Attor had heard of the great warriors from Fireside, and was interested in becoming one of their ranks. However, she reminded herself that she was no one, and had nothing to her name. But that did not deter the woman.

She had reached the edge of the territory, her watchful gaze drifting over the vast hills and calm plains. She had come bearing gifts. The woman dropped the pheasant that was in her maw, curling her hindlegs into a seated position. The woman planned on waiting for quite some time, and was not at all nervous nor fearful. She was careful to sit at the border, only her front paws could be accused of trespassing.

She licked the blood off of her maw and curled her tail to press against her side. Her ears swiveled to the sound of the trees rustling but soon took to pointing towards the depths of the Fireside territory.

Seeing as no one appeared to be around, the woman began to count the seconds that passed, her eyes gently shutting as she began the wait.

Tyrian too was waiting. He lay concealed in a thicket to the woman's left and had seen her approach. As her movements had been deliberate and it was quite clear she had her sights set on Fireside land Tyrian had expected her to howl for him. Or at the very least announce her presence in some way to catch the attention of whoever it was she might have business with if she didn't want the King himself. But she didn't. Instead she settled herself down and eventually closed her eyes as though meditating.

He was intrigued. Was she simply waiting for someone to stumble across her or had he gotten her intentions wrong? Maybe she figured this spot was as good as any for a nap. Finally his curiosity could take it no longer. Tyrian slid out from beneath the tangle of snowy bushes that hid him from view and began to pad towards the woman. If she were to hear him and open her eyes he would raise his eyebrows and give her a questioning look, otherwise he'd simply take the opportunity to study her.

"Can I help you?" he asked as he stopped on the other side of the border.

Attor had been mulling over the past few uneventful days of her life. Her reasoning for seeking out Fireside was simple. The woman wanted strength, and it seemed Fireside was the best place for her at the moment. Though she wouldn't admit it, Attor also longed for a purpose.

The sound of footsteps did not help to break her from her meditative state of self-reflection. Her eyes only slid open upon the sound of the male's voice. Her gaze swept over his figure with a calculatory edge before they moved to meet his eyes. Attor, in her usual, deliberate way of things, took a few moments to respond. Her mouth tilting to form a smirk that she quickly hid by lapping innocently at her nose.

"Perhaps. If you are not a trespasser to these lands as I am," she responded, a coy lilt to her voice. It was not Attor's way to give straightforward responses, and she seemed almost amused at the male's confusion. Her head tilted to the side as another thought struck her, speaking quickly as to not interrupt him later.

"I'm Attor, and I bring gifts," she rumbled out as an explanation, gesturing to the felled bird. Talking to others was not her forte, but she assumed he could figure out her intentions were far from malicious. The woman peered up at him her impassive gaze unblinking as she awaited a response.

"If you are not a trespasser to these lands as I am," she quipped and Tyrian, sensing a bit of a high spirit, was quick to wryly counter, "I am not. And it's a good thing only you consider yourself a trespasser or we would not currently be having what I think might be the beginning of an interesting conversation." He wasn't so full of himself to take offense to toes on the line, but if her paws had taken her wholly over the border he wouldn't be civilly teasing her now. His eyebrows quirked up briefly in a teasing expression.

Gifts, huh? Interesting. He couldn't help but wonder what strings were attached to those gifts. They could be as simple and innocent as greasing the wheels for acceptance into the pack or as sinister as say, trying to lull him into a false sense of camaraderie. Honestly he was eager to find out. The offer of gifts gave him a chance to put his investigative skill to use. He welcomed a challenge.

"It is a fine gift," he offered, "And will make a fine meal, but I can't help but wonder why someone I've never met before might give me a gift. Call me a cynic, but I have questions." His words ended on a playfully sarcastic note. Surely she could appreciate why he found the situation odd.

Attor did not hold back her chuff of laughter at the other's cynicism. The woman shook her head gently as she regained her usually strictly-kept composure. Her head tilted as she peered at the man, her brows furrowing as she mulled over all he had said.

"Then please, ask them," she replied blatantly, before continuing," but the gift is one of many to come if you, or the pack that resides here, see fit. I have no say in these lands, and I have no name for myself, so all I can offer you is my blind trust in exchange for yours. However, I understand enough to know that I may need to bring many more gifts to even be considered worthy. But I am patient, and I have time."

The woman was not quick to lay out her intentions, as she presumed the man would like his questions answered first. Attor was also unsure how to ask the question of "can I join your pack?" without sounding like an utter fool. And while first impressions were not of utmost importance, she still hoped to be somewhat...likeable.

