Only newly accepted to the pack, Siren had yet to truly rest. It felt foreign, to be wandering around in claimed territory that she was so unfamiliar with.. especially having grown up in her birth pack. As nervous as she had been to break away from everything she had known and loved, instinct took hold of the delicate she-wolf, and so the ivory dove bid her family and friends goodbye, knowing she would not find what she sought in life by simply waiting around.
At the age of two, the urge to reproduce and to have children was growing stronger, and so she strode off in to the world.. and after only a few weeks, found herself at Blacktail Deer Plateau. Shifting her petite form, the pale lady nudged a rabbit in to the hole she had dug up, close to what smelled of the rest of the pack’s caches. Another rabbit lay untouched close to her paws, and bending down, Siren began to scoop the dirt back in to the hole she had dug – her first offering to the pack she currently called home.
Since arriving back, Dante had slept much, though it was a sleep frequented by nightmares that left him waking with a snarl. As a result, his body was recovering with the rest, but his mind still felt the fatigue. It was a state he had to deal with and work through, though, so he continued to patrol, the brisk jog he traveled at helping to shake a little clarity into him. He'd just awoken not too long ago and knew trying to rest again would have no point.
He wasn't expecting to come upon a stranger so far into the territory, and initially his stance was aggressive, thinking her an intruder. A low growl came forth, but was quieted when he noted that it seemed she'd been here at least a while. Perhaps having come upon the lands while he was gone and accepted by one of the beta pair.
Still he was wary on approach, not coming too close to avoid startling her but wishing to know that she was in fact a new family member and not a particularly forward loner. If the latter were true he was in no mood to be charitable. "I don't believe we've met," he said initially, looking from her to the prey she buried.
Startled by a low growl that she could barely hear, the pale she-wolf glanced sharply up, her bright eyes widening and a dark smudge of brown dampening her muzzle. A silver male moved toward her, his voice and statement barely registering upon the young wolf as she felt her chest constrict with sudden nervousness. Her mind whirled at all of the possibilities of what she had done wrong – and yet logic would finally catch up to her rising panic, the male’s scent drifting to her and announcing boldly of his claim to this land with as much clarity as if he had made the statement with words.
Holding back a light tremor, the white she-wolf bent her muzzle lower, her eyes flitting away from him now to pause upon his paws. “No,” she finally allowed, relieved her own soft voice did not tremble. “My name is Siren – I was accepted by your Beta only a little while ago.”
He'd still managed to startle her, he noticed, but he did not outwardly react to her surprise. Not until she deferred, and explained that she had indeed been welcomed, did he relax fully. A timid one, but he noted no falsehood about her, and did not doubt it was as she said.
"Then welcome, Siren," he said, demeanor softening some now that the threat was assessed to be nonexistent. "My name is Dante, and as doubtless Lasher told you, I serve these lands as Alpha." Serve moreso than lead, as it did not take much ordering to run the plateau pack. A warden moreso than a king, though others may disagree with that idea. The terminology just seemed more right to him. "How long has it been since you found us?" He did not want to give her the tenth degree, but he did make a point to meet those who came to them now. In the past, lax introduction on his part had lost them valuable additions, and he would not allow that to continue.
It was an interesting terminology he presented to her – but it did not soothe her in the way he likely meant it. She had yet to come upon an Alpha who hadn’t made their claim clear, and while she could have taken his previous instinctive actions as such, his wording seemed to propose that he was indeed simply protecting his home from threat.
Could she even be considered as such?
“Yes – welcome home,” she offered then, her tone soft. Without waiting, the pale female dipped her muzzle down, nudging the rabbit that still laid at her paws in his direction. “You must be hungry.” Travel, after all, was wearisome. That she would know.
His question drew her muzzle up once more, and she glanced skyward, contemplating her time here. “Perhaps a little over a week?” The days had blended together – overwhelming as it was, attempting to find a new home.
"Thank you." His first instinct was to refuse, but he was hungry, and he wanted the gesture to appear as appreciated as it was. "I am, in fact." He bent to take a bite, then motioned that she was more than welcome to take a share as well, for he did not need all of it. It was good to see that, even with just arriving, she was doing her share and supporting.
