Silvertip Mountain A fish that's learnt to fly

@Zaria @Steady @Mason

The winding dirt paths led her high into the mountain, it was a rocky place full of precarious ledges that looked as if they might crumble any minute. It held its own kind of beauty, a dangerous kind of beauty. Any moment you could walk out too far on one of said ledges and plummet to your death.

But Niita was unafraid. What did she have to fear at this point? Her family was gone, Kainan had banished her from her home, she had no one. Death no longer scared her, if she were meant to die then she would die. 

The border she smelt drew her attention, muzzle raising to scent the air. A pack resided nearby, one led by a female. Curious, Niita weaved through the leafless trees to stop a foot away from the border. 

She had missed pack life, missed the mundane things like small talk and sparring playfully. Perhaps she should give pack life another try...Niita made up her mind and howled to draw the attention of the pack. 

Settling down to wait, Niita lay down on the bare ground and hoped that she might make it into this pack.

Not an alpha but I'm working towards Zeke's mercenary trade and I think this counts for guardian? Correct me if I'm wrong @Steady, hope you don't mind me :)

Ezekiel heard the howl immediately, and rushed for the border. It didn't sound menacing or anything, but Zeke was so used to responding to border howls that he couldn't resist. When he came to the edge of his new territory, his pale blue eyes settled on a white cloaked female waiting on the dried grass. He walked forwards chest puffed out and tail held center, even though he wasn't an alpha or beta, he felt that he should stress his power over her. This was his home now, not hers quite yet. The stark grey male kept his distance from the girl, then spoke in his gravely inflection.

State your business here. He didn't want to sound aggressive towards her, but it may have come off slightly so. The way he held himself and his natural expression was that of an angry bear 24/7 so he didn't know.

Niita eyed him calmly as he approached. I do so hate when they're aggressive. Nevertheless, the pale woman got to her feet and took on a submissive stance. The male didn't smell like an Alpha or a Beta but the stance was sincere, Niita knew her place. She was a loner on the threshold of his home. The pale waif had no place for dominance.

"I wish to join." Her words were blunt, lilting with an accent of her homeland. No doubt his next question would be of what she had to offer, though she didn't want to appear presumptous by just listing her skills before he could inquire.

Steady is going to stalk in the background a bit ^_^

Steady heard the howl, but was further away than he liked. He hoped the stranger was smart enough to stay put and not cross into the borders. He trotted towards where the call came from, not bothering to waste his energy running at full speed. She would wait, or he would track her down if she entered.

He need not worry, however, as he came to the tree line and observed Ezekiel confronting the caller. Steady decided to stay where he was, partially hidden behind a few bare bushes and a tree. He wanted to see how Ezekiel handled the situation. So far, he was dominant towards the stranger, but didn't seem aggressive. The exact way Steady would have approached her. 

He remember when he accepted Ezekiel into the pack that the male said he could fight and would protect the pack. Steady would want to test that one day, but for now, he was content to observe.

Ezekiel was pleased when the female submitted to him, he liked this feeling of power. Of course he wouldn't let it go to his head, he wasn't that kind of guy. He settled his stance a bit, his aggressive facial features relaxing to one of curiosity with this girl. I wish to join. She said it confidently, which meant she must have something to back her up. Zeke intended to find out what that was. He was so caught up in this interaction that he didn't notice his beta stalking around in the background. The grey bull of a wolf nodded at her request and replied with a question.

What can you do? Any skills that would help us through this famine?

Niita's ears twitched but she made no move to address whatever was shuffling about in the bushes. Her focus remained with the male before her. The silver didn't appear too angry anymore, his expression neutral.

"I can hunt. I fight too, but then most wolves do. I don't know if that's enough but that's all I've got." Niita offered sincerely. If she fit the bill now was up to him.

He watched as Ezekiel relaxed his stance, the proper response in Steady's opinion. He asked what she wanted, and she replied, stating she wanted to join. Generally wolves expressed what they could offer the pack at that point, and he found it interested that she didn't. But, Ezekiel knew to ask, and then she admitted she could hunt and fight, but she didn't seem to think that was anything special.

He came from the shadows then, his ears perked and his tail high, but his body was relaxed. Ezekiel had taken care of the hard part, but it was Steady who would have the final say. He came to a stop beside his pack mate, giving him a shadow of a smile before turning to the stranger. You should never sell yourself short. Fighting and hunting are always needed, no matter how many wolves we already have who can do it, he stated easily. 