Tyrian slowly sank to into a seated position as the woman spoke. So far she had made no mention of what she wanted (or simply hoped for) in return for her gifts, but from the start Tyrian had been convinced she wanted something - and that feeling was confirmed when she concluded with her answer. She did want something. What exactly, he didn't yet know as for whatever reason she was playing coy with the answer and doing it a way that didn't even really hint at what she wanted. It was an approach he found interesting if a little strange. She was at once both fairly forward and vague.

Well, if she could be blunt then he felt he too could dispense with the niceties that tended to soften - and delay - getting to the heart of the topic at hand. "Alright," he said before pausing to take a deep breath. "What are you hoping for in exchange? Are you looking to join? Are you a trader looking to establish trade relations? A hunter for hire, perhaps? Surely you can see my confusion over the matter as you have yet to be forthcoming with your reason for bringing a gift - and offering more - to my pack." None of this he said unkindly. The young king was genuinely curious. Everything he'd mentioned he was interested in discussing and if none of what he'd thought of was what she wanted from him, well, that just made it all the more intriguing.

At the man's offered purposes for her being there, Attor's head tilted in thought. What route would be best for her? She figured training under a guild of warriors was much more beneficial to her than simply acting as either a hunter or a warrior for hire. The woman scrutinized the man again, her gaze flicking to the pack land that laid beyond him as she thought of a response.

Attor was slow to speak, appearing both restless and concerned. Once the woman finally decided on what she had to say, the woman dipped her head in a sign of respect. "To join, if you'd have me. I am careful with my intentions as I know as much about you, as you know me. I hope you can understand my...vigilance in protecting my thoughts," she replied calmly, eyes closing as she awaited a response.

Attor was not afraid of being accepted, there were plenty of packs she could offer her loyalty to. However, this had been the first pack on her list. She awaited a response patiently, but she couldn't help but wonder why the man hadn't shown aggression towards such a confusing stranger. She noted that working on her negotiation skills would probably be a good idea.

After a moment's thought Tyrian nodded. He could understand where she was coming from. He himself was naturally scrutinous of others. "I understand and I can appreciate that." So she wanted to join, then. He would have been curious about her wares if she'd been a trader of some stripe, but he couldn't complain that someone wished to join his pack, now could he? The young king would gladly take on any hard workers who could appreciate what Fireside stood for and who shared its goals. He was not about to be disappointed with a prospective member.

"You are careful about how and with who you share information and so am I, so how about this: we do an exchange of information to mutually assess our suitability." It seemed reasonable to him to offer info back and forth until they were both certain she belonged in Fireside or one or both of them found her to be ill suited to it. "Since you've already introduced yourself, I suppose it's my turn. My name is Tyrian and I am the King here. Can you tell me a bit about yourself? And feel free to ask any questions you might have about Fireside."

Attor listened to the man's proposition in silence, her ears flicking forward in interest. King was an unfamiliar word to the woman, but she assumed it was a name of power. At Tyrian's request to learn more about her, she blanked. Her eyes narrowed in thought, her mind working hard to pull memories from the deeper recesses of her past. Her tongue ran to lick over her front teeth again as she internally flitted through various memories. Her brow furrowed occasionally whenever a less than pleasant memory came up. Deciding on something that was worth sharing, the woman's gaze met the King's as she began to speak.

"My life, for the most part, has been unremarkable. I am a bastard child and was left alone with my father from an early point in my life and he took relatively good care of me. Once I was able to sufficiently hunt, I went out on my own. Since then I've wandered from place to place, trying to find a purpose or a place to stay where I don't burden those around me," she replied blatantly.

Attor was unfamiliar with authority, but she decided that if she offered him the same respect he offered her, there was no issue. Her eyes widened fractionally as she realized she hadn't responded to his introduction, so she was quick to offer a respectful reply.

"Ah, and it's a pleasure to meet you, King. I only ask to know your system of..ranking and the rules that come with rising or lowering your rank," she rumbled out in her usual flat tone.

Tyrian was silent as he considered her words. From her abbreviated description of herself he got the sense she was independent and self-reliant - both of which could be good qualities in a pack setting provided the wolf in possession of them knew when to be a follower and let his or her superiors lead. "I see," he offered after a beat. "A worthy goal. Although most might not consider it so, I like to think of self sufficiency as a virtue. It's certainly more worthy of devotion than say, chastity or humility," he said with a chuckle.

