Neverwinter Forest If you have the space, can I call this place a home?

First post ever through a mobile xD @Kjalarr and @Cypress :)

The cold winds of winter swept through the land, the girl's silver and white fur bristling as the chilling breath of the air struck her petite form. Cerulean eyes squinted as the she wolf ventured onward, Amari's dainty paws finally bringing her to the place that Cypress, her saviour had shown her several moons ago; the borders of Neverwinter Forest.

Silently she stood, peering across the terrain as her tail swayed behind her in the bitter winds. Slowly Amari glanced down to the ground, paws shuffling at the few scattered pine needles that touched the borders of the packlands. For a moment she tried to find the courage to call for an audience with one of the wolves in charge. Her pink tongue escaped her muzzle briefly as she licked her maw, the thought of calling Cypress springing to mind as she then lifted her nose to the sky. Black lips parting as she let out a soft howl that surely echoed out to the wolves of the forest.

When her song was done, Amari lowered her head and gradually sat down upon her haunches. Leathery nose twitched as she exhaled loudly, white rounded ears flicking back, now respectfully pinned to her small head as she quietly took another look across the terrain. The girl sat in silence, nervously waiting for someone to answer her call.

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As the days came and went Kjalarr gradually noticed the increase in roundness of Ondine's sides. Her small baby bump had grown larger and though the thought that they would be due into the world in a few weeks time only heightened his terror at being a father (because Kja was still very much afraid of it) he did what little he could for her. He brought her meals, tried to gather her what she wanted and would need in the coming weeks. Despite the every present worry that he wasn't ready to be a father Kjalarr knew they were going to come into the world regardless and new instincts had begun to awaken within him. He'd gotten a glimpse of them when Maude had attacked Ondine's womb but that had been nothing in comparison. While he was always territorial this particular instinct had increased tenfold as he made his rounds upon the borders. Neverwinter Forest had young but his cousins and little brother were old enough that they did not induct the same territoriality within the viking.

So when the call came, Kjalarr's course altered and his pace was brisk as he made his way to where the loner sat. He was the first to greet her, he saw, and his hackles bristled, his tail rose over his back to show his dominance. Perhaps the display was exaggerated but the Alpha Male didn't care. He would be as exaggerated with his dominance as needed with outsiders. He had babes to protect, after all. His salmon pink tongue drew across his jowls as he studied her unabashed. “This is Neverwinter Forest,” He spoke to her as his steps ceased. “I am Kjalarr, it's Alpha Male.” He told her, though in truth his posture, rigid and stalwart spoke for itself. He did not bother to ask her what her purpose was upon their borders. The chill of winter had begun to settle itself upon the lands and she did not smell of another pack. He could piece together the puzzle pretty well, but the question lingered in his silent, intense stare: what is your purpose here?

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Amari sat quietly admiring Cypress' home from a distance, the she-wolf's blue eyes peering around to the many pine trees that stood tall, decorating this particular location, as well as providing a suitable shelter for the many animals that decided to dwell here. It indeed seemed peaceful as she remained silent and still. A small, nervous smile managing its way across her muzzle as she slowly glanced around at her surroundings once more, the chilling wind toying with her fur as she briefly pawed at the ground. Though, it wasn't long till the loner's cerulean stare fell upon a much larger wolf approaching. The young wolf instantly began to lower herself, head and tail remaining down as she detected his dominant posture; his hackles raised and his tail held high as he came closer.

The she-wolf's rounded white ears twitched anxiously against her head as she listened to the sound of his voice, his words ringing out over the silence as she looked to her dainty paws somewhat uneasy. The small girl carefully noted as the sound of his paw-falls gradually came to a halt. This much larger, silver and sand colored male now towering before her, the white and gray female's eyes slowly glancing up to look at him, quietly watching as he introduced himself as Kjalarr, the Alpha male of this forest and then, he said no more. The girl curled her tail around her forepaws as she looked to the ground out of habit, Amari feeling unsure of what her choice of words should be; though the girl assumed that Kjalarr wasn't blind to the reasons for finding a loner at his packs borders, especially with winter rapidly upon them.

