Dawnlark Plains i am flesh, and i am bone

 @Dawn, @Aditya (?), @Aliac.

They had arrived at Morningside two days later, and she cast @Khali a look as they made it to the borders.  She lifted her nose to the air and howled for leadership, and for the scout that Morningside had sent to the Sanctuary.  Lanawyn had not met the woman herself, but she knew her name at least.  

As they waited, she turned to her companion, deciding to pass the time with idle chatter.  Well, we made it.

question marks be damned

he was keeping less and less to the maplewood with time, especially as the weather grew warm enough to stand the open plains. no longer did he have to shelter himself within the trees; he spent most of his days now either patrolling the borders or spending time with the pups, which seemed to grow rapidly day by day. luckily for the travelers, he was engaged in the former activity when the call went up, and it wasn't long before he reached them, head high and eyes inquisitive.

"can we help you?" aditya asked politely, staring down the female. she looked and smelled familiar, but the man next to her was a complete unknown. they smelled of pack, and they were both in good shape, so likely just visitors from another group. what did they want?

When they stopped Khali looked around, it was nice here too. He seemed to be getting used to all the new surroundings more and more. He looked at Lanawyn as it had been a long trek to the other pack, and gave a slight smile. Lanawyn let out a howl that was music to his ears, and he knew it was to the leaders of the pack. They were there for a check in, not that he knew what that was, but he'd learn now. 

"We did, after a few long days we finally are here." he said as he moved a little closer, hoping to get some more views. Since he was a pup he loved new views and land. " What is this pack like? " he asked giving a glance back to her.

I am not sure, she admitted, giving her companion an amiable shrug, but from what I understand, they reached out to us and were kind when they did it.  I figured we would repay them.  Stray didn't think this out very well, so they were probably carrying the pelt from the moose they had so recently slain.  She offered it to Aditya as he arrived on the scene and lowered her head respectfully.  Hello, sir.  We are from the Bracken Sanctuary.  A scout from your pack, Dawn, stopped by right as we were settling, and we are extending our well-wishes to Morningside.

yo thanks for the rug homie will look sweet in my pad

to his surprise, the woman lays out a pelt in front of her and begins to speak. finally, the resemblance is explained. whoever this woman is, she's a relation of alarian, leader of bracken sanctuary. aditya's wariness--if there was any to begin with--fades, and he grins, giving her and her companion a respectful couple of nods.

"how kind of you," adi remarked, dipping his muzzle at the pelt. he didn't really know what to do with it; he supposed he could put it in the whelping den, for pema and the upcoming pups, but then it was summer, and who needed a blanket now anyway? regardless, it was a thoughtful gesture. "thank you."

he peered at her with interest. "i had actually meant to pay a visit to your pack soon," adi said. "i've been acquainted with your leader, alarian. how are you all faring, lately?" he remembered that things had not been so great the last time the slim young man and he had crossed paths. he hoped for all of their sakes that the outlook had improved dramatically.

waiting until acknowledged swahili is in purple

Aliac was resting after her frantic few days when she heard a howl near the borders and of course her curiosity kept in and she found herself walking closure but stopped dead in her tracks. "Why is he here?" She whispered almost inaudibly. Then she wondered what language she spoke but instead she watched silently, watching the males every move.

Khali slowly nodded at her response to his question, at this point no one had shown up. He heard paws hitting the ground and coming closer so he lifted his head to the sound. It was a male, he could tell by scent, and Khali backed up a bit to let Lanawyn speak. As she spoke to him, he decided it was best to nod when he felt necessary like when she said they were from Bracken Sanctuary. His presence wasn't too known, but obviously he thought it was best to be seen not heard and not to speak unless spoken to. 

As she dropped the pelt in front of her and moved it over, it seemed they were thankful. This was going good, he thought as he stood there watching them interact together. It seemed as though these packs were alliances, but it was just a good inference from their talks. When they stopped talking he heard more pawsteps and his ears automatically cupped forward again, cautiously again. His eyes landed on the wolf he previously had met in the marsh, his breath was taken away practically. His pupils were large as his eyelids expanded but he was careful not to let anyone notice as he tried to calm himself. If she hadn't asked questions yet, he shouldn't yet.

