A deep sigh forced itself out of his lungs as he trudged back and forth on a strange scent border. He knew this was a newer pack, but that didn't stop him from being a little bit nervous. The honey wolf shook himself from nose to tail and let out a low growl. "Lokith, stop overthinking this! You know what you're capable of, so go for it." He'd been pacing back and forth for minutes on end and his legs were starting to get tired.
With one last shake, he lifted his head and let out a howl, hoping to meet the Alpha of this new pack. Waiting would be hard, and he wanted to pace more, but somehow Lokith forced his paws to stop moving and sat down.
Though new, they thrived. The days after their official claim had been joyous ones, and continued to be so even currently. It felt pleasant to have completed her goal, and she was glad her members appeared loyal thus far. Still, she'd found herself worrying of new members at times, curious of whether or not they'd dare get near enough to the thunderous volcano. Though dormant, it made up for the lack of eruptions by attracting lightning; something not all were too attracted to, fearing the danger it brought. Such worries had been eased when they'd had their first arrival at the borders, and was nearly extinguished when yet another unknown howl rose up with the winds. The yearling was quick to respond, nimbly moving across the ridges and descending various inclines until her body had neared the borders. She was close enough to speak with the male comfortably, but far enough away to give herself an advantage if his being there was only to cause trouble.
Asterr gave a nod of her head, the motioned followed by a soft, "Hello." She was gentle by nature, sometimes awfully so, but her tail had risen up in a display of dominance anyhow. Her posture, however neutral is was overall, gave way to her status as the leader of the tribe—but not in an overbearing sort of way. "What has brought you to our borders?" Standard protocol, really. It was rude to assume someone wished to join simply because they were alone and had called for the leader of the territory, as there were any number of possibilities behind why else they might have done so. Curious of what the male's reasoning might be she awaited his response, pale eyes roaming over his form in a silent examination of his physical health.
Lokith did not meet the gaze of this alpha female and he made sure that his posture showed he did not mean harm to her or her pack. "Hello, my name is Lokith. I'm standing on your borders because I seek refuge. If you do not have a place for me in your pack, I understand." He spoke calmly and clearly. The female didn't seem to have many battle scars, similar to Lokith, which told him that she was a newer Alpha and hadn't seen many battles in her time, or that she was an exceptional fighter and would deal out one memorable beating. In that case, he wanted to be sure he didn't end up on her bad side.
The male's posture was docile and he avoided looking her directly in the eyes. They were actions she'd witnessed other leaders experience before, but had never demanded them of her own members. No matter, she said nothing on it and placed her attention on his request instead. Like the female who'd come before him, the male sought a place within her tribe. A home is what he wanted, and a home was something she could provided—given he met what she desired in tribe members, of course. The deciding question would come later, however, for there were other things needing to be addressed beforehand.
"Hello, Lokith. My name is Asterr," she began, getting introductions out of the way. "You seek refuge within my tribe, but what is it that you are able to provide for us?" Even if she wanted to, she could not grant access to just anyone. If they could not pull their own weight, she would be forced to turn them away from her borders. It would be difficult to do, in all honesty, but absolutely necessary.
"It's a pleasure to meet you Asterr." He politely dipped his head for a second before continuing. "I can offer you my strength and level-headedness. I can stay calm in a tight situation as well as hit hard. I'm stoic, and don't like to show that I'm in pain, so I will last in a fight. Even through all of that, I'm a kind wolf. Loyalty is another thing I greatly pride myself on. I hope these skills are enough for you, but if not, I will leave peacefully." So many questions ran through his head, but his face gave away none of them. Though his posture was on the subordinate side, he still tried to look proud and sure.
No time was wasted before the male began delving into his strengths, the things he could offer to the tribe. Some were nice to hear, could prove useful, and then others were concerning. They were a peaceful tribe, or so was the plan, leaving little expectancy for future battles. Even still, his traits as a warrior would be handy, all except for his dislike of showing pain. It was understandable, for some viewed any demonstrations of such as a sign of weakness, but it was not something she was particularly fond of hearing about. As someone who wished to become a medic, and genuinely cared for her fellow tribe members, it would bother her to know that there was a chance someone near to her could suffer without her even realizing it. "You have presented a number of skills, many of which could be helpful, but I wish that you may leave behind your dislike of showing pain as time goes on," the girl stated, voice calm yet firm. "Someone who does not show any signs of having been harmed are often difficult to care for, and can become a risk for the tribe as a whole if the injury is left untreated." Any stocks of herbs could be burned through within a single week, leaving an opening for more to suffer if tragedy were to strike.
