Beneath heavy clouds, she scoped the landscapes with tired eyes. Suddenly she found herself thrown into a new kind of routine, one of that of pack wolf, and this adjustment process was a lot to take in. She had been trying to rest up some and eat decently, but like everything else, it took some getting used to.
On the whole, she still did not know what to make of this. It was still in progress. Her pack-habits were buried deep under so many months of roaming solo, where she only had herself to rely on, and to be concerned with. Now it was different, so suddenly too.
Her senses were practically overwhelmed by wolf scents and the impending need to integrate -- which she had begun to do, albeit quietly. Ame's scent was here and there while she worked to memorize theirs. All the while, the briny scene of the seaside mountainside had steadily faded from her. Ame's unruly furs instead were smelling distinctly of the creek instead now, and even with the unfamiliar undertone of companionship. Which for now mainly included Ferdie, but this was all still glaringly new.
Expeditions like this one would help solidify her familiarity here -- she was tracing the shoreline of the namesake creek and looking for the most ideal stretches for fishing. Now and then, she walked through the waters to keep her paws damp and kept her eyes and ears peeled. The scent of traffic was practically everywhere, so she was swiftly understanding the Creek to be an active pack.
![[Image: 5ifpFkc.png?1]](http://i.imgur.com/5ifpFkc.png?1)
i want to bleed in the 「r a i n」
He did all of this without realizing that a stranger was nearby. A stranger who, upon his acquiescence, held Fox's fresh scent upon her. It was a distinctive smell to be sure. A great perfume that would prevent the warden from growing too hostile should he ever spot the interloper; he was frozen for a moment mid-slide, thick fur tangled in the gnarled wood of the tree, and as he pulled away from it he spotted her. It was the same stranger from the mountain - a swarthy creature, and clearly a new addition to the ranks.
Njal woofed as softly as he could manage, hoping to catch her attention as he pulled away from the tree for good. As he slunk closer he took on a lazy dominance, not wanting to be rude and enforce his station upon her when she was probably still adjusting.
When she had last seen this creek so many months ago, she admittedly had not devoted that much time to it. Now though, she had the chance to be thorough in her combing of the creek's details and considering that she planned to spend plenty of time here fishing, it only seemed natural to seek out those spots. She did miss a few of her more favored fishing spots further to the west, but only briefly. Ame was trying to not feel too attached to her old haunts and instead come to integrate into this one's energies instead.
Her eyes were following a streak of a fish beneath a particularly swift stretch of current. Soon, she lost sight of it, but kept treading until she smelled him first, then saw him not long after.
A familiar face,
she chuffed in greeting while nimbly turning to face to sterling male she had already met once before, however on much different terms. Only through Bazi did she presume his name to be Njal, although this was not entirely for certain -- even if the odds of the pack having another silvered wolf with a scarred face were slim.
Ame's ears were splayed carefully, and she lowered her head for good measure when she saw his posture that did speak, although not overly loudly, of dominance. She recognized him as highly ranked judging by the prevalence and potency of his scents here. Ame guessed he had been a creekside wolf for quite a time, but she was still learning the depths of the hierarchy here and its finer details.
Since her position was so below his, she deferred to him without saying more for now. Instead she watched him intently but respectfully; she was curious, after all, of what brought him here to cross paths with her. She was feeling this all out as a brand new pack wolf and all, and his reception of her would dictate her next move.
i want to bleed in the 「r a i n」
It all started with introductions. When the woman spoke, he canted his head and twisted his ears to grab at her cool voice; it reminded him of the sound of the water across the river stones. "A familiar face," Njal smirked at her words and gave a nod, taking a few extra steps so that he could be close enough to inhale a deep breath of her scent. He probed at her lightly with his nose the same way he had when he met Fox the first time, curious of the newcomer.
Midway through his study, he pulled back a bit and regarded the dark woman. "It is good to see you here," the man remarked, thinking of the moment when they first met upon the mountain. Had she lingered there long, perhaps Jinx would have driven her away - or harmed her for being too close to Silvertip. "Are you adjusting well, miss?"
