Broken Antler Fen Now for plan A

It was with very little pomp and circumstance that Jackalope left Neverwinter Forest. The numbers had dwindled through the winter, and Jackalope was not one to stay on a sinking ship allowing all of the lifeboats to be taken by women and children. Without anything particularly poignant to say, he'd bid his farewells and wished his packmates luck before he headed out. 

He passed by the Glen only to notice that the borders had not been maintained- and was led to assume that they too had disbanded. A pity, really- that Leta one that he'd met had been quite pretty. He'd heard some rumours about wild animal attacks but Jackalope wasn't one to listen to gossip. He needed to see things and experience things firsthand to believe they even existed. Problems only became real when they impacted his life directly, of course. And whatever it was that had caused Neverwinter Forest to lose members had finally caught up with them- so he bailed. 

There was still a fair amount of winter left, though, if he knew anything about how winters often operated. Sure, there'd be a minor thaw in February but about mid-March, there'd probably be another generous cluster of snow storms, making it harder for him to survive on his own. Not that he was necessarily driven to go and join another pack as soon as possible- but it was in his best interest to at least see what was available. 

He'd already been chased away from a few other packs simply because he'd made a wry comment to the guardian, or because he'd made fun of the pack name. But one who had actually been wry with him, too, had been Wraen- so he meandered without any real intentions toward the Fen where he knew she'd been laying claim, only to find that the borders, this time, had a few more scents added into the mix. She'd been busy, it seemed- and would likely appreciate news about another pack. So he began to meander in the area, assuming someone would come along to inspect him shortly.

Wraen was used to the fact that out of hundreds of characters (according to her 10 page long threadlog with 456 total threads in it) she had met in life, very few she met for the second time, only a handful became permanent fixtures in her life. As years went by she observed that she no longer made friends easily and that the number of good buddies had begun to dwindle too. Some went to live at places she was unable to reach, some died (and that was another age-related thing - there was no equilibrum between weddings, christenings and funerals; there would be a time, when the latter would become the only instances to meet friends, family and have some entertainment; oh - in case she was a human equivalent) and some simply cut ties. They no longer had anything in common.

Therefore she was pleasantly surprised to spy a familiar figure meandering by the borders. The wayward Blackthorn boy with a very fitting name. Jackalope. The mythical hybrid beast. Rabbit crossed with an antelope. She grinned at the train of associations that had come along with the name and then padded over to see, what he was looking for this time. "I take, I charmed you so much the last time that you return to offer your paw in holy matrimony?" she asked him, playful glint in her eyes.

"Hmm. I thought someone like you would've already been taken." Came his casual reply, when he spotted Wraen coming to greet him. Sure, any of the other packmates could have come to interrogate him, but he was pleased that Wraen had been the one who was in the area. So seldom was it that he made a good enough first impression that he felt inclined to seek a second- so it was likely for the best that it was the emerald-eyed leader who found him first. He might not have been quite so polite with a stranger. "If I'd known you were available I would've been much more charming," He said. He might've even cleaned himself up a bit more, had he intended to flirt with someone but...More often than not, Jackalope preferred to assume that nobody would ever want him- and if they did, they'd simply have to take him as he was. 

"No," He drawled, "I can't imagine you'd fall for a homeless man, either," He complained. "Neverwinter Forest has disbanded. And as far as I can tell, that Glen pack has too. Either that or their guardians are seriously slacking off." He said with a shrug.

"Oh, my..." Wraen shook her head in mock-disappointment, while her eyes and lips were smiling. "Word of advice for the future - you ask the lady next time. There's a reason for an "ass" in assumptions," she joked and then heard out the rest of the circumstances that had led Blackthorn to her doorstep again. 

"Wow. I kind of figured that Firefly Glen might not be their top game - after all that happened in Moonspear and them suffering from a crippling bear attack," she remarked. "But Neverwinter Forest disabanding is sad to hear. It took a long time for Mal to put it together," she said this more to herself than the guy. He did not care. 

"A handsome homeless man - you know that vagabonds with their devil-may-care attitude have their particular charm," she told him. "What adventures you are up to now? Spring's coming, snow's melting, life will be soon lush and easy for the next few months," Wraen sat down and waited for his reply.

