Thunder Dome Do or do not, there is no try

Hi! Sorry for the short post :)

Lyght had been on his own for many months, roaming around aimlessly, and in those months he decided it was time to join a pack. Fearful of going crazy, the male was. He had little to no contact to wolves, well he did meet some wolves but none the wouldn't try to kill him. Though there were a few nice enough not to attack. Some even went as far as letting him stay in their den for the night but Lyght would refuse. He had little trust for dens, there was no escape if there was ever an attack. The male stayed outside to sleep, and only in naps. He didn't like to stay in one place for long, it bothered him.

A week passed before he came across a scent, wolf territory markings. He stopped in his tracks and debated whether or not to howl. The snow colored male didn't care to much for packs but he could learn to care for at least one and with that Lyght let out a howl to alert his presence. He backed up a few steps and sat, waiting for his call to be, hopefully, answered.

It's fine~ Any length posts are welcomed, type as much as you're most comfortable with. ^^

Asterr had recently returned from a journey, one of which that had not bore the fruit she'd sought. The masked yearling was a ghost, haunting her mind ever so faintly, but just enough to leave her questioning his whereabouts. He had turned down her offer so long ago, the chance to have a home of his own and be able to thrive through the winter; it was something she was still rather taken aback by. Was it not instinctual, if anything, to seek out a group larger than oneself during the onset of the frozen months? Did it not make sense to do so? There were so many things she understood, so much knowledge she possessed, and yet the nameless male's actions still managed to leave her feeling stumped.

All thoughts centered around his existence, the scenarios that had been clouding her mind, were brushed away by a simple sound. Though there was a meaning within it, the sound itself was merely a recognizable noise—someone had arrived seeking refuge within her home. She abandoned the idea of retrieving her previous thoughts, deciding it best to leave them to fester for the time being. Presently, her attention was needed elsewhere, and so she'd began her hike down from the peak she'd claimed (more or less) as her personal space for thinking. Her destination was none other than the borders, of course, to which she was rather quick to reach.

Standing beyond her tribe's claim was a male, his coat appearing to have been made from alabaster, save for the dusting of soot along his dorsal. He was larger than herself, though that wasn't the least bit surprising, and finely built. In battle, there was no denying the advantage he would hold over her, yet her steps remained absent of hesitation as she drew closer. As of late, she'd been surrounded by males his size and larger, leaving little room for skepticism. She'd even placed herself directly across from him before stopping, however not even a single, filed nail had passed over the boundaries of her claim. The girl stood with an amicable yet neutral posture, her trail raised only to signify her place as the chieftess. "Hello," she offered, voice soft but without giving the impression that she was of timid nature. "What is your reasoning for having summoned me?" The words were smooth, pitch even, but the fact that she expected a serious answer was undeniable.

Lyght stood upon seeing a wolf come into view, it was quite smaller than the male but it didn't stop him from showing the most respect he could give. For the wolf in front of him was alpha female. He quickly tucked his tail under him, lowered his height and put his head down. "Hello. My name is Lyght and I wish to join your pack" he spoke as soft as he could. He had a bit of a deep voice and didn't know if it would seem threatening. The male was a kind soul and didn't want to seem scary in any way but if his life was in danger or if the male felt threatened he would be that wolfs worst nightmare. Though he doubt that would happen any time soon.

Lyght knew how pack recruitment went, he would have to explain his skills. He learned this from watching his old pack recruitment wolves but that was his pack. Maybe this pack doesn't do the same. Though he saw no reason not to include his skill, it would only further his chances to get into the pack. "Forgive me if I speak to much but I am a very good fighter." The male paused and thought that what he said might sound threatening, though doubtful, he didn't want to take any chances. "I do not mean this as a threat, I simply wish to join your pack." It was true all he wanted was a pack and hopefully he can be apart of this one.

Her arrival had roused the male from his sitting position, his full height being revealed if only for a moment. Seconds later his posture had changed, head lowering and tail tucking itself between his thighs. The present members of the tribe were never required to do such, and she'd yet to outright demand it of loners seeking refuge within their ranks, but had discovered it to be rather reassuring when first meeting an outsider. If they were willing to lower themselves in such a way, then surely they would be capable of offering what she truly sought in them. Thus, her full attention was placed on the male, catching his name and what had driven him to seek out their borders. "Hello, Lyght, my name is Asterr."

