Had he the ability to do so, he’d likely linger at the borders all day long. But there were often things to do within the valley, along with the need to simply ensure his scent did not fade from the general area; he was there and he would stay there, it was his valley and the walls would never be rid of him permanently. Even with that small necessity, however, he felt a constant pull towards the borders, knowing his friend resided there; it bothered him, still, that she kept to the outskirts of the territory. Were he any less civilised he would have dragged her in whether she wanted to be there or not, ordering her to stay where he could see her—but Alexander couldn’t do that. Perhaps he could have to Seff, whose sole purpose was to act as the albino’s servant, but never to Reigi (and maybe a handful of others). So he settled for checking in on her as frequently as time would allow, and it was towards her boulder that he’d been heading when the howl echoed off the walls.

Though seemingly feminine in pitch, the male’s hackles rose briefly, only to smooth out a moment later whilst his tail rose up over his back. It’ll be fine, he thought but Xan could fool not even himself—especially not as his pace gradually picked up, carrying him closer and closer to the borders.

Arriving right at the end of the stranger’s ramblings, he looked first to Reigi—one, two, three looks over her, assessing her from where he stood before slowly closing the distance, satisfied by the lack of wounds. Several weeks ago, he might have greeted her first with a soft touch to the cheek, but this time he settled for moving up alongside her; he did not touch her, but he did take a few steps more than she, positioning himself just enough between them that he could protect her, if need be, without blocking her from view. Queer eyes found their mark shortly after, studying the stranger’s expression, posture, and overall looks before asking, “Are you here to join?” He hadn’t managed to hear her speak to Reigi, having not arrived until the end and then immediately focusing on his companion. And, for once, he didn’t care too much about the possibility of making an ass out of himself by assuming her reason for being there.

A single ear remained twisted in his companion’s direction, a slim portion of his attention lingering on her just in case. For the most part, however, he paid attention to the stranger; he took the time to sniff at the woman then, searching for whatever information that he could, though what he found wasn’t all too interesting. Her words provided more insight, at which his ears perked, both swiveling forward to catch every sound she made. He didn’t recognise either of the names, her or her brother’s, which he made clear immediately: “I’ve never heard of anyone with that name.” He very well could have passed by the valley but, if he had, Alexander had never seen or heard from him.

She sought a place to stay, yet the way her sentences were formed concerned him. Should her brother be found, would she just up and leave? Briefly, his eyes narrowed as he thought that his pack might be used, but the expression was adjusted just moments later when he remembered his friend’s presence—her condition, too. Gaze flicked towards her, studying and considering his options, before deciding to take things one step at a time and actually listen prior to jumping to conclusions. “What happens if you find him?” he asked, returning his queer stare to the seal-pointed woman. “Will you leave right away?” Could he let a wolf join if he knew they were destined to leave? Possibly—

—not.

Shockingly enough, Alexander was not totally incapable of being reasonable. The more he listened, the less it seemed like a terrible idea to grant her access into his home; she would act the same as any other pack member, and she wouldn’t leave without notice. It was a convincing argument, chasing away the seeds of his irritation before they could take root. There was also the promise of a debt repaid—how could he pass that up, especially if someday circumstances forced him to collect. And though his initial reaction was to turn her away, he found himself being worn down by what made the most sense.

“How can you contribute while you’re here?” he asked, deciding that she was worth a continuation of the interview. “What skills do you have to offer?” He assumed hunting, given her promise, as well as the recognition of herbs—but he had to be sure, on the off chance that one skill belonged to her wayward brother and not the female herself.

She had the basic skills to offer, things that he fully believed every wolf should be capable of—if they couldn’t use their teeth, then how could they call themselves wolves? But accompanying those skills were ones that he wasn’t entirely familiar with, save for the gardening bit. Briefly, he felt his chest tighten, struck by a memory of his late friend as he recalled her interest in plants. The memories were immediately forced back into the depths of his mind, buried beneath less-emotional images and thoughts. He focused back on the present, where he was and those that were around him, whilst the tension in his chest eased.

“I think our healers could use your, uh, ability with plants,” he noted, inwardly chastising himself for the slight pause in his words. Stealing a glance at Reigi, he used her to ground himself, brought back fully to the present whilst the past was left where it belonged. Turning his gaze back to the potential recruit, he said, “What you know should be helpful. You can stay here.” It felt weird to let a wolf join when he knew that, someday, it was already in the plan of things for her to leave. No matter, he tried to ignore that bit of information for the sake of keeping his mood from slipping. “Just remember to let me know before you leave, whenever that happens,” he added, unable to keep his gaze from narrowing—but he corrected it soon after, doing what he could to not come off as too irritable.