Dragoncrest Cliffs On second thought..

HE'S BACK sorry to tag you again

[Outside of pack borders, where they had met previously.] 

He knew the two wolves, Val and..Chacal? told them it was a family pack that kept to themselves, but that's exactly what he wanted. He didn't want to end up in a pack like his previous one, which very adamantly fostered false alliances. He didn't want to walk for miles a day to meet and negotiate terms. He wanted to live out the rest of his life in peace. At any rate, each day, moving became harder than the last. He hoped it was only because of his sudden change in activity, but part of him knew that wasn't completely true. He was deteriorating. He couldn't risk pushing himself more than he needed to. Hunting was one thing, but travelling miles a day in search of a place to call home was another. 

Leto had taken off, unsurprisingly with little more than a good bye, although she seemed to keep things open-ended. He told her he would try joining Sapphique, so she'd know where to find him. It had been days since he'd spoken, only opening his mouth to eat and drink, and begrudgingly, he had to admit to himself that he did miss her company. Even if she did talk a lot, or was reckless, or generally annoying, he'd grown to enjoy her being near. 

Upon reaching the point where the two had called only days before, Pepper sat. He raised his paw, which he hadn't been able to feel for a few hours now. The feeling resembled tiny ants crawling and biting him at first, but now it was entirely numb, and had been the cause of several stumbles on his way up. 

He lifted his head and opened his mouth, dry lips briefly sticking together before parting. He hadn't thought he'd been thirsty. 
A deep howl escaped his chest, but at this height, seemed to vanish into nothingness. No echo, like the wind had taken it away. 

He wondered what their reaction would be--if he managed to call the same wolves as before. He assumed angry, maybe annoyed. And with reason. They'd all but told them not to come back. This was simply out of desperation. 

@Val
@Chacal
@Mireille

gasp :o

a baritone voice trickled its way up from the sequoias, summoning val. the greying male; aged in a way that for a moment, reminded val sadly of kheviel.

he waved his tail as he approached, though his expression remained somewhat serious. he noted that in the few short weeks since their meeting, this male’s physical condition had worsened. yes? val queried, expression somewhat softening as he measured the full breadth of pepper’s deterioration.

It was Val, the same wolf from before. Pepper was relieved he had not been aggressive. He picked up in the subtle expression of pity the wolf gave him and did not care for it. He didn’t need pity. 

”Val,” he said, offering a nod. He hated asking for something. He hated the position it put him in, how small it made him feel. ”I’d like t’ join yer pack. I’m an excellent hunter an’ I can fight.” 

He’d never been good at this. His brother was, but not him. On their escapades, Pepper stayed silent. His brother did the talking. Pepper had only been there to…deescalate situations if they got out of paw.

val wondered after the man's companion -- where had they gone?

the question died on his lips as pepper spoke. he appreciated the directness; there was no wasting his time. he was surprised that this was the reason for pepper's return -- and while he liked to say he'd welcome the stranger into their fold, val had grown guarded of late.

very well - but there is something you should know first. val flicked his gaze from the hunter to the wildwood behind him. sapphique has seen many strangers. you will find your reception cold. you have two things working against you -- you are an outsider, and you are male. if these are things you can live with, then we would be happy to take you.

Pepper could do cold. He'd expect as much. A pack should be guarded, and trust should be earned. At any rate, he really was left with no other option. With Leto gone, he was fucked if something were to happen. But he'd like more information. He hardly believed Val could sway his decision, but this would be his life, and he wanted to be sure. 

"Wouldn't expect anything different," he said. "I don't bite, I just look it." He did bite--all wolves bit, but he figured Val would understand what he meant. "But what's bein' male got to do with any of it?"

val bit back the wry smile as he heard the male's quip. he understood sapphique could seem strange to outsiders.

this is a matriarchal pack, pepper. for all his eloquence, he left it at that. the hunter could take it, or he could leave it -- both decisions which would earn him respect from val so long as he saw them through.

Matriarchal was a word that sent a wave of relief through his body. He was sick and tired of males with complexes making executive decisions in an effort to save face. 

