A New Home

Majesty was nervous, despite knowing that he really had no reason to be. He had been accepted into the Silvertip Mountain Pack of the Teekon Wilds. Yes, he had been accepted. So really, he should not have felt nervous. He should have had the courage to march right up that mountain and go and say hello. Instead, his stomach twisted itself into knots. He bent down and chewed on some grass to calm his stomach, thinking. He didn't know anyone there. Not really. He had spoken with Jinx long enough to be accepted, but no longer than that. What was he going to say?

With a deep breath, he stood up and began the trek up the mountain. Jinx had told him that the main communal area of the pack was inside of cave full of crystals. Despite not knowing what he would say when he came across his first pack-mate, his natural curiosity for knowledge drove him forward. If for nothing else, he was making this trip up the mountain to see the cave. If he happened upon any pack-mates along the way, he would stop and talk, as he always did. Really, he didn't know why he was worrying. He had always done quite well talking to others. It was a wonder he didn't want to become a counselor. He smiled. He knew the answer to that: he enjoyed nature far too much to give it up just to talk.

lel, posted with the wrong character at first*deletes*

Several small clinks echoed through the caverns as Tyrande searched for clear crystal that was separated from their clusters. With many in her clay bucket, the dark wolf melted out of the darkness upon the cavern, only to find another wolf beginning to come in.

For a moment her hackles rose as she did not recognize him, but immediately settled when she scented Jinx on his pelt. The dark wolf set down her clay-made bucket full of chipped crystal bits to greet the newcomer.

"Welcome,"the toxicologist began, her voice was low and unnerving, per the norm. "Might you be a new character of Silvertip Mountain?"

A tiny black she-wolf with shocking blue eyes stopped Majesty in his tracks once he reached the entrance to the tunnels. He saw her hackles raise, and her lips pull back in the beginnings of a snarl, and then she took a few cautious sniffs into the air and seemed to calm down.

Majesty sighed in relief. He could scent Jinx on her, and she could probably scent Jinx on him, as well, which was why she stopped being on the offensive. He took a moment to study her as she set down her… whatever it was she had been carrying in her mouth. He heard a tinkling noise as it was placed on the ground, and he could see that it was a bowl of some kind. He was now burning with curiosity about what could be inside that would make that noise, but he refrained from asking, ever the gentleman, and waited for her to have the first word.

"Welcome," she said, and her voice was low and sent an odd chill up and down Majesty's spine. It was a strange, eerie voice. "Might you be a new character of Silvertip Mountain?" the she-wolf continued, and then waited expectantly.

"I am," he replied, his deep, soothing voice echoing powerfully throughout the cave. He stepped forward and fully into the place, and stood at his full height for a moment, giving her a chance to look him over. Then he sat upon his haunches and took a more relaxed stance. "My name," he began, "is Majesty. What is yours, Madame? Or shall I simply call you One Who Carries Interesting Bowl?" He smiled kindly at her at this point, showing that he was joking. "And, by the way, what is in that? I heard tinkling."

Tyrande smiled back. Granted, that her smiles had the trademark Cheshire Cat-like appearance, so it probably didn't help.

"I am known as Tyrande Nightshade, toxicologist of Silvertip Mountain, but there is no need for formalities and titles here, so you may call me Tyrande, or even Tyra, if you wish. As for what's in the bucket..." Tyrande tipped the edge of it towards Majesty, flashing the ghostly crystal bits. "These are crystal bits that I had collected. They had fallen off their clusters an onto the floor, and it's a hassle to have to watch where you step as so to not step on them. So I decided to take some liberty in getting them out of the way and collecting them for my own reasons."

Majesty was intrigued by this little black she-wolf. Her voice still gave him chills, but she seemed kind enough. "I am known as Tyrande Nightshade," she said, "toxicologist of Silvertip Mountain, but there is no need for formalities and titles here, so you may call me Tyrande, or even Tyra, if you wish."

