Redtail Rise Florida Man

He's calling for @Avicus but this is open to anyone

The scent of wolves filled his nostrils. Pack scent, perhaps, but their numbers were meager. Among them, the scent of a woman. Lazarus retreated from their borders, watching warily as he sent up his howl with the same message from before. He called for a strong woman, a strong mate. Not like the wisp who had answered his summons before.
The dark-furred male sat, ready to wait for his call to be answered — but he would not fight for this. If a man appeared to defend his own breeding rights, Lazarus would move on. He knew that, in time, he would find a woman with no attachments, who would welcome the chance to rule by his side and bear his children.

The call was... strange. It was for his friend, but it was different in a way that confused Ashlar. The singer was marking the borders again, his second attempt that day, in the places he hadn't quite gotten to with the morning. But he took note of where he was and went to the summons instead, the fur along the back of his neck prickling.

Meeting strangers was hard, especially bold ones like this. Ashlar's demeanor hardly spoke of any leadership claim or rank, but his tail waved once in a friendly manner, and he gave a small and hopefully disarming smile as he stepped forward towards him. He could do this!

Are you, uh.... wh...who are you? Oh, no. He'd slipped it up a bit, and his ears twitched, but he kept his smile and waited to hear what the man said. His heart pounded nervously, but he was also excited to hear the answer. Would he want to join them here?

his summons had been for a woman; Avicus is the only one of those here. she muscles her way down to the border, but it is Ashlar who meets him first, and she catches the tail end of the inquiry before arriving at the scene, eyes blazing.

who dhhis? she asks, and turns her eyes upon the stranger.

he's dark, with eyes the color of blood. her own indigo gaze meets his, jaw set stubbornly, paws rooted to the ground upon which he stood. she sidles closer to Ashlar, at once seeking protection from his body and protecting said body.

a stranger, calling so brazenly. not for her, specifically, but for a woman. it sends prickles of unease down her spine, and she watches him, face stern.

continuing this, we can wrap quickly if you like! Since he is inactive. Lmk if the power play is not okay

It seemed as though Ashlar was not the one the man wanted because he seemed to lose interest, departing just as Avicus arrived. Ashlar watched him go with mild confusion and a small amount of upset. He'd been hoping to recruit.

I don't know. Sorry. He frowned, then cocked his head. He called for you. Should I have come? He tucked his tail uncertainly. He hadn't liked the nature he heard in the call, how demanding it had been, but if coming was a mistake he wanted to know and would remember it. She needed warriors - if he drove them away, then this was bad.

she shakes her head, not in answer to his question but in dismissal of his worry. she punctuates this with a forgiving glance his way, then her eyes wander toward the retreating form, getting smaller and smaller in the snow.

may be back, Avicus says, her voice devoid of emotion. may nohh'. no worry.

it's true they need warriors, but anyone who won't wait for a proper audience isn't worth the effort. if he'd truly assumed Ashlar's type represented the Rise, and took that assumption to its conclusion, so be it.

she shrugs, and turns once more to head back into the territory. coming? she asks, the question carrying over her shoulder.

Ashlar nodded in response but, while he let it go, he would remember. Next time he would come but he would not be so quick to be first to approach. Instead he would remain to the side. There were perhaps a few wolves out there who he could recruit but a warrior like this was better served meeting anther.

He followed her as she went, shaking off the tension of the moment and falling in easily, trailing a few steps behind.