Broken Antler Fen Didn't leave a mark

Kareja loped towards the territory, small white paws thudding softly as she ran. She ran not because she was in danger or because she needed to, she ran simply for the joy of running fast. 

The border of the territory caught her attention, making her veer off her straight path and turn so as not to cross it accidentally. She slowed to a stop several feet away from it, stretching out her slender neck to sniff it.

Curious, perhaps they need another member. She sat on white haunches and raised her muzzle to the sky, a soft feminine howl leaving her throat.

The tawny female had been on her way back from her Caldera mission when the howl called from the borders. Her hackles rose slightly as she approached a young white female, her lemon eyes sharp, but she wasn't exactly aggressive, and surely not highly dominant. Just obviously protective, even if it was clear she wasn't the alpha. 
      "Can I help you?"
Her tone was careful, guarded, and as she got a little closer she took more of a dominant pose.

Her stance became submissive, she knew this wolf was above her due to the fact that she smelt like the pack that resided here. Kareja was a loner and upon their doorstep making her the lowest ranked. 

The woman who approached was close to her size but vastly different in color. While Kareja was the color of freshly fallen snow this pack wolf was a rich brownish orange, the color of dying leaves in autumn. The other had taurine eyes while her own were sapphire. Both were pleasant combinations while the other's was less common than her own.

Her tail wagged slightly as she addressed the stranger, happy to have been responded to so quickly. "Hi, I'm Kareja. I was wondering if you had an opening in your pack for me to fill?" Her words were soft spoken and shy, open to refusal.

Kareja's easy submission won Ambrosia's good side, and the tawny female relaxed, her long fur laying flat again. She remembered what it was like to be on the borders, asking for a home, and being faced with aggression. 
          "Afraid I'm not quite the top dog around here, but you can start by telling me what you're good at?"
She smiled warmly, but kept herself up high. She let loose another howl for Sebastian, hoping her call would hurry him. After all,  she had things to discuss too.

Kareja nodded, noting the other female's more relaxed pose. She pondered it for a moment, her strengths and weaknesses. She was pretty average: she could hunt and fight rather well, she knew a bit of rudimentary healing, she was average speed and strength. Kareja had no particular skill that might endear her to this woman, none she could think of.

"I can fight and hunt, I know a bit of healing as well but only basic things. I don't think I have any talents worth mentioning, I am interested in becoming a Naturalist though," she admitted, perhaps that was useful to them. Kareja knew more about stars, rocks, and plants than she did anything else having picked up the lore from her mother.

Ambrosia nodded, listening, and seemed satisfied. To her, the skills didnt matter. Was she ready and willing to serve Sebastian at every turn, no matter how hard it got? What kind of background did she have?
          "I myself am a mercenary and a scout. What brought you here, to the fen? Why do you not already have a pack?"

Kareja felt a small pang of sadness for her lost family, picturing her mother's soft pelt which was similar to her own or her sisters' blue eyes. They were odd fragments but memories were odd things in general. 

"I grew up with my mother and sisters without a pack, it was just us. My father died before any of us pups could get to know him. After my sisters left and my mother died I headed south. It wasn't until I turned east that I came across your pack," she gave a brief summary of her life. It wasn't a hard one, she had been loved and treated well. The only problem was now she was alone.

Feel free to skip me, Horosk is just watching & learning

Horosk heard the call and came over, but it seemed Ambrosia had beat him to it. He nodded to her and glanced at the white wolf on the border. She was a pretty, snow white. He sat a little distance away, just in case Ambrosia had any trouble, (and besides, he was curious) though it seemed she had everything under control.

Ambrosia's ears lied down, and the young female sighed. Poor girl. She couldn't imagine not knowing her father, or watching her mother die. It was the only aspect of which she was glad she'd left her pack. She didn't know the fates of her family, her friends: in her mind, they would always be there, happy and healthy as they always were.
              "I'm very sorry. I cannot imagine a reason Sebastian would turn you down, so long as you fully accept him as your alpha, but we do still have to wait for him to get here."
She heard Horosk approach, turning her head only slightly to keep both wolves in her periphery, and nodded a hello.

Kareja felt a bit embarrassed at the sincere apology she recieved, she hadn't meant to make the other woman feel bad. She hadn't been beaten or hurt in any other way, she had quite a happy childhood. Her father had died before she could get to know him causing her to never really miss him. 

Her older sisters and mother had been the ones to raise Kareja, being the only survivor of her mother's second litter. Both had left eventually to start their own families but while she missed them horribly she knew they were happy somewhere and in love, with pups of their own. She hadn't pursued them once Mama died because she hadn't wanted to bother them.

Kareja had been a total Mama's girl growing up and she had fallen into a dark depression once her mother was drowned in a flood. At one year old she had been roaming alone in the wilds, trying and failing to find her place. She had since come out of said depression, growing wiser but not harder from her experiences.

The other wolf who appeared was only a bit bigger than she, he being male. With a discreet glance at him she found that he was a brown agouti male with darker guard hairs and yellowish brown eyes. Unsure if she should adress him directly or not she only waved shyly with her tail. 

