Lost Creek Hollow Me, Myself and I

@Luke Looking forward to this thread. Should be interesting. Maybe @Mordecai if he decides to join in aha. 

Wynter had spent days travelling since leaving the Rise officially. Heading into the valley for the first time in what felt like forever. She was on a mission. To find a suitable home for herself and potentially pack mates. She had spent weeks pondering the idea of starting a pack of her own. Although until she found the perfect place she wouldn't finalize that decision. 

She couldn't really describe her emotions lately. Sure she was happy she had left, she didn't have to see her ex mate flirting with the Alphess anymore but she was also sad. She no longer had a pack or anyone to protect her. Just herself. Not that she needed anyone to protect her. She could hold her own fairly well. What she didn't enjoy was the lack of company.


She found herself amongst the trees of yet another forest the sound of a distant waterfall was like music to her ears. However, it wasn't long until she found fresh scent markers and decided best not to cross them. She sat by the borders and howled. She figured she might as well see who was settling here if she found a place around here to settle.

They had barely arrived at their new home, had barely begun the preparations to make it theirs, and yet surprisingly there was at howl at what would become their marked borders; so far just a few marks had been laid down.

Luke's ears perked forward. He was about to leave and scout the immediate areas for any passerby's who may be interested in joining them, but it seemed a potential recruit had come to then. Convenient. He set about quickly, altering his course to take the straightest path to the knocker at the door. He soon spotted a female, and made haste to approach, tail waving in greeting.

"Hey!" he called. "You looking for a home?" He sported a wide grin, eyes focused intently on the wolf.

It wasn't long before a seemingly friendly male approached. Perhaps there was in fact a pack setting up a home here. It was a gorgeous place Wynter wouldn't deny that but something about the idea of leading her own group of wolves was gradually becoming more and more appealing. "Something like that, I was thinking of starting a pack of my own if I can even find a place suitable to house a pack. So far nothing really has caught my eye that isnt already taken," she trailed off for a moment. She was rambling too much. this wolf probably wasn't at all interested in what she might have to say.

"I'm sorry to bother you but I thought I ought to get myself aquainted with some of the packs in the area in case I decide to settle nearby," she said pausing only for a moment before saying "I'm Wynter by the way."

They had entered into the woodland without fanfare.  And it had been much of what Mordecai's constructed imagination predicted it to be; Harlyn's description of the place was more or less spot on.  With some sort of rudimentary borders up, they had begun the legwork in claiming the territory for themselves.  Even that had gone unquestionably without a hitch, though he couldn't have suggested where the doubt would have come along.  Mordecai anticipated some sort of difficulty, and maybe that merely transpired from memories of how hard it had been to hold a borderline.  Granted, his experiences with such a thing came in one of two forms, takeover or support.  This was really neither of those, this was saying this is mine.

And so as he continued along those forming borders, Mordecai let his mind wander a bit.  He did not reminisce over the past, good or bad, but instead considered what would need done over the next few weeks.  With the warmth of the late summer, he found it hard to ascertain just where they were in the season.  He wasn't much of a reader into such things and while he made a mental note to pick Harlyn's brain about it, a howl rose up through the forestry behind him.  He turned and paused to listen to it, and then set off from whence he came.

As Mordecai arrived on the scene, he found Luke already in the process of greeting them. Or rather, it was more like Luke had already greeted them since Mordecai was literally walking in on the response. What Wynter had to say intrigued him as he pulled up near to the blue-nosed Luke, and he saw past her as though he would spy out followers to her own cause. He saw nothing, but did not discard the consideration that it may have existed. Still, given that she seemed to be on a mission of her own, Mordecai could not help but hold his silence for a note longer — it didn't quite seem his turn to talk yet.

He was not deterred in his intent to recruit, for there was no conviction in her words. She said she was thinking of starting her own pack, not that she was in the midst of doing so. He doubted that anyone who was would be howling at the borders of another pack. Perhaps she wanted to know her potential neighbors, but perhaps she was testing the waters to see if joining them might appeal to her more.

