Stone Circle yeah, banner's powerful and useful, too

Banner reached foward, pressing her charcoal nose flat against one of the several stone pillars that made up Stone Circle.  She held her head there for a few long moments - how the hell did this happen?  These stones had no Earthly business being here in the middle of what was essentially a clearing.  Wolves couldn't have done this.  No creature she'd ever seen, either.  Even hundreds of wolves working together couldn't move things like this.  The new Easthollow wolf drew her head back with a sharp huff of frustration, her bright green eyes narrowing considerably as she craned her neck back to inspect this particular pillar's top.

She let out a low growl - yet another frustrated noise! - when she had to take several paces back in order to comfortably investigate.  Maybe ancient wolves had magic powers or something about them that present-day wolves lacked.  .. the hell, she muttered into the cold night air, a puff of breath condensing into a tiny cloud before being expelled upward.  Banner supposed she should have waited for full daylight to ponder this natural oddity.  Ah, but she hadn't been able to sleep earlier and she didn't want to bother Stark by tossing and turning all night long.  This might actually be more infuriating.. she muttered to herself.  Restless, sleepless night or moonlit existential crisis?

Tough call.

Murdock was doing some innocent, late-night prowling. He was normally quite content to sleep through the night - and the day, should it please him - but the scent of strange wolves in the territory had set him on edge. He had a vague idea that Valette had invited them in, and thus, probably felt quite sure they wouldn't harm her children - but Murdock wouldn't be sure until he met them and vetted them for himself.

So, when he found a trail ranging toward the standing stones, as distinct as it was unfamiliar, he headed toward them as well, only to find a short, dark shewolf at the end. She marvelled at the stones the same way he had when he'd first arrived, but the aging male had long since come to a conclusion about the stones.

"It was man," he said, padding closer to the shewolf, nostrils flaring as he took in her scent.

A voice, quite a bit closer than was comfortable, startled Banner out of her thoughts.  What? she asked sharply, head snapping to the side.  Her heartbeat sped up isntantly and she could feel her skin itching, the unexpected agitation bubbling just under her skin as it usually did in this situation.  It took a second, but she was able to focus her gaze on a male coming close.  He was approaching normally, scenting the air calmly.  No reason to lose it.  A disturbed look crossed her face and she stepped to the side in an effort to put a bit more space between her and the male.  Who hadn't done anything wrong.

Right.

She took a slow, deep breath and cast her eyes downward.  Banner remembered then that she was in a pack now and quite low in the ranks, if not the lowest ranking wolf.  She hadn't bothered to figure it out yet becuase it didn't matter - Valette gave them a home and she was grateful for stability in the face of Winter.  I'm sorry, she began in her low voice.  Pinning her ears back, the chocolate brown lady frowned toward the ground.  .. wasn't expecting company tonight.  Obviously.  Luckily she was able to keep the wince off her face.  Her heart began to slow back down to a normal pace and she stole a moment to hone in on a few beats, the familiar practice soothing her frayed nerves.

The femaled appeared to have been deeper in thought than Murdock had guessed; at the sound of his voice, she flinched and turned, and Murdock stilled himself where he stood in order to give her time to collect herself. It was never smart to approach a keyed up predator, after all. But she composed herself quickly enough, and offered an apology and quick excuse for her behavior.

Murdock shrugged it off. "You're fine - no harm, no foul. But if you're lookin' to be alone, this ain't the place to do it. The pack gathers here. Hold secret meetings. Counselling sessions. You name it." His ears flickered in discomfort as he remembered the few meetings he'd had between the standing stones, but his attention quickly returned to the shewolf. "I can leave you be, if you prefer," he added, taking note of the discomfort the shewolf was displaying.

Still focused on her heartbeats, the male's voice sounded far away and distorted.  But calm.  Steady.  Banner shifted her center of attention to the sound his words made as they carried across the night air, latching on to what he was actually saying as she lifted her gaze to regard him politely.  Meetings?  Blinking a couple of times, she tried to recall if Valette told her about that when she'd given a brief run-down of life in Easthollow.  Probably.  She'd been leaning heavily on her brother to sort all of those things out while she re-integrated into pack life.  Well, no time like the present.

No, she began, That's fine.  Just.. getting used to all this again, I guess.  Banner gestured vaguely around them with her maw as she spoke, hoping to convey the message without making things awkward.  I must have missed Valette explaining that the other day.  Her head tilted and she offered the earth toned male the smallest of smiles.  I'm Banner, she added.  Might as well get that out of the way.

