Broken Antler Fen A Nephew Returns

(Broken Antler Fen Outskirts)

     Hold your head up high, Em. Embry Adonis Valentine, a solitary traveler only steps away from fate, allowed his breathing to calm to a rythmic beat before he fully halted at the Broken Antler Fen's territorial border. His light blonde fur, though neat and collected, rippled upon his muscular legs. He was different now, different from the way he first was. Flashbacks of Broken Antler Fen rimmed his vision, veiling reality in a web of past memories. This is it. I'm coming home. His heart sped to a steady skip, a sensation Embry had learned to work around despite the adrenaline it dispensed. His tail swayed from side to side in a small, happy motion as the young wolf took a pace forward. His sea-green eyes ventured onwards with an inevitable sense of hesitant curiosity. He was almost adament at the thought of meeting his old packmates - of meeting his grandfather and explaining his new arrival. His paws felt heavy beneath him, as if the air was grabbing at his legs and forcing them to stop. Is this the right thing? Should I have left home?
     He shook his head, a small growl forming in his throat. It was low and nearly inaudible, but it was enough to stimulate a new sense of confidence. This was Embry's new home, he was sure of it. He had people who loved him here, or at least soon would. Some weight seemed to lift from his already aching muscles as he ventured forward, pushing away his doubts and fighting to remain positive. The path he followed was short and before long he would arrive at Broken Antler Fen's territory. Swaths of trees surrounded him, blemishing the bright rays of sunlight but somehow retaining a sense of beauty and security. Embry began to slow his pace as he neared a bend in the path. I've got this. He thought, taking a quick moment to compose himself once more. He glanced down at his paws and noticed the length at which he had grown. I'm bigger now. I can take care of myself. The words were exactly the same as those of Sapphire, though he found them much more comforting now than before. He stifled a whine, rather annoyed at himself for acting so childish. 
     Lowering his head submissively, Embry crept towards the boundary of Broken Antler Fen. His heart pattered helplessly within his chest, seeming ominously close to bursting. He then placed his paw on familiar marshy soil. The familiar scent of soggy marshland clung to his fur, just as evident as his mother's had been before he'd left. Now, he was returning home.

Pearl looked up again, confused by the sound of another howl. Two in one day? Or was she dreaming it? She looked briefly at her mate before starting off towards their borders for the second time that day. It was odd, especially when the borders had been silent for the past few weeks or so. 

She yawned as she approached the new newcomer, a bigger light colored male that almost reminded her of Elidh. One of the strange things she immediately noticed about him was his scent. He pretty much smelled like here, but there hadn't been any other wolves here for a while. He also looked he was familiar with the place. Had he lived here previously? "Hey, I'm Pearl, the Alpha female. What brings you here to our humble but stripped abode?" 

Both out of respect and sense of duty, Embry dipped his head in a swift bow before raising his gaze to meet the Alpha female's. Though still submissive, he angled his ears so that they faced the she-wolf before parting his lips to speak. "If this place is what you call stripped, I must say I'm quite impressed." He grinned politely, his brows raised and his tail swaying at a playful stance. "Two howls in one day, too. Looks like others are catching on."
     He kept his position so as not to display an air of imperiousness. At the moment his prime task was to remain vigilant in attaining a courtious air - especially in front of the Alpha female. "The name is Embry." He quickly added, visibly shifting his weight. "My mother - you might not have known her. She had us within the territory. Her name was Sapphire, Sapphire Valentine."
     He searched the female's gaze for any hint of recognition. "My brother and sister, we all went with her when she left Broken Antler Fen's land. I still remember the soft ground and humidity from before we left." His blonde fur, though dimmed from the thick layer of moisture lying upon it, was strange in contrast to the wolf before him. He found this quite unsettling, but didn't voice his thoughts. Surely it was normal? Surely other wolves had attained his own strange attributes?
     He snapped out of his wandering thoughts, his gaze losing the clouded state it had acquired. "A-anyway, I'm here now to ask permission to join the ranks of Broken Antler Fen." 

Sebastian was quick to join too. He had approached while the male was telling his story of his birth pack being here. Then he might be rather confused because he could not have been born here, maybe he had a year ago but not under Sebastian's ranks. He was was quite the friendly alpha but he was not going to allow anyone breeding except him and his mate. He wanted to be a father, and the father of his own pups, not someone else. But the male was a yearling and a year ago Sebastian did not know if there was a pack here.

Further more Sebastian did not know anyone named Sapphire Valentine. It was unknown to him that Valentine was the last name of Ambrosia. The male lifted his head, letting the male finish what he was telling Pearl moments before he would speak himself. The large male cleared his throat. "Hello, I'm Sebastian, Alpha male of this pack. And I am afraid we do not know your mother. There is not a Sapphire Valentine in this pack. We have only settled here for a few months so this would not be your birthing pack," he explained calmly to the young male before them.

