Seeking a Home

[khareef]

Khareef slowly walked towards the Zahir border, trying to ignore the protesting growls his stomach gave out at odd intervals. He had a mission, and he was damn well going to complete it. After several months of solitude, he was finally going to join a pack, and no amount of stomach growling was going to get in his way. Lowering his nose to the ground, the Iranian sniffed out a faint territory marker, which let him know that he was heading in the right direction. Or so he hoped, at least. Khareef had never really had the best directional skills, so he just had to sniff the ground for scent markers of any sort and only hope that he would arrive at the river soon enough. Okay, what did those rogues that I inquired to say? A river.. okay, I can find that easy enough. It's rather turbulent and has rocks lining the shore instead of sand or dirt... it's advised that I howl at the border, because pack wolves don't take kindly to tresspassers... was there anything else? Hmm, the scents are becoming stronger now... Khareef continued his silent commentary as he plodded onwards, listening as the sound of moving water grew louder and louder. With a sigh, the Iranian brute slowed his pace and then finally came to a complete stop. He had found the Zahir border.

Settling his rump down into the sand, Khareef eyed the river curiously, its crystal-clear water foaming between the rocks and cascading down as far as the eye could see, eventually leading into the ocean somewhere. The sun hung in the sky above him, painting the horizon a rich blue and yellow with its light. Gaping in awe, loose lyrics escaped Khareef's maw. "Wow... it's beautiful here... picturesque..." Indai would have loved it here... the Iranian thought, a stray tear trickling down his facial hair as he thought so. Ever since the recent death of his sister, Khareef had never been the same, needless to say. Just thinking about her made tears spring to his eyes. She had been so flawless, so innocent... shaking his head firmly, Khareef scolded himself for dwelling on such unhappy thoughts. He needed to focus on contacting the alpha of this land, not an event which was unlikely to ever repeat itself. Raising his small head to the sky, the brute let out a howl in a slightly high-pitched voice. "Alphas of this sacred land, my name is Khareef. I have come to your borders seeking nothing but entry and perhaps a potential home. If you wish to come to me, I am located at the edge of the Aughgar River."

Sighing, Khareef sat down, reflecting upon the events that his parents had told him and that he had heard of in his travels around Anikira. First, there had been the establishing of the packs. Then, the eruption of a volcano, followed by the appointing and death of a new Zahir alphess. The forming of the Knaves, the rebirth of Zahir with the alpha's hiers having been born, the murder of yet another alpha, of the mountain pack, and then the great war between the packs. Yes, after all that the continent (and Zahir) had been through, the region was finally at peace. Maybe now there'll finally be some peace and quiet around here. Khareef grumbled to himself, looking wistfully over at the river. He was awfully thirsty, considering he hadn't even eaten or drunk anything during the duration of his journey to the borders. Should he risk crossing the border to get a drink? Well, the rouges really didn't say anything about drinking in another pack's territory, so I doubt it's that big of a crime. Besides, there's plenty of water to go around. With that thought safely tucked away, Khareef crossed over to the river, trying to ignore the tempting, juicy fish floating around in its depths. He'd eat once he got approval from the alpha. Lowering his muzzle, Khareef drank up, crystal droplets falling from his maw as he stood back up and licked his lips. Trotting back over to his previous position, Khareef sat and waited once more, watching and listening for the alpha to give his or her word.

[vee]

In a normal, perfect world; an Alpha wolf would go greet a newcomer on his own. However, Vee would have never known there was a wolf on his land unless the Beta or his son announced that there was a howl nearby. Vee lived in a world of silence... Other than a single voice in his head from the ghost of Alya that lurked around Zahir. The previous Alphess of the desert before him and Avani, using his Beta Irirangi as a so called 'puppet' for a majority of her stay. Vee didn't get in the way, didn't try to be superior to the ghost and in a way he always felt that Alya was top dog in Zahir; even though she no longer existed.

It was unfortunate that Avani's ghost didn't linger in her lands as well. After the Alphess died, it seems that all remains of her disappeared; as well as his daughter. His own flesh and blood, Auden was all he had to remember them by. Though he was a mirroring his own reflection in his son, there was bits and pieces of Avani hidden beneath Auden's skin that Vee could notice and admire. A heart of gold. His son would be the heir of Zahir once he retires or perishes. But Vee was only three years of age, for sure too young to be a father to a nearing adult pup. Even so, Vee was glad to have been a father to such a wonderful child.

Auden was accompanying him to seek out the wolf who had called not long ago. Everyone was back at the dens, and the River wasn't that far. Two miles tops, they would greet the newcomer with welcoming arms. It wasn't so much quantity that made a pack successful and happy, but Vee wouldn't mind something new and refreshing to join in. Nowadays, the cave was rather laid back after the war, nobody spoke much... It was dull, lifeless in Vee's eyes. An occasion spat between ghost and beta once in a while. But other than that it was silent.

It was a dreadfully hot day on the desert today, nothing the wolves of Zahir weren't used too. Vee was a tundra wolf, meant to live in climates of colder and neutral weather. Growing up in Zahir proved that any wolf can live anywhere if they set their heart to it. Even so, Vee tried to venture more at dawn, dusk and night. Being albino and fair, pale skinned meant he was prone to sunburns, as well as his son who shared the same pale skinned trait. "You say the call was from the river, correct Auden?" Vee's blood dipped irises dropped to meet his son's lips; awaiting words as they continued trotting. The deaf brute had a curse of deafness, but a gift of being able to read the lips of those who speak, and understand them.

Alas, in the distance with a ribbon of dancing sands there was a figure by the river that greatly camouflaged with their surroundings. Vee smiled, it was a smaller wolf that most likely was a desert breed if they came all this way to live in a desert itself. Vee picked up his speed as he approached the new wolf, but his energy was relaxed; he didn't want to startle the new guy. "Greetings Khareef," Vee glanced at his son with eyes that asked if he spoke the newcomer's name correctly. Of course his voice was slurred and babbled, but so far everyone he has come in contact with was able to pick out what he says. "My name is Vee, alpha of Zahir and this is my son, Auden." Pale lips lifted into a genuine smile as he identified the wolf. No, it wasn't a red wolf... Or an Ethiopian... Vee hadn't come in contact with such a rare breed.

Iranian.

His red eyes sparkled at the sight, Vee always thought this breed was extinct. It didn't matter, the alpha was blessed that Khareef chose his land over others. "If you've come for a home, you're in the right place. We'd be honored to have you come stay with us." Vee shortly glanced at his son and searched for his approval as well. It wasn't always the Alpha's decision, the pack members must like them as well. It was Vee's rule, other alphas may be different but Vee cares about his pack and his land more than his own life.

[Deleted]

[atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,500,true][atrb=background,http://a.imageshack.us/img831/474/audentblbgd.jpg,true] The howl from the foreign wolf at the border had possibly saved Auden the embarrassment of storming out of the den in a seemingly uncalled for manor. As for now, he would begrudgingly lead his father to the Aughgar River where this new character stated they were located. Does he not realize how long that damn river is? The chided thought was a bit harsh, but Auden was not in a very pleasant mood either. Of course Auden would never speak that way aloud, he wouldn’t dare, couldn’t handle the shocked expressions from those that would happen to be around. Auden walked a step ahead of his father; far enough ahead to forge his own independence, after all if it weren’t for him his father would have never known that there was someone at the border; yet still close enough to be considered ‘by his side’. He knew his father adored him, they were all each other had, but lately he wanted to be seen less and less a part of his father, and not so much like him. He couldn’t change the fact that the two were practically a spitting image - with little differences here and there. Auden had hazel eyes, Vee’s were blazing red. As was Vee’s nose, a blush pink and Auden’s was a normal black. Auden’s pelt had variations of white, smudged with light browns here and there. Vee was albino. "You say the call was from the river, correct Auden?" “Yes Sir.” His reply was short, although not necessarily sweet. If his reply had been any longer a sense of agitation might be detected. Fortunately for him his father was deaf and the tone of which he said something could never be heard by him. The damn deaf bas- He cut himself off, afraid of what he was about to say. Auden dipped his head and slumped his shoulders the rest of the way to the river’s edge. Before long the pair had come within distance of Aughgar, and the newcomers scent wafted through the dry atmosphere to Auden’s nose. The scent raised his eyes to spy the small wolf sitting. Once they were in range of the young Iranian wolf Auden reclined to his haunches, allowing his father to take center stage. On two occasions Vee cocked his head in his son’s direction, where Auden would respond appropriately by smiling briefly and nodding his head. He wasn’t really interested in the business of greeting a new member to Zahir. It wasn’t that he didn’t want the fresh face around; actually he was quite certain he’d enjoy this breath of fresh air Khareef seemed certain to bring; the Iranian was young like him, and had this energy that seemed to be bursting out of him. I hope it’s contagious. Everyone could use a little livening up. Auden suppressed a chuckle at the thought that had crossed his mind.

