He'd found himself drawn to the north again, pulled as though by a lodestone despite the risks. He'd hidden down in Auster long enough, cowering there like a rabbit while life passed him by. There was nothing for him in Auster, he knew. Anchorless, rudderless, he'd just drifted. He was a shadow of himself without a focus. All his life had been focused around the red brothers, all the ambition that was such an integral part of him fed into climbing the ranks, and without it he felt as off balanced as though he was missing a limb, or one of his senses. He had never been meant to be alone, and the loneliness was killing him as surely as a poison.

To begin to truly heal, he would need to find a pack to take him in.

He had asked around - cautiously, with a great deal of effort to disguise his accent - and what he'd learned about the packs had led him here. He stood upon the border, his gracefully slim form poised as though on the edge of dancing. Eyes of ice tracked across the plains, dark with the thoughts that swirled behind them. Dark with a pain that never left him.

This was where he needed to be.

Why did he hesitate?

Taking a deep breath he lifted his dark muzzle to sing out for the alpha, his low voice like velvet as it slid through the early evening air.

Regulus Anatolii Adravendi

He was gradually beginning to feel hopeful about Celestial’s recovery. And even more so as he heard the howl at the borders. He gave the border a last application of scent and turned, loping easily toward the call and slowing as he drew within sight of the stranger. For a second, he almost thought it was the Viking female, Katja, who had come and rather ungraciously marked Celestial’s borders, years ago. But no, once he was closer, he saw immediately that this was a male, and the markings varied away from the northern woman’s. The voice had been wrong, too, he realized. He greeted the male with an easy smile, drawing near as he greeted him. “Good day; my name is Regulus Adravendi, Archangel of Celestial. What brings you to our borders?” Our, used to encompass the whole of the pack, not as a royal ‘we’. He’d already taken in the male’s build, noting the slim build. Perhaps he’d gain a hunter tonight? Or a fighter? The male had no scent of a pack on his coat that he could smell on the breeze. He did smell healthy. Which was a good thing

Wary eyes barely more blue than ice tracked across the plains constantly, so it was no surprise to him when his call was answered. It was the "who" answering his call that was a mild surprise though, causing him to first blink, then narrow his eyes in close study as the wolf came closer. Tall, very tall, and of a red so bright nature could surely not have bestowed it upon fur, yet there he was. Had Enrico not met the male named Ganta further south this male would have been a further shock to him, but as it was the bright red of this male was rather softened after meeting a wolf of bright orange, with white eyes and actual hair like a horse.

His wariness increased the closer the male got, and though his expression gave nothing but calm, his body became more and more taut, till he appeared as though he would burst into motion at any moment - though with his graceful form and expressionless face it would be hard now to say if it would be to dance, to fight, or to flee.

Despite his posture Enrico held his ground as the male approached. "I am called Mask," he said, slowly and carefully forming the words. He had more practice with this common language now, his knowledge of the language itself improving though there was little he could do yet to hide the accent that marked him as not being a native speaker. "I seek to join your pack, if you would have me."

Regulus Anatolii Adravendi

The stranger was wary, and almost seemed ready to flee as Regulus drew nearer and nearer. However, he stood his ground, answering the Archangel’s greeting and query with an introduction in a slow, careful manner, accent thick, and in such a way that the crimson male’s ears perked with interest. As he allowed ‘Mask’ to finish speaking, his head cocked, ears planning slightly as he again took in the build of the fellow. “What skills can you bring to Celestial? We have a dear need for adults who can hunt, and fight, and teach both effectively. And healers are always a boon, though we have several already.” His rumbling baritone notes held no derision or sarcasm. He lowered his haunches to the ground, tail flicking to curl about his feet as he waited to hear what the man could bring.

Enrico listened carefully, paying more attention than he'd have liked simply to understand the male's speech. Even more than most wolves, this Regulus was difficult to follow, speaking the already unfamiliar words in an accent he'd not yet encountered. "No healer, am I," he said slowly, "but a hunter, a fighter, those I can be. And teaching I have done before." That was with a pang deep in his chest, the twinge of an old wound. All those he had once taught were likely dead right now. Dead because of his betrayal. He hesitated, studying the brightly colored alpha, then added reluctantly, "More skills have I." It was forbidden to speak of the cosca, but he was outcast, already an oathbreaker and cursed for it. What harm could it do now to use his skills in service to a new leader? "In my past I was... one who moved in shadows. Dark things, dark, such that a wolf who walks in the light could not do themselves." He met Regulus' gaze unflinchingly and with his head high, but a questioning tilt to his head as he studied the other male. He was not ashamed of his actions, nor would he hesitate to take them up once more, but he knew not everyone would see things his way. A way that was logical to him, yet most wolves allowed emotion to rule them rather than logic and many would see him as abhorrent.