He nodded in response to her desire to know about the ranks and then launched into an answer. "Our system is fairly straight forward. There are six 'career paths' so to speak with three tiers divided by skill. At the lowest level we have the entry level positions; the scouts, healers, hunters, guards and raiders, and the commoner rank for those who are undecided. At the next level we have the experienced and highly skilled workers with careers that are a little more specialized; the guardsman, huntsman, raidsman, tradesman, herdsman, watchman and physicians. The next tier are the Masters - the supervisors and decision-makers. Every title starts with 'master of the' so we have one of each Master of the Guard, Hunt, Cure, Watch, Herd and Trade."  Tyrian paused to see if she was following him so far, then added, "We also allow the skilled members to pick a secondary rank if they want. The rules are simple: do your work, increase your skill, and you'll get a higher rank. Sit on your ass all day and do nothing...and you'll end up a commoner sleeping with the sheep."

While they were on the subject of ranks Tyrian thought he had a pretty good line of questioning for her. "If you were to decided Fireside was for you, what sort of career would you be interested in?" If he had to guess, given the gift she'd brought, Tyrian thought she'd pick hunter. She could surprise him, though.

Attor listened dutifully to the King's response, her head unmoving and her stare fixed. She wasn't one to bob her head or hum in response, she just focused. The rank system was simple, and Attor was very appreciative of that fact. The woman was also very pleased that she could increase her ranking by improving herself, democracy, and being elected to positions had never been her style. Sure, suggestions by an experienced pack member were one thing, but a pack-wide vote? Her social skills were much too low for that.

In her usual, slow, snake-like style, Attor blinked twice before leaning back on her haunches to think. She was quick to respond, eyes looking a bit sharper than she probably intended. Not meant to show aggression, but her dedication to her words. "I don't see myself as working towards a goal I can't complete, such as a Healer or Religious figure. It will take some time for me to be integrated into the pack life, no matter how much of a quick learner I may be, and as such, will take me some time to figure out my true purpose. But being offered a position in a pack or a...family as it is to me, is something I take with both great pride, as well as dedication. Being a nobody from nowhere, I will take the grunt work, I will take the dirty work. My goal is the betterment of the pack, and the pack only. I know I am quite the shady figure, lacking in both appearance and social skills, but my loyalty does not sway. So, in the grand scheme of things, I am anything the pack needs, but to give you an understanding of the skills I offer, I am hardened by life, both in the body and spirit. Physically, I am a capable hunter as well as a fighter. Mentally, what I lack in social skills, I make up for in logic and my awareness. Of course, I am flawed, but it would be unwise to go naming all my worst character traits, hmm?" She concluded, a wry grin on her lips at her finishing statement.

Attor mentally chided herself for not giving a straight answer, but to give a straight answer would be to lie. What if she told him she would make a fine huntress, and then her colleagues were so despicable she had to change her rank? Situations like this required experience and thought, both of which Attor was keen to give it, she couldn't stand going back on her word. Attor felt strange, telling this stranger all of her personal thoughts. No one had ever really asked. She didn't dwell on the thought, quick to assure her heavy gaze was pinned on the man. She eagerly awaited his response, her cold gaze holding a heat it had rarely held in the past. Attor couldn't figure out if she was just desperate, or if the feeling in her gut telling her 'this could change you forever' was correct.

Tyrian chuckled in response to her final line and then lapsed into thoughtful silence for a moment as he considered the woman. His expression was contemplative as he debated his next course of action. In one regard his mind was made up: he thought he understood Attor well enough to warrant her acceptance. Like those who had gone before her, she would start out as a commoner until he was certain of both her abilities and suitability. But that was not the only question to be answered here and he wished to think about it for a second before he spoke. Finally he took a deep breath and said, "I think you have answered all of my questions. The rest are ones that can crop up and be dealt with in time. If, now that you know what we are like, still wish to make your home here, I will accept you as a commoner for the time being."

After a beat he explained his reasoning, "It's been my practice for some time to accept new wolves as commoners instead of immediately placing them in the career they show the most interest in. I think it fair to give both you and the pack time to assess one another and decide where you fit best." It would also give her a chance to really see how Fireside worked and to decide whether or not she truly wanted to be in a place that focused so heavily on the caring and claiming of livestock. Hopefully she would grow to appreciate the herds and the efforts that went into maintaining them. "If, after some time you or I decide this life isn't for you, you may leave no harm no foul, but if you find Fireside agreeable, you'll be given a real rank."