Dawn treader

IC joining!

There had been many opportunities for this wolf to die. Many days and nights of hunger and thirst. Many fights for scraps that even the vultures had left behind. He had crossed so much terrain that his feet hardly knew the difference anymore between rock and grass. He had been faced with more opposition than he cared to admit, and he had certainly seen much death and pain—so much so that he no longer feared the coming of either.

Pride kept him going. The will to live and not die a tragedy like most of his family. He searched the wild for peace, for a paradise that wouldn't demand he always be worried, agitated, and alone. He didn't want to be alone anymore. Thousands of empty, lonely miles had taught him this much at least. But he would be alone for as long as it took for him to find what he was looking for...

The appearance of fall urged him further into the vale of packlands. Normally he would skirt them, unwilling enough to be bothered, plus it was easy enough to survive on his own during spring and summer; but it would only get harder from here. This particular thought brought him first to these borders.

He did not howl for the company of their members. Instead, the stranger stalked and loped around, following the scent-line as if it would lead somewhere besides in a complete circle. He was careful not to cross it, having learned once the hard way, but he was persistent in his pacing—he was at it for a few hours in the dead of night, until the sun broke the skyline and illuminated the gray wolf like a sparkling stone.

As the land became steeped in nightfall an unfamiliar aroma lingered just beyond the borders. Ever vigilant on patrol, Tuwawi became altered by the scent and immediately began to track its course. To her dismay, the stranger's path traced their boundaries, and with each step the Sveijarn became more and more distressed by the vagrant's presence. With no clear purpose other than to linger ominously, Tuwawi could only assume the worse. A wandering male was a large threat to her family and children; a threat that needed to be snuffed out. Her crimson hair spiked along her nape and spine as she broke into a swift gallop, eager to intercept the destitute wanderer.

Silver eyes became illuminated in the shady dawn, but it wasn't long before brighter rays ebbed from betwixt the boughs of reaching aspens. In the distance was the wolf she sought, platinum and stoic like a shard of granite, but she wasted little time on observations. Bold and lofty strides carried Tuwawi towards him in a quick descent, and it wasn't long before she was just a few lengths away. "Who are you," the alpha hissed with a rumble in her throat.

The quick steps brought him pause, and the massive mountaineer swung around to face the female just as she came to a halt mere yards away. She was small, but her scent recognizable if only because it permeated nearly every inch of this pack's borders. He noted the fiery color of her fur, beautiful to the stony creature, but as he avoided looking into her eyes, he would not yet be able to tell anyone what color they were.

"A traveler," he responded lankly, knowing that she sought a name, but further knowing that he couldn't give her one. "A weary one," he added hesitantly, deep voice rough with misuse. He wondered if this pack even needed an extra body or mouth in their midst. The stranger did not directly indicate that he was seeking refuge, unwilling to seem desperate, but he quietly and politely tucked himself in the small female's presence anyway.

"What is this place?" he vaguely motioned behind her.

Autumn's biting dawn did little to ease the alpha's nerves as Tuwawi's red locks frayed wildly across her nape. It was her responsibility to ensure the safety of her family and children and such a large outsider could not linger unchecked. Prepared to unsheathe tooth and claw, the sanguine woman waited for the man's rebuke. However, she found him to to be a composed wolf who offered a genuine gesture of deference accompanied by calm words.

'A traveler, a weary one,' he said. Tuwawi staved her fang though her posture continued to exude sovereignty. Trust was a rare commodity in the wild, and it certainty couldn't be spared on any passerby. Yet, his civility granted the ember an opportunity to closely evaluate him. The youngblood was a titan in physique, dusted with a range of monochromatic hues, but jagged scars blemished his finely cut maw and shoulder. Beryl eyes smartly evaded Tuwawi's knowing gaze as she gaze him the once over. The leader saw much of her mate, Njal, in the young man... but it was too soon to tell if he was half the wolf.

