A Twisted Path || Open

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    Elks pace never slackened as he made his way onto the ridge. His steps were steady and sure as he climbed up the rocky face. Once on flat ground the male allowed his gaze to sweep over everything, from the tiniest flower to the flat plains and crowded forests. As Elk continued to make his way forward a stiff breeze brought with it the scent of pack territory. Carefully skirting cluster of boulders he sniffed at the scent line and raised his head to look onto the terrain. Wolves... Pack... Home... Those three things raced through is mind in a repetitive pattern. Stepping into the scent line he began moving deeper into the packs territory.

    The though never crossed his mind to simply wait at the border, even though that would've been the sensible thing to do. Being Elk the simplest thing isn't always the easiest so he continued farther across the ridge. Pausing every so often the get his bearings he was once again reminded of home and so Katrin swam to his mind. However much he hated himself for leaving her behind Elk knew life went on. Rage coursed trough him as he stared at the sun, a burning ball of light against a pale blue background.

    Slowing to a halt near an outcrop a mere fifty or so feet from the base of the Tia ' deli Mountains he sat down and began the wait. Raising his muzzle to the sky he let a low noted howl slip from his parted jaws. The message was simply a series of ridged notes to let other wolves in the area know he was there. Once his howl was finished the male waited for a response with his ears pricked. As he waited Elk let his gaze range across the territory once more before resting on the sky and then to his paws.

[Toiro]

A large grey wolf strolled at a leisurely pace through the thick snow covered forests of his home. He was technically doing a border patrol, but because the pac rarely had any issues with outsiders in the middle of winter, his trip funtioned more as a nice relaxing walk rather than a duty he had to perform. Toiro’s mind was almost entirely off in space as he walked – his growling belly had him thinking of the tender red meat of deer, a meal which was unfortunately rare at this time of year. Ermines and rabbits tasted delicious, no one could deny that, but there was a limit to how many could be eaten before the idea of a bit of variation sounded brilliant. At least it had been a fairly mild winter so the large herds should return to Shyia soon enough.

Consumed as the male was with his thoughts of his favourite prey, he almost didn’t notice when his path crossed the scent trail of a foreign wolf intruding upon his pack’s territory. The scent described a young male wolf, of the same species as himself, who appeared to be a loner. A hopeful smile lit up the alpha’s face as he bounded off in the direction the visitor had taken, whose presence was soon confirmed by a series of notes which made up a low masculine howl. Toiro responded with his own call to let the other know that he was close and on his way. Even after four years of being alpha, the Airila alpha was still eager to meet every visiting wolf and every potential new member who he could welcome into the family.

His body language was friendly but formal as he approached the other male. “Greetings. I am Toiro, the alpha of Airila, the pack which calls the lands of Shyia home. What purpose do you have within our borders?”

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Elk would later discover he was on the Tia ' deli Mountain range that run from the western coast to the southern border of the Airila pack. But being recently marooned he had no such knowledge. Letting his gaze rest on the canopy below him he noted that the snow was fairly deep. It seemed that there hadn't been any recent white tailed deer anywhere in these parts. Letting his gaze rest once more on the burning horizon he noticed once more that the land before him was beautiful.




Elk sniffed the air and thought he detected the faint scent of wolf. Standing up with his ears perked he heard the reply howl. Though this wolf was male and high authority among his pack Elk felt no fear as he waited for him. Slowly Elk retraced his scent trail a little ways til he spotted the figure. Sitting down he calmly waited for the wolf to reach him. As the figure drew nearer he noted that this wolf held himself with the authority of an alpha. That can only mean he is the alpha, well better then some other member. He thought watching the alpha carefully. Letting out a gusty sigh Elk scuffed his paws against the bare rock, his claws making sharp clicking sounds. Once the wolf was by Elk he listened with his head respectfully lowered.



Before replying Elk had decide what the best approached would be. As he thought up his reply he hesitated for a moment longer before answering. "Greetings Toiro. I have crossed your borders in hope my request will be fulfilled. My name is Elk and I'd like to join your ranks in Airila." he said graciously dipping his head. Though he felt a little unsteady his voice didn't quiver the least bit and he held his head proudly. However he made sure he was respectful to the alpha as he waited for a reply.

[Toiro]

While he awaited a response to his question about what the foreign male was doing inside the lands of Shyia, the alpha of Airila took the time to observe him more closely. It appeared that he was a grey wolf – the same species as Toiro was – although he had a brown fur coat in place of Toiro’s grizzled grey one and he was significantly younger and smaller.

