She wasn't typically the diplomatic sort. Sure, as princess, she had the training for it, but it was never exactly a skill.
But with this pack being so near Ravensblood, and with the stupid fish-wolves on their stupid island being uncooperative, The Saints needed to make some friends. And with
@Donovan busy within the territory, it fell to her as leader.
The journey had only been a day or so long, so she wasn't terribly tired when she sensed the border of the neighboring pack. Taking a moment to compose herself- and smooth the fur over the wound on her shoulder- she sent a call out to whoever is in charge.
Keeping himself busy proved to be the best thing possible for the recruit, as it gave Raimo plenty of time to understand the lay of the land as well as the pack he had pledged himself to. His need to seek out the myths and legends he had grown up with did diminish, but they never evaporated fully. He would return to those stories time and again when he sought solace; when he slept, he eagerly dreamed of all the places he would one day go and all the creatures he would hunt down. In the daylight though, he was focused on more material things.
He filled caches for most of the morning - fish, primarily. It was surprisingly easy for the hefty northerner to fall in to old habits, hoisting fat salmon from the water and tossing it against the rocks, pleased to watch the fish twitch until they suffocated. That was dark - but necessary. He'd filled two caches already and was well on his way to a third when the call rose up. It was not a voice he knew.
It was, however, very close to where Raimo had chosen to fish that morning. He held a fish by the gills and unceremoniously dropped it, hearing the plop of its body in the shallows. It didn't matter much to Raimo if the fish escaped - he could catch another. The man's focus shifted from fishing to prowling, and he sauntered along the riverside in search of the summoner.
When he came upon the stranger she was standing boldly along the territory's limit. Raimo approached her with caution, but also confidence. He was a well built man and like many wolves, he could hold his own in a fight. He was dedicated to keeping his new home safe. With a watchful eye he sized up the stranger, noticing the feminine scent, then took note of a wound upon her dark shoulder.
This is Kaislteoki, lass. What're you callin' for?
He drew a deep breath next, tense and wary.
PP okayed by Asori, clarification on what was mentioned in regards to her puppies will come later when she can post about it!
How could this have happened? Something was terribly wrong, he had failed as a stand-in guardian to help Ira with her children and that alone was enough to stir the knight in the wrong direction. He couldn't track the boy, he couldn't find him at all, so sign or trace that he could find and FUCK THIS USELESS NOSE OF HIS!
After the news was brought to his attention, the man wasn't certain who else knew and thus kept to himself for the majority of the day after trying to help Ira, trying to soothe the new-mother in any way he could and yet, nothing ever seemed enough. His own heart and soul wasn't in it today, his own day was shattered and he focused the majority of his time trying to find any trace of him.
Nothing.
Always.
Nothing.
The call coming from the borders was certainly in the worst of times. He had switched off with Ira for her to rest now and care for the remainder of her young and almost instantly the call rang out and the painted man was already in pursuit. Another member had beat him to it, someone he had not gotten acquainted with yet due to all the goings-on lately - sorry, he thought, perhaps another day he'll get to know this man. For now, he focused on the stranger at their border.
The Count will not be joining us here, you'll be dealing with us. What do you want?
Gone was his musical, whimsical tone. He went straight to the heart of the matter with a cutting pitch. A puppy was missing and some stranger winds up on their borders. He was in a foul mood indeed.
She was quickly greeted, first one young male, then another.
they both seemed a bit upset, and she briefly wondered if she had perhaps chosen a bad time.
Even more off putting was the fact the....leader...of this establishment was indisposed. Quickly smoothing the dissapointment off her features she spoke.
"My mate and I are establishing a pack in Ravensblood Forest, the woods upriver. We thought it prudent to form a relationship with the nearby packs."
He opened his mouth to respond but, someone else came along just in time to cut in. Raimo was accustomed to life in a big, busy family so he wasn't bothered by the arrival of the patchwork man; he was distracted by the amalgamation of patterns and colors upon the knight and gave him a sly once-over, only to return his full attention to the woman. The edge in the knight's voice gave Raimo pause. He wondered if he should be wary of this woman after all, and felt his hackles begin to bristle with uncertainty the longer Hieronymous lingered beside him, intoxicating Raimo with his serious energy.
The disappointment on the woman's face struck him as odd, but maybe this was a scout hoping to make a good impression and the news that their Count was preoccupied bothered them. Raimo had never been a scout so he wasn't sure what the protocol was; he looked to the dappled man for a second, stepping back so that Hieronymous could handle the details. He stayed alert but wasn't exactly quaking in his proverbial boots at the sight of this woman - by virtue of her sex, and the fact she was outnumbered.
It intrigued Raimo to hear that another group was trying to settle nearby. The woman did not hold many other scents, not like the Kaistleoki wolves who carried a plethora. Odd, then, to call it a pack if she was truly alone - but what did Raimo know, he'd never had to build anything from scratch in his life.