Redhawk Caldera bràithrean fola

@Teya @Eljay -- Hoping to join with a mischievous Celtic spirit

Her patience wore thing and the hunger gnawed at her belly. She had never been on her own for this long, and the alabaster woman knew she would need to resolve the predicament she had found herself in immediately. This blasted land seemed devoid of life. It’d been days if not a week since she last ran into any semblance of life other than the thin rabbits that she was using to keep herself sustained, if only barely. She felt her luck surely had to be turning for the worse, seeing the caldera in the distance… and yet, some wolves seemed foolish to stay across lands that could easily implode at any moment.
 
Or were they stupid? There was something that could be learned from this bunch? Curiosity got the best of her, her nose finding the thick scent of the border as she contemplated her decision for a moment. After a moment and a gut feeling, she rose her maw, calling and requesting a delegation that could assist her with the process of joining. She preferred men, quite frankly she found them easier to manipulate… but she had been known to sway a woman a time or two before.
 
She just had to hope that whomever answered her call enjoyed her flavor or her ruse, whichever she chose to present.

Eljay wasn't very used to accepting new wolves into the pack. Honestly, he had no clue what he should even ask them at all, which was a bit of an embarrassing realisation as he made his way towards the borders and the call of the joiner. Still, he'd just try his best and get to know them, he supposed. After all, it wasn't like Brecheliant was extremely picky. They were very welcoming and friendly, so as long as this wolf was friendly too, then what could go wrong? Oh gosh, what if they weren't friendly?

By the time he reached the borders, Eljay'd managed to walk out most of his initial nerves. He approached with a neutral body language and a friendly smile on his face. Hiya, I'm Eljay, he greeted as he approached.

It was an older man who answered her call, offering a neutral body language and a friendly smile on his features. Excellent. She offered a kind smile and a dip of her head in return, the hint of mischief in her eyes fleeting the moment he came into view. “It is a pleasure to meet you Eljay. My name is Medb.” The Celtic name rolled off her tongue sweetly in turn. It had been so long since she had seen another wolf… and to come across a pack in the process? She felt her luck changing, if only for the moment.
 
“I called for the leaders of this pack because I have been travelling for so long. My home pack fell to chaos, and I’ve been searching for a new place to rest my weary paws and call home.” Rather than taking the more seductive approach, because she did not have a thing for older men even in ruse, she went with the world-weary traveler approach. It usually worked, and it came across better when she did not yet know the political landscape of a pack or if the wolf in front of her was taken to begin with.

She introduced herself as Medb, which sounded like quite a handful. Eljay decided he would simply not try, for now. He'd practise in private a little first, he supposed, if this went well. She seemed friendly enough, and Eljay's smile grew as she offered one of her own. Nice to meet you, he said with a friendly tone to his voice.

A frown fell across Eljay's face as Medb said her previous pack fell to chaos, and that was the reason that she was looking for a new home now. Oh, he mumbled. Then, after a short moment of contemplation, he said, I'm sorry, that sounds... Bad. Well, I'm Eljay, as I said. I'm the Auspex, uhm, one of the leaders here. Brecheliant is a familial kind of place. We look after each other, and we're, well, like family. He felt like he was messing up the talk; it was the first time he did it. Eljay had never been good at describing these kind of things. Anyway, uh -- why don't you tell me a bit more about yourself? I mean, if the pack sounds good to you?

She noticed the way she did not repeat his name back and she wondered if it was a custom that she was unaware of. No, that would be silly, right? Either way, she did not think too much of it. He said it was nice to meet her. Damn right it is. She was a peach to interact with and she knew she had not given him anything unsavory to think of her in that moment.
 
She saw the frown, glancing down at the dirt for a moment as her tail sagged lightly. “It’s… okay. I mean, it is what it is.” She brushed it off with ease. It was something she had time to accept. Or at least, that was what she was going with. Whether or not she had caused that chaos to begin with… well, she was not willing to discuss it. It wasn’t the fae’s fault that men loved her, after all. She could hardly blame herself for that. Auspex. Leader. She saved the information for later use. They were a family based pack.
 
That sounded like fun.
 
“Oh, of course. It sounds lovely. A family-based pack sounds absolutely lovely! I mean… you did mean like family, not like… related family right? I won’t be expected to marry into a family will I? Oh, where are my manners? What would you like to know?” She asked curiously, rambling on though she was not sure what information the man wanted and needed more guidance.