The dragoness was not given the opportunity to ask of him the questions that came with the request to join, for he'd already begun speaking of himself. He shared with her his skill as a fighter, however it struck little interest into her. Already they possessed many excellent warriors, all of which she hoped would never have to see battle while within her tribe. "My tribe consists of many skilled warriors," she began, watching him carefully. "Have you any other skills to offer us?" Normally she was not so interested in hearing of their skills, for her mind focused on one particular thing, but their ranks were filling. They would be full soon, so she felt it time to start increasing the necessary criteria.

The alpha's name was Asterr, it is quite the name. "Its is nice to meet you Asterr" Lyght thought the name was unusual but as he though more about the name, he grew to like it. It seemed to fit the female, like his name fit his. Lyght remembered his mother telling him how he got his name, it was given to him upon his light colored fur when he was born. The rest of his siblings were a dark color, just like their father. Lyght wanted to be more like his father but as he grew some black showed in his back, he still wasn't entirely happy with this but he had no choice in what he looked like. Before going further in to thought the male shook his head to rid himself of these thoughts, he needed to focus on Asterr. The female had many warriors in her pack, this troubled the male, he was only good at one other thing and that was scouting. Not the best trade in the world, he sighed a little. Maybe I could be her slave, he joked with himself.  Now wasn't the best time to joke but he couldn't help himself. No I wouldn't stoop that low, being submissive was already a little degrading, he argued. If he couldn't make it into this he would have to be a lone wolf for a while but he was determined to make it into this pack.  

Lyght looked straight into the alpha's eyes, knowing how disrespectful it was and spoke in his normal deep voice "I could be a scout. Yes I know its a horrible trade but I'll be d*mned if I wont try to make it work, I would be the most loyal wolf you've ever met! If I were to get accepted into this pack, you would very quickly earn my loyalty." The males voice sounded deep and determined through. Lyght put his head down as soon as he was done talking "Not that you wouldn't have my loyalty to begin with and please forgive to for making eye contact." Hopefully Lyght didn't make the female mad, he braced himself. He didn't know how dominate the female was, the way his neck was positioned she could easily kill him. The male could only hope she would take mercy on him.

Prior to the founding of the tribe, Asterr had not minded strangers looking her in the eye. She'd believed it to be polite, actually, as it'd allowed for one to better read another's facial expressions. By meeting one another's gazes head-on, each party was given the chance to tell if what they were being told was truly the truth or not. Since her shift in roles, however, the action unnerved her. She could accept it coming from those she trusted, the members of Ryūjin and her family, but when it came to outsiders... well, she just couldn't tolerate it. The yearling's fur raised, driven not by fear but by her need to reassure that she was the one presently in charge. The girl's silver gaze met his, an unreadable gleam flickering through it. It was made clear she would not accept any challenges coming from him, and that he would be wise to understand that.

Not long after, he'd begun to speak once more, offering to her another trade he might be able to pursue. He then spoke badly of it, mentioning how it was a horrible one. Asterr, of course, was quick to disagree. "Who gave you the impression that the scout trade was anything less than any others?" How someone could even draw such a conclusion, she didn't know. "The role of a scout is very important in any functioning tribe, despite whatever you may think." They were necessary, especially when a message was supposed to be delivered or a diplomat was needed. Even when it came to matters concerning travel, the knowledge a scout might hold could prove completely and utterly useful.

After then going on to mention his loyalty, the male lowered his head once more. The dragoness appreciated the small movement, but said nothing of it. "You speak of loyalty, but already you have challenged my leadership," the girl began, her fur having smoothed back down, though her eyes retained their strange glint. "While I appreciate your apology, can you prove to me that you will never do as you just did again? I do not ask that my wolves give to me complete submission, but I cannot bring myself to allow a clear blow at the authority I have established here."

