Luneshale Pass vibe control

attn @Soto

After his brief run-in with Vermouth, Bruno spends the night under the open, starry sky. There is something about it that comforts him. When he arises the next morning it is to a cloudy sky with a gentle breeze. The sun slowly begins to make its way over the horizon, and soon it bathes the world in a drab grey, blotted out by the clouds.
He sets his sights on the pack mentioned by Vermouth, large paw pads keeping him moving eastward. Soon enough, he comes to the unmistakable, albeit a little weak, markings of a pack. He stops to sniff at a spot where the ground has been scratched, a marker of this pack's claim.

another drab, cheerless morning. 

soto mulls over the missing faces of haruto and bushtit; the former causes little worry, but the latter strings along a unpleasant tap in his gut. 

when did he get sentimental?

his attention shifts from inner reflection as his morning ritual brings him to the borders, where a man’s form bends to sniff at something invisible. 

at first glance soto thinks this man is legless; as he pulls closer he sees each limb shares its color with the snow. 

head low, soto fixes him with his gaze and makes himself known by the loud scrape of a paw upon ground as he approaches.

Bruno notices the other wolf's presence as soon as he comes into view. A dark male, layered with copper, likely not too far off in age from Vermouth. Perhaps the two had clashed, and that was why Vermouth had asked Bruno about the pack. That did not mean that this place would welcome him, but Bruno was not even sure he wanted that. Again, the word reciprocity rung in his ears, a word that had been drilled into him since birth. One could not take without giving unless they wished to feel the consequences.
Unlike his run-in with Vermouth, this wolf claims this place. He does not appear to have a fully solid claim, but it is a far cry from the neutral ground west of here. Bruno responds as one should.
In deference, the yearling lowers his tail, his ears flatten parallel to the ground, and he lowers his eyes to two coppery front paws.

Cameo/skippable!

Her leg already felt a lot better for the rest, though Towhee knew—from experience, of course—not to press her luck. She did what she’d told Soto she would do: she lurked at the edges of the pass, keeping to herself and resting. She kept watch too, while she was there, her inner mercenary restive despite her damaged limb. And, of course, her mother’s heart always keeping an eye out for Bushtit’s return.

Presently, she crouched in some scrub tucked at the foot of a natural plinth formed out of pale shale: a blind, of sorts. Her eagle eyes plucked out a distant figure, watching it come closer and closer to what she considered Verapaz territory. It didn’t belong to her—it may not even properly belong to Soto—but she considered sending up a warning call.

Then the Segundo sloped onto the scene. Glad for an excuse not to exert herself, Towhee sank down into the scrub, letting out a low, slow breath as her eyes stayed fixed on the pair.

a silvery slender figure slipped onto the scene, alerted by the call but tardy in receiving it. instead, she found the amazon woman lurking at the outskirts of their territory, and a growl rumbled in her throat as she approached towhee.

back off, her ice-blue gaze clearly stated, cutting over toward the elderly she-wolf. 

she carried on, then, closing the distance toward soto and the interloper. she looked over the newcomer before turning toward her leader, head held high and proud. 

you come to the land of verapaz, she announced, without reservation. why?

these days, anyone can be an enemy. soto stays alert, keen eyes pinned on the newcomer.

demonstrating the appropriate subservience of a man on someone else's claim (a rare thing these days, thinks soto), the interloper earns himself the slight softening of soto's hard gaze.

behind him, another pair of hawkish eyes lurk -- but soto remains oblivious to towhee's presence, particularly as fiamma strides confidently upon the scene.

her poise is admirable, and her presence a boon -- for soto has no way to communicate with outsiders unless they deign to learn his language. dipping his skull in approval towards the mercenary, soto turns back to the stranger awaiting answer. why had he come?

posting order: bruno, towhee (skippable), fiamma, soto.

The other wolf does not speak, and Bruno is sure he spots movement from behind the stranger. The yearling is poised to open his mouth and speak, but another wolf arrives—this one a female. She is older than Bruno, but not ancient by any means. She does speak, introducing the name of their pack and asking why he is here. The yearling focuses his attention on her, even though he senses that the male is in charge.
"I dispersed from my birth pack not so long ago. I am seeking a place to call home, and another wolf I ran into mentioned that there was a pack here. My name is Bruno. Can you tell me a bit about Verapaz?" he asks.

A third wolf appeared, her hoary figure headed in a surprising direction. Towhee’s eyes narrowed as Fiamma came toward her, giving away her position. She couldn’t hear the growl, though it didn’t take a genius to intuit the woman’s ire. Her answering amusement smoothed out her own irritation at being outed.

Rather than obey Fiamma’s unspoken wishes, Towhee decided to be a Lauren today. She stepped out of her hiding spot and approached the trio. She brushed past Fiamma, slinking to Soto’s other flank. She nipped at his jaw just to get a reaction, then winked at the other woman over the Segundo’s back.

she nodded, taking in his words, and then turned her gaze toward soto.

cerca una casa. il suo nome è bruno, she explained, then glanced back at the man. this is soto, she said, gesturing toward their leader. 

before she could continue, the amazon crone had moved forward to stand on the opposite side of soto and even shot a wink in her direction. fiamma gave her a bland look in reply, then shook her head. there was no use squabbling; this newcomer could be valuable.

bruno, we have a very distinct purpose, fiamma explained. we defend our own and our territory, so you must be willing to do the same. what are your skills?

not since their tryst had they touched! soto jerks his head away in surprise as the amazon nips at his cheek, his single eye first gleaming in excitement and then hardening to something colder; not now, and why now communicable by the flash of his eyes.

he straightens as he hears his name, turning back to the man identified as bruno. he's grateful for fiamma's no nonsense approach, and feels confident she will convey their purpose with competence.

if this man wishes for a home, he will have to answer to fiamma's questions. silently, soto apprises the man, knowing fiamma's got him in her crosshairs and won't flinch in pulling the trigger.

posting order: bruno, towhee, fiamma, soto.

A third wolf appears, and Bruno begins to feel overwhelmed with the show of so many faces at once. He has been on his own for some time, and nothing about this trio screams "friendly" to him. They are not outright hostile, but something about them sets him on edge. The one woman who spoke before speaks again, this time peppering in an entire language he does not know. Bruno finds it strange that the others remain silent, watching. There is clearly something going on between the trio, but he cannot fathom what it might be. He feels decidedly othered.
Bruno also feels his question has not been answered. Every pack defends their territory, their kin.
"What is this 'distinct purpose'?" he asks.

Fiamma barely reacted, which was kind of anticlimactic. Soto did, though. He flinched, then gave her a look she couldn’t read. Towhee snorted but made no attempt to explain herself. Besides, everyone’s collective attention returned to the stranger straddling the borderline.

He wanted to know Verapaz’s distinct purpose. Towhee wouldn’t mind knowing the answer to that. So she remained standing there, silently observant, rather than give in to the temptation to leave the others to it.

we trade, she answered simply. we supply goods to our neighbors that they need, and in turn, they give us what we need. we protect our territory and our own; we would expect you to do the same

she didn't want to elaborate further; if he was to stay, he could know more. 

we can offer a safe place here in the desert—food, water, shelter, fiamma went on. no one else has that.

the woman lifted her chin, sizing him up. you will do well here, she decided, and turned to soto, adding, lui sta bene.