'What is this place?' the traveler queried. "Duskfire Glacier," the phoenix replied, voice still pointed, "I am the alpha." Her weight shifted as the leader took another rigid step towards him. "Weary or not, wanderers are not welcome to linger so near," she said with a narrowed and steely gaze. There was no room for small-talk, here.

She stepped closer, bringing an uneasy prickle along his spine that warned the brute that he could be descended upon at any moment. Not that he didn't think he deserved it for lingering like an unwanted shadow at the Alpha's borders. He shifted slightly on his large feet, but did not make himself move in any one direction. "I am a wolf," he told her needlessly. "Wandering is not in my true nature."

His wild-sea eyes gazed plaintively at her feet, traveling up as far as her muzzle, before he spoke again. "I wander because I am unwanted. Trust does not fall easy on someone like me." His massiveness had always been a threat to other males, they had never given him way. His prickling feralness had usual cause to frighten females, who never gave enough time to chip away at his stony exterior. This fiery female had reason to stand up to him now—she had a pack to protect; though if he had been a malicious animal, it wouldn't have been difficult to harm such a small wolf.

"I can earn my keep," the stranger told her.

Despite Tuwawi's pressing stance and warning scowl the man remained fixed in place. The alpha eyed him skeptically. She was aware, just as he was aware, that the enigmatic stranger could not bested by physical prowess if it came down to a scuffle. No amount of agility could help a wolf smothered by such an enemy... Yet, at any sign of trouble the pack would descend upon the interloper like crows to carrion and swiftly dispatch the wayward aggressor. It was one of the benefits of living together in a pack. Ber er hver að baki nema sér bróður eigi, Bare is the back of a brotherless man, Njal would sometimes say.

But this wolf was smart, and he knew his breed as he knew himself. A lifetime of loneliness was not how their kind was supposed to live. Vagabonds could boast little, plagued with an empty spirit and desolate future, and it appeared this stranger sought to make Duskfire his residence. Tuwawi's sooty ears pricked with interest, though her hardened stare remained.

'I can earn my keep,' the man reasoned. "I am sure you can. You appear quite capable," the Sveijarn willingly admitted, "but this pack demands more than just a guard or hunter. We are family here, even though Duskfire's wolves are not tied by blood." Those strong bonds were what Tuwawi and Njal sought when they set off on this new adventure, cutting their ties with Swiftcurrent. The fleeting ways of the valley pack left little stability for the Sveijarn's blossoming family, and its numerous leaders were reckless and indifferent to their mistakes. Duskfire was supposed to be different — and Tuwawi found herself wishing to drive him off. After all, she had thought of him as danger just moments ago.

However, the alpha could not deny the need for another strong body. Winter was fast approaching and the cold months were bound to be harsher than the easy southern frost. Her lips pursed thoughtfully as she spoke. "I know nothing of you, stranger. Tell me - what is your name and where do you come from?" she queried.

Family. A word she emphasized and one he had not heard in many moon cycles. His nameless siblings, and Mother, had been together for as long as they could, though most of them had been lost to tragedy. All except himself and his brother, whose whereabouts the wanderer was sure he would never know. He nodded once in understanding towards the fire-backed wolf, but he otherwise did not comment on the bond this pack held. The stray wolf knew he would be expected to not only serve, but to treat those in this pack like his own brothers, sisters, mother. His ears pressed forward as she continued.

"They mostly call me just that, as you have—Stranger, and I accept it." This was not common, he supposed. He had met many wolves before, each with their own calling, and most with a surname to accompany it. He had neither. Thinking to elaborate, he continued in a quietly rumbling fashion: "I have been called other things similar but never was I given a true name. Mother simply called me and my brothers son, or boy.. or you."

Blinking, he remembered she had also asked from where he hailed, and he breathed deeply, throat thick from misuse. He had not spoken this much since parting with his brother. "I would not be able to find the origin of my birth, but it was a mountain." He remembered its name, but did not care yet to tell, but he had been honest about not knowing where to find it. He had traveled many directions and many circles since leaving there—a compass rose would have even been confused by his travels.