He regarded her quietly for a moment. He couldn't help but see the similarities between she and June. Their eyes were different, though. What's your name? he asked, his voice soft. His brain was still processing the differences and similarities between his niece and this stranger.

The girl's answer was casual, but she surprised him when she seemed to undersell herself. All she's got? That comment didn't settle well with Zeke, he was about to pry some more when his beta appeared. It didn't surprise him, Steady seemed to be everywhere. He dipped his head in acknowledgement to his upper, then stepped aside to let Steady continue briefing the girl. If Zeke was alpha, he probably wouldn't have been impressed enough with her. He hoped she had more to her than just hunting and fighting. If she got accepted into the pack, he would have to test her himself, make sure she was more than what she said. Despite his, 'cute and cuddly' appearance, Zeke was a hard one to please.

Steady asked for her name, something Zeke had forgotten to ask. He was indeed curious about the girl, and wanted to stick around to learn more.

The thing in the bushes turned out to be a another male-one that was huge and ebony furred. For a minute her heart stopped, her mouth opening to call out to him. What's Raimo doing here? As he got closer she could see it wasn't her friend, he didn't have the right shape nor was his eye color the same. Niita composed herself, looking away. 

Her brows furrowed, she hadn't thought she was underselling herself. Niita had no particular talents; she was not a healer, a naturalist, or anything of the sort. Her skills were physical and that was all she had to offer.

This male was obviously the Beta if his scent was any indication, Niita keeping her head down so as not to offend him. 

"Niita." The pale girl murmured softly. She didn't bother with her surname, wanting to leave that bit in the past.

Ezekiel was quiet, though Steady would not have minded if he continued to engage in the conversation. Steady wasn't a dictator, and he liked to know what his pack mates thought. 

The girl introduced herself as Niita. I'm Steady, Beta here, and this, he added, motioning his head towards his pack mate, is Ezekiel, Zeta. We operate as a family here. We're respectful of each other, and we live for the pack. We have four pups that get first dibs on food, but until you are established here, you should call myself, my co-Beta Mason, or our Gamma Krypton to deliver the food, he explained. Can you accept those terms? he asked. He hadn't met a wolf yet that had declined these terms, but one could never know. In this famine, many wolves might only think of themselves and disregard the next generation. Steady would not tolerate that.

Ezekiel watched calmly as Steady introduced them. He gave a quick jerk of his head when his own name was mentioned, and blinked in acknowledgement. He watched the way the girl moved and how she reacted to the two Silvertip wolves. She seemed like she could be a good fit for the pack, well Zeke would just have to see. He stood next to Steady, a faint smile on his face. This seemed to be going pretty well, and he was glad he could've helped in any way. The only thing left was to see if Niita could accept the terms. The part about the pups was non negotiable, and if she wanted to join them she would have to understand.

The faintest of smiles crossed her face at the mention of pups. She remembered babysitting Raela's pups before her banishment, Niita had adored them. What female didn't love cuddly pups? "I agree to your terms." 

Niita could imagine no different, she would have brought her food to whomever needed it most as it was. All she could do was hope that she was established soon-she really loved kids.

Steady saw the faint smile that appeared on her maw, and he figured she'd be alright with the terms. She voiced the confirmation, and Steady nodded. Great. Then welcome to Silvertip Mountain, he said, a small smile appearing on his lips.

This was usually the point where Steady might "assign" the new member to an existing member of the pack, as a sort of protege. Ezekiel was here, and Steady thought he was doing well enough he could show her around. But, something stopped him. There was something about her that made Steady not want anyone else to show her around. I'll show you around, he said, not leaving room for argument, from her or from Ezekiel. Not that he thought he would get any. 

Welcome to Silvertip Mountain!

Ezekiel was glad when Niita agreed. She seemed kind, and from the look on her face when Steady mentioned pups, she would likely keep her word. He dipped his head to her respectfully, a low murmur escaping his ever silent mouth. Glad to have you. He turned to leave, but not before noticing the way Steady seemed eager to show her around. Zeke wouldn't protest, but he found it kind of funny. Perhaps the beta saw something in her already. He brushed past Steady leaving him to escort Niita to her new home.

~Zeke out

I'll archive!

If something was off with the situation, Niita didn't know it. She only nodded as she stepped over the border and moved to Steady's side. 

"Thanks. Glad to be here." She gave Ezekiel a small smile before turning to Steady, waiting to be given a tour around her new home.