Stone Circle when there's nowhere else to run

Red had traveled far since the beginning of spring, after being holed up all winter in a dead forest. She was skinny and half-starved but she was not particularly bothered by this. She knew how to deal with no food. She was hardy and she was a survivalist. She’d been hunting mostly rabbits since they had begun breeding a few months ago, and that had been enough to keep her from completely starving to death. Still, her hope was that she would run across a pack at some point because she knew she would survive a lot easier with a pack than without one. Packs were good. They had caches. They worked together. She missed living in a pack…

The lithe wolf crested a hill at the same time that the wind changed direction, and the scent of urine smacked her in the face. There was a wolf pack here. Perking up, she trotted down the hill, found a decent space away from the borders of the pack in this meadow, and then tilted her head back and howled. She just hoped this pack was friendly and in need of new members, or she’d have to move on…

 Tagging  @Valette  !

Clary took to the borders that morning, intent on a patrol - though the patrol she had in mind had very little to do with re-marking or defending their claim from outsiders. The Wilds called to her, as the spring breeze ran through the sun-soaked grass and kicked up scents of memories to the month she had spent traversing the Wilds with her aunt. Nanook herself had come and gone, and as the days wore on, Clary realized her heart, in part, had dragged along with her.

Though Clary's paws lay loyal to Easthollow, she felt them slipping - and she hoped that she would see something today that would still the strange wanderlust that crept along every fibre of her skin. So when she saw the ruddy figure on the cusp of their land, she cut toward her, even before her howl touched the air. When her voice did ring out, curiosity turned to drive her step. At first, she had thought the stranger to be Banner, but when it became clear this was someone unfamiliar, she moved with an eagerness to intercept.

"Hiya!" She piped as she neared the stranger with a spring in her step. The other girl was something otherworldly, and she glowed like an ember in the bright spring sun. Clary's lips quirked with an undecided grin, for she couldn't help but feel pale in comparison. She herself was only Clary, with an ordinary size and an ordinary look. "I've never seen you around before. Are you looking for someone?"

Red kept her stance friendly and wagged her tail at the approaching wolf, who seemed to be not fully grown. An older pup or a yearling, maybe? “Hey there,” she replied to the young female’s greeting. Maybe this would go well, although surely someone so young couldn’t the Alpha of a pack. “I’m lookin’ for your Alpha,” she began. “I was hoping to join this pack, if you guys are accepting new members.” She didn’t want to go into too much detail about what she could do to help out. This one wasn’t the Alpha and she didn’t want to repeat herself to whoever ended up being the Alpha. “I’m Red, by the way. Well…” She paused. “My name is actually Cardinal, like the bird, but no one calls me that. It’s good to see a friendly face after so long traveling alone.” She smiled openly, green eyes kind and warm.

You get Clary's first attempt at recruitment... I am so sorry haha!

The stranger seemed friendly, and that was enough. Clary's hesitant smile grew broad and genuine, and at the stranger's words, she felt her heart pick up with the sting of excitement. A new recruit! She pricked her ears, so as to catch the other's every word, and tried to think of what her mother might do. But while she knew that a Ranger had to know the ins and outs of recruitment, Clary knew absolutely squat. What, was she supposed to look scary? But how could she, when her company was so pleasant! And looking scary would hardly recruit a bear. So, was she supposed to ask questions? Clary had no idea - but she knew she would be a Ranger, and this was the perfect time to learn. It was like the heavens had set this up for her!

Red's warmth was contagious, and Clary's hazel eyes brightened as the stranger wrapped up. She practically buzzed to speak, but she had held herself until she was sure the stranger was finished. She'd received enough reprimands about talking over others to know that that was one thing a Ranger should never do. So when the silence beat with a healthy pause, Clary took her turn to talk. "And it's so good to have a friendly face show up here, especially a new one, gosh, you're sooo pretty, I wish my fur looked like yours, instead of just grey, but I don't think there's any wolves who look like you in my family - we're all just grey and brown and black, oh, but my sister and mom are super pretty, too - my mom, oh right! She's our Alpha - her name's Valette. She's pregnant, though, so I guess that's probably why she's not coming as fast as she usually does, because she's usually super fast, but not now, because there are teeny tiny wolves that are growing inside her belly that are making her fat, but not really, but actually really, and oh and my name's Clary!" And when she finished, she sucked in a deep pull of air and grinned, wide and broad, while her tail swept the air behind her. It had taken the girl her all not to butt in and garble over Red's words before, but boy, had she resisted! And she knew her mother would be proud of her manners when she eventually found them here - just as she was sure her mother would have no problem taking Red in. "And this is Easthollow. And I'm sure we have room for you here!" 

Um. I love clary??? <33333

Red was immediately taken aback by this youth’s rush of words. Red, herself, was known for sometimes talking too much, so it was something she consciously tried to avoid doing, but clearly this one had no such qualms. Not that she cared. Red didn’t mind anyone or anything as long as no one was getting hurt. So she kind of just sat there and waited for the silvery wolf to be finished talking. She could feel herself go hot a little bit when she was called pretty. She supposed she’d been called something like that before, but she wasn’t vain at all, so it always made her a little bashful.

