[html] OOC: Sky's in her lupus form, as are the kids. Fella's somewhere nearby, not visible but within hearing range. Hopefully this will be where Sky makes New Dawn her new home, though she's not joining the ranks just yet.
After seeing her mate, son and best friend again, turning around and leaving d'Arte behind her was harder than ever before. She longed to live beside them again, to call them her packmates and to see them every morning just outside her door... but d'Arte would forever be a place of nightmares for her and her daughter. Cody still refused to leave his sister and mother's sides, and so, the trio, along with Fella, wandered together, alone, once more.
Their next stop was in the far North, on the far end of the mountain range. New Dawn. They'd passed the borders coming home and upon noting Titania's scent, it became clear which pack she wanted to seek out now. Family. Family was there, even without the blood relation. Not as much as in d'Arte, but it was still the best choice.
They arrived on the borders just as the sun was beginning to rise. A long travel to get there but worth the effort. Both pups and cat were used to following their mother for long distances now, so none of them were as tired as most would be. The blood of a long line of rogues was more prominent in the three Rhiannons, unlike their father and brother. They were born for this.
Sky howled first, then both Lena and Cody joined in, beckoning either leader or high ranking wolf to them. This place was scented only by those in their lupus forms, as apparent by the height of the markers and the prints left behind. There was no sign of optime formed members here, which led Sky to believe the rumors to be true; this was a true to nature wolf pack, something rare in these parts. Still, a welcome change of pace.
"Mum, will we get to meet Aunt Orin's daughter here? You said her scent was around here earlier." It was Lena, her soft voice sweet like honey and as gentle as a spring breeze. Sky glanced down at her daughter, who wore her blindfold still. She smiled.
"Perhapes. I know she'd gone off to lead her own pack with her mate. This is probably the place they chose as their territory. I'll be sure to introduce you to her should she be here." Lena took this as enough and nodded in approval. She turned her head away to face the borders again as they waited, their howls now faded into the early morning air.
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OOC
Welcome 
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From the foothills he had seen them coming. What a strange pack of creatures; three wolves and another animal, one that he could barely see moving in the forest beside the canines. It was interesting to him, and so his keen eyes had watched the far away living specs move across the lands, closer to New Dawn. The dark Alpha did nothing at first, believing them to be a small pack moving out of Nova Scotia into the mainland to the north. But then their trek hitched, and a call was made. Zalen’s ears perked, and he stood onto his hands and feet. He paused for a moment, the wind carrying the last notes to his ears before he let out a call of his own and began his loping trek down from the foothills to the newcomers below. The trek down to the flat lands took him longer then he had anticipated, and by the time the wolfess and her pups came into view nearly a half-hour had passed. His ears perked forward as he neared them, they were still well outside the borders, though close enough to cause him to want to investigate. He gave out a booming bark as he neared, his hulking Optime dwarfing those of the female and her offspring, "Hello," he then said in a low tenor voice, "I am Zalen Damaichu, Alpha of New Dawn." His eyes scanned the elder females face; he made note of her bad eye before then looking to her young pups; they seemed like they had traveled a great distance, it showed in the ruffle of their coats. And, there was a scent, very faint but familiar to the sable male. It was the lingering scent of a pack, but it was so delicate that he could not place which it was. His ear twitched to a rustling in the bushes a ways off and he turned his head for a moment to send his piercing green sight into the shadows, but saw nothing. He sniffed, and the unmistakable scent of a bob-cat came to him. He shook his ruff and then turned back to the group before him; he would pay the cat no mind.
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[html] OOC:  This is the start of something awesome.
When the dark male appeared, Sky lowered her head in greeting, a subtle sign of submission but her dominant personality prevented her from anything more. Cody noted her position and dropped down himself, pulling Lena with him so the two pups were laying on their bellies, waiting for the two adults to finish their dealings patiently.
"Good morning, Zalen. My name is Sky Rhiannon. These are my son and daughter, Cody and Lena." She nodded to them and both yipped a polite hello, Cody in his soft voice and Lena in her sing-song voice, so much like her mother's.
"I'm glad you came. We've travelled quite far to find your New Dawn. I noticed the scent of an old pack mate, of family, here. Titania, if you know her." She smiled fondly at her memories of the girl, so much like her father but with her mother's attitude and looks. "I came to see if this was the pack she formed. To see if I could check things out, figure out if this is a place I'd like to call home."
