Shadewood Happy to be Home
139 Posts
Ooc — Mai
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#1
Joining 
@Percival, @Cry @Gwen. Set directly after this thread.
Part one was over. Their journey was complete and they had arrived at Shadewood Keep. She and Atticus had approached the borders and were greeted with open arms. Well...mostly. Confident in the blessing of the woody furred man, the warm coated female set off with her friend in search of the true leader of these woods.

She was still very much nervous. Chai didn't dare step very far into a land that was not yet hers to call home. Precariously, she traced over the thin line of the borders, separating neutral grounds and pack territory. She reasoned it was their safest bet. They were close enough to skirt a healthy chunk of the territory so their presence wouldn't go unnoticed, but also within a leap or two back to safety, should they be chased off.

Her pace was unusually hurried. Swift footed. A clue of her nervousness. Paired with her back turned ears and wide, alert eyes, she was like a doe ready to leap away at the slightest rustle in the grass. "They gotta be close by. Probably where the scent is strongest. We'd know it when we find it..." She mused aloud, certainly not a stranger to the scent of a dominant, patrolling wolf. Theirs always stood out just a little more than the others in a special way. Buffalo said he would let the boss know they were here. Had enough time passed? Chai hadn't kept track. Deciding to put a stop to their poking around, she halted. Tipping her muzzle up, she released a short, low huff into the air. Anyone nearby would hear her. Besides, it was being polite...letting them know she and Atticus were in the vicinity. "Maybe...maybe that will get their attention."

 
537 Posts
Ooc — Sɪᴛʜ’ᴀʀɪ
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#2
Cry had been moreso aware then any he had been in his entire stay here. Not only was he tasking himself with trying to find Kai, who somehow was still in his mind alive until he found her corpse, he was also stuck trying to find Iskra. She was more ghost than she had been, and he wanted to find the silverfur before she ended up another voice in his head without a face.

So the pair of newcomer wolves were absolutely on his radar. He simply allowed Morgan and @Laroche to do their jobs watching who was in and out of their border. Clearly the two knew of these wolves- Cry had chosen his Keepsmen well. So with glacials on the unaware mocha and cream wolfess in front of her, her chuff was answered from behind her. Emerging from the many pools of shadow within the comforting woods, the Watcher of the Keep made himself present and known. 

Hello,” he began, baritones making quick work of the shortening distance between them. “Welcome to Shadewood.

If ever I read Satan's signature upon a face, it is on that of your new friend.
46 Posts
Ooc — hannah
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#3
Ah, so this was the famed leader of the Keep that he had yet to meet. It was strange, they seemed almost mythical to the lad having spent so much time around the border of Shadewood and it almost never leaving his mind throughout his short travels since his first encounter with Morgan.

The Keeper seemed to fit his role even more perfectly than Atticus had been able to imagine, a mixture between brain and brawn. He definitely wasn't as large Buffalo, and the smarts of the stranger were still unknown, but he could only assume so much of a leader. 

Instincts arrived with the appearance of the shadow and Atticus lowered his posture below that of Cry. Fortunately, for the young wolf, his brain decided to retain certain key information that his memory did not. It was deeply rooted in a wolf to submit to those above them, but with almost all of his memory and knowledge being tossed to the wind- especially socially- he had to thank whatever gods there may be that he did not lose that.
139 Posts
Ooc — Mai
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#4
Well, that didn't take long at all. The baritone voice came from behind her, and much closer than she expected. But at least the words were welcoming. Her throat clenched up and she turned around in surprise, glacial eyes still wide. He was the blackest of blacks, blending in seamlessly with the shadows that hugged the forest. His eyes, a few shades darker than her own, stood out the most. He was large, but not nearly so like Morgan.

Quickly, she followed suit as Atticus did, hunkering down low as the Keeper approached. Had she been totally consumed with nervousness to the point of clouding her judgement and marring her manners, she would have hastily approached in an obnoxious gesture of submission. But Chai wasn't a fearful wolf...nor a stupid one. You simply didn't butt into a strangers personal space, no matter how badly you wanted to acknowledge their status.

"Thank-thank you, sir..." She began, complete with the whole ears back and eyes averted bit. "Your...guardsman..." She paused for emphasis if her terminology was correct. "...he was quite welcoming. Professional...but warm." She shifted her weight nervously on her paws, scooting back an inch to brush her hip against Atticus' ribcage. "I...we...wanted to know more about this place. If it's for us..." Her eyes widened and just as quickly, clenched shut. Oh stupid, she had forgot to introduce herself. "O-oh...I'm sorry! My name is Chai."

 
537 Posts
Ooc — Sɪᴛʜ’ᴀʀɪ
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#5
Both took to introducing their assumption of how to behave around him; polite, submissive, proper. He appreciated this to some degree, while another urged him to request they stand, feel comfortable, to make themselves at home. Not yet.

