Stavanger Bay Forget what we're told

Her paws had brought her along the shore, to here. She had skirted around one pack, only to find another smack next to it. Her interest had been piqued by the first, increased by the second. Their borders were fresher, their numbers fewer, and yet they had settled here. Right next to another established pack.

Their territory, it seemed, was a bay. The familiar cries of seabirds and the distant crashing of waves was all too familiar from her first journey south, along the west shore. She hadn't seen any seals here yet, nor any large oceanic creatures. She rather liked the taste of seal, and fish of the sea. It had a certain, exquisite taste that one couldn't find in any of the land mammals. 

Her time in the dragon's pack had been short, but she had felt that she had not belonged in the cavern. It was been beautiful, she had enjoyed her time there, but in the end she had found herself drifting away from it. She stood by the borders of another pack now, and she considered a moment, weighing the odds, the pros and cons. Would she give pack life here another try? This place would probably be totally different than her first, she had skills to offer and hoped that they would accept them.

So, after a couple of minutes, she lifted her muzzle and howled for leadership, unknowingly @Skellige and @Doe. That done, she sat, gaze interested, stance neutral and not at all dominant. She would try here, for the Bay had interested her, and the fact that they had settled next to what was, unknowingly to her, Donnelaith. They had to be bold, to not shy away from land just because another resided close.

Bold was an understatement for the inky titan; he was – perhaps foolishly – fearless. The call that sounded overhead was a beckoning to the borders and the broad-shouldered brute found himself curious to the sound. The leviathan had formed the pack with a set few members, and since then he had not heard the cry of a potential joiner on the edges of his bay. It would be a first, unless the beast was merely looking for answers to questions that he was not likely to give. Skellige kicked up sand from behind him and set off at a steady lope in the direction of the summons. The stretching of his limbs felt good against the sun that beat down on the pale shore. He had spent a great deal of his time in the waters in preparation for their blessing that was to come; he wanted to the sea to know that he was devoted to her… so devoted that he had thrown the child to her without question. The titan had always belonged to the swell and he needed her to know this.
 
Closing the distance on the borders, the dark brute caught sight of a pale figure that he had thought to be his sister at first. Her call had been foreign to him, though, and he did not imagine that Ksenia would have simply waited for him on the borders; she would have marched into the bay without any proper warning at all. To know that this was not his sibling was something of a relief, but he felt the same of all pale wolves who appeared before him. Skellige knew that it would not be long before Ksenia found his home and she would not be pleased that he had succeeded in raising a pack. The titan was crafted for war, but he fretted over what terrible curse his sister would bring to his lands.
 
Lifting his skull upward and peering at the woman with dark russet eyes, the leviathan roamed her figure with a glance before fixing his stare on her face. “What brings you to my borders?” the wraith inquired in a slithering baritone.

Leadership arrived in the form of a hulking brute, feral in his appearance and a huge mound of walking muscle. Such a difference was it from the tiny dragon girl that had ruled Ryujin, she was almost taken aback a moment. This would be different, much different, then dealing with the woman, she knew that immediately. 

It was half instinct, half respect, that caused her to dip her head, ears and stature lowered as she bowed in deference to the sea king. After a moment, when he spoke as to her intentions, did she speak, her words interrupted, on occasion, by the cries of gulls above. "Greetings, sir. I am Fluer, and I seek a pack. Something drew me to your borders, something I can not name." she said, hoping it was appropriate for her to speak such. She didn't know what had led her to the borders, made her bypass the first pack she came across. Why she had even stopped here. Instinct, perhaps.

She hoped that her specific skill set was needed, she was no great fighter, though proficient, and a good, but average hunter.  After a moment, she spoke again, saying, "I can offer my knowledge of plant, herbs, and the stars. I am an adept fighter, a good hunter." she spoke bluntly and to the point, never one for small talk, truly.

The woman spoke and introduced herself as Fleur. Skellige drew his ears forward to capture everything that she might say. She was indeed looking for a pack to call home. When she mentioned that there had been some unspoken force that had drawn her to his borders, it brought a thoughtful frown to his features and his brows narrowed on her. At least she had shown him respect upon arrival, and he wondered if the sea was speaking to her and willing her forward. If this were the case, it would have been unwise for the inky titan to turn her away from his lands. He was interested to know what she could bring to his ranks that he did not already possess. The wolves that he had gathered underneath him were adept in their specific skills; warriors and hunters alike. The wraith did not know why the great spirits of the sea would send him something that he did not need.
 