Regulus Anatolii Adravendi

Regulus listened with interest as Mask spoke. The accent fascinated him, and even more useful was the fact that he knew how to hunt. And how to fight. The talk of further skills had the crimson male leaning forward slightly, ears perked. This lined up with what he’d been considering for the ranks. They had the basics, but not enough where a wolf who wanted to do two things could do those two things without having to choose between them. “We certainly need hunters and fighters who know their way around the skills he said, nodding and straightening up on his haunches “I’d like to learn more of what you can give, but how would you like to join as a hunter for a start?” His head cocked, eyes alert for any sign of disagreement. He had no issue with testing him as a fighter, either. It was up to the male. “I’ve had thoughts, he added, “of adding a rank that has something to do with moving in shadows. You’ve the coloring and build that might serve well in that rank, once I instate it.”

Enrico nodded without hesitation at the alpha's suggestion of taking up as a hunter. "More than happy to do so." Hunting did suit him better in general; he found that spending his time feeding the pack was more logical than wandering the borders making sure no one crossed them.

He nodded again as Regulus commented on his coloring. "Where you, Regulus Adravendi, Archangel of Celestial, do not," he observed in return with a faint hint of a smile. "If you do be doing this thing, glad I would be to be helping you with this and helping you find others among your youths who would to be suiting, but... I would not be suggesting having such rank known widely. Perhaps to be... still doing the hunting, but be doing the shadow-walking when you have need of such?"

Regulus Anatolii Adravendi

He smiled at Mask’s willing answer of becoming a hunter, and nodded himself. The other male’s words were answered with a low chuckle, and Regulus grinned. “Oh, definitely not. I stand out, and can be easily remembered.” Mask’s suggestion was a good one, and he nodded again. “Certainly a good plan. And that runs quite well with what I had in mind.” He rose, eyes shifting to gaze across the plains. “Why don’t we try a test of your tracking skills? I wouldn’t mind a plump hare for lunch, and it’ll give me an idea of your skill in general hunting. Otherwise, Welcome to Celestial.” They had so few hunters that he truly hoped Mask was as good as he let on, so he was willing to accept first and test second. He led the way, slightly to the side and watching the male to see how quickly he picked up the first rabbit trail, interest alive in his eyes.

Enrico nodded once, a simple graceful movement to acknowledge the alpha's request, but said nothing. Instead he allowed his gaze to sweep the unfamiliar landscape, allowing the knowledge of the terrain to sink into him. Prairie-lands as far as he could see, with likely very few trees and certainly none where he could see. It would be prairie hares, then, the sort of hares known as jackrabbits. They were nocturnal, so they would be just now stirring from their forms and venturing out to eat. He preferred to take them while they were sleeping and he could ambush them, but while not ideal he could take one in a chase if need be.

Without waiting for further invitation or instructions, he struck out over the border and into the pack lands, circling around until he faced into the wind, and cast around for scents. He was using a combination of air and ground scenting as he moved along at a loose trot, at times dropping his nose to the ground to investigate a scent, other times raising it high into the air, but mostly he kept his muzzle even with his spine while his gaze passed over the terrain to search for visual sign. There were a lot of scents to sort through. Birds, deer, wolves, foxes, coyotes, even bison, and yes, hares, all so crisscrossed it took some doing to separate them at first. Nothing hot, yet, but he could tell that they were certainly plentiful.

