Neverwinter Forest They didn't win another 'til 1962, the year he was discovered

All welcome :3

"Well for f-" 

Thinking himself some sort of unlucky homing pigeon with its tailfeathers crossed, he'd suffered a temporary blow to his confidence in his scouting abilities when he mistakenly tracked what he thought had been his sister's scent to a pack, only to find that he was wrong. So when he continued roving and found himself nearly tripping across her scent for real this time, he did a double take and had to pause for a few moments to make sure he was right this time. He zig-zagged around the area, often lifting his head to clear his nose and then return to the scent just to see that he wasn't losing his mind- and that he'd actually managed to find the scent belonging to one of his dozens of siblings. He cackled to himself. 

"Must've slept in a bed of four-leaved clovers," He muttered to himself, pleased with how he'd managed to find his way to a family member after having been so mistaken days ago. He sat down and batted a hind foot at one of his tall, sharp ears that had been tickled by a fly. A forest wouldn't be such a bad place to live- lots of hunting to be done, and that way he wouldn't just be scorching out in the sun all day during the summer, and would have some shelter from the miserable rains of spring...If he managed to stay even that long. Regardless of whatever his future would hold, he was content to sit and wait for a patroller to come his way, so he could question yet another stranger about the whereabouts of one of his sisters.

Well what a particularly odd and interesting looking wolf this was! Vallkyrie did, however, live with a man who had a spotty patchwork of fur and had seen her fair share of intruging markings and still as Kyr trotted along the borderlines of her home, found this stranger settled here quite a sight indeed. He was, even as he sat, quite impressively tall. Taller then she, though she was quite well off in height herself. They both shared a rather slimming structure of sharp angles and spidery limbs and yet he added onto himself quite pointed, devilishly ears, a dorsal strip leading to a cropped tail and upper canines fitting for a vicious cougar but she could imagine being a bit annoying at times if it were herself. 

The slim Huntress did all this assessment as she made way to the stranger, her bright icy eyes meeting his features as a smile touches her black mug. My, your quite the sight. She openly admits, coming to stand before him. Can I help you? Surely she could try, especially if he was another wayward father, son or brother here in search for family as those previously had come to be.

She wasn't too far away from Vallkyrie, and they probably would have intercepted paths even if there wasn't the distinct scent if stranger on the borders to draw them both to that spot. Simmik's patrol had been uneventful up until the wind brought the unfamiliar scent to her attention, and she had increased her speed so that she could investigate, the memory of stone and his trespassing still fresh in her memory. 

The scent eventually mixed with her packmate's scent, which eased her concern some, but she still kept a quick pace as she made her way to them. She heard Vallkyrie's voice as she arrived, unable to make out quite what she said but assuming she asked the question that was on her mind as well: what was he doing on their borders. She came to a stop at the other woman's side, her shrewd gaze looking over the stranger. She held off saying anything just yet, instead waiting for him to answer whatever had already been asked by her packmate.

YASSSS Thank you for joining, both of you <3 BTW Vami, I used to play your long-lost son, Asriel XD

He'd just set his foot down, and had straightened up when he caught sight of movement in the distance- and he'd barely had time to appreciate the one beauty before yet another joined her and they sat side by side, like two keys on a piano. He would liken the two to each other in that they both possessed fair, feminine features with intelligent eyes so keenly gazing at him that he knew better than to underestimate either of them. These weren't just pretty faces, here. And while the first to speak- the dark woman with the mesmerizing, opalescent gaze- sounded playful and flirty enough, most males might've been discouraged from flirting back, given that there were now two women to impress, and he was on their turf. 

But this was Jackalope. And Jackalope was certainly not intimidated; he was encouraged. Two beautiful women? Jackpot for Jackalope. 

"I would say the same of you two," He said, his gaze trailing from one to the other and perusing their beauty openly with an admiring gaze. "But you can't be real...I must be dreaming," He said, with a playfully dismissive tone as he gave them a cheshire grin. This was about as smoothe as Jackalope could get- and he knew better than to keep trying to flirt, as inevitably, his weaknesses would catch up with him. "I believe you might be able to help me, though; I had come here because I suspect my dear sister lives among you...But she can wait for later," He said with a chuckle. "Jackalope Blackthorn, at your service," He said, offering them a polite bow of his head- and a wink for the woman with the fiery gaze, hoping she might speak up as well.

Forgive Lenny for being... Lenny xD

Lenny was quick behind the other two women, appearing on the scene just as the man began to... openly flirt with the two of them? That was funny. The other Archer approached with a wag of her tail and a smirk on her maw, bumping her side against Kyr's and offering Simmik a nod of her head before she looked over the stranger. 

