Gently in the Night I Roam {J}

The snow was light on the ground, the soft light of the grey dawn permeating the air with a frisson of heat but to the cold frozen ground of the valley, it tried but to no avail. The ground was frozen in the depths of the winter- and what a winter it had been. The snow had fallen thick since she had entered this place, her soul a desolate wasteland of grief and sorrow and sheer frustration. It was her fault. She'd taken them from their home, the eldest of their litter and Mikael had followed her, faithfully and loyally. And she had led him to his death, for no wolf could survive such a snowstorm without shelter and though for many long hours she had searched, her youngest brother was nowhere to be found.

And here it led her, to a winter valley full of the new scents of a pack. The air was thick with the scents, long ago placed, perhaps a handful of moons ago. Rozari couldn't remember the last time she'd felt the primal urge of a pack territory. It was an urge, common in most any-wolf but of course, some stuck to themselves. The instinct to belong to and be surrounded by both pack and family.

She bordered on the edge of a life both achingly familiar and excruciatingly painful in her memories, a concept of a pack of strangers to welcome her and a family to call her own. It was a foolish thing, to expect a stranger to accept her so readily but many packs needed as many wolves as possible. The winter was harsh after all and prey on the short side of existence. There were hungry mouths to feed but so little to feed them with and any smart alpha needed all the hunters they could get. Rozari assumed she'd be accepted for the winter but who knew what spring would bring? It was a season of life and renewal.

Perhaps she would leave after the winter, with attachment to her former pack but no pain. There would be no heartfelt farewells, for none would know her enough to miss her. Or so she hoped. Sniffing the ground, she brought her head up further to the apex of the sky, letting a howl ripple from her throat and echo loudly across the convex valley. She made herself comfortable as she waited, knowing her call would be heard and responded to by an Alpha.

A howl sliced through the cold winter air, this one unfamiliar though she knew it was directed towards the leader of these lands. It came from close to where she was, closer than expected, so with a shrug, Crëyr made her way towards where the call had came from. Better to be there to see what this wolf wanted with the pack, though she had a pretty good idea what it was.

Seeing that Shadow hadn't arrived yet, she stopped in front of the wolfess, who hadn't fortunately yet stirred any trouble, unlike the last two recruits. They'd respectively hunted near pack lands, and had trespassed. They were in the Bypass now, though, still in the close inspection of Shadow. Relieved that this she-wolf wasn't doing either of those, she gave her a small, faint smile.

"Hello," She offered, making no effort to conceal her curiosity as she gave this brown-furred wolf a scan and an evaluation. "I am not the Alpha, but he will arrive soon. For now, may I ask why you are here, at Noctisardor borders?"

Deep in thought, Rozari glanced out across the valley view with barely seeing eyes, as her thoughts trailed into the darkest depths of her mind and soul. She was unsure of this entire plan, to approach a pack for the season and in doing so, risk becoming attached. And people she became attached to had a habit of dying and she would not bring her curse upon a pack so easily.

The scent of a female nudged at her mind and she climbed to her feet, training her gaze squarely on the grey furred female who approached her, bright green eyes, vivid in hue, analysing her quickly. She returned the gaze straight on, her own eyes darting across her frame and noting the speed her legs carried, as well as the strong muscles of her flank. A strong wolf, a good indicator for her chances in the pack.

"I am Rozari Igantyev, I am seeking the alpha of the pack here. I want to join, if they will have me." She glanced once again across the valley, breathing in the scents and wondering if there was an alpha in the area at that moment. The female in front of her was strong but her scent was not that of an alpha, a distinctive trait all alpha wolves carried with them. "I've been searching for a pack to join, this seems to be the first such I have encountered."

bright green eyes, vivid in hue

blue, i think xD
@Shadow

Crëyr scrutinized this female, who had levelled to her height and had stared defiantly back. Normally she would take this as a sign which indicated that the wolf wished to challenge her, but perhaps all new recruits hadn't been used to being with pack wolves for so long that they forgot most that'd been taught.

Well, it wasn't Shadow that she was staring that, she was fine. As long as she didn't maintain eye contact and had herself in a posture of subordination later on with the Alpha...

"Is that so?" She spoke lightly, her cerulean eyes darting around this possible recruit. Small in stature, swift, legs packed with lean muscle. Probably of use with hunting, and they needed that at the moment. "Well, we have room here for you, though that is up to the Alpha to decide if he will let you into our ranks. Since you have already called for him, he will arrive soon. We will wait here for him," She instructed as she gave the brown-pelted female a small nod. "My name is Crëyr."

Ooops.. Sorry~~

Those sapphire eyes scrutinised her closely and once the fae had spoken, she shifted into a less tense posture. She had only stood defiantly as a safeguard, knowing she would have only seconds to react if she had to engage in a fight. She wasn't sure of the reaction she would garner and so had prepared sufficiently. She lowered her gaze and softened considerably, knowing it was the wisest option for when the alpha arrived.