It took her a moment, but she eventually denied his easy escape route. Murdock was glad; he couldn't get to know the new wolves if they continued to dodge him, after all. She offered another polite excuse and something that Murdock thought was a rather weak joke - but that was okay. She seemed pretty put-out by all this socializing.

"They didn't mention it to me, either," he replied with an answering wag of his tail. Despite her anxiety, Murdock kept his own stance loose and easy. Perhaps she'd calm down a bit if he tried not to move very much. "I'm Murdock. Pleased to meet you, Banner."

He wanted to sniff her a bit more, but he settled for lowering himself to his haunches a few yards off and cupping his ears toward the stranger. "You came with someone else, didn't you? I haven't met him yet, either."

Each passing moment became easier for her and she knew it was in no small part thanks to how her companion handled himself.  Not many wolves would give her the opportunity to calm down after she'd so rudely snapped at innocent small talk.  His polite introduction called for acknowledgement, so she'd nodded her head in kind.  If nothing else, at least she wasn't the only one who didn't get the full orientation experience.

The larger male settled back on his haunches and Banner released a quiet sigh, the rest of her nervous energy leaving her body along with it.  She cleared her throat and closed the distance between them by a few good paces, though she was sure to take slow, measured steps as she spoke: I did.  My brother, Stark.  They were still several feet apart, but their proximity now was more manageable for conversation.  We came back to visit Valette and she offered us a home, she explained, her voice carrying surprise even now.  They put the vote down to me and.. well, here we are.

Surprise flickered briefly across his features before interest took over once more. It was nice to hear about siblings sticking together and travelling in pairs. Oftentimes, Murdock found himself wishing he'd stayed close with his littermates. But when they'd all taken off to start families of their own, they'd grown apart. There was nothing for it.

"It's a good pack. They've been kind to me," Murdock said, mostly because he felt obligated to assure her that she'd made the right decision; Easthollow hadn't actually been much of anything to him. "You knew Valette beforehand, then? I was new to this land when I came to the borders."

She was glad to hear that Easthollow was a decent place to live, though Banner would have guessed that anyway knowing Valette.  If memory served her correctly, having a pack will full or nearly-full ranks in the Teekon Wilds almost always meant that leadership was doing something right.  Those packs that struggled usually had top-level internal issues.  Or just bad luck.  Marauder's Keep had suffered one and then the other, unfortunately.

I met her two Summers ago - I was in another pack, Easthollow was under a different name and location.  We reconnected last Winter once I took up leadership with Stark, Banner explained simply, settling down in a sitting position while she paused.  She was gracious to offer us room in her ranks.  Not sure how she does it all by herself, she commented with a frown.  Yes, the pack was large and she assumed everyone helped out, but to be the sole leader of an entire pack?  That had to be exhausting.

The male was mildly surprised to find that Easthollow had been around for so long, even if it had been in a different place and under a different name. But then, he knew that Grayday had been in Easthollow for a time and had still found the time to start his own pack and have another litter. He supposed it only made sense that Easthollow had been around for some time.

"Where was the pack before it came to the standing stones?" he asked, hoping to find more details about his brother's life. "Did you meet anyone else that was in their ranks, back then?"

His mood turned somber when Banner brought up the alpha's plight. At once point, Murdock had had it in his mind that he might be a good help to the put-upon leader, but Valette had not seemed interested in the companionship he'd thought to offer. Instead, he simply did his best to protect the territory and provide for its inhabitants. "Yeah - and with her three kids to care for all on her own. It's a damn shame," he agreed. "We all do our best to help her, but... well. Her daughters are perfect angels, at least. But her son is a little terror. Doesn't trust or heed anyone but her."

It was a mountain, she indicated after some thought.  I can't recall the name.. it might have been Silver.. something?  Banner frowned and offered Murdock an apologetic look.  Her memory when it came to names left a lot to be desired, especially when the pack hadn't been Silver-something for quite some time.  I must have met others in their ranks, but Valette is the only one who really stands out to me, she admitted, feeling a little guilty that her recall wasn't up to par.  But her now-Alpha was the only one she really kept up with over the several months she'd lived in the Teekon Wilds, so something like this didnt really surprise her.

The mention of Valette's children caused Banner's features to soften.  I met Clary - she's quite the wandering spirit.  Truthfully, the youngster's proximity to Easthollow's borders that evening had alarmed her.  The Alpha likely relied on the rest of the pack to keep an eye on them, and rightfully so!  At least she'd been there that night instead of some wolf or creature who meant the girl harm.  Who is the father? she asked, her voice a touch hesitant.  It wasn't a polite question, that she knew, and hopefully Murdock wouldn't be offended.  .. Valette mentioned Steady died last Spring.  An awkward explanation, but she had to follow it up with something.

