Firefly Ravine One Last Step

@Depp , here he is :3 

A big, lean, muscled male stopped in his path with his jaws gaping open slightly, scenting the borders warily. His grassy green eyes scanned the area for danger, or anything for that matter. His long crow black fur lie flat, the snowy splashes on his chest and paws shining in the sunlight. Zephyr stood tall at the border, wondering what to do from here. Was he ready to re-join a pack? The former alpha knew that, in joining a new pack, he wouldn't be in charge; he would need to be obedient and submissive and get used to not calling the shots again, things he hadn't done in years. However difficult it would be to re-adapt to pack life, Zephyr knew that he couldn't live on his own anymore. Zephyr was friendly and social, being in a pack is what'd suited him best. Months of living alone and shunned hurt his mental state, and the now lonely wolf is desperate to find a new place to call home; somewhere he could find a new mate and start a new family. Though he didnt want to forget his old one, he knew that he had to move on to find any peace of mind again. So lied down, making sure not even his claw-tips passed the border before he let lose a terrible, lonely howl, calling for the alphas. Silently hoping that the alpha's would welcome him, that this pack would accept him, Zephyr settled down to wait for whoever came his way; ready to make the last step into this new territory, hopefully never to leave and be alone again.

Their claim was still new, the borders needing to be tended to regularly to ensure any passersby were well aware of the new presence within the ravine. Never had Sen been a fan of patrols, finding them to be a bore and awfully dreadful all around, but for the time being she could not avoid doing them. Their numbers were few, many barely known by either of the leaders, and so she'd yet to trust in them the responsibility of protecting their borders. To her, it was far easier to take care of the task on her own, that way she knew it was getting done and not being left open to assumptions.

If not for the howl that rung out, Sen surely would have caught wind of the male's scent with time. The summoning made things far easier, however, and so she was able to respond quickly. Not with her own voice, of course, but with her presence. The Gorgon's steps were brisk, fluid and nonstop up until the point in which she was standing before the stranger. He was close, perhaps overly so, but she refrained from commenting on such. They were a sanctuary, she could not demand a large amount of protocols to be followed. So, the woman kept her mouth shut, her own forelimbs keeping her from crossing the threshold into unclaimed land.

"What brings you here?" she'd questioned, voice monotone. Her posture had by then changed, ears being pushed forward and tail stiffening out behind her, showcasing her place within the hierarchy of the pack.

Depp hadn't been patrolling, at the time he was just roaming what was now their land, the idea of marking it not really crossing his mind, him being the less responsible one as usual. It wasn't until a howl had called for him and Sen did he actually have a purposeful direction. It was strange to have others depending on him once again, but before it was usually just dumb or not meaningful, but Teekon and the wolves were different than the ones he had met in the past, more put together, less loose. His steps weren't the fastest, since it didn't seem very dire, it wasn't until he caught the smell of his co-calpha did he increase his speed unknowingly. 

When stumbling upon them he tilted his head and gave a curious look. "Well, then," Moving closer to the two, he held his look of interest but eyes seeming a bit judging. "Who might this be?" He asked, mostly addressed to Sen, but also to the stranger, nudging her a bit, knowing it would annoy her in some form.His scent was obviously one of a loners, him and his pack members were only now gaining their pack scent, losing their independent one more and more. The male was stocky and had a black and white coat, which was a bit unusual but Depp being the pirate that he was, had already seen even stranger coats—like one of Rain's.

His voice had been a bit more emotional than his companion's, but not necessarily happy, just more intrigued in the stranger, her being monotone as it had been when they first met.

Zephyr bowed his head, more in respect than submission, but kept it low along with his tail. His crow black and snowy fur lay flat, the big male not in the least nervous. He knew that, so long as he cooperated and stayed respectful, there was no reason to fear these wolves. The presence of the two alphas didnt seem to bother him, rather the opposite. His heartbeat had risen at the scent of the other wolves and by now it was pounding; Zephyr might be crossing his last border.  "Hello, my name is Zephyr. I was the alpha of a pack far away, but that seems a lifetime away now. I've been traveling alone for many months, and I believe I would be of more use joining a pack and finding a home than wandering aimlessly." He noticed that the alphas' scents were mixed, and the border wasnt as strong as it should be. The realization hit Zephyr soon after, thinking that these wolves must have just settled here. Instantly, he regretted having mentioned that he had been an alpha: he didnt want these wolves thinking he'd come to overthrow them! The gentlemanly wolf, still respectfully holding himself low, spoke softly but made sure these two knew he was serious about joining. "I can be a valuable addition to your new found pack, may I call it a home. I can protect, attack, be a warrior. Or, if you've no need of more warriors, I've come to learn to heal; though I could surely benefit from more training, if possible. " The black and white wolf blinked his hopeful, lively grassy eyes up at the two, hoping they had use of him and that he'd found his new home.