Looking for his sister, but she could wait for later.

"Your sister is less important than you meeting two pretty women, huh?" she questioned with a tilt of her head, certainly skeptical since she'd been in his boat not long ago, with the searching for a sister bit. She didn't like that at all. Foregoing the search for family in an attempt to get his dick wet? Yikes. That was all she'd say, for now, brow raised as she scanned over the spindly stranger.

Son!! <333 Glad to be rping with you again. 

 

There was the familiar padding of footing against the forest floor off in the distance to which her ears twitched back to. Her icy attention side glanced, catching sight of the very obvious patch of white within the dark, thick forest. Soon she would near, coming to stand silently at Vallkyrie's side. Stoic, unspeaking, she did well off practicing her placement as the quiet, protective guardian at Neverwinter's gate. 

As the stranger on their border finishes his first sentence, Kyr's eyes would sweep over Simmik's beautiful white coat and then back to the saber-toothed wolf. I can assure you, your not. Her ice pale eyes on him, she returns his smile with a toothy grin of her own. 

He spoke then of the meaning for his arrival, suspecting his sister here. He was searching for her but if he also thought her to be here maybe he had picked up on her scent and it would be true. It would be nice to have family reunite. After all, she remembered how happy her and @Valencia had been once they found one another again. At the very thought of when her sister had been brought here by Mal and their reunion, her sister made herself known. Her twin coming to take her one open side, nudging her in introduction as she always had. To this and Lenny's words, she smirks, a brow raising as she looked to the strange brute in question. Well? 

Jackalope, She spoke, dipping her muzzle downward with a bit of a tilt of her skull to the side. I'm Vallkyrie Archer. He was an equally flirty fellow yet he was not cocky enough in the manner to allow that to cloud his judgement and now be respectful in his introduction. That was good. If your a Blackthorn, your sister must be Aibreann then and yes, she is one of our own. Now it would be left to wonder if he planned on just visiting his sister to catch up and then find his own pack or if he would stay close and decide that this forest was to his liking as well.

The flirting was amusing if she was being honest, as was the admiring gaze he offered the two of them, but as she was still suspicious of his reason for being here, she only offered him a disapproving raise of her eyebrow; flattery wouldn't win him any trust from the snowy beta. 

The way he dismissed his search for his sister struck her as odd behavior, but she still offered him a stiff nod when he introduced himself. And awfully arrogant of him to assume that he could be of service to them. His wink was met with another raised eyebrow, and had it not been for Lenny's interruption, she would have paired the look with some comment to mirror her impression of him. But now, she was interested to hear his answer to her packmate's very good question. And she didn't make the connection between the strange man and Aibreann, mostly because she didn't think she had ever heard her last name, but now she was curious about that as well. 

That's a good question, Lenny, she finally said. Simmik, Beta of Neverwinter Forest, she offered next. Explain yourself.

*hogs all the pretty ladies of NWF*
ALSO: Just as a note, I'm cool with relaxed posting orders- so if one of y'all feels your character might interject before I get a chance to post with Jackie, in response to one of these other chickies, I'm cool with that. 

He was well aware of the fact that he was under scrutiny; but Jackalope seldom cracked under that sort of pressure. He was also well aware of how loyal females were to each other, and knew to show some shred of respect to them- especially when he was faced by not just two, now, but three. Their newest addition, who seemed to frown upon his flirtation immediately, was just as stunning as the others even though she seemed more critical of him, for a moment or two. He gave her an effortlessly warm and natural smile. "My sister- at least at one point her her life- was blessed with the virtue of patience." Came his cool, rational reply. He sobered, though, and offered a more reasonable explanation. "She's also not expecting me; and I doubt she'd be terribly dismayed to hear that I stopped to enjoy such a view along my way." He said. He felt he was right- Glee couldn't be angry at him if she hadn't even known he was in the area...And that he'd taken a few moments to flirt with the guardians. 

His brow lifted when Vallkyrie introduced herself, and mentioned his sister's full name. "I see she's dropped her old, family nickname," He commented, serious for the first time since he'd begun the conversation with the three sirens. Something like mild disappointment showed on his features, but he did his best to hide it. Maybe she had changed...But he didn't think that was possible. She had always been a go-getter...So perhaps this was simply a means of getting a different type of respect. Aibreann was more regal sounding than "Glee," after all. 

