Nova Peak may i?

Hiya :)

A lot of months passed after she had died, and even though her face was etched in his brain, everyday was a contribution to his moving on. He had known life without her, and the short but joyous time was to end — a slam of a door in his face.

Despite the bitter ending of a true companionship, Jericho managed to regain the pop in his step that had always accompanied his charismatic and strong nature, uncommon to others and unobserved by some. The trait had always been a useful one to manipulate many during bargains, but the now-loner hardly acted out of cruelty.

His slow journey led him to stand feet away from a newly marked border,  his ebbing sadness put away and wearing his genuine bargaining expression.  

It was becoming difficult to walk. Bazi was still a month away from giving birth, but could not imagine growing any larger. The weight of the pups pulled on her spine and hips, and she walked like a cowboy with a bad case of crotch rot - legs splayed, steps short.

But that didn't stop her from attending to her perceived responsibility to guard the borders just as closely as Scimitar and Kaskara did. The grotesquely round Alpha female waddled straight up to stranger at the edge of the woods, head held high and proud above her deformed body. "Seeking asylum?" she asked, squinting her shrewd blue eyes.

A white wolf approached him soon, looking proud even though her body presented otherwise. She was pregnant, most likely a month in, but Jericho did not appear to take notice for her sake. And despite the presentation of the beginning of a new family, she asked him the question he wanted to ask himself.

Her features were cold and confrontational, but the male did not turn tail; instead his face was stock still and tried to make an effort in lowering his body, but alas the female was too small for him to minorize himself, so he bowed down instead, to the woods and to the presumable leader.

"Yes," he said, sitting down from his bow. He knew there would be more to his joining, and not a simple: 'alright then, welcome!'. "I can fight, but I'd rather not do so unless essential. Allies is what I seek."   

He did well not to stare, and for that Bazi was grateful. She returned his bow with a curt not of her slim head, cocking it to one side whilst he spoke. Allies? Bazi glanced around, wondering if he had brought friends and feeling suddenly exposed. Apart from the Glacier, she could not recall scenting any other packs nearby on their march north, and her brief visits beyond the borders had not turned up any signs of neighbours. "Where is your pack based, exactly?" she asked, misunderstanding his intentions completely.

Hope you don't mind if I jump in

The smell of stranger filled her nostrils as she slept, causing an instinctive jolt throughout her body as she opened her copper eyes. At once Falwasi was on her feet, moving cooley and quietly through the trees, ready to shoo off some border-lingerer. 

She stopped near the edge of the forest where the scent was giving a clear indication of the whereabouts of the wolf, accompanied by Bazi's own scent. Falwasi stopped and peered through the trees which gave way to none other than the plush white wolf and a greyscale, bowing down to Bazi.

She caught the words 'fight' and 'allies', followed by Bazi's voice. With suspicion of the stranger's intentions, the honeyed creature moved forward out of the woods and was now fully percievable, in case her friend needed help with a troublesome loner.

The woman had miscomprehended him, and glanced around to check for any friends he might have brought with him. He was quick to try and settle her by lowering his tail and continuing calmly. "I haven't brought anyone with me. I-." His sentence was cut off by the arrival of another wolf, a female too. She wore a soft-looking pelt of tans and browns, and her eyes were a vibrant copper with a certain variation about them. He dipped his head towards her.

"My name is Jericho, by the way," he said, looking back at the white one. "I was never part of a pack. I travelled beside a partner until she disappeared, but our home was a few days south of here." He left out that his partner was a two-leg -- that would certainly alter their opinion.

The faint sound of Falwasi's arrival twisted one of Bazi's plush ears back. Soothed by the presence of back-up and by Jericho's clarification, she relaxed her posture somewhat, shifting weight onto her right side. Standing for extended periods of time was growing ever more difficult. "Bazi. That's Falwasi over there," she replied, ID-ing her pack mate by scent. "Do you do anything other than fight? I'm prepared to offer you room and board for a good sweep of the surrounding areas.. we're new to Nova Peak, and the head outrider is.. not at her best." Bazi smiled stiffly. "Does that sound fair, Falwasi?" He didn't smell sick, or look like a lunatic - that was good enough around here. The pack had a high turnover, and accepting strangers was a little quicker than giving birth to a whole pack (not that she wasn't trying). 

Falwasi placed herself beside her friend, glad to offer back-up because the presence of both girls against the stranger was strong. At Bazi's question, the grizzled wolf looked over the introduced Jericho with a critical eye, taking her time as she did so. He seemed very strong, like Scimitar, and would definitely contribute to the Peak's army. But that wasn't enough, and it was a fair suggestion; in his place she would accept the offer. "Yes," she said with tedium.

The Donner wolf did not waver under Falwasi's stare, but in spite of his super strength and although he knew their conversation was heading nowhere in the direction of an attack, he couldn't help but feel a little bit overpowered. None the less, he continued standing solidly whilst the second female responded to the Alpha with a even toned yes. "I'd be glad to," he said. Also, it would give him a chance to explore his surroundings.
Jericho peered beyond the two women and into the woods. There wasn't much he could see as the forest was dense, but he could see a single mountain beyond. "How many wolves are there?" he asked after a second. It wouldn't affect his decision, and it was clear in his voice, but it was just a question of small talk.

"Nine, including you. Soon to be -" Four thousand - have you seen the size of me? she thought, "- four or five more." Bazi offered Jericho entry into their home by stepping aside and motioning for him to follow before turning her back. As she turned (slowly, like a bullfrog after a meal), the Alpha, pressed her nose against Falwasi's gold-brown shoulder in thanks. It was easier to play the Big Cheese with support that could actually back up such a claim. Had Jericho been hostile, today might have ended differently. "How are you at climbing?" she went on, leading the two wolves deeper into the forest at a brisk waddle.

As Bazi turned rather awkwardly, she pushed her moist nose into Falwasi's feathery pelt in gratitude for her back-up. In return, the she-wolf nodded curtly at the Alphess. Soon enough she would have to stop patrolling; it was all too dangerous — she was too vulnerable. Her obvious struggle with moving about didn't seem to be convenient for this sort of job anyway.

As they moved into the forest, the smell of it became unavoidably fresh, the pines and firs mingling amongst each other in a frenzy of scents. "How are you at climbing?" Bazi questioned. Falwasi looked up at the peak — Nova Peak — and watched Jericho through her peripheral vision for his response. Last challenge.

Thanks guys, looking forward to threading with y'all later.

The two wolves turned around, and the greyscale moved to walk next to them at Bazi's invitation. Their home, which was also now his, was truly a sight to behold. The wintery trees were like a fort, dense in body, defending the mountainous palace. Was this a safe haven he'd stumbled upon?

They all were looking at the mountain when Bazi asked him about his climbing skills. A smile immediately struck his face, and he let out a rumbling laugh, because he hadn't actually climbed up a mountain before; that was why the landscape particularly fazed him. "We're about to find out," he said.