Lunae could see nothing but the ground, as the Earth had bloomed in a few months. Her breathing was steady, though her heart was slightly loud. It was more excitement than panic, but either way, she was mostly focused.

A in her body language had not been made, nor her expression altered, that might suggest Asterr had been incorrect in her assumption that the girl was interested in botany. Such a skill would most definitely be beneficial to the tribe, especially when it came to teaching those who were also interested in plants and their usages—of course, that was assuming the darkling already had some knowledge on plant life, and would not need any lessons for herself, first. If that wasn't the case, however, Asterr would not be against teaching her, though her own specialty did not revolve around plants as a whole just yet. She was a herbalist at heart, after all, and so the majority of her knowledge revolved around herbs with medical properties, rather than flora as a whole. Thus, the chieftess smiled, content with the answer she'd been given; it was more that she was content with the response she'd assumed, actually, if one wished to be technical.

When the moon had been brought into question, it'd seemed to have gotten a physical response out of Lunae. "Moon, yes? A lovely name," she'd said, once more growing content with how well things appeared to be going. Even if 'Moon' was not her legitimate name, it was clear that it was close enough to be acceptable, and that was all the dragoness could hope to acquire from the muted girl. "I am certain you are eager to complete this so that you might rest, but I have but a single question more for you to answer." The interest the girl was believed to hold was enough to satisfy the young leader, as was the fact that she'd not given up with answering despite the troubles faced. A willful girl she was, the type Asterr would enjoy having within her ranks. "Will you give to us your loyalty? Both the tribe as a whole and myself as an individual?" the yearling would ask, falling silent directly after as she observed the potential member. The demeanor exhibited was watched closely, as was her head in preparation for a nod or a shake.

Lunae nodded without hesitation. She owed Asterr her life, and so, she will return the favour with her undying loyalty. She knew there may be risks in the decision, but she didn't falter whatsoever. This would become her life, her home. Home. 

 And, faintly, she could hear a particular voice. But no one spoke, so it was a thought she was hearing; Asterr's. 'You will do well,' she could hear the yearling think (or so she believed).

Added you to the ranks~ You can wrap this up with one more post and then go ahead and archive<3

Naught but a blink of an eye, and the younger was nodding. Acceptance of the conditions had been exhibited, earning from the dragoness her approval. The darkling, though mute and young still, showed promise from the start; ever since she'd survived her presumed encounter with a bear—even still, Asterr had no confirmation that it'd been a bear, but scents didn't lie. Thus, the distance between them was closed, the yearling's comportment cordial and open, an air of acceptance about her. Once close enough, she'd gently pressed her muzzle to Moon's shoulder, allowing it to linger there for a second longer than necessary before pulling away. "With your loyalty given, I welcome you into Ryūjin, Moon" she'd stated, smiling all the while as she looked upon the other. It still brought her joy to see that she had healed, and well enough, too, to be up and moving effortlessly.

Directly after, the girl stepped to the side, motioning for the other to cross the threshold into the tribe's claim. "For the time being, please make sure you are familiarizing yourself with the lair. I am sure you will make for yourself a family here." With that, the dragoness would begin walking, moving forward with the belief that she was being followed. Through the territory the other would be led if she were to follow, being shown the water source and the like, before being left to rest near to the heart of their claim.