Dawnlark Plains An extra hour in the ball pit

For @Dura! @Depp, you're more than welcome to hop in at any time~

Ah, the task of recruitment. It'd led to her trekking across large expanses of land—not that she wasn't already used to that—in search of any lone souls. She was used to wandering, yes, but this time around things were different. There was a purpose behind every step she took, a goal in mind that drove her to keep going. It was strange, in all honesty, the devotion she already held towards a pack that was yet to exist. No matter, she barely questioned it, deciding to tear a page from Depp's Story of Life and just go with the flow of things. As long as she didn't fight the current, she wouldn't tire and drown; meaning she wouldn't be left to wander on her own again.

After her brief trip south, the serpent had been quick to return to the northern region of Teekon. She'd needed to make contact with Depp once more, briefly sharing her findings with him, before heading off on her own again. Whether or not she was followed was unknown, since she'd chosen not to pay any attention to it. If the eccentric man had tagged along, then so be it, she wouldn't comment negatively on his choices. It was, after all, his idea for a pack that she was following, so who was she to avoid his presence? Nevertheless, he did not currently hold her attention, as she was far more interested in the territory she'd crossed into. Clearly it hadn't been claimed, nor was it intriguing enough to make her interested in settling there. Sure, judging by the smell of things, it was rich in prey, but overall the appearance was quite bland. Definitely not suitable.

No matter her opinion of the land, she continued forward, pushing through the snow the covered the ground. She was more mindful of burrows—perhaps belonging to rabbits, based on their fragrances—beneath the snow than she was of the scent of other wolves, wishing not to stumble and twist an ankle. Every now and again, however, she would take note of her surroundings, watching for any fellow travelers she might stand a chance at luring to Depp.

Dura rose to her full height,smelling she wolf on the wind. She didn't know if this particular individual was aggressive but she wasn't taking the chance. She lay no claim to these lands but they were in unclaimed territory. So she stood alert,her ears forward and her tail high like a flag.

There was no submission in her stance but she didn't expect it of her rival either. If she was looking for trouble Dura would gladly give it to her. If not, then she could be civil. Being alone had taught her to trust none and to always be alert. 

She waited for said wolf to come over the rise that hid her,not bothering to conceal herself. Her black fur stood out like a sore thumb.

The wind was against her back, carrying forth her scent and alerting all in her path that no longer were they alone. It put her at a sort of disadvantage, but that fact obtained little care from her. The land was free, after all, and so she did not fear the chance of an impending attack. Even if danger lingered beyond her, it wasn't like she'd be left unable to escape it. As long as she had her legs, she could run, and that was a good enough safety net for her. The chance that another might be quicker than her never seemed to register within her mind, arrogance clouding the logical portion of her brain.

For Sen, the sight of the other had come before their scent, and upon spotting them the serpent had stopped. Not a single step more was taken, amber gaze lingering on the stranger as they were visually worked over from a distance. The unknown wolf's ears were pressed forward and their tail raised high, head positioned at the highest point it could reach. All in all, the demonstration of dominance wasn't the least bit welcomed. To ask for submission was too much, she was well aware of that, but neutrality? That would have been far better. No matter, the Gorgon did not allow for it to phase her. Instead, her own ears pressed forward and her legs once again began to move, her path set to intercept the stranger's own.

"Unclaimed land or not, you walk around like that and someone's going to jump you for sure," the woman stated, blunt as usual. She had come to a stop once she'd been a few meters away from the other wolf, gaze appearing disinterested and stance leaning more towards neutrality. It was then she'd managed to get a good whiff of them, being made aware of the woman's sex. There was a bareness to it as well, a type she was quite familiar with—the female was a loner. Still, not even a flicker of interest could be detected on Sen's face.

Her yellow eyes raked the woman's figure, she showed no signs of being aggressive but Dura was not one to be deceived easily. She relaxed some,on the contrary she found keeping to her own to lead others to think her weak. Many times she had held to her own and had been attacked, thus far she hadn't been while showing aggression. She decided to keep her ways and didn't sit.

"Forgive me if I'm a bit on edge,"she smirked,"I was told not to speak to strangers." This wolf knew nothing about her, she wasn't like to take any advice from loners even if she was one. Had this she wolf belonged to a pack she may have kept her tongue but this one had no place to tell her anything, and vice versa. 

It wasn't so much that Dura was rude but more like she was sarcastic. She wasn't dumb enough to venture near enough a pack to be attacked but she was also smart enough to show strangers she wasn't to be fucked with. "I'm Dura,"she added as an after thought. Might as well get to know whoever this was.

