Redhawk Caldera [j] our peace shall stand as firm as rocky mountains

Orpheus had journeyed for a long time, joined various packs on the way but never staying long, a loner for a year of his life. It had been an interesting journey though, for he had gone from the hot and bipolar deserts to the far reaches of icy mountains and even to the coast, where the water churned and tossed, where the smooth sands reminded him of the home and family he had left behind. The agouti man found others on the journey too and sometimes he thought to stay behind, thinking it was time to settle down, but the winds blew roughly and tossed him away from the embrace of love once more. Many met him on the way and he found interests everywhere, but the gods wished him not to settle and so the singer wandered.

A cold winter passed and the halfbreed trotted carefully forward, the faint rays of early morning light touching the earth. Bicolored eyes wandered, flashes of gold and silver that scanned his nearby surroundings with mild curiosity and concealed wariness. He listened to the wind's gentle breathings and the song of the winged creature above, and remembered the voices of the spirits at another pack, who weaved stories when the sun set.

It was only when the distant scent of pack borders when Orpheus shook himself out of his thoughts and gazed around.

Jaws was wandering the borders, as he often did, intent to give them a quick security check before embarking on a hunt to replenish some of the caches and feed his own belly. His hunt would have to wait however, as his patrol proved not to be in vain. There actually was someone at the borders, not across the line but flirting with it. He immediately made to approach, carrying himself tall and stiff but not overbearingly so. He was not a leader and this male was not trespassing yet. If he had been, Jaws would have been markedly more aggressive with his interception.

"Who are you? What do you want?" Jaws asked gruffly as he neared, brazenly invading the other's space by closing to a distance of a mere half foot. His unblinking, hardened stare was upon the male.

Elwood, too, was prowling near the borders when he spotted the brown wolf. He quickly changed his course, beelining for the strange male -- he did not appear to be attempting to trespass, which meant that he was likely seeking entrance into the pack. As the Beta strode swiftly towards the stranger, movement from his periphery caught his attention. Approaching from the opposite direction was Jaws, and Elwood's lips twitched into a faint smile at the sight of the aspiring warden.

Jaws' questions reached his ears as he neared and slowed his pace, choosing not to speak but instead pausing a few feet away. He held his tail aloft, higher than Jaws', and he fixed the interloper with a calm yet quizzical stare, waiting for the answer to his packmate's firm inquiries.

It was not the scent of pack wolves, or the pawsteps that shook the singer out of his daze, but the gruff voice that cut it way through the mist of thoughts he had woven around himself. His bicolored gaze alighted on a swarthy creature, his scent smelled strongly of the pack and knew immediately he might have arrived too close to the pack's borders for comfort. Or it may simply be because the pack wolves here were very territorial. He did not mind either ways, for he seeked entrance to a pack, the life of a loner was full of adventures and knowledge but he craved companionship now and wondered if he made it in, how long it would be before he wandered again.

Bicolored gaze drifted further out and noticed a greyscale wolf standing a few feet away, his tail raised higher than the sooty one in front of him, obviously a higher ranked. Blinking carefully at the charcoal male in front of him, making sure he did not meet the other's eye, Horus lowered his stance in obeisance, gaze lowered politely to drift across the ground and ears sliding back to a folded position along his skull. "A home," the singer murmured quietly, his gravelly voice cutting through the silence in the air as the two pack wolves waited for his answer. "I am Orpheus, also called Horus. Call me either, I will answer."

Jaws noted out of the corner of his eye the approach of Elwood, but his unwavering stare never left the new male, who lowered himself submissively and answered promptly that he was seeking a home. Jaws had done his job as a candidate warden by confronting a potential trespasser, but it was not his place to make any sort of judgement on whether the pack had room for another or if this one met the requirements; fortunately Elwood was here for that, so Jaws cast his leader a nod, passing the baton so to speak, and took a step back to allow the Beta to ask or say whatever he needed to.

