Bearclaw Valley miri it is while sumer ilast

he'd mulled it over. mourned his father some more. hunted where and when he could; more often, feasted on carrion like some depraved vulture, gagging on each bite yet soldiering on, for the sake of sating his hunger.

there was only so much a wolf could do alone, which was what brought him to the mouth of the valley this summer day. it was better to recognize one's own shortcomings in the warm season, before the cold winds blew down from the north.

he was growing up. wouldn't rajendra be proud?

choking that sour thought down, surya howled, summoning that one-eyed man and his silent guardian. perhaps he was not violent enough for the bear-wolves to take him—

but what choice did he have? to go home?

as if.

merrick was pleased to have a scout. the dark woman would use her silver gaze and bring him word of thing beyond the bear-borders. in his mind, he saw already the way he might bring asperas and apophis before the pack, and with them a baptism of blood so sorely needed.
a lap of his jaws. he watched crows feed upon the decaying innards of a rat.
and then a youthful howl, rising over the primal forest. merrick straightened, for there was a familiarity in it. he came not long after, and lifted his plume in amusement and surprise to see the man who had wanted to hunt their meadow.
"did the bear speak to you?" were his first words, tongue-tip toying with the corner of his own mouth.

You can skip me to keep things moving!

Aventus, oft not close to the borders, for once was able to attend the howl that wove the air above Ursus.

He came in slowly and smoke-like, slinking into the background with nary a whisper of his dark paws. He turned the sharp points of his ears toward the newcomer and slid along behind his sire, pausing cross-wise behind Merrick with his flank exposed and his tail crooked like an arching cat's. He raked his silver gaze over Surya in an openly critical fashion and lifted the corner of his lips to expose a wedge of ivory teeth.

A pretty boy, with a pretty, soft voice spiced with a faint accent Aventus could not place. Pretty, like Ashlar. Aventus wondered if that meant Surya would prove as unimpressive as the chocolate Starbone, and gave his tail a flick. No, Surya could not afford to be useless to them if he wished to live among them. Ursus was for the strong, the cunning, the reckless, and they needed capable wolves, not pretty boys with pretty voices.

So Aventus lurked, and leered, and waited for an indication that Surya was something worthwhile.

the one he'd summoned came first, an inscrutable expression upon his face. the question had surya's brows aloft, but he shook his head, standing respectfully clear of the border and relaxing his shoulders to show he wasn't any kind of threat—not to his position, nor his family.

nahin. you did, he said, lowering his muzzle briefly. staring down at the soil that perhaps he'd one day call his own. i'm here to join your pack.

another wolf appeared, this one inky-black and younger than the first. a son, perhaps? he must be, for he was younger than surya by a few seasons but carried himself like a leader. surya gave him a sidelong glance and a nod before returning his attention to the one-eyed man.

they were scarred, rangy, savage things. he was not, save an old wound or two that twisted his pelt into a cowlick, revealing his battle long ago with the cougar.

would they take him?

here to join. merrick glittered with a pleasure that deepened as aventus came to join him. for a moment the two bearwolves only looked at the newcomer. a hunter was always worthwhile. 
but ursus needed more than one who could kill prey. arielle was promising. ashlar continued to pale. 
"i don't believe i got your name," the bruin-witch uttered.
the single eye burned. "ursus welcomes those who wish to be better. to be more than themselves. more than what they have been thus far." 
merrick smiled, a dark thing. would this man be ready to transform once he came over their borders?

surya, he answered readily enough. then the man went on, and every word intrigued him more. all he had ever wanted to be was better. to be something not himself. he wanted to return to the pride he felt before his world had been turned upside down, before he'd learned. . .

main dogala hoon, surya said bitterly. i am nothing. i can only be better here.

not the most compelling of pitches, but perhaps the one-eyed leader would take the meaning behind his self-deprecatory words. he needed a new start, somewhere where others looked at him with fresh eyes. no pity, no disgust. 

not where even his own mother saw within him the man for whom she'd shattered her family.

again, he waited, letting his voice die in the empty air.

merrick can be powerplayed out! <3

"merrick." surya. it fit the striking, accented man with the words he did not understand. there were many ways to be better; the bearwolf of course meant that surya should be shaped to their bidding.
he cleaned a bit of gristle from the juncture of two fangs.
"this is my son, your bruin-jaw," he said of the younger bearclaw, sending a smirk sideways at @Aventus. the boy had gathered the newer recruits and spoken to them. he himself wished to drift toward easthollow once more with their dark new scout, who he would give the lore of both places.
"listen to him." it was not a request, it was surya's first test, and he would wait with single eye for their first interaction before he sauntered away, pleased by the joining and confident in aventus' abilities.

