Stone Circle I need to find a place where my heart can go to heal.

Sorin wasn't quite sure what had led him here. Perhaps it was the stars, guiding him to a potential chance to fix himself. Perhaps it was some ingrained sense of the year's passing; the knowledge that winter was not far off. Maybe it was the sense of foreboding that had gathered in his mind over the last few days, a sense which was heightened by the earth growling and trembling beneath his feet earlier in the day. It could've been all three, or it could've been none at all. Nevertheless, Sorin found his paws at the edges of pack lands. 

He stood a respectable distance from the borders. His expression was a picture of debate as the shadow contemplated his next move. Sorin still wasn't sure about joining a pack. Recent memories and old scars as still lingered. Some scars hurt as if they'd been made yesterday. Still, something had led him here, he was sure of it. Sorin did not know if it was instinct or his starry guides, but he trusted both regardless. He sent a brief look towards the spirits above, before throwing his head back in a ragged howl for whomever lead this pack. Then he sat down, letting the gathering darkness wrap around his haggard form and haunted eyes.

Sleep had not come for him, and a restlessness filled him, one he was glad to stifle by attending the summons that lifted through the night. The call did not go out for him, but he would not stand idle; he knew his mother did not hurry to meet the strangers who approached them, but Merrit had little faith in the intentions of anyone but his family these days.

The stranger blended in so well with the shadows that pulled through the night, Merrit could hardly discern the line between the stranger and the sky. Yet he could see that he waited for an audience a fair measure beyond Easthollow. A smart decision, but not enough to win the Raven's trust.

"What is your purpose here, stranger," Merrit rumbled, his voice soft yet firm, while his stance spoke only of the latter; he flagged his tail, and held his head high, standing like a wall between the man of the night, and the family who sleep in Stone Circle behind him. Scrutinous eyes raked over the man, and sought to take in every measure of information they could see. "I am Merrit, son of Valette. We are Easthollow."

Sorin did not have to wait long for the arrival of the young man. For this, he was grateful. Waiting gave him time to think, time to think did him little good these days. 

Sorin maintained a neutral posture as the man approached. The strangers bearing was one of authority and protectiveness. Making sure to keep any challenge out of his gaze, Sorin's eyes sought out the others, trying to ascertain what he could of the man's soul. As of now, there was little he could find, other than a general distrust. Sorin could hardly blame the fellow for such emotion. 

"An interesting question...with a rather complex answer," Sorin said solemnly in response. He wasn't completely sure, but he supposed he had come here with the same hope  he had when he decided to follow-

The shadow's eyes flashed momentarily as he shut down the train of thought. He couldn't allow it to manifest, couldn't think of her now. He quickly schooled his expression into neutrality, not wanting to make himself appear dangerous or hostile. He sat in silence for a moment more, gathering his thoughts, before speaking again. "The full story though, would take until winter to tell. So for brevity's sake; I suppose in coming here, I hope to mend the pieces of my soul. I want to find some purpose again, something other than dwelling in the past."  Sorin berated himself mentally for the slip. He did not want to reveal such things to a stranger he had just met. 

"Sorin, Sorin Direwood," he said in response to Merrit's greeting. "I presume Valette is the leader of this pack?" He could be wrong, but Sorin didn't think that Merrit would include such information if this Valette wasn't someone of importance.

A complex answer, maybe, but one Merrit had asked for - and one he hoped the man would share without any fishing. The youth did notice a slight change in the other in the silence that lapsed between them. Yet what he saw, he could not exactly place. Nothing dangerous, just... different, but neutrality stole back over the face of the stranger. Interesting. And Merrit offered the slightest narrowing of his eyes.

The stranger gave him very little to work with, and Merrit would sit here til Winter, if that meant collecting the extent of information he wished to acquire. And perhaps he would have until Winter, and even beyond that, if his mother deemed this man a worthy addition to their pack. Funny, how the man's vagueness dissatisfied, yet simultaneously stirred a strange thread of empathy in Merrit's own thoughts toward him. For as distrustful as the Raven felt toward any newcomer who sought out Easthollow, he felt a connection with this one, an understanding.

