Phoenix Maplewood Graced with a new life

@Reek @Saena 

Stalking heavily in an attempt to hide an old injury, a twisted back left leg, a dark russet female stopped at where she caught a particularly strong scent of wolf; a border, the yearling frowned as she thought to herself. Her liquid gold eyes were anything but friendly, but rather fearful and sad. The black fading around her face, underfur, and speckling her back stood stark against the beautiful red-brown of the rest of her fur, but nothing could draw attention from the pink scars littering the female's dark pelt. Grace whimpered to herself softly, worried. Surely these wolves would be different, wouldnt hurt her? Only one way to find out. The russet and black she wolf shifted backwards, turning her injured leg away from the border. Would they reject her out of fear she couldnt do anything? Despite the long-healed injury, Grace had learned to hunt and fight and heal just as well as any wolf could have. "I could be a good spy, I'm very quiet." Grace started talking to herself, prepping herself for the questions she was sure to come. What use was she if these wolves let her in? Looking at her, most wolves got the impression that she was mean and picked fights, thanks to the scarring and heavy limp. Truly, she wasnt, anyone who bothered knowing her story knew she was sweet and motherly to those she dosent think are dangerous. Finally swallowing her fear, Grace thrust her muzzle into the sky and howled for the alphas. Would she get her new start at life, or would she back on her own again?

Saena's abdomen was slow in swelling but it was now distinct enough that her condition was undeniable. This did little more than set her on edge. She not only regretted the pregnancy and would've given anything to reverse the effects, but now that she was pregnant, she was anxious about the outcome, the possibility of dying like her mother before her and the possibility that she would grow too attached to keep her promise.

Thoughts of this plagued the alpha female as she climbed from the depths of the forest, near where the Qeya River sparkled in the distance, until they were chased from her mind by a howl. She changed directions quickly and within fifteen minutes had spotted the red-and-black wolf. For the moment, her injured leg was hidden and her scars were only noted at the alpha female drew herself up in dominance and quirked a brow expectantly.

Grace's liquid golden eyes went wide with anxiety as she saw the she wolf approach. At her dominant pose, the red and black faded she wolf yelped softly, pressing herself nearly to the ground and flattening her floppy ears in fear. Her tail tucked close to her body as the yearling quivered; her hind left leg sprawling awkwardly to her side, revealing the scores of pink scars along her hip. Grace's horror deepened when she realized this was the alpha, and she was pregnant. The young she-wolf debated turning and running right then, and probably would have if she weren't frozen in the alphas stare, completely speechless.

The outsider's submission was immediate and Saena favoured that by slightly relaxing her pose to one that was less overstated and possibly less intimidating, but her stare was unwavering. Several moments passed before she began to grow impatient—Grace just staring at her wasn't going to make Saena welcome her into the pack—and she rumbled lightly in her throat before grinding out a slightly irate, "well? What do you want?"

Her eyes did draw to the ugly marks on the wolf's leg, but they just as quickly went back to Grace's face, for two reasons. One, scars were no indication of a wolf's physical capabilities and Saena would wait to see how useless that leg actually was before saying anything. Two, she needed to command the outsider's attention and holding her gaze was the easiest way for any alpha to do that.

Grace kept herself tensed and pressed to the ground, whimpering at the low rumble, scrambling over her words quickly as she tried not to make eye contact; golden eyes flicking to the ground every few words she spoke. "I-I want to find a home.... To join your pack, i-if you'll let me. I cant hunt pretty well, and Im quiet, but Im a much better healer." Her red and black fur still spiked nervously in clumps, but the intense shaking had calmed to a tremble as she awaited the alphas response. She knew she didnt sound very convincing, but Grace just didnt know how to be pleasant. She knew how to be scared, and she knew how to be mean, but not how to socialize and be friendly so well. The poor year old female had the right intentions, just couldnt express them.

Ordinarily, Saena would chase a wolf with a bum leg away. The maple wood had no use for wolves that were not able to contribute physically. Yet her mate was a healer and even though she was wary of healing beyond the basics, she had come to appreciate the skill. She knew that Spring was also training for the trade, but a third couldn't hurt, and Grace had said she could hunt as well. All wolves could or they wouldn't be alive, but Saena made the assumption that she meant better than required and twisted her head toward the thick tangle of herb-ridden forest in the west.

