Horizon Ridge Turning Angel Wings to Dust

Kanti was still a naive wolf. Even in his young age leaving his family pack was something that was necessary. Coming from snow tipped mountians and flowing deep rivers made him patient. Hunting along the banks of rivers and near crevices turned any wolf into a cautious being. One wrong step could cost you your prey, and if you are unlucky enough your life. Hearing only the howling wind and the dripping of water from the snow cracked mountians transformed him into a listener. In some of his loneliest times the whispering wind was the only thing keeping him company. 

Kanti had an inherent want...need to be with wolves, but on occasion he desired to be alone. Now was not the time for that emotion. While wandering from the mountains. Kanti ran across a pack near the coast. Their dense aroma surrounded Kanti's nose and ran through his fur entangling and pushing his own scent away. Kanti remained on alert. His senses hung on full blast like a hare deep in the snow plated mountains. As of now he stayed to the outside of their territory. Making sure if he did come across he had an appropriate escape route if things went south. The scents of the strangers lay all around him. He picked out a few fresh scents a female and a male, but nothing more could he locate. Kanti was curious, he wanted to know more about these wolves. Kanti prepared himself for a call to all the nearby wolves. Head risen, throat open. "What am I doing, this could be the end of me." 

And he howled. 

I'll keep you company until Sophie tosses Akhlut in here. :)

The pack's Iota harbored no desire whatsoever to become a guardian, as she found patrols boring and liked confrontations even less. However, as the days and weeks passed, Pied discovered within herself a fierce sense of protectiveness. This was the home she shared with Kisu and her other pack mates now, the place where she eventually planned to bring pups into the world. She felt more dedicated to Horizon Ridge than any other pack since leaving Jawbone Hill and she knew she would do anything in her power to maintain peace and prosperity here.

Thus, it went without saying that when a strange voice rose up into the cold air from the direction of the borders, Pied took it upon herself to respond to the implied summons. She strode in the direction of the call, making conscious adjustments to her posture even as she loped stiffly across the rocky sands to intercept the stranger. Dominance did not come naturally to her, per se, but she held her head upright, pricked her hoary ears and even raised her tail to curl over her silver-plaited hips.

Despite her businesslike approach, Pied spoke amiably when she came within earshot. Her manner gave away none of the slight apprehension she felt in the presence of an unfamiliar and likely stronger male. "Hello." She waited until she reached him to say more. She planted her forepaws firmly, her two-toned gaze looking him over speculatively. "What brings you to Horizon Ridge's borders?" Pied asked.

After his call to the residents of the surrounding territory Kanti sat and waited. The salty wind rushed through his fur as he anticipated any wolf's reply. Looking up to the sky he question wether or not this was a good idea. Edging in on unfamiliar wolf territory hardly ever ended up well for the intruder.

 Just before Kanti could think about drawing back and retreating a wolf appeared from the blue. Her white and grey mismatched pelt shown brightly against their surroundings. With her head and tail facing the sky in pride she began to danger towards Kanti. In his return call he puffed his chest out to make himself seem large but kept his head tilted toward the earth. 

The female then gave him a simple enough greeting before immediately moving on to asking why he was present. With a firm and unshakeable voice he replied. "I am looking for your alpha, or a respected wolf. I want to learn about your pack." Kanti was curious on what the packs values were. He wasnt going to throw them his loyalty if they didn't stand for something half way noble and worth while.

She noted his posture, which was a strange mix of imperiousness and submission. She didn't know what to make of the former, though it didn't sit particularly well with Pied. In response, she stood even taller, neck and legs stiffening. The pale fur along her shoulder blades and hackles bristled to make her look even larger. She would never be mistaken for a large wolf, yet at least Pied looked the part of a self-contained and dominant individual. It even felt natural to her now, in the presence of this stranger.

Like his demeanor, his reply rubbed her the wrong way ever so slightly. The reddish stranger seemed to be implying that she wasn't a respected wolf and that he didn't want to waste time talking to her. His tone didn't seem as snobbish as his choice of words, though, so Pied only blinked and stood her ground without letting his possibly haughty attitude affect her.

"All wolves here are respected, particularly over an outsider," she stated coolly. "My Alpha can't oblige every curious stranger lurking at his borders, so consider me his representative until his presence becomes absolutely necessary. What would you like to know? And what's your name?"