One of Red’s good traits was that she was very good at listening. If this were not the case, she might have gotten lost in the jumble of words, but this small, lithe wolf, who had been something of a scout since becoming old enough to travel outside of her birth territory, had picked up the skill of really listening from a very young age. If she was any good at giving advice, she could make a decent counselor. But, alas, advice-giving wasn’t her best skill, so she stuck with simply listening. This is how she managed to pick out the fact that Valette was Clary’s mother, that Valette was the Alpha, and that she was pregnant. She had to bite her tongue to keep from bursting out laughing at Clary’s comments about her mom becoming fat.

“Well!” she began, when she was quite sure that this talker was done talking. “Thanks for all the information, ki—Clary!” (She had a habit of calling younger wolves “kid” as a sort of term of endearment but she thought that might be inappropriate at a time like this). Here she did allow herself to laugh a little bit. “I don’t mind waiting for your mom to get here. Is she gonna be mad that you’re talking to a stranger at the border, though? Don’t want to get you in trouble.” As an afterthought, she added, “And by the way, you’re pretty, too! Don’t you be gettin’ jealous of me. Sometimes having fur like mine can be a pain in the butt. Everybody can see me comin’ from a mile away.”

This thread is so adorable to read!!!

Valette heard the howl but was definitely getting slower now her belly was getting more in the way. She needed more naps lately and the howl had woken her from one of her naps. However that didn't mean she didn't want to do her duties. The female got to her feet and shoot out her fur to look a bit presentable. Maybe Stark would already be there.

Valette see me dot be wrong as she saw her daughter amicably talking to a female at the borders. Valette trotted closer until she was next to her daughter. She gave her a greeting before looking at the female on the other side of the border. "Hello there. I see you've met my daughter. I'm Valette leader of Easthollow," she spoke unknown to her the female already did know that. She them glanced at Clary to give more information.

<3 hahaha I love this thread <3

 

By the time she had finished, Clary was absolutely beaming. By Red's reception, she had surely done something right - even with no adult there to help her! With her spirits high, Clary took Red's laugh to be one of those ones you laughed along with, and she added a small giggle of her own to the mix.

It was funny, being on the receiving end of a compliment. Clary was much more accustomed to dishing them out that receiving any herself. Now when the time came, all she could find herself able to do was tip her muzzle and giggle. She decided to centre on the bit of conversation she knew what to do with, and she flicked her tail at Red's concern and passed her a reassuring smile and a shake of her head. "Nah, you don't have to worry. Mom never gets upset. Besides, she knows this is what I wanna do when I get older, so if anything she'll be excited when she sees us talking here. But oh! - " talk of their fur reminded her...

"I bet you'd love this one story I have, where this one time, I was exploring this huuuuuge stretch of rocks with my aunt - like, it went on for ages, and everything was grey, and - oh!" The girl jumped with the slightest spook at the touch along her side. So wrapped in her words, she'd been totally blind to another's approach, but her surprise quickly fell to a broad and sweeping smile when she saw the stranger was her - "Mom!" she reached out to greet Valette. She noticed the look her mother passed her, and felt her pressing for something, so she simultaneously gave her the run-down of this wolf before her, like any good recruiter would, "This is my new friend Red aka Cardinal, she wants to live at Easthollow, too! She's really nice, and really pretty, and I don't know a lot about her, but if you let her stay here, then I can probably change that a lot better than if you sent her away, and we definitely have room for her to live here - right?"

Red settled in with am amused smirk to listen to this youngling’s tale, whatever it ended up being, but soon, another wolf arrived. By her casual approach, Red assumed she had nothing to worry about, and simply dipped her head in greeting and respect. She opened her mouth to introduce herself, but Clary instantly took all the words she had been about to say, and even added some more. Red couldn’t help but laugh again. Clary was going to be super amusing if she did get into this pack. She’d be sure to keep the younger female nearby for a laugh and a conversation if this all worked out.

“What Clary said,” she finally got in, once the wolf in question had stopped talking. “My name is Cardinal but I go by Red. I was hoping you’d have room for a new addition to your pack. I have skills in scouting and hunting, mainly. Though I can, of course, fight to protect the borders and other packmates as needed.” She paused. “I hope you’ll consider letting me join.” Here, she fell silent, ever-aware of her knack for talking way too long. She let her eyes wander into Valette’s gaze for a moment, smiled, and then respectfully looked downward and to the left. She didn’t want to stare right at her potential Alpha while the woman was making a decision.

She was met with a gush of excitement from Clary. Valette chuckled softly. It basically came down to the point where this female was a new recruit and Clary was very much liking her. Then the female preferring the name Red started to add on more information. Valette listened eagerly. "Well, I think Clary will like you even more then. She wants to become a scout as well. And we have great hunting grounds here," Valette nodded.