Kareja turned back to her former conversationist. "I hope he doesn't find a reason. It would be nice to have a pack I think,"she admitted tentatively. "I never got your name by the way..?"

ahhh!!! When your wolf howls you can totally tag me next time! Because now I overlooked this! Sorry!!

Sebastian had missed the first howl, only when Ambrosia howled the male had looked up and decided to check it out. It sounded from the borders so hence why the male was interested. Sebastian was immense in size, inherited from his father, but he had the kindest personality. He might look intimidating but the alpha male was far from. Only when one pissed him off but that hasn't happened before.

He trotted towards the group, tail up. He let out a chuff in greeting. "Ambrosia, Horosk." Sebastian then let his eye fall on the female before him. Probably a new recruit. Ambrosia was a good ambassador, greeting her for him while he had missed her call. "I'm Sebastian, alpha of this pack. And you are?," he asked. He thought it would be polite to ask her name before he would address Ambrosia. "So, Ambrosia. Do you think she will fit in our pack?," he asked. Sebastian called it their pack and not his. He saw it as a thing that should be for them all and he trusted Ambrosia's judgement too.

You know I swear we both did but obviously not xD

Ambrosia blushed, how could she forget her name? She was just so excited to talk to Sebastian! As if her thoughts manifested him, there was the massive charcoal alpha heading towards them.
        "I'm Ambrosia."
She stepped back and bowed her tawny head in respect, eyes glittering happily at her alphas presence. He asked her opinion of her, and right away she felt pride well up in her belly.
                "She's average -no offence- but has ambitions to become a naturalist. She was polite, respectful. I was just going to ask if she was willing to commit to not just the pack, but you."
She looked pointedly at the white female, expecting an answer and waiting for one before going on.
                                     "I think, much like I did, she'll blossom even more when she gets comfortable. I see no reason to reject her."
With that, she sat her long furred, sizeable frame next to her alpha, puffing out her chest and looking important but with the biggest grin spread across her face.

Ambrosia. A pretty name, as unique as her own. Her mother had often told her that it was similar to the word 'courage' and that was why she had been named Kareja, to give her courage. 

The male who now approached was large, even in comparison to the slightly larger southern subspecies around her. His stance and the respectful stances of those around them betrayed his rank, her own form becoming more submissive as he approached. Kareja had a few run ins with Alphas, none being too pleasant, causing her to keep her eyes down deferentially and her head to tilt to expose her neck to him in submission. "My name's Kareja,"she told the Alpha bashfully, not daring to do anything he would find challenging.

The other was called Horosk, her eyes flicking to him when his name was mentioned as they lingered for a beat longer than they had before. Her attention was captured when the two others began to speak, small white ears pricking forward to listen.

"I am,"she answered Ambrosia's question, her voice hushed with shyness. She took no offense to the woman's comment, Kareja was nothing special just your plain wolf. Her head ducked demurely at Ambrosia's words of promise, hoping that Sebastian would accept fervently.

went ahead and skipped Horosk

Sebastian smiled and saw how pleased Ambrosia looked. He liked her looking like that. He could only nod. "Well that is settled then," he hummed. He was not the meanest on the block, though he was careful. "Welcome to these lands. We meet at our General Meeting place called the Cove. I am sure Ambrosia can show you were it is," he spoke. "Tonight you will meet all the other members, but don't be scared they are all nice." Sebastian was certain that Ambrosia was right. This girl would probably thrive with a family around her.

"If anything is wrong you can always come to me. No matter what time and do find some trades to focus on, I'd like for you to find your little tasks to do for this pack. It will probably help you, so that you feel like you are helping out."

Ambrosia wagged her tail and stood, ready to show the white female to The Cove. She'd completely forgotten her tiredness, and her news for Sebastian. She'd been so excited to report back from her first mission, not to mention finding the next, but the happiness she felt at doing the job she'd been raised for was just amazing. She had yet to use her teeth or claws on anyone to physically protect them, but that could wait. This was, likely, what she'd be doing if she'd have stayed with her birth pack.... And she knew it. It made the tawny female happy to know she hadn't missed anything other than kin in her old pack, but those thoughts were from from on her mind. She was more focused on having just accepted a newcomer!

didn't know if there was gonna be an actual thread where she meets them all or if it's just implied?

Kareja smiled broadly, her body flooding with relief and excitement at being accepted into their midst. She stepped over the border hesitantly, half expecting them to chase her back out. They didn't though, her muscles relaxing.

She moved to follow Ambrosia to this Cove place, stopping to address Sebastian. "Thank you, for accepting me. I won't let you down,"she beamed at the huge charcoal colored man, feeling more comfortable around him now that she was no longer under scrutiny.

Kareja turned back to Ambrosia, padding after her as she turned to look at Horosk curiously once more before leaving.

Just implied for now because I am starting a hunting pack activity tomorrow-ish! :3

Sebastian nodded, glad that the female seemed pleased that she was accepted. The young male slowly turned getting back to what he was previously doing. Not that he had any interest in the female, he was certain he would find some time later to get more on a personal level with her.

Sebastian hummed softly and then nodded to Ambrosia, he knew she had returned from her mission but he would ask her about that later, she looked okay and in one piece so that was enough for him for now to know that it went well!