Who the hell can see forever?

Brandr had fallen into the swing of a loner's life. He had his routine, the steps he took every morning, the wandering paths he'd take and a growing knowledge of hunting to keep himself fed along with the luck of a few agreeable loners offering their aid. He'd been lucky and he knew it. However, Brandr had been raised in a pack and part of him longed for that life again. Even if things couldn't be exactly as they had been he was longing to try pack life again. The boy knew little of the packs of Boreas. He'd managed to avoid packlands for the most part but now as he stood at the edge of one, peering out into the waving, inviting grasses of the thicket he wondered…. could he succeed in that life again? Could he belong somewhere?

Brandr tipped back his head and howled. There was only one way to find out and even if the inviting terrain betrayed a pack of bloodthirsty cutthroats well, Brandr was no slouch in battle.

Speech

It was funny how calls seemed to either come in large groups, or just one every season or so. Just a few months ago it seemed like he had endless howls at his border, but it had been rather quiet lately. Not that he minded, he was pretty serious about working on bettering himself. He wasn't helping anyone when he was down in the dumps, and he had a pack to run and pups to keep an eye on. That and he really needed to start looking for an heir, he was really starting to get up there in age. If anywhere were to happen to him, who would look after Abaven? The thoughts were pushed aside when he heard the trickling call of a stranger, his head lifting from his den. It was so warm and stickily humid that he had been hiding in his shaded den during the worst of it. But duty called, so he pushed himself to his paws and moved from the plains into the thicket. It didn't take too long for him to push through the tall grasses, spotting a large tan form eyeing his lands. He looked young, perhaps a year or so old, but Bass had been near that age when he started this whole thing up. Smiling softly at the boy, he moved to take a seat a foot or so in front of him, dipping his head to the caller. "Greetings stranger. I am Bass Destruction, Primo, or more commonly known as alpha, of these lands. What brings you to Abaven today?" His vocals were calm and cool, his ears fully turned towards him. He had his full attention, his brown marked features strong and yet open. "Speech"

Who the hell can see forever?

Brandr breathed slow and even trying not to count the seconds as they ticked by. He wanted to appear confident to whoever answered but he'd never tried to join a pack before. He'd simply been born into one and then disaster struck and brought the whole thing crashing down and to be perfectly honest part of him had always imagined that his mother would return to him. He imagined that they'd start over together. Those were puppyish notions that he was swiftly growing out of.

An older man with a pale coat and golden eyes answered his call and Brandr stood swiftly at attention. Hoping that he was doing this right. The man introduced himself as Bass Destruction, the alpha of the pack. Destruction? A curious last name and Brandr silently wondered how the man's family had earned it. He swallowed, took a deep breath and dipped his head low in greeting. "Hello Primo. I am Brandr Scylding. I am looking for a pack and I was wondering what your pack is like and if you might have room for one more?"

Speech

Bass' smile grew warmer when he picked up on the child's nerves, and he winked a golden eye at him as he dipped his head and explained what he was looking for. He was doing pretty well, and he wasn't that scary of a wolf. He felt himself take on a more fatherly mode as he stated his name and asked about Abaven, making the Primo nod his head. "Certainly. Abaven has a bit of a different inner workings than most packs. We have your typical healer, fighter, and hunter rank, but then we also have field medics and scouts as well. Our members are available for other packs to lease out in times of need. While with other packs, the member must abide by their rules and regulations, and the scouts will come in to check on you from time to time." He explained in an even tone, the words flowing off his tongue with ease. He had done this so many times before that he hardly had to think of what to say. "Our rank names are in Italian, a tongue that my family and I learned awhile ago. So while they have different names, they follow the same basis of your standard ranks. In trade for handing out our members we get a favor from that pack." Bass smiled as his speech came to a close, his pale tail curling around his form. "Would this be something that would interest you, Brandr?" "Speech"

Who the hell can see forever?

Brandr felt a bit more at ease as the older man smiled. He seemed fairly friendly and not likely to maul a curious stranger if Brandr accidentally goofed up or said something that wasn't within set rules for behavior. He listened with interest as Bass spoke about the ranks within Abaven and the variance in structure in the pack and he nodded intently. He was not familiar with Italian but he felt fairly certain he could grasp enough of it to understand the ranks if they were explained to him. The set up of lending out members to other packs was certainly interesting and he liked the idea of occasionally venturing outside the pack to help others in return for favors. It was a good way to establish inter-pack relations.