Shortly after her own arrival, Depp had made his appearance. She paid him no mind, just barely acknowledging him after his approach, her main focus being on the stranger before her. At her companion's question, she'd allowed her shoulders to rise and then fall slightly, shrugging in response. She knew not who the stranger was, and her glare sent towards the man at her side once he'd nudged her conveyed just as much. Her throat almost seemed to burn with incoherent words that begged to be released and sicced upon her co-leader, but, somehow, she'd managed to hold them all in. There was a clear look of annoyance that remained in her gaze, still, even after she'd discreetly taken a step away from the eccentric fellow.

The bowing of his head was recognized, but not commented upon. Sen saw no reason to make a big deal out of it, though the traces of a smirk that then touched her face betrayed her innermost feelings. Even at the mention of his previous status in a pack, the expression did not falter, seeing no reason to jump down his throat over something that was, clearly, in the past. "Zephyr... what an interesting name," she'd commented, her voice raising slightly, perhaps to ensure her companion did not miss her words. "What happened to your past pack?" The question lacked finesse, but then again, that wasn't something new. The Gorgon wasn't one to beat around the bush, finding situations to turn out far better if one just jumped right to the chase. For the time being, she'd pushed his skill set to the back of her mind, wishing to hear his tale before continuing forward.

"Oh, my name's Sen, by the way," she'd added shortly after, nearly forgetting to return the mundane gesture. "And this is Depp." Her muzzle flicked in the pirate's direction, pointing him out even if it wasn't necessary. Had it been, however, her movement was too quick to prove useful, for she would not allow herself to linger upon the leading man.

Depp nodded when his name was mentioned, as if to confirm that was infact his name. Only now did it occur to him that Sen wasn't aware of his full name, and he didn't know hers. It was strange now, with the two being alpha's of a pack and still barely knowing each other. He would make sure to speak to her later, if she would allow, and gain more insight on who she really was. Sen may as well only be her second name, just as Depp was. He shook his head a bit when realizing he had drifted far from the main subject presenting itself, and that was if Zephyr was to be accepted into their sanctuary or not. It seemed his companion had beat him to the punch when asking of his past pack, so he continued to stay silent and observe the newcomer.

At least until another question had formed in his mind, he then realized that the black and white wolf had already answered it and he sighed, slightly annoyed he couldn't participate much in the conversation. He had spoken of being an alpha in his past pack, and his valuable assets. Depp couldn't care less his position in the past, nor his multiple skills, he was already biased on accepting him. Them needing more pack members in the first place. His tail flicked, Depp truly hated being silent, but he would keep his mouth shut knowing not much else was to be said. Sen seemed to have it under control anyway.

Zephyr's grassy eyes darkened as he recalled events of the past, pulling himself carefully into a sitting position; making sure to stay outside of their borders for now. "First, our island home flooded when the Spring rains mixed with the Winter snow melt. I moved my pack to the mountainside, safe from the floods that had already claimed some." Voice choking, the big black and white male took a breath to steady himself before continuing calmly again. "Cougars started picking us off, and eventually what was left of us disbanded. A few came with me, but one by one...." Zephyr didnt finish the sentence, a shudder running down his spine. He didnt mind her straight-forward questions, agreeing that it was the best way to get things done. He also ignored that these alphas seemed out of harmony, touchy with each other. It confirmed his thought that this was a new pack, and these two didnt seem like mates either.

A velvet ear had turned, discreetly, in her companion's direction, catching hold of the sigh he'd released. A coy smirk played across her lips, entertained by the aura of annoyance that shrouded him. It had become apparent right off the bat that he was not the silent type, which made her wonder exactly how he'd managed so long thus far without uttering a single word. Was she stealing his voice away by speaking quicker? Oh, how she really hoped that was the case. The idea of such made the joy she got out of it taste even sweeter, never wanting to miss an opportunity to get under his skin. Later on, she would have to mess with him even further, but for the time being her main concern was deciding whether or not the outsider would be permitted within their ranks.