Majesty smiled at her again and dipped his head in acknowledgment and greeting. "Tyrande it is, then." He appreciated her offer of a nickname, but he didn't know her very well yet, and he thought it would be rude of him to skip straight past her full name right after meeting her.

"These are crystal bits that I had collected," Tyrande continued, tipping the bowl toward him. "They had fallen off their clusters and onto the floor, and it's a hassle to have to watch where you step so as not to step on them. So I decided to take some liberty in getting them out of the way and collecting them for my own reasons."

Majesty rose and came forward, ever aware of his much larger size, and so he stepped as lightly as he could. He did not want to frighten off his first friend in this new pack. As he bent down to study the glimmering crystal shards, he asked, "Toxicologist? I have not heard of this title. What do you do as a toxicologist? Mix poisons, perhaps? The word does have 'toxic' in it. And what reason would you have for collecting these beautiful crystal shards?"

As he spoke, his voice rumbled forth from his chest, a deep sound, lilted a bit with an accent no one could recognize. Others often told him that he had a soothing voice, one that calmed their spirits. Whether or not this was true, he always took it into account before speaking, making sure to keep his voice smooth and calm.

He stared in wonder at the sparkling shards in the bucket, and then took in the bucket itself. "Did you make this yourself, Tyrande? My mother often had bowls like these lying around her den. She kept poultices and herbs in them."

Kaname climbed up the mountainside, looking around for an opening. Earlier, Jinx had informed him of a communal den that consisted of a cave. He made it his priority to at least explore the area.

Finally his nose was barraged with a series of smells from different wolves, but contained an underlying unity. Looking ahead, he saw a cave glowing with crystals. Thus was it.

The dark assassin approached the cave and saw two packmates already inside. One was the toxicologist he had met earlier, Tyrande. The other was another male. He waited a bit and eavesdropped on the conversation. The male was named Majesty, but besides that it offered no other important information. His spying done, Kaname entered the crystal cave.

"Hello there," he greeted the two in his soft voice. "Well, if it isn't Miss Tyrande. It is nice to see you again." His icy-blue eyes fixed on Majesty. "And who are you?"

Majesty turned his head when he heard another wolf enter the cave. Stepping inside was a lean, muscular, dark-furred male with eyes that were glacier-blue. His voice was soft and quiet when he spoke: "Hello there." The male looked towards Tyrande. "Well, if it isn't Miss Tyrande. It is nice to see you again." Then his blue gaze alighted upon Majesty. "And who are you?"

Majesty stepped forward to greet the male, inclining his head in respect once he smelled Jinx on him. "Hello," he said, his voice reverberating around the cave. "My name is Majesty." He then stood at his full height, allowing the male to get a look at him. After a moment, he sat down and relaxed. "What is your name?"

The she wolf snorted. She was not at all surprised to see the assassin. She held her head high, her eyes giving a mischievous twinkle as she said, "Greetings again, Kaname. Next time you try and spy on someone, make sure it's above ground so your scent doesn't waft upwards."

She smiled. Meaning no harm by it. She turned back towards Majesty. "Indeed, toxicology does deal in poisons and their antidotes. But I'm collecting the shards for a less practical thing... I feel my den needs a bit more shine."

She looked down at her bucket. "Did she? Well, at least that means I'm not some freak of nature, eh? I did make this bucket with my own paws. It's become extremely useful, too." She patted her bucket in satisfaction.

I have this feeling that Tyrande and Kaname do not like each other. XD

The assassin growled inwardly, angered that Tyrande had smelled him. Another mental note: work more on his stealth, especially around this wolf. His mask showed a tight little smile at the healer. "I was just trying to be nice Miss Nightshade and not interrupt your conversation."

He turned to Majesty. "As Tyrande already said, my name is Kaname. At your service, Majesty." The wolf in question was larger than him, and a bit more muscular. He stood with an almost regal stance befitting his name. A fine pack member to have on his side.

