Am I Home? (joining thread)

[falconstrike]

Falconstrike glided over the air currents, scanning the ground for the so-called Empire. She had heard of them from a passing lone wolf. They were rumored to live somewhere in the area, recruiting new members. That what was she had come for, to join this pack. Ever since her eviction from the natal pack she had ruled, she had been searching for a new pack. Having other wolves around her, even if she didn't befriend every one of them, gave her some degree of sanity and security. She felt so alone and helpless when it was just her and the world, and truth be told, she was getting rather desperate to see some sign of life again.

The cold, unforgiving features of the landscape seemed to signal that nobody was here, or would want to be, at first glance. However, Falconstrike knew better. It was exactly what a pack would want, to be hidden from the dangers of other things that were searching for trouble. She circled around once or twice, then slowly floated down to the ground, landing lightly and looking around a few times. She started to walk, padded swiftly and silently in the direction the lone wolf had sent her, keeping her ears pricked and her eyes focused in every direction, sweeping her gaze over everything in view, analyzing it, waiting for some kind of border mark or such. She wondered briefly if she had flown over the border and not been able to smell it in the air, but she quickly dismissed all thoughts and concentrated on the work at hand.

[Cypress]

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[atrb=background,http://i909.photobucket.com/albums/ac298/Wonderwhy_wolves/cypress-1.png] The sun peaked out from the spring clouds, sending pale rays to hit the snow in patches. Worn paws beat the ground in a steady and determined lope as a small yagi female properly herself in and out of the blinding patches of reflected light. Her fiery green eyes blazed as she ran over the melting landscape. Sure there was still snow everywhere, it just was not as thick as it had been during the winter. As far as yagi went, this female was not the best physical specimen. She was smaller than most of her breed and had a poorly docked tail that flew out behind her, it's stunted end acting as a rudder to keep her steady as she jogged. Small as she was, she was not unhealthy. She had a firm build and a shiny coat, only patchy in the places where her thicker winter coat was beginning to shed. Her lithe horns cast a thin shadow on the show. Her face was set and focused, still brooding over the last argument. Damn her. She's just as stubborn as her father.....maybe even more so. I swear she lives only to spite me. The female had crossed back into her territory not long ago. She had been running for what seemed like hours, trying to work the anger and steam out of her system before she lashed out at someone else. There was no need to bring anyone else into the family matter. She could feel her muscles beginning to tighten with lactic acid. She had done a lot of running today, even for one of her endurance. As if realizing this, she began to slow her run down to a trot. Her brown and green pelt rippled in a seamless transition. She sighed heavily as she soon found herself walking. Her proud face searched the tundra for a shallow puddle to drink from. Once she spotted on, she moved toward it and bent her neck to lap at the freezing liquid. Her head was finally clearing, she still could not believe that her daughter had just up and left. Then again, she felt partially responsible, as if she had been the one to push her away. What would she tell Arkahm? Before she could even muster an answer for herself, an unusual shadow passed over her. She lifted her face to the sky to find the source. A keiyou? It had certainly been a while since she had seen one of those. The last pair that had been in the pack seemed to have vanished just like the Former Empress did. Subconsciously her tail raised to show dominance. Did the stranger see her?

[falconstrike]

Falconstrike took a few more steps, but stopped immediately. The wind picked up and buffeted her with stray flakes piles on top of the deeper, hard-packed layer. She pricked her ears and tried to catch any scent of other wolves on the brief wind, but before she could take in anything, it died down. She hesitated, whipping her head around and whining a bit. She still could not see anything of worry, but she was still jumpy and tense. She flicked her tail and tried to calm her rapidly fraying nerves. She shifted her wings on her back and lowered her head, trying to find anything that appeared out of place. Nothing looked as though it was dangerous, or even capable of being dangerous. Just snow, puddles of water, and the few stunted evergreen trees growing defiantly in the bare landscape. Nothing to panic over.

