Enrico stopped to add scent to the border markers - an event that always seemed to cause Asriel great amusement despite the fact that snow leopards also marked their territory - before continuing on with both his patrol and a highly animated though amicable discussion with the snow leopard on the merits of ambush versus cooperative chase for hunting. The two had been patrolling the borders much of the day and engaging in conversation most of the time. They weren't hunting, so there was no need to be quiet to sneak up on a target. He saw no need to worry about chasing away a would-be intruder who heard their voices - after all, was there much difference between them frightening them away with their voices or their teeth? Either way it kept the borders clear. If there was more risk of spies, such as if they were at war with someone or he had seen previous signs of incursions, he might be inclined to ghost his way around the border in the hopes of catching them. Today, though, he and the snow leopard were relaxed and talkative, though still vigilant, as they made their way around the border.

Occasionally, he made a mental note to come back later and investigate some sign that prey animals were using a particular place, like the trail a small herd of caribou had worn through the slushy snow and ice that spring-melt had left atop the ice of their frozen territory. He was an alpha now, not just a hunter, but as far as he was concerned that merely made it even more important that he put the effort in to hunt. He had yet to figure out a way to hunt the seals who came up to breath at the holes further out on the ice... but when he did, he would call the pack together to hunt them. It would be fun. Perhaps they could hold some sort of a... seal festival, to celebrate their success. The small pack deserved a little party anyway, simply for surviving the winter if nothing else.

Somewhere along the line she had felt she had lost herself. Winter had been rough on her this year and she was rather thinned out. She was a lean form to begin with. She was lucky enough that her thick coat remained, hiding most of her skinny form. She had spent the past two years looking for Mortar, but she couldn't find any sign of him. It was taking it's toll on her emotionally especially when it brought up the cold fact that everyone important in her life up and disappeared and she was always left...... alone. It at first didn't bring her down at all, but after all this time it had really taken it's toll on her. She withdrew from the world even though that was the last thing she wanted to do, but it had happened. It left her vary little chance to interact with others. Though she had some hope in the middle of winter when she had come across a lone male. Now that winter was over she was craving the interacting she had with the male. To be social and to find other wolves to interact with. She had stayed at the cove for so long she was unsure how to get back to the Range, so instead the chocolate and blue female wandered. She went more north and stumbled upon new lands, but when she came close to this particular territory she respectfully moved back away from the border marker. It had been some time since she was last near the borders of a pack, but she still knew her manners with packs. For a moment she remained standing in silence unsure of what exactly she wanted to do. Part of her wanted to turn and run away, but part of her yearned for the company of others. Her ears flattened at the internal struggle, but soon she had no choice. The voice of border patrol rang out nearby, heading in her direction making it to late for her to run. She was at least 5 yards from the border marking and tried to compose herself before letting out a calling bark, not wanting to patrol to think of her as a threat. "Talk"

Mid-sentence, Asriel snapped his formidable jaws shut on his story of a moose kill the winter before. They had crested a rise at the same time a bark rang out along the border they traveled, bringing them face to face with a stranger, a stranger with odd markings. She was a young female, clearly a loner, chocolatey brown with markings of a blue like a river running through loamy earth, a shade he had never seen achieved with dye. And indeed, he saw at a closer glance, it did not seem to be either dye nor paint, but instead apparently her own fur.

Both cat and wolf drew themselves up in silent dignity, eyeing her quietly for a moment. As prearranged, Asriel stayed back a step as the silent and intimidating "body guard" as Enrico stepped up closer in that elegant, gentlemanly way of his. "Buonasera signorina," he spoke smoothly, confidently, completely unruffled as though he had not just been startled midconversation by her sudden appearance. It had always been something of a talent of his, to appear unphased by any situation. It may have gotten pushed aside for a few years when everything had been ripped away from him, but it was as much a part of him as his blue eyes and time had healed the wounds that kept that part of him from surfacing.

He tilted his head to regard the woman, while Asriel at his shoulder stared with narrowed blue eyes and twitching tail. "May I ask what brings you to Niente?" Though the tone was polite and quiet, it was clearly a firm command rather than a question.

