King Elk Forest it is silver and silent; it is silver and cold

The ex-soldier was leaving his mark at the borders now, refreshing them dutifully while keeping an eye out for prey. It was a satisfying distraction from his (usual) inner turmoil. He found it comforting in some ways to have a safe place to sleep, to have duties to keep him busy-- in other ways it was alarming to feel so confined.
He had never been much of a wanderer before; no, he didn't yearn to wander.

Nathaniel wanted to run-- forever. He was all too aware that he couldn't, which he supposed was why he was here. Here, Tindómë, the pack with the strange name and the strange, tiny leader and one too many of his kin for comfort. Rather ironic, really, that it was his kin anchoring him here ultimately. Nat stopped suddenly, sitting down on his route along the borders. It occurred to him, then, that the only connections he had in this world anymore were those of blood; he had no emotional bonds to show, for all he had suffered and tried and suffered again.

*frantically snatches thread*

Gracious walked out of the canopy of tree leaves and into the barren land that separated Tindómë and the rest of the world. She hadn't spent much time out of the territory and was quite curious as to what was out there in the land beside her home. What were the other areas like, the other wolves and creatures that inhabited the land? Did they speak different languages, have different beliefs? Where did they live in? Curiosity was something Gracious could never shake off of her ever since she was young. But perhaps that little quirk to her added more personality to her than most. Her curiosity could probably get her killed, however, she's been lucky to live so long with such a bittersweet asset.

Atop a small hill, Gracious could see a lone figure along the borders. The wind that blew hit her in the face and only brought along the scent of Tindómë's woods. Whoever was down there was just another member, but one that wasn't familiar to her. Pale diamonds scanned the body over and over, trying to find anything distinguishing about the wolf. Snowflakes wrapped around her as she stood quietly, contemplating whether or not she should go bother them. It wasn't until they sat down that the older woman headed from her perch towards them. She made sure to make her presence known with a loud yip sort of noise considering chuffing would be lost in the wind, no matter how loud it would be.

aaaa hey!! excited to write with you :D

Nathaniel turned at the yip behind him, one ear cocked back. He seemed a bit unimpressed by the other, but he wasn't feeling outright hostile.

Then the ex-soldier seemed to think better of this, and his expression shifted to something that looked like he was trying to seem friendly while in the worst mood of his life. He was a bit shamed by the effort it took him just to appear nice, but figured it was too late to back out now. The pale girl before him was pretty, no doubt-- her face was kind, and that relaxed him a little bit.
Hello. He rumbled after a moment, eyeing her with curiosity.

When she halted in front of him, she took quick note of his appearance, as well as his tone of voice. He was really pleasing to look at, his colors matched together and reminded her of the deep woods and sandy beaches she would explore as a child. His eyes, why, they were almost as blue as the ocean riptides. She didn't get a chance to have her eyes ghost over his features of scars, but perhaps that was a good thing. The last thing she would want to do is ask him how he got them. That wouldn't make up for a very nice conversation.

Her silky plume of sea mist wagged behind her in content as she drew her lips apart to speak. "Hi there," she spoke warmly to him, "I don't believe we've met before. My name is Gracious." Gracious was never one to shy away from social interactions. If anything, sometimes such interactions would put her in bad spots. She hoped it wouldn't be the same case right now. While the atmosphere felt a bit... intimidating, the least she could do was just introduce herself to him. 

After she waited for him to introduce herself, she tried to pick up the conversation. "I hope you're settling in fine, have you met everyone else?"

The girl was friendly, and soon enough introduced herself-- Nathaniel relaxed visibly, deciding this might not be as difficult as it initially seemed.
I'm Nathaniel Rochester. The ex-soldier responded, feeling obligated to give a name though he had not been asked. Gracious-- an interesting name. She was clearly a packmate by scent, so he had the feeling he would have plenty of time to see if she was as interesting as her name. I haven't met many yet.
What else was there to say? He figured she might have more to say, so he waited for her to further their discussion. It wasn't like he had anything worth adding-- well, nothing he'd want to share, anyway.

If there was one thing this lady was good at, it was being friendly. There was not a mean bone in her entire body, that had plenty of its perks as well as its downfalls. But for now, she only focused on the positive, such as the man in front of her seeming to become disarmed with her warm behavior towards him. Her tail behind her still wagged with content as a smile was delicately placed on her black lips. He spoke his name, Nathaniel Rochester, then explained how he hadn't met many others quite yet. She bobbed her head to signify she was following along with him.

"Neither have I, perhaps only a handful," she said to him. "I hope you don't mind me asking, but what are you doing out here on the borders?" She was genuinely curious, never really seeing this kind of behavior before. In her old home, Gracious' family never checked or marked borders. They were nomads, though the valley was always their rebound spot.

So sorry for the wait!

Nat was a bit surprised at her question, thinking it was obvious, but an instant later he figured her previous comment meant she was new-- so maybe this was new, too? He couldn't relate to the feeling, but he had trained enough former loners to know they could be quite clueless. It didn't bother him, though.
Marking the borders. He answered simply, pausing a few beats. Though it was no longer his role, he couldn't help the desire to teach her. If she was to integrate into pack life, whatever her background, she would need to learn to do these things. You should join me.
The ex-soldier hadn't meant to put it that way, exactly-- he had meant to offer to show her what it was about, but he supposed this was the same thing. Basically.

No worries!

Marking borders? She hadn't really heard of the term before considering how flighty her family was, to put it nicely. Nonetheless, she was intrigued with the thought. What does one even do in order to mark them? Was it some kind of intricate ritual or just a simple task? More questions bubbled in Gracious' brain, but before she could even ask, the suggestion of her joining Nathaniel was already on the table.

She beamed at him. "I'd be delighted to join you,"  her soft plume wagged behind her as a bit of excitement ran through her body, "what all must you do to mark borders?" She was like a little ball of clay in his hands, ready to be shaped and molded into whatever he deemed sufficient. Gracious would probably rule out that such a job wasn't made for someone of her personality and mentality, but perhaps then she would come to appreciate wolves like Nathaniel and Stephanie more.

The woman didn't react unkindly to his blunt words, and it came as little surprise to Nathaniel that his assumption had been correct-- she didn't know what border marking was. Her excitement baffled him a little, but the ex-soldier was anything but reactive; his expression remained unchanged.
Nothing complicated or special. He explained, tone almost reassuring as he rose to his feet. The ex-soldier moved to his next target, opting to mark here with the scent glands on his pads. This is one way to do it-- rub your scent here and there, make sure it's strong.
Nathaniel beckoned for her to follow him before he went to mark another spot, this time lifting his leg to spray along the border. Another way. He added by way of explanation, gaze turning back to her to see what she made of it.