The plains had welcomed him after the mountain. He'd rested in the foothills and ambled through them, then upon finding the flatland, enjoyed the feeling of freedom as he ran across them and explored. There were distant shapes on the horizon; large beasts, mythological in his eyes, which drew him further and further. The bison were utterly dismissive of him. They were tall, broad, and appeared ancient at the same time; they circled up upon noticing him, keeping their calves in the center, and watched as he drifted on.
He found a river and slaked his thirst, tried his hand at fishing up a snack — then with one salmon consumed and in pieces on the bank and another twitching weakly among the rocks, he grabbed the second and carried it off. The man jaunted along the riverside until there came signs of life again: not the bison, and not the pulse of the river, but something more familiar. Trails that were well marked with wolf-scent.
Raimo plopped the fish down, placing one paw upon it possessively despite being alone. He looked around with a few curious glances, then relaxed and began to lick his face clean of fish scales and blood from earlier. He made himself as proper-looking as he could, and then lifted his chin and softly crooned a howl.
tags for reference
The howl came as a surprise, perhaps since the past few days have been a blur and the idea of any outsiders at their borders had been a forgotten possibility...at least to the Constable. With their Count figure missing it left only one person to handle outsiders, especially if they were interested in Kaistleoki. Calling for @Speedy to watch over the pups, Ira would insist on taking the trip and making it fast. No longer burdened by the swelling of pregnancy Ira realized how free it felt to be able to move again, even if her disappearance from the den would only be temporary. Without the threat of harming what was her unborn children, Ira felt more than capable taking the call alone.
Their visitor would have a bit of a wait before the roan woman pinpointed his location, but she was careful to make quick strides. The male that waited was dark in coloring making his bicolored eyes only more so noticeable. Ira also caught sight of the fish he held hostage, perhaps an offering, but she'd let him decide that. Hello, you've reached Kaistleoki. Is there something I may assist you with?
He was contented by his surroundings and did not notice the passage of time in any real way. Obviously time passed; the fresh fish was warm when he'd gripped it during the catch, but by now it had stopped twitching and had gone cold. The smell of it was clean, like river stones. The warm day would spoil it soon enough if it wasn't eaten or stored; but that wasn't a concern either. Raimo watched the tree line. His attention drifted up to the brilliant blue sky with its gathering clouds—white and fat, and moving swiftly eastward.
A small cabbage moth caught the sunlight on its little pale wings, and he watched it fight so hard to stay airbourne. The bug investigated some greenery, landing among a small cluster of dandelions, and then away again. Raimo watched until he was bored — which did not take long — and as he looked around for something else to focus on, he saw an approaching figure.
They looked different from what he was used to. Wiry but tall, and androgynous to some degree, if the wind had not shifted to bring him the stranger's scents he would have thought it was a man. No — it was a woman with a stoic bearing, smelling vaguely like pine and sweetness, and for someone from a large family that translated quickly to mean, motherhood.
Her eyes dipped to the fish at his feet, and while she spoke, Raimo followed her gaze and became more animated when he realized he still had the fish. He grabbed it and hoisted it up at the same time as he rose to his paws, then began striding towards her; he was mindful of the strongly marked border, pressing his luck just a little bit by drawing closer. He placed the fish down nearer the woman, and then slunk back a step.
M'name is Raimo, Raimo Ivarstead. I've been travelin' a while ah, and I was wonderin' if.. There was any room here for one more? You have a mighty fine lookin' claim here.
He grinned as he said the last bit, his teeth flashing yellow in the sunlight, and then added: I brought a — well, notta bribe, but a tribute. Figured it might break the ice.
And was totally planned, yep, absolutely, mhm.
The stranger seemed distracted upon her arrival, but his gaze quickly snapped back to her as she approached. Part of her wondered if he had been a little too comfortable along the borders, but he had been respectful and Kaistleoki was not an attack on sight pack. The male introduced himself as a traveler before gesturing back to the fish at his paws. He approached, testing the limits of the borders before placing the kill before her and taking a step back once more. Ira could have stepped back but ended up deciding against it should it show any kind of weakness.
This man, Raimo, did not appear to be a threat, nor did his actions give her a reason to not believe him, but you could never be too careful especially now. Golden eyes remained trained on the dark figure until he backed up and flashed a grin. The action reminded her of a few of the other males within their ranks, mainly Connor or Hieronymous, not for the grin, but the situation in which he grinned. I see.
Was now even a good time to recruit? They had lost two suddenly and children were now present. What skills might you bring to the pack?
Anyone could hunt, you had to for survival. Nevertheless, they had just lost a skilled grocer and food would run scarce soon with so many pup due.
