Heron Lake Plateau running low on words

Being alone had run its course. This was not to say he was looking to become buddy-buddy with everyone or find himself some friends, because how could he ever do such a thing? He just needed somewhere with a few faces to depend upon and to be depended upon. It was an odd concept for him to yearn for, an unfamiliar concept.

Nonetheless he had come here to see if it could be fulfilled.

Not intentionally but it had been the first place he had crossed. And he vaguely remembered being in this area before. The locals hadn't been awful, if he recalled correctly. Maybe that's why he didn't feel so nervous standing near their borders. The setting sun threatened the nighttime soon and casted shadows around him. If he was hidden from sight as he lingered, so was anyone else who might be watching. He did not wish to be greeted aggressively though.

So he'd make his presence known with a short, deep howl.

To say Rye was comfortable within the pack wasn't a long stretch but due to past events with certain females, he was on edge. Leaving him in states of anxiety throughout the past few weeks, thankfully doing patrols and hunts was keeping his mind occupied from the incessant worry. He was doing just that at the moment, checking unfamiliar scents and then the occasional game trail for a quick bite to eat.

That was until he heart a howl, near the borders, uncomfortably close. Ears raised, cupped towards the howl to hear something, anything at all, even the faintest of breathing but nothing. Too far, Rye presumed. The male started off in a trott, making his way down the border until he locked eyes with another male. Ryes' pace slowed to a walk and he stopped in front of the stranger, inspecting the other judgingly at first but forced his mind to reserve itself to a neutral point of view. Something be found himself having to do more often as of late.

The male sat, his features blank and expressionless. Rye was normally friendly but a lot has changed since he joined Redhawks. Outsiders were viewed more as a potential threats than usual, it all boiled down to Rye being protective of his home. But he did his best to stay true to his typical nature, the encounter was no different. "Hello, my name is Rye and you are?"

It felt like forever since she'd intercepted a newcomer at the borders. Towhee didn't hear the howl, nor did X summon her (he'd probably already settled down for the night), so she didn't show up right away. But she was out on a patrol, trying to complete it as hastily as possible so she could get home to her family, when she saw a large, dark shape off in the distance. Although she broke into a gallop, she wasn't the first one to reach the scene.

Her eyes pinned on Rye for a moment as she circled around the stranger to flank her pack mate and face their visitor. She hadn't seen him since they'd bumped uglies. If Towhee felt awkward about the situation, she didn't show it. She soon glanced away from him, focus honing in on the hulking stranger in their midst. Her neck stiffened as she raised her head, tail doing the same as it went rigid over her back.

"State your name and business," she said in her strange cadence.

The first to show was a tawny figure, male, Rye he claimed. He personally found it odd to introduce yourself before questioning the stranger on your doorstep. Nonetheless he was prepared to answer the question that had been presented — and perhaps ask a few of his own. That was until another approached the scene. The seemed more professional about this whole ordeal.

Behemoth. He rumbled in response. I'm looking to join, if you have room for me. He knew not what their ranks looked like or if they could afford to feed another mouth with spring's new life surely present. I can offer skills as a guardian. He supposed the proper thing to do was to offer to fill in another position too if needed but he didn't know other skills (for now) so why bluff and say he could fill another role?

Rye is just in the background now, feel free to skip

Towhees arrival scared Rye, he hadn't seen her since that day. He didn't know what to say, or if he should say anything at all. A look of 'oh shit' was written on his features and thats about all he could muster as a reaponse to her arrival. So he just stepped back, leaving the female to the male at the border but stayed close in case anything was to happen.

Towhee registered Rye's retreat but did not turn to look at him, keeping her focus on the stranger. Unfortunately, it was one of those instances where she found a particular individual's lips especially difficult to read. She didn't catch his name at all, though she did capture enough words ("join," "room" and what looked a lot like "guardian") to get the gist of it. By this point in her life, the Beta was pretty damn good at piecing together contextual clues.

"Could you look at me and repeat your name?" she requested, explaining, "I'm deaf and I'm having a hard time reading your lips. You said you're a guardian?" Towhee paused for affirmation, then asked, "What makes you want to join this pack in particular?"

The other male seemed content to step out of this interaction and that was fine by him. His attention drifted back to the female before him. Her words struck him as odd at first but he merely nodded. Whatever worked for her, he just wanted a clear answer on what they wanted with him — to stay or go.

Slower this time and with a bit more lip movement for her sake he repeated his name. Behemoth. It felt odd at first, and almost insulting, but she had asked for him to repeat it. He could only hope he had done a better job this time around. His head bobbed again at her guardian question. It was indeed what he had announced to her. I met others from here before. They had been folks I could get along with. It was not much but it meant something to him. The area is nice too. He admitted with a small shrug of his shoulders.

He made no comment about her handicap, accommodating her and, Towhee saw, making an effort to enunciate better, which she appreciated. "Behemoth," she mouthed. Wasn't that another word for "giant"? In any case, he answered her questions, his response intriguing her.

"Who did you meet?" she naturally wanted to know.

Something with a C. Fiery colors. A soft sigh escaped him as he thought it over. Cecilia? Ceara? He made sure to enunciate them clearly, that would hopefully make his lips easy to read. Perhaps the stranger might be able to guide him right with the names. Well, she was at least from the area. He elaborated a bit more with a shrug of his shoulders. Behemoth wasn't positive she came from this very place but it sure was close to where they met but there had been something about moving. Fuck if he knew where she was actually at now or ever. Such a shame he hadn't seen her again.

She did not react when he said the name, meeting the information with a blink. Towhee said nothing at all for another beat, then said, "Well, I'm only the second-in-command around here. You should seek out the Alphas, Quixote and Raven, and introduce yourself. Tell them I sent you. But it's up to you to impress them, then of course you'll be expected to earn your keep. If we're clear..." She shook a foreleg, gesturing into the territory, inviting him to step forth if he accepted her terms.

Maybe he had messed up names or maybe she had never been here. He supposed he could have dreamed the whole thing. No need to dwell though because he (sort of) got the answer he wanted. His head nodded. He moved a few steps forward before he paused. You never gave me a name. Do I just say the second-in-command sent me? Because it sounded like a guaranteed way to get chased out of here with such vague info.

He moved along and Towhee prepared to go off and do whatever towhees did (return to her chicks, of course) when she saw him pause. She turned and caught his words, at least the gist of them. It was suddenly tempting to tell him to simply mention the deaf second-in-command because how many of those were running around here?

"It's Towhee," she answered simply before gliding away in the general direction of her squad, though not without giving the nearby @Rye an eyebrow wiggle as she passed.