Stone Circle Harvest Serenity

Birk had first caught scent of the settlement and then caught sight of some wolves. From the distance it was hard to tell, how many, therefore he made his approach carefully - being alert and ready to either run or defend himself, in case the group turned out to be hostile. The misanthropic sister of Raven was still vivid in his memory and he did not want to scar his handsome face just because he had trusted the well-meaning yet not tested nature of the strangers.

He circled the claimed area, measuring it with his steps and trying to tell, how many resided here. If the smells had been very dense, he would have left. Experience had taught him that too many wolves meant, less food for all involved. However, from, what he could deduce - this was not a very big pack. So - perhaps - it would do. If they had him.

Still located at a safe distance from the borders, he lifted his muzzle and howled for the leaders to meet him outside.

Valette lifted her head when a howl sounded. It wasn't one she was familiar with. The mother had been around her den, resting. The female was more often on the borders now and missed hanging out with her children. Valette got on her four paws and stretched herself. She didn't think it was an unfriendly meeting since the stranger was polite enough to howl for her presence.

Often Clary seemed eager about joining her to the borders. She let any of her children decide if they wanted to follow her. The mother made her way to the border. She almost overlooked the stranger if not for his scent. His coat matched the wintery landscape around them. Valette raised her tail and changed her body language to show that she was the one in charge of this pack.

"Welcome to Easthollow," she asked. Valette was still alert if this might be a wolf that was related to the war. He didn't smell of the Black Feather swamps. That was a scent she never would forget. "You requested my presence," she pointed out, granting him permission to speak.

After the mention of Blackfeather and the dangers it brought, Ezra had been sure to keep towards the center of the territory and for the most part out of the adult’s way. They were busy making sure everything ran smoothly and that everyone was safe, and as much as he wanted to help, the rho understood that he wasn’t quite as capable as a full grown wolf would be. But that didn’t mean he was going to sit back and do nothing. When the howl swept through the land and reached the boy’s ears, he instantly perked up with excitement clear in his eyes. Mother said he couldn’t go to the borders alone, and so he wouldn’t, but that just meant he needed a grownup to accompany him. He lifted his nose to take in the wind and immediately picked out the fresh scent of his aunt who lingered only a few minutes away. He took to her trail and once found, Ezra greeted her with a gentle head bump before motioning in the direction of where the call had come. He waited for a few moments to make sure his aunt understood his intent, and once he received the answer he sought, the boy began the short trip to the borders with @Nanook as his chaperone.

Once he arrived on the scene and saw that his mother was already there, Ezra realized that he might have just wasted his aunt’s time. Whoops. He offered a thank you as well as a quick apology and left it up to the grayscale woman to decide if she wanted to stay or go. As he pulled away from his aunt’s side and approached his mother, the boy found himself curious as well as a bit nervous as he wondered what was going to happen. Despite his curiosity, instinct told Ezra to put enough distance between himself and the stranger so that he could get out of the way should this interaction turn out to be anything less than neutral. He was there to back his mother up if necessary, but as a kid who was inexperienced in battle, Ezra had to admit it was a bit frightening being in the presence of someone who could possibly be a threat to him and his family.

Birk did not have to wait long - first to appear was a she-wolf - roughly the same size as him, with a dark brown fur and aura of certain magnitude. He was right to assume that she was neither a guard, nor a mere subordinate, but the proud leader of the pack.

"I did," he replied, getting to his feet and approaching the other in a very calm demeanor. He did not act overly submissive, because he did not consider himself a desperate beggar at her doorstep. If he was to accepted in the ranks - he should present himself as he was: strong, confident and with peaceful intentions. 

With a corner of his eye, Birk noticed that someone/someones had joined the leader, but he did not acknowledge them yet as he had the she-wolf before him. "I am Birk of the Jötunn Glacier and I am seeking a shelter for the winter," he said, after he had stopped at a comfortable distance from the other.

When she saw that her sister attended the stranger, Nanook thought to leave Ezra in his mother's charge, having safely escorted him to the border. She knew well that Desna approved if the kids tagged along on official business now that they had reached an appropriate age, and, though the boy was still a child, Ezra's obedience and willingness to listen gained Nanook's hard-earned trust. She was certain he would behave himself here, especially with his mother around.

But the stranger's appearance bid her stay, for he lent her a certain curiosity - she had seen few wolves with fur so white who roamed so far South - and his words sealed her presence here, though from a distance. Nanook settled upon the snow and honed her attention toward the gathered trio. Perhaps she could learn as much from this recruitment as Ezra could, and so she watched.

Soon enough the mother was joined by Ezra. Valette was not sure if she liked him close when a stranger was at their borders. Luckily Nanook soon followed. She felt more at ease now Nanook was there as well. Valette's tail was still held up high to indicate her rank. The male started to speak. Valette slowly nodded. "Welcome. I am Valette and these two are my son Ezra and Sister Nanook." So, he wanted a shelter for the winter. "Only for the winter?," she inquired.

Valette would hate to see him leave after the weather was becoming milder. "We are a close-knit family pack. So we might not be the pack you are looking for if you only want to stay the winter months," she spoke to him, quite honestly. "But you do want to join I'd like to know where your skills lie," she added. Perhaps this male would want to live in a pack like theirs.

The boy’s attention held steady on the stranger, ears flickering forward to catch the words that left the pale man’s mouth. He sought shelter from the harshness of winter, but Ezra had to wonder if such temporary loyalty would be granted a place within his mother’s pack. It seemed Valette thought the same, and the grayscale boy found himself curious to hear what answer would come from the stranger now that they had heard of the close union the pack thrived on. Would he wish to leave or stay, and if it was the latter, would he wish to remain for a longer period of time?