Feeling his intense stare as she remained quiet, the blue eyed girl eventually found the courage to look up, black lips parting as she finally found her voice, ”Kjalarr.” Amari said softly, the girl giving a polite bow of her head as her gentle voice escaped her muzzle and into the cold air once again, ”I'm Amari, a wanderer.” The silver and white female stopped and offered a nervous smile, ears remaining against her head as she glanced down and continued, ”I met a wolf from your pack a couple of moons ago, Cypress is his name. He..he helped me out from a muddy situation back in the glen, the weather and my lack of knowledge of the land were against me at the time. After helping me, he offered up the idea of me visiting these borders.” Amari let out a small, nervous breath, cerulean eyes peering back into Kjalarr's intense blue gaze, ”I'm looking for a home, and I offer to do my utmost, if you'll have me?” Her head lowered again, eyes closing as she exhaled softly, ”I'm not a warrior, but I'm good at healing and caring for little ones, I admit I do need more training on the medical side of things, but if given the chance, I'll do my best to boost those skills in time.” The girl then fell silent, blue eyes glancing up to look at the brute before peering back down to her white paws.

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She named herself as Amari and added the title of wanderer to it. Aren't we all? Kjalarr thought though he made no attempts to speak it aloud. She launched into a story, speaking to him that she had met a wolf from his pack a while ago. Except the wolf she named wasn't just any wolf. She named his little brother. Given with what she had told him Kjalarr was left to assume that this had all transpired before Scimitar and Eshe's deaths. Kjalarr's terse lips twitched into a slight grimace, though it was not at her. Yet, he did not dare to speak to her of what tragedy had befall them. As of the moment it was not knowledge she needed to hold. Cypress had yet to answer her call with his appearance She rattled off her skills to him, claiming to be good with healing and caring for little ones. His thoughts went to his unborn children within Ondine's womb. Despite her claim of skills the idea of letting a stranger near his children set him a razor's edge. “We are a close knit pack. And with the coming of winter we would expect you to contribute your fair share, as we expect of everyone.” Kjalarr told her. Neverwinter Forest was so very different than Saltwinter. Less hostility and more closeness. Instead of strangers that spent each night in the Grotto, Neverwinter was much closer. More personal.

“I am not sure if we currently have a healer, but we do have youth. Four that are about six months and you know Cypress,” He paused here, tail twitching behind him. “My mate is due to give birth within the next month,” Despite his discomfort of letting a stranger alone with his children he tempered the worry with the thought that two months (since Kjalarr doubted few would be allowed near them as newborns and infants) was more than enough time for her to prove herself to him and for Ondine and him to get to know Amari to a point where they were comfortable to let her near their children when they became old enough.

“I will forewarn you that a great tragedy has befallen us here at Neverwinter and that it has affected Cypress very much. Our patriarch, Scimitar and his mate Eshe — his parents —” Scimitar had certainly been Kjalarr's father through and through but if Amari stuck around then she would come to learn that in time. “were killed by bears. It is tough for us, but especially for him. I only ask that you do not force your company on him. If he wants it, then fine, and you may offer your condolences but he must mourn and he must heal on his own time, in his own way.” Kjalarr warned her. Perhaps it was unnecessary but Kjalarr was his older brother and he was especially protective over Cypress.

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Amari could almost feel herself tremble with a flood of emotion as she stared at the ground, the girl keeping her posture low as white rounded ears remained pinned to her head; listening carefully as Kjalarr spoke. Thankfully breaking the few seconds of awkward silence between them, Amari felt her body relax, but only a little. Her bright blue eyes slowly peered up from the ground to the large male as she listened quietly, knowing she had previously lost control of her mouth through nerves with the start of this meeting, so the silver and white female remained silent: concentrating on the Alpha male's every word. Amaei gave her head a few nods as he went on to explain that she would have to contribute her fair share to the pack, this was something Amari accepted and understood.

Black nose twitched as she shifted herself upon her haunches, bushy white and gray tail curling uneasily about her forepaws as she continued to focus on what Kjalarr had to share, allowing her the knowledge that they did, indeed, have pups within the pack and they were six months of age. With this the girl offered a simple nod, white rounded ears twitching slightly as the Alpha spoke about her having already met one of them, this being Cypress; the one who had technically saved her back in the glen. Something Amari was genuinely grateful for. She offered him a small smile as Kjalarr then mentioned about his own mate was due to give birth and that the pups were expected to arrive within the next month. Quietly the girl cleared her throat, slowly allowing her pink tongue to escape her mouth as she licked at her leathery lips before speaking softly, ”Congratulations.” She smiled again and offered a bow of her head, her voice escaping her mouth as the small female then added, ”I'm willing to build myself and the trust needed, if given the chance.” She stopped, her body flinching slightly as she then continued, ”I understand this will take time before I gain enough trust to be anywhere near Neverwinter's youths.” Amari then fell silent, eyes peering to the ground as her body sank lower. She'd done it again. Encounters as formal as this always seemed to put her on edge. And sometimes, rightly so.

