hope it's okay to throw him in!
Whatever Chaiyya had done to help his burns was working as he began to pep up without the pain to hold him back. The fact that a lot of them were still missing kept him from being himself, mainly the fact that Aliac hadn't returned home to him yet. Every day he rested, drank water, attempted to hunt, and patrolled like he normally would except more so because to lay still was to risk nightmares and all the thoughts he hated rushing back.
As he patrolled the surrounding wood a call came up, a call for leadership and he gave a curious glance in that direction. This was sort of their new home so it wasn't entirely surprising that someone would smell them and think they lived here. Not seeing why he shouldn't he headed in that direction and spotted the female standing there, waiting for Adi or Dawn.
"Hello Ma'am! How can I help you?" he asked in a polite tone, hoping that his burned and patchy fur wouldn't put her off too much.
since sebastian's return, he had lived each day in the hope that howls that rang out at the edge of the forest belonged to one of his own. this one did not. the sound of it was foreign, musical and searching. with a small sigh, he rose to his paws from where he sat, near the muddy pond, and headed that way, wondering who had come knocking--and why.
sunny had greeted her already, and aditya drew to a halt next to the silver male, giving him a smile before turning his gaze upon the girl. "yes?" he asked politely, assuming sunny had already given her a more substantive answer. "what can we do for you?"
she was a pretty young thing, with a lithe, muscled body cloaked in a dark brown pelt. her eyes were strikingly green; they cut through him like sunlight through the maplewood canopy, dappling the ground. his face was calm and inviting as he stood silently, waiting for her response.
They studied one another for a moment before Aditya arrived and he gave the male a warm smile, stepping back just slightly. Aditya echoed his question and he turned a curious and warm gaze back toward the pretty female. He waited for a few seconds before she silently dropped into a bow and began to speak. Wait. Alpha? Sunny blanched and stared at her as she grovelled to him and Aditya, ears slooooowly sliding back as he winced and turned to give Adi a uncomfortable look. "He's the alpha miss. Alongside my sister. I'm just below them" was all he said in a soft voice before he shuffled awkwardly and fell silent.
his brows rose to his ears as she gave a bow and spoke in flowery words--he'd never seen anything quite like this, while running morningside. still, he heard her out, smiling at the request. once you dug past the language, the question was simple. adi was flattered that there were still wolves who wanted to join up despite the plains--and the pack--being in shambles.
sunny's response sent his head swiveling, and he regarded the young man for a long moment before turning back to the newcomer. "what is your name?" he asked warmly. "where do you come from, and what skills can you offer us?" she seemed able enough; this should be a no-brainer. one never did know, though. . .her answers would paint a better picture.
Even when he corrected her she stayed in the position of a lowly wolf and he stared, unsure how to feel. It made him feel good to be considered high enough and respectable enough to have her maintain her position but at the same time he never wanted to be bowed to or even looked at as authority. He was a hunter of Morningside, a friend to all, but not a leader. He remained silent as Aditya and Desdemona spoke paying attention but making no comments until she mentioned hunting and he perked up. He studied her in a new light and nodded
"She looks like she'd be a good runner and herder for taking down deer. We could really use some more hunters" he gave his opinion, not directly stating but hinting at his approval as he looked to Aditya.
Sorry for the crappy response
my liege. now that was a name he'd never been called before. if he were a bird, he would have preened; as it was, aditya merely stared at her, warm golden eyes blinking softly as she spoke. he gave an impressed nod to her stated qualifications, and turned to sunny when the young man began to speak in her favor.
"yes, we do," adi concurred, looking back at desdemona. "well, desdemona, it's nice to meet you. and welcome to morningside. i don't see any reason why this can't be your new home. however," he continued, his tone cooling a bit, "this is a place where you will have to pull your weight. now more than ever, we need wolves that contribute, not ones that take and leave."
he thought of alya's words on loyalty, how different their cultures were. yet perhaps, in this time of need, now was the time to start pressing new recruits for their fealty. "will you stay true to us?" adi asked, the words feeling slightly wrong in his mouth. like holding a child to a standard too high for them. this was not his way.
