Swiftcurrent Creek Fool's gold [IC joining]

Joining thread! Anyone's welcome, tagging @Fox but you don't have to join if you don't wish to!

Another pack.... well shoot. Danica stopped short of the border, pausing to take the scent. Annoyed, she sighed.... looked like she was going the long way around again. She'd been doing this for days, hopping territories and avoiding packs. From prior experience this seemed to be the right move. Alphas tended to get touchy when you stepped on their precious soil.

She really didn't relish the idea of another roundabout jaunt through the wilderness though. Besides, she couldn't do this loner thing forever. She was hungry and, surprisingly, craving company. Maybe wandering the wilderness alone really was bringing out the crazy in her. Hah, not likely. Much as she enjoyed her own company, though, it would be nice to have others. How long had it been? A month since the last one? She and the alpha had had a difference in opinion, and life in that pack hadn't been enough to entice her to keep her mouth shut. Their loss.

Well, there really was no harm in trying. If it didn't work out, she could always leave again. Sooner or later some pack would see her as the asset she was. Who's to say it wasn't this one right here? Only one way to find out. Taking a deep breath, she raised her head and let out a howl, alerting the pack that she was waiting at the border. If they were any sort of pack, someone would be here shortly. Pack wolves loved their borders, she thought, amused. Suppose I may have to get into the spirit soon, won't I?

*wooshes in*

Fox had been more observant of the borders lately. Amekaze seemed to have abandoned them, and Fox snarled. She knew why the girl had left, of course. Her scent was mingled with those of Ferdie and Jace upon the Sunspire, and Fox would not allow the dark girl back into her ranks. She had spread the word to the others that the girl was to be chased off, should she try and pretend she was sticking around the creek.

With her tail held high and her ears pushed forward, Fox spotted somebody near the borders, and she took off toward the stranger at a steady, fast trot. It wouldn't take long for Fox to meet the other girl, and it would be up to the stranger to decide how Fox would react. Be a good girl, and the tension would disappear. Fail to react appropriately, and be driven off in the blink of an eye. Fox had an army of ten wolves to back her up, and this loner had nothing but herself.

As I figured, she thought, watching the approaching figure warily. Perhaps this had been a mistake. The stranger was small, but she made no assumptions. Size wasn't everything. As a stranger on their lands, she knew what was expected of her. And much as it rankled her, she knew she had to play along if she expected to get anywhere here.

Let's do this dance. She stood still, no trace of aggression or challenge in her stance. She kept her eyes downcast, ears and tail low, but did not lower herself too much. She wanted to show respect but if these wolves required groveling they were going to have to look elsewhere. Danica would play by the rules but not so far as that.

Not wishing to be the first to speak, she stood expectantly, waiting for a reaction. Would she be chased off on sight? Or questioned first? Would the other wolf attack? If it came to a fight, Danica knew she'd have to run. She could hold her own, but she was never stupid. And taking on an entire pack on their own turf? Didn't get much stupider than that.

While it wasn't the most perfect display of submission, it was enough that Fox did not immediately dismiss the tawny girl. Still, the Alpha made it clear that the stranger's place was below her. Her eyes immediately searched for any sign of weakness or disease in the potential addition to the creek. There were no obvious indicators, but eyes could only tell so much.

Fox creeped forward apprehensively, ever-ready to put the girl in her place should she make a wrong move. If allowed, Fox would sniff out any smells of disease or sickness in the girl before moving on to the introductions. If things backfired, Fox would chase the other off without hesitation. The pack was more important than adding another body to their ranks, and having an insubordinate member was more hassle and danger than it was worth. Without order, the pack would fall apart at the seams.

Catching the other wolf's scent, and reading her body language, Danica mentally thanked the heavens that she was the cautious sort. Seemed she was dealing with the alpha of this territory. As such, the display of respect bothered her a bit less. True, this wolf had done nothing yet to earn her respect, but her position showed that she had to have some sort of merit. If she didn't she had no place leading a pack and the territory wouldn't be one Danica would want to stay in regardless.

When the ginger female didn't immediately accost her with questions, Danica became a bit more curious. Generally she had been met at the borders with immediate salvos of 'what are you doing here?' She would have thought the answer to that question obvious enough and it seemed this female felt the same. Plus one in their favor.

She stood while the other wolf took her scent, then decided to break the silence. In some of the packs she had approached she'd been berated as some alphas were intent on speaking first. That didn't seem like the case here, though she could be mistaken. "Good afternoon. My name is Danica." She left off at that, awaiting a response. Normally some sort of interrogation followed, unless this pack let wolves in on face value alone. No pack with sense would do that.

Satisfied that she did not carry disease or decay with her, Fox stepped back just as Danica introduced herself with a friendly greeting. Fox eyeballed her warily, though she did not intend to be off-putting. “Fox,” she replied, “That's my name.” The clarification was necessary, in case Danica thought she was merely pointing out one of the creatures nearby. It was a common mistake, to think that Fox's introduction was an alert that one lurked in the vicinity.

“I assume you seek a home here in Swiftcurrent Creek?” she asked. The girl had smelled naught of other wolves, so Fox could only assume as much. If that was not the case, Fox would begin a different series of interrogations that would be entirely different. She could not imagine a reason that a loner would linger nearby if she did not seek shelter within the depths of the creek.

Danica nodded on the clarification... an interesting name for a wolf to have been given, but it suited her. "You would be correct," she responded, "if you would have me." She resisted the urge to say more, knowing that by doing so she would be jeopardizing her chances.

Danica didn't really have too many questions of her own... everything she would want to know she would find out soon enough. She would simply answer and hope that what she came up with sufficed. She could always try one of the other local packs also, if Fox decided she didn't need Danica's presence.

For Fox, accepting males was always so much easier. She never hesitated on bringing in a healthy male. They were less competition for her, and Fox knew that every female she brought into the fold was a contender for her own role in Swiftcurrent. She was a suspicious creature to the bone, but she also valued any able-bodied creatures who could help the creek thrive. Danica seemed pleasant and she had respected Fox's authority well enough, and so the young Alpha thought to throw her a metaphorical bone.

“I would,” Fox replied, “provided you can give back to the pack.” The Alpha was fishing for the girl's interests and strengths, but also indirectly looking for any weaknesses that weren't physically apparent. She had quickly come to realize that personality meshes were an important aspect of keeping the pack together.

Ok, so here was the part where she laid out her strengths. "I can hunt, track, and fight. I give respect where it is needed or earned, but I speak when I feel necessary." She looked at the Alphaess. "I feel that opinions and advice should be freely given. Following said advice, however, is up to those who outrank." She wanted it to be clear what sort of an individual she was. If Fox took issue with hearing the opinions of those lower than her, then this probably wasn't the pack for her. Danica knew her mouth sometimes still got her into trouble but she had found things went much more smoothly when she was upfront with her feelings.

"I do feel as though I would be a large asset. I may question orders, but I follow them if still required to do so. I work well with others when necessary and will pull my weight in the pack." She stopped, awaiting a response. This was the defining moment. If she got in, perhaps this time she could make it stick.

I've been listening to the Game of Thrones audiobook, and now I "hear" whatever I read in that guy's voice. <__<

The lady's response was nothing Fox hadn't heard before, but she listened anyway. The true test would come as Danica found her place in the pack. Without a word or a warning, Fox stepped forth and brushed her shoulder hard against Danica. It was the Alpha's way of marking her new recruits—the way of the wolf. She did not believe that the lady was a threat, so there was little for the creek to lose if they took her in. She was able-bodied and well-spoken, two valuable assets.

"I want you to seek out the Beta, Njal. He and some others are going to make a trip to a newly-settled pack nearby and attempt to scare them away from us. You will be a good addition to the warning party." It was not a question, but an order. If the lady refused, she was essentially refusing the creek as her home, and Fox would chase her away without a second thought.

Oh man, don't you love that? I've been watching orange is the new black so keep hearing characters in voices from that show... makes for some interesting characterizations XD

I'm reading those books right now though, so good!

Danica took the bump without moving, not surprised by the show of power and ownership. Alpha was alpha, after all. Apparently Fox had liked what she heard so far, for her next orders told of a task rather than leaving the lands alone once more. Danica smiled when she heard what it was. "Sounds like fun." She relished such confrontations... they always led to interesting happenings. Never a dull moment.

Besides, could she really refuse? Not without leaving another potential home empty-handed. And Danica, loner though she was at heart, was tired of running solo.

The red yearling gave Danica a sidelong glance, but made no comment. She doubted the trip would be "fun." But perhaps the girl was merely using sarcasm as a way of professing her not-quite happy thoughts on the matter. Whatever the case, it didn't matter to Fox. Danica had agreed to go, and so Fox was pleased.

With other matters to attend to, Fox excused herself with nothing more than a nod of her head. She was a wolf of few words. Danica would make a good addition to their ranks, Fox was sure of it.

Wrapping up here! Feel free to reply one more time or just have it archived. :)

So Fox didn't get Danica's darker tendencies; everyone's a critic. She smiled at the fem's dubious expression but made no remark. She was just grateful to be in. Now all she had to worry about was keeping things that way.

Danica nodded in return, watching Fox leave. She got the feeling that she would be fine here, though. Fox seemed like a wolf who could pretty easily earn her respect. There was no bs, no posturing or blatant arrogance. There was just a straightforward dominance that brooked no insubordination. She could get behind that. Besides, despite her look, Danica got the feeling that Fox enjoyed a good scrap just about as much as she did. Just a theory. With a happy chuckle, she set off to explore her new home.

Awesome, thanks so much for the thread!