He told his tale—a somewhat sad one, really—though Sen's expression did not change. She knew none of the lives lost, thereby preventing her from being capable of feeling anything towards the story of their demise. They were just another group of corpses, as far as she was concerned. No one of any significance. "So cougars were the final downfall, huh?" Though posed as a question, the words were merely a statement. "Have any experience in fighting cougars after that ordeal? Know of any weaknesses they might have?" They didn't have a problem with mountain lions, but the current situation could always change. Things were always changing with the time, making the future an unseeable force. It could be good to have someone with experience around if they ever ran into an issue with the local felines.

Depp still had no opening to speak yet, he found this quite annoying and lowered his haunches to sit on the ground. His ears moved as they spoke, listening intently for his chance to voice himself, but the opportunity had yet to present himself, only making him grumble a bit in his throat with disappointment. Not only did he wish to speak for the sake of speaking, but also didn't want this to seem like it was solely Sen who decided his acceptance. The ying-yang wolf probably didn't think that at all, and the dark alpha just moved his gaze from one wolf to the other. Sen was probably getting the biggest kick out of this, making him twitch his tail for a second. The loner spoke of cougars, resulting in him reliving past memories of his encounters with the dangerous feline. 

The idea of him fighting with the beast made him smirk a bit, Depp wasn't much a fighter but when the time comes he is precisely accurate in what to do to win...usually. But, both him and his companion preferred not to fight. Growing fonder towards persuading and manipulation.

"We did well when we stayed in groups, kept the greater number." Zephyr was glad to share his information with the alpha, ear flicking. If it helped them one day then maybe that was lives saved. "But once they'd picked our numbers down and we were no longer able to fight four wolves to a cat.... Even keeping level or higher ground couldn't save us then." The black and white male sighed, shaking his head and struggling to keep his emotions in control. It was sad, but he also expected no sympathy for the very reason Sen gave none; These were not their burdens, not souls they knew and could grieve for. For a moment, the crow-black male wondered why Depp had yet to speak, but soon wrote it off as politeness to not interrupt the two already speaking. Zephyr, being the gentlemanly wolf he was, reminded himself to give more time for the alpha to speak before he seemed rude. These two had to like him if he wanted to end his perpetual loneliness, and he desperately just wanted to be lead to the camp already. The longer they spoke, the more Zephyr hoped he would soon be accepted. Pack life, camp, friends: all were just an acceptance away, one step over an invisible line that stood just a foot from his bulky white paws.

So they had attempted to fend off the cats... hah! Being born along a mountain, she was no stranger to the great felines. Of course, never had she been forced into a confrontation with one, but even still she knew of the threats they posed. It was a wonder the cats had targeted a group of wolves, and even more so that there had been more than just one of them. She recognized the beasts as solitary creatures, grouping only when their mating season came around, and then parting ways thereafter. Something seemed amiss, but she did not question it aloud. Perhaps their water source had been tainted, or maybe the pickings of prey were so slim they could feast only if assisted by others of their kind—truthfully, she didn't care what the real reason was, she just enjoyed letting her mind wander for a moment.

"Interesting..." the woman had voiced, drawling the word as she thought to herself for a moment. The male had yet to give her any reason to turn him away, which left her with little more to say. "Well, I don't have a problem with letting you join," Sen began, right before tossing a quick glance in her co-leader's direction. "What do you think?"

His ears lifted slightly, but he showed no excitement other wise. Taking to a stand once more, feeling this would be the end of their conversation, that he barely contributed too. Moving his eyes left and right, as to show deep thought, even though his decision was made earlier. "Feel free to call this home." Depp gave a look of approval, before nodded towards the new recruit. Finally, he had spoken. That's all the man had wanted in this, well, maybe not exactly true, but speaking was a big part. Sparrow didn't necessarily long for spotlight, but enjoyed contribution. 

Cougars had also been apart of Depp's life, maybe not as prominent, but definitely so. Having multiple scars on his legs to prove it, those not all being from cougars though. Some originated from wolves, one from a bear, even a badger. Luckily his fur covered most of them. When seeing it was time to go, the male gave one last look at their new member before setting off.