Good!  This seemed to be going well.  She took in the scent of Morningside, of damp plains and of babies.  We did not concieve any children of our own, but we did absorb another pack and one of their women is due soon.  But our ranks are almost full-up, and it happened out of nowhere.  I think.. everyone is happy.  It's nice to see some life breathed into the place.

She dipped her head towards the ermine white girl that approached, beckoning her closer if she wished.  If you would like, I can accompany you when you want to visit.  Did this mean the packs were allied now?  She.. wasn't quite sure.  Khali's rising tension went unnoticed by the ambassador who was too focused on doing her job to really give a damn about anything other than making the Sanctuary look good, because whew, that was a lot of pressure on her shoulders.

he blinked softly at her, glad to hear that bracken sanctuary was on the upswing. as for the children. . .well, aditya might have been happier had they been his own brood. but that was neither here nor there; he much enjoyed the company of his new siblings-in-law, and knew no matter whose pups they were, young blood was always a blessing to any pack.

"that wouldn't be so bad," aditya responded, gaze wavering as he noticed the two of them looking at something beyond him. he turned to see aliac, and gave the huntress a smile, motioning her forward with a cant of his head. the look on her face gave him a slight qualm, but he chalked it up to nerves: she was a little shy, after all.

"my name is aditya," he introduced himself, turning back to the pair from the sanctuary. "dawn is my mate; i'm happy she was able to connect with your pack." he waited for aliac to pipe up and give her own name; if she didn't within a reasonable time, he'd do so himself.

Aliac saw the smile of her packmate and returned it with a sheepish grin of her own as she walked up carefully watching the male especially. "I have already been acquainted with the male." She said softly then turned to the female. "Hello, my name is Aliac tis a pleasure to meet you."

Khali watched the interactions still not speaking unless he's spoken too. It was best for him anyway, for this female could say anything about their last encounter. He nods though when she said that the ranks were almost full at Bracken Sanctuary. Khali looked at Lanawyn and then back at Aditya, then to Aliac shifting his weight. Lanawyn was good at roaming so she would accompany Aditya well whenever he wanted to visited Bracken Sanctuary. After the male stopped talking, the female stepped forward and started to talk on her own. 

He took a deep breath in and held it as she said she was already aquainted with him. He nodded as if to backup what she had said. Khali watched Lanawyn as Aliac introduced herself. He knew this would have happened at some point, but again he would slowly introduce himself to Lanawyn later on, for now he hoped Aliac wouldn't tell about his flashback and behavior from their previous encounter.

quick little post before work to keep this moving, srry

He watched the woman come forward and this time she noticed the tension in the air, but she did not allow it to seep into her expression.  Thank you, Aditya. Alarian will be setting up a more formal meeting later with your leaders.  Her eye lingered upon Khali and Aliac perhaps a moment longer than necessary.  Greetings, Aliac.

aditya cast a puzzled look toward aliac as she explained she and the male had met, wondering when and how. he supposed the denizens of morningside weren't necessarily tethered to the plains, and she could have just as well met him while scouting--still. it piqued his interest. he'd have to ask the cream-pelted female about it later.

for now. . . "i will be happy to see him again," adi responded, smiling gently. "he's a good man; i'm glad that bracken sanctuary is thriving under his leadership." he dared not bring up the troubles alarian had spilled out to him. in any case, this woman probably already knew the issues more intimately than he ever would.

"what are your names? so i can tell my leaders you came," aditya added, dipping his muzzle toward the male as well.

Lanawyn realized she'd glossed over that and sheepishly supplied Aditya with their names.  They carried a small, inconsequential discussion before Lanawyn remarked that the duo needed to be getting back, but extended the offer to meet again sometime.