tagging for reference! but, of course, you are more than welcome to hop in if you wish, emily. ♥
as vilkas traverses through the different regions of the teekon wilds, learning their layouts and secrets, he keeps
@Lily's offer in the back of his mind. he mulls it over as he explores and meets others — some meetings going more smoothly than others; obviously a preface for the life he would find here. he knows well enough that he will not get along with every wolf he comes across ( in actuality there was a higher probability that he
wouldn't given his raptorial and mercurial nature ) he decides to stay in the wilds and after careful weighing of the pros and cons of the offer the inky she-wolf had proposed to him he recalls the directions she had given him and the firebrand sets off.
it does not take the fiery whitemane long to find what he took to be the territory's trademark: a large bolder split down the middle accompanied by the scent of the wolves that maintain it's claim. he keeps plenty of distance from the well-marked borders erring to the assumption that all wolves are as territorial as he is. it's safer that way, he's found. he does not deliberate long, instead, seeking to be direct as he tilts his muzzle skyward and lets out a howl announcing his presence to whomever was in a position of power to greet and either accept or deny him; though a small part of vilkas hopes that the shadow kissed lily of the sanctuary makes an appearance though he does not harken to that small desire, entirely selfish as it may be.
The Sanctuary was growing. Despite the Governor's half-formed expectancy that his pack would eventually fall, the once little family thrived and expanded with each day. Everywhere he went, Alarian glimpsed new faces around his home; still not familiar to him, but in time they would be. Not a burst, but a slowly-rising swell of confidence followed the growth. He carried himself not with overwhelming authority, but with a new ease that spoke more clearly of his position.
He was quick to answer the call at the borders, lessening the emphasis on his limp with some effort as he approached. The stranger was tall, formidably built, and his coat burned bright under the sun. Alarian managed not to falter, but found himself without words as he drew nearer; whoever he was, he was kind of super hot. He paused, glancing briefly over the male with the barest hints of admiration behind his gaze.
Welcome to the Bracken Sanctuary,
Business-mode kicked in, saving him from embarrassing himself; for perhaps the first time ever, Alarian was grateful to be able to hide behind his rank. I'm Alarian, the Governor; is there anything I can do for you?
The striking man spoke of Lily, and Alarian felt a spike of something in his chest— disappointment? Nonetheless, he was a potential member, so the Governor's expression remained unchanged. He nodded in response, tail swishing now; more from agitation, but he tamed it to be passed as a friendly gesture.
We have room,
He told him— before he could continue, a more familiar voice called out to the pair. Vilkas— Ali supposed that was the man's name, then. Though he had not doubted the stranger's claim before, Lily's presence confirmed it. He greeted her with a nod, then looked back to Vilkas. Lily is right; we take in anyone, and we don't expect a lot. Respect everyone, contribute when you're able. You'll start as a Cipher, our undetermined rank, until you've established your role in the pack.
Alarian glanced briefly to Lily. I'm sure Lily wouldn't mind showing you around and telling you a bit more; I'll need to let the Chancellor know we have a new member.
It wasn't really that pressing, but under the easy mask he wore Alarian felt tense and uncomfortable with the familiarity between Lily and Vilkas. He wasn't sure which he envied more, but he tucked it under the cloaking weight of duty. It was a good enough excuse to ignore it, anyway.
PPing Ali out of the scene with permission!
She listened quietly to Alarian's instructions, nodding at the appropriate points. The Governor soon left, indicating his need to speak to the Chancellor--she resisted an eye roll; she must get around to accepting Delight sooner or later--and she was left alone once more with Vilkas. She shrugged, a small laugh bubbling on her lips.
"I guess I'm to show you around, then," Lily said warmly, eyes glowing. She canted her head toward the boulder, motioning for Vilkas to follow. "Let's start with the obvious--Broken Boulder. The crack in the middle leads to a series of caves and dens. . .sort of like where we met, but cozier." She lifted her muzzle to Star Rock on the way. "Star Rock. Korei likes to sit there and look at the sky at night."
They approached the entrance, the yawning mouth of the boulder extending before them. Lily looked back, making sure he was still with her, then slipped through. "There are dens in here; you can take your pick, or if you'd prefer, you can sleep outside. I think it's nice in here, though," she added, voice bouncing off the walls.
apparently i wrote you a novel, lol. no need to match the length! :-)
vilkas' conclusion is corrected and lily is patient in explaining that 'caregiver' was more of the body than the mind. he doesn't really get the difference but he's accustomed to believing that caring for mental health is just as much a 'caregiver' as a healer. these words were common, not the dragon-tongue which in comparison seemed so much easier ( as it naturally would if only because it's his native tongue ). vilkas' brow furrows but it is closely accompanied by a curt nod and a brief dip of his head that is almost apologetic for mistaking the trades, offering no further comment; readily embracing the silence that befalls the pair as they move towards the cave's exit.