In the only pack she had known prior, hierarchy had been enforced subtly yet intensely. She had learned quickly to read all the tiniest of signals and even here, she was trying her best to see everything she could all at once. Her senses were keyed in and after months of such sparse interactions, she had to remember it all. Needless to say, her interpersonal skills were still rusty.
She was still once he had moved closer, but she took the opportunity to take in his scent in full. He was entrenched in Creek smells, even ones that she had yet to encounter personally, so she knew longevity was his here. Her ears stayed fanned back and she listened.
The coast was no longer welcoming, it seemed,
Ame remarked stoically. She did miss it still. Even so, she nodded. She found she was relatively well-received here. A bit of previously existing familiarity with him, and a small handful of other members, might have helped her feel this way. She was still far from meeting everyone and even further from integrating herself entirely, of course. Slowly, but yes, I am adjusting and finding new routines. Call me Ame instead,
she said with a dipping muzzle, as she did not find that miss suited her mood any.
i want to bleed in the 「r a i n」
"If you would like, I could take you on a tour of the territory. Perhaps we can discuss your strengths."
He paused after this, allowing her time to consider before responding. It was always difficult to find ones footing in a new place, and especially tricky when there was a major transition involved. Njal thought back to when he first arrived in the Wilds; however, it was a different situation from Amezake. He had been wandering for weeks and had stumbled upon a freshly forming pack of vagrants, while she came upon a developed family. Still, there were similarities, and Njal felt a stirring of kinship because of it.
Once he tested her name on his own tongue, she was pleased he provided his own to confirm that he was in fact Njal and additionally that he was a warden here. Ame found herself unsurprised. He looked as if he could fill that sort of role well and having since realized that his scent was strong here, she knew that was likely another explanation for his prevalence.
After a beat of quiet contemplation of his offer, she soon nodded once it had been deemed in her best interests. Although less keen to discuss her strengths at this time when so many of them were far from obvious (considering the toll lonerhood had taken), she had plenty to learn from him. I have been attempting to learn the territory more already. Last time I had been here late in the summer months, this had not yet been claimed,
she mentioned to say that she was vaguely familiar with things here but far from a master. You have been here long, yes?
she asked, waiting for him to lead so that she could fall into step behind him. With her interest in the pack's history now that she was a part of their present and future, the longest-term members were most ideal to talk to.
i want to bleed in the 「r a i n」
"You have been here long, yes?"
"Yes. Since the pack's inception," He commented while falling in to an easy, somewhat lazy, stride. Around them the meadows and fields of the territory rolled out, a sprawl of spring green that was peppered with the occasional flower patch. Tiny weeds with white petals, a few mismatched bits of flora that he could not identify but readily avoided with his paw, even a few groves of trees. They passed the area he was marking and moved north, towards the wetlands. "We assembled beneath a wolf named Lethe, but she passed on after a few months," her death had left a mark upon the first recruits, and they had worked through it. Njal did not give specifics. "And then Fox took over. You have met her?"
She kept pace easily and nodded understandingly as she glided after him. So he was a founding member, then, and she took in the words of their first leader eagerly. This was the first she heard of Lethe and consequentially, her end. Ame appreciated the glimpse into the pack's history even if. I have. Only once, so far. I knew Ferdie and Bazi some before joining.
Along with him, too. Ferdie she knew best and Bazi was a more recent acquaintance. Ame had liked the snow-furred wolf well enough to know that knowing her better may not be bad. Many other faces of the Creek she had yet to encounter but she was learning their scents already just by traveling around the territories and seeing who preferred to frequent certain areas. There were some that were more potent presences upon the borderlands and others who were not. Ame was learning steadily already. It was so much to take in.
Lethe's rule could not have been very long at all. I knew this was not a pack in the summertime months, back when I was last on this side of the mountains..
She looked to place their founding on a rough timeline. I had only begun to meet Creek wolves during the winter.
The later stretches of winter, too.
She would accompany him and listen for a good while, soaking up all she could and enjoying the passing of the landscape beneath their pawsteps. Amekaze appreciated the peek into the history of the Creek, and when she got the sense that Njal was finished with her company, she dismissed herself.
i want to bleed in the 「r a i n」