Moonspear Trying to hold on

Since the update says the pack cap is increased, I assume there's room for more. Correct me if I'm wrong, though. :'^)

Bernard had eaten little during his backtracking, not having alloted much time to the task of finding food since he wanted to attempt joining a pack as soon as possible. He intended to find the pack the youngster had spoke of, but he caught wind of marked territory before that. The direction the scent was coming from indicated the territory was on a mountain, not in a caldera. Nonetheless, he figured he may as well try his luck; having no ties to anyone at all meant he had no preference over which pack he joined, assuming they were reasonable enough. If he were denied here, then he could move on to the next, but he really hoped he wouldn't have to.

As the scent grew stronger, so did the anxious knot in his belly. Would they deny him outright because of his blood? Or perhaps there was something else they would find distateful. Denial, for any reason, would not sit well with him. Images of his parents being brutally attacked flashed in his mind, but he shoved them away. He couldn't stand a moment more of this lonesome life. Finally, Bernard reached the border, and he made sure to give it space. Raising his head, he let out a howl to alert the pack of his presence, low and rough. He then sat down with a facade of patience and calmness, though the tip of his tail still tapped with anxiety.

yep, you're correct! ^_^

for my own timelines, i'mma say this takes place before Galaxy dies, as it's still unclear what's gonna happen in that thread :-)

Charon was patrolling the borders when he heard the call. He wasn't too close to the call at that moment, so turned around and started making his way there. Ears perked up with interest as he came closer, but they quickly fell down and hackles raised as he saw the appearance of.. whatever had called him. He was reminded of when he was little and he had faced a monster; not quite the same looks as this one, but the gist was the same: a wolf, but different and therefore wrong.

He carried his body dominantly as he approached, tail curled over his back in silent request for submission. "What are you and what do you want?" he asked as he approached, an unkind judgemental tone to his voice. Whether Charon'd mellow out would depend largely on this.. wolf's business at his borders.

terance always preferred to help hydra out at the borders. she was small and feminine and whatever assumed gender roles terance had grown up learning still lingered in the back of his head-- though more times than not hydra could handle herself, and kick some major ass in the process. charon, on the other hand, didn't need any help. he was big and burly and pretty damn scary, if you asked terance. 

but this guy caught his attention.

the dog he'd met the other day lingered in the back of his mind as he saw this wolf. maybe he was half dog-- that was trance's assumption, anyway. he came across the brute while on patrol, and paused a few steps behind charon, ears pricked as he tuned into the conversation. he'd only just caught the end of charon's statement, but his alpha did not sound very warm.

As he saw figures coming his way, his heart began pounding against his sternum, but he kept his cool exterior. Bernard rose to his feet, steeling them not to wobble. He gave them a polite dip of his head, but a cold question was tossed at him, anyhow. What was meant by "what are you" was unclear to him. The white wolf held a maximally dominant posture, and he assumed this was a high-ranking individual, if not the alpha himself. Though quite the hulking figure, he ensured that his form was as relaxed as he could will it, head and tail down and ears... Well, they were never perked.

Bernard was beginning to wonder if his mother were some strange exception and wolves just tended to be an unfriendly bunch, but he swallowed the thought down. He needed to be as polite as possible, which he was quite good at. My name is Bernard Donauri. I am just a canine in search of a pack, if you will have me, He stated formally and clearly. Not wanting to prattle on, he waited for their response, willing to answer whatever it was they'd want to know.

The thing introduced himself as though he were a wolf, and Charon gave him a distrusting look. He turned his head as another approached but the scent told him it was only Terance so he focussed back to the stranger. He called himself a canine, though he looked more like the monsters he’d seen in his youth to Charon.

”You don’t look like a wolf to me,” he said coolly, though relaxed somewhat since this thing didn’t seem to mean harm. ”You been part of a pack before. i’m Charon, the wolf that leads this pack.”

terance, unsure of how he could be helpful in this situation, merely watched. charon seemed sort of insensitive, but he supposed that was part of the deal when you were alpha-- protection and all that jazz. terance supposed he could learn a thing or two about caution.

ears pricked, terance awaited a response from this bernard fellow.