"So yer sayin' I won't be asked to make decisions? I guess it'll take some gettin' used to." His tail offered a half-hearted wag, though he meant it full-heartedly. He was simply stiff. But he figured the grin that graced his muzzle would be enough to tell Val how he really felt. 

"Just to..let you know what yer gettin' into," he started. "I said I'm a hunter and I can fight, but I don't know how long that'll be true." 

At his current rate, not very. Of course, he'd push himself as long as he could. He wasn't about freeloading.

val half-expected the man to change his mind. he was pleasantly surprised pepper’s demeanor broke into a grin and a tail wag. no decisions. val confirmed, expression slightly thawing.

and that’s quite alright. you know what older men such as us are useful for? his eyebrow raised, a glint of humor in his gaze: babysitting. and there’s plenty of that to do in sapphique. if you would like, i will show you around.

Older men such as us? Surely he wasn’t talking about himself. Val didn’t look to be much older than Leto. Unless he just meant men old enough to no longer be a pup. In that case, was he saying males didn’t do any hunting or fighting at all? 

He was no good with kids. And he wasn’t fond of them. Or, hadn’t been, last time he was around them. Too many questions, always had unknown substances clinging to their fur, hardly ever shut up. 

But, if watching over them was something he could do in place of something he could do no longer, he’d make it work. Besides, he wasn’t out of the fight yet. 

”If ya wouldn’t mind. An’ I could use a drink,” he added. His mouth had been dry throughout their conversation.

glintwater it is, then. val affirmed, swinging his shoulders away. he looked behind him once to confirm pepper was following.

the pair wound through the densely packed trail towards sapphique’s heartland. eventually the scrub gave way to bluepeace meadow, which val shared the name of as they passed.

eventually, the sound of water could be heard and the meadow dipped way to a glittering freshwater oasis. here, val paused on the banks and motioned towards an obscured lip of stone. that was the roja den, shared rendezvous during pup season.

once pepper had his fill to drink, val tipped back his head in a howl so all of sapphique could learn of their newest supplicant.

Pepper took in the area as they walked through. It was nice, secluded, and smelt of the sea. It was an odd smell, but not one he disliked. 

The water was cool and fresh, offering his tired throat relief. Had he not been busy at the moment, he would've wanted to lay down in it. 

Had he felt better, he would've howled alongside the wolf, but he hardly ever felt up to it now. 

"Where is everyone?" he asked. He figured most were off doing their own thing, but it was more of a general question. Where did they meet? Was there anything like that he should be aware of?

val tilted his head, listening as a few answering howls welcomed pepper to the cliffs.

he steered them towards the roja den. well, most of them are probably hunting - we take our food seriously here. he winked. you met chacal already - but there is another leader, mireille, who you’ll likely meet tonight. in the evening we gather for rendezvous and share any news we discovered during the day.

letting pepper absorb the scenery, val continued. then there is chacal’s and mireille’s children - they are likely being watched by svalinn at the moment. we split guard duty — i hope you like playing tag. rambunctious group. they passed the roja den and val fondly smiled. i imagine chani, astera, and sobeille will be along soon to inquest you. clever bunch of girls, you’ll know then when you see them. this is where we meet at night - so when the sun starts to set, just come here.

Pepper might've been a little overwhelmed. Names weren't his strength, and Val had just managed to cram six or seven into a few sentences. 

No way he'd remember them all, which he figured would be ok. He had time to learn them. He didn't plan on going anywhere. 

Tag might be a little too high-speed for him, but he'd see what could be done. 

"I'll be here." But not without a nap first. He was tired and knew the meeting would be draining. Not that he wasn't excited, it would just be a lot. 

"But I think I'm gonna turn in for a minute, first."

a glance pepper’s way confirmed what val suspected; it would take some time for him to adjust.

he smiled with a gesture of his tail meant to show good faith. rest up. the gang knows you’re here, on account of the howl — i will see you tonight.

he gestured towards the soft layer of moss near the base of the roja den. not a bad place to nap. but he wouldn’t impose - val made sure pepper was comfortable before he loped off to find the three troublemakers and see what they were up to.