Lena and Cody exchanged nudges, body language of their own, telling eachother things no one else could ever figure out. Lena rumbled in reply to a nudge from Cody's nose and the two seemed to settle on an agreement, the boy looking at Zalen with curiousity and unknown expectations. He was judging the alpha. The last time he'd met an alpha of any pack, his mother had been threatened with a knife. This male was large, booming in comparison to even his father. So far he seemed nice, friendly even. Hopefully it stayed this way.
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Zalen noted the subtle genuflection the woman gave him and nodded slightly at it. She did not grovel before him as others might, and this he did not mind; there were different levels of dominance amongst wolves and this female had a high one and it did not bother Zalen in the least bit. His position as Alpha did not give him the right to lord over his subordinates, no, it was in fact he who needed them and they the ones that gave him purpose, not the other way around. The femme was soft spoken and greeted him courteously, as well as naming her two children. The young cubs were precious, and Zalen’s heart immediately ached for them; pups should not be outside a pack, he knew this for he himself had been a young pup of a loner mother; life was difficult as a loner. He would not have survived had he not been picked up by two males and joined a pack with them in his youth. Zalen did however make note of how the male child seemed to guide his sister, and then the Alpha noticed that she was indeed blind. His heart sank, what a terrible handicap to have bestowed on one so young. His attention was drawn from then suddenly though at the words of the woman; Titania? She knew Titania? Then her name dawned on him, "Sky Rhiannon…" He mouthed, letting the sound of the words ring a little longer in his ears, "Yes… you are from Cercatori de Arte, I have heard word of you from Orin." He tried to recall exactly what was said about the woman; he remembered it was in connection with a murder of some sort, one that had affected Orin deeply, but he could not for the life on him remember exactly what it was; he would have to think on it later. Zalen shifted a bit to raise his head, "Yes, Titania is Alphess of New Dawn and my mate. I am glad that you know her, if you wish to join us, it bodes well for you." He gave a smile and a wag of his tail at that.
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[html] OOC: Lena bein' cute. xD
So this Zalen was Titania's mysterious mate! Orin had been by, had mentioned her. This was a curious detail she'd have to bring up with Orin later, especially with what had happened in the time since New Dawn had been formed. Nothing showed her thoughts, not so much as a flick of a torn ear. She smiled at his warm welcome and nodded. "I've left d'Arte. My son and his father remain behind, but it's no place for my Lena to live. Too dangerous." For now, she'd leave it at that. It was sure to spark curiousity, especially if Titania took an interest, but for now, this was all she was willing to give away.
The pups beside her seemed to lighten up as Zalen approved of her knowing Titania. As far as either could tell, the meeting was going great. They could already smell the warm milk scent of a den, could already feel the warmth of their mother's fur and the sweet safety they'd known only as nurslings. Sky noted their change and smiled. "I'll admit, I'm hesitant to call any pack my own just yet. With how long I've lived in d'Arte, it's hard to switch loyalties like this..." She watched her pups as she spoke, then turned back to Zalen with wise eyes. "Is it alright if we stay with your pack, as tentitive recruits? I'm willing to offer a helping paw where it's needed, of course."
"Momma's a healer!" Came the tiny voice of Lena, who now sat beside her mother proudly. "An' she taught me stuff too. Cody an' I can even hunt rabbits now!" Cody looked over at his sister, sitting to match her height. He didn't approve of her outburst, being as strict as his mother's teachings during their days as rogues. Still, Sky watched on with a warm smile, enjoying the innocence for a moment. "An' we promise to be good an' share an' use our manners an' everything! Please, Mister Zalen?"
Sky turned to look at Zalen with a bemused smirk. A raised eyebrow asked him the same question as before; was his consent to be given for this? Could he let an estranged family of misfits into his ranks, even with their strange requests?
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Zalen listened with interest as she spoke of how she had left d’Arte. Her reasoning was vague, but it seemed to go along with what Orin had told him. There was strife in Cercatori, though he couldn’t quite remember the details; he would have to ask Sky about it later. Her reasoning behind being hesitant to switch loyalties so quickly was founded, and Zalen nodded sagely at her words, "I can understand how such a transition is difficult, many of my members came from other packs as well. It was hard for some of them to break ties but all turned out alright in the end. I hope you find that New Dawn is well suited for you and your family." He smiled down at the pups then, just as the female piped up on how her mother was a healer and how she was learning as well. The candid nature of the pup just tickled Zalen to no end, and Zalen drew back his large maw and let out a booming laugh. "Ah little one, I’m sure you will be nothing but helpful, though I am sorry that we do not have any others your age to play with." There was the twinge of pain in his heart again. Looking back up at Sky, "Come, I will show you the den and you may stay with us for a time. I’m sure you would like to catch up with Titania, and our Delta Deuce can look after the little one’s if you need time to yourself." Then, something in his head clicked, "Deuce… are you related? You both share the same name." If they were related, it seemed that the Rhiannon family was growing ever larger in New Dawn, though Zalen had never heard Noah referred to with that surname.