Sen could both see and feel the woman's eyes on her, but she did not squirm beneath the gaze. She remained still, posture regal and properly composed overall. The want the other had to look her over was understandable, and a gesture that was returned soon after. Though, rather than simply looking, Dura had been placed under scrutiny. Not a single visible aspect of her was missed, the serpent being meticulous with her work. It was crucial, after all, that she always observe as much as she could of a stranger. She felt it could better prepare her for any hostility, but in this case, it was more to see how useful the loner could be. Condition seemed to be well, health not on the decline... the only troubling thing discovered was the way she presented herself, but Sen believed that could be fixed.

When words were offered, the woman nearly snorted. It was almost comical, the way she spoke and the things she said. "Do you always do as your told?" the Gorgon questioned, tone condescending. "Puppets don't make it far without a master to control them." Surprisingly, her voice remained absent of sarcasm. She was serious, though not truthfully. Her words were meant only to try and bait the female, to see how far she could be stretched before snapping. Curiosity drove her, somewhat, but mainly it was the fact that she wasn't about to mention the forming sanctuary to a loose cannon.

Out of the blue, there came a name. Whether or not one was to be returned was thought upon—and quite heavily. Moments later, the decision had finally been made, maw parting as she answered with: "Sen." No more than that was given, as she felt no need to do so. "So, Dura, enjoy living the life of a loner?" While she had told herself to hold back on bringing up the pack-to-be, there was nothing stopping her from seeing if mentioning it would even be worth her time. A happy loner wasn't one she needed, after all, as they would definitely do her no good.

Dura laughed loudly,throwing her head back. "Fair point,"she conceded. Witty, she liked it. She could get along with this Sen she decided as she sat. She quirked a brow at the question, that wasn't subtle at all. "It is what it is. Can't say I enjoy it but eh I'm still kicking. Why?" If this she wolf was looking to build a pack, she was in.

Depp had wandered not far from Sen, but he did take a bit of track on his own. He had grown a particular liking towards the serpent, and was looking forward to their future together, whatever that may mean. On his journey to touch base with the girl, he caught her own scent, and another's. His ears perked, a potential member?  But then, a darker thought consumed his mind. He knew damn well that many wolves could be aggressive, and did not want to risk her getting hurt. The dark man picked up his pace towards them, but then realized he was being foolish. He shouldn't be so worried, she'd taken care of herself for so long anyway. 

His trekking stopped as he took in the thought, why had he gotten so worried so quickly? Only a few times had the wolf jumped to such a conclusion and actually cared, usually laughing at others who were dumb enough to get themselves in trouble, him included. Shaking his head out of thought, and refocusing in the main purpose of going after his soon-to-be co-alpha, and made his way towards the two once more. Not long after her stumbled upon dark colored wolves, keeping a comfortable distance from each other, and he could feel a wave of relief wash over him when seeing Sen was alright. Ignoring that he had made such a panic, and returning to his nonchalant attitude, he walked toward his friend. Was friend alright? They could be called that, at least Depp hoped. 

Once reaching the side of his friend(?), he observed the stranger. "Caught us something, huh?" he gave a quick smile towards the girl, already using his charm. Then another to Sen, approving of her work, it being coincidence or not.

The woman's words were granted an extravagant reaction, though the how to it all was left unknown. No matter, her comment about puppets and their masters had not invoked a fury of teeth and claws, thereby exonerating the stranger from being made the victim of any and all vile thoughts. It also gave her the chance to be presented with quite the opportunity and, judging by her words thereafter, Sen concluded that she had the other right where she wished for her to be. Dura was a loner, and an unhappy one at that, it seemed. Not to mention the simple 'Why?' that was left lingering on the end of her answer. Oh, how the serpent enjoyed the taste of curiosity. It would allow her the chance to coax the female into serving under the rule of the sanctuary, a notion that was truly marvelous.

Before the Gorgon could explain the reasoning behind her query, Depp had made an appearance. He'd come up along her side, his words being easily heard and his smiles quickly caught. She did not comment on his expression, choosing instead to respond to what he'd said. "Possibly," the darkened lady had murmured, her tone being enough to signal to the stranger that the words were meant only for the male. It was then she allowed for a short silence to grow between them, rolling her shoulder slowly as her attention was given back to Dura. "This is Depp, my companion," she stated, amber gaze never leaving the other wolf's face. "We are planning to form a pack—a sanctuary—and are on the lookout for recruits." Again, she fell silent, leaving open a space in case the man had anything else to add.

"Interested in joining us?" The words were blunt, as was normal, for there was no longer a reason to be vague. Sen realized she'd been quite stingy with information, then, but said nothing of it. If Dura had any questions, then she was more than welcomed to ask them. Until then, however, the snake wasn't about to start just dishing out everything.

She nodded to the man as he was introduced, not bothering with words as Sen soon introduced her to Depp. The two seemed to be close friends at least, if not lovers. Sen didn't seem to be the affectionate type though so she doubted it.

