Swiftcurrent Creek Fear knows no bounds...

The snow squished beneath his paws as he traversed the land. A rabbit freshly caught hung limp from his jaws. The large Mackenzie valley wolf's goal today was to find and place to sleep and may-haps if all went well; call home.

He caught the scent in the air and now he knew he had crossed an invisible line he had now entered a territory.
He knew this territory belonged to some wolf, however he could find no trace of another wolf as of yet.

So he sat upon the ground beneath a tall fir tree, and dropped the rabbit unceremoniously upon the ground. Ferdie shifted, glancing over his shoulder at his fine pelt to make sure it was perfectly neat. He liked that about winter if not anything else; That his coat was free of debris, the only thing he need to worry about is the matting by his paws.

As he waited he began to groom the lower half of his legs to a desirable cleanliness. Upon completion of that his keen eyes began to seek out the land around him, he noted the small animal activity in the trees even though the winter had been long.

Ferdie Von Pelt glanced toward the sky; was that where he was to find his long lost pups... probably not anytime soon. His lifelong goal was proving more and more futile by the day and his song that began low in his throat began to take on tone of sad loneliness, began to embody that realization.

He howled toward the heavens for no reason other than his own satisfaction however should another wolf hear and respond that would make his day, if not the rabbit caught from outside this packs territory would make a fine supper. His stomach rumbled in agreement.

Welcome to SC!

Haunter tended to loom at the borders, if only because Fox had suggested that this was what he was best at. His long, ranging legs often took him long distances outside of the pack, but he would more or less always return, surprising even himself in the small amount of loyalty he was showing towards the Creek. Their leader seemed to take notice of his allegiant actions as well, and he was now ranked a Zeta, which inwardly pleased the savage who was usually quite an outcast in everyone else's book.

He was patrolling now, without Jinx or the other male who usually took to policing Swiftcurrent's boundaries, but that would not make his day any less uneventful. A masculine howl drew the spidery wolf in, but only when he could scent the blood of prey did his pace actually quicken. When he arrived, piercing yellow eyes fell upon a male seated on the cool earth, preening his paws which would finish an otherwise immaculate appearance. He was far more well-kept than the spiky, feral Haunter, and the blackened cur could not understand the wolf's need to preen himself so diligently.

The virile wolf was heavier than himself, but perhaps a tad shorter given Haunter's incredibly long legs—though the male was seated, so the Zeta could not tell. Still, he lifted his tail eminently and glanced down at the stranger's catch before leveling his severe gaze on his face. "You rang?" he rumbled, tail swaying slowly back and forth as he came to pause a few yards ahead of the wolf who sat kindly at their borders.

((I lost this post and could not find it, I found it on the iPhone but it is hard to RP from an iphone the typing just doesn't work. I'm still learning how to navigate WOLF yikes....

Alrighty, down to business, post is up comming
And the home computer crashes forcing me to post via iPhone anyway, ugh))

Ferdie Von Pelt's song stopped abruptly and his head snaps down; his gaze meets the other males and remains there, he does not look away or shift his eyes to the ground, he is not submissive but he is not aggressive either. To curb his dominate tendencies he decided to remain seated and curled his full and plush tail about his feet.

As the male spoke his ears perked forward curiously 'rang' he thought to himself, 'oh right I was singing' he looked just a bit ashamed of himself. It was not often he let his emotions get the best of him, or at least that's what he liked to think.

His voice was rough the lonesome song and days if not weeks of non-use did it no favours. "I tire of traveling alone. I wish to stop and find a pack-a family to call my own; A consistent case to rest my weary bones at night." A smile lighted upon his lips, "Might I try here? In this place? In your pack?"

He curtiously inclined his head to the male before him. Still ignoring the rabbit below his feet, he was hoping to offer it to the alpha, but if he must offer to this wolf in order for the male to either bring the alpha here to lead him to the alpha he'd give his prize. He continued hoping to relay this information to the male

"I am called Ferdie Von Pelt. And I have brought an offering in the hopes of finding; if not a home then a few days reprieve from travel" his gaze was still level with the other males as he waited for a response

Hello! I'm not sure if you're aware, but one wolf making eye contact with another is usually seen as a show of dominance and a challenge.