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Lena and Cody followed him first, trotting into the lands happily, forgetting their manners. After a moment of walking, they hung back to walk with their mother again. Their good mood was catching and despite the rough last few days, Sky found herself looking forward to spending the night in the safety of a pack. She listened as Zalen spoke, welcoming her to stay with them and even mentioning a pupsitter- Deuce.
She was about to ask if it was Deuce Rhiannon when he answered her question first. She grinned, relaxing. "She's my mother-in-law! The kids' grandmother! She's here?" Suddenly, the trio of Rhiannons were even more excited. The pups started to talk amongst themselves in hushed, excited voices. Grandma!
"Deuce and Titania... who would've thought I'd find them both here?" Sky mused to Zalen, waving her tail behind her as she walked. "I only wish Taliesin and Myrddin would've come with me. We could've been a full family again." Lena and Cody paid their mother's longing no mind. They hadn't gotten the chance to love their father as Myrddin had. They'd gotten the chance to see that Myrddin was safe and happy with their father, and that was enough for the two of them. They had eachother and they had their mother. That was enough.
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Alright we can close this out. Just send me a PM or whatever when you want another thread with Sky officially asking to join. I’m going to give her 2 IC weeks to decide
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Sky was quick to respond in the affirmative that Deuce was indeed related to her, but it was with a title that Zalen did not understand. Mother-in-law? What exactly did that mean? He had never heard of the suffix ‘in-law’, he wondered what it could be, but put it to the back of his mind. Perhaps he would ask Titania or Soran about it later, it might be a human thing that was lost on him. He found he often had to go to those who had been from other, more humanized packs, to explain such things to him. Books of poetry could only teach one so much about the intricacy of human life. Zalen bent down to playfully nip at one of the pups as it strayed too close to his feet. He did not want to trip over the dear things. He laughed and turned to the Rhiannon woman, "I’m glad you know Deuce! I’m sure she also will be glad to see you. You and your children are welcome to stay here for a fortnight, and meet all those you can, so you can decide if this is where you are to stay. While you are here you will be treated as any other member of the pack, and may eat and sleep with us if you so desire." He continued to smile softly but then turned his head to gaze forward. He was sure the others would be glad to meet her.
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[html] OOC: End it here? Sorry for not pming you with the other thread. xD I didn't see this until after I'd posted it.
His offer was a fortnight to think it over. A generous offer, considering most packs wouldn't allow strangers on their lands at all without a pledge of loyalty to their rules. He even offered a place in the den for them. She was hesitent to accept the last part, being so long excluded from large crowds for sleeping, but the idea sounded warm and inviting. Something she could get used to with time. For now, she'd make due with another sleeping place.
"Thank you, Zalen. Truely, we're grateful. I'll pass on sleeping with the pack for now, though. Please understand, we've been rogues for most of the pups' lives now and it'll take some adjusting for that to be comfortable." She smiled, waving her tail slowly. "We'll be on call if you need us, for anything. I'm happy to help and as long as it's in their power, Lena and Cody will gladly lend a paw. Right kids?"
Both children yipped in approval and affirmation. "We can hunt! And we can sing! And we can fight off intruders!" Lena yapped happily, though before she could continue, Cody toppled her over with a pounce. The two wrestled for a moment before catching up to the adults and walking along side them. "We'll be good, mister Zalen. We promise." Cody this time. His voice was softer than his sister's, quiet and gentle. A scholar's tones, for certain.
Sky nodded her approval and laughed softly as the two bounded ahead, taking shifts being behind and in front of the adult pair they were walking with. "Once we know where the densite is, we'll bed down nearby, so it'll be easy to find us. Thank you again, Zalen. I'm truely grateful."
She didn't know it yet. Maybe the children did, but Sky was not yet aware that this would be her home in mere days time. Someday soon, she'd pledge her loyalty to Zalen and her proclaimed neice Titania... a loyalty she'd never, ever take forgranted.
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