As Elk spoke, he held himself with confidence, but remained respectful towards his superior. With time, this male would learn that, within Airila, Toiro didn’t enforce rules which meant that wolves had to demonstrate their submission, instead preferring that everyone treated each other as an equal. However, he would not tolerate rudeness (excluding taunts meant in a jovial manner) and he much preferred that wolves acted respectfully rather than with arrogance, especially upon first meeting.

“We’d be pleased to have you Elk,” Toiro smiled as he voiced his welcome to the newest member of the family. He was already eager to show him around his new home – Shyia was such a lovely place, after all – although he also realised that the male might wish to explore for himself. Firstly, though, there was the matter of ranks to deal with. In the alpha’s opinion, it was always good to have a purpose to live by, and carrying out one’s responsibilities was an easy way to gain respect from one’s peers.

So, after a pause, the fluffy grey alpha tilted his head slightly to one side. “Tell me… Do you have any particular skills which you could contribute with? Hunting, perhaps? We are also low on warriors at present, and healing is always a skill which is valued here. Of course, you are welcome to remain in the subordinate position until you decide which path you wish to pursue if you are unsure at the moment.”

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    As Elk waited calmly for a response he examined the alpha before the land behind him. The mountain peaks stretched high into the sky and disappeared in a cover of clouds. There was sparse shrubbery among the rocks however they seemed like a decent place. Below the wolves the bare mountains stretched into thick forestry as far as he could see. Beyond that Elk could see a faint water line however it seemed to merge with the sky and wasn't very distinct.

    At Torios reply Elk couldn't help but wag his tail happily. "Thank you alpha." he said and listened as the alpha continued. Letting his gaze rest on the trail of a snow hare he felt his stomach rumble. Elk couldn't remember the last time he'd eaten, letting his mind drift to the past days of wandering the large island. He had come across other pack territories however stayed clear of them, they all seemed a little to hostile for Elk. As he let his mind wander he almost missed Torios question.

    Elk adjusted his posture to a more comfortable position then thought for a moment. He hesitated before replying in a quiet tone. "I am a fairly skilled fighter however prefer taking part in little to no violence. Hunting is my main skill, I am good at lone hunting and pack hunting though I haven't hunted in a large group for a while. I am also a reasonable strategist but if I were to pick my rank I'd say I would make a good hunter. However I will let you decide, I am open to trying new things." He concluded with a flick of his tail. Truthfully he hoped that he wouldn't become a warrior but kept quiet knowing it was the alphas decision. Glad to have finally met a decent alpha he hope to make a good impression.

Note from Staff: Please remember to bold your speech.

[Toiro]

The smaller grey wolf spoke in a quiet humble tone, expressing that he was a skilled fighter but was even more proficient in hunting, and thus would prefer the rank of hunter over that of warrior. “You shall be a hunter then,” the alpha decided. The pack only had one warrior at the moment – his son Jadir – but Airila had never been attacked before so hunting was in his opinion more directly useful. Of course, at least a basic understanding of self defence was important in case one came across another predator such as a bear or cougar, so it was good that this male seemed to be well-rounded in his education.

“So welcome to Airila, Elk,” Toiro smiled enthusiastically, the expression lighting up his whole face and seeming to take years off of his age so that he looked almost like a youthful pup again. His tail wagged behind him as he approached the male and lowered his head to give his shoulder a light nuzzle of greeting. They were family now, after all, so the formalities could now be relaxed.

“Well, Elk, I was just doing a border patrol before you made yourself known, so if you’d like to join me to get a better feel for where our boundaries lie then you are welcome to. Or if you’d rather take the opportunity to explore our lands for yourself, the main thing you’d need to know is that the dens are located in a cavern above Lerelm, in the mountains. It shouldn’t be too hard for you to find them, as most of the pack’s scents will lead back there.” To someone unfamiliar with the mountains, the landscape could be a little confusing, especially since the cave in question was hidden away in one of the steep rocky valleys, but as far as the alpha knew none of the new members previously had had much trouble finding the place.

Grey eyes watched Elk amiably as he waited for the male to make his choice, then he would turn and begin to head back towards the border either with Airila's newest member by his side or not.


((OOC: My last post. Elk is fully accepted so feel free to start a thread with another pack member c: