Duskfire Glacier light
with every heartbeat i have left
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#1
Joining 
She had left the Wilds that she might think away from any wolf who might pressure her bias one way or another. Yet after these three moons away - these three moons she had given herself to ponder and question, to ask and seek, Taktuq returned to Duskfire Glacier with greater certainty in the decision she had made.

Now as Taktuq tipped her head to the sky, she wondered if Issorartuyok was still here, if he might even bother to entertain her again, and if the young girl @Makatza would greet her with another demand for a spar. Her nose curled at the thought. She would discover these things in due time, and she sought to put her anxieties at bay by focusing on what she knew was a part of her reality. The diffused light of the overcast sky, the tufts of grass that pushed their way up through the frozen ground. She wondered if they had passed the cusp of winter's peak, and wondered what the glacier would do once the spring thaws began.

Wondered, and waited.

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#2
Lane would answer the call in time, pulling herself away from Druid's sickbed to check out the situation at the border. It seemed like an odd thing, that normal occurrences such a border-calls would still take place with regularity, even when it seemed like the whole world was falling apart. 

"Hi," she greeted the stranger with rather weary wave of her tail. "I'm Lane. This is Duskfire Glacier." She tipped her muzzle in the direction of the looming wall of ice. She looked expectantly to the stranger. The woman had stormy silver pelt, and an earthen gaze. She looked young-- maybe Meerkat's age?
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#3
The injured child finding her way to their borders had planted a seed of worry in the northerner's mind. He worried about the beasts out there that would do such a thing; he worried if they might come here next. What if they found them while they were traveling to their new home? All of it created a knot of anxiety in his stomach and the only way he knew to soothe the tension was to keep a closer eye on the borders. 

The unfamiliar call had him quickly making his way to the stranger. He assumed either Lane or his brother might be there too, and he wanted to make sure they had back up should they need it. 

When Tuulu arrived, he made his way to Lane's side, his gaze glued to the woman as he tried to determine if she was friend or foe. She looked friendly enough, and upon inspection of Lane, he realized she didn't seem worried—she just looked tired and stressed, as usual. Still, he remained on alert, so on alert that he forgot to greet either of them and just stood there, awkwardly, like a statue.
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#4
Strangers greeted her, and Taktuq greeted them with a gentle tip of her head. The woman's posture spoke of something uncertain. Perhaps apprehension towards her. Well, was she not a stranger here, in her own right? The woman's words at least seemed kind. The man, on the other hand, was silent, but his dark eyes fixed her with inscrutable intensity.

"Lane of Duskfire," she said in way of greeting, and would have offered the same to the man, if he had spoken. As it was she let her peaceable gaze rest on him a second before she returned her attention to Lane. "I am Taktuq Ateneq." Of Easthollow, she was inclined to add but kept silent on this matter. She knew, of course, that this was Duskfire Glacier. Issorartuyok had made that known to her.

"I heard of your village through Issorartuyok, and heard his praises of your kin. I came upon your land three moons past, and these three moons I have taken what I had heard and seen and have considered, and have decided I would like to call your village my village, too, if there indeed remains a place for me."
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Lane swung her tail as Tuuluuwaq arrived and stood beside her. She shifted so that her shoulder grazed his own. It was a small gesture, but Lane hoped it would adequately communicate her appreciation to him for providing backup. After Veteran's run-in with a trespasser at this border, she felt it was best she be a little more cautious with strangers. 

Taktuq's words seemed to indicate that Issorartuyok had offered her a place among them. Her co-alpha's judgement was good enough for Lane. 

"Taktuq, this Tuuluuwaq. He is Issorartuyok's brother, and Duskfire's Zeta." It would likely be clear through her stance and tone that Lane herself was a leader. 

"We do have a place for a wolf who can pull her own weight and seeks to better herself," Lane assured her. She could see that Taktuq had potential. "But Duskfire Glacier is not the same pack it was three moons ago, I'm afraid." The deal had changed, and Lane wanted to be honest with the potential recruit about the troubles Duskfire Glacier faced. 

"Our food source here has been eliminated. Our pack is moving soon. The journey will be long, and starting over in a new place will be very difficult," she warned. Was Taktuq the sort who shrank from a such a challenge?
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#6
The touch to his shoulder did little to calm his nerves, but he was glad to know the Lane appreciated his presence. Since he was inserting himself into a lot of her daily activities lately, it was nice to know that she wasn't sick of him. 

The stranger introduced herself as Taktuq—a northern name; he was a little intrigued, even more so when she mentioned his brother had told her of the glacier. 