As she spoke and explained the many talents that she possessed, the leviathan listened with a placid expression on his inky features. His dark eyes scoured over her once more as he mentally checked her for physical capability. There was nothing truly extraordinary about her stature. The wolf seemed average in both height and weight. Her pale coat took on a creamier appearance after he had closed the distance and he noted that her eyes were an appropriate chocolate hue.
 
Flicking the tip of his tail after she had finished, the inky titan drew his head upward and eyed her. “So your most impressive skills are those of a healer?” he inquired to her. Rationally, he did not believe that the other skills were as strong. The knowledge of herbs would do well seeing as he believed that calling on the wolves of Donnelaith was something of a false hope. Skellige knew that Deirdre would come to his aid, but he did not truly trust that he could rely on the others. “What of the stars do you know?” he then inquired of her with a single quirked brow. Skellige had not even yet explained to the woman the ways of their pack or the customs that were mandatory to take part in the ranking there. If she could prove her knowledge to him, he would expand and discover if she truly wanted a place in his sea-devoted home.

As she comes back from gathering things for Sharkbait

The journey had taken the better part of the day, and Atoll's limbs were dragging as she jogged the finals stretch toward the bay, leaving @Lagertha several paces behind her - probably headed to her own den, instead of the way Atoll had chosen to trek. Though she ached to return to her sweet-meat-and-Szymon smelling den, with its fawnskin carpet and shelves of healing herbs - there was a scent that drew her in a different direction.

Setting aside her burden, Atoll stalked toward the pale shape that stood upon their borders, eyes finding Skellige's over the female's shoulders. Though her body was swollen and bristling with the barbs of angry bees, her steps were as fluid and and silent as ever as she drew even with the female and peered distrustfully at the other's face. Meeting strangers had lost a bit of its charm after seeing the wounds that Szymon had suffered at the teeth of the male that'd encroached on them the day before.

A silent growl ticking in her throat, her eyes darted back to Skellige for direction. If it were up to her, strangers would be slain at the border, before they had a chance to hurt the pack.

Don't worry, Thalia - she gets nicer!

His eyes, she noted, were a rich mahogany shade. They scanned over her form, but she did not shrink of flinch, remaining in her respectful, but unflinching stance. When she had spoken, and he finished his silent inspection of her, he asked of her skills. Healer. "Yes, sir. Healer, Naturalist. Those are the things I excel at." she replied, sincerely. She thought herself more a naturalist than a healer, but her skill in herbs was quite good. 

Then he askedof the stars. What could she tell him of them? Perhaps this was a test, no, most definitely a test. She had a feeling that this brute would not be very interested in learning of stars from a total stranger. She thought a moment before replying, wondering what she could say to prove what she knew. Her thoughts flickered briefly to the constellations and stars she had used the navigate, the ones she had seen last night. "Tonight, the Little Squirrel will be easily visible. It is this constellation I use most in my travels, the star at the tip of it's tail will always lead one north. This is one of the constellations seen all year, the others change with the seasons. I know much about them- many constellations, how to use them to navigate,  which are visible when." 

Movement caused her to stop her rambling, Her gaze flicked quickly to the other that drew up beside her. Her ears perked a moment, attentive, before returning to their submissive stance. She tensed a moment at the hostility of the other, who seemed to be looking at the brute for direction. This one made her in the slightest uncomfortable, but she fell silent as her gaze flicked back to the dark male.

The pale woman confirmed his notion that her strongest skills would be in the world of a healer. For a man who had gathered an entire group of warriors and brutes, the thought of having someone on the inside who was a capable woman with herbs and the natural world… well, he could not deny that it might have done them well. Skellige relied quite heavily on Doe and Deirdre in the arts of making sure his wolves were tended to; if he should allow the wolf Fluer into his pack, it would relieve some of the added stress on their daily tasks. The wraith was certain that his Atoll would have better things to do with herself than tending to the many injuries that seemed to flood across their borders. Half of the wolves that he had recruited had come with wounds of some sort, and he did not think it would be the last of them.
 