So she realized he was an ass, and was willing to (albeit indirectly) address him as such, which pleased him. There was no tip-toeing around here, which was a welcome relief. Jackalope wasn't one to mince words, or to try and adapt his language simply to avoid butthurt feelings- he felt all wolves should have good, thick skin and that if they felt inclined to deal out criticism, they ought to be able to take it as well. "True," He agreed, with a toothy grin. Wraen didn't seem to take everything too seriously- and that was nice for a change.

She was also confident enough to make comments about other packs, which pleased him. He'd thought very little of the Glen wolves who hadn't even considered what their proximity to the Neverwinter Forest might mean for their hunting resources. And it was nice to see that for whatever reason, Wraen wasn't terribly surprised both packs had failed- nor did she seem terribly torn apart by it. She seemed to have some empathy for Mal, but that seemed typical enough. For a guy that Jackalope felt was very little more than average, a lot of females did certainly seem to take a shining to him. "Yeah, well. Dude'll be fine," He assured her, though he didn't put too much effort into it. He had, after all, decided not to stick around and go wherever the last few Neverwinter Wolves had decided to go. 

He grimaced somewhat when he was called handsome, which had always been an uncomfortable label, as he'd heard it more in jest than anything else. With his posture, overbite, and docked tail, he knew he was much less than a woman's ideal. But she did make a good point- and seemed to at least compensate for her compliment by pointing out that he had other qualities that did make him at least somewhat alluring, in a certain light. Jackalope looked best in low light, and when he was in a good mood- so that neither his physical flaws or his personality quirks could be exposed. "I doubt very much that winter's going to give up so easily," He admitted. "I figure it'll tease Spring here for a week or two, an' then we'll get hit with another snowstorm." He remarked snidely. "I've no plans, really. Never really got the chance to make any, before the pack disbanded. Just kinda taking things one day at a time," He droned. It was tiring, of course, not having somewhere to call home. Much more easily accomplished in the summertime, but for now, he'd still have to cope with his lifestyle and the winter snow.

"Almost like a poet," Wraen remarked on his choice of words to describe the struggle between winter and spring, before the latter settled in for good. Despite his rather pessimistic weather forecast, she hoped that there would not be another snow storm. She longed for the snow heaps to melt sooner so that a small wolf like her could move around more easily. That's one of the reasons, why she had not gone out to see Towhee again, because ploughing through snow for several miles was difficult and extremely tiring. 

"So, are you looking somewhere to rest your exhausted bones for the time being?" she asked him directly, since he had missed earlier hints of hers about his reasons of coming here of all places. "In that case we might arrange something and we have another Blackthorn here to keep you company," she grinned, thinking about Jackalope meeting Penn for the first time. Come to think of it, they were a little like one another already. Not so much in looks, but demeanour was similar.

She was soft for him, clearly. And he ate up her compliment- though he did have to think back and see if there had been anything even remotely poetic about what he'd just said. In the end, he concluded that no- he hadn't been speaking like a poet; she was simply impressed with him, and potentially even thirsted for him a bit. Whatever her reasons were for complimenting him, it served to make him lift his chin just a tiny bit higher. It wasn't often that someone else praised him, as it was extremely rare for him to do anything worth much merit at all. 

It sounded like she was fishing to see if he might join her pack- and he was tempted. He still wasn't entirely certain he wanted to live somewhere called "The Enchanted Forest," or whatever it was she'd told him it was called the last time he'd been around, but he did like the fact that he felt as though he was being recruited. Someone wanted him- damn straight she wanted him. But when she mentioned there was another Blackthorn, he recoiled somewhat. 

"Ehhhh, you sure you want the trouble of having two Blackthorns?" He asked, some of his obvious skepticism showing through. Damn whoever it was. He'd been thinking about checking this place out probably long before whatever other Blackthorn it was had come to this place. But of course, another one had found its way here. What if it was one of Aibreann's kids? Then he'd be obliged to track his sister down and tell her where one of her vagrant children had gone. "Which one is it, by the way?" He asked. If he knew the name, the deal was off. He didn't want to end up being responsible for one of his bratty nieces or nephews, as they'd already given their parents enough trouble.