Valette could use some wolves helping with the hunting. Soon she wouldn't be able to hunt and she would need others to do it for her. Clary looked like she was going to burst. But Valette had a good feeling about this Red. 'We do have room for you, and since you already befriended my daughter I'd say you are welcomed in," Valette spoke. "However, I do expect to see you pulling your weight. By helping with hunting and the borders," Valette added. It was not more than normal to ask that of the female. She had been respectful towards Valette so the alpha female didn't expect any trouble coming from the female joining their ranks.

Clary perked her ears and turned her glistening attention fully on Red as the russet-hued woman carried on from where she had left off. The excitement left her spinning - but at the word of scouting, her entire body grew rigid and she felt herself incline toward her. No. Way. Like Red could get any cooler! The thinnest thread held Clary from leaping up with a laugh and a whirl. She held herself, remarkably, yet the light in her eyes beamed brighter, and her tail whipped tight against her hocks.

Clary glanced up at her mother when she solidified Red's acceptance, and while the motion made Clary long to rush forward to give the woman a proper Easthollow greeting, she managed to hold herself back until her mother was done laying out her expectations and stuff, things Clary was certain Red would do, without needing to be told (she just seemed like that kinda wolf) - but she guessed it would be important to remember, so she stuffed that away to use on someone in the future, when the decision to keep or turn away would rest on her.

But today, that decision was already made, and Clary sprung forward as soon as her mother was done, leaving hardly any time to breath before she reached out to offer Red a welcoming nudge to the fur along her neck. "See, I told you she'd like you!" Clary leapt back and beamed at Red with a clear strike of pride in the smile and lift of her head, "Wow - my first recruit! Wait till I tell Steph - oh, this so awesome! C'mon! I can't wait to show you around, there's so much to see!" And she leapt in a circle, trying to decide in the split of a second where to run to first, only to pause and turn a sheepish grin toward Red, "Oh - uh - after you agree to helping and hunting, and all that important stuff."

lmao this post sucks :(

Red nodded at Valette, smiling. “Yeah, of course I’ll pull my weight. I know how pack life works.” This last comment could have come across as snarky or something but Red meant it in a joking fashion, which she hoped was clear from her happy tone of voice. She flashed her new Alpha grin, excited to be part of this new place. “Thank you.” She turned to the youngling, then. “And thank you too, Clary!” That was when Clary bounced up to her and nudged her in the neck. Red playfully nudged her back in the shoulder, her tail wagging behind her. It had been a while since she’d had any fun like this.

Clary then spun in a circle like a puppy and Red could not help but laugh. “You’re pretty excited, kid.” And when she was reminded about her duties to the pack, the red-colored wolf once again nodded respectfully at Valette. “I won’t let you down, Ma’am.”

No not at all! Tag for visibility!

Valette dipped her head and smiled. Sometimes you didn't know the backstory of a wolf and some were not really that up to speed on pack life. She was happy that Cardinal was up to date. Valette was happy enough with the new recruit. She expected her daughter to how the new wolf around the territory. "Well, I think Clary is really excited to show you around," she spoke, and with that, she dipped her head in goodbye. She was eager to find Stark and curl up to him. Valette turned as she was walking away. "Oh yeah, introduce yourself to my mate, @Stark. He is the beta of this pack," Valette added. She didn't want Stark to be in the dark about the new recruits after all. He was very protective of her these days. Which Valette thoroughly enjoyed.

When Red doubly confirmed her commitment to Easthollow, Clary knew her acceptance was a shoe-in, and her mother seemed to think the same. To top it off, mom didn't even seem remotely interested in secretly lurking while Clary showed Red around. As if her spirits could soar any higher - and they did.

She wished to spring after her mother and offer her a kiss of thank-you, I love you, you're the best, and goodbye, the grey girl held herself and offered a sloppy dip of her own head in return, remembering, finally, what mom had said earlier when they'd talked about her pregnancy. This was the important stuff. This was what she had been waiting for, planning for, dreaming for, all her eight short months of her little life on planet earth.

And where did she even start? "Stone Circle!" Well that was easy. She beamed at Red, and tried to give an air of something calmer, but her energy betrayed her in the whip of her tail, "I'll show you there first - it's the most important place to know - it's where we have our meetings, our hunting lessons, and where we bury everyone who's ever died." She grinned through every word, perhaps a bit too big for that last point there, but the prospect of having someone new react to seeing the stones for the first time eclipsed any sorrow that might have sprung if she'd let her thoughts linger to poor Keoni, or Murdock, or even Steady, who each lay cold beneath the ground. But Clary knew that those were only their empty bodies, and that their souls were somewhere better, and that thought had helped the Stone Circle feel somewhat happy again, and their passings, a lot less sad.

Red nodded at Valette’s last words as she walked away. Stark, she thought, to help cement the name in her memory. “Thank you,” she called after her new alpha. It was a general thanks for letting her join the pack and everything that that entailed. Then she turned her attention back to Clary. “The Stone Circle,” she said. “That sounds interesting.” She listened as the youngling elaborated on it. “Sounds important to the pack,” she said once the lighter-colored female was done talking. “I’ll follow you…?”

Fade? Possibly a new thread where Clary shows Red the Stone Circle?