She started to relax, turning back around and getting her bearings of which way she should be going. She was about to set off again when she saw an unusually small green and brown yagi watching her with a curious expression. Falconstrike held back a yelp of surprise and froze, holding herself in a neutral position, not showing any aggression, nor letting the wolf win by acting submissive. Its tail was lifted, and it didn't seem to be in the best of moods, but Falconstrike figured giving the yagi dominance without knowing who it was or what they were doing here wouldn't stand out as a great decision. She paused for several seconds, then took a tentative step forward, and another. She eased into a slow walk until she stood about ten yards away. There, she stopped and stood still, checking the wolf's stance without making eye contact. "Are you of the Empire?" she called, keeping her voice even and emotionless.

[Cypress]

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[atrb=background,http://i909.photobucket.com/albums/ac298/Wonderwhy_wolves/cypress-1.png] Cypress turned to face the stranger, standing ridged. Sure she was a small yagi, but she was just as tall as the keiyou and three times her weight in muscle. Her ears perched high on her head and her lip curled slightly as a territorial warning. She watched as the stranger crept closer, never letting those intense green orbs leave her. It was clear that the newcomer was not from around here, Cypress certainly had not seen her. Her nostrils flared, catching the scent on the wind. Then one ear twitched as the female spoke to her. "I am the leader of the Empire." Her voice was authoritative and stern. She had to make her status known to all who passed through. She inspected the female from a distance, had she been traveling long? Cypress herself may have looked a little ragged, but that was mainly do to the clumps of snow, ice and slush that had gathered in her paws and underside thanks to the day's wanderings. A thin scar down her flank glinted a little as a sunlight shaft hit the area around her. "Who are you, and why are you here?" She was not as demanding as her mate, but there was a tone of command in her voice.

[manuel]

The wind blasted in his face as he made sweeping circles in the sky high above the two wolves below him. He noticed one, a girl, that looked an awful lot like himself. The other one, he had no idea, but he didn't have a problem finding out. A sly smirk spread across his face, and he tilted his body weight forward to began his descent. They could probably spot his shadow by now, a large gray wraith sweeping around and over the both of them. Once he circled himself to become lower to the ground, he (a little dramatically) straightened out his legs underneath him and allowed himself to drop cat-like onto his feet. His head was held high to show his confidence, not his dominance. His tail hung casually behind his hind legs, and his ears were pricked and alert. His eyes rested on Falconstrike (though he did not know her name) for a few seconds, giving her a small smile, before turning them to Cypress.

Only then did he realize who this other wolf was. He had heard about her, a name whispering on even the softest of breezes. At that point he made his head a little lower, and his ears went off slightly to the side. So much for puffing out his chest and trying to display himself to the winged lady to his right. He had to think quickly now, if he were to save himself from embarrassment. Then it clicked.

"Hi, sorry to interrupt. When you two are done talking I would like to speak to you." He nodded at Cypress. "I'm Manuel, by the way."

He said smoothly with a wink in Falconstrike's direction, although he had been addressing them both. What surprised him most was the fact that Falconstrike's eyes were very similar to his. He made it a mental note to bring up the 'gray or blue?' debate later, just for fun. It wasn't often that he got the opportunity to do it to someone else.

He would speak with Cypress's permission, and until then, would stand there and wait for their conversation to be done. Or, if she preferred, Cypress could address him first, her and him at the same time, or tell him to buzz off. Any of those were fine, although if she chose the latter, he would end up coming back later on. Like a stray cat. Once you fed it, it never left you alone.

[falconstrike]

Falconstrike opened her mouth to answer Cypress' questions, but a large, dark shadow swept over them as another wolf flew by overhead. She looked up to see a male keiyou circling down until he landed lightly near them. He looked quite a bit like her, only slightly different in build, a bit bulkier. She could have sworn he was trying to charm her at first, but she shrugged it off and casually turned her head to give her shoulder a quick lick. She acted uninterested, but she couldn't help looking back at him once or twice. Her previous mate had been kind and loving, and he'd given up his position as alpha just so that he could be with her. He had been killed by the cold before long, and it seemed so unfair that he had died when she needed him most. She still felt a strange bitterness whenever she thought of him, and she definitely was not going to risk her heart for another go at finding love.