The males thoughts about being a scout did not go over well with the alpha, she thought scouts to be important. To some degree they were but in Lyghts eyes they weren't all to important. At least no until war time, then that's when scouts were busiest but that was his old packs views. He needed to be open minded to other things if he were to join any pack at all. "Just some old beliefs but I realized being open minded is good, if I am to join your pack." he sounded distant upon saying this. Another thing he had to let go. "My apologizes scouts must be important if you speak highly of them." His apology was sincere, he didn't want to get on her bad side. The male would soon find out he already did.

Asterr felt that her leadership was challenged, this confused the male, he would never do such a thing. He started to feel a little offended but that feeling went away upon further explanation from the female. Looking straight into the females eyes was a horrible idea, Lyght knew that from the beginning, he had even braced him self for the worse, so he sort of had it coming. "I wish to join your pack, not destroy it." He paused debating whether to tell a tiny bit of his past to further prove he wasn't going to challenge her. He deemed it to be fruitless, there was no point in doing so, he didn't want a single soul to know his past. "I promise you it wont happen again and I keep my promises." the male kept all of his promises, never breaking a single one.

Once more an apology was given, though this time it was in relation to his comment, rather than his actions. She could not turn someone away simply because they were not as open-minded as herself, or even because they might view things differently from her—she had been raised better than that, and would do well to remember such. Thus, the topic was dropped and nothing more was said on it. If he viewed something one way, who was she to force him to change? It simply wasn't her place, and this she was well aware of.

The conversation was moved onto his mistake, it having been followed up by a simple statement. Already he had apologized, but that did not wipe the slate clean. What he had to say afterwards, however, helped to at least move things along. She could no better tell if he was lying than a fish could walk through a desert, but he did not alight within her unease. His words had sounded sincere, too, bettering the inevitable outcome of their encounter. "Since you keep your promises, can you promise to me that you will remain loyal to us?" the girl asked, her legs ready to move in either direction depending on his answer. "Not solely to me, either, but to everyone within the tribe. Even the land itself." Such was important to her and was, ultimately, the deciding factor.

Short post because fading? Maybe? If not just tell me :)

 

Lyght saying he needed to be open minded was not commented on, he assumed his answer was good enough for the female but he wasn't sure. "If it ever came down to it, I would protect this pack with my life" the male was a bit desperate to join this pack, he was tired of being alone. Always looking behind his back to make sure he wasn't getting ready to be killed or having to move every couple of hours due to paranoia. Joining this pack would mean he wouldn't have to be on constant guard, he could finally get the sleep he so desperately needed.

Fading sounds fine by me~ You can add one more post if you'd like, or go ahead and archive if you don't think another is necessary. uwu Welcome to the tribe!

It was a statement capable of tipping all scales, the ultimate sacrifice one could give for their home—their life. Such was an outcome she hoped to never have a chance at becoming a reality, but even so the notion alone had her intrigued. In spite of the male's previous actions, she could detect no hints of a lie within his tone. He seemed to be speaking with honesty, and so she was presented with the urge to see how such might play out. So, with calculated steps, she approached the outsider and touched her muzzle to his shoulder. Afterwards she had stepped back, fixing him in her gaze for a solid minute or two. "I will accept you into my ranks, if only because I find your words to be appealing," the girl noted, her words soft but holding a faint sternness to them. Her message was clear: she had accepted him, but any signs of disloyalty would result in an immediate eviction.

Asterr turned, swinging her head slightly to motion for the male to follow her. From there she would lead him to the cavern, leaving him behind in the lush woods that took up most of it's space. She would depart thereafter, allowing him the opportunity to explore, but with the knowledge that she was near. She would watch him carefully in the days to come, to be certain her decision had been the correct one.

I think one last post will do :)

The female touched her muzzle to Lyght's shoulder, the male didn't understand what that was for but he had a good idea after Asterr accepted him into the pack. Though he still kind of didn't know what it meant but he didn't care, he made it into the pack. Relief showed on his face, his previous actions made him doubt he'd make the cut but somehow his words allowed him to. "It is an honor to be in your pack" the male gave a soft smile.

Asterr motioned for Lyght to follow and he did as asked. The female took him to a cavern place, most likely were he'd be sleeping. The female left, leaving Lyght to explore but he was quite to tired to explore so he just looked around in the cavern.