Kanti kept his head down through their entire interaction only glancing up to see how the female would react. While his honor pushed to the fore front of his naive mind, his logic overruled it. When Kanti enquired to see the leader the she wolf acted tempestuous. Kanti couldn't figure out why. The she wolf was obviously not alpha, she was well...a female. And female wolves couldn't lead exclusively by their lonesome. Kanti knew better than to press the matter any further. 

Kanti did not understand what made the female upset. He kept his tail and ears flat to the ground. This made him completely scared. If he messed up anymore she could kill him. "I am sorry, I didn't mean to upset you. I...I just didn't know. Please don't harm me." Kanti whimpered. " Im Kanti." during the whole speaking endeavor tried to keep his voice straight but he felt it break when he tried to retain any confidence. 

His reaction took her by surprise, when suddenly he cowered, stammering and begging her not to hurt him. Pied blinked again, the mottled fur at her nape bristling in instinctive acknowledgement of his submission. Meanwhile, she felt herself wanting to reassure him that she wouldn't hurt him, for gods' sake, and that she wasn't upset, either. She wondered what made him think so, then glanced down at her own chest as if to marvel at the power of body language. Did her little attempts to look intimidating actually work so well?

"It's okay, Kanti, I'm not upset. I was having trouble reading you but," Pied told him, "it's clearer now." Her tail flicked. She felt little jolts of empowerment even as she continued to look down at him. "My name's Pied. I'm relatively highly-ranked in Horizon Ridge and I can probably answer your questions about the pack. What would you like to know?" As she spoke, she felt like she'd struck the balance between authoritative and hospitable.

Kanti's father would have scolded him for being so submissive with a strange wolf, let alone a female. Kanti never enjoyed intimidating wolves for no reason. He only did so when his father would force him. Lucky for Kanti before this could have a dire effect on his own personality his father died. This was Kanti's escape. He left behind everything he knew for a chance to start fresh. His body language reflected his own personal nature. A submissive wolf, not meaning to hurt anyone. Just a wolf trying to prospect a better life for himself. Not a wolf who would take it by force. 

Kanti was confused on why the she wolf had trouble reading him. He hadn't showed any signs of aggression or anger. Kanti took the females remark earlier to be one directed angrily at him. Kanti learned the females name, Pied. He glanced up at her and finally observed what she really looked like. She was around the same height as him. Kanti only being a little taller. Her white pelt was plagued with shades of grey. She smelt strongly of another wolf, Kanti assumed it was her mate. Kanti made eye contact with her for a moment but them he resumed his submissive position. "I was just wondering what your pack's main goal is. What do you hoped to accomplish with your time here."

When Kanti looked up at her, seeking eye contact, her fur rose again, looking like silvery white quills along her shoulders and spine. When his gaze dropped, it flattened again as if never disturbed. Her gray ears leaned forward slightly so that she could hear him speak, despite his lower position and quiet tone. She licked her lips thoughtfully, pondering the myriad answers she could give to such a broad, general inquiry.

"I guess you could say our goal is survival and, beyond that, success. Akhlut prides himself on leading a pack with upstanding values, like fairness and hard work." She didn't know whether he just wanted the pack's aspirations or her own, though Pied decided not to embellish with the latter, since they were rather personal and he was nothing more than a stranger at this point.

After a contemplative pause, Pied's ears thrust upward and she queried, "Are you asking because you're seeking a home?"

Kanti felt Pied's piercing stare when he lifted his eyes. He saw her fur rising just as he brushed his gaze away from her sun glazed eyes. When the she wolf replied to his question he was impressed. By the way she spoke about her alpha, they seemed like a fair leader. Not a menacing dictator like his father once was. Having a pack based on hard work and success and not fear and pride is something that intrigued Kanti. 

Pied finally was curious enough to ask why Kanti had even come looking and asking questions. He knew being a lone wolf was a weakness and he hesitated about sharing that information with the female. He feared the female's response to his answer, he felt the consternation seep from his lightened pelt. "I need a home." he answered timidly. "I left my old one and I don't like being alone." Kanti felt like a pup again. He scolded himself for saying he didn't like to be alone. It made him look weak and frightened. He glanced up at Pied to see her reaction before quickly shaming his eyes to the earth.