Brandr nodded. "It is definitely of interest to me. I am young but I am quite skilled in hunting and coordinating with other wolves. Though it can be difficult as a loner I've worked with other loners to bring down prey and have brokered deals with them so I'm no stranger to hunting in small groups at least. I'd be more than willing to learn the ropes of hunting in larger packs and assisting the pack in any other way I can."

Speech

He listened intently as the tan wolf spoke, listing off his success as hunting even without a pack. It had his ears fully perked, with Lyre seeming to have vanished he was without a wolf in the hunting rank. It might be a lot for one at his age to lead a pack hunt, but he seemed skilled enough to do so. It was a good way to mingle him in with the pack as well, when the time came. Nodding his head up and down, his smile only grew as excitement sparked in his eyes. "As our last hunter vanished, you would be the only wolf within your rank. This would mean that it would be up to you to call a hunt when you see it fit, I've been filling in for that at the moment. This is of course, if you are comfortable with it. I would be at your side to lend strength to your howl, but I can't always make it." Storm needed a break here and there from the pups anyways, he could bring them to observe the structures of pack hunting and where they could lend aide. It was the packs job to feed each other, but the hunters job to pull then together for larger game. "I am interested to see what you can bring to the pack, Brandr. Your rank is called 'cacciatore'. Welcome home." Bass' voice was warm as he stood, leaning down to nuzzle his shoulder. "We have three lands to our name. Rustling Thicket is the one we are in now, as well as Serpent Plains and Monument Rapids to the southwest. Are you familiar with poisonous and venomous snakes?" It was important to know, and a good lesson to be taught right away. "Speech"

Who the hell can see forever?

Brandr focused on his breathing, keeping it even and smooth as he sought to fight down his nerves.  He wasn't sure what the alpha would think of him but he didn't want to give any sign of weakness that might make him seem unworthy to be in this pack.  Though, he was put at ease by Bass' genial nature.  It was nice to see an alpha that didn't take himself too seriously.  Brandr inclined his head at the mention of their last hunting vanishing.  Vanishing?  Just…. vanishing?  He really hoped it meant that the other wolf had simply left the pack and not disappeared under mysterious and possibly mystical circumstances.  It did surprise him though that there was only one hunter though he suppose it made sense if he was to be the one calling the others together in a hunt.  One wolf could not feed a whole pack but if the pack pitched in it wouldn't be a problem.

Despite himself he sighed in relief as he was accepted into the pack as Cacciatore.  At the words 'welcome home' Brandr felt a slight sting in his chest and he offered a shy smile.  "Thank you Bass, I will do my best to be worth of this chance you have given me."  His heart was still hammering in his chest now with excitement.  Bass laid out the names of the lands and their location and asked him about snakes. "Not many.  I know of garter snakes, bullsnakes, and rattlesnakes in general but I do my best to avoid them.  I have heard they can be eaten but…. little meat for a lot of risk.  Doesn't seem worth it to me.  Bass, what sort of prey is usually found in the Abaven lands and how soon would you like me to begin a hunt?"  He thought it would save time to simply ask the usual food sources and he had no way of knowing how recently they'd all eaten.  He didn't want to get over-zealous and start a hunt while everyone was lounging on full bellies.

Speech

Bass could tell that he was starting to settle down, and part of him was very excited to see what this young mind would have to offer to his back. Rising to his paws he shook out his pale coat, turning around him to glance around the thicket when Brandr asked about the prey here. "Let me know if you have questions about snakes, we do have a lot in the plains which is how it got its name. As for other prey, there is a herd of whitetail that roam through the thicket every now and again. I tend to keep an eye on the herd, but after the harsh winter they are finally fat enough to take one down. They moved off when it got too harsh, since then they have been back though. New younger buck took over about two years ago, and we have other herds moving through from time to time. I've had to call a few hunts outside of our land which is okay as well." It was a bit long winded, but at least he would have a general idea. Turning back to him, he stretched out his limbs with a smile. "You can call a hunt whenever you feel comfortable. It has been awhile since the last pack hunt, I'm sure it would be a good bonding moment as well. But don't push yourself, allow yourself to get comfortable here before putting that pressure on yourself. If you have any other questions, don't hesitate to seek me out. My den is in Serpent plains, a stone top near the middle." Dipping his head, he turned to move so that Brandr could follow in behind him. It had been awhile since he had checked on the pups, he was starting to get antsy. -exit Bass- "Speech"