The dark coywolf would wait aside in case his assistance was needed, and would observe for the first time how the pack dealt with strangers at the border who wanted a place among them.

Curiously enough, from his closer vantage point, Elwood was able to discern that the newcomer's eyes very nearly matched Jaws'. Where one of Jaws' was more of a warm amber hue, the other wolf's was a molten gold; either way, they still both had mismatched eyes, which wasn't a trait that Elwood had come across very often.

His thoughts on appearances faded away, however, as the male introduced himself as Orpheus, or Horus. He did not seem to have a preference, but for now Elwood decided to call him by what was most likely his proper name. "Well, Orpheus, you've come to the right place to look for a home. This is Redhawk Caldera. I'm Elwood, the pack's Beta," he said with a slight inclination of his muzzle, then gestured at the soon-to-be warden. "This is Jaws."

Shifting his weight slightly, he leveled Orpheus with a firm yet not unfriendly stare. He liked what he saw: the interloper appeared to be healthy and able-bodied. Now, Orpheus had to prove himself with his words. "What benefit could you bring to our pack? What are your skills?" he asked, keeping in mind Peregrine's checklist of preferences -- hunters and guardians were always desirable, though other abilities would not be dismissed.

The singer listened as the higher ranked spoke, and allowed the words to flow past his ear into his brain where they were processed and understood. He offered them no words in answer to their introduction however, instead gave both of them a brief nod, his bicolored stare flitting over both the pack wolves, careful not to meet them in the eye before his gaze alighted on the Beta's shoulder. A place much suitable to stare at than the greyscale wolf's bright eyes. Then came the questions, the questions that had been asked at the singer for many times when on his year long journey and seeking temporary homes and shelters. It was expected, though perhaps the agouti wolf had been wishing for something....different.

"I bring myself and with me, all the skills I posses and my loyalty," Horus said firmly and softly. "I am a hunter, like most of our kind are, a warrior, an experienced healer and a guardian. You could also say I am a counselor of sorts. I am also an explorer and have been an ambassador or diplomat for the packs I have served before." Orpheus's fiery and icy gaze then landed on the Beta's bright yellow ones before he fixed his stare on the ground once more, awaiting the second in command's judgement.

Jaws listened, but even as Elwood introduced him he said nothing, offering instead a curt nod. His Beta proceeded to ask Orpheus what he had to offer, and the coywolf listened attentively, though he wondered how much a stranger's word was worth. He did not come to join the Caldera in this manner, he had met Peregrine just outside pack boundaries and the two and struck it off enough that the swarthy Alpha had extended the offer to join and Jaws had accepted.

Had he been in Elwood's place he might have asked this newcomer to demonstrate said skills, but it occurred to him then how time consuming that might be, and that anyone who failed to live up to expectations could be shown the door. From Jaws' understanding, if this wolf could guard and hunt effectively, he was probably a shoe in, and a healer would be advantageous to have around. With interest, he continued to quietly observe.

Elwood listened attentively as Orpheus answered his questions promptly and succinctly. He described his skills without too much excess, getting right to the point in a manner that the Beta preferred. The loner sounded like quite a well-rounded wolf, though his abilities as a healer piqued Elwood's interest the most. Redhawk Caldera had been without a medic since Ashton's abrupt departure some months ago.

He nodded, glancing at Jaws once Orpheus had concluded his response. So far, he had been given no reason to turn the male away -- he displayed an appropriate amount of respect, was well-spoken, and apparently accomplished in many ways. But, knowing that Peregrine and Fox tended to be a bit pickier, he persisted in his inquiries before giving Orpheus an answer.

"You sound like a very skilled wolf. What brings you here now? Tell me about these other packs that you have served," he encouraged, seeking to learn more about Orpheus' history -- specifically, why such a successful individual was currently packless.

