Broken Boulder knocking down doors

He's a confused visitor, anyone is welcome to greet him however they see fit.

He kept moving in hopes something would become familiar. Nothing so far struck him as familiar, every tree and scent unknown to the creature. The male eventually stumbled upon a collection of scents. So many in one place jumbled his brain a bit and fed him false hope. Maybe he would know someone here or vice versa.

Carefully he pushed past what was to be considered borders. Ulf was clueless on the laws of this place and as such, could very well be throwing himself deeper into danger with each harmless step he took.

The last thing Alarian had expected to find wandering past his borders was a dog. He spotted it from a distance, emerging from the Bracken Woods with cobwebs clutched carefully between his jaws. They fell forgotten at the sight of the small fluffy thing. Ali squinted hard. A dog.
Not that he had anything against them— oh, how he missed the dog gang days of his youth!— but what was it doing... here? He sighed. Oh well. However it had gotten to the wilds, it was trespassing now, and Alarian would have to deal with it. The Governor had no intentions of harming the creature, but he figured some questioning would be more than reasonable.
He approached carefully, but not without confidence; the boy knew from experience that showing uncertainty could be very, very bad with dogs. Scent told him the dog was male, but he couldn't discern much else.
Hey, are you lost or something? Alarian called when he was near enough, not unfriendly but not quite welcoming either. Not until he knew whether this unexpected guest was a threat or not.

His ears stood tall at the voice that asked him a question. "Ya." An accent heavily laced his simple word. Ulf let his head give a few frantic nods. "I'm lost." At least he thought he was. Did this stranger know him? Ulf's good eye examined the stranger who didn't look familiar. Perhaps they had met only on his blind side.

"You know me?" His head tilted ever so slightly as he rattled his brain for a clue. Why else would the stranger talk to him if he didn't know him?

The male looked to him with an expression that spoke of pure ignorance of the situation, confirming he was lost. Alarian couldn't fault him for that, but the following question sparked some irritation. Was he that forgettable? He didn't stop to consider that there was something wrong with the other.
Yeah, I'm your long-lost Uncle Philip, The sarcasm was thick in his voice, but not entirely unkind. He noticed belatedly the cloudiness to one of his eyes, and immediately felt a bit guilty; clutching at his already-wounded pride, he hid it well and transitioned smoothly to his next question: You know you're in the middle of pack territory, right?

A whine bubbled in the canine's throat at the other's words. Ulf knew nothing of some man named Uncle Philip. Who was he and how did they know each other? His father had never mentioned family outside of the northern group.

"No, didn't know." The word was soft and hushed, the sign of Ulf realizing his wrong. The male had not meant to waltz right in but he had and now he would have to pay the price of whatever Uncle Philip decided.

Ulf is precious omg

Alarian paused, confused and feeling guiltier now, when the male whined in response. Before he could apologize, he received an answer to his second question— well, that made sense. In a dizzying shift, he suddenly felt oddly protective over the clueless creature. He was kinda cute, oblivious as he was.
You should be more careful, The words came far more gently, his gaze softening a little. Most packs would rip you apart. He didn't know much about packs, but pretty much anyone who lived in the wilds knew that. He glanced over the male, trying to decide what to say next and wondering if he had already ruined the interaction irreparably. Are you alright? Do you need somewhere to stay? This is the Bracken Sanctuary— no one will drive you off. I just had to make sure you weren't here to cause trouble.

thank you<3

Ulf was almost paralyzed by the shift in moods that Uncle Philip presented but he was grateful. The softness eased his sense of worry and confusion ever so slightly. His head nodded as he headed the words that were spoken. Careful. Ulf could try to be that even if he hadn't always been the best at it. The thought of being ripped apart was rather unappealing.

"I'm alr-" He hesitated, was alright really the word he wanted? "- lost, confused." His head gave a few short nods to solidify his own words. That sounded more accurate than alright. "Stay? I'll do job." Ulf knew about trades - food for shelter, shelter for protection, etc. - and it only seemed fair to offer one to Uncle Philip for being so kind.

Ulf is free to thread in the territory now !
@Delight @Lanawyn @Lily for visibility (Ali would definitely have told them about the dog LMAO)

He drew closer to the male, watching carefully as he spoke, then paused, then started again— and found himself oddly grateful for the honesty. Alarian lowered into a stretching bow and whined, tail wagging; a show of submission to the smaller creature, so he would know his trust was not misplaced. If he wanted to convince him to stay, he would have to—
Oh. He blinked when the male agreed, offering to do job. You don't have to do anything— maybe keep me company because everyone else hates me. — this is a Sanctuary. We'll take care of you.
Lowering his back half to the ground so he was laying in front of the other, he continued: What's your name? Mine is Alarian. It didn't occur to him at all that the male really thought he was called Uncle Philip.

He watched with a gentle grin as Uncle Philip bowed. Ulf let his tail sway in return as his good eye watched the male carefully. It wasn't long before he was speaking again, this time laying on the ground. The canine quickly followed suit and laid on the ground - his back legs awkward splayed behind him.

"Alarian." He tested the name on his accented tongue. Perhaps that was a strange nickname for Uncle Philip or maybe vice versa. Ulf didn't question it for he was now placing trust into the gold-kissed male. "Ulf." The masked male finally introduced himself softly.

I think here is actually a good place to fade this one; archiving!

Ulf, He mimicked the wolfdog's testing of his name, smiling slightly. Welcome to Bracken Sanctuary.
The Governor would show him around the territory, let the others know they had a dog in their midst— after all, he didn't want anyone mistaking their newest member for an intruder. Honestly, he hadn't really thought Bracken Sanctuary would ever recruit a dog, but he wasn't complaining. Life was strange that way— but wonderful, too. Perhaps this Ulf would be good for the pack.