He would not survive long without a pack to serve, he knew. The fight with the Blackfeather girl told him so. He traveled for a few days at a slow pace. It felt like he was eating himself from the inside.
So hungry. Need food. Need pack. That's all he could think about. Nothing more nothing less.
Maybe he should just give up. He should have let the bears kill him so he could be with his family up in Olympus. Down here he had nothing. Nothing but sore bones and a broken heart. Durwin felt like he did not belong here.
No. He could not give up. His father would not want him to just give up. He had been through so much, so he would not let anything stop him now.
He pushed himself until he passed by some borders. When he smelled the distinctive scent, he immediately backed off, going a respectable distance away from the invisible line. When he was far enough, he lifted his head to howl. Despite his form, his voice was still strong and full of purpose.
Why hello! :D
Harlyn was not far from the borders that day. She had not spent too much time paying attention to the caches her busy packmates had been setting up, but today she had decided to set aside her task of collecting medicinal herbs to see the progress they'd made for herself. She was quite pleased with what she'd found thus far, and she was just heading South into their territory to inspect another that Luke had told her about when she heard the howl.
Intrigued, the druid set off at a swift pace towards the source of the howl, eventually coming upon the stranger. She eyed him with neutrality as she approached, her own posture lifted to that befitting her rank as alpha, though not in an overbearing or threatening way. She stopped when she was near enough to him that they could talk, a welcoming smile dancing across her lips.
"You rang?" Harlyn said with a cant of her head as she began to inspect him.
His call was soon answered by one of the alpha's of the hollow. He lifted his head and perked his ears as she approached. Her words, once again, made no sense to him, which worried the man a little. But then he remembered what Magge had told him to say in these situations.
"No speak tongue," he stated in a heavy accent. That was a start. At least she would know he would struggle with this conversation. "Name Durwin," he muttered, not wanting to mispronounce anything. "Joining."
Her smile faltered slightly as she grew confused. The man looked worried and a bit lost when she spoke. There was a moment of quiet before he responded. Harlan's ears perked when she heard his words. He didn't speak their language? But he was looking to join them... The druid, though usually welcoming to all, had never experienced this issue before. at least, not in such an extreme.
But Harlan was not a woman to give up so easily. Giving him an understanding nod, she dropped to her haunches. "Where is your home?" she asked, trying to speak as simply as she could. He knew some words, and she wanted to know what else he knew.
He was pleased that Harlyn did not immediately turn him away because of the language barrier. He had thought that might happen for some reason. If he is able to join, he was still capable to learn.
The only words he understood were 'your home' and it sounded like a questioning sentence. "Durwin home," he started, then paused trying to think of the right words. "Durwin home... gone." If they had not been ambushed, he wouldn't be here now. He could have stayed with his own family, with a more happy demeanor. But who's to say he can't bond with the wolves here? It was not impossible.
He seemed to understand, at least a little. Harlyn listened as he attempted to explain in his broken English what had happened to his home. He wasn't able to provide much detail, but she was satisfied in the knowledge she had gained. Whatever place he had come from was no more, so she felt she could count on him being a long term member if she did accept him seeing as he had no where else to go.
"Are you hurt or sick?" Harlyn asked then, hoping he knew one of those words. She really wanted to make sure he was in good health and had no physical disabilities. All wolves could hunt and could protect their borders. At that point, it was the alpha's only real requirement of him since he was likely unable to explain his merit in any other arena.
Once again, only a few words registered into his brain. You and hurt. The sentence sounded questioning. He shook his head. He had a few scratches and wounds here and there, but they didn't bother him too much. He had gotten training with herbs, so he knew what plants to use for battle wounds.
He was hurt from the inside however. Not from his hunger prodding him, but from the loss of his family. He was still confused as to how the enemy snuck through. There was so many ways they could have prevented the attack.
The stranger said nothing, but shook his head. He had a confidence about him that suggested he knew what Harlyn had asked. She had her doubts since he hadn't spoken - after all, he could have had the same level of confidence fully believing shed asked Something completely different. Still, the alpha wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt, so instead of pressing the matter, she let her senses assure her that he was physically well and there was no reason to deny him entrance.
"Your home can be here now," Harlyn said with a Smile, feeling confident that Mordecai would agree once she had spoken With him, "What is your name? What can I call you?"
wrap up soon?
He couldn't help but smile when the women said 'your home'. It was a smile of happiness and relief. When he had came, he thought his language barrier was enough to get him rejected. Maybe that would go for another place, but thankfully not here. It wasn't like he could never learn.
Name. His name was the information she seemed. "
Name Durwin," was the simple reply. "
Multumesc," he added, bowing his head in a polite manner. It meant
thank you. He wished he could say it in English, but there was no way. But he was truly thankful.
Sounds good! You can either post again or just have this archived :)
A smile graced his muzzle, signaling to Harlyn that he understood the meaning behind her words. She smiled back, glad he was so pleased to be counted now amongst their ranks. He introduced himself at her urging as best as he could, leading her to think that his surname was Multumesc rather than realizing it was his attempt at thanking her. She stepped forward and gave him a gentle nudge upon his shoulder.
"Come, let's get you something to eat," Harlyn said with a soft smile. With that, she lead him deeper into their Hollow to a cache she knew was nearby so that he could eat and begin to rebuild his strength.