OoC- Well, here goes nothing ^^ Words-1000+

Life often seemed delicate. In reality it always is. One decision could change the course of a conversation or the course of an entire life. Bad decisions can end lifes while other wrong decisions can start life anew. It seemed so fragile. So destructible. So Delicate.

Beneath the trees of Ethereal Eclipse, a brute calmly stalked from shadow to shadow, barely noticeable and completely silent. Only a break in the trees and the resulting stream of warm morning sunlight would betray any irregularity in the shadows when it shown on the deep red dye that held in sections of the male’s otherwise black lupine body. He was in no hurry. As Jaden trotted along with the trained silence he nearly always carried in step, he was wondering about this choice and imagining what an acceptance into his desired pack would mean. This would definitely be a life changing day.

Jaden was only almost four years old now which usually meant he was just becoming a fully developed adult with a solid personality and ideals. This was untrue in his case. By the age of two he had taken the lives of six luperci and non-luperci canines. After that, the killing quickened. Taking life so early among other brutal practices forced his soul into a quick maturity. Jaden was truly an adult and carried himself as one. A life of training to kill had shaped his body into that of a muscular youth. Before leaving his old pack, the wolf could have easily pulled off being an adult. Despite about six months of having no training schedule and the last month of not eating as well as would have liked to because of a healed sprained ankle, Jaden was still doing well enough. His figure wasn’t the bulkiest, but he was still fast. That speed and the various weapons he held in his leather satchel could easily handle almost any physical challenge that came his way today.

The only problem the former assassin faced now was that today he did not expect to be attacked by a physical threat. In the last six months a lot had happened. Dahlia de Mai was where all the trails ended for him now. In his eyes, they were the ideal pack of honorable wolves. There former leader had saved his life and one of their members had witnessed an accident involving the Alaskan taking a nasty fall out of a tree. She helped him selflessly just as Conor had. Jaden felt that he owed this pack his life now even after his savior went MIA. There was nothing to live for and that realization led to the conclusion that he truly had nothing at all. The young wolf wouldn’t admit it through his façade of a nice guy but secretly trained killer, but the dormant protective and innocent side of the man so deeply desired companionship. He needed a pack. He needed people he could protect and serve to fill the void left by the destruction of all he ever loved. Thoughts of eternal solitude were so disconcerting that he hadn’t even touched them with the fringes of his mind. If Dahlia turned down his offer, his desire to have a pack, life would fall off the edge of the world and into a black abyss of pointless loneliness. They had to accept him.

Jaden didn’t admit any of this to himself though. He even went as far as to be skeptical about their letting him join the pack. Where he came from, wolves didn’t just join packs. The pack would chose someone to join them or they would bread their own young to be strong blooded pack members. Never would a loner simply approach the boarders and ask for admittance. Such a wolf would likely be killed.

Not only was that part of his skepticism but Jaden also wasn’t exactly the most liked brute around. He knowingly had numerous enemies from various local packs, including the Alpha of Cercatori d’Arte who he had attempted to assassinate. Vigilante only bested him because of a moral-caused hesitation during Jaden’s chance at the kill shot. Because the assassin had information to offer about the wolf whom “contracted” Vigilante’s assassination, the Alpha spared his life.

Killing was a part of Jaden’s dark past he tried every day to escape. He had planned Vigilante to be his last. Fortunately and unfortunately, Jaden had failed to kill him; fortunate for the ex-assassin who felt he retained a bit of his soul, but unfortunately because now the knowledge of a dark red and black stranger attempting to kill the alpha had the opportunity to destroy any chance there was of him joining a local pack.

Whatever today’s outcome, Jaden tried to relax. It felt odd being so stressed about something that didn’t involve the possibility of death. He told himself it wasn’t worth it and put on his game-face but the courage said game-face brought was short lived. The unnerving scent of a pack boarder practically jumped out of the forests underlying foliage. He crept forward and sat, breathing it in for a second when he found the exact origin of the smell. The fatal decision was quickly approaching. What was so unnerving was that all Jaden could do was hope. A sudden burst of courage allowed him to tilt back his maw and let go a clear and definite greeting howl. It rang loud and clear for a moderate amount of time announcing that he wanted someone’s attention but Jaden did his very best to sound polite and not demanding or overly urgent. The dark wolf’s fur was freshly washed (in a horrifyingly wet and shallow stream) and he sat at attention after tossing his satchel full of personal items and whatnot into the dew covered grass at his flank. First impressions were important and he was hoping his would be fair. Completely unarmed and ready to lower his head to find a dismissive posture, Jaden calmly scanned the forest for pack wolves while his heart beat so quickly it nearly tore up his insides. Destiny could be around the corner or ready to jump out from behind a tree. He was as ready as he ever could be for it now.

Jaden does. "Jaden speaks." Jaden thinks.