Blacktail Deer Plateau no turning back

Goodness, this is not a good post. I still need to get a good feel of this boy here but hello! Someone please join :D

Weather: Light freezing rain 28F

He moved swiftly, nose toward the ground and eyes moving every so often toward the heavens in search of the sun--East, he was heading East for refuge. He was no stranger to bad weather, hardly feeling the downpour of freezing rain around him as his paws broke through a thin layer of ice with a soft crunch. He wasn't quite sure of the outcome of this visit, in fact his heart was racing loud in his chest but nervousness had been pushed to the back of his head and he propelled forward with purpose. Within moments he was within range of the pack, and after expelling a deep sigh of relief, he raised his head to summon one for approach with a hope that there would be a home that he could find shelter in.

Shelter was sought beneath the canopies, providing a moderate amount of protection from the freezing droplets as they fell; Aningan was not unaccustomed to the cold, nor was he unequipped to handle it, but he found himself disinterested in the rain—snow was one thing, an acceptable occurrence, but rain an entirely different story. He intended to remain there until the weather might shift, alone with his thoughts for the day, but that plan was brought swiftly to an end by unfamiliar summons.

Aningan drew in a breath before exposing himself to the chill of the rain, which he released slowly as a chill crept down his spine. He wasted little time before taking off in the direction from which the sound originated, knowing that the more he moved, the warmer he may remain (although, given the weather conditions, his efforts were likely to be futile).

The young leader arrived at the scene before long, his jog turning into a walk, and then the walk into a full stop once he was near enough to speak. From there, he said, “Salutitsinik,” which was joined by a nod. “Who are you? Why are you here?” His questions were direct—not that he really noticed.

Yay! Thank you for joining!

He felt a slight chill creep through his pelt, it traveled the length of his long body and ended with a shake of his broad shoulders, his ears pointing upward in search of the sound of footfalls through the rain. He didn't need to wait long, the polar bear of a male approached him swiftly and requested his reason for visiting--straight and to the point. He thought then that he would like this male. "I am in search of shelter. A place to wait out the storm. I was hoping to find that here... he said, his words trailing off. He was uncertain if this male was the alpha but hoped him to be one that could accept him into his home. He had traveled quite the distance and would hate to be disappointed and turned away.

Answers met his questions head-on, save for the other male’s identity. He sought shelter, a place to stay throughout the duration of the storm; his reasoning for requesting an audience was not unexpected but the terms curious. “You only want to stay until the storm is over?” he asked, brows scrunching together. This was his first time being asked for shelter without a home to go along with it, which seemed strange to him. Why only stay somewhere temporarily? Aningan didn’t understand.

His request was strange, he knew, but the blizzard had altered his course and the male was in search of immediate shelter. He assumed, given the response of the pale male, that the request had thrown him for a loop and he bit his lip then in contemplation. It didn't make sense to venture this far for something so temporary and he then changed his process once more. Perhaps he could settle into this place more permanently, well at least until he found something better. "I can stay longer if you have the room for one more in your pack. I didn't want to assume that you had the space to spare..." he trailed off, blinking against the downpour of rain and snow. He was more than capable of proving himself, that is if the bear of a male requested, but in this weather he highly doubted the male wanted to stick around much longer to see if he could perform a pony trick.

There was a change of tune, a request—or more like an offer?—to stay longer. Aningan was further confused by this, trying to figure out exactly what it was that the other male wanted. “Do you actually want to stay?” he asked, eyeing him carefully. The bear was not particularly good at responding to those that wished for a home; he wasn’t sure what questions to ask aside from requesting names. But something about the other male still managed to strike him as odd, making him wonder if he should even provide shelter, let alone an entire home. Would he take advantage of them?

“Who are you?” he asked next. “How did you end up here?” Was he there intentionally, or was it dumb luck? He wondered if he should call for Rosalyn and ask her what she thought.

His partner hesitated, eying him carefully and obviously suspicious of his request. Inwardly he cursed himself, and it was in that moment that Oxnard realized he had created a doubt within this male that had not previously been there and he wondered if he could fix it. Aningan asked if he wanted to stay and without missing a beat the gray male nodded his head, "I am in need of shelter. A more permanent home would be better but I am not picky to either." he said, explaining himself as best that he could. He honestly couldn't blame the pale male for being suspicious, he would too if the tables were turned. 