Well, that wasn't the best first impression, but at least the man was honest. Aventus openly tongued one long tooth while Surya claimed that he was nothing, arching a dark brow in an almost unimpressed fashion, but the man spoke spidery words and respected Merrick. That was enough to grant him entrance. The bear would weigh the worth of him in the days to come.

For today, Merrick offered Aventus the chance to measure the newcomer. Pulling his tongue slowly back behind his lips, the Bruin-jaw straightened and pronounced, Skeptic. All started there, on even footing. Even nobodies could stand proud next to somebodies when all were held beneath the bear's shadow.

Ursus had few needs, Aventus felt. Arielle was already aiming for the role of healer, and he meant to find out if Ashlar had what it took to scout for the bear pack. The Melonii living within the walls were warriors one and all, with Aventus the least impressive of them in that regard. Their borders were small, with the single entrance, and did not require extensive guarding. Any wolf worth their salt could fell prey.

Where did that leave Surya to fit in? There were new Bearberries to be educated, something he meant to do himself, but there could be no surplus of hands for that task. Could Surya hold an audience? Aventus tilted his jaw and requested that the man, tell me about your journey.

Surya would have his fresh start, but there was no erasing the past.

skeptic. it meant something, vaguely. not good. surya looked dubious, but nodded, lips shifting, unsure of where to settle in expression. as the one-eyed man moved away, he was left with the dark young man, and he shifted his paws, waiting for what came next.

a request. . .of course. he would have been willing to undergo a physical challenge, but this— why was talking about himself an errand worse than any trial?

my family lives south, surya said, lifting his chin and jerking his head behind him, in rough direction of which he'd come. my father. . .passed. my father, but not of blood, he explained, stumbling a little over the words; damn, would he ever be comfortable in this speech? i need a new place. new life.

hopefully that would suffice. he drew his gaze toward the prince, but kept it respectful, eyes low as much as they sought an answer. he knew how to play this game, even if it had been a while.

Aventus contemplated Surya's words and tone alike, frowning at the man's news. He knew nothing of the suffocating anguish of losing a loved one — it wasn't clear any longer if he could feel such emotions at all — but he could sense the pain in Surya's voice. He gave a brisk nod and turned with a sharp jab of his muzzle to the path ahead, come, I'll show you to the river.

Water could not wash away the pain, but it could sooth the parched throat and cool the worn paws from travel.

He was not as suave as his father nor calculating as his mother, so it was difficult for Aventus to know what to say. He worse still the awkwardness of his youth, as well as a crown too large for his head and wisps of arrogance intermingled with uncertainty. There should have been some grand speech for Surya about Ursus and its mission, how the earthy man would fit in with their number, the expectations he would face.

Instead, all there was was a steady silver gaze turned to the newcomer, still adorned with that thoughtful frown, and another question: what does your new life look like?

follow. . .that he could do. he trailed after the shadow with a nod, remaining just off, not quite breast-to-breast with the young man. for young he was, but not lacking power; surya was impressed that a yearling could display such authority.

then again, his home pack had been so large as to never afford him that opportunity. . .and besides, studious satya or shrewd shanthi would be better off in control, anyway.

always the weak link—

what does your new life look like? better, he said automatically, and the bitterness crept back into his voice. not that he'd been afforded all that bad a hand, if one looked at it objectively, but an angry young man was unable (perhaps unwilling) to see past the slights.

new, surya repeated, and shrugged. i only want to move on. were they approaching the river soon? he felt suddenly parched.

The past is part of us, Aventus replied, but he knew what Surya meant. If he could dash the part of his history where his sister turned her fangs on him and what could have been a dynamic duo instead became a strained relationship rife with mutual jealousy, he would do so in a heartbeat. But he did not miss Avicus, not really. More the potential of their earlier days.

That does not mean it has to control us.

The sound of rushing water cut across his words, and he gestured with his muzzle to the trees ahead, and beyond, the river. Wash the reminders of your past away, said Aventus, do not forget it, but let its hold loosen, and begin anew with the bear's blessing.

It sounded so much wiser than Aventus felt; really, he knew little about his father's acceptance ceremonies.

he nodded, emphatically, with all of the young man's words.

i want that, he said, staring at the raging river. i'm ready.

thus, surya became a part of ursus. his revenge taking a backseat, his dedication moving to the forefront. he stood, beside aventus, breathing deep the mountain air.

he took a moment. a moment more. then turned—

show me your home, he asked, green eyes soft and inviting.

Apparently, it was the right thing to say. Aventus stood back to allow Surya his moment, and when the man requested to see more of Bearclaw, the boy Bruin-jaw dipped his head and led Surya home.