Merrit made no initial remark; he took the information, tucked it away, and tipped his head the slightest at the stranger's introduction. Sorin Direwood. A name to put to the face. "Yes." He said, in response to Sorin's question. "And I trust she will join us shortly." @Valette would find her way to them, she always did. Until then, he had his own ground to work.

"If you seek a place to mend and find purpose here, you have chosen well. Stay, and you will become family. United, strong." Only, Merrit was not - and if Sorin's eyes remained on his face, he would betray himself by the slightest flinch of his brow before he pulled the stone through his eyes to regain a sense of neutrality, to return to the strength he often feigned. He was Merrit, son of Valette, an heir of Easthollow. This was who he was; this made him strong. "Have you come from a pack? You clearly have family, if you choose to carry a surname you are not afraid to bear."

Valette had heard the howl at the border, however, she was just in the middle of a hunt. She didn't want to abandon it. The howl had come at an unfortunate time, it made her prey far more alert. She sighed, as now it was probably going to be much tougher on her to go unnoticed. The female decided to abandon her hunt and leave it for another day. The female slowly moved from the shadows, scaring her prey.

She turned to the border when Merrit howled. She was glad that he was such a help at the border. She really appreciated it. It didn't take long for her to arrive to her son and the stranger. She noticed it was another male. She approached with a friendly trot and stopped next to her son. "Hello, Welcome to Easthollow. I'm Valette," she spoke in a greeting. The female looked over the other. Only catching Merrit's last question before she had spoken.

Sorin kept his eyes riveted on Merrit as the man acknowledged his greeting. The shadow had learned long ago how to gather information from the expressions of others. Some might say gathering such information was underhanded, or that it had no value, that spoken word was far more valuable. Sorin had once believed such things, but life had taught him otherwise. So he did his best to discern what he could from Merrit's expression, while also trying to guard his own soul. 

The youth confirmed his assumptions about Valette, and Sorin simply nodded when Merrit said the leader would likely be joining them. It was only right that leaders took care of such things. He hoped Valette would be a leader worth following, that Merrit's trust was not misplaced through familial loyalty. He would certainly give Valette the benefit of the doubt; he had too, seeing as he intended to join. His guard however, would not fall entirely. 

Sorin merely flicked an ear in silent hope and agreement to Merrit's words concerning Easthollow as a place of worth. While Sorin supposed they were meant to encourage, his cautious nature simply did not allow him to trust at face value. A near imperceptible smile did flicker out however, at Merrit's comparison to family. "Family would be nice," Sorin whispered, speaking more to himself than the man in front of him. It had been so long since he had truly felt kinship among a large group. He only hoped Easthollow could provide him such comfort. 

As the youth's gaze wavered slightly, Sorin once again locked eyes with him. Merrit's expression regained its stoicness in short order, but something had gotten under his skin. Something he had said, Sorin suspected he didn't quite believe in. Lying to others was easy, lying to oneself was a different challenge. However, the youth before Sorin did not have a monopoly on broken masks tonight. For as the man issued his next statement, Sorin's mask slipped slightly, revealing the deep pain beneath. "Once, I had one," he replied. Once, his parents had cared for him, his brothers and sister had played with him. Once, he had a mentor, a guide, to teach what his parents could not after their death. But that had all been torn away, ripped from Sorin in the worst way possible. Despite priding himself on masking his expressions, Sorin could not help the pain that shone in his eyes for a heartbeat as he remembered such loss. 

He regained his composure quickly as another approached. She introduced herself as Valette, and Sorin bowed his head slightly in submission before the pack leader. She may have approached in a friendly manner, but high rank was high rank at the end of the day. And high rank deserved extra respect. "Hello," he said after a moment's pause in which he assumed Merrit might make some comment. "Its an honor to meet you, and I hope to join your ranks, if you'll have me."

@Sorin @Valette I'm so sorry for the wait!

As intently as he felt Sorin's eyes fix on his face, so the youth fixed his eyes on Sorin's. Every wolf had secrets they kept hidden where the eye couldn't reach; Merrit knew this well, and wasn't he just as liable? Something he said in the question he asked broke the man's facade, and by the words Sorin let slip from his mouth, Merrit understood. Though inclined to stare in exploitave intent to collect what information he could - any further shifts in his mask, and deeper breaks - the raven found himself averting his gaze instead.

