Hope Anchors the Soul (IC Joining)

Hey, everyone is welcome to join me please! I am eager to start, and hope to become involved in current event quickly!! XD

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It had been such a long time since she had found any comfort from another, to long since she had look upon another with kindness in her amber gaze. Shalon made her way along the terrain, perhaps subconsciously attracted to the scent of her own kind. Although she would have willingly spared the pack a wide birth if she knew where she was headed. Instead she came to an abrupt stop, not daring to trespass upon the land of another, having only found bad experiences by preforming such an act, as was evident by the various scars on Shalon's snout. Instead of seeking another way around, Shalon lifted her head to release her song on to the wind, hoping to attract a member of the pack who lived within the borders she stood outside of. Never being one for patience, Shalon huffed, but stood her ground relenting to the inevitable and waited for her howl to be heard by any within earshot.

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Wassuuppp! :D

Tuwawi had been on edge since returning, entrenched by bad memories. The glacier was supposed to be home... a place of comfort. It felt that way besides Malachi and Maera, but the strangers among the pack made the ember feel uneasy. She not yet exonerated for her crimes... and the radio collar's hot touch was enough to remind her of past misdeeds.

The eye of the glacier was ever present, and the former leader felt very much out at sea besides it. Even though she worked each day to untangle her psyche, Tuwawi found herself stable as a landslide. Erratic changes in mood and sudden bouts of violence laced a once compassionate woman, and she often acted as an independent rogue. Though she felt familial with Malachi, Tuwawi observed little restraint within the ranks, doing as she pleased with minimal self control.

A howl rang in the air — a stranger present at their borders. Even though Tuwawi wanted nothing more than to seek out Maera and spend the day fussing over her beautiful daughter, a fierce desire to repel outsiders spurred her to move towards the summoner. Soon, she emerged from the dense wood of aspens to spy an agouti woman patiently waiting for her caller. Tuwawi approached with a lofty stride — posture well practiced during her tenure as alpha. "What do you want," Tuwawi interrogated flatly in a gruff voice. Etiquette was the least of her worries.

good! I'm glad to meet you!!

Her patience, a short fuse to begin with, was waning now, Shalon was rather irritated to say the least. Her amber eyes roamed the surroundings, until she caught the sight of another female making her way over. Her stance remain neutral, with practiced ease from hiding her true emotions, Shalon hid her irritation behind a mask of curiosity. She could almost see the change in the air as the dominate wolf spoke to her, not wanting to assume to little, or anger the wolf in front of her Shalon thought thoroughly before answering. "I was hoping to see who lives here, seeing if there was any chance to gain acceptance." Shalon got to the point, sensing that the female would not appreciate beating around the bush. She could only hope that this was a safe place to settle, her journey had already been to long, while she preferred being alone she also knew that she need someone to watch her flank. It was a difficult winter so far and she found herself growing thin, she knew that it would not be long before her strong physic was overcome by weakness.

The stranger was perceptive enough to discern Tuwawi's capricious mood and provided clear answers with a direct tone. Among all the unease and turbulence in the ember's life, the normalcy of another's respect and attention, even if feigned, felt good. She approached the female with an outstretched maw to whiff at the air surrounding the guest and gain some insight into her travels. Dusty air. Leafless trees. A fruitless past, surely.

Discerning eyes swept over the woman's figure without apology, taking in her potential. She was nicely formed, if not a bit underfed and winter-worn. Dappled shades of grey and brown agouti contrasted with the stark white of her underbelly, pelt well maintained despite the harsh season. The female appeared to be entering her prime and was without a trace of immaturity, something Tuwawi preferred. Duskfire couldn't spare the room for a weaker bodied wolf... and Maera needed the influence of other strong, capable women.

Tuwawi gave a snort of curt approval before continuing her questions. "Perhaps there is. What is your name and where are you travelling from?" she asked. Though the female's scent wasn't familiar, it didn't mean she wasn't affiliated with a group already in the Teekon wilds.

