Call of the Wild {Joining Thread}

[🌅Phoenix🌅]

Meds

Saffron
It wasn't quite what she was planning. Not at all. But thanks to her Netrual status, she couldn't exactly be instantly shooed away from Pack borders. Saffron had told herself to stay away from any Pack territory, but the she-wolf realised that maybe she could be an asset to them. Possibly they could use some of her logical thinking and ideas to help the pack go further. She couldn't quite say that she would be a memorable wolf in the pack, but she'd still help Ivory Wild in any way possible. Plus, it was small. She liked small. Too many wolves would mean that she'd have to get to know too many others at once. She'd rather know them all fairly well then just being shallow acquaintances. Saffron looked ahead to the borders, with its well sheltered areas to keep out a bit of the frigid Winter weather. That would be quite useful to hide some of their territory from the other packs.

The she-wolf decided she had come far enough and stretched her head into the sky. Her loud cry filled the skies with undeniable volume as well as a very slight touch of echo. As she did so, she thought more about the very limited talk she had gathered from her wolf-watching. Ivory Wild was small and newly founded, neighbours to some long standing packs that had been here for generations. It was a nice place overall and she could see herself claiming this kind of territory if she was to make a pack of her own. Saffron sighed thoughtfully and gazed upon the sky. What was Pack life like? It must be quite fine under the right Alpha or Alphess in command. Though other than fulfilling duties and taking orders what else did it offer? Protection maybe.

[Meds]

Koa;

Koa was doing a check-over of the lower meadow in the late night. It was Ivory Wild's first winter in the Wildflower Clearing, and Koa wanted to see how it was faring. She had already been to the territory in winter (her first visit had occurred in winter, in fact), but now that it was her territory, every snowbank and broken log hidden by the blanket of white was suddenly more important. The treeline was holding as satisfactorily as it had on her first nightly visit. Though the snow was drifted in places within the clearing, the bitter and biting winds were held off almost entirely. For this, she was thankful. And positively, her pack had not yet had to branch out to search for prey. So far, the territory was feeding them happily. Koa remained ever-aware, however, that it would not host many more wolves.

The eye-marking on the back of Koa's neck flared out into the night, and it was because of this that she became aware of a presence at her border even before the howl pierced the air. Once the call had come, however, Koa's eyes flitted closed and she really concentrated on her Awareness. It was just one wolf, and female, unless she was largely mistaken. She had not met them before, but that was to be expected, as a familiar wolf probably wouldn't have howled. In any case, the storm-colored Alphess took off into the night, angling ever closer to the source of the call.

"Good evening," Koa said, her lithe form picking through tree branches and fallen logs with a practiced precision. She was happy to see the border well-marked with paw-prints, meaning that Codex, Zeus, and most probably Nanouk, had been fulfilling their duties satisfactorily. The wolf before her was indeed female, though Koa didn't need her gift activated to know that. She was tall, with leg muscles that Koa could discern even when half-hidden in the snow.
Koa smiled.

"My name is Koa. Welcome to the border of the Ivory Wild..."

[🌅Phoenix🌅]

Saffron:
The she wolf waited patiently for the Alphess' appearance, her thoughts running rampant inside her head. 'What's the leader like? Are they fair? Do they have traditions and customs I did not know about?' Saffrons mind voices fought for the loudest and top spot of need. Whispers of many things crept into her conscience, but she batted away every single one until one simple, but familiar thought crossed her mind. 'Think this through and it will be fine.' It was, after all, pretty much her motto. If she thought ahead and planned, she'd be fine. No planning would lead to panic and panic lead to terrible decisions the she-wolf would always regret. She tugged away from the endless whirlpool of her own mind and glanced up at the twilight sky. It was a pretty night, with a light blanket of transparent coulds covering the winking stars and the beautiful glow of the crescent moon.

