OOC | Hello. Hope it’s alright for Rook to be snooping about McNamara’s Landing at such an ungodly hour.

Rook had been wandering for some time now. Well, “some time” wasn’t at all that accurate actually. It might have been a few months, a year or even two years, but either way, the young coyote meandered along his unmarked path on two feet as his clawed-hands kept a tattered canvas messenger bag close to his wiry body. It wasn’t long until he stumbled upon a thin river where memories of his family came to mind. His forehead wrinkled in distress and he shook his head to whisk them away, making his large ears wobble about atop his skull. He focused on the ground in front of him again and where he ought to be going. Dwelling on the nightmares he had had the night before was just going to slow him down anyway. After all, he had new goal to fulfill: find a place to settle down… Staying in the wilderness was starting to get old and a bit lonesome; he wanted to meet people, make friends and share laughter or whatever others did when they socialized now a days.

Taking a deep breath, he continued to trace the river’s path until a peculiar sight caught his eye. Where the field ahead of him should have been lush and thriving in the mild summer temperatures it was desolate and barren. It also seemed to be the home of odd-looking… well… he wasn’t sure what it was, but it was definitely strange with its sharp angles and disassembled pieces. His sage green eyes went to the few boxes that were scattered around the spectacle and almost instantly he began to ponder what discarded treasure they held. He made to move forward but was instantly hit with a wall of scents – a pack, an actual group of individuals. His eyes widened hysterically and he whipped around as if to make sure no one had seen him accidentally trespass. Oops.

The youth shakily clasped his hands together as he jumped back. He had passed a few pack territories in the past few weeks (and made sure to stay well away from them), but somehow, he felt this place was different, and it wasn't just because those various cargo containers seemed to call to him. The air seemed calmer here. He waited and listened just in case he hadn’t seen anyone nearby. It might have been too early in the morning for a leisurely stroll but, still, Rook instinctively abided by the warnings the musk conveyed. When wringing his hands didn’t calm him down, he stuffed them into the pockets of the only article of clothing he wore: a filthy pair of cargo shorts he had traded for in New Brunswick a week or so ago. Maybe if he stuck around long enough someone would come along and grant him access to those discarded boxes or at least entertain him with the possibility of becoming apart of the group that owned this place...

OOC | x)

By the time Rook had almost forgotten about the sight of the odd-looking metallic object in the middle of the field, a sharp bark met his ears. He spun back around, casting his eyes back to the field where the cargo containers laid scattered here and there on the ground. It took a moment for him to focus on the black shape advancing towards him but when he did he stumbled backwards in shock, landing on the ground with a mild thud. Someone had heard him. A whimper escaped his muzzle.

His heart pounded against his ribs as he shuffled backwards on his elbows. The ragged messenger bag dragged along the ground beside him. “What’s the big idea?” he heard the youth question him. “U-uh, uh,” Rook stammered in reply, curling his legs closer to him. “Um…” Given the dark canine’s presumed impatient nature, he lifted a shaky paw to point towards the pieces disheveled aircraft. “I-I jus’… I was just… I was just looking.”

He must have sounded stupid. His large ears lowered and he grimaced before raising his arms over his face and head. “I mean no harm,” he muttered. One of his eyes peeked out from behind one of his forearms but almost instantly he averted his gaze. “I s-s-saw the boxes at first,” he admitted. “But… I was really wondering about y-your p-pack. I’m searching for a place to stay, you see-ee.”

The coyote’s jaw clenched together, even as the yearling offered to help him up. Truthfully, he thought he was going be given a “knuckle sandwich” or knocked out. Opening his eyes and slowly lowering his arms at the sound of the youth’s voice, which informed him about how he had made the crash site his home, Rook hesitantly took his hand and got up onto his feet again. “Oh,” he merely sounded.

He continued to listen, soaking up his words like a sponge. He had come upon a place called “Crimson Dreams” and, if he wished, this newfound acquaintance could introduce him to the pack leader. Excellent. Well, okay, maybe not the trespassing part. He actually mistook the edge of the field to be the territory border. Oops, again…

“Go for a walk,” he echoed, calming down a bit now. “Shhhure.” His rust-hued hands patted the satchel at his hip then looked around on the ground to make sure its contents hadn’t spilled out. Nope, all good. He then gave Barrett a rather nervous smile and nodded quietly before strolling along with the Crimson Dreams ‘representative.’ Barrett. “I-I’m Rook,” he offered. “Just a traveler of sorts, I guess. I was separated from my family, actually, so I’m looking for a new one. A fresh start never ‘urt anyone… I guess, right?”

He glanced down to his feet and quietly placed his hands back in his short’s pockets. After sometime he looked back at Barrett, “So, erm… Sorry, I jus’ gotta ask, but what is that thing? That silver, crinkly… metallic… thing?“ Perhaps it was a good thing now that he was going to accustom himself to pack life, or, at the very least, a social life with a few friends and contacts. He had a lot of learning and catching up to do with the world.

