Nimbus Summit wrong town to stop in

Traveling by himself intrigued him at first, yet it soon lost its luster. His days were boring, his nights cold and lonely. He missed @Killdeer and @Sialuk. Caracal thought about turning back, even formally joining one of their packs. But the thought made him restless and he pressed on to the west, searching for… something.

What he really needed was a simple conversation. He hadn’t seen anyone in days. As much as he enjoyed sightseeing, Caracal thought he might go crazy if he didn’t talk to someone else soon. He thought about @Penn talking to a dead crab and hustled, especially when he thought he caught the scent of wolves on the air.

He slowed a little as he walked through a forest of sugar maples, the unmistakable scents of a nearby pack threading through his nose. Caracal nearly whined under his breath, so eager to be among his own kind for the first time in more than a week. But when he emerged at the foot of a mountain, he gave a little gasp instead.

antha frequented the borders of atautsikut's new home, intent on marking their claim and familiarizing herself with their summit and the surrounding lands. it was often tedious work, monotonous in the ways that mattered. there was always something exciting to be found among the flora, but that wasn't her purpose on these trips, so antha ignored the temptation.

but today, it seemed a border patrol had brought its own intrigue for once. a stranger, young and golden-furred, gawping at atautsikut's mountain. antha greeted him with a friendly chuff, cautious but welcoming as she approached.

hello. you've found the border of atautsikut. is there something we can do for you, or are you just passing through? the young wolf didn't smell of any others that antha could discern, but perhaps he had come from an allied pack. she knew atautsikut had friendly relations with other packs, though not the full extent of it.

He would’ve been thrilled to see anyone, but when a woman bearing a strong resemblance to @Bridget materialized, Caracal’s whole face lit up. He opened his mouth to greet her, barely half a syllable escaping him when she spoke. He politely shut his trap to hear what she said.

Hi! he exclaimed the instant she finished. My name’s Caracal and I’m just traveling through the area, although…

There was a lengthy pause as the yearling appeared to weigh his thoughts. One of them included Bridget’s current whereabouts. He didn’t know, of course. But the resemblance really endeared him to this stranger, even before he knew her name. And now that he’d found someone, anyone, he was hard-pressed to let her go.

He felt a little traitorous—he thought of Killdeer, his best friend in the world, and Sialuk, whom he both adored and owed—but Caracal couldn’t stand one more day by himself and said, rather impetuously, I’m interested in joining, if you could use a medic… er, in training.

When Antha's heat had come upon her, she had sequestered herself away with Issorartuyok, and so Lane had to assume that the alpha had taken her as his chosen mate. Lane heartily approved. The golden healer had gentle, radiant personality that drew wolves in and set them at ease. It was the perfect balance to Issorartuyok's serene, thoughtful authority. Lane wondered if Issorartuyok had offered the now-vacant alpha position to Antha. Lane had stepped down from the alpha female position in part to open up the rank for Issorartuyok's chosen mate, after all. 

With these questions on her mind, Lane trailed after Antha's scent, hoping to speak with her. When she caught up to her intended target, she was already engaged with another. Lane drifted to Antha's side, and she lifted her ears to catch the young stranger's words. 

After exchanging a brief glance with Antha, Lane replied. 

"You've come to the right place, Caracal. Before we lived here as Atautsikut, we were called Duskfire Glacier, and we were something of a medic's haven." It would please Lane if Atautsikut came to be known in a similar way. "Antha and I both practice ourselves," Lane added, indicated the golden woman. "And I happen to be looking for an apprentice." She smiled her characteristic half-smile, lifting a brow questioningly. 

Lane will give her name/rank in the next round, or Antha is welcome to introduce her!

the stranger quickly proved himself a polite and direct young man; he wasted no time in expressing his interest in joining. antha smiled gently, remembering the reckless energy of her own youth. caracal stood here at the border of a pack he knew nothing about, offering his life and livelihood for it without a second thought, as antha herself had done so many moons ago. as countless young wolves had done before either of them were born, before even their grandparents were born.

welcome, caracal. my name is antha, lane joined her, then, and for that the witch was grateful. she dipped her head to the leader, who she still thought of as an alpha, yet unaware of the changes within atautsikut. she allowed lane to speak, only starting again when she had finished. lane, it's good to see you. and to caracal: lane is one of our alphas. i'm only one of several healers in atautsikut, but i would be happy to give you a tour of the summit if you're accepted into our ranks.

with that, she offered a warm smile to both lane and caracal, and allowed the conversation to move forward without her.

