Chelan trailed alongside his sister they were almost there now. Least he thought that was the case. Salish had wandered up ahead to speak with the new sect letting him hang back and keeping an eye on his sister, as much as she was actually safer without him around he had been sent out to protect them. Least that was his alibi. He hated keeping secrets, but this one could get him killed so secret it would stay.
Just as the male had suspected the scent of borders came across his nose and he took in the scent of his surroundings. Careful not to give of any impression to his sister that he was relieved to finally be here.
It didn't mean that he was safe, but it meant that the others were.Least for now. Though, if someone did come after him, he would make sure that no one here got hurt on his behalf. His choices were his choices and none of his family, or his new pack would suffer the consequences.
He glanced over to his sister before calling for Salish and for the Queen. Though he knew better than to stand tall so he stepped a few paces backwards so his sister was leading and assumed his submissive posture as the two waited for the others to show their faces. Whoever that would be.
Kalika came to the borders before Akantha, as was to be expected from the ambassador of the pack. Should she see the wolves unfit, then she would send them on their way, all the while sparing her Matriarch the added burden of monitoring the borders. As she approached, she saw that there were two wolves waiting, rather than just one. Her brow grew slightly furrowed as she tried to figure which of the pair had made the call, though she figured that it mattered nought in the grand scheme of things.
If the male did not know his place, they would be sure to teach him.
Hello
, she cooed with a friendly tone. She waited for the pair to submit and speak, although something told her that they would prove a bit more of a challenge than Salish had. Perhaps they were the siblings who she spoke of, giving them an added bit of trust in Kalika's mind.
As an aspiring scout, it was among Salish's duties to keep an eye on the borders. She was jogging towards the marked boundary when a familiar voice rang out over the songs of the gulls and other island birds, a beckoning call made specifically for her. Her ears pricked with excitement as she rushed ahead, her moderate pace morphing immediately into a sprint. She knew that voice; it was her brother's.
Chelan had appeared on a different segment of the border radius, so it took her some time to get to him. And when she did, she found that he was not alone, accompanied by Tokitae, and confronted already by Kalika. The bit of tension that had risen between Salish and the ambassador had been sorted out, much to her relief, and so she offered the ambassador a smile and a wag of her tail. Then, she faced her siblings.
As for Tokitae's presence, Salish was overjoyed that she had accompanied Chelan. That they had not been separated. The location of her brother and sister had been the greatest of her worries lately, and to have that concern lifted made her feel much lighter, and much happier.
She rushed them both, nuzzling each and planting a few tongue-kisses on their faces. So happy to see you both! the tawny girl declared, her tail now wagging at the speed of light. They had only to wait for their dark Matriarch, but Salish did not fret over whether or not they would be accepted. She felt in her heart that they would be welcomed.
Tokitae trailed after her brother as they approached the island from the sandbar. Her paws were soaked in seawater, soothing the weary ache of the long road, but serving as a stark reminder of the reality they faced once under the discerning eye of the Matriarch. Chelan would, once more, be alloted to nothing more than fodder while she would be elevated to a place beside her sister. She flattened her ears against her ruff as he threw his voice to the skies in summons to the Nereides, and their sister. Salish would be a welcome sight, but her anxiety about Chelan was too important to shove aside.
A pale woman came first, emerging from the treeline and wandering down the beach with two ocean-sapphire eyes peering suspiciously over the elegant sweep of her muzzle. Tokitae, looking rather bedraggled by comparison, shuffled awkwardly beneath the weight of the gaze. They were of a similar age, but she felt entirely dwarfed by the Siren's impressive presence—she could fill the room with her existence alone. She wanted to speak, but Salish blessedly interupted them before she could say a thing, bounding towards them with a gleeful smile and lashing sweet kisses across her brow.
"Hello, sister." She murmured softly while she ducked her eyes under Salish's chin to peer nervously at Kalika. Beside her, Chelan was steady as a stone.