Of course—he looked oddly similar yet different to them. Though anxiety coursed through his veins, he answered calmly, My mother was a wolf, and my father was a dog. I lived in a family pack with them before we were... Separated. Did these wolves have a prejudice against dogs? He prayed to some deity that they did not, tail tip waivering uncomfortably. It's a pleasure to meet you, Charon, He added courteously with a bow of his head, though Bernard couldn't be sure yet if this were true.

Charon couldn't help but wonder if this wolfdog was trying to get in just so he could wreak havoc on his pack somehow. Yet he didn't seem all that dangerous... but perhaps that was part of the thing he was trying to pull here. Charon frowned while he tried to piece things together and make a judgement. Could the child of a wolf and a monster still be a functioning wolf? He wondered, afraid that he might make a wrong choice for his youngest pups and for the sake of his future children, too.

Eventually he decided, "Can you hunt? What sort of things are you good at?" Perhaps he would decide on some sort of trial period, Charon thought, or a task of some sort for this wolf.

sorry about the delays on this joining thread; now that the holidays are over i should be quicker with responding again. ^^

terance continued to watch. he couldn't find anything wrong with the boofer, except maybe that he was certainly different. but he also didn't think that that was necessarily bad. the yearling was fairly certain that if they had a bear-wolf lookin hybrid on their side in any situation, they'd get some sort of intimidation factor. though, truth be told, this bernard fello seemed much more fluff than he did muscle-- but maybe that was the point in this particular scenario. either way, he waited, having nothing important to add or ask of the stranger.

He wished he hadn't needed to put it out into the air that he was part dog, even though it was apparent. Saying it aloud made him inwardly cringe; it just sounded bad. At least, that's what he assumed from the viewpoint of these wolves. Personally, he was proud of his blood, having known his father to be incredibly sharp and powerful. But they didn't know him, and perhaps they wouldn't have wanted to, given their past with the other pack.

Then came another question, and Bernard nodded with a tense lick of his nose. I can, but I excel in combat. My father trained me from a young age. I could also help in taking down bigger game. Honestly, he was a horrid hunter when it came to small prey—he was just too lumbering of a figure. It made keeping himself fed as a loner incredibly difficult. But, if given the opportunity to hunt large prey which he could rely on his brute strength to take down, he knew he'd be invaluable.

Between the lines Charon read that he wasn't the best hunter, since he immediately went on to say he was a good fighter after sharing that he 'could hunt'. Charon glanced at Terance, then Bernard, and then said, "Spar with Terance here to prove you can fight. Just 'til submission, no need to seriously hurt each other." Charon looked expectantly at Terance and took a step back to allow them some space, so that he could observe their fight well.

Truthfully, it wasn't a lack of fighting that Charon feared in the half-monster, half-wolf. He wasn't too sure why he gave him a chance at all. He played with the thought of making him a thrall if he lost, but then again, he had done nothing wrong so far and he wasn't sure if it would make having him around any safer.

terance's ears pricked suddenly when his name was tossed into the mix. he didn't know he was actually gonna be a part of this whole thing. but, now that we was-- thanks for so graciously offering him up for a spar, charon-- terance wouldn't say no. besides, he could stand a little practice.

offering the stranger an encouraging smile-- he was sort of rooting for him-- he stepped up and got into position. his brow quirked, an invitation, come at me.

Bernard's own weak ears pricked at Charon's request: to spar with the other wolf before him. As long as no serious injuries would result, he didn't mind sparring. What he minded was losing this particular fight. He was a humble canine, and while aware of his abilities, the fear of failure gripped him. Still, he nodded and turned towards the gray wolf he had yet to learn the name of. He was surprised to see him give a genuine smile, one that lacked malice or smugness. It comforted him. I can do this, he rallied internally.

