Dante's Peak [Anima/Dante/Toiro/Joining]

[Anima]

It was a cold and dreary night, one of those days that the white wolf's mother, Kiva, would surely say was a result from one of the gods being disappointed in the earth's creatures. The wind was blowing making the wind chill feel like it was about twelve degrees. Rain feel steadily from the dark heavens but it was nothing more than a hard mist, only enough to make her thick pelt stick to her and to make the ground nice and muddy.

It took at least 3 or four hours for the two wolves to reach their destination and as they did, Anima slowed their pace to a slow and cautious walk. Had the weather been nicer, she would have tracked down her alpha so that she wouldn't have to howl and wake up all the sleeping wolves but unfortunately, the weather was simply not on her side and any Chance of catching Toiro's scent had been washed away.

Slowly, cautious of all the slippery mud, she led them to the top of one of the mountains. Even though she was bringing him farther into their territory than she would have wanted to, she was hoping that the height would help carry her howl through the howling wind. As she walked, her ears pinned as she hoped that the aweful weather wasn't a foreshadowing of her alpha's verdict. While the forecast may not have been on her side, she prayed her alpha would be.

Once they made it to the peak of the mountain she walked around the edge, trying to see if she could spot Toiro but as she had expected, she was unable to. Walking back to the center, she offered the younger wolf a reassuring smile even though she thought her heart was going to beat out of her chest. With that, she reached her muzzle towards the heavens and let out a loud summoning call. Her eyes closed for a second as she pictured herself calling to her uncle, Cato, the alpha of her old pack, before opening them again and drawing her howl to a smooth stop. All that was left now was to wait.

[Deleted]

THE prospect of a place to call home had spread a nervous warmth through his chest, warding off the cold that tugged at his fur. His ears lay back slightly, displeasure rippling through him as the mist matted his fur into an unsightly mess. Wasn't he just quite the sight? If the alpha would indeed meet with him, he needed to at least look a little more proper and less like... well, a homeless piece of sorry flesh. Not to mention it was colder than the ice he once stuck his tongue to up here. The dampness did little to deter the wind from mercilessly ripping through down to his very bones. A part of him wondered if ice would eventually start to form on the end of his whiskers, or if his eyes would seal shut.

OVER the course of their journey, a part of him had wanted to badger her with questions. After all, three hours was a long time to his short attention span, and the journey had seemed quite endless. Yet, the fear that she would abandon him, and the idea of inviting him to her pack, stilled his tongue. Instead he had occupied his time by making up games in his head, such as counting the number of trees they passed. At one point he was sure he had gotten to well over several hundred. Or was it only a few dozen? Ah, he couldn't remember.

A sudden jerk made him snap back to reality as his paws scrabbled for a foothold on the muddy terrain. Wow, graceful Dante he thought sarcastically to himself as he hurried to catch up to Anima. Thankfully her white coat was a stark contrast to the nasty weather, making her easy for him to spot dare he fall behind. He had a feeling, however, it could mean his end if he didn't closely follow her footsteps up the face of the mountain. The unfamiliar terrain was rather treacherous, and he found himself doubting his footing even in the clear gaps in the weather.

FINALLY they reached their destination. Had the weather been better he was pretty sure he would have been able to see the entire expanse of the territory. Instead all he saw was fog and mist, nothing to write home about. He fell gingerly onto his haunches, forcing himself to return the small smile Anima gave him. In truth, he was terrified; his normally joyful and playful expression was slack into a neutral, almost worried, frown. It tightened as she tipped her muzzle back to elegantly call out their arrival and the request for the alpha's presence. Dante's heart began to pound against his ribs, his stomach turning into knots as they awaited the alpha. Please, please, let him accept me he thought desperately.

[Toiro]

The weather tonight was dark and dreary, a symptom of the cold season which presently held the land of Shyia under its power. Hopefully, it wouldn’t be too long before spring arrived, as along with it would return the prey which had departed months ago in search of a warmer climate. The hunters of Airila had been doing a fine job of keeping the pack fed, although it had still been necessary for Toiro to contribute his own skills in that area.

Currently, the six year old alpha was sitting in a quiet sheltered spot a short distance from the dens, just pondering his life and what the future could bring. He had already been fortunate enough to have found a mate and had a litter of four wonderful pups with her, although tragically both Aludra and his son Arche had gone missing some time ago.

The sound of a faint howl reached his ears then, summoning him higher up the mountains. What a wolf was doing up there in this treacherous weather, Toiro wasn’t sure and almost thought his ears had misled him – however, he started up the mountain anyway. It was not a long journey in any case, due to the dens already being a good portion of the way up the slopes, although he would have to travel slowly in order to make sure he didn’t stumble on the slippery rock wet from the recent rain.

As the alpha of Airila left the cover of the alpine forest and continued to make his way up the familiar trail which led to the peaks of the Tia’deli mountain range, the wind buffeted his sturdy frame and he was extremely thankful for the thick winter coat which made the grey wolf able to easily cope with such conditions. Toiro squinted through the mist up ahead, and gradually the vague silhouettes of two wolves became visible, finally coalescing into a familiar white furred hunter and a foreign tan-coloured male. “Anima,” The large grey alpha smiled his greeting once he had come within easy speaking distance of the pair. “And who might you be?” Toiro turned to the male she had brought with her, his words kindly and curious.