"You speak of taking pride in the loyalty you possess, but are you able to provide support for such claims?" She focused her gaze on his face, staring intently as she began to speak once more. "Are you willing to give to both myself and the entirety of the tribe your loyalty? To look out for the others and fight alongside them if ever necessary, even if you may not be close with them?" Undying loyalty is what she wished to achieve someday, but understood such could not yet be asked of any of her members. Still, she found herself wishing to test the male currently standing before her, to check and see just how much faith he could place onto a group he did not know.
Lokith was a little worried he'd said the wrong thing about him not showing pain, but he thought hard and picked his next words carefully. "I can see that you must prefer the peaceful way out rather than a fight and I can respect that. I will gladly use my strength for other things, but if a fight is inevitable I will do everything I can to protect those around me. About me not showing pain, I'm sure I can leave some of that behind, but in front of the enemy, I'll never show how tired I am." The golden male spoke with confidence in what he was saying.
He thought again about his loyalty before saying, "I believe in 'innocent until proven guilty'. I'll trust a wolf until they give me a reason not to. Your pack is no different. It may take me a while to get back into pack life, but I can assure you that in a few days you'll have my complete loyalty."
The fact that she sought peace over battle had been caught on to, and she was glad he could accept such circumstances. Of course, never would she neglect to improve upon the abilities others entered the tribe with, but she hoped the warriors would never need to use their lessons outside of friendly spars. She allowed herself to only nod in response to his words, accepting that which was provided. She knew she could not expect certain quirks to be dropped entirely—that was, without a doubt, asking far too much—but his willingness to try and leave at least a portion of such behavior behind showed her a great deal of his character. It had definitely earned him some brownie points, too.
His next words were inwardly examined carefully, though she gave no visual signs as to what she thought of them. "I appreciate your honesty," Astter voiced, having given it a great deal of thought. "You have given me no reason to turn you away, though I must ask one more thing." The strength he could provide would be marvelous, though she'd recently began considering how well her larger members might do on the higher ridges. "Have you any experience with traversing mountainous terrains?" It was asked partially out of personal curiosity, and partially out of professional; if he had no experience, she felt it would be best to know ahead of time that way she could keep a better eye out for him.
The male wolf thought back to the time he spent with his family. "Well, I've traveled across mountains once before with my family. I only had two near death experiences." Some of his natural character accidentally shone through. He let out a small humored chuff. "Still, that was many years ago. I'm a lot more steady on my paws now." He tried to read the expression of this Alpha, but he couldn't pick anything out.
She was the perfect pick for Alpha female. I can't get anything from her! Lokith wondered what this new territory might hold for his future if he was allowed to stay here, but also thought about what he'd need to do if he was asked to leave.
Ehehe, welcome to the tribe, Aritsu! Last post from me. You can add one more if you'd like (if you don't wanna, just lemme know on Skype), and then I'll archive it for us. ^^
His experience with mountains was revealed and, though the quip about his near-death experiences had not gone unnoticed, the girl was silently appreciative of his response. Though she worried of what might arise if he were to ever be injured, at least she wouldn't have to worry of him being harmed by the mountain. That in itself left her with no more to ask him, and so her final decision had been able to be calculated. It was a rather easy choice to make, in all honesty, for he'd provided very little downsides to his being there. The majority of his words had appealed to her recessive instincts to bring only the best into her rankings, and so a smile had taken up residence upon her maw.
Her approach was friendly, as was her touch when she'd pressed her muzzle to his shoulder after closing the distance between them.
"You have given me no reason to turn you away, so I have decided to instead welcome you into my tribe," she said, stepping back then to give him his space back. Asterr motioned for him to follow her, inviting him past the boundary line and into the land the scents protected. From there she would lead him towards the cavern, bothering not with testing his hiking abilities, and then leave him within the safety of the woodland. There she would tell of their numbers, before giving her farewells and leaving him to settle in at his own pace.
Lokith tensed as she advanced towards him, but relaxed as she touched his shoulder. He smiled at her words before nodding. "It means a lot for you to trust me. You won't regret this."
The golden wolf followed his new Alpha and took in a large breath. The scent of his new pack hit him and he was very greatful. This is his new life, and he was starting to like it.