Pulling back slight as the other female reached for her scent, it was not a reaction of freight only of forgetfulness. The length of time with which she had endure made the common pleasantries an enigma to Shalon. It was only a brief off set from her usual collectedness. The scent that clung to her coat was of dampness, and stone, giving way to a cold past. Shalom had found herself unable to thoroughly remove the scent of her homeland even after so much time, although there would be no recognizable scent on the female, and none from any neighboring packs for this had been the first she had greeted.

Shalom took in the appearance of the slightly older female, her bright unruly fur, swiftly changing between bronzed and sooty brown fur. Shalon's orbs were drawn to the piercing red that ran along her back, a most attractive color, especially in contrast with her white belly. Shalon took a light step toward the adjacent female taking in her sent. The wafting scent of earth and hay meet Shalon's sense.

Listening to her affirmative voice, Shalon did not hesitate in her reply, "I am called Shalon, the name off my family no longern applies to me," her eyes drifted to the ground at the mention of her family, before continuing. "I have come from quite some distance away, a place called White Hall Steps, but I have left that behind in search of a new beginning." Shalon did not venture her own questions, knowing it was not her place to do as such. Instead she waited to see if the women would return with a name of her own.

Paging @Malachi ...this takes place before Tuwa's attack on Adlartok. You can also powerplay that Tuwa catches him up with Shalon's details upon his arrival :)

Tuwawi's brow quirked when Shalon explained she had become estranged from her family. The last thing the Duskfire woman wanted was to invite bad blood into their land. However, White Hall Steps was not a place Tuwawi had heard of in all of her travels and was thus mostly unconcerned. After all, most wolves at their borders sought a new, better chapter to add in their book of life. Shalon was hardly the exception.

A pensive look cast over the ember's features for a few moments before she began to speak in a binary manner. "I see," Tuwawi began, "You aren't the first to seek a new life by the glacier. I, too, made the journey here with the same intention. However, your admission isn't up to me... but Malachi." The eta's silver eyes moved with a sluggish glance towards the trees behind her, waiting for the alpha's arrival. "My name is Tuwawi, by the way," the older female added offhandedly.

He'd been tardy to respond to the call, and though the young leader had moved toward the borders with haste, he'd stalled behind the treeline when he saw the flaming crest of Tuwawi standing before the stranger who had lit the air with her voice. There Malachi had chosen to remain, concealed by the evergreens, allowing the fire-kissed queen to intercept, as once had been her duty in the ranks of Duskfire. Yet what held him back was hardly an interest to see how the mother handled the meeting, for he trusted she would handle it well. Rather, his mind was driven by a sense he should let the decision fall into the queen's hands. Though Alpha by title, he had always felt his leadership interim, and now with Tuwawi's return he knew how to exert his position over all but the fiery queen, for to do anything but submit to her rule felt wrong.

The words of the women's conversation barely carried on the air, and Malachi didn't strain to hear. He merely waited for a sign of the stranger's acceptance, a signal that would mark the beginning of Tuwawi's returned reign. But such a sign never came. Instead the queen stole a glance toward the treeline, and Malachi met the expectant turn with a pause of hesitation before removing himself from the cover of the forest's deeper shades.

"A new recruit?" Malachi inquired as he approached the two. His tail did not raise as far as it should have carried, hesitant before Tuwawi, but still unwilling to show submission in front of their visitor. Passing his gaze between the two, he finally settled upon the newcomer with a look of curiosity.

The close proximity of the male had gone unnoticed by the mulit-hued female, much to her dismay. She was not surprised by his presence, now that he had been nearby. Shalon turned toward the male, his minute hesitation also going unnoticed, as she had no scenario to base any hypothesis on, there was no way to tell if it was merely his personality of perhaps there was something going that she herself had yet to see.