Eljay felt guilty when she looked saddened by the pack chaos thing. He regretted bringing it up, but nonetheless offered, If you want to talk about it, I'm willing to listen, but it's totally fine if you rather not, of course. We all have some things that are tough. He had done some things in his life, too, that he wasn't the happiest with, and he definitely had some memories of places that he wished he was still at. He loved Maia and Brecheliant, but his time with Wildfire as partners had always been far too short.

Pushing aside these thoughts, Eljay focused on Medb's next words. He chuckled as she stumbled over her words a little and said quickly, No, no worries, no marrying into the family. It's more like, uh, a metaphorical family, I guess. Different than at the old Redhawk Caldera, where it felt like everything was about family; blood family. The Blackthorns supporting the Redhawks... Here, it didn't matter as much that he was a Blackthorn. He went on to say, Teya is the other leader. She's one of the Ravens. Of which... We only have one right now. Not very smooth. Oh, right, questions! Eljay went on, a little hastily and clumsily, So, uh, what sort of things are you good at? Which seemed like the most obvious question to ask for a potential new pack member.

He offered to talk and she offered a kind smile in return, though she had no intention of taking him up on his offer to talk about it. “I… prefer not to talk about it.” She offered quietly, as if lost in thought over it for a moment before she shook her head to shake herself out of it. It was all a part, until she could discern this pack and it’s primary motives, she would be on her highest guard, playing the character she thought they wished to see. Perhaps with time that could change, but she knew it could also be dangerous for her to play her hand so soon.
 
She let out a sigh of relief at the words and he chuckled. An arranged marriage would not have worked out well for her, and if she had been told otherwise, she likely would have turned and run on the spot. Teya. Raven. Leader. She saved that information in her mind as well before he questioned what she was good at. It was a standard question, and one that she had a truly honest answer for. “In my birth pack, I was a skilled tracker. I tracked herds across the lands and organized hunts, usually a chaser for larger prey. I also know quite a bit about herbs, particularly which ones not to eat.” She knew of poisons, the illusion there in a friendlier light. “I also helped rear children in my spare time.” Her mother had another litter after she and her littermates, so she had spent quite a bit of time with them as well.

Eljay nodded when Medb said that she didn't want to talk about it. He wondered what was in her past, and a small part of him questioned if it could be harmful for their pack's future, but he quickly pushed such thoughts away. Everyone had things they weren't proud of. If Eljay was looking to join another pack, he certainly wouldn't want to hang his own dirty laundry out, too. It mattered who she was now; not what'd happened to her in the past.

And she seemed friendly enough, thus far. Eljay nodded as she mentioned having lead hunts and that she knew a thing or two about herbs and helping birth, too. He smiled, his interest clearly piqued at that, as he said: Oh, that sounds interesting. I'm a caretaker myself, too. Maybe we could uhm, compare notes or something sometime. If you want to. An offer, if she wanted it. Eljay realised that he was kind of losing the thread of where this was going, and he wasn't sure what he should do next.

Because Eljay had no clue where to go with this, he decided to just say, So uh, welcome to Brecheliant, if it sounds good to you. Eljay offered a friendly smile, hoping he wasn't being too awkward about it all. This part of being a leader really wasn't his jam.

He spoke about trading notes sometime and she nodded kindly. She liked the sound of it. It would give her an opportunity to garner how the man raised young. He welcomed her and her eyes widened. “T-Thank you.” Admittedly, she had been expecting more questions, but she was not going to complain about how easy it had been. Less questions meant the less she would have to explain herself. She was not entirely sure what her plan of attack would be yet.
 
“It sounds wonderful to me.” She added, taking a daring step over the borders as she looked around. She would have much territory to look over and learn in a short amount of time. She ought to get started. “Do you all share a communal den, or does everyone claim their own?” She had been seen it either way and so she figured it would not hurt to ask.

Medb seemed a little flustered that she was accepted, which in turn made Eljay wonder if he had given it away too easily, but he tried to push away the insecurity. Instead he just smiled at her as he confirmed, You're welcome, we're happy to have you. He stepped back a little to allow Medb to step into the territory. Shall I show you some bits? The borders were at the mid-slopes of the Caldera, so it was a bit of a climb to get all the way up towards the inside of the Caldera — a wildly different view than down here.