[khareef]

As it turned out, Khareef didn't have to wait very long for the alpha of the lands to show up. An albino brute of tundra wolf blood came walking towards him, his crimson eyes shining in the bright sunlight. Khareef cocked his head slightly at the brute's appearance, pure puzzlement filling his eyes. A rather odd choice of breed for an alpha of the desert pack... but who am I to judge? the Iranian brute thought, silently watching as the Zahir alpha came closer and closer, followed by a young male who almost looked like the brute's clone, who Khareef assumed was the brute's son. Seeming none too happy about joining his father in order to greet a potential pack member, the young male's maw held a deep scowl upon its features. Only the gods above would be able to tell what the young brute was thinking, and Khareef thought for a moment about trying to cheer the brute up, but quickly decided against it. He had more important matters to fixate upon at the moment. Halting before him, the albino brute opened his maw to speak, and although his words were terribly distorted and jumbled together, Khareef managed to understand the point that the male was trying to get across to him, merely sitting and nodding at certain points as the alpha spoke his piece.


"Greetings Khareef.... my name is Vee, alpha of Zahir and this is my son, Auden. If you've come for a home, you're in the right place. We'd be honored to have you come stay with us."

Vee then turned to his son as if seeking approval at his words, but after several minutes passed and the young brute did not speak up, he turned back to Khareef, and the Iranian took this oppurtunity to speak up, his soft voice ringing out into the hot air. "My greetings to you, Alpha Vee and son Auden." the young male spoke, bowing down upon his front legs into a position that would have been almost comical, had the situation not been so serious. Gathering his bearings, Khareef sat up once more, choosing his words slowly and carefully. "I have traveled upon this continent of Anikira for many suns and moons, meeting travelers who have told me of the great Zahir pack..." He paused for a moment, then spoke up once again, albeit a bit slower and more carefull, so as to not offend the alpha of the desert pack. "Your pack has been demolished by a volcano, its alphess murdered in cruel blood, then it was rebuilt again and has survived to this day. I envy your pack's courage and willpower, Alpha Vee. Surely no other pack in the region would be able to accomplish such a remarkable course of action...." The goal here wasn't to flatter Vee, oh no. It was to compliment him on how much his pack had managed to pull through over the months that it had been absent from the region. Flattering was very out of Khareef's character- flattering was for ignorant pups who had no other course of action to take upon greeting another wolf.

Shifting his paws nervously, Khareef couldn't help but speak up one last time, his lyrics soft and whispering. "If it is a home that you are offering me, then so be it... for I shall accept your offer. It would be an honor to be enrolled into the ranks of such a noble pack." The Iranian brute fell silent once more, not even daring to speak as he awaited the alpha's decision. Would his request be accepted?

[vee]

The Alpha of Zahir was more welcoming to strangers than other wolves. But they all were similar in one way; they disliked when a loner trespassed on lands without notifying an alpha. Luckily Khareef was a smart young wolf who knew his limits, and had the dignity to howl at the border. Vee appraised this, he liked Khareef already, well he enjoyed having fresh blood in the pack, a rare breed and a good personality. Vee glanced at his son in an attempt to guess his feelings towards the newcomer. They were about the same age, which was a plus on Auden's side. But did his son like Khareef as a pack member? Auden was a difficult book to read.

Vee was trying hard to keep up with Khareef's words as he spoke. many sentences and long words... Red eyes blinked and he nodded. What he could muster up was a brief synopsis of Zahir's past, which Vee knew mostly about from Kaoru who lived through that disaster. "I am flattered, young Khareef," Vee slightly bowed his head with a smile. He took compliments very seriously, and so far Khareef was stepping up the ladder of Vee's respect at a fast pace.

Then the young wolf had the courage to ask for a sudden rank in Zahir as he accepted the offer to join. Vee's eyes brightened at the enthusiasm, but could tell there was insecurity to ask an Alpha at such an abrupt moment. He had just joined however. Vee wasn't one to argue or rush things, but he'll let it slide. Ranks were very important any how. "Well sure, but you got to tell me what your skills are. Wouldn't want to give you a rank you wouldn't do good in right?" Vee chuckled, reclining on his haunches and facing the young Iranian. He glanced over his shoulder to Auden, winking at his son reassuring him that Khareef was official. And in a way, he was giving the option to dismiss his son if he so pleased.

[khareef]

"I am flattered, young Khareef..."

