Northstar Vale Too dumb to die

Asbjørn was growing more homesick by the day; exploring the Teekon Wilds was certainly something he was very fond of doing, but having to find shelter each night without a pack to cosy up with was growing tiring. The male missed the days where he was young and playful back outside of these unfamiliar lands with his nuclear family. He was by no means the brightest of wolves, and now had a shred of anger ignited up inside of him due to his recent rejection from Easthollow, which had seemed like a pleasant place to call home. Perhaps trespassing onto their territory was not the best of ideas, but Asbjørn had been weary and delirious (at least, that was his excuse).

At least Asbjørn had learned from his mistakes. He'd navigated this new territory very carefully, following the lingering scent of unfamiliar wolves through the Sunspire Mountains until be reached Northstar Vale. He was very cautious when the scent of the Duskvale pack grew stronger, and eventually sat his rump down to rest, not wanting to trespass and possibly be booted again.

The lanky boy held a weedy-looking rabbit in his maw, which had begun to drip with drool as he travelled with a grumbling belly and lethargic paws. It was going to be his gift of sorts to hopefully sweeten the deal regarding the possibility of him joining this pack of strangers. With this in mind, he dropped the frail thing in front of him and lifted his snout into the air, letting out a raspy howl in an attempt to garner the attention of any Duskvale pack members.

Saena and three cohorts scouted ahead of the pack, mapping a route for the day and searching for signs of prey. The task belonged moreso to her fellows than her, however, Saena had insisted on this hint of freedom. She was slower than them, as injured as she was, and moving so much hurt and drained her energy, but at least she was moving. Warbone's decree that she not leave had settled with her somewhat, the compromise being that if she felt an urge to wander, she could do so in the pack's territory as a ranger.

The three pack wolves had pulled well ahead of their lead bitch when Saena paused, noticing first the enticing smell of dead animal, then the aroma of moss and stone and sticks that accompanied Asbjørn, courtesy of his brief foray into another pack's territory. Saena stood at attention for a moment, ears perked toward Asbjørn, and then she dipped her chest toward the ground and woofed lowly, attempting to entice him forward to meet her.

Since embracing her instincts and since Duskvale grew to a sizable number, Saena grew less and less willing to seek wolves out on the edge of the claim, and more in favour of seeing them seek the pack out themselves. This was what she tried to tempt Asbjørn into doing now.

When Saena and her squadron approached from afar, Asbjørn clambered back up onto all fours, snatching up the lifeless rabbit corpse. Remembering how his supposed rudeness had costed him a position in Easthollow, the Mexican wolf was at first hesitant to advance towards the four pack members. Hearing Saena's low woof, however, seemed to coax him over on nimble silver paws.

Characteristically submissive, Asbjørn now stood in front of Saena and her comrades, body slightly crouched and tail wagging slowly to and fro. "A gift," The scrawny boy woofed kindly, laying the russet-furred rabbit in front of the alpha female's paws, "for you and your pack."  Oceanic blue eyes glanced upwards, clearly nervous, as he continued. Asbjørn dipped his head in greeting to each of the canines before continuing, "I wish to join your pack - your family - if you would allow it."

Possibly just a cameo, as Tryphon is always following Saena (whether she's aware or not).

While he had not elected to follow Saena when she went off with a cluster of others, Tryphon knew of his duty, so he did not dally long behind them. He assumed that she would be safe under the watchful eyes of her cohorts and was slow to find his way after them; their distance traveled gave him a route to follow and a chance to explore without seeming out-of-place to anyone left behind at the primary rendezvous site. Warbone would be proud, he thought. Or at the very least, Tryphon felt he was following his purpose.

When eventually Tryphon did meet up with the others, he did so as surreptitiously as he could. On one hand the boy knew what Warbone had told him — to stay near, but to stay clear, essentially — so he did not want to be found out. On the other hand, when a voice drifted through the greenery. As he wasn't a skilled sleuth (or a skilled anything yet), it wouldn't be so surprising if someone heard him sneaking around between the trees; for now, he waited and watched, curious of the new face but ultimately there to protect Saena if anything went wrong.

