(465) BUT... INTERNET? D:
The dark hybrid considered the other canine critically, though her visage was as relaxed as ever. It did not surprise her that others would seek to join Salsola, but Eris was not certain Rue knew exactly what she asked for. Salsola could not suffer the weak; there was no room in their pack for those who could not carve their own place. Rue was young, certainly, and youth was generally quite a good indication of impressionability. The hybrid supposed the hunt would serve as good a test as any to determine the pale she-wolf's acceptance. Eris was not so haughty as to think her pack did not need members; they needed and would accept new blood as any other pack.
If you were of our pack, it wouldn't be trespassing, she responded, her tone playful and the grin splayed across her dark muzzle more so. Let's hunt, then, and I'll tell you how you might come to belong to us, and us to you, she said, standing without further hesitation. She had made up her mind already about their quarry. Fish were easier to catch, and Eris was better at fishing than hunting on dry land, but she knew the flesh of a fish would be sadly dissatisfying after a journey such as the one Rue had endured.
There are sheep that live on these hills. They come from the ones left by the people -- they are not so smart as a deer or elk, the she-wolf said, happy to share such tidbits about their intended prey. Eris wanted a sheep, but she would hunt whatever crossed their path. The Auxiliary walked slowly, in no particular hurry to dart up the mountains and seize their prey. She had to speak of Salsola, after all. If you wish to join, when you come to our borders, you should bring a gift for the leadership, she said, speaking of herself and Sirius as if she were not Eris Eternity The Auxiliary but Eris Eternity the peon, the underling.
It needn't be anything terribly fancy. Just something to show your appreciation for being considered, the sable-shaded woman cautioned, stepping gingerly onto what once might have been a hiker's trail or even a dirt road; it was wide enough to accommodate them side by side, if Rue so wished to walk beside her. She had paused speaking for the moment, waiting to hear Rue's reaction to such a proposal before elaborating further. There was more -- much more -- but introducing just this basic tenet of their pack served as a preliminary test, too. Though she moved fluidly down the overgrown path, she was attuned to her partner's reactions, ready to answer any questions the pale canine chose to ask.
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