It is a pleasure meeting you Chai,” he restored the equality of his voice to meet the proper level of her own. It was a humble voice but a wise one. “And I welcome you to our home. It’s not everyday we receive those who rather wish to know more of us than simply hoping we allow them in.” His amusement was in the aspect of them not receiving much- he didn’t share information of their secrets to outsiders, whether they were within borders, or not. “I am Cry, Watcher of the Keep.

I will tell you we are getting a bit more strict on trades- specifically healer. When children come, tempers will court misunderstandings- such results in wounds, as I’m sure you can understand.” 
If ever I read Satan's signature upon a face, it is on that of your new friend.
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Ooc — hannah
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#6
"Hello, Cry, I'm Atticus." He sent the shadow a welcoming smile, his canines poking through his fur.

Atticus gripped onto every word of their assumed new leader, his eyes twinkled upon the stranger like a child would a local hero. "Are you interested in mercenaries?" He questioned, knowing that he would favor such a trade. There was little to no chance the wolf could become a healer, it was all too much to remember. This treats that, that treats this, not too much of this or this will happen- it was tiring to even consider.
139 Posts
Ooc — Mai
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#7
"Well...it was thanks to him.." She gestured with her muzzle towards Atticus. "...that I even learned of your pack to begin with." In order to hopefully gain status as a member, she would use her most valuable tool. Honesty. The midnight male, now known to them as Cry, informed the pair that in regards to trades, they would be stricter. Her stomach lurched at this. Not because of the tightening rules or the coming of pups and flaring tempers. But because she simply didn't know where she would excel.

"Of course. It's an exciting time for everyone." She replied in her smooth, soft voice. "With children soon to be underfoot, I am not in the least surprised." With the influx of new life into any pack, came the surge of parental hormones. And with that, came the tendency for tension...overprotectiveness. She settled back into silence while Atticus spoke, bringing up the topic of mercenaries. She side glanced at him...looked him over closely. Chai had never suspected that the male would be interested in such a trade. Though, they barely knew each other. She supposed having a wolf...and a friend in such a role would be of a great benefit.

She drew in a long shaky breath and looked back to Cry. "I'll be upfront...I don't know where my true talent lies." Something deep in her glacial eyes said I was never given the chance to find out. Such a conversation of significant depth was best left to a later time. "But I can hunt just as good as any wolf. I work hard...I genuinely care for my pack. And...I'm good with children." Her brows pinched together fretfully, wondering how the Watcher would judge her on all this. "But really...all I want is a sense of community. Family. Purpose."

 
537 Posts
Ooc — Sɪᴛʜ’ᴀʀɪ
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#8
The pair of contrasting wolves before him brought a smile to begin on his face. It wasn’t a fully one, but the edges of his lips turned skyward for a moment. A direct gaze to Atticus as the dual toned male threw his ambition at Cry’s feet, an offer that forced The Phantom to regard him in a more respectable light. This man wanted to go places, to do things. To be something. “Absolutely. And if that is what you will choose to pursue, we have a few members you may Apprentice under. Morgan being one of them.” A grin came to punctuate the ordeal. Morgan has in fact informed him of the spar between he and ‘That weird bird wolf’, saying the male had not only moxie, but the drive to keep it going! That was a true start to a worthy warrior. 

His heart fell a bit as he turned to Chai, but he let none of it show on his face, nor his voice. Her opportunity to grow within the pack were limitless- and he would not stop her from finding herself. That was what Family was for. “That is the entire meaning of the Shadewood Keep. Family, and Purpose.” His chin tilted up. “We will give you the opportunity, Chai. In fact, I will set up a few things for you just in good faith.

He would talk to Minori and Gwen and see who would like to tutor the girl, to give her a light taste of what it was to have a duty here. But it would come at later time today. “Until then, come in. Make yourselves comfortable, and Welcome to Shadewood Keep.” He stepped forward and rubbed his whiskered snout  over the pair’s shoulders, placing his claim on them. Then he retreated back a bit to give them room.


139 Posts
Ooc — Mai
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#9
Relief flooded over her. According to the wraith like wolfs words, she had indeed, come to the right place. And whats even more, he was even willing to take the steps to set her off in the right direction. Her glacial eyes sparkled, lifting up to meet his icy eyes gratefully. The first signs of a smile touched the dark corners of her lips. She bowed her head once, low. "Thank you for this opportunity, Cry. Truly"

When he stepped close to brush his muzzle over the fur of her and Atticus' shoulders, she actually leaned into the touch. It felt good, the mark of acceptance from another. From a pack wolf. Her eyelids draped shut and she inhaled that same scent which was being rubbed on her. Familiar yet oh so foreign all the same. She smiled. Only time would tell now, if this new family was truly the right fit for her. Chai would do her damnest to become one of them. As Cry stepped back, she shared a smile with Atticus, eager to take up the invitation. "Well then...shall we take a tour? I want to meet the others." Sliding past Cry with one final appreciative nod, Chai moved off into her new home to turn another chapter in her young life.