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WC: 1,605TL;DR :3 Welcome to the pack!
The fact that her darker packmate had a deer for a friend didn’t bother the Angela. A rather odd assortment of canines had made their way to the borders, and the number one value that Naniko held strong was that a canine could only be judged by their current actions, not the actions of their past. This was why she accepted nearly everyone into the pack…she believed that they could change if they wanted to, and if they didn’t…well that was fine, too. Even the bad boys needed a place to call home, and she had been some sort of leader for long enough to know how to handle them when they got rowdy. From what she knew, Finn was tame compared to some of the canines who had come to seek refuge in Anathema. She already enjoyed the dark female’s company, and was sure that she would continue to enjoy it as time went on. Naniko tried to get along with everybody that she could, but there were some who got on her nerves fairly easily or who she would not willingly hang around. With how busy she was, she enjoyed having little bits of time to herself when she could catch them…and spent time with those most important to her when she was able to.
As long as her pack members were loyal and did not give her a reason not to trust them, they would be welcomed. Her current members were hard working and hearty – she’d take a loyal group of those over some prissy, whiny little do-gooders any day. She’d gotten enough of that when she had led Crimson Dreams. The female knew what it felt like to be unwanted and exiled, and she tried her best to provide a safe home for those who came from oppressive backgrounds. There were some things that occurred in Anathema that would not be as welcomed in other places, like drug use and some minor violence. She saw it as a way for the pack to kick back and relax…as well as an outlet for some occasional rage and bad moods. Everybody needed a chance to de-stress at times. And normally the canines didn’t harm each other in major ways…just a minor shove or whack over the head to keep each other in line. The tiers were set so that one canine would lead the others and share their skills…a form of delegation on Naniko’s part. She did not have the knowledge that those pack members would build up while in the lower tiers, and would rely on them to keep her informed about what they were learning.
Things had been very different when she had lived in other packs. Her birth pack of Chimera had been much like Anathema, with darker ways and darker characters running about. It had been the pack of the D’Angelo and de le Poer families until the Great Move. That was what Naniko called it in her head, the move that had taken her parents away from her as a puppy. They’d left her for bigger and better places, her sister disappearing not long after that. One day they had all been there, one big happy family…and the next morning she had awoken to find them gone without a trace. Not even a bone or scrap of meat left behind. Her adopted father Physe had taken control, then, becoming the Alpha for a short time before merging the pack together with Syemv to create Aremys. This was all within the span of a year. After her parents had gone, Naniko had ended up in a pack called Clouded Tears; a female from there had found her by chance, and the grizzled, grump of an Alpha had allowed the puppy to stay. Without him, she didn’t know what kind of life she would be leading now. He had showed her that with discipline and a strong will, one could make anything happen.
She had changed much since her puppyhood, but her life in Anathema was great and things seemed to be working out for her just the way that she was. She had hoped to start the pack on the idea that anyone would be welcomed, and had made a promise to herself that she would try not to change or conform to any ideals or beliefs that she had not properly researched or thought about. It had seemed that in past packs, there were certain rules that were put into place or things that were done without much rhyme or reason to them. She wanted to be a clear and concise leader, for the members to know exactly what was right and what was wrong…and where the line was set between them. Naniko hoped that she was being a good leader to the pack and that they all enjoyed living with the few rules and regulations that she and Alaki enforced. Naniko thought of herself as a fair canine, not one to jump to conclusions or blame someone for something without much evidence. Other packs were not the same. In Crimson Dreams, she’d been exiled from the pack in her greatest time of need because of the drugs that she had been taking. No helping hand, no rehabilitation…just the option to immediately quit the drug (which honestly was not possible, for one had to taper down from it) or leave. So she had left.
Naniko snapped back into the present in the blink of an eye, shaking her head to rid herself of her unwanted muses. She hoped that they would be able to get this Aoi girl to Alaki soon and that she would not be too upset about his condition…he was still recovering from the bear attack. For a while, the pups had told her that he had looked bad and that they had thought he would die…but she did not think that that was the case – he was not dead, just healing. Sometimes her children took things out of proportion and exaggerated quite a bit. Naniko was doubly glad that Alaki would recover. Not only because of his daughter, but because she did not want to have to try and replace a sub-leader for the third time. Another reason was that Alaki, though he was even more stubborn and bull-headed than herself…was kind of a friend to her. They worked together to get things done for the pack and she worried about his well-being. It was a mutual thing, where they would each try to help the other if and when they could. Of course, each one could only offer certain types of help and Nani knew not to try and stretch his boundaries (she had never asked him to pup-sit, for example) but as far as pack matters went, they had each others’ backs. "You look enough like him, child...around the same coloration. He's a bit bigger and more angry-looking, though, I think. I don't see any way that he could not be your father, with the same last name." She said, answering the girl's query about the way that her father and she looked.
Finn was correct in her assessment of the child, and Naniko gave her a rare smile paired with a nod. ”You are right, Finn.. Aoi, please follow us back to the caves – I can take you there, but I am unsure if your father will be ready for visitors just yet. He protected my children and Miwa from a bear attack recently…and I have not been able to check on the progress of his healing yet. He may still be unconscious.” She said, trying to warn the female of the sights that she might come across once they got the caves. ”But welcome to Anathema. You’ll be ranked as a young one until the day comes when you can move into the adult ranks. Then you will be able to pick a rank tier and choose what you want to do with yourself while you’re here.” Naniko explained. She hoped that the child would find the caves comfortable…perhaps she would be able to catch up with Miwa and stay with her while their father rested. ”If you do not want to live in the caves, you do not have to…but It is recommended, especially in winter. You look skinny enough already without having to live outside.”
She turned to pad away from the group that was gathered there, motioning for them all to follow her. ”I will lead you to your father’s den, and Severus can show you where we keep the supply of meat. The adults and Zepars of the pack hunt and store meat for the children and elders – we try to hunt more than what we can eat so that we can store some of it and have enough to live on for a little while should we get snowed in at any point during the winter. I’d like you to try and relax once we get there…try and regain your strength and make sure that you are eating plenty.” She would have her son watch out for Aoi for these first few days. It would be beneficial for both her and the new pup, as her son would have something to do and wouldn’t be following her around all the time…and Aoi would have her own personal guide to the caves of Anathema. She walked at a pace Severus could keep up with, padding briskly back toward the Howling Caverns. As she walked she cleared her throat, speaking once more to Finn. ”Good job, today. I hope to see you on the borders more often.”