Mordecai arrived to stand beside him, and Luke acknowledged him with a respectful nod before turning his gaze back to their visitor. "I'm Luke," he returned. "We're in the middle of founding a pack, right here. Mordecai will be leading," he turned his head to grin broadly at his friend, before turning it back. "There's room for more if you want to be a part of something new. It'll save you the trouble of having to track down a place to claim and some followers." He winked.

Wynter listened as this wolf continued to attempt to get her to join them and to her surprise she was falling for it. "It's nice to meet you Luke, and you as well Mordecai," she said with a polite nod to both of them. She took a moment to think. Was this what she wanted. To start her own pack. Could she even manage leading wolves or was she destined to follow in another wolfs footsteps. 

She came to the conclusion that it would not be a good idea to try and lead her own pack in her current state of mind. Perhaps that was for a future endeavor. It would be best to join another pack because she didn't want to harm the chances of the pack if she couldn't handle it. She didn't want to do to them what Caiaphas had done to her. never did she want anyone to feel that sort of betrayal again. Not under her watch. "You know, that offer is more tempting than I might let off. I have reconsidered and would be honoured if I could enter the ranks of this soon to be pack," she said glancing between both Luke and the Alpha of the pack Mordecai.

Luke didn't seem all that bad. He seemed like a nice wolf. Mordecai she hadn't a clear impression of as of yet because the wolf had not spoken. She waited patiently for the response of either wolf. Yes this was what she wanted. No turning back now.

Luke was direct with his intent to recruit for them, and this appealed to Mordecai. He had not seen him in action, so to speak, though there had been the allusion that the attempts had been made before. Of course, it did help that there was that lack of conviction to her tone as well, as though the statement were originally spoken as a means to suggest something else; perhaps she had thrown it out as a deterrent. Or maybe it was merely speculation on all their part — now she seemed apt to join their ranks.

This intrigued him, for better or worse.

"Why are you so quick to give up your intentions of your own pack?" he questioned, foregoing any notion of typical conversation. He already knew that he would not care for the freeloaders among them and with the turn of the season bound to come sooner than later, it was in their best interests to take the cream of the crop before they took what they could get. But he would not turn her away without hearing her out, even if the passing thought of her seizing an advantageous opportunity was all she was after.

At least he did not fret over the possibility she was there to stockpile followers; the core of the quartet that were within the hollow had no intentions of straying.

He anticipated more of an exchange, expected that he would have to throw a few more selling points out to get her thinking about his proposal; but that was not the case at all. She seemed to immediately accept the idea, and surprised him by agreeing to join them, just like that. His mouth curved in a pleased smile, for he saw a sliver of himself in the she wolf: the impulsive part. He nodded at her, but said nothing for Mordecai put forth a question. His blue-nosed comrade was content to sit, and let his leader-to-be have the floor.

closing this up since Wynter appears to have gone inactive. :C

The trio spoke at length for some time, but the waivering decision that lied in front of Mordecai pressed him to send Wynter on her way. At least until she had felt certain that joining them was in fact the thing that she wanted to do. While he had no qualms of what her original intent was, it did not sit with him easily that she was quick to dash her own desires for them. Whether it was the lingering resentment that she would depart from them with some of their numbers in time, or simply because he held other undecided reservations was a guess one could make at best.

And it may have been a disappointing resolution, but as he paced back from their borders with Luke, he was confident for now it would have to do. Instead his focus left their potential joiner easily, instead wondering after what they had left to explore in the wood. And what a better a time than while in the company of the lighthearted, blue-nosed wolf?

It was unfortunate they did not gain another member, but Luke certainly understood his alpha's decision, and he believed too that she would benefit from some time to think about what she wished to do. Of course, coming from a wolf as impulsive as he, that sounded a bit odd. But most wolves were not like he, and taking the time to consider their options was the best thing for them. So, they bid farewell to Wynter, and the pair strolled off into their home, to see what else it had for them to find.