Akantha strode forth, following swiftly in Kalika and Salish's wake, with her head held high and shrewd hazel eyes flickering in the faint light of the overcast sky. She emerged from the woodland and raked her gaze over the pair stood upon her borders and felt her hackles bristle despite the presence of her Sirens. The Matriarch drew in the scent of the two, and found it did, indeed, match Salish's who was currently busying herself with greeting the pair in a way that was familial. Akantha brushed against Kalika in a silent motion of gratitude before coming to a stop beside the sunny Salish.
Her eyes darted from the male, to Tokitae, and back to Salish again. "The siblings you spoke of?" She grunted with a crick of her raised tail. Akantha shifted her eyes to Chelan again and narrowed her eyes with a huff. "We have three males already. Has he accepted our ways?"
Chelan and his sister hadn't been waiting long before a grey female appeared in front of the pair of them and she spoke a greeting to which Chelan just chose to dip his head respectfully and remained looking rather submissive as Salish appeared. His lips curved into a small smile as she greeted Tokitae though he stood still knowing full well his place despite Salish also being his sister.
A third wolf he presumed to be the siren queen approached the group questioning Salish on her relationship with the pair but he felt a rather disapproving gaze fall on him as the Siren announced they already had 3 males and asking Salish if Chelan knew their ways. Clearly this was not a question he could answer to himself. He often found the females followed a "don't speak unless spoken to" mentality when it came to things like this. And so he did as he was raised and kept quiet exchanging the occasional non threatening glance to the wolves that were gathered.
Akantha approached and Kalika immediately took her side, though stood a few steps behind her so that the group would be able to see the difference in ranking between them. Although she thought of herself highly, she was in no place to warrant the same dominant nature as the Matriarch. As the question was posed about the male, Kalika awaited dutifully for a response in her own cloud of silence. Salish seemed confident enough in her siblings, but would that mean enough in Akantha's eyes?
Her brother and sister returned the greeting, although Chelan remained quiet, just as was expected of him. Next to speak was the swarthy Matriarch, and Salish flicked her pair of beige ears towards her, nodding to confirm that the newcomers were indeed the siblings that she had mentioned on her day of acceptance into the Nereides. Her honey eyes flitted to the face of her brother and swiftly returned the woman who held the authority here. Yes, he has, said Salish. He does what is asked -- what is expected of him. Unless he had suffered a drastic change in character during their time apart, Chelan had always been very obediant. He was raised to conform to our ways, and he does a fine job of it.
By now, Salish had moved to stand beside her siblings, so that all three of them faced Akantha and Kalika. Throwing Tokitae a sideways glance, she sought confirmation so that Akantha could be certain her words on Chelan were spoken accurately.
Tokitae didn't like the way their Matriarch spoke about Chelan, rather than to him directly. But there was no hope of redirecting the flow of the conversation, just as she was helpless to fight the tide—the Nereides were, as always, set in their ways. Her eyes darted sideways as Salish turned about to join them, and she watched as her sunny sister responded to the dark Amazon in her usually optimistic way. She, too, hadn't bothered to confirm any of it with either of them, and once again her stomach flipflopped anxiously. The uncertainty she harbored towards this plan was growing by the moment, but a stolen look towards her brother reassured her. He stood by, patient as the sky, and revealed nothing but his usual stoicism around the Sisters.
She didn't raise her own voice to add to the conversation as the once-over the Matriarch gave her was obviously enough information for her to make a sound decision. Tokitae leaned slightly towards Salish, seeking the familiar warmth of her blood-born sister, as she waited for the Matriarch to approve or deny them entry.
"Fine," Akantha grunted as Salish moves to join their side. A prickle of irritation jabs at the base of her skull at the action, and she fleetingly wonders if the sunny girl's loyalty lay more with her family than Akantha herself. But she didn't mention it, nor did she allow the emotion to pass across her face. She turned to address Chelan directly, "but I expect you to teach the two boys we picked up, Gabe and Whip. They were once outsiders, but now one of us. Your experience would be useful to them." She explained, her tone leaving nothing to question.
The Matriarch bowed her savage head and spoke once more: "Welcome, both of you." only to turn and depart the group without another word.