The other wolf readied himself and seemed to be graciously giving him the first move. Accepting the invitation, Bernard took in a deep breath of freezing air before pushing off of the ground, barreling towards him. But he didn't do this head-on, rather he leapt to position himself at the wolf's side. When he neared his opponent, he lifted his forelegs and aimed to use his momentum and hulking size to shove him to the ground, or at the very least off-balance. He would clamp down onto his throat, but not too hard—just enough to persuade submission.

feel free to skip me 'til the spar is over :)

Charon watched as Terance stepped up and into position to fight, having not even considered Terance might not want to, and the wolfdog stepped up too. He hung back, intending to just watch the spar and see how the newcomer was doing in a fight so he knew what he was worth (but also how easy he'd be to get rid of if things didn't work out, as he was still wary).

let me know if i misread your post!.. or if this doesn't make any sense!

terance was a defense kind of guy. though, to be fair, bernard was fuckin' massive, and terance was positive this wasn't going to be a battle he could just say 'o let him run into me i can stand my ground'-- bernard probably could've RKO'd his ass right into the snow. as bernard moved to attack, terance jumped backwards and ducked his head. he got a nice elbow to the snout-- ouch-- but missed that whole power pounce, which might've knocked him over. as fast as he could, terance gave his own attack, which was aiming to bite at bernard's side and forelimb, head still down.

I actually laughed out loud at his commentary, lmfao.

Smartly, the other wolf got out of his way. His large paws slammed into the ground, sending snow flying. Then, he felt the pinch of teeth at his side, causing him to flinch. Before he could retaliate, the gray wolf's jaws clamped down on his forelimb. Bernard uttered a low rumble that shook the air before leaning his head down, opening his jaws to ideally clamp down on the male's snout with his carnassials. If this persuaded him to release his leg, he would still not intend to let go, even when the wolf pulled back—holding the wolf's best weapons hostage within his own.

In the best-case scenario where he succeeded in all of this, he would thrash his own head, causing the other's to do the same, thus disorienting him. Then, Bernard would lift his forlegs once more and try to use his weight to bring the wolf to the ground where he would be atop him. Through all of this, he would not intend to let go of the wolf's muzzle.

<3

he got a good hold on the dudes foreleg, sniffing a little bit as blood trickled out his nose. he was low and holding tight, but it didn't stop bernard from twisting and grabbing hold of his own snout. he'd tried to duck away from it, but was too late on his retreat. so, he ended up letting go but had his chompers caught in a trap. damn, that sucked. not wanting to tear his lips, terance didn't dare jerk away. the only thing he could do from his was try to knock him off balance-- at least just enough so that he would let go.

terance swung dat ass into bernard's lower hind legs, aiming to send him toppling over.

Bernard was pleased to have the wolf release him and to now have him in an undesirable position, though he wasn't able to down him. What surprised him was when the male hip-checked his legs. He lost his footing momentarily but wasn't downed so easily with his sturdy frame, and he was dead-set on not letting go of his snout. This gave him an idea, though, and he swung a foreleg into his opponent's to perhaps make him the one to fall over.

terance silently willed charon to end this fuckin fight before he lost-- because he was really sick and tired of looking like a moron in front of him. if he'd just end it they wouldn't get that far, he would've held out. by now terance could only assume that charon thought he was a weak ass bitch-- bested by hydra, bested by a bear (one hit KO), and he was really having a hard time with this mutt. god damn. he really was a skilled mercenary-- swear on it.


he faltered when he felt his own legs get whacked as bernard attempted to do the same thing he'd just done. that one hurt too, but like his bulky sparing partner, terance managed to stay standing. he was really having a time though, if this guy would just let go of his damn mouth. a low growl escaped his throat, and frustrated, the yearling gave an unsteady shake of his whole body, jerking his head away-- hopefully, anyway.