Here we strive to better ourselves and should we be knowledgeable in our field, teach the next generation to succeed. Our structure is not traditional, but trade based if that does not interest you I suggest leaving now.
There would be no room for slackers even if summer was just around the corner. Life would be easy now, but come winter they would need to be prepared, especially if their kids were to survive. Gods forbid a disaster like last year, but you could never be too careful, who's to say they would not take their anger out on the land once more?
Her question progressed to further conversation, or rather, explanation. The woman outlined what the claim was like and Raimo found it satisfactory; it wasn't much different from his own home, so he merely nodded as the woman spoke to indicate he was paying attention. Her final comment struck him oddly. It was almost like a warning — and that made him wonder, just how many people had come and gone from this place? Who thought they were too good to work for their dinner? How bizarre.
Aye, well,
he murmured, once he was given the floor. That all sounds good ta me. My family is pretty big, so, that's why I left. I wanted some adventure and to see the world; but while at home, I helped with everythin'. You kind of have to do that - yaknow?
A fresh smirk, this time a little more serious. I can hunt, fight, patrol, ah... Probably track down other kinds of supplies if someone tells me where to go, really miss I can do anythin'.
With a final little nod he fell silent again.
Raimo was young, strong, and hale of health. He was a damn fine catch — fish or no fish.
Ah so he came from a family pack, perhaps this would be the first since he departed. In many ways Kaistleoki could be called family-oriented, families have been raised here and that did not look like it had plans of stopping any time soon, not to mention no one really asserted their dominance over another aside from the Council. As the Count had mentioned, they were about teaching and developing skills. Raimo seemed to be a jack of all trades, not exactly specific, but it was a good start. Perhaps he would come to find something he'd like to further his knowledge in later.
I suppose I have no grounds to deny you then. We could use the extra paws, but as a newcomer I request you stay away from new litters until the pack becomes more familiar with you.
A reasonable request especially given the stress that's run rampant amongst the pack the past few days. You should know we have sisters to the East as well. They are free to enter our claim and once you have become one of us you may visit them. We've had several members from Reneian Empire visit lately with pup season so I'm sure you will find their scent quickly.
A pause was given to gauge the male's reaction. Most were unfamiliar with the concept of a sister pack, not that she blamed them. Surely Raimo would have questions. Is there anything specific you'd like to know?
He knew he was a shoe-in (or whatever the canine equivalent would be in this universe). The way she phrased the acceptance sounded almost... Like she didn't really want him there. No grounds to deny you, she had said. It struck him as strange, but maybe Raimo was a little out-of-touch himself, so he would let it go. She was accepting him and he was getting what he wanted, so all was well.
There were some caveats, which were to be expected given the season and his own obscurity. He did not know the area and would be taking his time to adapt to this place; it would serve him well to have a home base. He listened as the woman explained all of these things to him, and when prompted with her question, he shook his head.
Sounds like you've got a busy life here. I'll get outta your way. But I'll be sure to keep away from your youngins.
When his smirk grew bigger, the corners of his eyes wrinkled. Truth be told, Raimo would be happier if he could stay far away from children. He liked them. They were great little balls of potential and all that, but... His family was, ah, prolific. So far this was shaping up to be a fabulous deal.
I can post a closer next round!
Yes well...it's been a string of events as of late.
That was an understatement. The whole week had been one mess to the next, Ira just prayed that this was the last wrench the Gods threw her way. I take it you have no questions or concerns then?
Perhaps that surprised her more than the rest of the information he had provided, but if there was nothing to answer she would have no complaints. I'd show you around, but I should really return to my kids. I'm sure anyone else who doesn't have their paws full would be glad to though.
His interest was piqued when she mentioned events but, he was also quite eager to get roaming through the claim, and acclimatize himself. So while various questions nagged to be asked, Raimo withheld them. He was pleased to hear she was a mother after all, as it confirmed his initial presumption and was a little ego-stroke. What a ridiculous superpower - the ability to sniff out pregnant women from a distance! Wow!
Raimo shook his head when she offered, thinly, to show him around; it was just as well he find his way alone, as things would register more strongly if he could do it himself versus having a pretty lady to impress and distract him. Aye, I can make my way from here. If I get lost I'm sure someone will find me — or leave me to navigate like an idiot. Either way, its fine.
His shoulders shifted as he chuckled to himself, drawing away from Ira with a little head bob for a farewell.
It seemed that the male almost preferred to venture alone as he assured her that he would be fine. With a tip of Raimo's head, he chuckled and left leaving her to her business. Attention turned back to the fish he had used as an offering, a gift she would not complain as she scooped it carefully in her maw before heading back to her den. She could save the meal for later just in case she had no one to fetch her something from the caches.