But the child did not question his thoughts and kept himself quiet while the questioning continued. He mentally noted down that a list of skills should be asked of prospective newcomers, as well as the posture in which his mother assumed. Dominance seemed a key factor in the exchange and the boy wondered if such a stance was reserved for leadership, or if all guardians were to take on the display.

"I have to clarify," Birk replied, when the leader had doubts about his desire to stay with the pack during winter months only. He could understand her doubts and yet it confused him a little, this so very hard sought loyalty in every member around these areas. If he had been the one to ask to join a group in the Glaciers, no one would even squint about him leaving once the weather conditions improved. That was, how life and survival worked there, a lot simpler and uncomplicated view of pack-life. Yet this was different and he had to be both smart and diplomatic about this subject. If he was accepted.

"I have every intention of staying longer and contributing to the greater good as long as the conditions permit that. I had to leave my last pack this summer, because there were too many wolves and the lands were unable to provide for us all," he told, though this had not been the only reason, why he had left the caldera. "I am a skilled hunter and I am easy to get along with," he told. "I may not be the most excellent fighter around, but I can stand my ground and defend myself and others, if needed."

Nanook found herself much less caught on his words than her sister. But then, she had always been a drifter herself. At this point the only pack she'd stayed with long enough to call something more than shelter, apart from Bearclaw Valley, was Easthollow - and this, more driven by her blood-connections than anything else. Though she dimly recalled making a family-commitment way back at Silvertip, that, too, had come from knowing Desna was there, even if her sister hadn't recognized her at the time.

So she would understand if he did eventually leave, once the weather warmed and spring proposed new heists and opportunities for a young wolf to chase - though whether that departure would be met with good-will or hostility would bank on how he worked with them now, if Desna deemed him worthy of acceptance. Nanook rather enjoyed the way he spoke and presented himself, holding to realistic expectations, and stringing his words with what could only be a practised tongue. A skill she considered herself lacking. Yet she wondered if this was all recruitment required, the asking of questions and the getting of answers, without the need for a wolf to physically prove themselves able and trustworthy to run beside them. She imagined she would find out in a few short moments - and either way, she would have questions for her sister once the stranger joined or left them, and once they found themselves alone.

Valette listened to the male as he defended his previous words. She slowly started to nod in approval and that she was listening to what he was saying. She could always use more hunters on her team but what they needed most was a medic, a healer. She hoped Aurelia would step up in that trade together with Keoni. "It sounds like you can really help in this pack," she spoke with a nod.

"I hope that our conditions will be stable enough for every member to stay. Until now we have managed to keep all the number of wolves in our pack fed," she spoke to the other. She briefly glanced at Nanook. She didn't seem to disapprove of him. She knew her sister would disapprove of him she would show that. She then glanced at Ezra. "Okay. So, what do you think Ezra?," she then asked.

Valette had already made her mind, he had convinced her. He was allowed to stay. Though, she wanted her son to be involved in this as well. "I think Birk should be accepted. Do you think this as well? Or do you have any other questions you want to ask him first?," she asked her son. After all, he was learning about the borders and that included meeting strangers.

Any wariness the boy might have held towards the pale man quickly faded and Ezra let a soft smile fall to his lips. He blinked a few times when his mother addressed him, eyes slowly drifting over to the stranger when she asked if he had any extra questions. None came to mind and the grayscale boy shook is head accordingly, offering a swish of his tail in the process. “He seems cool enough” were the only words to leave the child’s lips, tone as quiet and gentle as ever. 

Perhaps if he was older and more cautious Ezra would have thought of something to question Birk with, but as a child who only knew the safety of his home, he thought the pale man no more threatening than a rabbit now. After all he had gained the approval of Valette, and that was about all it took for someone to win over the tender boy’s heart

The Queen had been right about the value of well chosen words, when presenting yourself to someone you did not know. Birk had thought that it would be harder for him to convince the leader of his worth, but it seemed that for whatever reason - she liked him and maybe trusted him as well. This made him wonder, if he would be the same, were the situation reversed? Probably not, but then again he did not know Valette that well to know her experience with people and reading them well. 

He was glad of the approval he heard and then turned to eye the younger version of the mother, who was encouraged to speak his mind. Birk tilted his head to the side and smiled at the fellow, eager to hear and reply to any questions he might have for him. Yet the youngster seemed to trust his mother and agreed that he was to be added to the ranks. "Thank you for hearing me out and taking me in. I promise that you won't regret it," he told the three wolves and dipped his muzzle politely.

While she herself found no issue with the man, Desna's decision - or more, her process of recruitment - unsettled her. It was too fast, too objective; the tongue was a slippery thing. Nanook sensed no mal-intentions from Birk - he indeed seemed a respectable man - but she wondered, was Desna wise in letting a stranger march so freely among them, so soon after meeting, with little more to trust in than his word?

But of course, she had never run a pack before, nor did she have the experience of her sister. And, she reminded herself, while she was an equal in blood, she still ranked far beneath her sister in the hierarchy. Her place to speak was not here. Yet the doubt remained, and as she rose to greet the man with a dip of her own muzzle to show her approval as one of their own, she made note to speak with Desna later.

Perhaps compared to her sister Valette was far more trusting than her gray-colored sister was. But the male seemed friendly enough and Valette would tell the others to keep an eye on the white male. Valette smiled at her son. 'Welcome to this pack. I'd like you to join our hunts so we can get to know each other better," Valette spoke to him. She was a skilled hunter and liked to get to know her members with a hunt.

"And introduce yourself to our other members. We will let them know that you are new," she spoke. Then she glanced at Nanook, followed by a glace at Ezra. "Follow me," she spoke then. She would do the introductions of the territory for today and keep a bit of an eye on the pale wolf for the first few hours.

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