Broken Antler Fen But I just gotta see it for myself

please let @Ahmed respond first :)

The swamps were vastly different from the arid steppes she had called home more than a year ago. Things had changed so drastically since then. Her best friend and lover, Ahmi, was gone and in her place was the child Ahmi had never wanted. Raksha couldn't find it in her to hate the boy, in fact she loved him like he was her own. 

Ahmed, now a year old male and practically grown, was still young at heart. Even so, it was time for him to join a pack. It wouldn't do for Ahmed to go his entire life without ever interacting with anyone but herself. What would her son do if she passed and he had no one else in the world? Truly Raksha wasn't old enough to worry about such things but accidents happened all the time and they weren't getting any younger. 

"Never seen a place quite like this, huh Ahmed?" Raksha addressed the yearling at her side, tipping her head at the boggy waters and slushy snow coating the the ground. 

The scent of a border ahead caught her attention, nudging her son on the shoulder and leading the way. She stopped at a respectful distance before glancing at Ahmed. "What do you think?" 

Ahmed could never recall the steppes the way Raksha could. All he remembered of his childhood was moving constantly from place to place. His mother, the only he had ever known anyways, was a wandering spirit and adopting him hadn't changed anything. She'd simply had a new companion along and a great deal of heartbreak; if the way her eyes went distant and shiny when she spoke of Ahmi meant anything. 

They had travelled all over, from scorching deserts to bleak tundra to freezing wastelands, though he had never come across a place so wet. Even in winter the waters were bordered with muck that hinted at marshes in warmer weather. 

His head turned towards Raksha, grinning at the question. "Nah, not quite like this." His eyes turned to the snow, something he hadn't seen in quite awhile. Their last excursion had taken them further south than ever before. 

Ahmed's ears perked and his nose raised, scenting the same pack on the wind as he followed after Raksha. He stopped at the border with his mother as his golden eyes scanned for signs of any life forms. He had never known anyone but Raksha. What would they look like? How would they act? Would there be any pretty girls? 

"We should try," he glanced at his mother reassuringly. She was nervous even if she wouldn't show it. Without waiting for further comment, he howled to alert their presence to anyone who lived here.

Andalusia had never been much of a warden. The nomadic pack she'd run with for a large part of her life had little use for traditional sentries. Their territory moved with the herds. But even they had a cluster of their pack - the mothers, the elderly, and the pups - who couldn't travel with the others and remained bound to the land. Though Andalusia had seldom stood guard for them, she understood her responsibility here, as one of the few adults in the Fen, to take on the mantle of a warden. Pearl and her children were her charge, and they'd quickly won her loyalty. So long as she lived in the Fen, she would protect them with her life.

With such purpose, the Ostrega moved today. She put herself to action at the first sound of the foreign howl that filtered through the Fen, and caught sight of the duo from a distance, both lean and tall. She drew herself tall and raised her tail half-mast, careful to display her authority here, yet retain her rank as a subordinate.

"Greetings, strangers." Andalusia passed a curious glance between the two. From her vantage they held themselves a respectful distance from the rough line marked by Sebastian, and this marked well in her books. Were these wolves who sought a home? They appeared weathered, but what else could be expected of travellers? Surely she looked the same. A slight smile crooked her maw, and she bounced her attention between the pair - a mother and her yearling child, by a general assessment. "What brings you to the Fen?"

The woman who approached was talk and slender like themselves but more of a golden blonde than either of their hues. Raksha lowered her head respectfully as the pack wolf approached, nudging Ahmed to do the same. 

"Hello," she began uncertainly. "I am Raksha and this is my son, Ahmed," Raksha's head tilted towards her son for a fraction of a section.

"We've come to find a home; although it's understandable if your lot doesn't want to take in two strangers so late into winter," she finished, not wanting to push this woman and be chased away.

Ahmed could only stare as the woman came closer, watching her with something close to fascination. He'd never seen anyone other than Raksha before in his whole life. She appeared to be older than his mother but more slender rather than Raksha's lean bulk. 

At his mother's urging, he awkwardly lowered his head and bared his throat. It was instinctual but a bit halting as Ahmed had never had to do such a thing before. Hopefully he'd get used to the action in time. 

He glanced up as he was introduced, flashing the woman a friendly smile before turning his face downwards once again. 

"We can hunt, but we're travellers more than anything. We've been all over. If you need anyone to go out and look for herds or something, we're your man," Ahmed told the blonde wolfess reassuringly with a grin. 

"Well...uh, not like your man, um more like your woman and man? Uh we're your people, your wolves," his grin faltered as he stuttered, finishing with a nervous smile.

The pair submitted quickly, and Andalusia appraised them with approving eyes. There was a slight awkwardness in the boy's reaction, and the help of his mother did not pass unnoticed. Yet this hardly dampened her judgment of the travellers. On the contrary, Raksha's commitment to teach her son - and Ahmed's willingness to comply to her instruction - ushered respect from the Ostrega, and favourably disposed her to the woman's request to join their number.

Raksha appeared well versed in the use of her tongue. Ahmed, not so much. Andalusia's smile twitched with amusement as the boy tripped over his words, and she relaxed onto her haunches, gaze dancing light upon him. There was a familiarity in his appearance, one she couldn't quite place. He was as much a stranger to her as Raksha, and Andalusia met his nervous smile with a grin.

