Stone Circle house of cards

@Steady, @Valette and @Grayday :)

she didn't know what she'd expected when she first decided to leave her pack in the middle of winter - looking back on it, she supposed that it had been a very rash decision of sorts, and not one that should be made in the spur of the moment, like hers had been. but back then, she thought she could handle it. after all, wolves were supposed to be winter animals, and her family had always been the wolves of the north and winter. what she didn't expect was this. this wasn't the winter she knew, though, in fairness, this was probably the first winter she would remember clearly, so what did she know? but still, there was something strange, and wren, who normally tried not to let stuff like this bother her too much, was bothered.

her thick northerner fur kept her insulated, but there was little food that she could easily find and she soon found that hunger was possibly her worse enemy. she felt a twinge of regret, and swallowed harshly. no, wren refused to let other wolves intimidate her and rule her life - this was her life after all, and she could only ever have one life. and she was going to live it her own way, not the way that her parents wanted her to, nor anyone else. 

it was bright, the snow was thick, and the wind was harsh. but wren kept going. she had to; she simply didn't have a choice if she wished to survive. so when the faint scent of a pack managed to catch her attention, wren made her way there as quickly as possible, hoping to get there before the sun dipped beneath the horizon. she was lucky. now, standing a respectable distance away from the borders, she tilted her head back and announced her presence, as well as her purpose in a polite and respectful manner.

then, wren waited. posture shifting easily into a submissive position. but nervousness pricked at her heart, and anxiety and worry fluttered and wriggled around in her stomach - this was her first time joining a pack, and she was immensely afraid of screwing it up.

Leaving den's in the midst of such harsh weather was rather daft, but Mara wasn't sure how much longer she could room with two males, especially one of such flirtatious nature. She, admittedly, was extremely afraid of anything romantic after her awful luck with men in the past. So, she left and roamed the quite freezing weather, back to square one when it came to finding a suitable den. The femme wandered the Hollow, paws growing numb mere minutes after exiting Remy's and Camlo's den. If only she wasn't such a skittish woman, she wouldn't be freezing her tail off.

Winds seemed to pick up, causing her eyes to close with every gelid sting the breeze brought against her face. It wasn't long until a howl was carried with the breath of winter, and her ears lifted in the direction. For a moment she considered leaving it to the leaders of Easthollow, but she also feared they wouldn't bother to leave their den's in the harsh cold attacking anyone stepping amongst it. 

Mara forced herself in the direction of the potential new recruit, it was insane how many they got with Chaska's leave. With the exit of two, came the entrance of four. Now, possibly five. It would have been six if Camlo's smart-mouthed friend wasn't so sarcastic to Steady, though she was welcome to join again in the Spring. It wasn't much longer until the camoflauged wolfess was visible despite the environment concealing her. She stepped towards the border, glancing at the stranger. "Hello," even with the cold she managed to send her a smile, "are you looking for a home?" Of course, Mara was in no state to accept anyone, but she didn't want to leave her stranded.

she waited and waited, and though she tried to suppress her emotions, tried to tell herself that everything would be fine, she found that fear's grip on her was much stronger than she'd anticipated and wren soon found herself succumbing to the soft and malicious whispers that tickled her ears and forced liquid anxiety to run through her veins. still, the yearling didn't give up. she stood there, resilient, quietly waiting, hoping that she wouldn't be left alone somehow. though, if so, the likelihood was that she would wait unitl someone came.

however, wren didn't need to wait long. soon, a figure appeared in the distant and as it drew closer, she identified it as an agouti woman. unconsciously, the arctic girl shifted so her posture was a tad bit more submissive than it had been before - perhaps, she was trying to increase her chance of getting in and gaining their favour. awkwardly, the girl returned the smile - she'd never been good with strangers..she'd always been a bit socially isolated and shy, but she managed. "hi," wren said, clearing her throat in an adorably awkward manner. "yes, I'm looking for a home," she nodded, then looked sheepishly away. "sorry for calling in this weather," wren apologised meekly, shuffling her paws. 

"i'm an aspiring gamekeeper, warrior and healer. and i can scout as well," she offered.

Instantly there was something Mara and Wren shared, being somewhat shy and awkward. The only reason she managed to walk towards the stranger was for the good of the pack, and for the newcomer. Lately, the last few weeks had been awkward, and especially the last few days with all the outsiders whom she hadn't spoken too joining their ranks. Fortunately, she was on the better end now, no longer the newbie. The ivory wolfess was obviously slightly uncomfortable, whether it be the freezing weather or nervous encounter with a fear of rejected. Either way, Mara would strive to create a more pleasant atmosphere. 

"No apologies needed," The Delta insisted, holding a sweet grin. She opened her mouth, about to question the femme's name but was interupted by her rushed interview. Her ears lifted and she paused to listen to her skills, she had been a step ahead of Mara. Of course, she couldn't blame her, rushing through this to get to a safe place was understandable, but she couldn't be accepted without one of her leaders, nor would she tolerate someone just looking for a warm place to stay only to abandon them. They didn't need another one of those, especially with her past unloyalty. 