Finally, the stoic, wintery female spoke- introducing the one who appeared, at first, to be his biggest critic, though he learned shortly thereafter that the only one who seemed the least bit offended by his charms was in fact Vallkyrie. Perhaps he would've been better off had the other two not joined her...Then again, when would he ever get this much attention from a trio of glamorous women again? Simmik looked to be the youngest of the three- but she was the beta, and earned another dip of his head, to acknowledge her superiority. "As I've said, I am here to see my sister, and potentially find a home, alongside my family...They're fairly spread out, you see. No doubt you've probably tripped over a Blackthorn once or twice in your life before," He said, with a quiet chuckle. 

And he was polite enough. But he had this thing. 

This thing about pack names.

He'd never been able to stop himself. 

"But it can't really be 'never-winter' here, can it? I mean...Not in this climate," He said, and cracked a grin. This was where he generally either got a laugh- or got his ass handed to him. It all depended on exactly how seriously these wolves took themselves- and if they could withstand a bit of a jab. If they couldn't, then it was enough to tell him that this was not the place for him.

Lenny was quiet afterward, letting the man and the other two speak instead. It wasn't really her place to do so anyway - Simmik was the beta and Kyr had seniority. She was just there as the muscle, so to speak.

She did huff out a laugh at his last words though - she couldn't help it, a good joke always got her. "No, it's definitely not neverwinter." Judging from how cold it had gotten this year.

"We could ask Aibreann if she remembers him. Or if she wants him around," she offered Simmik, raising a brow. Still didn't really trust him, of course. "And Mal."

All the ladies that arnt already having Mal's babies. Lmfao

 

Simmik would speak then, offering ol' Jack here the same scrutinized expression in which her sister had. Vallkyrie had been the one to take his comment the least to heart. If he had traveled far for his sister, surely he had every intention of seeing her even if it meant a few spare moments to get to know the members of the pack which she was living within. Kyr was quite a moment, listening to the toothy man's explanation and in the back of her mind, taking Simmik's introduction of her new title to heart. 

Though it had not formally been announced, the nature of the arctic woman had changed. A bit more dominant, confident. She was the second paw now of Mal. A position Vallkyrie had to admit she had been gunning for but the yearling seemed to beat her to the punch. She had been here far longer, anyhow. Vallkyrie still knew her place in this pack and didnt bother to question herself on it either. 

Perhaps? Vallkyrie commented questioning. Then again, I can honestly say I'm not close enough with her to know for certain. And she wasnt at all, really. Savor Mal, it was there two women at her side now whom she mostly had time with, her being a scout (when not hunting) and them guardians and all. 

Alas she fell quiet again, watching the dorsal stripped wolf explain himself further to Simmik. Come to think of it, Kyr had run into another Blackthorn before. @Eljay, though he had never exactly given his last name for her to realize it. Then, he spoke of the pack name and she cannot help but roll her icy eyes, followed by a bit of a laugh that echoed against her sister's. After Lenny, she added Your the second one I've met to say that! But she understood the meaning of the name, if you thought about it. Given how thick the forest was, much snow got trapped on the trees then coming directly to the forest floor. 

Arcing her head to the side to overlook Simmik, she wondered just what she might have to say about Jackalope being here. If there packmate for some reason wasnt on good terms with her brother it would be understandable if he couldnt stay, but other then that, why would else the pack keep him from his own blood? Surely, Jackalope wasnt all that bad. Then again, perhaps Vallkyrie had spent far too much time with @Belharra and had gotten far used to a playful, joking sense of being. Besides, Mal couldnt keep All then Neverwinter girls to himself, could he?

Simmik was fairly rational herself, so she was willing to accept his explanation; it didn't absolve him of her suspicion, though. For all she knew, he was some enemy of Aibreann's and was here to weasel his way in to the pack and hurt her, and as she was currently pregnant, Simmik couldn't allow herself to ignore the possibility that there might be ill-intent behind his easily offered charm. Even the fact that he mentioned an old family name wouldn't ease her wariness. Vallkyrie had been the one to mention the name first, so how could she be sure that the stranger was being truthful about his reason for being here? Family was a sensitive spot for Simmik, and she wanted to believe him, but she didn't take her new role as beta lightly, and if her decision here allowed for one theirs to get hurt or be made uncomfortable, then she wouldn't be able to forgive herself. And as for his comment regarding Blackthorn wolves? She had never met one as far as she knew.

His joke was met with an expressionless look from Simmik. It was hardly witty or funny in her opinion, and it only distracted everyone from the reason they were all standing here. She didn't often take herself too seriously, but this was not really the time for jokes. Perhaps she just felt more stressed about it all because she felt personally responsible for the outcome of this meeting. 