"Hmm," she mused, thoughtful. Their case intrigued her, and their nomadic history lent her a sense of camaradarie. These were travellers - wolves, perhaps, with an outlook on the world like hers. "I'm compelled to believe you're a more efficient hunter than you give yourself credit," she said to Ahmed, curiosity lighting her gaze. The very fact they were healthy in the dead of winter told her this, and the Ostrega turned to address them both. "Sebastian, our leader, will decide your case, but I'm confident he'll find favour with you." She finished with a reassuring smile, and tilted her head to let her summons for @Sebastian carry through the Fen.

Sebastian lifted his head as he heard a howl from a packmate. There were not many left, and Sebastian was worried his pack was not going to make it though winter. Especially with his young needed to be fed and pack borders needed to be managed he had little time. Still, he would do it for his family. He got to his feet when he was called. He hoped that it would be a joiner. Sebastian could use the help immensely and even if he had enough members the male was not completely unkind to leave a loner in the coldness of winter.

He made his way to the borders and to his surprise there was not one but two wolves. His tail was up to indicate his leadership but there was no brute force behind his dominance. He was big but it was mostly fluff. Sebastian size might be assumed as brutish at first but he was far from. The male was a friendly giant. It seemed the two had submitted to Andalusia seeing their stance. "Welcome to Broken Antler Fen," he spoke. "I'm Sebastian," he added, unaware that he had already been introduced. He looked at Andalusia. From what he could tell these were some new recruits. Sebastian was pleased to see them. "From what I can assume you two like to join our ranks?" He looked to the side of Andalusia. He thrusted her judgement. "Would you accept these two in our ranks?," he asked her with a smile.

Ahmed seemed to catch on quickly even if Raksha had to restrain an eye roll at her son's antics. Raksha smiled at the blonde woman's compliments, glad that she seemed to be pleased with their rusty submission. 

The woman had just mentioned her leader, Sebastian, and was calling for him before Raksha could blink. She composed her surprise rather quickly as the large, and noticeably fluffy, male in question appeared. 

Raksha nodded in response to his question, glancing at Ahmed to make sure he too agreed, before waiting nervously for the woman's response.

Ahmed smiled at the woman, nodding his thanks about his hunting. He only had a moment to hope for this Sebastian's approval before the blonde wolfess was calling for him.

If he had not been a grown wolf, despite what his mother would say, Ahmed might have gaped at the huge man's size. He very nearly gulped as the leader drew near but Raksha didn't seem very concerned about it. Ahmed told himself to chill out, this Sebastian dude was pretty friendly looking.

As Sebastian spoke he did relax, relief that the man didn't seem too harsh or stern flooding his system. He nearly spoke at the question but Raksha's nod and glance told him now was probably a good time to keep quiet and let the pack members think it over. He nodded as well for good measure, trying not to get his hopes up too high as he waited.

Sebastian's promptness pleased Andalusia. As Alpha, his first impression on these new recruits was as vital as the one Raksha and Ahmed left on the Fen, and so far she felt he'd left a good one. She nodded to confirm Sebastian's assumption, and blinked in surprise when he turned the decison of their entrance upon her. Despite his smile, she caught the full gravity of the question he posed. With a soft humm, she turned a careful gaze back upon the new recruits, and calculated.

Beyond their apperance and the brief introduction they'd given, Andalusia knew little of these nomads. Nothing of their histories, nor of their personalities, save for the respect they'd shown the Fen. There was the option of probing, but in the end she would only learn so much before she would need to make the call regardless, and still choose to trust in their words, and in her confidence to properly assess the character Raksha and Ahmed displayed her. Did she trust her insticts enough to take responsibility for these wolves, with the certainty they would prove worthy, and with the confidence she had not read them wrong?

"Yes." She kept her gaze on the duo. The Fen would never know the contribution of the nomads until they gave them a chance, and Andalusia had a good feeling they wouldn't make a mistake in this.

Sebastian watched the two. They seem like fine wolves and Sebastian was more than pleased to offer them a home. He hoped that they would settle in well. Andalusia had been talking to them and she confirmed that she would accept the two wolves. He trusted her, and her judgement. "Well then I wish you welcome in our territory. In the forest we have a clearing called The Cove. I can walk you two to it. It is our central meeting space. Food is there too," he explained with a smile.

"I would also advise you to also say hi to my mate Pearl, she is my fellow alpha," he advised them. Not that Pearl was such a menace but she was important to him and she should be kept up to date with who are the new members and such.

Welcome! :D Feel free to fade after your posts and start new ones in the forum! :D

The pair seemed to be accepting of them and Raksha prayed they would agree. She wanted to settle down with her son, the life of a nomad was not always fufilling.

The woman agreed and shortly after Sebastian welcomed them over the border and into his home, their new home. 

Raksha smiled in relief at having been accepted. "Thank you, we won't let you down," she assured him.

Ahmed could only wait in anticipation, hostage to a fear of rejection. The moments where the two seemed to think it over seemed to drag on infinitely. 

Ahmed could not stop the joyful, toothy grin that crossed his face nor the ecstatic wagging of his tail. He had never faulted Raksha on how he was raised and neither had Ahmed ever detested their wandering lifestyle. Even so, he was happy to have a place and a pack to at last call home.

Ahmed nodded in agreement to his mother's words, letting Sebastian and his nameless female companion know silently that he wouldn't fail them either. His eyes turned to the forests of Broken Antler Fen, a sense of hope filling him.