Instantly her eyes tore their stare from the ground as Kjalarr went on to warn her, blue eyes holding a sincere look of concern as he explained that a great tragedy had occurred within the pack; this affecting Cypress the most. The girl could feel her body going cold as the large brute explained the situation further, she could feel her heart sink for them, knowing the feeling of loss herself and at a young age. Though, it hadn't been both her parents to leave her, especially under such unfortunate circumstances. Amari's gaze fell to to her paws as her muzzle parted, her soft voice escaping her maw, ”I'm truly sorry to hear of your loss.” She managed, ”And I understand, I wouldn't force my company on any wolf. I will leave him till he's ready, it's best that he remains around more intimate family members anyway at such a time.” The girl dipped her head some, eyes remaining on the male as she fell silent, the familiar feeling of sorrow creeping over her.

feel free to wrap up with your post or archive as is! i got you all titled up and everything. welcome to neverwinter! <3

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He accepted her congratulations with a silent, sage nod. He did not necessarily feel like it was something anyone should congratulate him on. It wasn't as if it had been an accomplishment. Admittedly, he hadn't even wanted children. His own desires during Ondine's estrus cycle had been just that: his own. Knowing of the risks but otherwise entirely too selfish to care; and the fact that congratulations were passed around when he mentioned it left a sour taste in his mouth but his fear was mighty towards the growing life within Ondine's womb and what it would mean for him. How great the consequence of his failure would be. Nevertheless, he was gracious despite that he hated being congratulated for it. She didn't know and she wouldn't. His demons were his own. “You will have your chance,” Kjalarr assured her (eager to go with the subject change flow), his salmon pink tongue drawing across his jowls as he watched her. “What you do with it,” The Viking drew a brief pause. “that is your choice.” Likely the confirmation was unnecessary yet Kjalarr spoke it all the same. She would have the chance to prove herself to him, to Kaskara, to Ondine, to Neverwinter. That was all he could do for her: how she used it was up to her.

She offered her condolences and Kjalarr also accepted these with a stiff nod. In truth, he only told her because she was bound to find out anyway and because the last thing he wanted was anyone crowding Cypress with attention he might not want. Kjalarr mourned by throwing himself into work, into action, focusing on his tasks and duties. It was how he worked through his grief. Others, he knew, were different. Some needed alone time and some did not want to be alone at all. “Good,” Kjalarr spoke, satisfied that he'd been clear with his warning to her and her understanding of it. “Welcome to Neverwinter Forest,” He drew forth towards her to brush his body against hers only to rub his and Neverwinter's scent upon her fur so that when they parted ways she would not be seen by the pack as a trespasser. He pulled away and gestured with his muzzle. “Come. I will give you the tour, and I will take you to meet the Alpha Female, Kaskara after.” And he turned his back to her, moving back into the marked borders, pausing once to ensure that she was following before he gave her the tour of the pack lands.

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White ears twitched as Kjalarr spoke. Knowing what his words meant, the silver and white female gave her head another bow as she then lowered her stare to look at her paws, his words repeated over within her mind as the girl's cerulean eyes closed for a moment. Slowly she offered another simple nod and as Amari's eyes reopened, they seemed to show more confidence and determination within their gaze than before. The she-wolf knew the rest was down to her and that she would have to prove her worth within the pack, train for a specific skill, one that she knew she was capable of and to become of use to the wolves of Neverwinter. And hopefully, she would succeed with this new quest that she now found ahead of her.

Tail curled tightly around her forepaws as she sat quietly, cerulean eyes peering up at the large male as she replied to agreement to leave Cypress alone, to mourn his loss. The girl lowered her head slightly in a bow, ears arching forward as she caught his welcoming into the pack. A surge of gratitude came over the she-wolf, tail giving a small wag at her side as she watched Kjalarr approach, brushing the scent of himself and Neverwinter upon her, making her a new member to their ranks. As he pulled away, Amari watched as he gestured with his muzzle for her to follow, ears pivoting a top her head as he spoke on giving her a tour and that he would take her to meet the Alpha Female, Kaskara after. With that Amari instantly followed, small paws carrying the petite female after the large male, crossing the borders into her new home.