His attempt to knock the opponent over failed, as well. Pity. He felt the rumble from the male's irritated growl before he shook and wrenched his snout from his own jaws, if only because Bernard didn't want to do permanent damage. Also a pity, but he was feeling more confident, now. Not giving the wolf a chance to think, he immediately lurched his head forwards to grab his throat. If successful, he would then try to wrestle and shove him to the ground on his back with his body weight while maintaining his grip.

pp-ing Terance with permission, since Magdalyn is busy and she didn't want to hold things up since it's a joining thread. :)

Charon watched the fight, wondering how Terance would do, too. He hadn't seen him fight much, though he remembered Terance'd fought and got hurt with the bear attack. This was very different, of course. He watched closely as they fought and then at one point it was suddenly over — Bernard took Terance by the throat and wrestled him to the ground. Charon stood ready to take action, at first thinking he might've actually hurt Terance, but when he saw no blood he concluded that Bernard must have good grip on how to hurt others — and how not to.

"Well fought," he commended. Charon still felt wary towards the stranger but they could use some more fight types, so nonetheless he decided: "Alright, I'll give you a shot. Prove your worth by protecting the pack, keeping its members safe and doing your share in hunts and you've got a home for more than just this winter." Charon emphasised that he expected something -- a show of how well he was for this pack -- in return. "Do you have any more questions? I imagine you'd want to rest up before further exploring the territory." Charon didn't really feel like giving 'the tour' on top of that, though he figured maybe he could ditch Terance with that task if Bernard really insisted on being shown around.

Bernard had stepped off of Terance by the time Charon started talking, and he was relieved to hear what he had to say. He turned to face the alpha without making eye contact and said, Thank you. I will not let you down. He knew that he should expect the other pack members and Charon himself to be watching him very closely, but seeing as he truly had no ill-will, hopefully he would prove his genuineness soon enough. Better yet, Wraen would be here. The thought of seeing her again made Bernard giddy like a pup, on the inside.

He shook his head at Charon's question. That would be great, He then said at the prospect of resting. He did a lot more wandering around than he'd intended, plus an impromptu spar. But, he had been accepted. It was worth it.

Charon still wasn't too sure he was making the right decision, as the pack seemed to be doing well enough at the moment to not need.. wolves.. like Bernard, but they could use a fighter or two extra, especially considering things between them and Redhawk Caldera were still strenuous, as always. They could use a fighter for that purpose and he just hoped he wasn't making a bad decision. He was promised that he wasn't going to be let down, but time would tell if Bernard could make true on this promise.

It was nice that Bernard was looking for a rest — Charon nodded as he turned towards the territory, inviting Bernard in. "The forest's only on the lower slopes, it's generally the best place for a rest. When you're rested up, I'm sure Terance or someone else will want to show you 'round." Charon offered a brief friendly smile before he turned towards the territory and started heading towards the rendezvous site, clearly ready to leave Bernard to his own devices so he could find someplace to rest.

pinned and having clearly lost-- again in front of charon-- terance let out an annoyed huff and, when bernard released him, shook out his pelt. he really outta just stick to staring at the sky, he apparently sucked at this whole combat thing. not in theory, anyway, but he hadn't won a single battle thrown his way. growl.

he tried not to seem too bothered by it, offering bernard a quick nod of 'congrats, you won' before sniffing and waiting to be released by charon. but nope, it appeared he had further instructions-- which meant terance couldn't go sit and sulk. he gave bernard a look, paired with a soft smile, and nodded to his alpha. "i've got time now," he offered, with a prick of his ears. and when the other male agreed, began to lead him towards the slope to show him a few of the most important places in the territory.

feel free to wrap up with your post!! <3 slight pp, hope that's okay

That's fine! I'm so glad he got in. ;v;

Charon gave him a smile and he returned it geuinely. Then, the alpha turned to walk deeper into the territory, leaving him with Terance. The gray wolf seemed irritated, and he feared that he was angry with him but was surprised when Terance smiled at him, as well. He even offered to show him around right away, so these fears were dashed. Bernard followed him and took in the important locations as best as he could, though he'd likely need to be reminded. Wraen could probably help with that, though, and the thought made him even more anxious to see her.