Saena's eyes trailed automatically to the rabbit as it thumped on the ground. Her stomach rumbled lightly. The pack was well fed thanks to the efforts of half a dozen skilled hunters, but she had a particular taste for rabbit, and it was enough to perk up her appetite. As far as she was concerned, the gifter, Asbjørn, was already a shoe-in for giving up his food.

"It's not totally up to me," she warned him, lifting her gaze to study the vagabond. He wasn't much to look at, that was true, and had he been possessed of black fur, she would've chased him off immediately for representing a spectre of her ex-mate. Instead, she saw him as a young wolf, possibly not even a year old, with travel-tangled fur and dirty spindles for legs. He looked like a yearling wolf if ever there was one.

With a light smile, she tilted her head and then beckoned. "The wolves of Duskvale are almost always together," informed Saena, "so it is the pack in its entirety that will decide your time here. I'm the first female, Saena. If you're ready, we'll go to them."

Asbjørn continued to assume a submissive stance, scrappy silver-tinged tail swishing back and forth. "It's freshly caught from the moorland." The youngster noticed Saena's eyes trailing after the long-eared prey and hoped what he saw in them was appreciation. Slowly the lobo unfurled his tensed muscles and stood to face the head female of the pack eye-to-eye, which he felt was now more appropriate than him grovelling at her paws like a sick pup.

"Of course," Asbjørn nodded his head when Saena said that they could meet the rest of the Duskvale pack. "A tight-knit pack is a safe pack." He considered that maybe him joining would feel like he'd be invading their familial group, but the skinny boy was sure he'd get to know the rest of them in due time (that being, if he was to be welcomed into their ranks). Plus, Asbjørn felt that the safety and comfort of a close pack would help him form some life-log bonds (...and he needed a place to stay).

He stood at attention now, waiting for Saena to lead the way, unwilling to step out of line now that he actually had a chance of acceptance. "I am Asbjørn,"  he barked upon hearing her name, in realization that he had not yet exchanged names with the first female. "It's good to meet you, Saena."

Java, wasn't sure if by cameo you meant to post again or not, so my apologies if you did intend to post again! <3 Pack members welcome to join and determine Asbjørn's fate now!

The first female bobbed her head gratefully and stepped forward to scoop the rabbit up. Hungry as she was and as much as she wanted to dig into it, she would give it first to Warbone, who could decide what to do with it. She sincerely hoped he would just give it back, but that was for him to decide. The plush fur against her tongue was tantalizing, but not enough that she missed Asbjørn's eye contact. She crinkled her muzzle lightly to remind him to keep his gaze elsewhere, but she wasn't overly hard on him about it. He had brought food, after all, and Saena already approved.

So she swung about to lead him back toward the pack. With the rabbit in her jaws, there wasn't much she could really say on Asbjørn's observation nor introduction, but she nodded genially at his name. There seemed to be many wolves in the wilds named in such a fashion. Most of them stemmed from the former pack at Stavanger Bay, in her experience. She idly wondered if that was the case for Asbjørn, too, but didn't have much time to contemplate it before they reached the milling pack and several came forth to meet the newcomer.

Sorry I should be more clear! It was a cameo, I just wasn't sure if anyone would notice him (because he's not stealthy). But now he'll come out and chill with you guys, lmao.

He watched the exchange with mild interest, but for the most part Tryphon was watching his leader. She did not seem to be heading away from the vale; in fact, she had been stuck in conversation with the stranger for some time, and then began to depart with some sort of offering hanging from her jaws. Tryphon's gaze shifted between her and the newcomer, and then when the pair began to migrate towards the bulk of the pack proper, he followed carefully, not wanting to be found out as a lurker. While he was keeping the leader safe, Tryphon had begun to wonder how she would react to this constant unseen presence.

When he made himself known, Tryphon emerged some time later; he found a patch of fresh snow and rolled in it in order to clean his fur, and then he waited for others to intercept them. When enough of the group had gathered he nonchalantly joined in, creeping in the background.

Maybe it was the number of wolves involved. Maybe it was the man's lack of conviction. Whatever the case, Asbjørn turned tail before the pack even finished greeting him, and was soon loping out of the vale. Saena bristled at his change of behaviour—it only proved to her that even a wolf who looked promising was a potential disappointment—and followed him on stiff legs, at a distance, until she was sure he was long gone.

Closing because the joiner hasn't posted in 14 days and is likely to be removed.