Shalon showed him the respect that his station deserved, the lessons that her parents had tried to drill into her subconscious from a very young age now came flooding back to her in full force. Lessons that at the time had little to no affect on her, now seemed to be the best course of action. "I would seek the status of recruit if it is freely given." Shalon lowered her head slightly, just enough to show him the respect that was offered, but also in a way that spoke of her will to remain a free wolf, able to make her own choices. Her stance speaking of her maturity and graceful strength, although her winterworn coat seemed out of place. "I am called Shalon. If you would have me, I would be remiss not to ask you for acceptance."

A few moments passed before Malachi promptly emerged from the treeline to greet their visitor. Tuwawi's half-lidded eyes watched him expectantly, much like an attentive parent. She owed Malachi the world for preserving Duskfire and protecting Maera during her absence. The least she could do was respect his place as alpha, unaware she would soon act as an insurgent and attack the young wolf, Adlartok, in the coming days.

She offered Malachi a simple nod of acknowledgement as he came to stand besides her, gaze then returning to Sharlon. Acceptance is not freely given, Tuwawi mused to herself sourly, but she remained silent as the alpha appraised the recruit who beseeched them.

Where he once would have felt at ease standing in dominance before a visiting wolf, his actions now felt forced, like he was putting on a show. Tuwawi seemed more with it than Njal, and though she hadn't requested for the boy to return the pack to her paws, he wondered when that day would come. For now she allowed the duties to remain under his watch, yet with her eyes seared upon him, Malachi found his mind ever careful in the way he presented himself now.

"Shalon." He repeated, and gave the woman a polite nod, impressed by her courteous approach. Though one meeting said little about the habits of a wolf, manners were always a good sign, and that Tuwawi had allowed her to remain was evidence enough she would prove a worthy member of the Glacier pack. Malachi caught his gaze briefly flashing toward Tuwawi, as if searching her face for approval, before forcing his eyes to fall across Shalon again. It took him a heartbeat longer to decide, perhaps due to the extra set of watchful eyes upon him, but finally he said, "You are welcome into our ranks, provided you will contribute to the good of the pack with the skills that you have."

Shalon watched carefully between the two wolves in front of her, she could sense the slight hesitation once more, an found it puzzling to say the least. However the forced it to the back of her mind, it was none of her business, at this very moment anyway. She would be sure to seek our the truth from someone who was more knowledgeable than herself.

Shalon was pleased by the answer she received from her new Alpha, "Thank you, Alpha." She bowed submissively, accepting his dominance over her, or their dominance over her, she was a little unsure of whom she was lowering for. But conceded that they both ranked high above her so they both deserved her respect.

"Although, I am afraid that my skills have become rather dull in my travels, although I am eager to learn anything that may be required or anything that need reinforcing." Shalon was no stranger to hard work, and would fight tooth and nail to remain as part of a pack, the last year of solitude weighing heavy on her spirit.

Quick final post for me :D

Tuwawi gave Malachi's decision a slow nod of approval, notably less uncertain about her position in the matter. She then turned to address the newly enlisted comrade. "I am confident you will become sharp in short order," Tuwawi assured Shalon. "Come, I will accompany you on a tour," she offered as she turned towards the forest and Duskfire's heart.

Malachi nodded to Shalon's cordial gesture, waving his tail to dismiss the title in favor of giving the name he preferred. "Please, call me Malachi," he insisted, offering her a welcome through the dip of his head.

He added nothing to top Tuwawi's short word of encouragement, letting the matriarch guide the reigns of the meeting. With the fire-kissed queen quick to offer a tour to the newcomer, Malachi saw no need to linger. The women would be fine on their own: after all, the Glacier was Tuwawi's gem, the home she'd hand-picked. Despite her absence, the queen held a claim to the land not even he could challenge, a claim he hoped she would seize again in due time. "I'll leave you two be. Welcome to Duskfire, Shalon." He gave a final flick of his tail to signal his departure before setting off into a further stretch of the territory, leaving Shalon to Tuwawi's guide just as it should have always been.

final post in this thread...

Shalon dipped her head slightly glad to have found a spot to stay. "Goodbye, Malachi." She said as he departed, before she too ventured after the female she had first met, Tuwawi. A tour sounded like a pleasant idea.