"That's plenty more trades than the average wolf." She exclaimed, her tone impressed. "What's your name?" 

Just as he'd suspected (feared), a blizzard had blown in overnight. A bad one. Day had gotten a good night's rest once the snow had piled up outside the den, closing off all sound except for the breathing of his family, but as soon as he'd woken up, it'd been work-work-work-work-work. As comfortable as the snow-wall had kept him and his family, he knew it was dangerous to allow it to build up too much. It'd taken the better part of an hour to burrow his way through to the surface, and then he'd used the rest of that hour to thaw out his aching paws.

Since then, he'd been checking in on the rest of his packmates, making sure there wasn't too much snow piling up. The storm was still blowing strong, so he took shelter often, returning to his own den for short periods of rest, and to drop off food for the kids.

The wind was howling so loudly that he hadn't even heard the call from the border. The only thing he knew was that Mara was out and about, and while he wasn't exactly worried about her, he did want to see if there was anything she needed. So he'd followed her trail and, to his surprise, came upon her and another standing upon the borders. It looked like they were speaking to one another, but Day couldn't hear a thing past the scream of the wind. He lowered his head against the gusts and loped toward the pair, intent on see what was the matter.

"Everything peachy?" he asked, coming up beside Mara and giving her a boop on the shoulder in greeting.

wren decided that there was something likeable about this girl. she wasn't quite sure what, but a part of her, a decidedly foolish part, seemed to have trusted her. the pack wolf smiled sweetly and and told her not to apologise to which wren responded with another shy smile, visibly relaxed and quietly, almost subconsciously, she muttered "sorry." then, she realised her mistake and almost apologised again, but quickly repressed it. instead, wren offered an apologetic smile.

"i'm still learning," wren replied almost immediately, not wanting to sound conceited or narcisstic by saying she held so many trades and skills. "i'm better at fighting and healing and scouting, but i mean, i can always learn. i'll adapt to whatever skills you currently require or need." she shifted her weight between her two paws. "i'm wren." 

another wolf approached, a stranger and a male, and he greeted the female pack wolf. instantly, wren shrank and her head lowered respectfully, remaining silent.

Steady had heard the howl, though it took him longer to get to the stranger due to the storm picking up energy. First the cold, then the ice, now a blizzard? How much was winter going to throw at them? And what wolf in their right mind would be out there in this? He sighed, making his way toward the trio. 

He walked up just in time to hear her confess her skills. She was slinking down rather low in the slow, submissive as she should be. But, Steady decided he wanted to see her skills in action. Come on then, he said, motioning her to stand, a grin coming to his maw. I'm up for a friendly spar. Sure, it was crazy to want to fight in the middle of this storm, but it added an interesting mix to the game, and the fight would help keep them warm.

Mara listened to Wren's words, nodding with an approving glance. Her ears shifted back as she heard another voice, onlt to feel a touch on her shoulder, her gaze shifted to the cloudy Beta and she smiled in his presence. "So far, yes." She then refocused on the wintry wolfess attempting to join. "Sounds good." 

It wasn't much longer until Steady arrived, his offer made her step back instinctively, not wanting to get involved in any sparring herself, no matter how little the chance would've been. She turned back to Wren, wondering if she would take the Alpha up on his suggestion. She truly liked the newcomer, and hoped to have her amongst their ranks. It was unfortunate she would be Kappa though, Mara knew well the awkward life of the lowest rank. 

She knew nothing would go out of hand, Steady was a responsible wolf, and Day could always attack if Wren ended up truly hurting anyone, but still the lingering idea of something wrong happening hovered around her mind.

Like Mara, Day stepped back as soon as Steady gave his idea. A spar did sound fun, but he'd challeneged the stranger, not his beta. There would be other chances for them, though, and Day found that he was interested in seeing the two of them in action. Maybe he'd learn something.

Day sat down beside Mara, tense and ready, but not too worried. Wren seemed like a nice wolf, and Day was sure that Steady could take her.

another wolf approached. dark furred and a male. quietly, wren observed that he appeared to be the leader, or at least one of the higher ranks given by the casual way in which he told her to spar with him, and in the way the two other wolves immediately backed away without saying anything to contradict him. warily, wren glanced around, nervousness squeezing her gut. but instead of giving in, she swallowed thickly and stood up with an air of resolute determination. 

in all honesty, wren wasn't that good at fighting. she was still learning..this was her first winter...but she knew that excuses weren't accepted here and so she didn't complain. "okay," she said, returning his grin with a shy smile. without saying anything else, her countenance shifted into one of intense concentration as her posture changed into a combative one; crown lowering to protect her neck, eyes fixed firmly on her larger, bulkier opponent. she began circling him, waiting for him to make the first move.