So she refrained from commenting on his question, instead, reiterating what Lenny has suggested. I can't just take you at your word, she finally supplied. I can't allow you across the borders without first making sure it's okay with Aibreann. If that made her unpopular in the strangers eyes, well, she really didn't care. I'd like to call her here to confirm your story. She looked to her packmates and then back to the stranger, waiting for to see if he had anything else to add before she summoned the pregnant woman here.

Eh, let Mal have one or two. Jackalope will take the rest of them >:3

There- a win. He'd coaxed a bit of Lenny's good nature forward, and the two dark beauties showed at least some amusement to his joke, which was much better than he got most times he made his little comments. One of his last pack interviews had actually been going very well- until he cracked a bout the name "Lost Creek" or some such thing...And then the guardian he'd been happily chatting with suddenly got offended, and turned on him, chasing him out with vicious snaps. He was glad to see that these women- well, save for the one who continued to be unimpressed with his relaxed attitude and flirtatious techniques- at least weren't so easily butthurt by a simple, light-hearted question. 

With Simmik, though, she likely felt she had a job to do as the highest ranked wolf amoung the three and as such she seemed to take her job fairly seriously. So once the tiny bit of joking and laughing was over, they began to suggest that they drag his sister out to the borders in order to see if she would vouch for him, and he shrugged modestly, nodding. "We could do that," He said, simply. "Though I do have to wonder if everyone who shows up at your border needs to have an in in order to get...In, if you catch my drift?" He asked. After all- were they so closed-off that they only extended invitations to wolves who had some prior connection? "I have an idea. How about, in the meantime, we play a game of Bob-stones, hmm?" He said, finding a few pebbles and rounding them up with a swipe of his foot. "It's a betting game. You answer right, and I have tell you three things about myself. You answer wrong, and you each have to tell me a little something about yourselves. Nothing intensely personal...Just some 'Getting to Know You,'" He said, "With a bitta fun." He grinned. He knew he'd be interrogated one way or the other...At least this way, it could be a bit of fun- and he might get the chance to ask some questions in return, and endear himself to them.

// I'm so sorry for the holdup! I didn't realize it was my turn.

A game? What a weird guy. Bold, too, and flirty, which Lenny couldn't really fault him for. But it was... rubbing her the wrong way, for some reason. Partly because there was someone else she'd rather have flirting with her, but that... well, those were feelings to tackle on another day. 

"I'm down for a game," she responded, looking between the other two women. That might be interesting, she thought. Part of her wanted to out-flirt him at his own game, to play and enjoy, but she knew she had to be more mature here. This was a potential joiner, after all, and Simmik was really the one in charge here. It'd come down to what she said anyway. But, well... Lenny was Lenny, after all, and she couldn't really deny her own self. "If you think you can handle all of us." It was punctuated by a wink, tail swishing at her hocks. She still didn't trust the guy, but there was no reason this couldn't be fun.

The newly appointed Beta of the ranks explained that she simply couldnt and wouldnt take the stranger's word for it when it came to coming here for his sister. It was true, that, if he knew their packmate, it could be a rouse he was playing in order to get to her. Vallkyrie had a hope this wasnt the case and he was truthful for his reason of being here. Accepted into the pack or not, Kyr figured he would be reunited with his sibling again if he were to try and call for her and wait around the borders himself even if he were turned away as a member. 

None the less, Kyr's crown turned up and towards the snowy yearling once more, awaiting for her to call out for Aibreann in order to make certain this was a man true and worth having in their ranks. Until then... 

Okay. The huntress agreed, slim hips turning to the earth to settle before the long-toothed man as her sister too joined in. So do we guess how many stones you have? She wonders, icy eyes narrowing as they went moving to his paws.

She narrowed her eyes at his first words. Not everyone shows up, claiming to know one of our members, she pointed out; a pregnant member at that. So forgive me if I feel the need to be cautious, she added with a snarky smile. She wasn't going to be the reason some enemy from Aibreann's past was allowed across the borders with minimal screening. 

His proposal was met with an unamused look from the Beta, but the other two women seemed up for his game, and so she was willing to indulge him, but only temporarily. Already, she wasn't too thrilled about this—it just seemed to be taking away from the important things here. But whatever. She gave a capitulated sigh. Alright. She fitted him with another shrewd look. What are we betting on? she asked, somewhat mirroring her packmate's question. 

