Two Rivers Isle But please, don't bite.

Amos strayed from his usual path for one reason -- the desire to leave his life as a loner and get to know others. He had made a few friends in his past, but they were soon departed once he resumed his trek throughout the wilds. This time, he felt it necessary to settle down with a pack, though "settling down" wasn't quite the right phrase to describe it. He assumed that pack life would be much more hectic in its own ways, that was for certain.

The burly male trod carefully, taking note of the growing scent of a border, or at least he assumed it as so. He knew enough from common sense that a sane wolf didn't walk over a scent this distinguished. If he were to do so, he may as well be asking for death. He stopped before it, thinking over again what he was about to do.

This was it. This was the pack that he was about to join, though he had no idea if he'd like it or not. In fact, he had no idea about any of the packs in the area, except for a bit about Cicero's pack when he had stumbled across the other male. Amos sent out a low howl for whomever was in charge before dropping his head back down. The ebony male stood standing in wait for anyone to show up, not letting his demeanor show that he was slightly concerened of how things would play out.

The speckled male had been attempting to fill the caches as much as he could before a howl pierced the silence. The sound was like a beacon to him. Swiftly, he trotted through the territory, which he had grown comfortable with.

Issun's paws had taken him to the border, where he could see a stranger awaiting on the other side of their river. He must have been a possible recruit. The male knew that if that was the case, Malice or Burke were the ones to see, but Issun swam towards the male anyways.

As he emerged from the water, he took no time walking towards the other male. "Hello," he greeted with a nod, "What do you seek?"

Her encounter with Nico that morning had left her...well, she did not know exactly how it had left her. When she had vomited all over him, she strongly suspected she had rid her body of whatever was doing her ill. The nausea had subsided substantially, though the weakness and a reoccurring headache still plagued her at times. She had rested in her den most of the day, lending her strength, but she knew that it would still be some time before the illness was completely purged. 

She had woken up thirsty, and with thoughts of Nico still plaguing her, the headache but a dull pain now. And so she had made her way to the rivers, sating her thirst in the cool, clear waters. When she was refreshed, she lifted her head and sighted further down the river, eyeing a dark wolf as he approached. She watched carefully, hoping that he would not try to cross. She was in no shape to drive off an intruder, no matter how she slowly improved. 

But he stopped, howling for leadership, and she relaxed. Lashing her tail behind her, she trotted down the river until she stood nearly across from him. But Issun beat here, she stiffled an annoyed look before drawing up the opposite side of the river. Tail and ears raised, she looked over him briefley, making sure there were no obvious injuries, scars or odd features. Issun had swam across, she regarded him cooly. She was none to impressed with the male, he had proved a good fighter, but had not been as active as Shink within the pack. He spoke to the other, Aeronwyn calling out soon after. "Greetings. My Lord, or Lady, should be here shortly. What is it that you seek?"  she echoed his words, eyeing the male and wondering why he had swam out to greet the other. She would have found out his intentions before crossing the river.

Amos could make out another figure; he appeared from the other side of the river in which he stood near to. He was a speckled male -- or at least that's what he could see from where he stoof. Amos could not help but raise a brow in surprise as the male immediately got into the water, swimming to the other side with ease. Maybe swimming was a skill he would have to pick up soon.

He greeted the unfamiliar face with a quick nod of the head, amber eyes fleeting but connecting with the other male's gaze for a few seconds. A full on glare would probably be taken as hostile, but he couldn't help taking note of the other man's features out of curiousity. What do you seek? The other male queried after his greeting.

"I would like to join your pack," he spoke evenly, straightening his posture not in a show of dominance, but at least to make himself seem a bit more dignified. He stood silently, assuming he had said his part and was now supposed to wait for an answer. Much to his surprise, another wolf had arrived, her appearance starkly in contrast with him and the male. He gave her a nod of acknowledgement, assuming his response would answer her question as well.

Edited to acknowledge @Aeronwyn since I posted right after her and didn't see the post!

Burke wasn't too far off, but it seemed that he wasn't the first to arrive to the river where a new wolf had presented himself. The male was greeted by the sight of Issun and Aeronwyn. It gave him great confidence that these members were already here before him. It meant their defenses were strong even though they were not the biggest pack in members.