[Anima]

As the two wolves walked up the mountain, Anima couldn’t help but feel more and more nervous and because of that, she definitely didn’t want to know how the male wolf felt. What if the alpha turned him down? What if the pack wasn’t what he expected? What if she wasn’t a good mentor? All those questions and more continued to flow into her mind as they walked. Each step brought a new worry it seemed. The temperature also continued to steadily drop as they got higher and higher and what once was rain began to turn into ice that stuck to and matted her fur, making them both look like a mess. She wished she had waited until the next day to bring him to meet Toiro but it was far too late to turn back now.

The white she wolf was honestly surprised at the brown wolf’s silence that had hung over them through their travels. Hour after hour had gone by and not a single word was spoken between the two. She was disappointed honestly as she was looking forward to hearing what kind of questions he came up with and what answers she could give. His silence had made her wonder rather he truly wanted to join her pack or if he was only going because he thought it was what she wanted. That was one thought she tried hard to get rid of. She couldn’t stand the idea of her forcing him to do something he didn’t actually want to do.


She heard the sound of something falling and turned around quickly, worried. However, it turned out it was just a rock falling from it’s resting place. She offered him a reassuring smile, “We’re almost there.” She slowed her pace some so that it would be easier for him to keep up with her. As they reached the top and she finally came to a stop and howled, she hoped his nerves would relax some. She watched as he sat and he moved over to sit next to him as they waited. She nuzzled him comfortingly and promised him, “you have nothing to worry about.”

It was hard to catch the scent of anything in the current weather but the white wolf was still able to pick up on a faint scent that she recognized as her alpha. “He should be here soon,” she told the other wolf looking around for any traces of the approaching wolf. It wasn’t until a few minutes later that she was able to spot his form coming up the mountain. She stood to meet him and nodded respectfully as he reached the top. She offered Dante one last reassuring smile before walking over to stand behind her alpha. “Toiro, I apologize for calling you out in such bad weather but I have someone I want you to meet,” she said motioning the wolf standing in front of them. This was his time to relax and introduce himself and she hoped he wouldn’t be too shy.

[Deleted]

WAS it getting colder up here or was it just him? Anima didn't seem to have any problem with it as she offered him a comforting smile. Perhaps he was just weak, and if that was the case, he had no place here. If he was quick he could slip down the mountain and blend into the snow. It would be a slap in the face for Anima, but he could live with his cowardice. Maybe. Upon Anima's howl, it was too late to turn back, so instead he sat quietly in the face of the storm, shaking his head as it stung his nose. It was the bitter nip that kept him alert in the face of the storm's lullaby.

AFTER what seemed to be an eternity, he barely caught a whiff on the wind. It was faint, oh so faint, but it was there. It was strong and bold, sure of its position in this place. This was it, and he needed to be confident. Easier said than done. As the Alpha emerged from the nasty storm, Dante couldn't help but feel slightly overwhelmed, worried. Was his tail too high? His ears not low enough? The questions raced in his mind as he rose respectfully, keeping his posture one of a laid back male, non-threatening.

CLEARING his throat, he offered Toiro a nod, licking his lips nervously. "Thank you, for coming all the way out here to meet with me," he offered, taking a deep breath. Exhaling slowly, he glanced between Anima and Toiro. As the silence fell around them comfortably, his confidence began to make a comeback. It simmered on the surface, ready to bubble over as he found his voice. "I am Dante, and I have come here to ask that I may join your pack." His voice rose above the tremor it had once been, steeling his nerves against the ice and the stare of his two companions.

[Toiro]

“That is quite alright, Anima. It is no problem.” The ageing grey alpha of Airila kept his focus on the more unfamilar of the two wolves, easily ignoring the effects of the blizzard like weather swirling around the mountain tops. Rain, ice, and impenetrable mists were typical symptoms of winter, and Toiro found that he did not mind them one bit. His body was built for these kinds of conditions, not to mention that he was accustomed to the climate in Shyia now that he had been living within these lands for the past four or five years. He honestly loved the feeling of being all cuddled up and warm in his thick grey coat while the storm raged outside, unable to touch him. That idea was rather similar to the state of the territory as a whole, in fact.

Toiro liked to think that the pack of Airila was a sanctuary, sheltered away from the cruel outside world by the imposing Tia’deli mountain range. In particular, the mountains provided a good defense from packs to the south. Descai had been a worrisome thought for the alpha in his younger days; he had been quietly afraid that those ambitious self-centered creatures would decide that the two territories they already controlled were not enough. He had heard the rumours surrounding the alphess of Haishin’s demise at the paws of the Descai alpha, and could not bear to think about such a fate befalling any one of the wonderful wolves of Airila. Fortunately, Acerbus seemed to have quietened almost to nothing – only a few lone howls could be heard from them nowadays, leaving the Airila alpha to wonder what had happened to the strong fearsome pack of old.

The male who Anima had brought with her then spoke, revealing his name to be Dante and requesting a place within Airila. “Of course you are welcome to join us, Dante. I trust Anima's judgement of you.” Toiro smiled with a joking glint in his grey eyes to encourage the other to feel more at ease when speaking with him. “Is there a position within the pack that you would desire, or would subordinate suffice for now?”