Regulus Anatolii Adravendi

The Crimson Archangel stepped aside, watching with interest as Mask set forward, and felt a firm sensation of approval in his gut as the slim monotone male forged ahead, with Regulus quietly ghosting behind at a distance and taking notes. He could tell very quickly that Mask’s declaration of being proficient at hunting was no understatement. Tracking was more than just using your nose. It was the use of your eyes and ears, and reading the signs left in the land by your quarry. A broken twig there, a droplet of blood here—all part of a story a skilled tracker could read. And all very essential to what he had planned for wolves like Mask here. Mask was efficient, and Regulus felt certain that he wouldn’t remain a mere hunter for any longer than a year, if even that. For now, though, he was waiting for a distinct moment where a fresh scent would overlay the old, and likely catch Mask’s attention.

Past needing to filter the sounds Regulus made from his perceptions - the pawsteps, the rustles in the grass, the breathing, the occasional click of a rock, things no animal that large could avoid - Enrico ignored the bright red alpha who observed him. His attention remained on his task, and with the population of hares on the plains it would not take long to find newer sign.

He paused briefly as a scent caught his attention. New, but not fresh. Last night, perhaps, or early this morning, but certainly not fresh. It did tell him that hares frequented this area more often than the ones he had passed through, though, and he changed his pattern of movement to quarter the area, investigating droppings and signs of leporine occupation and feeding.

Suddenly he froze, the fresh scent of hare hot in his nose. He could only trust that Regulus had not been following too closely, and had frozen when he did. One wrong move could send the whole drove fleeing, which would make catching them that much more difficult. He didn't even set his own raised hindpaw down - the only thing he moved was his eyes, as they swept the upwind prairie for the hare or hares who had ventured out to feed as dusk fell.

Regulus Anatolii Adravendi

He had indeed been far enough back not to be a trouble when Mask found the scent, having fallen back further as Mask's search pattern had changed. He’d been watching the male’s body language, and had spotted the slight pause, and had stopped half a a breath before the smaller male had frozen. His own eyes swept the tall grasses, his own movements gone into stillness, with only his eyes searching as his ears sought to pick out the faint munching noises of hares having a meal. He caught the flickers of movement to the far right ahead, a pair of translucent pink lined ears poking from the shorter grass, swiveling to show the dusty brown fuzz at the backs before they dipped back as the rabbit went back for a new mouthful. His eyes returned to Mask’s still frame, waiting to see what the dark male would do next.

As he continued to wait with one paw raised, he allowed his pale eyes to sweep over the grasses, the only part of him to move. Suddenly a pair of lanky ears came into focus, and Mask marked the spot as they dropped back out of sight. Carefully, so carefully, he lowered his paw to the ground, and the rest of his body followed into a crouch. His hindquarters slowly, slowly drew up beneath him, shifting until he found his footing, his muscles coiled like pressurized springs... and then he stopped.

Another head rose to take a cautious glance around, with little pink hare-nose wriggling, but it saw no movement and caught no scent, so it put its head back down for another nibble.

And Mask pounced.

His legs uncoiled powerfully, lifting his gray form into the air, and for a beat he seemed to hang there above the target, his body curved and his tucked forelegs beginning to reach forward even as his outstretched hindquarters pulled back in.

Then he was among them, landing gracefully with forepaws pinning one buck leveret to the ground beneath him and his jaws snapping instinctively to catch the second he hadn't known was there. Fragile vertebrae ground beneath his teeth, causing the hare to go limp. The hare beneath his paws screamed and tried to wriggle and scratch to freedom, but Mask was quick to drop the twitching body of the unexpected bonus buck and turn his jaws to ending the first hare's suffering.

He stopped then to glance around just in case, but he expected that if there had been other hares gathered they would have scattered at the attack, and sure enough he saw no sign of other hares. He was not disappointed at this - two hares at once was unusual enough for a single wolf. Any more would have needed more than one set of jaws to take down. Satisfied, he gathered both hares and turned to care them back to the alpha, dropping them silently at the observer's paws and inclining his head respectfully.

Regulus Anatolii Adravendi

Needless to say, Regulus was pleased and impressed by what he saw in the dark faced male as the test hunt went off without a hitch. Not only had Mask been efficient, but he had brought in two hares—almost in one go. The decision was clear, and he felt it a solid one as the slim male returned with his prizes. He bent and nudged one of the freshly killed hares to Mask, nodding. “You’ve earned it. This other can go to one of your new packmates. I’m glad to say, Welcome to Celestial, Mask. You’ve earned the rank of Hunter quite well, and I’ve little doubt you’ll rise quickly, if you keep up this good of work.”