The Tracks I Tread Are Cold

Éldi scented the border but wasn't surprised to see that it did not belong to Fireside. He knew Fireside had disbanded and that was part of the reason he'd left but there was some part of him that had hoped it would rise again while he'd been away. He was old now, he could feel his joints ache more and more with each winter. He'd taken care of loose ends in the old lands, done all he'd needed to and now he looked for a place to rest and live out his remaining days. Naturally, his mind went to the warm plains of Fireside. A lush hunting ground and temperate weather. What more could an old hunter ask for? Tipping back his head he called for the alpha of these lands.

Corbie was on patrol with Ren when a call came, the kind of call that had the depths of years of experience and age behind it. She pricked up her ears in curiosity. A moment to confer with Ren sent the dog continuing on the trail of a young bear they'd scented that she wanted to make sure had passed out of pack lands, then Corbie turned to make her way to where the call came from. The wolf who had called had every year she'd expected from the howl, but she was surprised to see was still in better shape than most elderly wolves she'd known. He still had the body of a warrior, the kind of wolf Tyrfing would no doubt some day age to. In many ways, he reminded her a lot of Tornach, her childhood guardian and mentor. She dipped her head to him respectfully, wondering what had brought him here. Avalon did seem oddly attractive to many warriors - she expected that for some it was the desire to protect those who needed it, and for others to find a restful place to finally find peace. She wondered which he was, or if he was simply passing through. "Hello. I am Corbie, alpha here in Avalon. What can I do for you?"

The Tracks I Tread Are Cold

Éldi breathed deep the scent of these lands. Lands he'd spent much of his younger years in even though they no longer held the scent of Fireside. He recognized the summer smells, the scent of the prey and the bison nearby. The scent of the ripening fruit in the Orchard carried to him on the breeze.

He was pulled from his reminiscing by the arrival of the new alphess. Well, new was probably not the right word. She had started a new pack here and had probably been alphess for some time. The woman greeted him as Corbie, naming the pack Avalon. "Hail, Corbie, I hope the summer finds you well in these lands. My name is Éldi, a former resident of the pack that had presided here before. This may seem an odd request but I wish to join and live out my final days here." He wanted to be in the lands he'd spent the most time, where he'd enjoyed many a good hunt. It gave him some comfort to choose the place of his dying, in a matter of speaking. He chuckled. "I will be no lounging old fart however! I am still a skilled hunter and warrior though in my sunset days I wish to focus on my true joy of hunting."

Corbie's politely friendly expression softened slightly as Eldi spoke, telling her he that he was looking to join them and why. Samara too, had joined them looking for a place to live out her sunset years, and Cloudburst too. She was glad to have each and every one of them, and all of their experience for her younger wolves to draw on, and she was equally grateful Eldi had chosen to as well. "We would all be very happy to have you here, especially as a skilled hunter," she assured him. "We have other wolves from Fireside who have joined us here as well, so you may find some familiar faces." She made a welcoming gesture to invite him to cross into the pack lands. "Your skills as a warrior may be called upon as well, I'm afraid. We are a peaceful pack here, neutral to all, but prepared to defend our wolves and our livelihood at need. We know not all packs agree with us there. As they say," she added with a soft sigh and a shake of her head, "'If want peace, prepare for war.' I am very happy to rank you among the hunters, though. We do pride ourselves on our woodsmen." She smiled at him, a little sheepishly - she herself was a hunter, so it was perhaps a bit braggy. "Many of the packs youths are interested in hunting in one form or another, so having another hunter of skill to guide them is welcome."

The Tracks I Tread Are Cold

Grateful to be welcomed into the pack, Éldi breathed a soft sigh of relief. At last, his journey was slowly coming to an end. He was back in the lands he'd spent so much of his life in and he could, perhaps, die peacefully here when age decided it was time. He was pleased to hear that there were other wolves of Fireside that had chosen to remain and he looked forward to getting reacquainted with them. "Thank you, Corbie. I will do my best to be of service to Avalon and I understand. As a youth I spent my life raiding. Sometimes being peaceful and placid makes you more of a target. Fear not, I have not let my fighting skills get rusty. I would prefer to be primarily a hunter though, that is where my passion lies." He was glad to hear the pack prided themselves on their hunters and that several of the young ones were interested in the practice as well. The mention of having to serve as a warrior did not surprise nor deter him. He was often skeptical of peaceful packs who thought their amiable status would be enough to save them from opportunistic raiders. Having initial been a raider himself, his skills as a fighter were nothing to sneeze at, even in his old age.

-end?-