Stavanger Bay Pawprints Towards the Sand

@Ford escorting Howl to the border. AW to members who want to get a first glimpse at Howl. Sorry if I describe the border wrong. Just let me know if I need to change anything :)

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He had followed Ford down the plateau and through the wooded Sentinels, it didn't take too long in reality but in Howl's mind, it took an eternity. This was going to be the first step towards his new life, a better life, and he wanted to make sure he did everything right. The thought of him making another mistake in this pack brought him to worry, knowing he hadn't meant to cause trouble in his other packs but found that it simply just happened. He could have seen the warning signs he supposed, but back then there didn't seem to be any. Now he was on high alert, eager to make every right decision to avoid repeating the past.

The smell of other wolves filled the air and they soon approached a line of black rocked that smell of urine and looked to be covered in blood. A clear marking for a border, something Howl appreciated seeing knowing all too well how an unclear border could cause trouble. He looked over to Ford to complement, "I like what you have done with the border. It's far easier to patrol something set in stone." he said, only thinking after the thought about the accidental pun within the statement.

The two had wandered well at each other’s side. Their conversation had been limited to the basics of getting to know one another. Ford had been careful only to share the things he imagined should have been shared with a new member of his pack. He had mentioned his plans for their future only loosely so that he might be able to delve into the nitty gritty of the pack culture at a later time. Still, the conversation that he had with Howl was personal; he did not can his responses and dish them out when he thought it was necessary. No, he treated the dark male like an individual instead of just like one of the many others who called the rift their home.
 
“The black stones had been my father and his witchdoctor’s idea when he had held a claim over the bay,” the sea wraith commented with a nod toward the rocks that marked their borders. It was so easy for sand to be kicked over the marking of urine, but the dark lines that had been created by Doe had been a good addition, and one that Ford fully anticipated he would continue using. “I think it’s easier to keep track of where our borders end and begin, so I thought to keep them.”

So the rocks were his father's idea or the combined idea of both his father and his "witchdoctor". A phrase Howl had never heard before. It sounded like a medic perhaps but just to be sure he thought he would ask.  "I mean no offense by asking but... What do you mean by witchdoctor? Is it an alternative name for medic perhaps?" he asked trying to sound polite.

Also in his statement was the fact that his family had owned the bay in the past. But from what it sounded like the pack here was new and not passed down through generations. "So your family claimed the bay in the past? What changed that you had to reclaim it?" he asked again politely.

Ah, there it was; questions about the culture. It was to be expected. No matter how well he tried to explain his intentions of the land and their growth there, there would be times when he would reference something outside of another individual's knowledge base. It did not frustrate the titan, nor did it make him feel as though he had done a poor job. He took each query in strides and made sure that he was able to address what he could for the new member of the rift. So, when Howl mentioned that he did not intend to cause offense with his query, Ford glanced toward him with a calculating expression.

“Witchdoctors are medics and shamans in my home. They are highly spiritual creatures who pride themselves on their abilities to communicate with the life around them,” he explained carefully. They were also foul devils who were capable of devastating feats when they had been assigned to such duties. He had heard that the strongest of them had been able to call in storms that could tear the seaside to shreds.

Then, Howl seemed to want to know about how the bay had fallen out of the grasp of the Cairn family, and why it was that it needed to be reclaimed. That was more complicated, the titan realized as he led the dark fellow through the territory. “This used to be the home of Blackrock Depths, and my father Skellige ruled over the territory with a firm plan. He banded together and formed alliances with several other packs in the close area. One of which was the home to my mother...” he answered in a smoky voice. His gaze strayed away from his companion and to the waters.

“He had been ambitious and sought to rule over the entire coast,” the fool. Ford had never understood how blind ambition would have amounted to any such thing. There was more to ruling than simply wanting. While the Leviathan Skellige had done things well, he had missed out on many opportunities that would have made him indomitable. “In the end, he returned to his home with the woman he loved, and decided that his children would be more capable of accomplishing what he'd wanted. I have my own plans, though. I am not my father.”

So it seemed as though Howl's assumptions were rather accurate. A witchdoctor being some sort of medic, though they had a spiritual connection that not all medics had. Initially, Howl's thought was that perhaps this witchdoctor was Ford's mother or perhaps a mate of his fathers at one point. After all, it was common for those claiming a pack to do so with their family. But that thought would quickly change once Ford continued answering Howl's questions. 

He went on to explain that his father had ruled a pack in the past by the name of Blackrock Depth. Howl wasn't sure if he had heard the name before, though a small part of him thought it sounded familiar. Then came the explanation of Ford's mother, or at least a mention of her. Shortly after Ford turned away and got quiet for the moment. It seemed as though it was a sore spot for the leader and Howl made a note not to mention it again.

Back onto the topic of his father, he spoke of his ambition and his desire to control the entire coast. Howl was relieved to hear that this wasn't Ford's plan. Howl would want to part in becoming a member of a war pack. Similar to those who had driven his birth back to move so frequently and gradually dwindle in members.

"What are your plans then?" he inquired wondering if they might be as ambitious as his father but down a different path. Another thing that caught Howl's ear was that his father had tasked his "children" with continuing his work.  "Do your other siblings feel the same as you? About your father." perhaps some of them resided within the pack already.

It seemed that for all of the answers that were provided, the dark man did not seem to find fault in any of it. At least, he was not vocal about any displeasure that he might have felt when hearing about the former occupants of the bay. There was a chance that any disagreement that was felt would not have been voiced because of the close relation between Ford and his father. They shared blood, after all. In many ways, they even shared a common interest. The large difference was in the means of attaining what it was that they desired. Skellige was keen to take whatever he wanted by absolute force. Ford knew better than to follow in this path; he had the body of a savage beast, but the mind of a quick manipulator. With a combination like this, he was not as likely to fail.

“You could ask them for yourself, if you wish,” the titan answered with a small smile. “My brothers Velen and Rannveig reside here in the bay as well. We have two sisters: Morrigan and Lilia who may join us at a later point.” Lilia had already seen their future home, but she had decided to return to the islands to inform their parents of a safe arrival. Ford hoped that she would return sooner or later and that she would not find the same temptation to remain that Morrigan had found. He imagined their goals would be much easier to accomplish if they were together.

“Have you family in these parts?”