"And have you met many?" He asked conversationally, though the question was in part to find out if any had helped to show her around. He hoped that one or two had introduced themselves aside from Lasher, but if not, he could help to acquaint her with some of the wolves who she had joined with. Names at the very least. The hardest part of starting someplace new could be breaking the ice with those already living there, and while the bonds of the Plateau pack weren't as intimidating as some, there was history there. The last thing he wanted was for her to feel an outsider.
She was content that he took her offering – but as he motioned for her to join him, the girl gave a shy shake of her muzzle, hoping he would not be offended. Every nerve she had felt like it was aflutter – she doubted she could stomach food, she was so nervous.
Her Alpha was quick to see if she had met others, and once more, like a broken record, the pale female gave a shake of her dainty muzzle. “No.. No, I’m afraid it turns out I’m not very good with these.. situations,” she offered, finding the words hard to find. “I’ve not traveled much.. This is the first pack I’ve joined since my birth pack.”
She declined and he accepted that without comment, seeing no reason to argue. Likely she wasn't hungry. He tucked in while he listened, licking blood from his muzzle and considering what she said. He could not fault her one bit for taking her own pace in getting integrated, but he would have hoped one of their current packmates would have at least made the effort to say hello. This worried him a bit.
"Don't worry too much about it," he said, hoping to set her more at ease. "Sometimes it can take a while. I know it was the same for me." He had definitely taken his time meeting the members when he first joined, Perry having been the only one he knew when he signed on. "You obviously know your way around a rabbit. Is hunting a special interest of yours?" The praise was deserved, and he was curious. For some hunting was a means to an end, to others it presented a special sort of joy in the challenge. If she was the latter, she was perhaps candidate for another gamekeeper, a skill they could never have too many of with winter on the cusp once more.
While his words were likely meant to be comforting, she could not help but feel as if she had a large sign that blatantly stated ‘new girl’ on her back – and that in turn, her pack mates avoided her like the plague. She took his words with a grain of salt, and offered to give the regal a small nod as she attempted to relax even more in his presence. He seemed to be enjoying his meal, and for that, she could at least claim she had been useful to her pack thus far.
“I wanted to help aide the pack,” she worded carefully, shifting her weight. Hunting was certainly something she enjoyed.. but it wasn’t a special interest. “But I would say my special interests lie with plants and medicinal uses.”
She seemed open to conversation, if a bit withheld. This was a sense he knew he often gave off as well, so he did not mind. Instead he latched on to one of the things she spoke of, happy to hear she had something in common with one of her new packmates. "I should introduce you to Blue Willow then. You may just get along well with her. She too is interested in healing herbs." They would at least be able to make conversation.
"We can never have too many with that interest, it is important work. I don't have a head for it personally." He chuckled. "Did you study with someone? Or simply pick it up naturally?"
Her interest was piqued at the mention of a wolf called Blue Willow -- apparently, this was someone who held the same interest. "I'm trying to earn as I go," she offered, her tail beginning to sway through the air as she withheld the brewing excitement of having a true teacher. Her home pack had not had many who maintained interest in herbs, and so her dabbling had only been self taught or from what she had picked up during her travels from others. "I would like to learn as much as I can."
Possibly we can fade this? ^^ just to keep plots moving since we have the other!
"Perhaps she could use your help. And in turn, you could learn what she knows." He proffered the suggestion, though wouldn't mind if she decided to not follow up. He did not care what those who joined did so long as they shared in the support of one another and felt fulfilled in their roles. It would be nice to have another healer around since they had lost Harlyn.
"I can show you where she usually is. Maybe you could speak with her, if she is there. Only if you want." He quickly amended the end, not sure if she would be comfortable with such a thing just yet. But Blue was one of the sweetest wolves he knew and a good beta to the pack - hopefully she wouldn't object to at least being introduced.
Dante was more encouraging than the others, it seemed, but the ivory female knew she hadn’t truly tried to merge herself to the pack just yet. The silver wolf made her want to try, though, and with a small smile at his words, she gave a shy nod as he offered to show her where her potential mentor could be.
Following behind him silently, she made small talk with him when coaxed, but otherwise, her bright eyes drifted among the foliage, taking in the scene of her new home.