Moonspear New Starts

Anyone can join, little wolfdog knows nobody except for Ame xD He's a rather awkward boy. I'm assuming this takes place after my thread with Ame ends, since hes part of the ranks now?

Harley padded along the stone, not used to the cool solidness of it compared to the grass. It was unlike the concrete he knew made up the porch at home, though in ruin and dirty. Definitely not the soft wood of the decaying barn walls either, something very different. Not a bad different, in fact quite the opposite, the mountain had called to him from the beginning. The shepherd wolf had yet to meet anyone, but was too wrapped up in mapping out the new terrain in his head. He would find a suitable place for a den first, and then meet others afterwards. Would they already know of his presence, or would their alphas scent on him have to be enough? Or, the worst possibility, that they didn't know and attacked him. Oh well, he'd cross that bridge when he came to it. For now, the milky lean male padded confidently over the rock and wondered what type of den he would find. Would he be sleeping with others, or have to find some sort of cave on his own? Again, something else he would find out later. His double coat protected him against the coolness of the mountain, not to mention just about blended in with the deep brown-red tipping to his fur. His amber eyes were stark against his other colors, scanning the pack lands carefully.

It had been some time since Floki had done any real exploring outside of Moonspear; his brief trip to Stavanger Bay hardly counted, as he knew the route like the back of his paw. He was beginning to feel the itch to take a journey and made a mental note to broach the topic with Charon and Amekaze soon. His life had taken a rather mundane turn over the last few weeks, which hadn't necessarily been unwelcome after Wildfire's abrupt departure -- but his spirits had lifted when he realized he wasn't thinking of her nearly as often. Life goes on, he reminded himself for the umpteenth time, and even managed a small, honest smile.

He prowled the lower reaches of the mountain, taking in the scents of the newer recruits. Some of them he knew, but there were others he hadn't met yet. As the pack's Beta, he felt a responsibility to acquaint himself with his packmates, so when he struck a fresh trail, he waved his tail and began to follow it. He moved skilfully across the uneven terrain until his eye was drawn by a long-haired wolf. The male's appearance gave him brief pause, but he barked out a greeting nonetheless.

"Welcome to Moonspear," he called as he approached; he was feeling much more hospitable than he had when he met Arren the week prior.

The young shepherd wolf hadn't heard Flokis approach, though maybe eventually hell learn to feel the stone for paw steps rather than listen for a rustling that usually won't come. He would, one day, adapt to the ways of the mountain. For now though, he would need to adapt to wolf life. His chance came in the form of a grey male, barking to him as he approached. Uh oh, who was this? How could he tell? None the less, Harley forced his head, tail and ears to lower. He was new, and assumed he was the lowest ranking. It couldn't hurt to be submissive. 
        "Hello. I'm Harley, I actually just came from the borders and Ame."
He worried about conflict, unwilling to fight with any of his packmates. Such things would get him cast out, right? He was glad for their alphas scent rubbed on him, but still unsure. The usually very confident wolfdog was thrown off, nervous about making the wrong move. He knew one day, assuming he made it that far, he would speed across the rocky terrain with ease and have bonds with his pack. It would be as if he'd been born there, made to serve Ame and the mountain.

The wolf -- or perhaps hybrid? -- was quick to respond to Floki's greeting, earning a smile from the yearling. Naturally, he was curious about his packmate's appearance, but didn't want to be rude and ask outright. His gaze lingered on the tufts of fur that set Harley apart from others.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Floki," he replied. It all felt a little repetitive; with the influx of new wolves recently, he had introduced himself over and over again. Where Moonspear had once felt like a family, it was now a collection of strangers. Maybe that would change.

Rolling his shoulders in a friendly shrug, he queried, "So you're, like, brand spanking new?" If Harley had come from meeting with Amekaze, then that meant that the Alpha female must have only just given him the stamp of approval.

Harley smiled, straightening himself a little bit and perking his ears in interest. He noticed Flokis lingering gaze and wondered if it would be a problem. Ame might not have minded, but there were others in the past who'd treated him bad once knowing of his heritage. 
       "BRAND new, just got sent off to explore not an hour ago. I'm glad Ame gave me a chance, this mountain seemed to call to me."
He became a bit more sure of himself at Flokis relaxed tone, even wagging his milky tail behind him.
                  "Were you born here?"
He seemed to know the mountains well, and it was a good question for the undersocailized wolfdog. He wanted to learn more about wolves, see how alike he was to them. He was, after all, half wolf. But he'd never had a REAL wolf teach him about anything, and he knew nothing of pack life.

Floki smiled. "It seems to call to a lot of wolves," he said, turning his gaze upward to gaze fondly at the mountain's slopes. Harley then asked a question that he had answered many times before, but it was a story he didn't mind telling.

"No, actually. We've only been here since October. I was born near the coast, and I moved here with my mom and my brother when our pack became too small," he explained. Winter on Moonspear hadn't been all too harsh, with its protective ridges and the ample support of a full hierarchy; but alone and exposed to the elements on the beach, they might not have made it. "I don't know if Ame told you, but she actually came from another pack called the Sunspire. She and Charon, my brother, decided to combine forces," he added.