"However if you want to join you are welcome to. You just have to know that we would not want a wolf that stays in our pack to eat our scarcely found food to then leave again. This pack is very close and if you want to join we expect you to stay," Sebastian spoke, because especially for a young wolf that type of commitment might be too much. He was reminded of Haven and her youthfulness. She had not been able to settle down either. Luckily he found Pearl now, and he was so happy. He looked to the side at his mate, proudly so.

Ambrosia had missed the first border howl, off in her own little thoughts. When the second, came, however, her ears swiveled towards the echo. It had a familiar ring to it, and before a decision was made the tawny woman was trotting towards her nephew. She arrived in time to hear Sebastian speak her sisters name, and she stopped dead in her tracks beside the charcoal male. Her lemon eyes stretched wide, locked onto the blonde male awaiting permission to join. The scents from his pelt, though faint, were clearly that of her sister. Memories flashed through her head of three puppies, snuggled into Sapphire's belly. 
             "E-Embry?!"
The woman had left with her own baby before knowing anything but the boy's name, and was unsure if he'd even know her. Not that it would matter: she could tell him a lot of things about his mother even he didn't know. Tail wagging, the ink-faced female took a few shy steps forwards.
                           "Y-You might not remember me, but I'm Sapphire's sister. Ambrosia."

Ambrosia and Sapphire weren't born in BAF, they were born outside the Teekons in a pack called MidnightShadow. While Embry might be looking for his aunt or even just a new home, he would know nothing of this territory. :(

alright posting order: Emb, Pearl, Seb, Amb.

Pearl sat and listened to the boy quietly, the details of his origins becoming more murky than clear as more information was brought to the table. Her brow slightly furrowed with confusion as Ambrosia seemed to know the young male. Her last name was Valentine, then? Another mental note made about her. Not that she really kept up with last names anyway. 

She was convinced that he wouldn't leave, however, when she heard more of his story, and the sincerity in his voice. Hopefully he would stay, and do more than expected. God knows this pack needed it. She looked to her mate and nodded with a smile, seening no downsides. As long as Ambrosia knew him he was alright in her book.

Sebastian turned his head when Ambrosia came to the borders too, apparently there was someone in his pack that did know this male. Sebastian gave him a bit of a strict look, he did not demand from new wolves to publicly submit to him at the borders, but he did gave him a quick look over if this male was going to be any trouble to his leadership. Sebastian was not a mean guy but he did get possessive and protective about his status.

Though when Pearl smiled at him he calmed down a bit. "These lands are what you would call wetlands. If you dislike water you will have problems adjusting. If you truly want to help out in this pack and be a valuable member, I'd say I will let you try it," he spoke, accepting him in the pack. Sebastian then looked at Ambrosia. "Part of being a scout is being an ambassador. Why don't you show your nephew around and tell him about the key locations in this territory," he spoke, instantly giving her a tasks, hopefully it would be welcome since it was related to her trade. Sebastian liked to know these things so he could have his members help him effectively.

Ambrosia was a little put off in his lack of reaction to her, but had to admit it was the best thing to do to address the alpha first. Of course he probably didn't even recognize her, either, so she let her feelings slip away until Seb called her back. 
        "No problem, Sebastian. I'll show him around."
Again, Ammie turned her masked face to the young boy, waiting for him to react one way or another. Surely he'd be okay reconnecting with his family, right?

Embry dipped his head respectfully as the alphas strode off, his tail a pendulum brushing rythmically against the sodden earth below. "Aunt Ambrosia." He turned immediately, his sea-green optics wide and apologetic. "I'm so sorry. I don't know why I acted like that - it was so very rude." His golden-blonde fur, coated in the soft strokes of morning sunlight, rippled as he paced closer to his aunt. "Honestly, the alphas of your pack are an honorable breed. Rare these days; 'specially under these circumstances. They really made me nervous." He pawed at the ground, unearthing a small family of restless worms. "I suppose the famine's getting better, though. So that's good..."

     He raised his gaze to meet hers, briefly touching his nose to her shoulder. It had been so long since he'd last detected his aunt's welcoming scent - long enough. A wave of nostalgia washed over him, flooding him with thoughts of his puphood. I should have staid with Ambrosia. He stepped back, a small grin playing at his lips. He wanted to lighten the mood, not dampen it. He was never one for sentiment, or, for that matter, negativity in general. "Alright, show me everything. I wanna see every nook and cranny known to Broken Antler Fen."