Blacktail Deer Plateau cold

I saw that there was one more spot in Morningside, but if that isn't accurate feel free to chase her off! :D

It was early morning. The world was softly gray, soon to be brightened by the sunrise. Kaevo trotted swiftly in the fallen snow, not yet melted due to the below-freezing temperature. Her light pawprints lead to a plateau, clearly marked as the border of a pack.

winter had been harsh on her. she had not flourished as she had expected; there was little to eat and it was bitterly cold. it disappointed her to no end that she had not been able to thrive on her own - before the winter, Kaevo was good at being a loner. But not anymore. She was a lean she-wolf even in the warm season, but winter had carved out her ribs and hipbones. there was energy within her, but she grudgingly knew that in time, this would dwindle. as well.

Kaevo had never attempted to join a pack before. Pack life just wasn't her cup of tea; she was a wanderer at heart. at this point, however, she felt she had no choice but to live with others. The dark female heaved a deep, pissy sigh, threw her maw skyward and sang a song of summons. then, she sat in the snow to wait, leaning her weight against a large tree.

aditya was a little bit south of where the call had rang out, but upon it reaching his ears, he headed that way. a black-furred woman stood at the border, obviously awaiting someone. her scent was that it a lone wolf; he checked for a tall, out of habit. it was there. 

satisfied with that, aditya greeted her. "who might you be? what brings you to our border?"

likely a prospective joiner, he thought. the pack ranks were quite full, and he wasn't sure if they had room for her. but he would hear her out, and if her attitude and skills seemed more than adequate, perhaps they could find a space for her after all.

It wasn't  long before someone approached her - a large agouti  male with  an impressive tail. She wore a smile as she got to her feet, lowering her posture slightly. He had kind eyes, so that Kaevo  felt much more at ease than she expected to be. 

my name is kaevo, she began, giving  her tail a swish. it's  a cold winter, and I wondered of I could stay with your pack awhile, pathetic. She felt shame as she spoke, but tried not to let  it show. instead, the she wolf told him what she could offer the pack, aware that this was what he was most likely interested  in. I'm  a decent hunter. I can help with pups too, if there are any. oddly enough, the brat adored little ones and was quite good with them. She fell silent, waiting for his response.

he listened politely as she spoke. she seemed amiable enough, but fairly passive about her intentions. a short-term member might be acceptable in the summertime, but in the dead of winter, they needed everyone to stick around for the long haul and pull their weight. mouths to feed, after all. and aditya was on guard, especially seeing that southern wolf so close. what if this woman brought the same kind of calamity that the moonspear girl told dawn about?

he didn't used to be this cold, calculating but life in the north had changed him. hardened him. it wasn't just him to look out for, anymore, but an entire family. 

"what brought you here, in particular?" he asked, flicking an ear in curiosity. "there are two or three packs in the valley just south of here. why us?"

before she could answer, he added, "the wilds are a more dangerous place than i thought when i first came here. like you, i merely needed a place to stay. but loyalty is key, now. i would die for this pack. . .would you be willing to shed blood, to defend your new packmates?" 

his golden hawk's gaze fixed on her, waiting for her response.

im so sorry that this post is so messed up.  My phone wont let me edit it. Quoted text is speech

he wanted to hear that she wished to stay permanently,  rather than temporarily.  kaevo bit her lip in thought as a wave of anxiety crashed over her.  on the one hand, she was flattered to hear that they desired a long term member. but on the other,  she feared the confinement of pack life might smother her eventually. thus far the large male seemed cynical towards her despite his kind eyes. And this irritated her.

"i heard that your pack is close knit." she began.  "and that you're not afraid to rove around every now and then." these were truly the qualities that she sought in a pack,  and they were the reason for her presence here.  

his story was somewhat relieving. It was good to know that she was not alone in this experience.  A small smile appeared on her long muzzle. "I know you don't know me,  but I promise you I would kill for my pack. I would protect with all of my heart." the words she spoke were true; Kaevo was an exceptionally loyal young shewolf. "[b][b]And if Morningside needs me to stay,  I'll stay." [/b]Citrine eyed pierced him.  

she prayed that he would relent his questioning and just believe her.  It was normal for pack wolves to be wary of loners,  but this fact did little to deter her impatience.[/b]

no problem <3

aditya smiled as she insisted upon her loyalty. it was good that she was backtracking from her beginning attitude; at least she was willing to try to impress him. some wolves would have given up and moved on. perhaps, with time, she would buy into her words--for who said those words to someone they had just met, and meant them truly? adi did not fault her for them.

one thing did trouble him, though, and that was that this wolf knew both the name of their pack, and something about them: they were "close knit" and were nomadic. his smile tugged into a half-frown as adi, worried, pondered just how she knew that. did their reputation in the valley precede them? was she a spy?

"who told you about morningside?" he asked, keeping his voice light. "you seem to know some things about us, a pack you've never encountered."

he dipped his head to her. "i'm leaning toward letting you stay. just give me a truthful answer to my last question. there's a war brewing to the south, and i'm worried they'll come to our borders next."

She returned his smile with a small one of her own and attempted to hold it in place, even as he spoke. Silently she hoped that she did not come off as being too desperate - although she kind of was.  Sure,  there were other packs nearby,  her heart was set upon Morningside. Kaevo wanted what she wanted and was not very good about going with the flow of things. It would be a blow of disappointment were she turned away from here. 

Her smile left and she knit her dark brow together at his next question. It seemed odd to her that her knowledge of his pack concerned him,  until he explained why.  Kaevo frowned. Talk of war was always a little scary,  but not enough for her to change her mind. It did explain Aditya's suspicious nature,  however.  

"Just another loner.  Grey with blue eyes.  She seemed... like a peaceful wolf.  It was probably told to her in passing,  too.  I doubt she was involved in anything shady." The spreading of Morningside's reputation may have had shady origins, but by the time word reached her,  it seemed like casual,  innocent information.

aditya hummed low under his breath, a single tuneless note as he thought. gray with blue eyes. he racked his brain, trying to think of who it could be. queenie, perhaps? but no, she wasn't gray. . .

he shook it off for now, vowing to come back to the puzzle later. whoever had told her about morningside had given her accurate information, but this woman seemed harmless enough. you could usually tell the nefarious ones from the innocent, and she seemed firmly in the latter camp.

"you can stay," adi finally said, head dipped in a small bow of acceptance before tilting his nose toward the territory. "just keep in mind. . .we all pull our own weight here. and we're family. we look out for each other, over everything else."

he hoped he wasn't making a mistake. grayday would have his hide if he'd recruited a lazybones. . .or worse, a traitor. only time would tell.

he took a step back, allowing her to step over the line. "welcome to morningside," aditya said, a smile coming to his muzzle once more.

 

*waves*

He appeared to consider the information about the gray shewolf,  but when he said nothing more about it, Kaevo assumed that the issue had been dropped.  She held her breath while he spoke,  exhaling silently with the verdict he reached.  It was an end to her troubles,  some of them anyway,  although she now began to feel concernes about the morningside wolves , and whether they would like or even accept her as one of their own.  

she decided to prove herself useful,  and likeable.  It would probably take time,  but she would survive.  She was delighted to see him smile as he invited her past the borders.  "thank you. I won't be lazy," she spoke with a snicker,  and then Kaevo at last walked into the pack territory.