Shuffling her paws, she straightened up and turned her head back to them, catching a wink from the new wolf. Manuel? Falconstrike thought. She steeled her eyes and tried not to think about him too much, and more about getting into this pack of Cypress'. "I was in search of your pack." she explained. "My name is Falconstrike, by the way." She stood waiting for Cypress' reaction, glancing off to one side as not to challenge her leadership of this territory. Falconstrike thought back to the days when she had been in a pack. She had never rally thought about them much, and they made her nostalgic, thinking about all of the things she had done there. An ache began to grow in her chest, but she did her best to ignore it. If i screw this up... she thought darkly to herself.

[Cypress]

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[atrb=background,http://i909.photobucket.com/albums/ac298/Wonderwhy_wolves/cypress-1.png] Again a shadow circled her territory, she scowled a little. Today was just one of those days. She watched the male land and glanced between them. It was odd....they could have been siblings. Her poorly docked tail twitched in it's dominate position, it was fortunate that two wolves seemed to want to join her pack. She looked at the female, "You found it." Her voice was curt, it had been a while since she had seen strangers in her land, let alone two at once. "I'm Cupressus. Now that you have found what you seek, what is your next step?" She positioned herself so she could look at both of them at once. The male seemed overconfident, she wondered how long that would last once he met her mate. The question was put to both of them, figuring to get it all done in one fell swoop. Her brown and green pelt ruffled in the cool breeze of the north. Her horns stood prominent and proud on her head, giving her a deadly elegance about her. She might not have been the best specimen of yagi, but she was still proud and stubborn.

[manuel]

Manuel remained quiet, listening to the two females speak. Falconstrike was an interesting name to be sure, not one he had ever heard before. He wondered if she lived up to it, or if it was just a title given to her at birth. Manuel's name meant "God is with us." Well... if they really wanted to believe that every time he arrived, who was he to complain? He had to rely on his quick thinking after the alphess had introduced herself and asked them basically what they wanted to do.

His usual choice of smart-mouthed remarks came to mind, but he held his tongue this time. In his travels he had learned that alphas, male and female, were usually not so welcome to an intruder with a snappy sense of humor. They wanted him to get straight to the point. Always. He glanced at Flaconstrike, and recalled that she had been trying to get into this pack as well. Cupresses didn't seem too bad thus far, and he ignored the common sense part of his brain that was telling him that he had known her for only a few seconds.

"I was actually looking to get into the pack too, if you have room. I have many talents, I assure you, but my absolute best is fighting. I would be more than happy to prove it if need be."

He spoke confidently, his words flowing smoothly from his lips like water down a creek. He gave the alphess a quick smile, and straightened himself up a bit to appear bigger and tougher. Sure, he made it look like he was advertising himself to the alphess for a job in the pack, but really, he was trying to convince Falconstrike that he was worth following around as well. Maybe not as an alpha, since at the moment he had zero interest in such a job, but as eye candy perhaps.

Manuel had yet to grasp the seriousness of what he was about to get himself into. Over ego and a girl....

[falconstrike]

Though Cupressus was relatively small for her species, she was still bigger than a keiyou, and likely just as intimidating as any other member of her pack. Falconstrike shifted slightly but remained lax, trying not to set off any unwanted reactions. She pulled her forepaws out of the snow and moved them to the snow less packed down where her paws were less buried. Keeping a passive stance, she was quick to say her part. "I was, as you know, looking for a pack to join. I heard of this pack from a passerby. As for my plans concerning your pack, I was looking to be of some sort of aid to you. I'm a fair fighter, and I am willing to take risks."

Falconstrike noticed how Manuel seemed to be boasting his size and strength. Smart move, she thought to herself, to act like that with an alpha around. How foolish males could be. She failed to realize he was trying to make her notice him, not Cupressus. She listened to him as he mentioned he was good at fighting. An aerialist, like me? she wondered. she subconsciously ruffled her feathers and glanced at the sky, streaked through with wispy clouds over a pale blue-grey canvas of open air. She sighed softly, and waited for the alpha to give them her word.

