The uniquely patterned she-wolf was not the only one with food on the brain. The mocha adolescent's tail swished in time with his steps as he sniffed along near the borders, hot on the trail of something. He assumed the form he often took to hunt—the burly quadruped, the secui. He kept low to the earth as he stalked through the underbrush, but when another canine scent tickled his nose, he rose and squinted into the distance, ears erect. He listened... nothing.

Barrett frowned and followed the unfamiliar trail. His tail and his hackles rose on instinct, but there was no aggression in his posturing when he spotted the petite female. A rabbit scurried away from them; he paid it little heed. The stranger was much more interesting... and strange she was, foreign in every sense of the word. Her eyes were a different shade from Pixie's cool violets—still purple, though with a tint of fuchsia. But mostly it was her coat that stood out to him; those black and brown splotches against a canvas of white, he'd never seen anything quite like it before.

As always, he was careful not to gawk, but he still stole a couple good glances for memory's sake. What could he say? He was a sucker for a pretty face, and Charm was certainly exotic. “What's up?” he said smoothly, before the silence had time to grow awkward. Was she a visitor, or did she seek a place amongst their ranks?

The mottled fur along the back of the boy's neck relaxed as the female lowered herself upon his appearance. That always made things easier—he understood Savina to be a kind, gregarious wolf, but he didn't peg her as the sort to have much patience for those who didn't observe proper decorum at the borders. His tail fell in line with his spine and swung once: a kind of non-verbal “at ease, stranger.” She'd already demonstrated respect and common sense; he didn't expect her to stay hunched over the entire time they talked.

Her quiet chuckle caused a smile to tug at the corner of his lips, and her greeting made that grin broaden further. Perhaps she noticed the subtle wandering of his gaze across her form; maybe she just liked what she saw, too. He was much younger than her, but that hadn't stopped him before. “Oh, you know; just out for a stroll, then I found this rare gem,” he replied, clearly nonplussed by her boldness. A woman with a little chutzpah interested him far more than a timid doormat.

Nevertheless, she had no reason to worry. Testosterone dictated he always try his luck, but good upbringing and a laid back personality ensured he never felt entitled or acted pushy. He was harmless. “Anyway,” he continued, figuring it best to stick to business—he really didn't want her to get the wrong idea, either—“this is Crimson Dreams. Savina and Anu are the leaders here. I'll call for one of them, if you'd like—got anything fancy under your belt to impress 'em?” A double entendre? Perhaps.

The chocolate yearling watched as she stretched her slender limbs and shook, a motion which caused her silky fur to ripple over lean muscle. She looked away bashfully and he flashed a charming smile, but even now he knew it was all a game, if only in his subconscious. The animal brain listened to pheromones and chemical signals, and it knew she wasn't looking for sex. But even then, he couldn't be offended; he still liked the attention. “Hnn,” he huffed, a generic contemplative sound, “you've no idea.” She didn't—almost nobody around Crimson Dreams did, and it was that way by design. If this woman propositioned him, he probably wouldn't say no, but he wasn't going to push his luck with a potential pack mate.

Nevertheless, if the flirtation was some ploy to get on his good side, it was working. He'd probably vouch for her if only because she was cute and seemed of good character—calm, respectful, polite. Savina, however, might expect more than a pretty face. He thought back to the first time he heard her question a prospective member; Rook's knowledge of botany and linguistic skills had gotten him in. “We've got a place for anyone with unique talents or skills, I believe... medics, artists, tradesmen, the usual,” he explained, drawing off his past conversation with Ehno as a reference. “But how about a name to start? 'm Barrett.” So long as everything seemed in order, he'd give a yowl for one of the lead females immediately.

Just say it is, huh? It seemed something beyond his comprehension was at play here, but Barrett was unfamiliar with the Sawtooth line... and he didn't really care what others went by, as long as he had something more specific than hey you to get their attention or refer to them by. “Well, charmed, naturally,” he crooned. “I'm sure you've never heard that one before,” he joked, tone deadpan but eyes alight with playful sarcasm. Quite the opposite—he guessed she heard it a lot. Oh well; he couldn't always be original.

Shortly thereafter a soft rustle in the undergrowth announced Savina's presence. The shaggy-coated wolf lowered himself accordingly; his ears pinned back to half-mast, his tail dropped from being in line with his back to between his legs, and he crouched as low to the earth as comfort would allow. It was tricky for a secui to look small, but he could usually pull it off. “Hey Savina,” he greeted. His tail swung thrice before he settled into business.

He considered announcing the she-wolf's name, but the question hadn't been directed to him. Instead, he piped up with a quick “She's been pleasant and respectful since I got here; seems to know what's what.” Surely the matriarch would see as much for herself, but it never hurt to have an extra character reference, right? He supposed there were some wolves that were shifty enough to grovel to Alphas while spitting at everyone else, and the uniquely patterned female was definitely not one of those unsavoury folks. He thought she'd get along fine here.

*exit Barrett*

One brow lifted ever-so-subtly in amusement; he couldn't tell if she was yanking his chain or not, but either way, she made him feel very clever and impressive. His tail thumped several times and he mimicked her movements unthinkingly, keeping his feet pointed in her direction and leaning forward. He sniffed gently at the air about her, drinking in her scent so it might be easier to find her later.

But the two had separated as the Consul entered, and now he listened quietly from the background as the Sawtooth woman detailed her skills. She wasn't joking earlier—she did have a lot in her bag of tricks, huh? His head tipped imperceptibly at the mention of armed combat, and briefly, his mind wandered back to his time at Taijitu. It had been some time since he practised similar skills. Although he never wished to exercise them, he decided it might be a good idea to maintain them; what wasn't used was often lost. Besides, hey—it'd be a good excuse to get up close and personal with the charming calico woman, right? Or at least to seek out her company once more.

It seemed he'd have plenty of opportunities to see her, fortunately. Savina welcomed their newest pack mate into their ranks and the teen flashed a winning smile, while his tail unconsciously swung in time with the onyx leader's. He dipped his head to the multicoloured she-wolf and he offered a quick bow to the Alpha. “Take care; I'll see you around,” he bade as a quick farewell, addressing both, but allowing his gaze to find Charm's eyes specifically. With a quick wink for her alone to see, he pivoted on his feet and disappeared into the forest.