Although the Zahir alpha seemed pleased with his high view of Zahir, Khareef noticed that his formal words were beginning to slightly baffle Vee, and so he made a mental note to himself to stick to simpler words that the alpha would actually understand. Shuffling his feet under him absent-mindedly, he stammered out a short apology for his confusing speech pattern. "I apologize, Alpha Vee. I have a very formal way of speaking, you see, and not every wolf takes it as well as I do, I realize.." Khareef spoke up before falling into silence once more, his gaze still firmly fixed upon the form of young Auden, who still seemed as irritated as ever. The young Iranian was baffled by his fustration, to say the least. What's his problem? If I were him, I would be thrilled at the chance to greet a new member to the lands. he thought before turning his head away from Auden, letting out a long sigh as he did so. Although he did like studying other people to see what they were like, he didn't want the son of the alpha to feel like he was surveying his every move, and he certainly didn't want to create a bad first impression on these wolves. So for now, he'd shut up and let Vee do the talking, unless an answer was required of a question. Unforunately, Vee had just offered him an answer that he was expected to give a response to.

"Well sure, but you got to tell me what your skills are. Wouldn't want to give you a rank you wouldn't do good in, right?"

Khareef thought about this for a moment, turning over the question several times in his mind. Skills? Well, in all truth, the young male didn't have any skills, aside from almost killing himself several times. His hunting was average, his fighting was terrible unless it was with a wolf of his size... but, there was one skill he hadn't considered. One skill that he was good at, that was needed by all of the packs in the region- and so Khareef had his answer, and he was quick to offer it to Vee. "Hmm... well, I am good with herbs, I can tell you that- is the position of Shaman open and are you in need of one?" Khareef spoke up timidly, his eyes holding nothing but anticipation within their depths as he looked up at the albino alpha, eager to hear what his answer would be. Granted, the only reason Khareef had even bothered to learn about herbs in the first place was that he was constantly injuring himself in his dare-devil acts, but he was eager to try out his new skills. Now, granted, he would be able to live with the position of Subordinate, but for now he'd throw his own loop to the situation out there in the open and see how it went.

Would Vee say yes to his question, or politely refuse it? After all, he was a new member that was having the nerve to ask for a promotion when he had only just joined this pack. For now, he'd sit back, relax, and see just how his crazy scheme decided to go about.

(OOC: In case you didn't catch it in the chatbox, Renny, Tre gave me permission to skip Auden's turn in the thread. Just a little FYI.)

[vee]

Vee could sense the confusion in Khareef's eyes whenever the Alpha spoke. Maybe telling the young brute about his disability might make things clearer... Or make it worse. If some stranger joined a pack without knowing... Would they leave? Decide that a deaf albino wolf isn't fit to be an alpha, and go search for a more suitable pack? Vee shook his head, nobody else in the pack ever takes his disability for advantage... Other than talking behind his back. Vee had a gift of reading lips, which was his way of hearing. Unless there was a lurking soul in the vicinity of which he may have the ability to hear their words. Alya hardly was around anymore however, it was quite disappointing. Vee would have to live in silence once again.

"No need to apologize, young Khareef." Vee replied to the Iranian after he spoke. In a way, most wolves of Zahir were very educated and smart, well spoken to be safe. Vee was the one with the speech impediment and well... Sometimes he says words that don't even make sense. Vee took a quick glance at his son before smiling and facing the Iranian once again. It would be safe to tell him. "I should inform you that I am deaf, Khareef. But don't be alarmed, I can still understand you as long as you are clear when you speak." Vee chuckled, keeping his attentive red orbs on Khareef's lips for signs of any speech.

A hind leg lazily itched at his ribcage as he awaited Khareef to decide which rank he'd best suit. His eyes gazed on the Iranian's lips as they formed the words Vee loved to see. A shaman, something the Zahir pack lacked. Just the other day Vee was pondering the idea, if someone ever got injured who would be able to tend to the wounds? Or if someone got ill... Vee stood back up, bowed his head to the Iranian with a wolfish grin on his muzzle. "Shaman Khareef, welcome to Zahir." His tail swayed side to side, but still stood tall with authority... It was a habit, a good one at that. "If you'd like to accompany me scouting the lands, you are more than welcome to. If not, you may follow my son Auden back to the dens." He nodded to Auden. Vee had a gut feeling Auden didn't want to be here, he didn't know if his son had a liking to the newcomer. But there was nothing Vee could do about that, they would eventually over time get along, or progressively get worse. For now, Vee had other duties to attend to.