Majesty bowed his head to the male. "It is nice to meet you, Kaname. I am glad that I have already met two pack-mates who seem nice." He gave a bit of a shy smile. "To be honest, I was afraid to come up here and make myself known, as I haven't been part of a pack in quite some time. At least a few months. So, I wasn't quite sure what to expect." He shook his head. He was spending too much time on himself.

"What about you, friend? What do you do here? What are your skills? Personally, I'd like to become the pack Chronicler, and I have a fair bit of interest in Healing and Naturalism, as well."

sorry for my absence, been busy lately... and yeah, Tyrande isn't trying to be rude, its that her first impression of Kaname wasn't all that great, so :P

Tyrande listened to the two talk, looking down at her bucket and counting her shards, wondering what order she should arrange them to decorate her den. She looked over at Kaname. She hadn't meant to be rude, but Kaname seemed to have a slight tone to his voice, a sarcastic tone she didn't like. She preferred wolves who showed at least a bit of humility.

She turned towards Majesty again. Another Herbalist? Between me, Lecter, and him the pack most certainly won't have any shortage of healing ability. That's good. Then again, I'm not necessarily a healer, unless it comes to things such as snake or spider venom...

Kaname was amused by the large wolf's personality. A big guy like him scared of meeting others? Ha! The assassin sat down on his haunches, listening to Majesty speak. The wolf was a Chronicler, as well as a Healer and Naturalist on the side. It pleased him that there were wolves in the pack who didn't specialize like he had seen in others. It made him laugh whenever he saw a strong, powerful warrior rendered useless by the pack when he was injured.

"I would like to become an Outrider and perhaps even a Gamekeeper, if one is needed," he said to Majesty. The dark-furred wolf didn't say that he was an assassin, however. The title intimidates some people.

Majesty listened as the dark-furred wolf told him that he wanted to be Outrider, and perhaps a Gamekeeper. "I could not be an Outrider," he replied, once the male was done talking. "I could not stay so far away from my family for so long. Although I admire the trait to wander far from home in others. Perhaps it shows a kind of courage that I myself do not possess."

Majesty could tell that Tyrande felt like she had been pushed away from the conversation. He observed from the corner of his eye as she began examining the crystal shards inside the bucket quietly. He angled his body so that he faced both of them at once, and asked her, "How many so far? I hope I'm not breaking your concentration."

He didn't like the feeling of being kept out of a conversation when he was sitting right there, so he was sure that others felt the same way, and he had an urge to always make sure everyone was involved. With a smile in the she-wolf's direction, he waited for her response.

She looked up. "Sixteen. Should be plenty." the dark she wolf smiled. "And there wasn't any concentration to be broken, no needs for apologies."

She listened. "It is admirable to explore, this is true, but don't speak as if you should doubt yourself. It's just as admirable to want to stay home and protect the ones you care for."

The ones you care for... She looked towards Kaname, who was already on her warning list, giving him an emotionless look...

"I believe everyone has their own kind of courage. It takes a lot to go out into the unknown, but it takes more to stay at home and wait for the unknown." He said to the larger male. He seemed a bit insecure about himself and what defined courage and if he met that criteria. Majesty then turned to Tyrande and asked her How many so far? Looking towards the black toxicologist, Kaname saw that she was collecting the crystals from the cave, for what purpose he had no idea.

Tyrande then gave Majesty a comment similar to his own, but she gave Kaname a look once she was finished. It had no emotion, but betrayed a lot about her relationship with him. He looked back at her, an expression just as emotionless, yet his eyes danced with michievousness.

OOC: I plan on making this my last post, I think.

IC: Majesty glanced between the two wolves, noticing, with a shiver, the look they were giving one another. He sensed that something had gone on between them that he didn't know about, and he knew better than to pry. Instead, he cleared his throat and stood up.