The solicitous Iota did not for a second think him weak for his admissions. Nearly all wolves preferred company over solitude and, if his previous pack hadn't fit him, then perhaps Horizon Ridge would. She needed to know more about him, though, before she bothered summoning Akhlut here to pass judgment. Together, Pied and Kanti needed to figure out if he would be an asset to the pack, and it to him.

"Let's start with your strengths. What are your assets and how can you use them to provide for the pack?" she queried, wishing he would sit up and make himself comfortable but also satisfied, on some level, that he remained prostrate. "And what would you say are your weaknesses?"

Pied didn't seem to react at all as he expected when he let out his cry for help. The young wolf already saw more kindness in this stranger than he had all his live. When she inquired about his strengths he didn't have to think long.

"I'm an excellent fish and hare hunter." Kanti interjected. Now his weakness. His father always said his lack of dominance was a weakness but Kanti didn't think so. He only thought it was his personality. Something to be praised not beaten out of. For every dominate wolf there also needs to be a wolf that submits to them. "My weakness is I'm young and frightened. I don't handle myself in situations maturely like I should. He admitted.

As far as Pied knew, the pack lacked an official hunter. She imagined they would primarily hunt large game together, though a wolf that specialized in small game would surely be a welcome addition to the ranks. Even when the herds thinned, Kanti could theoretically keep all their caches stuffed with prey. If memory served, there was a role for those who hunted and stored meat: Gamekeeper. He might find just the niche he was looking for in Horizon Ridge.

Youth hardly counted as a weakness, though Pied noted his admission of fear and immaturity. These were less desirable traits, certainly, but also things Kanti could overcome with the guidance of strong leadership and support of pack mates. All in all, he offered up a decent balance of good and bad and he answered promptly, which gave Pied faith that he spoke honestly and not from some rehearsed script in his head.

Pied idly wondered how he'd become adept in his field, which also tied into a more pressing curiosity about his reasons for leaving his former home. "Where did you live before you came here? And why did you leave?" That latter part could be an especially important detail. What had prompted Kanti to depart from everything he knew and seek better fortune elsewhere? Had it been a voluntary decision or had he been forced out by something beyond his control?

Kanti wasn't in anyway curious on why the she wolf asked about his old pack. A lone wolf is a lone wolf for a reason. He was just a lone wolf by his own choices. After his father died and his mother moved onto another wolf in a different pack there was nothing left for him there. Kanti had no doubts that his brother would be fine, and so would his mother. They were strong like him. "After my father died there was nothing left for me but bad memories in my old pack. I lived in the mountians near here." Kantu spoke these things softly. 

He slowly raised his head to test how the female would react. It wasn't an act of dominance but more of one to test and see if he is an equal. Or if he was still a threat that needed to be pushed into submission. 

I'll tag @Akhlut to pop in here. :)

Edit on 02/06: I see this was moved to the Dead Threads, so I'm actually going to edit a narrative conclusion so this can be archived (I don't want any dead threads in my thread log, tyvm!).

He gave his reason: in the wake of his father's death, he'd wanted to move on from the place filled with his sire's memories. The mention of the words father and died made a lump suddenly form in Pied's throat. She drew in a shallow, steadying breath, then cleared her throat and refocused.

"I'm sorry for your loss, Kanti. I understand." She noticed the way he glanced upward and, though she didn't require submission out of any desire to punish him—it was the natural way of the wild wolf—she said aloud, "You can sit up and make yourself more comfortable." She expected him to maintain a decorum of respect but he didn't need to give himself a backache in the process.

"Well, I see no reason to turn you away and I think you'd make a good addition to the ridge. It's not up to me, though, so I'll call for Akhlut." As soon as the Alpha's name left her lips, she threw back her head and sent up a short howl for the leader, hoping her voice would grab his attention, wherever he was and whatever he was doing.

To Pied's dismay, the leader neither showed nor responded to her howl with one of his own. Without another leader to summon, she was at a total loss. Should she accept Kanti herself? Although she hated to turn him away, Pied simply felt too uncomfortable to take that kind of initiative. Instead, the compromised: she asked Kanti to return the next day and, in the meantime, she would do her best to locate Akhlut to be present for the meeting.

After apologizing to him for her Alpha's no-show, the two parted ways, with Pied loping back toward the ridge with the intent to hunt down the Alpha male. In the back of her mind, though, she wondered if Kanti would even bother returning. Horizon Ridge surely hadn't made a very godo impression on him whatsoever.