[Cypress]

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[atrb=background,http://i909.photobucket.com/albums/ac298/Wonderwhy_wolves/cypress-1.png] Her eyes narrowed a bit at the cocky male, however she had to give him credit for being confident in his skills. They both seemed to be in good health and strong to boot. She could use some soldiers to patrol the borders for her and keep peace. She was at least glad that her pack was growing and still spoken of in other lands. She may have been new to leading, but she knew that the Empire had always had a reputation. "Alright. I see no problems with you joining my pack. I need soldiers anyway. I can imagine the pair of you would do just fine, even if you are keiyou. I'm sure you can make up with speed and agility what you lack in brute strength and size." She meant no offense, it was really more of an observation. Plus, aerial defenses could take intruders by surprise, as well as cover ground twice as quickly. "As soldiers....you will patrol the borders, remarking and maintaining the lines from the neighboring pack. I would also require you to bring new members to myself or my mate, Arkham to be accepted. If any skirmishes should break, you will be the first line to make peace. Can you two do that?" Of course she would teach them what they needed to know, who they needed to talk to and all that. But for now she just needed their word and loyalty. Only then would she allow them deeper into the pack lands. "We are not that large at the moment, so I need all the skill I can get to keep the Empire strong and thriving." She checked their gazes with her own, letting them know she had no problem running them out of the pack if they were lackluster or craven.

[manuel]

Manuel stood there and displayed himself proudly. Even as she spoke of the two Keiyou's lacking strength and mass, he had to hold back a snicker. He was small compared to most, but he could run a fat Lupus right into the ground. He would be more than ready and willing to prove it too. He nodded with a smile when he was asked if he was capable of doing his chores. Spotting trouble wouldn't be a problem from the air. Stopping it would be even easier, one on one anyways.

"I assure you Cupresses, the Empire can sleep sound at night while I'm on watch. I would give my own tail before I would let a single fur on a pup's head be harmed here."

He spoke with confidence, and his eyes twinkled their determined steel-blue that he was better known for. He knew that even to kill a big wolf, all that was needed was a well-aimed clamp on the throat. Then it would be the end of all arguments. He did not feel that he would be afraid to take a life, and he was quite confident no one could take his.

He glanced over quietly at Falconstrike, wondering what she would think of his words. He also hoped that she would be willing to help him protect a small Empire. The only thing that would make this better would be if they were put on patrol together.

[falconstrike]

The weight of Cupressus' words weighed a bit on Falconstrike's shoulders, and she couldn't help wondering for the briefest of moments whether or not she would be able to take care of this new readjustment into a pack other than her natal one. She quickly dismissed the thoughts and gave Cupressus a calm look. She replied evenly, "I would be more than willing to fight for your pack. Though I do not posses the traits of a ground fighter, there are certainly advantages to having flight. And as for patrols, those shouldn't be difficult to handle. Slacking isn't one of my strong spots."

She dipped her head slightly, keeping her gaze level. "I appreciate your willingness to take us in." she added a bit more hesitantly. She shifted in the cold as the flurries swirled around in eddies by her feet. It is cold out here... she thought to herself. She turned her attention briefly to Manuel, pondering what he had said. Is he trying to impress me? she wondered.

[Cypress]

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[atrb=background,http://i909.photobucket.com/albums/ac298/Wonderwhy_wolves/cypress-1.png] She gave a slight smile to both of them. Slowly, one wolf at a time the burdens she had these past few months were being equally distributed among her new ranks. She gave them each a nod as they confirmed thier ability to do their jobs. "I don't see much hassle coming from neighboring packs. But my daughter has taken refuge in the Knights territory, so if you deal with them, proceed with caution." There was a spark on anger in her eyes at the mention of Magnolia. She could have left on better terms with her daughter. But for now, she needed space. "If you follow me...I can take you to the dens to warm up and rest as needed...." With out another word she turned to head back to the Snowhills, fully expecting them to follow.

[falconstrike]

Falconstrike was grateful to head to a warm den, but she couldn't help wondering whether or not she had made the right choice. She flicked her tail to clear the snow that had clumped into it and puffed her feathers out to warm up. She padded after her new Alphess, trudging through the snow with some effort. She had to shove her legs forward through the increasingly bothersome drifts. The pads of her paws were colder than they normally got, even with the fur that poked out between her toes. She flattened her ears and hunkered down, wishing that she could get some sense of warmth.

She turned her head to Manuel, saying to him, "So, you're going for a soldier's position, too?" she queried. She stamped her feet down, stepping carefully on the ice and digging her claws into it. "What do you think of all this?" she asked in a low, quiet voice, aiming for Cupressus not to hear them.