His breath caught in his throat. Had he really just said those words? There was no way to take them back, he knew, especially when a second she-wolf sidled onto the scene, clearly having overheard. Caracal sucked in a breath and trapped it in his chest, listening as the second arrival told him about how he’d evidently found his way to a medic’s haven.

Their names were Antha and Lane, and they were both healers themselves. Lane was also the Alpha, in search of an apprentice. The boy’s eyes widened a little at this stroke of fate. He didn’t know big words like “serendipitous”—and on that note, hell if he’d ever be able to pronounce this pack’s name—but if he had, he would’ve certainly thought it applied to this situation.

Wow, I really came to the right place then, he said in a burst of breath, grinning boyishly as his eyes flicked between both women. His misgivings faded into the background as he seized this incredible opportunity. I’d love to be your apprentice, if you’ll have me! Just, uh, let me know what I need to do. This was technically the first time he’d ever sought to join a pack, after all.

"It's Beta, actually," Lane corrected, the half-smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. "I stepped down, so I could share my position with Tuuluuwaq. We're now Atautsikut's beta pair." Lane had stepped down so she could stand even with Tuuluuwaq. Would Antha soon step up, to stand beside her own mate? 

Caracal was enthusiastic, which Lane appreciated. He reminded her a bit of her own son, Veteran. "Consider yourself accepted." Perhaps Lane ought to have questioned him a bit more, but she had always been a little unorthodox. She couldn't explain it rationally, but she just had a good feeling about this boy, her new apprentice. 

He asked for a task, and Lane wouldn't disappoint him. "We're new to the Hinterlands and still trying to get established here. Right now we're mapping the surrounding lands and cataloging the medicinal herbs in the area. We're also planting a garden in the arlathan." Lane smiled at Antha. No doubt she would show Caracal the arlathan when she conducted his tour. "All of that should be enough to keep you busy. Oh, and at some point you should introduce yourself to our alpha, Issorartuyok." 

Lane wanted to ask the boy more about his background, but she decided she would do that later. Antha had offered to show him around, and that seemed like the best course of action to Lane. "I'll catch up with you both later," Lane promised, her gaze finding both Caracal and Antha in turn. If neither had further questions, she would depart.

@Caracal we can fade or keep going and write out the full tour <3 up to you!

lane was swift and thorough in accepting caracal into their ranks and briefing him on the situation. antha waited in patient silence, bidding farewall to lane with a nod and a smile. beta. when had that happened? the witch did not dwell on the new development; now was not the time.

instead she turned to caracal. come. i'll show you the most significant places we've discovered at the summit, and tell you about the rest. there's much to see here.

“Consider yourself accepted,” Lane said after gently correcting Antha about her position in the pack. Wow, that was a lot easier than he’d thought! Caracal’s stomach did a couple flips when he realized what he’d just done, though he squashed down any negative feelings and focused his attention and energy on all the upsides.

Like, he was someone’s official apprentice now! As Lane spoke, he stared at her, captivated by everything she had to say. She was pretty easy on the eyes, he realized. Oh, he was already developing a crush. He could feel it. He totally had a type: medicine women. First Bridget, then Sialuk and now Lane. He was a lucky young man.

What’s an arlathan? he asked, just hoping that wasn’t a stupid question, but didn’t wait for an answer before adding, Map the area; catalog the plants; check out the what’s-it; introduce myself to who’s-it. Got it! He really hoped neither lady was put off by his inability to pronounce all these polysyllabic names. He had never encountered so many vowels in his life.

Okay, see you, Lane! Caracal chirped when the Alpha Beta pardoned herself, leaving him to turn to Antha as she prepared him for a tour. Awesome! Can’t wait to see it all! Thanks, Antha! the yearling said cheerily, still marveling at his good fortune. He cast one last glance after Lane, then focused entirely on his hostess, talking her ear off as she guided him to his new home.

I’m fine with a fade, thank you both! :)))