The next questions the Beta asked were not unexpected but did prove a bit surprising to the singer, for only one pack had joined had ever asked him these questions. But Orpheus had nothing to lose if he answered Elwood's questions honestly, if he was accepted, then no harm was done, if he was turned away, then well the wolf of the sands could simply journey on and attempt to join the next pack. But he doubted it. There were more warriors than healers after all, and a pack needed a medic to care for its wolves. Truthfully, Horus was used to pack leaders demanding him to demonstrate his skills, a healer was harder though so they mostly told him to identify a plant. Which was useless, for they knew not the name, he could have purposely said the name of another plant and they still wouldn't know. The skill of a warrior and hunter was easier to demonstrate, but perhaps the wolves here thought demonstrations were too time consuming. Life was short, after all.

"I am an explorer at heart, I like to travel and learn about the world. But I have been away from others of my kind for a long time and I yearn for the company of fellow wolves again, besides I am tired from my travels and wish for a solid home once more," Orpheus answered, making a mental barrier to block the memories of his travels out, fearing to be lost in them again. This was not the time. "I joined only two packs on my travels, both because of lovers. They were packs much like yours, filled with able bodied wolves, hunters, guardians, warriors but both of them had no medic, so despite me having no reason to join except to be with my lover, they accepted me. I left the first one because she died, the second one because he had found a new wife."

The singer knew he had exposed the secret that he had found love in both genders, but Orpheus did not care, for if they were good wolves, they would not think of his sexuality as something that immediately erased all is skills. If they refused him simply because they were homophobic, it was their lost.

Jaws twitched his lips, holding his tongue from making a snarky comment. He was not sure what to make of the fact that this male had joined two packs because of lovers and then left when the love ended. He also wanted to know what this wolf was hiding, with all of his perfect skills, was there anything he was not suited for? Hell he even swung both ways so he could take the role of pack prostitute if he wanted and cater to male and female alike. There had to be some flaw, everyone had a flaw, but so far this wolf did not make his known, and Jaws, mistrusting as he was, was skeptical of him. But then such was the coywolf's way, he was typically very slow to warm up to anyone, especially if he saw them as competition for tail. So, he kept his mouth shut and continued observing. Elwood knew the game and he trusted his level-headed Beta.

Many thoughts swirled through Elwood's head as he listened to Orpheus speak. He couldn't fault the male for enjoying travel; after all, that was why Finley was an outrider, wasn't it? Though it wasn't a lifestyle that Elwood preferred, he could respect those that did. Orpheus then divulged that he had previously run with two packs, and that it had been love that had drawn him to both of them. There was no reaction from Elwood other than a subtle arch of his brows as the medic mentioned that he had been with both male and female lovers. Rather than judgement, he mused about Peregrine; the Alpha male would find this development to be particularly intriguing.

Overall, he was satisfied with Orpheus' interview. It would be up to the newcomer to prove himself within the ranks over the next few days, by acquainting himself with Fox, Peregrine, and Finley, and by beginning to showcase the skills that he had spoken of. But Elwood felt confident that Peregrine would approve of his acceptance, so he forged ahead.

"Thank you for sharing that information with me. I think that you could make a good addition to our pack -- I have no doubt that you will live up to our expectations," he said, essentially sealing the deal. "You'll want to meet Peregrine and Fox, our Alphas, as soon as possible." He then glanced at Jaws, unaware of the Gamma's skeptical point of view. "Anything you want to add, Jaws?"

posting out of turn because I think it makes sense :)

Elwood accepted Orpheus, and then to Jaws' surprised asked if he had anything to add. The coywolf glanced from Orpheus to Elwood briefly, before returning his gaze to their new packmate. At length he was quiet, carefully considering if he wished to add anything. "Welcome to the pack," he finally said with a curt nod. There was plenty Jaws could have added, but he thought better of it. None of it would contribute to the business at hand in a meaningful way. The coywolf was fairly certain his skepticism was due his mistrusting loner-type personality, and even more confident that the pack - especially the dominant Peregrine - could deal with this new male if he failed to live up to the expectation he gave them. He turned to Elwood, gave a gracious bow of his head, and then left.