Topaz's Arrival

[Tiel]

Topaz:
It was a warm afternoon in the forest. Everything was a beautiful mixture of greens and browns. Aside from her bright neon eyes, Topaz blended in perfectly with her surroundings. She had been traveling since sunrise, hoping to find more prey in this new, unfamiliar area. Her stomach growled like an earthquake inside her. When had her last meal been? Perhaps she had had a mouse for breakfast. Or was that last night? Topaz could not remember clearly. She froze for a moment. There was a smell lingering in the air. Her heart suddenly jumped. Food! Topaz lifted her nose and scanned the area around her, longing for something to eat. She couldn't help but wag her tail. It was a familiar smell, indeed. It wasn't prey, she realized, half disappointed and half intrigued. Other wolves!

[Rykett]

Blaise:

A sleek she-wolf skirted the edge of her territory. On border patrol again, Blaise pushed through the bright green foliage of Sapling Grove. They were in the peak of the summer season. The hot sun blazed down and the alphess's dark pelt happily absorbed the rays causing Blaise to pant. Fortunately the sun was past its zenith and had started its daily descent towards the west horizon. Red and purple ears suddenly swivelled upward as her white nose twitched, picking up a scent. On full alert, Blaise pushed through a particularly large bush. Her eyes immediately fixed on a pup just outside the border. The pup hadn't made a howl signifying that she wished to join nor an aggressive motion that merited a response. So, Blaise waited. Her body was erect and half hidden from the bush. Her dark violet watched the newcomer patiently yet curiously.

[Tiel]

Topaz:
The forest was filled with the aroma of other wolves. It was not the smell of loners and travelers, it was too thick. This was the smell of multiple wolves who had passed through this area many times, all with a similar scent. Topaz was standing in pack territory, right on the border. Is this considered trespassing? Maybe I should just leave. An idea suddenly occurred to her. Topaz had always wanted to be in a pack. She loved the idea of everyone trusting each other and living together in harmony. Maybe this could be her future home. Then again, she had no idea what side this pack was on. If they were evil, bad things might happen. She could only hope that this was a neutral pack. It was worth a shot, though. If they meant her harm, she would run. Topaz was occasionally overly confident, but she knew that apart from her clumsiness she could run pretty fast. If there are no obstacles. And there is a straight line to run in. And the path has to be pretty wide. And there cannot be any distractions.

Topaz shook off her worries. All of a sudden, a charcoal she-wolf hidden in the bushes caught her eye. Too late to turn back now. The wolf was lean and stood in a noble way. Her expression was curious, yet calm. She had the face of a leader. "Hello, you must be the alphess" Topaz said without thinking twice, "uh...I'm not entirely sure how to ask this or if there is some sort of initiation I have to go through but I'd like to join this pack." Topaz inched back sheepishly, partially expecting to be shooed away. "I'm stronger than I look and I'm great at hunting! Or I could be a scout.... you can put me anywhere that you see fit! I'm Topaz by the way."

[Rykett]

Blaise:

The pup noticed the she-wolf lurking in the bushes. She addressed Blaise quickly, nervously. The alphess straightened taking a step out of the bushes. "Yes," she confirmed the pup's assumption with a single word before the youngling barreled onward. Blaise considered the little wolf as she explained her desire to join and described her skills. The pup wasn't particularly big, but seemed sturdy enough. If her claims of being able to hunt were true, then she must be nearing young adulthood. She seemed very eager to prove herself worthy to join.

"I am Blaise. We have no initiation, but I must judge you fit to join Secluded Sunrise. I search for loyalty within possible members. Are you loyal?" Blaise cocked an eyebrow at the small pup. An amused smile tickled at the edges of her lip. She supposed that the little pup would insist her loyalty. It was difficult to doubt the truth behind Topaz's enthusiasm. Her words might not be completely true, pups often exaggerated reality, but her desire was definitely not faked.