OOC | lol, honestly, I had a feeling Rook was gonna wind up much deeper in the territory… but, oh yes, agreed. I love me some scale barsss too. Erm, not sure how to edit the title/subtitle though. :x

Rook nodded once more. “Yeah,” he quietly stated, the word both casual and pained in tone. “I think they’re alright. They packed up and moved on, so I did the same.” The small smile along his muzzle lifted up more as the wolf said that he might like the place. That was more than reassuring to hear. Rook then mentally noted the last name of the family, embedding it into the folds of his memory. Marino… If he ever came across someone with the name he’d be extra sure to remember them.

He tilted his head at Barrett’s mention of him being a “floater,” but simply beamed back. It had never occurred to Rook that being in the company of a wolf was odd or outlandish; as long as his company proved to be kind or helpful souls, he deemed them to be “all right” in his book. So far, this Barrett was proving himself to be just that. He was also starting to make Rook realize how starved he was for companionship. For the first time in weeks, his black-tipped tail gave a feeble wag.

Upon learning that the strange item Barrett had probably emerged from was a plane, Rook’s ear’s flickered forward before laying back against his skull. Playne. Plain. Plane. He’d have to remember that; perhaps there were others who knew what they did or why there were a ton of boxes around the one the duo were slowly leaving behind. If it carried all that cargo, how did it do it and land there in the first place? Tossing his thoughts aside as the dark canine stated that there were other planes, still intact, in a place called Halifax the coyote let out a rather thoughtful “Hmm.” He continued to keep his lips sealed after emitting the sound as the youth instructed him to wait. Barrett was calling his superior.

When they had reached what looked like the edge of the territory, Rook’s muzzle wrinkled before smoothing out. He definitely knew why he had bypassed the invisible line that marked the territory edge. For one, he hadn’t been paying attention to his nose; instead, he had opted to follow the river and mainly use his eyes and ears. He looked to the wolf before stepping back a few yards, hoping he wasn’t inside the territory anymore. Silently, as he clasped his hands together once more, he mentally made a note to use all his other senses more often, saving himself from any future misunderstandings.

OOC | Hi! Apologies for possibly being all over the place though. :x

Rook slowly fidgeted with his hands as the seconds passed, but as soon as Savina came into sight, he pressed his palms together to keep them still. He then interlocked his fingers with one another, listening as she addressed Barrett then questioned who his companion was. His breath caught in his chest as he quickly averted his eyes, training his pupils on her pair of clawed, black feet. Not only was it rude to stare, but he also didn’t want to be outright disrespectful either by maintaining eye contact. Barrett introduced him and, as if on cue, Rook briefly lifted his eyes to the leader before him and smiled slightly.

He gave her a mannerly nod, remaining quiet as not to interrupt their conversation; he would only speak unless he was directly spoken to. While his tail had started to curl about his ankles, his large ears began to quiver. Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced to Barrett again. He would have to thank him later for an opportunity such as this, as well as the good word he had put in. At this point, the coyote had nothing to lose, really, so whatever Savina decided would be absolutely fine by him. No grudges or grievances, just gratitude and appreciation whether he was allowed to stay or not.

It then occurred to him that she might ask him a number of questions pertaining to where he had come from or what he excelled at. Perhaps she might ask him to disclose the contents of his bag or ask why he, as a coyote, had come to their particular plot of land. The thought that he might be the only one of his kind in the pack had never crossed his mind until now, seeing as the Luperci before him were both wolves. He mentally braced himself, simply listening and hoping for the best as he lowered his arms, his right hand still lightly gripping his left.

“It is a pleasure to meet you Rook,” Savina stated. Rook slowly glanced up from the ground, meeting her eyes for a moment when she offered her full name and informed him that he had come to the right place. “Likewise,” he replied. He was quick to observe how both Barrett and Savina had picked up on his mentioning the word “family.” The curiosity and other related thoughts – like how large the pack was or whether or not she was the only leader around – were brushed away however when she asked him the one question he had been anticipating to hear.

Rook’s brain cells scrambled to piece together the proper sentences. “Well, ma’am, I…” he began quietly, his ears swiveling forward before laying back down as he looked from Barrett to Savina. Think, think, think. “Plants,” he nearly blurted after a few seconds. He hurriedly cleared his throat, “Err… I mean, well, I have some knowledge with plants… trees… herbs? Their medical value, culinary use, or toxicity… My uncle was a self-proclaimed botanist. But, I’m more than ready to learn about anything though, m-miss.”

For one reason or another, he wished he had double-checked the abandoned den site he once called home, just in case any of his family’s books or journals were left behind. “I-I can read a bit,” he added. “Lend me a guide or a-a book or show me how to do something twice and I’ll do whatever it takes to… to pull my own weight.” He wanted to mention that he was great at collecting and cataloguing items, but he figured it would have made him seem somewhat simple. He wanted to at least convey to the two pack members that he was not desperate but, rather, willing to do anything just to belong somewhere. “I can promise you won’t be disappointed.”