Duskfire Glacier say hello

At first, she really did intend to scope out the other packs in the area. But after sleeping on it and reflecting on her conversation with Rye, something just clicked for her. Meerkat spent one last day in solitude so that she felt fresh as a daisy when she ventured north to the foot of Duskfire Glacier.

She found herself at the bend of a river and followed it toward a lake surrounded by trees. They partly obscured the view of the looming glacier, though she could make out enough of it. It was really breathtaking from down here, she could only imagine how incredible the views must be from up high.

Meerkat took a few minutes to crane her neck and simply stare, then drew in a breath and howled. She called for @Rye and tacked on a request for the leader he'd mentioned, @Wintersbane. As her cry echoed off the nearby rockery, she felt her pulse quickening in anticipation.

tags for reference!

initially, the call rose for rye ...and then his own name was tacked onto the end. if this perks wintersbane's curiosity he doesn't initially let it show, even with the call sounding unfamiliar to him. he runs with the general assumption that rye has been recruiting ( even if that wasn't true ) and within his assumption, the tundrian is pleased. they could use the extra bodies with the sudden and abrupt departure of both iana and zephyr — and with lane on her trip. to answer the call at the borders, he leaves the children with @Tzila to tend to it, not willing to take the children that wished to shadow him into the dangers of the borders. not yet, anyway; though the way they grow like weeds he suspects it might not be too far off on the horizon.

it does not take the tundrian long to approach the borders and thusly, the stranger waiting there. he greets her with a low chuff with his initial approach; only when he stops he speaks, i am wintersbane, alpha of this glacier. what can i do for you?

When a swarthy figure appeared and came toward her, the yearling's heart leaped into her throat. She had never attempted entry into a pack purely by her own merits and not some sort of familial connection. It was as exciting as it was nerve-wracking. She took a few deep breaths, knowing she must put her best foot forward with this unknown Alpha.

When he settled a few feet from her, Meerkat peeked up from where she had bowed her head only to quickly look down at her feet again. Suddenly, her pulse began racing outright. Not only did she have to prove herself to this total stranger, he was a hunk. Meerkat felt a flush of heat as that silly word flitted through her brain, even as her mouth went dry. She hadn't felt such an instant attraction to someone since Atlas.

Trying to ignore her heart thundering against her breastbone, Meerkat managed to reply, "Hello, I'm Meerkat. I'm here to learn more about your pack, maybe join if it's a good fit. Um, Rye gave me your name. He's a family friend." She rambled off into silence, trying to steady herself with a few more deep breaths, in and out.

He can be skipped unless spoken to

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He, along with Wintersbane, was being summoned. Rye looked to his child then to Imaq and promised his swift return before setting off to meet his summoner. The call came earlier than he was anticipating, believing Meerkat would take at least a week or more to choose her new home. The fact she also called for Wintersbane gave away her possible intentions to stay, though Rye was still reluctant to assume anything just yet. He put an extra pep in his step and came across Wintersbane and an anxious looking Meerkat explaining herself. The hotah took his place next to the alpha before chiming in. "I can vouch for her." He said with a smile.   

the young woman introduces herself as meerkat and states her business at the borders of the glacier; mentioning that rye was both a family friend and had given her his name. wintersbane gives a small nod of his head. he is glad to know that rye is recruiting, and considers that perhaps it might not hurt if he, himself took an eventual jaunt outside the territory to recruit. with all the young and the fact that one leader was missing and tzila had stepped down to tend to their children made it a bit harder than it might've been before.

before wintersbane can speak, rye appears and vouches for her. a glimpse is spared towards the male and a contemplative nod given before wintersbane's glacial gaze moves back to and settles upon meerkat.

duskfire glacier is a close-knit pack, wintesbane begins, thinking that it hasn't really shifted from it's original intention when he'd begun planting the seeds. any and all are welcome as long as they contribute to the pack in whatever way they are capable of. it's probably not the most selling of pitches but in his experience, he's learned that sometimes simpler was better.

From somewhere behind the imposing Alpha male, Rye appeared. He said he'd vouch for her, which Meerkat appreciated, though she knew she should explain her merits and exactly what she could contribute to this pack. Wintersbane's words corroborated this conviction and the yearling drew in a breath to steady herself, rolling her shoulders to ease some tension out of her muscles.

"I'd be happy to earn my keep. I'm a counselor and scout by trade, specializing in coaching, therapy and ambassadorship. I've been traveling a lot these past few months and would actually love the opportunity to sorta sit still a while and work on my other specialties. Rye mentioned you guys had a handful of pups here. I know I'd need to earn your trust first, of course, but I'd be happy to help with guiding and teaching them. I've had some practice with my younger siblings. And, of course, I'd like to offer my services as a counselor to anyone who needs the support."

She was running at the mouth a bit out of slight nerves, so Meerkat forced herself to stop there. She shot both men a quick smile, then held her breath, feeling fairly confident in her little presentation there. But what did Wintersbane think, she wondered with another uptick in her heart rate.

while meerkat speaks, wintersbane is silent; contemplative. he schools his expression to be impassive — though it is neutral and considering. he is, nevertheless, impressed. for one so young she sounds quite accomplished. understood, wintersbane drawls. the mothers are tzila, lane and imaq, wintersbane names them off. their trust is perhaps the most important. though he was protective of the cubs of duskfire glacier ( especially considering most of them belonged to him ), his opinion surely only counted for so much. as far as he was willing to see, the mothers opinions held the most weight.

welcome to duskfire glacier, wintersbane introduces after a long pause, inviting her into the claim with a sweeping gesture of his muzzle. either @Rye or myself can give you the tour and make introductions. the choice was up to her.

The moment he offered the mothers' names, Meerkat knew she'd won entry into the pack. A smile spread over her face and she nodded hastily, in total agreement. Tzila. Lane. Imaq. She would commit the names to memory and, hopefully soon, have faces to go along with them.

"Thank you," she said when the Alpha formally welcomed her, bowing her head. As much as she thrilled at the idea of being given a private tour by him, the thought was also very nerve-wracking. Meerkat figured he probably had plenty of other things on his plate anyway, like chasing after all those kids.

Peering past Wintersbane's shoulder, she wagged her tail. "How 'bout it, Rye?" Then returning her focus to the swarthy leader, she added another, "Thanks again for the opportunity, Wintersbane." I won't let you down.

pfft i forgot this existed... Archiving!!!

His tail thumped the ground as Wintersbane accepted Meerkat into the pack, he was eager to show her around and as that line of thinking finished, Winter suggested a tour. Rye grinned and gave a firm nod. He lifted himself from his haunches and was already forming a route in his head, he'd show her all the cool spots to rest in the summer heat; and then some. "For sure! Let's go." He eagerly said before heading off to their first destination on the tour.