While she had no powers, her instincts were alerting her of an incoming presence. It was probably a wolf, most likely the Alphess herself coming to greet her call. She squinted slightly against the darkness, finding a shadowed silhouette easily making their way through the snow covered territory. Despite settling only a small while ago, the wolf seemed to be already becoming accustomed to the terrain. "Good evening," The she-wolf looked over to her right to see another female nearby, her slim body making its way closer to Saffron. Though she had never met an Alphess or Alpha before, she could tell that they were definetly. The way they held their self radiated with authority, but she didn't seem to abuse her power at all. Just as Saffron had wanted, a fair Alphess. "Good evening." She replied simply in a pleasant tone. The pack leader was smiling at her, she could tell through the darkness. Why? Well, the she-wolf did not know, though maybe she was just being friendly.

My name is Koa. Welcome to the border of Ivory Wild..." Saffron tucked the name away into her mental notes, she would definetly be needing it. The she-wolf looked at the Alphess before she began to speak. "Greetings, Alphess Koa." The wolf bowed her head respectfully and kept her tone simple but polite. "It is a honour to met you. My name is Saffron." Something else lingered at the tip of her tongue, something she wanted to say, 'Think dammt!' She snarled in her mind, covering it well in reality. It quickly came to her in the snap of her jaws. "Beautiful territory you have chosen, Alphess. Wildflower Clearing is a nice place to settle down, I see why you'd want to be here." Saffron smiled genuinely. It was a nice place after all.

[Meds]

Koa;

The stranger responded politely enough, and gave a light bow of her head. The ease with which she did so allowed Koa the confidence to sit down, relaxing at least in part, for the time being.
So the female's name was Saffron. An interesting name—unique. She then complimented the territory, though not just the territory itself, but Koa's choice in home. Koa nodded, appreciating the small amount of credit due to her for choosing such a place.

"Indeed," Koa said, glancing around them. They were partially in the treeline, as the border on the Southern side was, and were therefore reasonably sheltered from the winds beyond. "Our white spruce keep the harshest elements at bay, and provide our meadow with the sort of calm that larger territories often cannot boast."

Her vine-marked tail twitched behind her, and a quick activation of her Awareness let her notice more closely that Saffron seemed reasonably well-fed, especially for a loner in winter. This was positive, as it at least showed some sort of competence. Koa let her power fade back into the folds of her mind, and faced Saffron. The moon caught her minty-green eyes and they flashed for a moment.
"What brings you to my border this fine winter evening?"

[🌅Phoenix🌅]

Saffron:
Let's start with this, Saffron was surprised. Very surprised by the fact she was enjoying the small conversation between herself and the Alphess. Normally, she'd be lost for words a little, but now—now they just slipped off her tongue as easily as she could walk. It was pleasant in a way Saffron had to admit, but out of all the wolves she thought she'd be ok talking to, a pack leader wasn't exactly high on her list. The small tension that was possibly between them was very small indeed, for Koa's shoulders were not raised with wariness, but not slumped either. Her gaze seemed somewhat approving too, though maybe that was just simply some wishful thinking on her behalf. All the same, the Alphess sat in front of her. She explained how the territory did indeed keep out the harsh conditions of the Winter season, which interested her very much, so yet another mental note was made on those few factors of the pack area.

Though Saffron had no knowledge of this, Koa had inspected her once again and was probably somewhat pleased in what she had found. At least the Alphess knew that the she-wolf could definetly care of herself and she would not be a burden that was of little use to Ivory Wild. With the leaders eyes glowing in the crescent moon's light, she introduced the question Saffron had been waiting for. "What brings you to my border this fine winter evening?" The she-wolf let the words linger in the air and her mind for a while before replying. Though of course, she already knew her own purpose for coming in the first place. "As you must already know, many come to pack borders in search of a new home or maybe more," Saffron paused before continuing. "I am here in search of the same thing as many others. I come here in the hopes of joining your ranks." She was out of words to say at last, though she still thought for a little longer just in case another word or two came to mind. "Of course, I do understand that with any pack, great or small, that you must accept the right wolves to become one of these members."

[Meds]

Koa;

Saffron seemed pleased with the fact that Koa was looking her over, or if not pleased, she at least accepted it. The female seemed appropriately interested in Koa's tiny explanation of the pack, as well. This was good for her, as Koa took a general pride with her land, and meeting wolves that respected it as well boded well.

