Noctisardor Bypass the night is long

A black-and-white woman came forth soon enough and stopped some ways away from him. He noted immediately that she was heavily pregnant and his eyes traveled the horizon behind her, automatically looking for her mate. Someone so ready to give birth should not have been out of her den, alone, at the borders of a pack. What if he were a bad person, or deranged, and attacked her? He set his jaw in irritation but otherwise relaxed his stance, hunching into his body to show deference to her. He assumed she was a leader, for she had heeded his call, and he did not want to seem assertive in this moment.

“Arbiter,” he repeated her name back to her, attempting to commit to memory. That, as well as the pack name: Legion. Or was that the name of the location they were in? “I am Connal, from the far north,” he said, his deep voice rumbling in his chest. Disuse caused it to rasp unpleasantly. He cleared his throat and began again. “I am looking for… a place to call home.” He said the last part quietly as he thought about what he was saying. Was that right? Was he looking for a home? Glacius had been his home for four years and now that home was no more. He had left it in disgrace. “Rather, I am looking for a place to rest my head at night, a place of safety. In exchange, I will guard your pack, its borders and its members, and hunt for food to sustain you. I understand that my request is… forward, but… Well.” He felt no need to continue that train of thought, sure that she understood the awkward position he was in.