As Eljay started to head up the slopes, presuming that Medb would follow, he answered her question: You can pick out or dig something yourself. We don't all share one. He wasn't sure that everyone even used a den to sleep in, but he himself enjoyed the feeling of safety that a den provided, and the closeness it made him feel to his family.

He kept the welcoming nature and in that moment she found herself suspicious, saving such emotions for the internal turmoil she would face down. They were happy to have her. It felt like some kind of test, or a trap… still, she would not look a gift hare in the mouth. “Yes, please.” She offered gratefully, keeping her suspicions to herself as she looked forward to learning the territory from someone who already knew their way around.
 
She started to trek up the slopes, her eyes lingering on the climb that she was going to have to face any time she went beyond the borders or even lingered near them. She certainly was not going to be skimping out on her workouts, because she would simply get them as a part of everyday life. She was relieved to know that she might pick one for herself or dig it out, and she knew she would have to find herself a suitable place. “Understood.” She offered simply, not entirely sure how to respond. “Are there certain daily responsibilities? I’m a tracker but how would my skills best be used here?”

Eljay lead the way and as they got to the slope leading into the inner territory of the Caldera, the large lake in its center could be seen in the distance. Eljay said, as he stopped and turned around: You can see a lot of the surrounding territories from out here, and it's easy to keep an eye on the borders for intruders. Relatively, anyway. Easier than it'd been at the Fen. They didn't face down trouble very often, since they themselves were so peaceful, but it was good to have an overview, Eljay thought.

He then turned back towards the inside of the Caldera and was happy to step onto the soft grass as he started heading towards the lake. At the question about daily responsibilities, Eljay answered: Oh, well, it would be good to keep an eye on the movement of the herds. See if there are any good prospects to hunt, you know? And gather the pack to hunt if there are. He said this casually, trying not to put too much pressure on Medb. To emphasise that point, Eljay added: But you should get settled in first. You're welcome to scout out the prey in the territory, of course, but just, also take your time to get to know the other wolves and the territory, right? No pressure. He smiled. Alright. Maybe a little pressure, as it would be difficult for the pack if she would be completely useless. However, considering she asked questions like these, Eljay guessed that she had a lot of feeling of responsibility, and she'd do just fine contributing to the pack.

I'm okay with fading this out with the next post or two if you are!

She could see the strategic value that came with  being on the Caldera. She looked around, noting that it was relatively easy to keep an eye on the borders. “That’s an ingenious use of the land… something I doubt I would have considered when deciding where to lay claim to a home.” She complimented because it truly was strategic. Perhaps there was more than met the eye to this ‘family’. Perhaps there was much she could learn from them too.
 
Either way, she had time to figure that all out. She nodded at the mention of following herd movements and calling hunts. She could arrange for that just as she could make sure the caches stayed full with smaller game, or at least as full as they would get in the winter months. She had been surviving on her own, but having other mouths to help take things down would make it easier.
 
“Of course… I’ll get settled and learn the territory and then I can start scouting out local herd travels.” She offered simply in response to show she understood both her responsibilities and the fact that he was giving her time to get settled before she was expected to contribute to her fullest expectations.

sure, we can fade! :)

Eljay smiled when Medb complimented the use of the land. It's a neat bonus, I guess. He was not so sure that his family had claimed the Caldera with these practicalities in mind. We've only recently moved to this place, but uhm, I actually grew up here. I've lived here a large part of my life, so I know a lot about it.

As Medb said she would get settled and then would work on scouting out the herds, Eljay nodded, the kind smile still on his face. She seemed like a competent kind of wolf, and Eljay was quite happy that his first time accepting a wolf into the pack all alone had gone so well.

Medb’s mind was solely on the practicalities. Sentimentality had never gotten her anywhere, nor did aimless settling. There always had to be a strategy working it’s way through stages in the back of her mind. Even if it was as simple as more reliable food to last through the winter. She hummed, interest in her eyes and a nod when he stated he grew up there. It was interesting, but she did not pry more into his background. She was not certain she wanted to.
 
They parted ways, and Medb began to explore, finding a den to nestle in, and from there getting her own lay of the land without any prying eyes possibly interfering with her own methodology.

Fade