Tuulu dipped his head in greeting when Lane introduced him but said nothing yet; it wasn't needed. Lane had everything under control as usual. But he was curious what Taktuq would think about their current situation. Maybe it would change her mind about joining their village.
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#7
Indeed, Taktuq determined that Lane was the one who led this glacial pack. So, she and Wintersbane, then. How curious... he had seemed a formidable man from the outset. Lane, on the other hand, seemed a very ordinary woman, though Taktuq knew better than to let herself hold this thought longer than cursory judgement. If she was approved of by Issorartuyok, then she trusted, by merit of his similar heritage and his own choice to join himself to Duskfire Glacier, that Lane must indeed be a formidable woman beneath her southern guise.

"I greet you, Tuuluuwaq," Taktuq offered with a fuller nod to Issorartuyok's brother. She noted now that they looked nothing alike, though neither had Ikiaq and Kallik. Tuuluuwaq rang truer to her paler brother, Issorartuyok to her darker kin, and she wondered, as she sometimes did, where her own siblings found themselves now.

She received Lane's pitch with rapt attention and allowed her to finish before Taktuq tipped her head in soft thanks to the woman's honesty. "You are kind to speak such truths to me. You are of noble character in sharing these things." Taktuq stayed silent for a second to recompose her thoughts into words. "I do not seek to join your village for good times alone," she said with careful cadence, "when one joins another, they pledge themselves through health and sickness, life and death, for better or for worse. As long as Duskfire stands, I have chosen the same."
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The potential recruit praised Lane's character, which earned her a tight smile and a muted tail-wag. It was not nobility that had inspired Lane to share Duskfire's misfortunes-- it was practicality. She had no intention (or ability) to trap wolves here who were not happy. If Taktuq was going to leave after a week or two once she found out how bad things really were, then she would amount to little more than a waste of already thinly-spread resources. 

The girl continued on to recite a very pretty pledge, and Lane realized that she was like Askari: she conceptualized her commitment to a pack as a binding contract. Lane nodded. "We're honored that you've chosen Duskfire for such a pledge. I can see that you're thoughtful and loyal, and you don't commit yourself lightly." Taktuq's promise of fealty was deeply appreciated, even if it was a bit much for what Lane had in mind. 

"..I want to assure you though, such a commitment is not required. If you ever feel that it is time to move on, you will have our blessing." Lane smiled reassuringly. "Life is too short not to be happy," Lane added, pressing her shoulder more firmly into Tuuluuwaq. Luckily for Lane, her own happiness was right here within arm's reach.
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#9
Tuulu was impressed and by her vow. He wondered what Isso had told her of the glacier to have gained her fierce loyalty already. Or perhaps it was just her northern blood; his kind was born loyal, they didn't know any other way to be. Regardless, he was happy to have her here. 

He relaxed even more now that he knew Taktuq meant them no harm. 

Lane mentioned happiness and how life was too short not to enjoy it whenever possible. He felt her lean further into him and a smile pulled up one side of his mouth. His adoring gaze moved over her face, and he briefly brushed his nose over the top of her head. He wanted to nuzzle into her neck and pull her into his arms, but that would be inappropriate here; Lane would likely not appreciate it either. 

His gaze found the northern woman. I can already tell we are lucky to have you, Taktuq, he offered with another dip of his head.
with every heartbeat i have left
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#10
Taktuq couldn't quite tell what Lane was thinking behind the tight curve of her lips, but she was glad when both Lane and Tuuluuwaq met her desire to join them, despite the hardship of their situation, with positive reception. Taktuq dipped her head in a bashful thanks to Lane's praise of her own character. Truly, she lived in pursuit of such qualities as loyalty and trustworthiness, and she warmed, knowing these things shone through even to strangers such as these wolves of Duskfire.

"Your blessing is very generous," Taktuq acquiesced with another dip of her head, though she hardly thought she would need to use Duskfire's good favour as it stood with her departure, for she counted her pledge as binding. One she loathed already to break. She noted the way Lane and Tuuluuwaq looked at one another, interacted with each other. Taktuq felt a little grin slip over her face. "I count myself lucky to have Duskfire," she said with a soft smile to Tuuluuwaq, then to Lane, "and I trust I, too, shall find my happiness here."
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Lane wagged her tail when both Tuuluuwaq and Taktuq spoke. It had been a long time since she had felt optimistic, but it was easy to look on the bright side with her lover standing beside her and one who represented Duskfire's future standing before her, hope blazing in her hazel eyes. 

"Let's get you settled," Lane offered, gesturing over her shoulder for Taktuq to follow. Once the girl had picked out a cozy spot for herself in the caverns and had been shown to a cache, she would turn her attention to Tuuluuwaq. 

It was a rare treat, for them to find a moment when their daily schedules aligned. Lane planned to make the most of it. 

Last for Lane.
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Ooc — hela
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#12
Tuulu stepped back to allow their new member to cross over the border. Lane would show her around and get her settled, but he knew she would come find him once she was done.

The Takret would give them both a nod and then turn to head in the direction of the medicine den. He would wait for Lane there, eager to spend some rare down time with her.