Fox headed toward the call before it stopped, but apparently Haunter had already beaten her. Curious to see how he would handle the situation, Fox hung back and observed out of sight for the time being. Their voices floated toward her, though the newcomer who introduced himself as Ferdie spoke more than Haunter. That was no surprise, considering the one-eared raven rarely spoke at all. It seemed the stranger had brought along a gift of sorts, something Fox was quite pleased about.

However, the constant staring at Haunter simply would not do, and Fox would not have her subordinates be challenged by outsiders. With a huff, the yearling revealed her location with a chuff and trotted toward the mingling wolves. “It would be wise for you to respect those you seek residence with, Mister Pelt.” If he refused, she and Haunter would waste no time in chasing him away. While Fox herself was hardly an imposing figure, she knew that Haunter would not put up with that kind of challenging eye contact.

Argh! I know the troubles of posting from an iPhone, Rauvi (psst, it sucks major hambone!) Also, ditto what Rem said -- and Haunter's pretty much a dipshit -- so please excuse his less-than-pleased reaction!

Though the wolf remained seated, Haunter was immediately put on edge by his lack of actual respect towards him. His hackles began to prickle but he resisted the urge to show his canines. The male spoke cordially, and even inclined his head which alluded to manners, but the stranger refused to look away, and Haunter was just barely tolerating it. He could hardly even concentrate on what the hefty brute was saying, because he felt challenged, and his tail went ram-rod straight, lifting to assert himself.

But the one-earred inkblot was not alone in his feat. Fox appeared then, verbally warning the self-introduced Ferdie Von Pelt, who Haunter had not yet offered a word otherwise to answer his questions, too distracted by the staring. As he was not yet used to having defend anything but his own kills, it accounted for his hesitation on getting physical with the male.

His ear fell back in acknowledgement of her presence however, and his tail lowered to an angle that was not as pronounced as Fox's, but clearly read that he was still on edge. Hopefully, the stranger would note Haunter's posture and realize that this was his superior, if he could not already tell that her scent traced every mile of the Creek's borders. The black wolf did not speak, but stared intently towards Ferdie, not taking his yellow eyes away from him for even a moment.

Oh you can be sure, Ferdie Von Pelt, knew exactly what he was doing.
But it is just his character that he had to sure the other wolf did too.

He winced inwardly though his facial expression did not change, thus hiding the fact he realized he had made a mistake. Though it was in every fiber of his being to test the limits of other wolves patience, to test their dominance and desire to enforce rules that should be enforced.
How he hated testing the mettle of the other wolves in front of the alpha. The alpha should never knew this quirk of his.

Ferdie’s gaze moved to her face and then to her feet; he knew how to submit of course and when he did he meant it. His voice grew softer and less rough with more use, his accent becoming more pleasant, holding a slight canadian undertone to it. Giving light to the fact he must have veritably traveled a long distance. “Indeed, Milady. Young and yet Wise beyond your years,” he complimented her with all his heart, truth rang in his words.

He stood and quickly lowered his chest to the ground picking up the rabbit and setting nearly atop her feet, nudging it with his nose toward the pair.

He huffed at himself “It goes to prove that wisdom does not come with age” He slumped his shoulders even in this position to prove he was, at least in front of her, properly contrite “I have spent many months alone and have seemed to have forgotten my pack manners along the way, I beg forgiveness from you both.” He lay his ears down upon his skull he truly was sorry for testing this male .... ... ... in front of the alpha

So much for first impressions, he had wrecked this one, and now he would have a lot of ground to make up in impressing her, inwardly he bit his own tail. He knew alpha's were never far away from a new comer so why why was he... himself. Why couldn't he just have kept his crazy to himself until after he made a place for himself. The ice was thin and he had made it so...

Ferdie’s tail hung limp. He was one snip, from either wolf, away; from rolling onto his back and into full submission before the one he desired to call My Alpha.”
And though it would irk him to do so in front of the male, he was not below showing the male a proper submission to the alpha either.

No worries! Just making sure. :)

Fox was curious (and rather suspicious) of his sudden change of heart. All at once, Ferdie submitted to both her and Haunter. The Alpha gave one-ear a sideways glance before turning her gaze back to the newcomer. Nevertheless, she could not be too hard on him, considering he had brought her a tasty treat. Fox was easy to win over with food. Whatever scuffles her followers had were truly their own, and she would not interfere with those who were all rooting for the same team. Of course, for the time being, Ferdie was but an outsider.