Despite, what Jackalope assumed and gossip mills at Discord chat would want to believe, Wraen was neither smitten with the guy, nor was she in any way attracted to him more than she would be to any other stranger. She treated him in her usual teasing manner, giving away less than, what truly was on her mind. Questions were asked, answers were weighed out carefully and an opinion was formed. This he did not have to know. 

"Penn Blackthorn," she told him. "One of Finley and Elwood's offspring. But I doubt you are one of theirs," Wraen said. If he had been, he would have introduced himself as such first thing. "I can call him now and you can make a formal acquaintance, if you want?" she offered him.

Penn Blackthorn. Well, that wasn't one of Aibreann's children, which meant that he wouldn't have to go, track his sister down, and tell her that at least one of her runaway children was safe. He assumed that by now, they'd dispersed in the way that Blackthorns tended to do, growing the family tree the way a weed might invade and take over a garden. This Penn had already planted himself here within the ranks of the Enchanted Forest, and he had to think for a few moments if he recognized even his parents' names. Surnames tended to be passed down on the father's side, but he was fairly sure he didn't know an Elwood Blackthorn. A Finley Blackthorn, however....That sounded like it could fit. There were so damn many of them that he was fairly certain even his parents wouldn't possibly be able to list them all. 

"Nah," He said. After all, his parents had been neither a Finley nor an Elwood, so this Penn wasn't his brother. She offered to ring him up so that Jackalope could meet him- and for a moment, he considered that it might be a good idea. If the guy was a douchebag, then he could simply thank Wraen for the offer and try to convince her to either boot Penn out and take him instead, or he could just wander off and make some plot to weed the guy out himself so he could take Penn's place as the pack's resident Jerkalope. He decided he had enough faith in Wraen's judgement to allow her to do the talking for Penn. "Well. If he's a jerk then you're not gonna want us both in the pack. Trust me, it'll be more trouble than it's worth. But if you say the guy's at least somewhat tolerable, then I say I could give it a try here. I mean, 'cause it seems like you want me to stick around," He said.

"Careful with the fire, you might get burnt," Wraen told him with a sly grin, finding Jackalope's self-confidence and cheekiness just as amusing as did Penn's. She might live to regret her decision, but in the sea of troubles, where most of her friends and family was swimming, she thought she deserved some entertainment. And this guy did not seem either easily flustered or someone, who would hang around, if he no longer had any enjoyment in staying. 

"Me and Penn are not the only people in this pack. There are others too to take in account and if they won't want to have you around, there will be very little I'll be able to do," she told him teasing a bit. "What are you good at?" she asked.

"I like the heat," He said casually with a roll of his shoulder and a devilish grin. He did like making sparks, and starting proverbial fires- though he was often quite careless with his words and it had, indeed, gotten him in trouble before. But in admitting that, he also nodded, letting her know that he would at least try to mind his manners, for her sake. 

Of course, she expected him to be kind not only to her and Penn, but to the others in the pack as well, so he raised his eyebrows. That was a tall order- but he could always just give it a try, feel the pack out, and then make up his mind about whether or not it suited him. As for his skills- "I'm extremely good looking and charming, and have a sparkling wit," He said, as though that would be enough to merit being accepted into the pack. Without pausing to make sure she knew all of that was a joke, he continued. "I can cover a lot of ground as a scout. Hunting's no problem, neither is patrolling." He said, and shrugged a shoulder. "I'm basically a Jackalope of all trades- except for babysitting."

"I have to warn you that there is quite a competition there for you in that department here," Wraen pointed out, when Jackalope began his information interview by adding more layers of gold to his already eye-dazzling biography. "But on the other hand - it will do you good. Keep you on edge and path of life-long improvement," she grinned. 

"Well, can't blame you on that account," she told, when he told that he was not good at baby-sitting. "I have had my fur tugged, my hide chewed and mauled by far more puppy teeth than I care to remember. These days I prefer older kids, who don't attempt to skin me alive," she chuckled, but it was true. Her tolerance for shenanigans of little puppies had grown very thin. She liked them best, when they ate or slept, and then, when they were grown enough to sit still and have patience to listen. 

"But reinforcements in hunting and guarding department are always welcome," she noted. Things looked good for the Blackthorn guy. "What do you think about dragons?" she asked next, her face straight, not at all joking.