Burke's docked tail was raised high, as was his head. It was clear he was in charge her. The older male walked through the river and stopped between his members, looking over the dark wolf that asked to join. "Welcome. This pack works with trades, and rewards those ambitious enough to become a scholar here," he explained. "What are the trades you like to be doing if you were amongst our ranks?"

Burke did not give his name yet, or the name of the pack. He rather kept his own name secret until they joined. Surely he could not keep his name from being out there, but if he could prevent it as much so that word wouldn't reach black feather he was happy.

Yet another wolf had arrived, a seemingly well-respected male a bit older than Amos himself. His ears pressed forward as the male spoke of trades and ambition, both of which he was familiar with. He cleared his throat, thinking of what services he could offer. He'd better make himself seem impressive if he wanted a shot at joining the pack, though overdoing it was distasteful.

"I'm not too rusty when it comes to fighting," he said gruffly. He was both bulky and sturdy, assets that aided him in combat. "I can also offer my services in hunting. I'm not particularly spectactular, but I have been able to feed myself in the past." He wasn't a stunning hunter, and his skills could be written off as normal -- but not terrible.

Amos couldn't think of anything else to say. He fell silent, waiting for a response from any of the wolves that had come to question him.

Issun turned to Aeronwyn's direction as she spoke across the river, wondering the same thing as him. He was pleased that the male was interested in joining. They could always use numbers and a variety of skills in their pack.

Burke had not been to far behind, for he had arrived to the scene quickly. The speckled male stayed silent as the two exchanged words. Issun was happy to hear the recruit was interested in combat. The two would have to spar sometime.

The other spoke of being both a hunter and fighter, conman trades, it seemed. They had not one who pursued the hunting trade as of yet, and while the other said of himself to be no great hunter, he could, perhaps learn more with time. He seemed alright to her, but looked to Burke for his approval. Hunters were always needed, no matter the pack nor season, and before they knew it, late summer would turn to Autumn, and Autumn to winter. They needed hunters to get through the cold months, pack members to have better chance at prey.

Burke nodded when the other spoke of his ambitions. The male thought about his words. "The art of fighting seems to be in most of our members. We do have quite a few squires already, with our Warlord standing before you," he spoke motion to Aeronwyn. Technically they might need to change that that to a female version, though he wasn't sure if Aeronwyn would even mind. "And one of our squires standing at my other side."

"Hunter on the other hand is always welcome," he spoke. The male would know that they already had some wolves that wanted the mercenary trade but Burke wasn't going to reject someone because they also wanted to be a fighter. If Black Feather would ever find out they were located here they would need to have a lot of loyal fighters. "Do you look away from hard work?," he asked, he wanted to hear it from the male. "Then you are welcome to join our ranks. You will have enough members to spar with at least."

Amos listened closely, feeling a bit dissapointed when he learned that the squire trade was highly sought after. It didn't discourage him for long though, since there was nothing wrong with having a lot of fighters in a pack. Ears pressed forwards at the alpha's introductions, Amos took note of how powerful the she-wolf must be. Afterall, she was a "Warlord", which he could guess was a very high rank. Amos gave the girl a respectful nod, turning to the squire to do the same.

It was welcoming news that the hunter trade was encouraged, though he found himself wishing now more than ever that he had better skills when it came to hunting. He looked over attentively at the Alpha's next question, taking in each word.

"No matter the complexity of the work, I get it done," he stated coolly but not with arrogance. This was his time to prove his worth, and the male would not mess it up by seeming brash.

Ah, yes. The respectful nod was good, very good. Aeronwyn thought herself not one easily bribed with flattery, nor especially arrogant or vain, but respect, in her books, paid off well. And so she approved of this one, the way of which he spoke, but still, remained silent at the moment. This was Burke's decision, not hers, and she knew her boundaries. Not since the meeting with the other group attempting their own claim had she spoken out when her leaders were fully capable of speaking themselves, and she did not wish to cause angst in their choice of promoting her. "Good." she said quietly, but firmly. One who could handle their own weight was always good. She said this so that only those nearest to her would hear it, but in her mind, she already approved of the other.

Burke approved of his words and then nodded. "Alright, Welcome to Arthendal," he greeted. "I am Burke," he added. The older grey male watched the black male briefly. "We keep to our own, and Do not mention my name or our pack's name or location to anyone. We don't like others to know who we are. They don't need to know," he added, his tone was very serious and it was clear it was not to be messed with.

"Welcome," he spoke and turned around in the river, letting this male pass into their territory as their newest member of the pack.