Ah, so they were building a pack. Such things were usually bumpy in the beginning. She wasn't sure if they had other recruits but either way this was her chance to join a pack. She smiled,"Count me in."

The wolf's ears perked with delight, one step closer to his— their— sanctuary. He hadn't had only just met their new member but had a good feeling from her, which seemed to be occurring more often then usual. By this time, he wouldn't have a doubt in his mind of his pack failing, just like all the other times, but he felt even more supported with someone more put together than his past companions, such as Arabella who was practically just like him, and that did not work well. But the opposites didn't just coexistent but cooperated together, gaining benefits from each other. At least he hoped he was doing his own part. He had yet to know her name, yet he was introduced. "May I ask who you are, it'd be rather strange not knowing my pack members names," He shot her another smile, and dipped his head forward towards her.

The life of a loner could be a troubling one, and even more so during the months of winter. They could use that to their advantage, of course, as was revealed when the woman agreed to follow them. She refrained from smirking at that, though pride was scrawled elegantly across her face. That was one recruit—excluding herself, of course—they only needed three more. Perhaps such a number would be difficult to find and convince, but she did not bother with thinking negatively. For once, she was seeing things from an optimistic point of view, rather than dulling the world with logistics. It was pleasant, but not something she'd take to doing on a regular basis.

Sen stayed silent just long enough for the other woman to share her name, deciding against stating it for her. After all, the question had not been directed her way, and she wasn't about to let herself be titled as the Honourary Giver of Introductions—that just wasn't her. Right after Dura would speak, however her head would turn to offer her companion a glance. "There, you've got your first subordinate," she would state, a certain type of cockiness to her tone. Thereafter she would once again fall silent, leaving the other two to share whatever else they felt necessary.

She stifled an eye roll at Sen's obvious pride in recruiting her. It wasn't a difficult task really, and it wasn't like she joined for the benefit of the snake like woman. She found herself liking Depp more than Sen already. She wasn't sure why, perhaps he seemed more open more friendly. She smiled at him when he asked for her name.

"My name's Dura. Pleasure to meet you,"she had been raised with some manners after all. Just because she had been in her own island of misfit toys so to speak,  didn't mean she couldn't be courteous. If he was going to be her Alpha, and likely Sen too, she had better get used to submission and respect.

He noticed the eyeroll from Dura, which only made him smile more. Depp respected Sen, but it was always fun to give her a difficult time, he'd never go to far with something though, not wanting to annoy her enough to make her go a different path than him. She spoke her name, and he found it quite interesting, Dura. He could see her grin when asked her name, did the girl like him more than his co-alpha? Hah! He loved the idea, knowing Sen couldn't careless about the situation, but if this were a common ordeal the dark wolf wouldn't mind at all. "The pleasures all mine," Depp said, gesturing his head to the side.

"We'll keep you updated on our packs progress," Sparrow promised. "Spread the word if you'd like," He made it nonchalant, instead of asking, or demanding, he just suggested the girl to do so, though it'd be a large amount of help if she did, he wouldn't make it seem like he needed her. Dura had shown a greater liking to him, and he would make sure to return the favor in the future. Perhaps a higher rank, or just a more friendly attitude with the girl. Depp—being the flirtatious type—would likely flirt with the alluring girl, but he felt strange to do so in front of Sen, only bothering him greatly.

Last post from me~

If Sen were a more aggressive wolf, there was a high chance she would have growled in response to the female's rolling of her eyes. Luckily for the lot of them, however, she was not such a being. Instead, the woman's jaw had appeared to set, the fact that she was, metaphorically, holding her tongue quite clear. The only reason she'd yet to return to her travels was because of Depp's presence there, and the serpentine wolf's reluctance to leave him alone with someone who was practically a stranger—especially since that someone was a woman of age. It bothered her, inwardly, that such a thought was even allowed within her mind. They were nothing more than companions in travel, seeking to form a pack at one another's side. That neither made them lovers nor even friends, and such was what she would stick by until it no longer suited her.

"Welcome to the pack," the woman voiced, tone cool and smooth. "I'll be leaving first then." She offered both a final glance before turning and continuing off on her way. She did not wait to be followed, expecting and hoping that she'd be left alone for the time being. Sen's mind needed cleared, that was for sure, and so she headed for that which was familiar.

last from me. Just wanted to point out that Dura didn't actually roll her eyes, it says she stifled an eye roll which means she wanted to but ignored it. :)

She nodded," I'll do that." With a small nod to Sen as she left she gave the male an awkward look. She wasn't sure what to do now, her confidence was a facade. She gave him a small nod,"See you around." With that she stood and made her way into the nearby woods. She wasn't sure when their pack would come together but she would be around and waiting for it.