Murdock simply nodded at this; Silver-something didn't ring any bells with him, and it seemed like Grayday hadn't made much of an impression on Banner, if they'd met at all. Murdock wasn't surprised; Grayday's gloomy nature hadn't won him many fans back home, either.

"Steph is my favorite," Murdock shared, assuming that this would be acceptable since he wasn't their father. (He took a moment to pity both Ezekiel and Valette, who didn't have the luxury of telling everyone that Stephie was their favorite.) "Ezekiel sired them," said Murdock - and to his credit, he did not say any more on the subject. "I never met Steady. Valette's been on her own since I came to the pack."

I'll keep that in mind and name drop when I meet her, Banner said with a soft chuckle.  She wasn't above using Murdock's name to give her sway with Valette's other daughter.  It was hard to say where she stood with Clary, though at least that child had been outgoing and affable.  The third - their Alpha's son - sounded like he'd be a tougher case to crack.  Dealing with children wasn't a prominent feature of her wolf resume, but she supposed things'd be different when the kids in question belonged to a friend.

Ezekiel? she questioned upon hearing the name.  Her green gaze difted off to the side as she turned that name over in her head.  .. that sounds familiar for some reason.  Banner remembered seeing Valette with a male when they'd run into eachother at the site of a former pack, Rosings.  That male, however, had hung back and she couldn't remember much about him.  That damn name though - maybe it was him?  Is he still around? she asked, her eyes remaning focused on some indiscrimiate spot off in the distance.  The answer didn't really matter.  An awful memory ensured that she'd likely not put a name to a face unless she actually saw him.

Murdock gave a tiny sniff of disdain, and then tried to cover the sound with a sneeze. "Excuse me. Yeah, he's around," he murmured, unable to completely wipe the expression of distaste from his face. Not wanting to speak ill of those not present, Murdock hurried to move the conversation along.

"So - you travel a lot, then," he said with interest, hoping to hear more on that as much as he hoped to change the sujbect to one he felt less strongly - and negatively - about. "Where've you been?"

Murdock's half-attempt at masking his true feelings toward Ezekiel were met with a single raised brow.  He obviously wanted to steer their conversation in a different direction and she could appreciate that.  So she made no further comment and re-focused attion to her present company.

Yes, I suppose, she admitted, allowing her eyes to fall downward as she pawed at the ground.  I've done quite a bit of roaming Northwest of here.. near the Sunspire Mountains.  Her low voice trailed off oddly before starting up again:  Stark and I.. we spent the last year wandering here and there, she offered with a shrug.  Certainly it hadn't been long-lasting enough for them to put down roots anywhere.

Banner cleared her throat and looked back up at Murdock.  Nothing too interesting, she said with a small, aplogetic smile.  I'm afraid I'm not very enthralling company tonight.  She wasn't one for grand, embellished stories.. or delusions of grandeur or what have you.

Murdock's two-toned eyes took careful note of the odd mix of emotions that washed over Banner's face. There were clearly some feelings still churning in her chest; Murdock's hurts had been laid to rest for many years by then. Sometimes, it was odd to see the tumultous emotions of others and remember when he had experienced such things.

But he was tired, now, and not prepared to pry at Banner's clouded past. He doubted she'd let him either way. It was kinder to the both of them to help her steer the conversation to its conclusion.

"You've been perfectly pleasant," he disagreed, offering her a tiny smile and a twitch of his tail. "But I'll let you get back to your night. It was nice to meet you, Banner." And, if she had nothing more to say, Murdock was prepared to take his leave.

The earth-toned male was kind to her - reassuring, even - and it caused Banner to return his small smile with one of her own.  Thank you, she replied quietly.  Well, interacting with her new packmates wasn't so bad after all.  Murdock's affable personality had certainly helped things along.  She hadn't even had any awkward moments!  All in all, it was a win.

Good meeting you, Murdock, she returned sincerely.  Banner turned to look up at the top of the stone pillar she'd been staring at earlier and decided it required further contemplation.  Just for a little while.  Couldn't hurt to spend some quiet time before she decided to return to her brother for the night.  I'll stick around out here a little while longer, she murmured with a shrug, the comment more to herself than anything.  Hell, she wasn't even sure if her he'd already left.