Swiftly doth these paws tread {Joining}

The snow was light on the ground, the soft light of the grey dawn permeating the air with a frisson of heat but to the cold frozen ground of the valley, it tried but to no avail. The ground was frozen in the depths of the winter- and what a winter it was. The snow had fallen thick since he had entered this place, his soul a desolate wasteland of grief and sorrow and sheer frustration. It was his fault. He had followed Rozari from their home, the youngest of their litter and he had followed her, faithfully and loyally. And he had led her to her death, for no wolf could survive such a snowstorm without shelter and though for many long hours he had searched, she was nowhere to be found.

And here it led here, to a winter valley full of the new scents of a pack. The air was thick with the scents, long ago placed, perhaps a handful of moons ago. Mikael couldn't remember the last time he'd felt the primal urge of a pack territory. It was an urge, common in most any-wolf but of course, some stuck to themselves. The instinct to belong to and be surrounded by both pack and family.

He bordered on the edge of a life both achingly familiar and excruciatingly painful in his memories, a concept of a pack of strangers to welcome him and a family to call his own. It was a foolish thing, to expect a stranger to accept him so readily but many packs needed as many wolves as possible. The winter was harsh after all and prey on the short side of existence. There were hungry mouths to feed but so little to feed them with and any smart alpha needed all the hunters they could get. Mikael assumed he'd be accepted for the winter but who knew what spring would bring? It was a season of life and renewal, perhaps they would chase off the helpers of the winter.

Perhaps he would leave after the season was over, with no attachment to his former pack and no pain. There would be no heartfelt farewells, for none would know him enough to miss him, just as he preferred it. Or so he hoped. Sniffing the ground, he brought his head up further to the apex of the sky, letting a howl ripple from his throat and echo loudly across the convex valley. He made himself comfortable as he waited, knowing his call would be heard and responded to by an Alpha. That was, if the pack was well organised. If not, he'd be in for a long wait. He set his emerald gaze on the horizon and waited for the inevitable meeting with a potentially hostile pack.

He just hoped the polite gesture of a request to see the alpha or a beta would at least secure him safe passage.