Then she waited for him to explain, eyebrow raised skeptically and hesitation in her expression. This could all be a distraction for all they knew. 

i'm unsure if jackalope's player is going to bring him back? i'll probably archive this in a week or so if he doesn't get reactivated

sorry b'ys! Jackalope would be very unimpressed with me if I didn't let him continue to flirt with three lovely ladies XD

Wow. Simmik definitely had an edge to her- a sort of grit. And while he might have been quick to judge her as just another pretty face, he was beginning to learn that this woman was actually quite a competent guardian. That grin would've been enough to frighten away the faint of heart. He wondered if there might be some reason for her to be so protective of the pack- especially given the fact that he claimed to be related to one of their members. He might've assumed, if one of his other siblings had lived here, that perhaps Simmik was being judgemental of him because they might've done something wrong- but not Aibreann. She was likely the picture of perfection...It was possible Simmik found him hard to believe simply because he differed from his sister so much, but he wouldn't blame her if that was the truth- he was a bit of an oddball. 

"Information, my dear," He explained to Simmik. "What I will do, is have you each turn around, one at a time...I can not play you all at once, though-" And he caught himself for a second, knowing he could possibly be gutted in an instant if he continued down that train of thought- "-I do have big feet. I have...Five pebbles here." He said, having picked them out with deft movements of paws well used to playing this game. He'd cleared the ground so he had a soft, dusty playing surface, and so it would be obvious that there was no way for him to cheat. "I'll ask you, Vallkyrie," He said, turning his gaze to the first one to greet him, "To turn around for a moment...I'll mix the pebbles between my feet, and tell you to turn around once I've got them under my feet. You then turn around, and guess how many I have under each foot." He said. "If you're right...You can ask me anything. And if you guess wrong, then you'll have to tell me something about yourself." He gestured, hoping she might simply take action and turn around, so he could begin shuffling the stones.

I'm so sorry, I am so bad at group threads. Always forget when it's my turn.

This was unusual. Betting like this wasn't something that Valencia was familiar with, but this was a good way to learn, she supposed. However, she was not the one addressed - Kyr was, and so the other Archer simply sat down to watch. It was a good way to get information out of wolves, if that was this guy's intention. But really, he didn't seem all that bad to Lenny. Still, they had to be cautious, because of course they couldn't just let random strangers in their borders.

Alright. Kyr said as she listened in on the little game. She lifted and turned, waiting for the okay from the long-toothed wolf that he was finished with his shuffling the stones in his paws. Turning around, her icy eyes fell to the wolf's large paws, then her pack mates. No such luck on trying to get them to tell her, she figured, especially with ol' Jack here keeping close watch. 

Hrmmm... She murmured, eyes narrowing and her head leaning forward as though examining his feet might help. Okay. She decided then, plopping back down on rawbone hips. Five. Five stones in that paw, she jutted her muzzle, And none in the other.

He chose Vallkyrie first, who then turned around and allowed him to shuffle the stones between the two paws. Even turned towards him, she wasn't quite able to see how many stones ended up under each or his large paws, so when her packmate turned around and looked at her, she offered a slight shrug of her slender shoulders. If she knew, she might have found a way to discretely tell her, but she was willing to bet she wouldn't get away with it anyway. 

When Vallkyrie guessed, Simmik's expectant gaze settled on Jackalope's face as she waited to see what happened next. Her hope was that they could learn more about this weird guy, but that depended on whether or not her packmate's guess was correct.

Sorry b'ys, this was a wonderfully fun thread, and I LOVE their dynamic- it just went on a wee bit too long, heh. I'll tie up the ends here, so if your characters are going for a guardian trade, it should still count :) For the sake of the timeline....Given the fact that this thread started so long ago...I'll just have him not join just yet. He's majorly flakey anyway :)

The game of bobstones was tricky to play- especially when pitted against three different opponents who he could barely read. They seemed attentive enough, and entertained by the new game, and he was pleased that they at least gave him the time of day in order to suffer his horrible attempts at flattery. In the end, he'd reveal bits and pieces about himself whenever he lost the game to one of his beautiful opponents; nothing too personal, just the fun facts about what made Jackalope Jackalope. They could've played the game for days and days, and even if he'd lost every single time, he would've been able to come up with something entertaining, albeit not terribly clever, to reveal about himself. 

When all was said and done, he assumed that somehow, the message of his arrival at the borders had been missed. Regardless- he considered the entire situation a success, given the fact that this was the first time in a long time that he hadn't been chased from a pack's borders after speaking for 2 minutes or less. "Well ladies, it's been swell," He said, "Telling you all of my salacious little secrets, which I hope you've enjoyed- but I should be moving on." His voice faltered for a moment; perhaps Aibreann had decided not to greet him, because she didn't forgive him for leaving her behind. He felt a pang of remorse, and that all-too-familiar serpent of self-doubt slithered into the back of his mind, but he pushed that away and forced a smile. "Thank you for the entertainment...Perhaps I'll see you again someday; ta-ta for now," He said, before he gave the trio an unashamed wink, turned, and left.