The path to lifelong improvement was one that Jackalope had likely taken one look at and scoffed, before heading off down the path that led to him doing whatever he wanted to without ever feeling as though he needed to fix all of the problems he had. Still- Wraen seemed to see something in him, and she seemed to indicate that he might have had- dare he think it?- potential. Not many had looked at him and thought that he was even capable of becoming more than what he already was. That was encouraging, though...He still didn't exactly possess the amount of ambition needed to change. He was happiest when he was left to his own devices, rather than being pushed to succeed. He hoped there'd be room for that, too, in this pack. 

As for her comments about children, that did make him grin. As if Wraen couldn't get any better- she didn't seem interested at all in having a bunch of needy kids around. This seemed like an ideal place for him, if this was how the alpha felt. 

He caught her question, and responded with a soft sigh and a roll of one shoulder. "Dragons're still easier to deal with than children. Next question." He said, matching her even stare with a stoic expression.

"I have to warn you though - we are a pack dominated by the beautiful gender, therefore I can guarantee that there will be little, furry sharks swimming around later in the seasoon," Wraen pointed out, in case the sole reason Jackalope wanted to join was because no one was having kids this year. She knew that Maia would. And Ibis hadn't seemed to be opposed to the idea either. What Teya had in mind, Wraen had not asked and she realized that she should. 

"If you consider joining, then I suggest you toughen up your hide and be ready to bolt at a moment's notice," she told him. He had passed the dragon test. Which was good. Now the next important question: "And what's your take on witchcraft? There are quite a few of that too. Wouldn't want a witch-hunter in the ranks, would we?"

So...What she was saying- as long as he was getting this right- was that the pack was full of beautiful women. "I can suffer the sharks if it means bein' in a sea of sirens." He said with a cheshire grin. He didn't like pups- he thought they were ankle-biting-time-sucks. But he also felt fairly sure that if there were enough attractive females about, then he'd be able to escape with one or two or three of them- whilst another babysat the kids. They'd be much better at minding the furrey little nuisances anyway. Maybe he could even convince his cousin, or whatever he was, to babysit too- so that he wouldn't have to. He'd find his way around it somehow. It couldn't be all that bad, could it? 

She continued with the silly talk, this time of witches, which he thought by now she might be using as a way to simply get more skeptical wolves to walk away. And he was a pretty skeptical fellow- but he didn't actually believe that such a thing as dragons or witches actually existed. Maybe this Wraen just had kind of a strange sense of humour- but that she had any sense of humour at all was an improvement over some of the alphas who had met him at the borders and chased him off. "I don't hunt witches," He said, with a grimace. "They're kinda chewy, y'know."

"Right answer," Wraen winked at him and with that the little charade was over. She deemed him worthy to join their ranks and, if he proved her wrong at any time, then she was sure the sirens would take care of him. After all underneath that beautiful skin and captivating voice lied a wrathful creature, if provoked. 

"Well, I am glad to welcome you to Brecheliant," she told, taking a step to the side to figuratively let him through the doors. "You may stay as long as you deem fit to do so - we don't turn a nasty eye on those, who choose to leave," she reassured, just in case he had doubts, which... judging from first impressions she had gathered already, seemed doubtful. 

"Any questions about the pack?" she asked.

Well this was a bit of a novelty. Jackalope was used to thinking that he was right, but he wasn't very accustomed to hearing from the mouths of others that he actually was. Needless to say, it stoked his confidence (and his ego) to know that he'd passed whatever tests it was that Wraen had had in mind for him. And he was further impressed to know that these were wolves who might not judge him too harshly if he decided to bail. Always nice to have a smoothe way out. 

And as for the pack name? Such a relief, to know that it wasn't actually called 'The Enchanted Forest.' Brecheliant, he thought, was much more tolerable. "Well thanks. I think I'll go get myself settled, now. I'll be around, if you want me for anything," He said, with a somewhat flirty swish of his shortened tail, before he would move to adventure through his new packlands, and start scoping out all these beauties Wraen had told him about.

"Break a leg!" Wraen wished the newly acquaired pack mate a safe journey through the packlands. Maybe it was foolish of her to trust him so easily and let him wander around on his own, but she somehow believed the guy still. After some contemplation she got to her feet and headed out to find other leaders to tell about their newest recruit. And then all that would be left for her would be sitting back and enjoying the show.