Harley settled himself into a comfortable sit, smiling and listening with undivided attention. The colors of fall danced behind his focused eyes, and they lit up with surprise. October wasn't so far back, and it was just amazing to him for some reason, likely because he didn't really know much about the wild wolves. 
              "That must've been hard to do? No, she seemed like she wanted me to learn everything by myself. Not that I mind, I actually prefer to learn on my own. Sates the curiosity of my german shepherd blood better, leaves my paws less ansy."
He gave the grey male an uncertain smile, deciding to just put his bloodlines out right at the beginning. No use hiding it, he'd already felt the beta's eyes scoring his pelt. Might as well douse his curiosity now, and see how he reacted. The milky and red male hoped it wouldnt be a problem.... He still didnt know this was the beta he was talking to, but that was probably for the better: knowing might have made him more nervous.

Floki gave a single-shoulder shrug. "It was kind of hard, but it was worth it," he replied, thinking back to the long days spent scouting out territories with Charon. It was when he had realized that he wanted to become an outrider, and he had put his trade to good use since then.

His brows raised and his ears cupped towards Harley as the male gave a little more information about himself and his heritage. The phrase "German shepherd" was unfamiliar to Floki, and Harley had been forthright and friendly so far, so he ventured to ask a question. "German shepherd?" he inquired with a tilt of his head.

Oh, right. Not many if ANY would know some of the words he spoke. He'd need to make sure others understood them. Ame hadn't questioned it, but did she know?
      "Its a dog, just a specific kind. I'm a wolfdog. Shephards are workers, guarders, pretty smart. I like to think some of it rubbed off on me."
Hopefully his words didn't earn him aggression. He wanted to serve Ame and the mountain, and if the pack didn't accept him then that would be an issue.

There would be no aggression from Floki; instead, he was plainly curious, having never met or interacted with a dog before. Somehow, he was familiar with at least that term, and knew that it referred to an animal that could almost be considered a domesticated wolf -- but his knowledge ended there. He found himself examining Harley's features once more, noticing things beyond the longer hair, like his oversized ears and sharp muzzle.

"Well, sounds like wolfdogs are cut out to be really helpful to a pack," he commented; they were always in need of those who were able to protect their borders and provide food. And besides, if Amekaze had felt that he would be a good addition to Moonspear, then Floki wouldn't question her judgement. "So where do you come from, if you don't mind me asking?" Did wolfdogs all live in the same place? And why had Harley left the other wolfdogs behind?

Harley shrugged at the comment that wolfdogs seemed useful. He knew for a fact that not all wolfdogs were the same, much as wolves.
        "Perhaps not all. My brother was a pretty useless pile of fur."
 When asked about his past, the milky male smiled. He hasn't had a bad upbringing, it just wasn't a place he wanted to live forever.
               "My mom didn't want us, so she came to my dads den to birth us but left directly after. Our aunt nursed us, and my dad took us to an abandoned human farm. He raised us there and taught us how to survive in the wild, but none of my siblings wanted to go anywhere. They preferred a life of safety there, and I wanted to learn about the way my mother lived. Why she didn't want us.

The wolfdog shared that his brother was not such a good example of the breed, and Floki shrugged. He supposed that anyone could turn out to be a bad apple, no matter the species. When Harley divulged more information about his history, he found himself feeling sympathetic. The subordinate had endured a challenging life from the way it sounded, and while Floki's history was much different he had still experienced his share of hardship.

"So your siblings are still living on the farm?" he asked. Then, perhaps a bit boldly, he said, "Did you ever find your mother?" It could be a touchy subject, and if Harley indicated that he didn't want to talk about it anymore, he would back off immediately.

He could see sympathy flash in the grey males eyes, and Harley smiled. He might've had to work hard but at least he was happy.
      "Yes, my siblings all stayed with my father, far as I know. But I didn't find my mother, not sure if I would want to or not." 
Did he? Hed like to ask her why, but he wasn't sure what after that. What if she still didn't want him? He'd hurt all over again.

Floki hummed thoughtfully in response. He suddenly felt as though he was pressing Harley for too much information; the wolfdog had answered all of his questions freely and of his own volition, without any signs of discomfort, but he didn't want to take it much further. He knew that, had the spotlight been turned on him and queries made about his history, he would have grown uneasy quickly.

"So, you like it here so far?" he asked instead.

Harley wasn't the least bit phased in the prying. His story was just another one to tell,  and he'd prepared himself for being open. The wolfdogs Shepherd blood helped, there was a drive to please in his blood and the intelligence to do whatever he needed to. The grey male changed the subject though, and Harley smiled.
        " I've never felt  a place that called to me so. I hope to spend my life right here."

Thanks for the thread! :)

"Good," Floki replied promptly. He did hope that Harley would stick around; the pack's numbers had fluctuated recently, and there were very few original wolves left. Most of the newcomers seemed pretty dedicated, though the young Beta would hold them at arm's length until they proved themselves.

Feeling as though their small talk had run its course, he gave a quick nod of his head. "Well, I'll leave you to it. I'll see you around -- maybe we can go hunting or something sometime," he suggested with a casual roll of his shoulder, before smiling amiably at Harley and beginning to pick his way back down the mountainside.

No problem, anytime!

Harley smiled at Floki and nodded a goodbye, throwing a last few words after the beta in a friendly tone.
        "Anytime you need me! Have a safe trip."
The wolfdog did not wait for a response, only turned and trotted off. His tail wagged as he loped away, off in search of another adventure.