Payana had never had to do this before in her life. The last pack she joined, all she'd had to do was be the lost little pup that she was at that point in her life, and she had been taken in with a warm welcome. Somehow, she didn't think things would be quite so easy this time.
It pained her a little to think back on it, on that pack that had become her family. It seemed strange now that they were gone, and that she was here, without them, cast back into the solitude from which they had rescued her once upon a time. She missed them terribly, almost constantly. They had been so kind to her when she was in need; they had opened their hearts to her as well as their pack. In a way, being a lost, lonely little pup had been a blessing to her back then--because of that, she hadn't just had two parents. She'd had a whole pack full of loving, caring parents.
The emotion that arose in her at these thoughts was strange--it was wonderful and bitingly painful all at once. And now, as she approached the border of a new pack--a new pack that she hoped to make her own--it was especially prevalent, clawing at the surface of her mind with every step closer she took to her destination. With it, a tinge of nervousness was mixed. Although at this point in her life she had traveled extensively and met many strange and diverse wolves, she had never had to do something quite like this. She hoped it would go well.
Payana soon came upon a point where she dared tread no further, lest she on accident find herself having stumbled over the border and into this new pack's land--a folly which she could not at this point afford. She paused for a few moments, on the verge of lifting her maw and howling to alert the pack of her presence, but she couldn't quite bring herself to do it. Finally, she stepped back from the precipice of action, and decided to take the slower route: she would wait here until she was found. It would not be too long.
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OOC here: Table & Coding © Vannah; Hey hun, welcome to 'Souls; 311 words
It was perhaps luck that she would be stumbled upon. Or not really since Ouija was the sort to be out and about. He wasn't one to hang around in the caves constantly. Or at least when he wasn't working on a pelt he was out. When he was working then he tended to lose track of time and stayed in the same place until his work was complete. But of course he had to be out to be able to catch the animals with those beautiful pelts to be used in his creations.
But he wasn't concentrated on hunting right now. At least not for animals. No, he was concentrated on finding some plant life. After all the season only lasted so long and he wanted to make sure he had some supplies for the winter. He didn't want to go another winter without color has he had done with the winter past. He hadn't had time to collect supplies then as he was doing now. No, last year he had lost everything in the move.
It was why he was out among the tree line did he notice the female. "Waiting for someone?" The large male in optime form questioned. After all she was waiting quietly and staring at the lands. "You realize no one will know you are here unless you speak up. Everyone is underground mostly." At least he assumed that is where the majority of the pack was. Or well, that was where they were living. If Ouija hadn't already been out scouting for things for himself then he would have never realized the female was here either. So really he had just happened to stumble upon her rather than anything else. Of course now that he was nearby he could pick up on her scent as well, something that wouldn't be found within the caves.
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( Thanks! Glad I found this place. :] )
Eventually, Payana heard the sound of an approaching other. Her ears twitched with it, and her body rose out of instinct. She waited for the owner of these footsteps to approach, her body carefully balanced between full, tall-standing alertness and the submissiveness she knew that she would soon have to show if she wished for all to go smoothly.
And then the owner did appear--the footsteps apparently belonged to this large wolf, whose coat seemed to be an array of all sorts of colors. Payana had a feeling they weren't exactly natural, but God knows where they came from. He made quite the interesting specimen, although right now she was more focused on the sheer size of him--she was, after all, at his mercy.
In the moment right before he spoke, she grew even more nervous. When he opened his mouth, she knew she would glean some sort of idea of what her welcome would be like--friendly, grudgingly polite, hostile? Although this was just one wolf of a whole pack--who, for that matter, didn't seem to be carrying himself like an alpha--she remembered her old Alpha telling her once that packs were often full of like-minded wolves, since it is only natural to enjoy the company of those similar to you.
So, here it was. Her first interaction with a member of this pack. She listened intently as he spoke, making sure to keep her head lower than his, and her tail down, as one must.
"Under… ground?" was the first the she said, slightly bewildered, when he had finished talking. Although she had encountered strange enough things in her prior travels, she had never met a group of wolves who lived predominantly underground. Ah, but she could very well have misinterpreted what he had said. Perhaps he did not mean something so strange, and her mind was simple getting the better of her. "I don't suppose you just mean they all keep to their dens, do you?"
She paused briefly, before deciding it was best to err on the side of politeness and go ahead with her business.
"My name is Payana, sir, and I am currently a wanderer. I am hoping to seek entrance to your pack, if I am deemed deserving."
She toyed with the idea of telling him how she had come to be in the predicament she was--or more aptly, how she had come to be homeless without a familiar face to keep her company--but she decided that at this time that was too much information to volunteer. Oh, if they should ask, she could tell, she supposed--but would they believe her? What would she even say? Oh, my pack seems to have vanished…. Truth be told, she supposed it did sound a tad strange. Of course if the fire bit was added, it was more understandable.
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OOC here: Table & Coding © Vannah; If you want you can add that a leader is needed to the title; 349 words
Because of where he came from he shared the founding beliefs of this pack since the leader was from the same place as himself. But still he had a uniqueness to him. After all he was the only one to color himself so brightly. He was the only one that did things to cover up his natural coloration. It wasn't that he didn't like his color but simply he didn't like being limited to one while the world was full of so many different varieties.
"Perhaps..." He wasn't sure if they were in their dens or not. "Everything other than hunting takes place underground so they could be doing any number of things really." He didn't keep tabs on what everyone was doing. It wasn't his place to. Instead he was mostly worrying about himself and completing his own personal tasks. After all he kept himself busy with his own personal projects all of the time.
"Well Payana, I'm Ouija and his is Anathema. Do you have any certain skills that you possess and can contribute?" He questioned, figuring that the basic stuff should be taken care of. And with that he also sent up a call to request the presence of his aunt. After all he wasn't anything but the lowest rank at the current moment. The same that this female would be once she was accepted. Of course he was working his way up and out. He was working to get into the tiers.
