you can see them wandering off somewhere

I'm going to play it like this is Curran's first time as a member of DW, since I didn't post with him as a member last time.

He stood near the plateau's edge, eyes scanning the territories that lay beyond. Curran was free to explore, he knew, and one day would—but first he wished to establish himself within his new home. This time, he wanted to settle down. He no longer belonged with his parents, who had new litters to take care of and their own pack to tend to. And it was time he rested his lifelong search for Key, the one wolf he loved more than anything but had no reason to.

As always, his heart ached when he though of his sister, but Curran now forced himself to let it harden. Maybe it would be easier if he thought of her as dead.

He sighed heavily, watching the world below and making note of the landscape as he moved to lay down. He would go seek out the members of his pack later, when he felt more pleasant to be around and when his heart didn't feel quite as broken.

The arrival of a new member gave Koontz hope. She allowed him some time to explore the territory and make himself at home, then set off to check on him and hopefully get to know him better. It's a good thing, she thought to herself as she walked across the breadth of the plateau, to have a smaller pack. You can really get to know everybody.

"Curran?" the Alpha female called when she followed his scent and spotted the new Windwalker sprawled on the forest floor. She walked nearer, then stopped about ten feet away, just in case he was resting and didn't want to be disturbed. "Sorry, I can come back if now's not a good time," she said diplomatically.

At the sound of his name, Curran's ears perked and he shifted slightly to look behind him. It was Koontz, the young female that agreed to take him in, and for that he already carried some respect for her. Not wanting to be rude, the male rose to his feet and mustered a friendly grin, "It's okay, Koontz. I was only getting lost in my head... a dangerous thing for a simple wolf like me." He stood with a slightly lowered posture, not wanting to offend or threaten her. He had always found such things to be tedious and old-fashioned, but Curran knew how to play the part and would not risk exile over something so trivial.

"Is there something you need from me?" he queried, perfectly genuine. Curran thought she might have some Windwalker duties for him to take care of, or some other pack business. In the places he had lived before, the male had acted as sort of a mercenary for hire until he felt strong and stable enough to make another long journey in search of Key. At this point, he was unused to getting particularly close to anyone.

Curran obliged her, rising to his feet but keeping his head lowered. Koontz nodded at him, motioning for him to make himself comfortable, then slid onto her own haunches. For a beat or two, she simply looked at him, memorizing his features and taking in his scent to be catalogued in the filing cabinet in the back of her head.

When she spoke, she said, "No, nothing formal yet, though I look forward to seeing how many you can recruit. This pack could use some beefing up before winter," she said with a flickering smile. Her pale blue eyes sought his for a moment and she added, "No, I just wanted to get to know you a bit better. You know, there's something vaguely familiar about your face that I didn't notice before..." she observed abruptly.

He noted her silent gesture, but waited until she had settled onto her own haunches before sinking to his own. Koontz was young—barely more than a pup, to Curran's eyes—but there was a stoicism and inner strength that his subconscious seemed to register. He wasn't a wolf of deep thought or internal reflection; he followed his instinct, and despite her age, Koontz seemed to be a capable leader... even if she didn't quite realize that herself. As she spoke of recruitment, Curran nodded and stored it in his mental to-do list. He would need to scout sooner rather than later, then, with the chill of autumn settling into the region.

In response to her scrutiny, the male rumbled, "My family comes from a place called the Salvajes Valley, not terribly far from here. I have many siblings, and even more aunts and uncles and cousins. Wanderlust seems to find a home in our blood; perhaps some have passed through." Curran shrugged, unsure of what to say beyond that.

She halfway expected him to mention the Seahawk Valley but, instead, he went even further back in time and mentioned the place where her parents had been born—a place that had been destroyed by a volcano many years ago now. Koontz blinked, her interest piqued. Curran mentioned a widespread family and she wondered if they were possibly related; it wouldn't be the first time she'd crossed paths with a stranger who was, in fact, a relative. It had happened before, most recently with Key.

"Key," Koontz blurted. "You look like this she-wolf I met a few months ago. Her name was Key. Are you a relation, by any chance...?" the young Alpha wondered, unaware that she'd hit the nail right on the head. But the resemblance really was uncanny, the more her pale eyes scrutinized Curran's earthy features.