Sunny looked between Aditya and Desdemona, still weirded out before he began to just assume this was how she was raised to act and it wasn't a random act of throwing herself at their paws. Aditya welcomed her to Morningside and Sunny thought that was the end of it when Aditya added a question that surprised Sunny. He gave Aditya a look of approval, his own opinion being that that should be a question now asked. How many members of his own family had just walked away for whatever reason? Skraeling had been someone he personally vouched for and helped out and she left them suddenly and without word as well. He turned back to the dark furred female and awaited her answer.
Her answer was one while still seeming dramatic and over subservient to Sunny, was one he was pleased to hear and he gave her a warm smile "Welcome to the Morningside family. I would like to hunt with you Sometime, maybe the two of us can bring home a good meal" he said before he could stop himself. He gave Aditya an apologetic glance "My bad...Im gonna go check in on everyone else. See y'all around!" he said quickly and then headed off.
pretty words they might be, but they were simply words. adi had lived long enough, and spun many such tales himself, to know that only time would tell if they were true. still, it was better to have asked then not, and he was about to open his mouth when sunny did so instead. his face contorted in confusion as the silver male apologized to him and then scurried off, then flitted to mild annoyance as he realized sunny wouldn't be around for when he needed him.
"well, echoing his sentiments, welcome to the family," he said warmly, grinning. "you'll be a joiner for a while and will need a mentor to show you around, and how we do things here. i was thinking of giving sunny, who just left, that assignment--can you find him later, and tell him? i think he'd be more than happy to help you out."
adi stepped aside, letting her come into the territory at her own pace. "i'm aditya," he introduced himself, realizing with a start that he hadn't done so already. he canted his head to one side, regarding her with some curiosity. "would you like a tour of the place, first, or would you rather rest for now and explore tomorrow?"
she was a serious one, this desdemona. aditya wondered what kind of culture she had exited for her to be so deferential. he wasn't used to the treatment, and he felt somewhat uncomfortable as she continued to bow, not stepping into the territory. no decision on rest or a tour, either--was she waiting for him to boss her around?
she was out of luck; that wasn't his management style.
"you don't. . .have to keep bowing to me," adi said gingerly, flashing her a slightly nervous smile. "you don't have to bow at all, actually. i might be a leader, but i'm a friend, too. we're equals, as far as i'm concerned. i just try to keep everyone safe and happy," he added, lips broadening to a grin.
he took a long inhale, considering her promise. "but all right," he murmured, hoping she would rise to her feet. "if you're up for it, i could use a partner on this border patrol. would you like to join me?" he asked, raising an eyebrow, even as he knew she would--she felt compelled--to say yes.
her confusion made him laugh, gently; she was cute in her own way, trying to keep everything so. . .rigid. adi lifted his chin, beckoning her closer. "arrey, chalo," he chuckled, dimpling as he smiled. "let's go, then. a lot to see, and even more to do."
he padded off, keeping slow so she could catch up. would she stay behind him, or walk by his side? he guessed the former, but he very much hoped for the latter. this wasn't a game of follow-the-leader, no matter what his title might imply. she reminded him somewhat of raid--perhaps it was the coloring--but more stilted, formal. raid was just shy, scared; this girl had the fear of god in her.
who had put it there?
"we just moved to the maplewood after a fire destroyed our old home," he admitted, looking over his shoulder at her. "we're doing all we can to make our claim here stronger. mark every bit of the border that smells weak." as if to illustrate, adi paused and lifted his leg, spraying a relatively stale bush of thorns at the edge of the forest.
wanna fade this out? we can have another thread soon :D
it would take time to adjust to her different mannerisms, her serious way of doing things. or, perhaps, she would bend with the winds here--become more relaxed, in the style of the morningsiders. either way, he wasn't overly concerned. more than anything, they needed hunters that would stick around for a while, and this ultra-loyal girl fit the mold to a tee. how she interacted with others, especially since it was not malicious, was secondary at this juncture.
"good," he remarked as she added her scent to the border, giving her a gentle nod. "you're one of us, now. glad you're here." his eyes were soft, his smile open and warm, hoping to melt whatever ice her previous masters had set around her heart.
but again. . .with time.
"here, follow me," adi said, jerking his chin toward the path ahead of them. "i want to show you where we used to live, and then perhaps we can take a trip to the pond." he carried on at a slow trot, not worried about this tour taking up too much of his day. it was his job, after all--right?