"I am conditioned for such terrain, and stronger anywhere else. I would do nicely.. serving a family as such," he dared to venture, wondering if she would give the nameless stone a chance, or turn him away as he was used to. Neither option would bother him in the least.

Tuwawi's face began to soften as this wolf — Stranger was the moniker he had assumed — explained his heritage. The Sveijarn could relate on some level for she had never truly known her mother or blood family. Only Tuwawi's sister, Dove, was a vivid memory. Young and beautiful, the elder sister had been promised a wonderful life. However, Nature was never one for honoring the vows of a wolf.

Names, as well, had come and gone. Tuwawi had been born as Fauve Maike only to be bestowed the name Proudheart by Kindred's alpha. Following a disastrous flood the young ember had sought out Tartok's infamous leader, Siku, who offered rebirth to the abandoned urchin. With her new family came a new name... one she still carried to this day. However, this Stranger didn't appear to place much importance on what he was called... and the indifference he exuded bothered the Duskfire alpha to some extent. Perhaps her pride was too hardened, too strong, to merely accept things as they were. That was why the Sveijarn family had traveled so far. However, Tuwawi could not blame on the man. Every creature had their own nature for one reason or another.

"It's a shame," the alpha murmured with a frown as Stranger explained his origin. An apathetic mother and a nameless existence was a sad state. Truly the wolf's personality mimicked his stony exterior. Even as he listed off his strengths, a certain binary tone flattened his baritone voice. "You would not serve us," Tuwawi corrected, "I have no need for drones. What I want is an ambitious wolf. A devoted wolf. A brother. Can you be that?" Tuwawi asked as she eyed him curiously, uncertain if this rock could be polished into a gemstone.

"My ambition lies in survival and nothing more," he answered honestly. The wolf had no imperial thoughts. He wanted no rank, no glory, no praise; things that had never been offered to him, things he saw no need for. But... it was perhaps because he had never experienced these things that barred his desire for them. All he needed was the opportunity.

But those other things. A devotee. A brother. These things he could be without any forethought at all. "I can be family to you and yours, and I will devote myself to ser—" he'd almost said "serve" again, as it was the only way he had learned to appease other wolves, but quickly refrained; "surviving and making sure my brothers and sister do the same." He figured that there were other packs he could travel to before the onset of winter, but his chances of joining one would lessen marginally by that time. No one would want another mouth to feed, and he'd be on his own for another cold year.

He hesitated, before asking: "may I stay?"

Last post for me! ^__^

Tuwawi's jaw clenched as she ruminated over the decision. Though Stranger had his merits, Duskfire's alpha was unconvinced the statuesque male would find his niche within the pack. Yet, he appeared an earnest soul — a rare quality — and so the ember was willing to give him the opportunity.

"Very well," the ember said as her harsh expression softened. She took a few more steps towards the new pledge, his broad figure dwarfing her more bantam frame, and pressed a tawny muzzle to one angular, platinum cheek. "You are one of us now. A piece of Duskfire Glacier," Tuwawi told him, voice lowering to a croon, "I look forward to running with you." Do not disappoint us, she wanted to tack on... but decided against it. A new recruit needed encouragement, not pressure.

"For now you can acquaint yourself with the territory and hunting routes. I am sure two of my most loyal wolves, @Danica or @Týrr , could show you around if you care for it. I will have an assignment for you, soon... but until then I expect you to learn about the territory and your new pack mates." Duskfire's hunts had been poor performances the last few weeks and Tuwawi was keen to make a difference starting with their collaboration skills.

"Ah, the sun is rising high," she mentioned, attention drawn by the hour. "I must return to my den, but we will see one another again, soon." The ember turned away towards the heart of their land, eager to return to her children. For now, Stranger would be left to his own devices.

He inclined his broad muzzle, thick tail swishing politely against his haunches as she accepted him. "Thank-you," he rumbled quietly, listening further to her instructions and glancing past her into his newly presumed home bathed in dawn's glow. He had not expected her to leave him so quickly, but Stranger was independent if nothing else.

He watched her go, wondering at her name which he hadn't received, before taking his first steps into Duskfire Glacier.