"It is a pleasure to meet you, Crëyr. I guess we shall both wait patiently then." She turned her attention to the scenery around her and the way the melting ice from the sun's warmth dripped down the tree and trickled infinitesimally down to the base of the tree as she watched the slow progress of the sun across the sky as time passed and the early morning developed into the softness of the new day.

Posting order is now = Rozari then Shadow then Crëyr

Sometimes, most of the times he didn't mind calls at his borders, for it gave him a chance to test his intimidation skills and gave the Bypass new wolves. But other times, it really got on his nerves when wolves he didn't know randomly howled and summoned him to the doorway. He was the Alpha, the Imperator of the pack, he wasn't someone to just be summoned. He patrolled his borders daily, marked them, made sure no one trespassed, hunted food and filled the caches for the pack. Surely, surely he would have some free time for himself. Not to mention the fact, the Roman was a wolf of great importance, not someone to serve pathetic scrawny loners.

Swearing in his native tongue, Shadow quickly ended the prayer, slitted the belly of the rabbit with his alabaster fangs for the gods to feast on and moved away from the altar that was hidden way north in the Bypass lands. The part of his home where no one except for himself ever went before, or that was what he thought and hoped for. This better not be some whining little baby, he thought to himself, adopting a stoic indifferent mask. He took his time, hoping to make the stranger feel the same way he did, no one simply interrupted his prayers.

From a distance, keen silver eyes spotted a familiar greyscale form approach the stranger, still keeping up well with her warden duties. He nodded approvingly, making a mental note in his head. Shadow joined them soon, noticing the fact that she wasn't submitting, he preferred something extremely respectful like crouching down and tucking the tail between the legs so it pressed against her belly. Hmph. He drew himself up to his full height, tail rising dominantly in the air, platinum eyes fierce and proud, he held an aura of quiet strength and power.

Your name and business he said, getting straight to the point. The Roman drew his lips back in a brief snarl, hoping she would get the point. Insubordination? Please get the fuck out. Of course, only if they didn't submit, he wanted a good spar anyways. But she seemed pretty decent, compared to the two female recruits the other day, apparently one trespassed and one hunted on their lands. Wow. Common sense much? But he would give her a chance.

last post from me so it's rozari then shadow :D

Shadow would arrive soon and she specifically knew that he tended not to go well with people that lacked respect, though Crëyr knew that she couldn't entirely blame this female for that. She wasn't calling Rozari disrespectful, not even close to that, but Shadow, well... You would probably have to get used to him before you could get to know him.

The silver-graphite girl smiled, her lips forming a response to Rozari's words. But before she could speak them, Shadow's scent brought her to attention. Silently, swiftly, their newly returned Alpha arrived, his posture as usual, regal, one of dominance. Immediately she dropped her head, lowering herself into a position of respect before stepping aside for him for inspection of Rozari.

"Shadow," She said gently as a greeting. Hoping Rozari would provide sufficient answers for the questions Shadow was going to send her way, she wished her a silent prayer of luck before retreating behind the Imperator, into the shadows, as it was him who would now deal with Rozari.

A smile curled her lips as Rozari saw one begin to form on the other fae's lips but almost immediately, the arrival of a foreign scent had her tensed. The dominant scent of an alpha male filled the air- and the aura of regal strength that emanated from this pack's alpha had her crouching almost to the ground, lowering her tail and her head so her eyes faced the ground, though she darted quick looks at the dominant male.

"Rozari Igantyev. I'm seeking to join your pack, if you have the inclination and the room." She drew a little back from the brief snarl across his muzzle but stayed her ground, knowing she would most likely need to show at least a little backbone. Rozari lowered her head further and lowered her shoulders further, going against her pride and following her instincts to show respect. This wolf would most likely easily wound her severely if she was to challenge him in any manner, so perhaps provoking him further would do no good for her health.

He nudged Crëyr affectionately as she turned to leave before moving to inspect the stranger. The wolf was crouching down, tail and head lowered. Good he thought to himself, makes the job a whole lot easier. A good fight would be nice, but it would take time, and the Imperator currently needed to get back to his altar and his own personal den, not the one he shared with Paarthurnax, that den was empty but still his, he had moved all the herbs and medical equipment into his own den. A pack needed a healer, he wasn't an exceptionally good one, but he would have to do.

"Rozari Igantyev. I'm seeking to join your pack, if you have the inclination and the room." Shadow kept his stoic mask, watching silently as she lowered her body and head even further. Well, if nothing went wrong, she probably wasn't going to go on probatio. At least she had the sense to not trespass on his lands or hunt for that matter, or he would have to take her captive or make her a slave, or the lightest sentence, to be put on probatio. Of course, there was always the option of chasing or killing.