"I am Onyx. And I wandered here by chance. My home is many miles away, so far I am not sure if I even know the way anymore. I smelled the markings of a pack, your pack and chanced upon you. I mean no harm or trouble, just a place to stay." he said, hoping that his words would please the large bear of a male.

Following his skepticism came a more in-depth explanation: the male sought shelter and a home, willing to take either that may be offered. Although he still wondered about the other, Aningan did accept his words without any further questioning; it seemed a likely reason, after all.

He introduced himself as Onyx, to which the bear responded by saying, “I’m Aningan.” He listened closely, then, as his tale was told—a faraway home, gone to distance, and luck landing him there. “Can you hunt?” he asked next, considering his course of action. Although initially suspicious of the stranger, he wouldn’t feel right turning away someone that could be beneficial to have around; by gathering more and more hunters, perhaps they would better thrive, even without the plateau’s namesake.

He stored the male's name in his memory, as well as his appearance in case he would need it in the future. Aningan seemed interested in his story, at least half-heartedly, and the male found himself release the tension he'd been holding. His stance grew more neutral, welcoming even despite the downpour around them and Creature found himself smiling ever so slightly at the question. It wasn't everyday he had someone ask whether he could hunt--he was built for the task. "Does a porcupine have quills?" he jested, chuckling ever so slightly at his own humor and continued. "I can hunt, track and guard" he said with a smirk. He didn't dare mention how he fancied fighting but he was sure that eventually the male would learn this truth.

Does a porcupine have quills?

The question took him by surprise—Aningan did not know what a porcupine was, nor if they had quills. But, judging by the male’s tone, he assumed that they must; this assumption was further confirmed by the sharing of his skill set, which included hunting. “If you agree to help everyone here like the others, you can stay,” he decided. “We work together.” No task fell onto a single individual—each helped in their own way, as it always was.

He smiled at the pale male, studying his facial features and body posture as the male contemplated whether allowing Onyx stay in the pack, even if only temporarily. The male stressed that he would work in the pack as a team, family structure was important at Rusalka and he would have to help the others as well as pull his own weight. He could respect those terms, and his head nodded easily in agreement. "I will do that and more." he said, lifting to his full height. He would prove to this male that he was well worth the acceptance. "i am not one to waste time, what first does this pack need. is a hunt overdo?" he wondered, knowing that winter would bring about scarcity despite the need to feed mouths. Breeding season would also bring to need to hunt and feed more, and he knew that too was around the corner.

The terms were accepted, followed by a claim to do even more. Then came the offer to hunt, which took Aningan by surprise. “Don’t you want to settle in and rest before hunting?” he asked, brows furrowing. The winter was harsh so far, offering little prey aside from small game. So, whenever someone came in search of a home, he assumed them to need a moment to catch their breath, so to speak, before diving into work. That this male did not seek the same was a curious thing—but, if he were to be insistent, Aningan would not argue with him.

The male lead asked a simple question, one that was reasonable if Onyx was a reasonable and normal wolf but considering his excitement and the prospect of what this new acceptance meant, he was willing to do wha it took to prove himself. He shook at the feeling of dampness that covered his dark pelt, the rain seemed to be letting up some but only by so much, and he was sure that Aningan was ready to return to his normal duties. He would explore the remainer of the pack without the need of the leader unless of course the male wanted to get to know him more. "I can rest later. I'm ready to see what I've got myself into." he said smirking, his thick tail swaying slowly. "I'll go explore and patrol a bit, make myself useful." he said, lingering only if the male required any additional information from him. It was official, he had joined a pack in the middle of the winter, this must be his luckiest year yet.

The offer to rest was refused, an eagerness to earn his keep taking its place. Although surprised, Aningan was not against the other male’s wishes. The more that hunted, the healthier the pack would remain; more bodies were bound to mean more may be hunted, although it also meant more mouths to feed. No matter, the young leader nodded his head, accepting the alternative decision. He lingered for a few moments after, wondering if he might be forgetting anything. After deciding that everything was covered, he excused himself to other tasks, leaving their newest member to his own devices.