Bearclaw Valley here stood this door alone on an endless stretch of beach

@Evien <3 thanks for waiting

after some time, the lonesome young gunslinger had found a sense of comfort in the valley pack. he had not been there long yet, but he knew his way around the most occupied areas and had familiarized himself with many of the scent trails that had been left in places around the border. there were a few that seemed to stump him, but he did not actively seek out the other members of ursus. the sorrowful young beast really only had eyes for the dark woman morgana. after all, it was she who had shown him kindness in his hour of need. it was morgana who had given him a home despite his history.
 
prowling out of the den he had made for himself, the ghost ventured toward the center of the pack.
 
illidan knew it would do him well to meet the other members. the dark wolf skoll had been only the first, and though he did not imagine they would become swift friends, he had still made an effort to know those who surrounded him. something about the valley pack had left him with a strange feeling of discomfort. he did not have the entire picture yet; anxiety pricked at his belly with vicious intent.

how did i miss this i'm so sorry

The valley was peaceful, for now. How long that would last, Evien had no idea. Based on their track record, it would not be long before things exploded once again, and he was at least mostly prepared to care for wounded members, when they inevitably attained injuries. 

But it was a nice day. Relatively warm, sunny. An excellent day to be lazy. 

If Evien ever allowed himself to be lazy. 

The healer had found an open spot toward the center of the valley that was excellent for drying herbs. Today, it was water apples - something for himself, to get through the winter months that were encroaching. 

He had not expected to meet a stranger that day, but he wasn't going to complain about it. New members were always a good thing, and as one of the three leaders - which honestly still felt weird to think about - Evien was obligated to know all of his packmates. 

The first thing he noticed about the guy was the red on his ears - like Merrick, he thought absently. Green gaze tracked the larger form of the man as he skulked about, and his head tipped to the side. "I'm going to assume you're not trespassing," he said evenly, a small smile forming on his maw. There was no way he'd have gotten this far into the territory if he was, so assuming this was a new member was a safe bet.

the voice of one unfamiliar pulled the somber young wolf’s attention. weary gold eyes locked on the figure who had spoken to him, having made a remark about whether or not he was a trespasser. the ghost did not stir dramatically at the words. it was not his pack to run, he reminded himself internally before dipping his nose toward the dirt and showing the proper display of submission.
 
“no, not a trespasser,” illidan offered him with a shake of his head.
 
“the dark she-wolf accepted me, brought me into the pack,” the ghost then elaborated, hoping that would quell the questions of his belonging. the scents of his coat were still foreign, he understood that. after having been within ursus for the short time he had, illidan did not think that there was a beast alive that could steal into the territory without losing their life. it was almost an honor for this stranger to have believed it of him.

Why'd this guy so down? Evien was here, drying out water apples to combat his own mental struggles over the colder seasons. Perhaps he could use some water apples as well - maybe Evien was not the only sad one, here. The apples suddenly meant more than just for the healer - they could now extend to help the rest of the pack, if necessary.

And, much to Evien's horror, this larger wolf seemed to be submitting to him.

"Oh, no, you don't need to do that," he told the other man, gesturing to his nose nearing the dirt. "Not to me." Merrick and Astara might be different in their approaches to subordinance, but Evien felt... uncomfortable with the idea of his packmates feeling like they needed to lower themselves at his presence. He wasn't that important. 

Clearing his throat, the medic offered him a smile. It was uncommon for Astara to bring wolves into the pack. "Well, then, welcome to Ursus," he responded, tail giving a slow swish behind him. "I'm Evien Kastner. Medic, third leader, I guess. If you need medical attention, give me a call." He paused, eyes scrunching a bit in thought, before continuing, "In fact, I should probably show you the medicine den, so you know where to go." 

He turned then, to lead the larger wolf to their destination, halting after a couple of steps to take a look back at him. "Coming?"

the other male beckoned illidan to cease his show of submission. the ghost blinked toward the leader with a confused expression; he would never have dared assume that he could stand taller than this wolf – than many within the ranks of ursus. had he not been accepted without a word? surely that did not come for free and he did intend to pay his debts before he’d consider leaving or considering the place more permanently.
 
within a few moments, the leader had offered his name – evien – and had provided his talent for healing to be his role within the pack. illidan was uncertain if he should offer his own skills, but before he could utter a word was being ushered toward the healer’s cache of supplies. the male spoke in such a way that the young ghost was drawn to him. his eyes followed the wolf evien before the leader turned back to him and asked if he would be coming.
 
“ah, yes,” he answered in a ragged voice, lowering his crown and stalking forward to follow the path that the medic set.