Taking the rabbit in her jowls, Fox flung it behind herself and Haunter. Even if they rejected him, she wanted to make sure that meat was put to good use. Fox was well-versed in challenging others, even total strangers, on their border etiquette, so she had a bit of a soft spot for those who did so. Still, it did not mean immediate acceptance for the brute who now submitted before her. “What skills can you bring to Swiftcurrent Creek?” she asked. Sure, he was big, but the creek was not lacking in that department. Fox had somehow surrounded herself with large protective, formidable creatures.

She did not speak to Haunter, though it was her wish for him to stay. Two against one gave them a much better chance should this meeting turn into something less than pleasant.

Oh man I can't wait for these two to "interact" without Fox around :3

He watched the large male crumble with polite submission in Fox's tiny presence. Haunter had half expected for him to make a go for the small female, at which point the black dog wouldn't have wasted any time going for his throat. He still wanted to, but couldn't find a reason to—plus the Creek's leader seemed to be handling things just fine. He found it quite amusing that she had taken his rabbit without yet taking Ferdie in, although his personal expression never changed from being severely rigid.

He had taken a step back, but even if Fox had not wanted him to stay, he would've lingered regardless. His acidic eyes never left the male, and he would not soon forget the challenge he had been issued, regardless of the stranger's sniveling behavior now. He wondered if this would be his new packmate, and how he would deal with him when the two of them were alone.

*Gags on the spelling errors,* sorry guys, I hate going back in and editing and re-editing my posts but autocorrect HATES me

Ferdie Von Pelt squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, how he wished not to think of his past, but the thoughts flooded in away, his pack, his life, his pups, many conversations all at once, her voice, flooded his minds ears, until he grunted. He squeezed his eyes shut tighter and dropped even his rear to the ground with a thud. Almost looking pained or wounded for a fleeting moment.

Now laying upon the snow, he drew his mind back to the present ... ugh the grooming he'd have to do later to keep his now damp pelt from matting. He opened his eyes staring at the rabbit behind the wolves, knowing it was lost to him now, though it didn't matter much to him, his belly had been fed late the day before; he could last one more day.

"That is a loaded question milady" he spoke without lifting his jaw from the ground as if he was being weighed down by invisible forces. "My skills lie in ..." A smile formed upon his lips as he spoke "directing pack hunts, knowing my pack mates strength and weaknesses and where I can place them for best results in any task." He drew a deep breath. "My skills lie in defense and in tactics."

Now he lifted his head and chuckled "I can also say, I have been; in the past; a decent mediator between opposing forces." His facial expression and the shake of his head spoke that this might be a tale worth asking about, at a different time. "That and I am an excellent Pup sitter" he added as an after thought, being a well rounded wolf could not hurt his chances.

He had not lied, he just didn't reveal everything, He was not an open book offering itself to them. He was after all a stranger with a complicated past and an unsure future, so he needed this more then anything at the moment.

He knew that they were close to rejecting him, For they had revealed nothing about themselves, not even their names. Even his gift, though taken, was not accepted as the gesture it was meant to be, insulting really, but then he had set the tone with his barely hidden contempt toward the male's ranking, it had nothing to do with the male himself.

His tail swayed against the ground, He would have done no different if he were in Fox's place, with that on his mind, he crawled forth and nudged the females chin in a sincere gesture. "Might I call this place home? And you my alpha, Milady?"

Glad that Haunter had caught on to her hint that she wished for him to stay, Fox listened as Ferdie talked himself up. From what he said, he was good at everything from identifying skillsets himself (something Fox prided herself in) to hunting, guarding, tactics, and taking care of young ones. It was quite a resume, but they were also just words. And words could be said all day long. Perhaps Fox had simply asked the wrong question to begin with. Instead of asking what he excelled at, she thought it better to ask the opposite.

“And what do you lack?” she asked. Fox was a prideful creature, but even she knew that she had her downfalls. They were few and far between (of course!), but they were there. She could be bested, and the Alpha's ego was always wounded whenever she realized this. Still, she wanted to know what kind of faults he had. What were those skills that he was falling short on? She ignored his question (and apparent flattering in calling her "m'lady"). Fox figured that if he couldn't tell if he was in or out by the time she dismissed him, he probably didn't deserve to be part of the creek anyway.

if I should wait for haunter, tell me and I'll delete and wait

Ferdie rested his head upon the ground again "hummmm" he uttered aloud, His tail stopped swaying. His pride would be wounded by answering this question and he hated to just give away faults to any other wolves, besides his alpha.