She answered much as Koa had imagined she would, for why else would she have howled? But again, there were certain formalities that Koa liked to address. Had she been a very different creature, she might just come barreling through the trees, accepting every wolf that came her way. But had she done so, she knew, that her land would very quickly run low on resources. It was a small territory, which gave her even more drive to fill it with strong and deserving wolves.

"You don't say," She mused, sharing a bit of cautious humor with the newcomer. "Tell me Saffron, what do you have that Ivory Wild lacks? What will you bring to our home that we cannot do without?" Her tail flicked and her eyes twinkled as she smiled. It was a simple question really: why do I want you? But asking it in differing ways gave Koa a bit of insight as to how her subjects thought.

[🌅Phoenix🌅]

Saffron:
There was a tilt of pride in the Alphess's chin, as if pleased to have her territory complimented and understood. It came as no surprise though, Saffron would be glowing inside and out if someone had complimented her choice in territory. There was a hint of thoughtfulness crossing over her eyes, as she took in her words and considered them. Deemed them either useful or not, the she-wolf guessed. She was already taking a small liking to Koa, even of she had barely made friendly acquaintances as it was. While she pondered over this, the Alphess began to speak once again. Her cautious joke caught her a little off guard, but she showed a small smile and appreciated it. "Tell me Saffron, what do you have that Ivory Wild lacks? What will you bring to our home that we cannot do without?"

Her string of words just had such a simple meaning. Just simply asking on what. What did Saffron have to bring here? The flickering of the Alphesses tail was the only thing she noticed while she thought for a slight second on her next careful words. "I bring the logic and thinking that we need here, Alphess Koa. The smarts and wits to help us get away from the most difficult of situations. I have the confidence to do many things, to support myself and of course Ivory Wild," Saffron was currently pleased with her word choices and hoped Koa herself liked them also for she was the one to impress. "Here we are capable of many things and I myself would like to add to those capabilities. While I may not be perfect and have all the talents a wolf can gain, I bring my strongest skills as my assets to this pack." She had to catch her breath and pause. Oh god, she sure did hope that sounded good enough for the Alphess. She had given all her heart and honesty into it after all.

"And that, Alphess Koa. Is what you cannot do without."

[Meds]

Koa;

Koa listened with a purposely blank expression as Saffron highlighted her qualities. Indeed, she had either heard of what Koa looked for in her pack members, or she was truly a good fit. Thankfully, Koa guessed it was the former. Ivory Wild was still too new and small to warrant any sort of foul-play. There was nothing to gain, really, by trying to lie to gain access to the little family. Such things definitely made her job easier...
"These things you speak of are highly sought after within the Ivory Wild," The Alphess spoke with a gentle authority. "And we have ranks within our little family that I can already see you fitting into rather seamlessly—if what you say is indeed the truth." She blinked her minted eyes, glancing at the winter-clouds above, so much whiter than her own spring-storm-coloured pelt.

"But we have recently gained another member, one who I can also see within the same rank." Her thoughts traveled to Codex. So far, within Ivory Wild, Koa claimed a Beta male, a Gamma female, and two Recruits, one of whom had the makings of a Sentinel-Scout, and the other, one who she hoped would become a Hunter-Warrior. If Koa had to admit to herself though, she would have liked to secure another male to the pack family first—one who would hopefully turn out to be a Hunter-Warrior as well. She considered this desire against the qualities that Saffron had just offered.
Koa could certainly see her as being an asset to the pack one day, but perhaps at a future time. The Sentinel-Scouts wouldn't have much to patrol if the pack-family died off from attack or not having enough to eat. Koa clicked her teeth together.

"At this time, at the beginning of a winter that promises to be long and hard, I believe that Ivory Wild has need of other assets—though do not mistake my meaning. You offer much of what I seek; in fact, were it the beginning of Spring or Summer, it would be a very different story." She bent her head and looked into Saffron's eyes. "Perhaps you and I can stay in contact throughout the coming season. We may well have need of you yet, and I wouldn't be opposed to forming a relationship with you should that need become a reality."

((🌅Phoenix🌅 were we wanting to continue with this / a new thread with Saffron and Koa at all? ^^ ))