As the woman went on to explain a particular constellation, the inky titan listened for a moment before his vision was drawn to the approaching figure of a familiar face. Her sharp yellow eyes had flitted toward the newcomer and she had offered a little snap at the pale wolf on their borders. Skellige did not move to reprimand the witch doctor – she was merely tense after their previous encounter on the edge of the bay. He did, however, turn his attention back to Fluer with a single quirked brow. She had offered him enough information that would suggest she knew well enough of the stars. The sea wolf wondered if it would do him well to teach the girl of the Warsaw stars and constellations.
 
“Your skills would be welcome here, but you must know before you cross the border… our customs are not like most packs. We are worshippers of the sea and we have many rituals that you should learn before making yourself comfortable here,” he remarked to her in a quiet rumble. Darting his dark gaze toward Doe once before fixing the pale Fluer with his stare, the leviathan felt he needed to know if she could accept their ways. “If you have questions before stepping onto our land, I will answer them. This is Doe – our Atoll,” he tossed his muzzle toward the fiery witch doctor in a nonchalant fashion.

Atoll dipped her head to acknowledge the introduction, her hackles soothed by the lack of emotion in his voice. It seemed he was neither displeased nor alarmed by the pale wolf's presence - and so, neither was Atoll.

"Hail," she murmured, studying the woman more closely, now. Would she get along with herself and Laggy? Giving a mental shrug and turning back to Skellige, she adressed her master: "I brought herbs to help Sharkbait. Will you point me toward her, or would you have me stay here?"

She listened as he spoke of customs of the sea, of their rituals and worship. Her interest in this was great, and knowing this information led her no doubts or fear of joining the pack now. She knew of living by the sea in her travels south, of it's temperament, it's kindness and it's cruelty. She knew of the life by it's side, so different from any other. She was glad to live here, by the sea again, and the only thing that would worry her about their religion if they were zealots, with dark customs. While no religious wolf, she had a great respect for the sea, and, she reasoned, could easily accept their customs. 

So when he finished, she dipped her head, acknowledging his words. "Yes, sir. Thank you." she said, feeling as if his words deserved verbal agreement back not knowing exactly what to say. At his final words, she glanced at the female, committing her name, and odd rank, to memory. "Just one- what's your name, sir?" she asked. It would be nice to address him with his name, or even just have one to attach to him.

At the woman's, Doe's words, Fluer wondered. What kind of name was Sharkbait, and what had this Sharkbait done to need herbs? She stayed silent on the subject, knowing that it wasn't her place to immediately question everything.

Okay one more post from you lovely folks and we should be good to wrap this one up! :3

 

The titan did not understand that the pale wolf had only a respect for the sea and her powers, and if he had, there might have been further hesitation in allowing her into the bay. He was a creature with great devotion toward the treacherous waves and the powerful swell. Skellige had lived his life in her arms and he would die beside them – of that he was certain. The wolves that he had gathered had done well to implement the customs that he carried from his homeland. The brute did not expect them to conform overnight, but he had been pleased with the brood that had made their home in the depths. Over time, he believed that they would grow stronger and the thoughts of Warsaw would leave his mind as he crafted his own legacy and future with those who were destined to belong on his shores.
 
As the witch doctor inquired about Sharkbait, the brute flicked an ear toward her and regarded her with a slow nod of his head. It was important to him that the pup was tended to; she would have an important role in his own life soon enough. “She should be near my den,” he remarked to Doe with a toss of his muzzle toward the caves that he called his home. With the direction given, he lowered his skull to her out of gratitude that she should see to the task he had given her. Skellige did not doubt that she was a vital member of the Blackrock.
 
Returning his attention back to the wolf called Fluer, he fixed her with a pointed stare and realized that he had not given his own moniker. “I am Skellige Cairn,” he offered her, drawing his crown upward. The wraith still carried his name with pride, as he knew he should. “This is Blackrock Depths. You would do well to spend your days learning our culture and introducing yourself to those within the pack. Should you have further inquiries, you may turn to myself or Doe for answers.” It would be enough to allow her in and she would gather what information she might need over the course of a week or more. Knowing he was a man who did not do well with social interaction, the swarthy titan turned from the new recruit and granted her access into the bay with a sweep of his tail. One more for the depths.

Not too interested in further interaction with the pale stranger, and also having things to do that she deemed more important, Atoll excused herself with a dip of her head and a lash of her tail and headed for Skellige's den. The Blackrock beta had not yet had occasion to visit it, but - like the dens of all members of her pack - Doe had made sure she knew of its location.