"My aunt should be along shortly so that she can take care of the joining process." After all he could to little more than meet and greet. "So you are here alone then?" He questioned, his gaze drifting over her lupus form. He figured he was doing a fine job of keeping his distance and remaining civil when his mind told him there were other things that he should be doing instead. The lupus form was an attraction of his but he was trying hard to not make it so easily apparent just what was on his mind at the sight of it.
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The female kept herself very busy with the pack duties that faced her each day. She had many members to house and care for now and keeping the borders secure was one of her highest priorities. Naniko had made a trek around it earlier but was now coming back around for another go-around. She spotted the two before they had been standing around for too long and approached quietly.
Her nephew she was glad to see at the borders. Since her sister was no longer here she had been having a rougher time at the borders. With Selene she had always known that intruders would be found and questioned...she'd trusted her with that task completely after seeing the girl's competence in that area. Ouija was questioning the would-be joiner in a somewhat relaxed manner and she stood still to listen, ears perked to attention.
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( I'm sorry this took so long! I've just been moving back home from my college a couple states away and it kind of snuck upon me, but things should calm down now. :] )
Payana, although she had never had to ask to join a pack before, was familiar with this question. She'd heard it asked to a few wolves in her time, and thus she had been prepared for it--but of course, in the moment it was different than what she had rehearsed in her head. She was still slightly on edge, even though this wolf seemed nice enough.
She noticed another she-wolf approaching--she assumed this one was an alpha; it was in the way she carried herself. Payana's posture sunk a little bit lower, becoming that much more submissive. She still wanted to make sure she did not inadvertently disrespect anyone. When the newly arrived she-wolf did not make a move to speak, Payana continued. She knew that in some circles, it would be considered disrespectful to speak to a higher ranked wolf before being spoken to.
"My physical strength would be my ability to run. Although my lightness of frame doesn't due much for fighting skills, I've found it's helped me develop the ability to run at high speeds for longer amounts of time. This may be put to use in a variety of tasks, as is seen fit, of course," she said, pacing herself so that she was sure to cover everything she had planned to say. "Otherwise, I really enjoy taking care of the young, and I have a general enthusiasm that would aid me in any tasks that may be allotted to me. I am happy to work, and I work hard."
As for the second question, she paused a bit--it seemed a casual thing, she supposed. Although her old pack sprang suddenly back into the forefront of her mind as he posed the question, it was innocent enough and did not mean he was digging into her past--though perhaps he was starting to head that direction.
"Yes, sir. It's just me now." She put on a smile, though with the nerves that this situation gave her, and the pangs of remembering her pack, she wasn't sure it was quite so convincing.
[html] Hey, no worries. I'm going to post again to keep this moving along :] To be clear, once you have made 20 In-Character posts you may PM me and ask to be put into one of the rank tiers! The tiers are described on the ranks page on the Anathema website ^^
A willingness to do the tasks set to her with a good attitude was an interesting attribute. Naniko would have accepted any wolf who could hunt and scout, so the positive outlook on things was a plus. She wasn't the most cheerful of wolves, and one who could bring a smile to her face or offer a friendly conversation was definitely desired. She showed a different personality to her close friends or to wolves that were within her family, at times, however.
"I caught my nephew repeating your name; Payana, is it?" The Angela asked. "I am Naniko D'Angelo, the Angela here. Our basic rank is called the "Zepar" rank. If you can prove yourself as a Zepar...prove that you'll stick around and that you're here for the long haul, then you may choose a rank tier and begin to work on a specific area." She explained. "So I feel that you would be an asset to us. We do have a rank tier that involves caring for the young, which might interest you in the future." Naniko cleared her throat once more.
"There is one thing that is required of all non-blood related wolves who wish to join our pack. You must become one with us in blood...through a small ceremony." She had found that explaining it thoroughly was the way to go; she desired to tie new members to her and to the pack through blood, so that they would all be connected to each other in that way. "I would make a small cut on your paw-pad and then one on my own, then press them together. It would bind us together as family...and from that point on, you would always be welcomed within the Anathema pack." Even if the female chose to leave, she would be welcomed back with open arms as a family member.
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OOC here: Table & Coding © Vannah; I was half through this reply when my puter died and had to go out and get a new tower and keyboard and mouse and all. But James has this covered so I'll pull Ouija out with this post; 362 words
The female that he was interviewing had become distracted and he wasn't certain just what had caused it. At least not until he turned his head and caught sight of his aunt. He gave a slight nod of his head in her direction before focusing on the potential member once more. After all he had asked a question and they both seemed to be waiting for an answer. Or so it seemed since his aunt was remaining silent for the moment. Then again the answer that was given to the question would probably be used to measure whether or not she would make herself an asset or not. Then again, even if a home was given she still had to prove herself. It was what they all did. It was what he was doing.
She answered his questions and he gave a nod of his head to show that he was listening and that he had heard just what she had said. He wasn't sure what to say in return to that since he didn't deal wit the ranks but that is why he was lucky that his aunt was there to overhear and oversee it all. He allowed the focus to slip away from him and let his aunt take over. After all she had every right to since she was the leader and he was currently nothing but a low ranked member. He was working his way out of that though.
When the ritual was brought up he realized that the other was going to be accepted should Payana decide to go through with it. It also notified him that he was no longer needed around. His aunt had a handle on things here and so he could be on his way. "I'm going to go check up on Addi and see how she is doing." He spoke the words quietly to Nani, excusing himself that way. "It was a pleasure to meet you Payana. I'll see you around sometime." He gave the two females a quick wave before heading further into the pack's lands, making his way towards the cave system so see if Addison was there or not.
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