Thankfully, that break in focus reeled him back to his greater surroundings. And thankfully, his mother had come. Sorin was first to respond to Valette's greeting, and Merrit piped in a quick, "Mother," with a nod to her himself, to properly relinquish the helm of the conversation to her. "He goes by Sorin Direwood." He carried on the stranger's introduction once Sorin had finished with the words he chose to speak, "He seeks more than a pack here, but a family, and a purpose." He knew this would appeal to his mother, and when he looked back to Sorin, he offered the man a slight tip of his head - a reassurace of some strange understanding Merrit couldn't completely grasp himself - that though he hardly knew this man, he felt a kinship stir toward him, and he would stand for him before his mother, if she presented him with the opportunity to vouch for Sorin's place here.

Valette nodded to the wolf at their border. "Welcome," she spoke to Sorin. Merrit already asked the right questions it seemed. Valette liked that the new wolf was looking for a new family. It meant that he was loyal and ready to be committed to them. The female nodded to her son. "It sounds like you would fit right in here," she returned to the male and then smiled kindly. "Are there any trades or hobbies you want to pick up when being in our pack?,' she asked.

For her that was one of the more important things, since she wouldn't want wolves doing something they didn't like but help the pack with the things they liked to do. She wondered if Merrit had asked that as well and glanced to her son.

Sorin took note of Merrit's gaze breaking from his own, but made no comment on the act. For now it would simply be something to remember. After all, the shadow was in no hurry to spill his secrets tonight. 

He nodded briefly as Merrit made his comments. Purpose was the main reason he was here. It was what he had hoped to find previously, when he had joined-

Once again the shadow's eyes flashed slightly as he shot down his thoughts once again. Such sentiments could only get in the way. He shook his head slightly, refocusing his attention as Valette spoke. 

He smiled briefly in return before answering her inquiry. "I'm just looking to be useful. I've done a fair amount of patrol work before, and I'm a decent hunter as well." Sorin paused for a moment, bittersweet recollection taking hold no matter how hard he tried to suppress it. The memories of Viggo and his teachings were some of the brightest points in the shadow's troubled past. Those memories at least, were cherished. Yet, there would always be sorrow attached to them. 

Sorin regained his stoic composure in short order. "I'll do my best to contribute however you need me to," he said. He just needed to do something, anything. Anything would be better than dwelling on old scars.

Merrit glanced at his mother when she briefed her gaze upon him, but his watch remained passive. He had not breached these finer questions before she had arrived, and anyway, he found them mundane. If a wolf was alive, if they were alone, then by logical extension they could hunt and fight enough to keep themselves alive. He was much more interested in the mind and in the heart, for Merrit believed that a weak link could be strengthened through patience and training, but a darkened soul could only bring ruin to their heads.

As it were, Sorin's answers did not surprise the Raven - but the stranger's lapse in composure once again stirred a careful curiosity toward the memories those answers brought to life.

He trained a steady eye on Sorin, and spoke once the dark man had finished. "If my opinion stands before you, mother," he turned his head toward Valette, gaze reluctant to draw away from Sorin, but obliging. Hazel eyes met hazel eyes, and he finished, "I add my voice to vouch for him."

Did he know what he was doing? Not at all, but this man Sorin, who wore a mask as stony as Merrit's own, stood like a mirror in stark and strange refelction. Was there a chance his past would reveal that he was an evil to be purged? Absolutely - but Merrit willed himself to press into the faintest hope that this man would prove himself to be good - that though broken, he would find himself significant; that though hurt, he would find himself healed. Though though a man of mistakes, perhaps, they would find him a man whose past would not dictate a sour future, neither for him or for the family he would become a part of.

Valette nodded when the male said all the right things. She had the confidence that the male would fit in here. When even Merrit confirmed this it was enough for her. "That sounds good to me," she agreed. "Welcome to Easthollow, Sorin," she added with a kind smile. She couldn't really deny him. Sure there were some weird tremors but things in the pack were good. The alpha female felt confident that he would be a contribution to the pack. "I can show you around if you like, you are free to explore yourself as well," she spoke in return to the male.

welcome!!!!