"I think I will step outside and take a walk. The day is lovely." He bowed to both of them. "I hope I can now count the two of you among my friends. I hope we speak again soon." With that, he turned and headed outside, taking in a deep breath. The sudden tension in the cave had been a bit much for him. He just hoped the two still left behind wouldn't start a fight in his absence. He would stop them if necessary, but he really hoped he wouldn't have to…

"Good Day, Majesty." She continued to stare at Kaname, narrowing her eyes when she saw the flickers of mischief running about. She watched Majesty go before turning back to him.

"By the Dim World, what are you doing now?"

"Dim World?" he blinked in confusion. It sounded religious in nature; he heard many a wolf say things similar to that, but never Dim World. "What or where is that?" He asked the smaller wolf.

"And if you are asking what I am doing, I am searching for a place to make my den. I am weighed my options at the moment."

Tyrande looked at Kaname with distrust. She said slowly, "In my religion, we believe that when a soul or a spirit does not live a good life, they're dragged off to the Dim World by demons to forever roam an endless void with no hopes of escape. As for your den, their are plenty of caves and trees, just so long as you don't take mine."

"Oh so it's like hell then." he said simply. The dark brown wolf looked around the cave, searching for a good spot to set up a den. "Don't worry about that. I was actually thinking of making an area for myself here, or nearby. Unless, you already live in the vicinity." He knew where the little toxicologist made her den. Her scent always led to the same spot, a boulder, where a cave entrance hid behind. Clever little thing.

But it wasn't like he was stalking her or anything. He just knew where all of the pack denned. That is, if they have one. Some of the newer wolves such as himself didn't have a den yet. But once they did, he would know where it lay.

"A week's worth of hunting says you already know where I live. I'm not stupid. Your scent is always lingering not to far from my den. Which brings me back to our first conversation. I understand when a wolf wants to know about a pack, but every time you ask about it, I feel like I'm being interrogated." She snorted. "But, yeah, there are plenty of caves to choose from up here, I guess."

Tyrande didn't trust Kaname one bit. She felt as if he pried too much. He was a little too interested about his pack mates. The first time they talked, the as wolf felt like he was more than just asking questions. It was almost like he demanded answers, though it's not like he yelled at her.

He did threaten you. a tiny voice from one of her many alter egos said.

Shut up. We don't know that for sure.

"I already know of your intelligence from our previous conversation, Tyrande." He yawned. He gave the cave another look over, then walked to the back. "Does anyone else live here at the moment?" The cave looked partially inhabited. Tracks and scents suggested that wolves occasionally entered here for meetings and other. But no signs of wolves living here. Not in this area anyway. The cave seemed to stretch back for a while.

"It's the communal cavern. We come here to discuss pack meetings. I think a few wolves either do or are planning to live in the off-hand caves, just to stay close." she said flatly.

"What about you?" she asked, "Where are you going to den?"

She didn't trust Kaname to be anywhere her. She felt like she was in danger around him. She didn't like the feeling of distrust that wavered around him. She half hoped that he would pull some shifty moves, just to catch him doing something that would get him out of here as soon as possible.

I don't know if you got the PM, but Majesty wants us to wrap this up. :) So this will be my last post.

Where are you going to den, Kaname? he asked himself, undisturbed by Itzal's nagging for once. He had some choice spots, but nothing permanent as of yet. The dark wolf was interested in having a den here or nearby, but he also wanted to keep nearby the borders to quickly provide support if needed. He was not clear on his choice yet. But one thing was for certain, it would not be near the little black wolf. He was often amused by her cautiousness around him, but the assassin didn't want her constantly watching him, waiting for him to do something.

"I will den where I feel comfortable. Don't worry, it will be nowhere near you." he gave a smile to the toxicologist before turning to the open areas in the back. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have some exploring to do. See you later." The male trotted off to the tunnels, tail waving like a pennant before he disappeared into the darkness.

This one will be my last as well

She snorted. "Good riddance!" Tyrande muttered. Without another word, the black she-wolf picked up her bucket and loped down the mountainside, towards the base, her den hiding comfortably behind the large boulder.