"Show me how you hunt," she bid, ready to follow the female away from the pack's territory to see what she could do. She would not assist, but would expect Grace to perform on her own. She also expected Grace to be able to perform with a group, but for this, she wanted to see what could be done solo.

Hope burned in her chest as Grace rose herself up slowly, glad that she alpha was at least giving her a chance. She flexed her leg back, sore from her rough slam onto the ground, before she stalked forward with her jaws parted slightly. When at last she caught scent of prey, she'd come to a pond. Catching sight of brown, hobbling creatures with broad, flat tails, the red and black she-wolf crouched; she tucked her leg as close to her body as she could as she stalked on three legs in a wide circle to get around it as well as staying downwind, using whatever she could as cover till she was only a few yards from the busy animal. Even with her leg bouncing slightly, Grace took off fairly quickly, launching herself at the beaver and snapping it up by the neck before it got far. As the other animals bolted from her, calling an alarm, the little wolf stalked on all fours over to the alpha, dropping the beaver and looking up at Saena with pleasure gleaming in her golden eyes. She panted lightly, but sat heavily on her right haunch to let her leg stretch out almost normally. "If you want, I can find something else." She hoped Saena approved, a slight anxiety fluttering in her belly.

They went some distance, and if she was nervous about leaving the safety of her pack with a stranger, Saena didn't show it much. She'd been around this block about a hundred times and being pregnant wasn't about to change her personality. Until she was so heavy in the gut she couldn't walk properly, she would live life as she always had: recklessly. Besides, Grace had been nothing but timid, if a little slow to announce her intentions, and Saena had no reason to believe she would suddenly become threatening, especially with that mauled leg.

As they came upon a pond and Grace's posture shifted, the alpha female drew to a halt to watch in silence. Hers was the eye of a hunter and it spotted the quarry—a bumbling beaver whose dam was surely not far off—and she watched with some interest and skepticism as Grace approached with her bum leg hoisted up. She'd never seen a wolf walk on three legs before and expected them to be much less graceful than Grace was proving to be, and although her hobble was still very strange due to the lack of a limb, the woman was able to close the gap and snap up the beaver with a surprising amount of speed.

This wouldn't have been surprised to anyone who knew how readily animals adapted to having less limbs, but it was certainly surprising to her, who had expected Grace to struggle and fumble miserably. She was impressed and it showed in the arch of her brows as the lone wolf deposited the beaver and seated herself to pant away the anxiety and adrenaline of hunting that Saena herself was so familiar with.

"Keep it," the alpha female said, swinging her head around to face the distant maplewood. "I've seen enough. My name's Saena, I'm the pack's alpha female. My mate, Reek, might be able to take a look at that leg. I don't know if he can do much for it, but maybe. He's a great healer." She let that hang on the air and then, with a small smile, said, "let's go home."

Shaking from just contained adrenaline, Grace smiled slightly at the alpha's obvious surprise, tail wagging slowly. Praise wasn't something the russet and black female was used to, and it was nice until the nagging thought that it was all a trap gripped her heart. After Saena was done speaking, Grace finally used her soft voice, "It's been healed three or four months now.... I'm not sure anything else can be done. I'd be willing to try though." but as she finished the last sentence and began to start a new one, the alpha's final words set in. Home? With a wary glance from her cold yellow eyes, Grace looked over at Saena and seemed to weigh her words. "H-Home? Y-You mean....?" Her claws dug into the earth as she pulled herself slowly up, looking around the two nervously and wondering which way that was.

Saena shot a rare grin back over her shoulder when Grace froze and stammered. "If you can still hunt with a bum leg like that," she said, "that's pretty good, so welcome to the Phoenix pack." Hunting wasn't even Grace's strength, per the wolf's own permission, so Saena had confidence she would find her place among the maple wood wolves. The alpha motioned for Grace to walk with her and led the way back to the maple wood and over the threshold, all the while telling the newest pack member about the important landmarks.

Grace excitedly half stumbled, half trotted to the alphas flank, resulting in a very clumsy stumbling. Drawing herself up again with her pelt burning, Grace followed after Saena and listened carefully to her every word. The Phoenix pack: Thinking about it Grace couldn't help but laugh at the irony. She'd been broken and left for dead, and if not for the kindness of an old she-wolf, Grace wouldn't be beginning her new life today. Today she'd truly begin to live, rising like the fiery bird from the ashes of her past. The skills she'd learned while with Nova would be sharpened, Grace imagined one day being a useful and great healer; or even a lead hunter.