The inclination eh? Shadow said in his 'naturally' soft dangerous tone. Interesting choice of words here,he moved closer to her, deciding to finally be serious about the whole thing instead of acting absurdly sarcastic later on. Why have you decided to join this pack instead of any other? And why should we accept you? What are your skills, your strengths? Your weaknesses? The last question was a trick question, if she was to be in the pack, she needed to be loyal and to trust her packmates, if she was afraid to say her weakness, then...game over kid.

Every fibre of her being was on edge, tensed and poised to flee if she must. Rozario could only stand her ground in that moments, as the dangerous alpha male approached until he was closer and his eyes seemed to rake across her with the intensity of a wildfire, with all the untameable fury and wildness of a fiery tempest. He was asking a list of questions, seeming to test her patience and her mettle, to see if she could withstand the tension of the moment- and if she could trust such strangers, a necessary trait for a pack wolf.

"You are the first pack I have encountered in the area, and seem to be well defended. Your borders are well-secured and you seem to have a large territory, something many packs seem to struggle with at times." She thought carefully about the next question, still settled lowly on the ground and she flicked her eyes up and then down once again as she deliberated. "I'm a decent hunter, as all wolves who have lived this long are. I'm a swift runner and have a large amount of patience." Damn, it sounded way too much like she was tooting her own horn a little too much. But she powered on once again, determined to get her meaning and reasons out there, no matter how... ineloquent it sounded.

"I have a good grasp on the basics of medicinal herbs and practices, as my mother taught me much as a child and growing up in our pack, I regularly helped our healer prepare many poultices and such. I am by no means a healer in my own right but I can prepare simple cures. I have only the weapons that each wolf has, the sharpness of my teeth and claws and the lightness of fleet feet. But I've survived this long, so I must be doing something right." The weakness question had thrown her off now, her own instincts rebelling against revealing such intricate parts of herself.

She breathed a deep sigh and once again, shouldered her way past her own anxieties. "I'm not used to pack life, not by a longshot. I've spent a long time on my own and my own pack growing up as dysfunctional at best. And I'm lightly built, not the strongest quality for a fighting wolf to have. Sure I'm light on my feet but I can't take quite as many hits as others, with thicker muscles and stronger bones." She felt extremely anxious about revealing this but if it got her a position on a pack, then it was worth it. For those packmates would work with her, to know her weaknesses so they could cover them and vice versa.

The Imperator listened as she spoke, saying they were the first pack she had encountered in the area and seemed well defended. She was very subtly saying she wasn't actually sure if they were well defended but she thought they were well defended. Well, he'll let it go, he couldn't possibly pull out every mistake a recruit said could he? Wouldn't want to scare off a potential member after all, so Shadow continued listening, rather patiently if he said so himself. "I'm a decent hunter, as all wolves who have lived this long are. I'm a swift runner and have a large amount of patience."

Next time, Shadow thought to himself. Remember to tell them not to say anything about knowing how to hunt and similar shit like that, ain't got time for that. Outwardly though, he did not speak, but continued to listen. So far, this girl was leaning to the getting accepted side, she knew how to respect and she seemed likable. He only hoped she did not plan on just staying this cold season, Shadow wished for veterans and wolves he knew he could trust. But if he expected that of everyone, he was sure nobody would come and ask for acceptance in the Bypass.

She spoke well, her wordings were delicate and were gently weaved together. She could be a brilliant senator here in the Bypass, speaking skills were really important if a wolf wanted to be accepted into a pack. But to the Roman, actions spoke louder than words, he said that to everyone who wanted a home in the plains.

A light smile touched his lips, You are a good speaker, but actions speak louder than words, and I tend to believe when I see what you say you can do. he spoke softly. You speak of many skills, and I expect you to do your best in the Bypass, just as I expect of all my packmates. He gazed at her, not speaking for a long moment, before lifting his head to the sky. This is not a pack where you can just slack off and seek sanctuary without paying back. Those who just slack off will be kicked out and there will be no mercy given to them. Life here is hard, but rewarding, however if you do not think this kind of life is suitable for you, you may still turn and leave now.

It's short but there we are!

Rozari ducked her head as she listened with the attention and intent of a loyal, respectful wolf. After her slightly less than perfect introduction to the alpha, she would try her best to conquer her own nature, fighter and grim that she was.
"Alpha, I would not have joined any pack expecting that my work would be done for me. For how could I garner respect, if I sat on my haunches as others healed the sick, patrolled the borders, fed the pack? No, I could never allow myself the dishonour of that. Your life will suit me well I think, a hard life reaps the greatest rewards, as they say."
She nodded and followed the larger male into the territory as he accepted her, a strange thrum of acceptance and warmth entering her heart from then.