The male's continued presence irked him, or maybe it was just the fact the other wolf was male; maybe he had a problem with other males. He'd have to investigate this about himself later keeping an eye on his own reactions.

He frowned to himself after a few moment of silence "I lack the ability to see past my own pride. And.... I lack the skills to fish."

He forced a yawn yet another sign of submission as he continued to mull over his faults "I have been told I talk to much. Mi'lady, I don't know if this was the information you sought but it is the best way I can think of to answer your question" He would now continue to call this female mi'lady even if she graced him with her name. He decided Mi'lady suited her better. And once he made a decision he rarely changed his mind, perchance yet another fault, but not one he was willing to admit to himself. This 'fault' has almost gotten him killed in the past, time and again. Either way it parlayed into the first short coming he gave to the femme.

For most threads, it's courteous to wait until the other people have responded before posting again. However, since this is a joining thread, I like to get them over as quickly as possible so you know what's going to happen with your toon. @Haunter no worries on not replying! I'll just assume he's standing by for potential backup.

Fox wondered if having their ranks filled with big burly creatures was such a bad thing, after all. She could not deny that having so many large beasts around made her proud and feel more protected, but she did sometimes worry that their skillset as a whole was a little bit narrow. Nevertheless, Ferdie seemed like an okay dude, and she was willing to give him a chance. Of course, if he flubbed it up, that would be his own doing, and she would not think twice about kicking him to the curb to find something better to do with his time.

“Very well, then,” she replied, “My name is Fox, and this is Haunter.” Fox gave another sideways glance to the one-eared raven. “Keep your pride in check, because you’ll be starting at the bottom ‘round here. You can make yourself useful by filling our stores and guarding the borders.” Fox gave pause for a moment before stepping forward and rubbing her shoulder against Ferdie. It was the quickest and easiest way to mark him with her own scent and allow others to know that he was welcome here. “If you want to improve your fishing, we’ve got a creek here that’s full of ‘em.”

The Alpha then waited in case Haunter or Ferdie had anything left to say.

Yeah, my bad for not being around yesterday -- he was just gonna stand there anyway xD

The rather mundane task of greeting joiners (asking questions, receiving pretty much the same answers, leading them in or turning them away, etc.) unraveled before him, and though he had been alive for four years, he had never been a part of the process on Hollow Mountain, and had roamed so consistently before that this was perhaps his first full experience of the occurrence. He found it completely boring, to be honest.

His first time looking at Fox was when she said his name, and it was not because she was exactly addressing him, but rather because she was introducing him to this ignoramus she saw fit to accept to the Creek. (But then again, she had accepted himself, a temporary fixture if nothing else, so he had no real room to judge.) He would have rather not had Ferdie aware of his name, but he supposed he would've found out eventually anyway.

"Welcome," he said, his raspy voice scathing and somewhat sarcastic, but the real menace lie in his emblazoned gaze. Sufficiently satisfied that this wolf would cause no trouble in Fox's presence, the inky wolf decided he no longer wanted to be anywhere near Ferdie. He moved closer to Fox, and pressed his nose gently in the back of her shoulder, silently excusing himself before turning and melting off into Swiftcurrent's confines.

"I apologize mi'lady..." He glanced down briefly, Apologizing for his short comings "I look forward to spending my life here; for you. Ever you have desire for something just call upon me."
Ferdie Von Pelt's voice was solemn, He meant each word with finality. He returned her shoulder rub, then placed his muzzle where haunter had, taking in both her scent and haunter's committing them to memory for all time.

"Where should I travel first? I'd love to start with your first tasking of filling the stores His ears flicked forward devoting all his attention toward her next words

Fox flinched when Haunter touched her shoulder, though she relaxed immediately thereafter. As he retreated, she turned her focus back to Ferdie. He certainly was a strange one, but Swiftcurrent was full of loonies anyway. Perhaps he would fit right in. While she appreciated his eagerness to please, she knew actions spoke far louder than words.

Ferdie asked where he should go next, and Fox shrugged her shoulders. “Figure it out,” she replied. With nothing further, Fox flicked her tail and trotted off. He would have to learn the lay of the land himself. She was not going to hold his hand and give him one of those tours or whatever.

Thanks for joining with Ferdie! I know Fox can be a bit dismissive, but I promise she'll warm up to him. :)