The Sentinels One raindrop raises the sea

Joining :) @Lasher @Blue Willow @Dante 
I wasn't quite sure who to tag so I thought I'd best tag everyone.

The ragged cliffs and towering red wooded trees were far from anything she had ever seen in her short life, far from the straight plains of low trees and sighing grasses where the sun was hot and the wind blew not as a mercy but as a fiend. It was colder here as well, the brisk ocean breeze far colder than what she had expected it to be.

But Sanuye- that's who this red faced fae was after all, had let herself stew in her thoughts for long enough. Who cared if it was different from the place she had called home for her childhood? It was a place to start again, find a new way to live. That was what mattered.

Even if she didn't fit here, she could always spin a tale or two out of her journey here, as well as legends that came so easily to mind as she gazed up at sequoia trees. So great and mighty, as if fashioned from something far greater than herself- or indeed, any wolf or creature. Now that was a story worth telling.

But the area here was lined with thick pack scents, musky and strong and most importantly, fresh. A pack resided here, with a well kept border- hopegully a pack that would accept her.

The red faced fae let out a greeting howl, her intention of seeking entrance into the pack crystal clear. Now she just had to hope they would accept her.

yay! Quickie work post :D

Dante was enthusiastically rubbing his shoulder against a bordering sequoia when the polite howl issued forth, and his ears pricked in the direction with interest.  A new joiner?  Their ranks had swelled since the relocation, and it lightened his heart to see the pack flourish like this.  He lifted his muzzle to call a quick response, a simple wait there, before finishing the marking.  His coat was growing it's winter warmth and the transition meant some itchy discomfort, a dual benefit to the art of marking the territory borders.  The trees here served their purpose just as well (if not even a bit better) than those back inland.

He met her at a trot, slowing down and catching his breath in the thin, frosty air.  "You are looking for a home?" He asked, not bothering to beat around the bush.  Her purpose was pretty plain. "I am Dante, Beta of Donnelaith." He then looked at her, an invitation to introduce herself and answer his question.

When her howl had been returned with an answer, a simple but no nonsense request to wait, the red faced fae sat on her rump and did just that. The air was cool and she amused herself during the short wait by puffing out clouds of warm air and watched as the white puffs trickled away into the winter landscape.

When the silver and dark form of a wolf entered her sight, she lowered her head but kept her gaze at the chest height, not totally submissive but in non threatening stance, with her head cast down and tail between her legs. 

"I'm Sanuye, from the eastern plains. And yes, a home is definitely what I'm after. This pack seemed strong, though new and looked to be the best option in the area. And I'm pleased to meet you @Dante."

She was polite, a good sign, but he kept his gaze skeptical. Even if she appeared well, a contrite demeanor could hide a less pleasant core. He wasn't so jaded as to think hers did, but he was realistic enough to know the chance, and they had pups coming.

"Why should we welcome you into our home?" He asked, raising his head slightly. He wouldn't ask for a resume - obviously her capacity to take care of herself was good enough. But why did she think she would fit in their family? This was what he wanted a feel for.

The silvered eyes of the beta before her were still shrewd and focused, the other's stance solid and unyielding. Far from shaking her determination, Sanuye felt her admiration for the pack continue. She had stopped by the borders of several packs thus far in her journey, all of them outside of the Teekon Wilds. Some were overly aggressive, which she could not fault- but for packs searching to bolster their ranks, they weren't taking the right path. Others still had a very lackadaisical view towards border protection, easily accepting member without the slightest of inspection.

"My pack wasn't a family. Our lands where never a home. I've never seen a pack work together properly- without political shenanigans and rivalries that our pack used to let distract from actually running the pack. I'm looking for a home- where I'm not known as the runt of the litter for the rest of life, despite years of proving them wrong. And I'd love to give you a running list of why I'm such an excellent potential pack member-but that's not going to help you." Her mouth had run away on her and though she'd be waffling, it was most likely superior to the drivel she would have come up with otherwise. "I'm just looking for a family. So I can help them and in return, have wolves around me who at least don't want me to die and at best, would help me."

She was astute, almost eerily so.  But so often had he heard the basics, her request was refreshingly to the point.  He saw no issue with giving her a chance to see if their home was the fit she sought.

"This pack is, above all, a family.  We don't hold with those kinds of politics.  So if that is truly what you seek, I think you will do well here."  He offered a slight wag of his tail and a gentle smile, clear indications that the danger was past.  He wouldn't need to block her entry.

Indicating she could follow, he began to walk further into the territory, intending to escort her to the main area and see if Blue or Lasher were about.  "This previous home... Was it your birth pack?" He wouldn't mind if his questions were shut down, for private pasts weren't alien to him at all, but the answer would give him a bit of insight to her character.

[size=medium]When the argent and coal wolf spoke, Sanuye felt the tension drain from her body and the nervousness, while by no means gone, had abated somewhat with the onset of her excitement.[/size]

[size=medium]"I am glad to hear that. It's such a terrible way for a pack to go I think, to be held up by all those politics and internal conflicts." When the other presented her with a smile, she grinned back and wagged her tail a little more than gently. She was just over the moon, this overdue  but momentous occasion in her life had finally come! She'd always wanted to find a place to...well, she wasn't sure exactly what she wanted to do but she'd figure that out later. [/size]

[size=medium]As she followed Dante, his route of questioning did not surprise her, being quite a common point of converse among wolves she had met. "Yes, it was. A large pack out on the eastern steppes, I was born the runt of the alpha pair's third litter. I shouldn't have survived, according to my father. That's what he told me, when I was old enough to understand him, having survived by some miracle until then. I took it as a challenge from then, gradually earning my place in the pack as a skilled story teller and healer. It didn't matter any though. The politics were weighed against me at the time, so I left before they found a loop hole to banish me or worse." She had told far too much but once she got talking about something like this, she found it ever so hard to stop.[/size]

She spilled her life story to him eagerly, and though at first he found the openness odd, it was refreshing too. He liked the straightforward manner she used in the telling, and appreciated the lack of any sort of evasion. This was a wolf who he could trust to know where he stood with her.

"Our gain," he said simply, figuring the statement to be true. Her old pack had lost themselves a member and they had gained a packmate. Especially if she was both healer and chronicler. Maybe she'd be interested in pursuing those here. "My mate is a gifted storyteller, and I always love a good tale. Maybe we could swap stories sometime?" He could see Osprey and this girl getting along if her interests lay along the same storytelling vein. They would probably meet soon enough. "And our alpha female is a healer. It's a good trade. One that too few have skill in, myself included." He smiled good-naturedly at that. "Some are better at breaking than fixing, sadly."

Sorry for the wait, completely got absorbed by life after Christmas and New Year. :) @Dante 

Upon hearing of other wolves with her same predilection towards story telling, her tail moved just a fraction faster and she smiled happily. "I would love to trade some stories! I should think that a wolf from these parts would have such fascinating stories to tell."

She returned the good-natured smile of her new packmate and nodded. "It is indeed so. I find it a little sad, though I feel hypocritical in doing so. I've done my fair share of destroying, so maybe my healing can help fix what I've broken. Who knows?"

Even Dante was a fan of trading tales, doing so at times along with his mate, so her eagerness made him glad.  It was always good to bring fresh history and ideas into the pack, and if it came in the form of stories, all the better!

"Different strengths are necessary for the pack to thrive," he said peaceably, having accepted his role of protector a while ago.  He had fancied the same as her for a short moment when he joined, but knew he didn't have the head for it.  Plant knowledge scattered like the breeze as soon as he heard it, in one ear and out the other.  "But that is an admirable goal.  I hope you can continue to learn here."