Mara Susi and Grayday both backed up, and Steady grinned. He wasn't nervous about getting into a spar with a stranger. One, he was confident of his abilities. Two, he had two pack mates here to back him up. Mara Susi wasn't a fighter, but he knew Grayday was, and he trusted the male would have his back. 

The female seemed hesitant at first, but accepted his offer, and even gave him a grin. His tail wagged, his blood beginning to flow from the excitement already. She circled him, and he turned in kind, watching her movements. It seemed she wasn't going to make the first move, but that wasn't a problem. 

Suddenly, Steady jerked his body forward, making it seem like he was going to go straight for her. At the last second, he turned and attempted to shove his shoulder into her hips to try to knock her off balance. Hit or miss, he turned quickly after, to make his second strike, his jaws opened slightly as he went for her shoulder. Should he be successful, he would only mouth quickly and let go, a mock bite.

Mara's ears lowered to the back of her head, her eyes never shifting from the brawl in case anything out of line was to occur. Suspense started to build up at the ivory outsider began to circle Steady. At his sudden lurch forward she flinched slightly, though it wasn't until his second attack did she make the smallest whimper and instinctively hid her face, using Day as a shield. 

Violence was another thing she was rather scared of, along with relationships, and bears. She'd had too many mishaps in the past using brutailty, and it could no longer be a sport she enjoyed. Whether it be a harmless spar, or a grizzly attacking. 

She couldn't help but be a little embarrassed by her irrational fears, well at least she believed them to be - except the bears. Though any act of violence wasn't always something to be frightened of, nor close relationships, plenty of others weren't afraid of those things, why did she have to be?

The spar was exciting right from the get-go; Day had to refrain from cheering for one or the other. He couldn't quite make up his mind about who he'd rather see win this thing.

It came as a bit of a surprise when Mara seemed to shy away, going so far as to hide her face. Well, I guess it makes sense that a healer wouldn't want to see violence, he thought, giving the crown of her head a comforting lick - like he might do for Sunny or Dawn if they were having a nightmare.

His attention was quickly refocused on the match. As much as he'd like to comfort Mara, he had to worry about what was going on between the two battling wolves. If Wren stepped out of line, he needed to be ready to jump in.

the two other pack wolves faded quickly from her mind as the wolf she presumed to be the alpha began circling as well, carefully watching her movements, as she watched his. wren had always been particularly attentive during spars, and she'd been taught from a young age to notice feints and fake movements, and to only strike hard during the last second. so when steady charged and shifted suddenly, wren was able to dance nimbly out of the way, though she barely missed his jaws and she could feel his teeth graze her fur. 

that was close. way too close. 

wren withheld the urge to shiver. instead, she jerked forward immediately after his attack, her movements fluid and graceful, water-like, almost as if she was dancing, rather than fighting. feinting an attack on his shoulder, she changed at the last moment and went for his left forelimb, hoping to close her jaw gently around his paw so not to draw any blood whatsoever and jerk it gently to get him off balance. whether the attack worked or not, she would quickly move out of the way before his next move.

it was clear that her fighting style was more of a precise, hit and run rather than biting everywhere she could get her jaws on. she wasn't big like he was, nor was she as strong, so wren had to utlise her speed and grace, and that was exactly what she was doing.

She was fast, he learned quickly. She darted just out of his reach, and then immediately he saw her coming back at him. He jerked so that she would miss his shoulder, but she went for his foreleg instead. She got it, and he opened his jaws in an attempt to grab her scruff. If successful, he would be gentle, and release a moment later. 

He watched her, and realized she was more snake-like than anything. She seemed to watch every move he made, and she hit her target directly before moving away just as quickly in order to not get hurt herself. It was an effective tactic—one Steady had never used before. He instantly had respect for her then, and knew he would accept her into the pack. 

Suddenly, he paused, lifting his head. The spar, and test, was over. You're very good, he commended her with a nod and a grin. Welcome to Easthollow, he added. His tail wagged as he looked toward Grayday and Mara Susi, hoping they would relax now.

It became apparent very quickly that Wren wasn't looking to hurt anyone. Day still kept a close watch on her - a scared wolf would do all manner of things that they normally wouldn't, after all - but was no longer worried about having to jump in. Steady ended the match soon enough either way. It seemed that the girl had passed this test, and Day offered her a smile and a wag of his tail before glancing toward Steady.

"I should get back to my rounds," he entreated, seeking to be dismissed. If it had just been Wren and Mara, he would have dismissed himself, but it seemed rude to leave without explanation when Steady was around.

Mara relaxed when no one was harmed, and walked up towards the arctic Kappa and smiled wide, tail wagging. "Congratulations, welcome to Easthollow." She said with an upbeat attitude, there seemed to be more wolves piling in that she could tell would get along with well, like Akuti and the ghost-like mute.