at first the tunnel is a yawning mouth, plenty wide for them to walk side by side, but the closer to the exit they move it narrows, pressing in on them until vilkas' shoulder steadily brushes alongside the rugged wall as he moved. as lily seeks to move past him to resume the lead the close quarters causes a brush of their fur as she re-claims her position as tour guide. the touch, bare as it was, wasn't intentional but the he gives her a brief hooded look all the same. by the time vilkas follows her into daylight he is composed ...at least until she informs him that he's 'one of a kind' here.
he blinks slowly at her, unsure he heard her right at first. a pack with no guardians? it was a disaster waiting to happen. there was nothing to stop someone from coming in and taking the pack by force. borders, of course, but they have a rather flexible, open border policy. "i understand that the sanctuary has a rather open border policy," as a beast that is largely territorial he cannot help the brief cringe he makes. "but from a tactical standpoint no guardians or warriors is a usurp waiting to happen." in fact, it would probably be easy. alarian might wield the respect of his wolves but he was no intimidating figure, at least by the firebrand's standards ( there he goes again with the whole judging a book by it's cover ). the only thing the governor had going for him that might give someone pause were the scars that mar his face. in fact, it's a bit impressive that they haven't already had to deal with a power-play.
he's tries to figure out how he would tend to his trade duties while respecting the open border policy alarian has set up. it would certainly be a challenge as it more or less goes against every instinct vilkas has. it would be hard to protect wolves when strangers were allowed to wander freely through the territory so long as they didn't cause trouble. yet, he is drawn from his thoughts as lily mentions about hoping if he could help her learn how to fight better. she casts her gaze demurely away. he studies her for a moment, going back to what he told her earlier; and while he's not accustomed to teaching adults he does not think the transition would be that hard. if anything, teaching an adult should prove to be easier than training cubs whom had the attention spans of squirrels ( if he was lucky ).
"i'll teach you." vilkas agrees; because it would be beneficial to the sanctuary and because it gives him an excuse to spend more time with her.
I love your novels <3 also edited bc I'm a dum dum
His tone of voice didn't do a thing to abate her sheepishness; she flushed further, now feeling embarrassed and kind of stupid. "Yes, you're right," Lily answered, mumbling slightly. Her shoulders lifted in a shrug. "But I think Alarian and Lanawyn know how to fight okay, and. . ." She trailed off, not really knowing if anyone else had mercenary capabilities. It hit her suddenly (as Emily smacks herself) that the new woman, Queenie, had talent in that field. "There's Queenie, too. She's expecting pups soon but she's a fighter, or so I've heard."
It was kind of sad, the dearth of seasoned warriors in Bracken Sanctuary. She had never thought about it, to be quite honest. They had started out as a group of friends, loving and happy, and nothing truly terrible had befallen them, save Lennon abandoning them. That had left wounds, but they were scars on the heart, not the body. They hadn't needed to worry, yet. But Vilkas was right.
Her ears canted forward in excitement as he agreed, and she lifted her eyes to his, her spirit returning once more. "Oh, that would be just splendid," Lily responded with enthusiasm, grinning. "I think I'm a pretty quick study. And it will be fun to learn new skills." Emboldened by his acquiescence, she bounded forward, peering at him from over her shoulder.
"Come on," she called out. "I want to show you Paradise Garden. You've seen butterflies before, right?"
as this seems like a good place to wrap this up i went ahead and concluded + archived it. :-)
with the tour wrapped up vilkas assumes they are to go their separate ways especially because he can't summon any more questions for her about his new life in bracken sanctuary at the moment. he figures he can explore the rest of the territory on his own, learn the layout of the borders so he knows the paths and shortcuts intimately. he categorizes that as a high priority given that their only other guardian is heavily pregnant, according to lily. to his surprise she mentions that she's going to hunt and extends an invitation for him to join. the firebrand contemplates her offer, or rather, pretends to because he's a tease but already knows he'll say 'yes'. because it means a little extra time with her, because he is hungry and because that damn coquettish look she shoots over her shoulder does things to vilkas. his ears taper back and he lets out a small, near inaudible noise; a low rumble that is meant to answer the flirtatious look given.
there's a perplexing moment in which she tosses a 'welcome home' to him. it's so casual that is actually perturbs him for a moment with how routine it sounds: like how a wife might greet her husband when he returns home from a day at work. maybe he's reading way too much into it. vilkas might be well spoken but he prefers the simplicity of body language over the complexities of verbal language because he is always analyzing words and picking them apart to determine the meanings and that's often irritating to him. he's broken out of the rambling of his thoughts as she takes off and seconds after the firebrand joins her on her hunt without trepidation.