[Tiel]

Topaz:
The chestnut pup looked up at the alphess, eyes wide with admiration. "Loyalty! I am totally loyal! I'm the most loyal wolf you'll meet!" Topaz began searching through her mind for an example, but she really couldn't think of a time when she had a need to be loyal. Blaise would just have to take her word for it. "I promise I'll make this pack my greatest priority. It means so much to me to be a part of it." Topaz moved on from the subject of loyalty. She left out the fact that she decided to join this pack less than five minutes ago, and the fact that she didn't really care what specific pack she joined. As long as it wasn't evil, she didn't care, but she truly did have a desire to join a pack. She had been on her own for far too long now and she was ready to meet other wolves and make something of herself.

[Rykett]

Blaise:

A smile creased Blaise's lips as she exhaled a quick, amused breath. Topaz was certainly enthusiastic. Blaise could imagine her growing into a valuable member of the pack. "Very well, then," Blaise said, dipping her head so she was a little closer to the pup's level, "You may join Secluded Sunrise. I believe you will thrive in it and help Secluded Sunrise thrive as well. You'll be ranked as a pup until we can get you a trainer, someone to instruct you on how to fill your chosen rank. Until then, you can spend your time with the other pups. I'm they'd welcome another playmate."

Blaise straightened and looked towards the depths of her territory. "I assume I don't need to assign you a caretaker. If you can hunt as well as you claim, you're capable of looking after yourself." Blaise raised her eyebrow a fraction as she mentioned Topaz's abilities. This could serve as a test of Topaz's honesty. Blaise doubted that the pup would get into much trouble. Secluded Sunrise was nearly full and there were enough eyes roaming the territory that reckless pups couldn't get hurt without an adult near enough to help. "You'll find dens and the other pups in the Ashwood Grove," Blaise swung her head to gesture in the direction of the aforementioned area with a point of her nose.

[Tiel]

Topaz:
"Very well then," Topaz let out a small leap of joy, then clumsily stumbled over onto her stomach, legs sprawled out. She gave a sweetly embarrassed smile and stood back up, regaining her balance. Topaz was not one for first impressions, and she knew that. She accepted that. Besides, she was already accepted into the pack, so it didn't matter anymore with Alphess Blaise. Topaz was just worried about how the rest of the pack would feel about her. What if they didn't like her? Don't think about that now. At least I'll be around other pups, even if they don't like me at first.

Topaz wagged her tail gleefully. "Thank you so much! I promise I won't let you or my pack down!" It felt weird to refer to this as her pack, but she supposed that was what it was. Topaz realized that she didn't even know the name of this pack or more importantly, what side it was. Blaise seemed like a fairly nice wolf. She was probably either good or neutral. Topaz considered asking the alphess, than decided that the less she knew, the better. As far as Blaise was concerned, Topaz came to her pack specifically to join. That is okay with me, she decided, then bounded off in the direction Blaise pointed, ready to meet some new faces. Ready to find out more about her pack.

~Exit Topaz~

[Rykett]

Blaise:

Blaise smiled after the young pup as she bounded into the woods. That pup would definitely become exactly the kind of member Secluded Sunrise needed. But... she would've thought that about Ruko. Blaise's smile faded. A lot could change in a year. Blaise revised her previous though. With the right direction, Topaz could become exactly the kind of member Secluded Sunrise needed. Direction... she would need a trainer, of course. Ramone and Tear's first litter definitely needed trainers by now, but Blaise had been procrastinating with the excuse that there were no ranked wolves ready to train the litter. Blaise sighed as she realized her only option. Promotions might take too long and young Helios had already proven his skill in the pack hunt. Blaise padded after Topaz, the list of things she needed to do, piling up in her head.

-Exit Blaise-

((Congratulations! Topaz is now a member of Secluded Sunrise! Make sure to post an update of her pack status in the Pinboard, so we can get it changed on the character list. ))