Qeya River byzantium

quickie thread to get this up before the weekend <3 no rush though on responses. Just wanted to pop her in a direction while it's on my mind

Abruptly Redd had found herself alone.  Her mother's legacy just an empty land, shared blood meaningless in the face of a pack broken and scattered to the wind.  In the end she had earned nothing but a parting howl.  She had not returned the farewell.

She did not wish to leave.  But Cambria was gone, likely impatient with her reluctance, and she could not hunt.  Without a pack she would not survive the next few weeks, let alone the fall to come.  She had no other choice.  There was only one pack she knew near enough to attempt.  If she were not accepted then perhaps, at the very least, @Ruckus would find a home there.

He was her last responsibility.  She would not leave him without a pack to defend him.

The journey was slow.  By the time she arrived she could barely stand, exhausted and clearly at her limit.  She would not fault them if they looked upon a wolf starving and assumed she was more hindrance than asset.  A pack, she learned, was not something she could assume she deserved.  Not even from those she saw as family.

Still she howled.  She could only offer herself and hope they saw something of worth.

A howl reached his ears, and Kekoa found himself inclined to meet the source. The boy rose to his haunches, and made his way to the border.

A weak woman he soon spotted. Eyes narrowed, he pushed out his chest - an attempt to look large, intimidating. "You've nearly entered Saatsine territory." He managed a glare.

Kekoa was important here - he had decided that much. He would act as such. This stranger was not yet worthy of his grace.

Ruckus followed dutifully, quietly behind. Their world had always been chaotic, and this new chapter was just one of many where they did not know what life would look like on the other side. Like their guardian, Ruckus looked worse for the wear. Their fur was dull, their skin taught against angular features. In many ways, they had still not grown into themself. Six months had come and gone in their tumultuous life, though their features were more childlike than many their age. Small and malnourished, dull-eyed and wary of anyone who was not Redd.

Redd howled, and Ruckus looked expectantly in the same direction she did.

The stranger who approached him had no features that set him apart from any of the many faces who had come in and out of the adolescent's life. Nobody aside from Redd was worth remembering. And so, Ruckus deferred to his guardian, letting her speak for both of them.

Someone met them.  He was younger than she but seemed confident in his place here.  One of the pack.

Redd’s posture dropped further, a motion that was equal parts deference and weariness.  She did not wish for any kind of altercation.  She only sought to be one of them.

We would join.  She stated simply, voice subdued.  It did not need to be a question, for they would be driven off clearly if denied.  Redd’s eyes remained lowered, but though she wished to sit, she remained standing.  Only a little longer.

A weak woman was one thing, but a child could be of use. Eyes narrowed, he stood in silence as he thought. It could be an issue to have more mouths to feed, but should Saatsine be prosperous it would not be an issue. More wolves could be of use.

If they truly wished to join, to follow @Sun Eater, they were not for him to turn away nor were they for him to welcome. He had no such authority.

Lifting his chin with eyes fixed on the strangers, he turned back towards the territory and gestured for them to follow.

Redd dropped, and Ruckus mirrored her stance quickly. She spoke, and they pricked an ear in her direction at the words. The stranger was too far away to discern anything of significance, and it was unlikely that Ruckus would have been able to read their expression even if they had the ability to see their face clearly. Besides, much more could be gathered from overall body language, tone, and scent. Ruckus had learned to use their other senses to bolster their poor eyesight.

The stranger gestured for the two to follow, but Ruckus would always defer to Redd. If she moved, they would. If she stayed to ask more, they would stay.