What would she say? What would she do when the patrol arrived? Butterflies bubbled within her stomach making her feel a bit more on edge. Then when the two figures appeared she felt her stomach drop and immediately felt worse. It wasn't two wolves, it was a wolf with his snow leopard companion. Ears slowly dropped back against her head as anxiety began to build within her. She tried to remain composed even as the leopard sat staring at her with narrowed eyes. The male then stepped forward and spoke in a language that she didn't understand, making her ears lift in curiosity. He was polite when he asked, but she knew he didn't want to beat around the bush and wanted a straight answer from her. Though she wasn't sure what to tell him. It wasn't her intention to run this close to a pack border, in fact it wasn't her intention to go anywhere near a pack in the first place. She didn't want him to think she was here for ill intentions either. She gave a light defeated sigh trying to push back the building emotions. Letting her rump gently hit the ground so she could show that she was no threat at all. "To be honest with you..... I have no idea, I didn't have any intentions of getting close to a pack today, but I'm not familiar with the lands of the north." she started, being completely honest with him. "My intentions for the day was to... Kill this bitter loneliness I've been dealing with for the past few years." Bright green eyes looked to his dark face hoping he would understand. Her eyes showed nothing but honesty. Maybe he would be willing to provide her temporary relief, if he wasn't to busy. She would be willing to learn about this pack if it meant some company. "Talk"

The woman's reply was heartwrenching, and that was precisely why Enrico was immediately put on his guard even as the tender hearted Asriel softened. Asriel had little to no contact with females of his species after he had left his mother's territory - Enrico, on the other hand, had experience that made him wary of a pretty young female with a woeful tale. He knew all too well how manipulative and dangerous the so called "weaker" sex could be, a folly he had no intention of repeating. Still, he moved closer to the border to seat himself opposite her. He was willing to play along, for now, and see where she was taking this. Either she was being truthful, or she was seeking to manipulate him. Either way, it did more harm than good to simply send her away without a closer investigation.

"That is a long time to be lonely," he said quietly, not showing the depth of his wariness outwardly. "Perhaps it led you to seek out a pack's lands without realizing it."

She stayed where she was, even as he approached closer to the border and sat himself. This was his pack's territory and she did not want to disrespect it. She did not at all sense his wariness at all. At his first words she nodded agreeing with him that it was a long time. "I was traveling with a friend, but they disappeared and it's partly my fault cause I spent so much time looking for my friend that I paid no mind to anything else." she said. At his suggestion she lightly flattened her ears before gently shaking her head 'no'. After going through a few packs already and they disbanded she wasn't sure her path would lead her back that way again. She wasn't religious, but it made sense after each pack she went through that it may not be the life for her. "I'm not certain it's the life for me I've tried two different packs, both packs didn't last making me feel like I'm not meant for pack life. Or maybe I've not met the right one I'm not quite sure," she said somewhat in thought on the subject. If her path was meant to be with another pack it would make sense how the past two didn't work out. "Talk"

Enrico nodded sympathetically to her brief tale of her missing friend, privately making it a point to keep a wary eye out for this 'missing' friend for more than humanitarian reasons, though for the sake of his own morals he would anyway. "Perhaps if you tell us about this friend, we can keep our eyes and ears open for signs of them and help you reconnect," he offered.

Her reaction to his comment about her unconsciously seeking out a pack earned a tight smile and faint shrug. "Where else are you guaranteed to find someone to speak with, but at a pack's borders? Conversation to ease your loneliness, certainly. Is that not what you were hoping for?" He tilted his head to the side, studying her. Despite his natural suspicions, he could not help but feel sorry for the woman. He, too, had found loneliness in his exile from all he knew. "Sometimes we need to give up our preconceptions of ourselves before we can find what we really need," he mused aloud, his mind dwelling for the moment on his own time alone, before he'd sought out Celestial and then, having realized who he was, to Niente.

Her ears perked as he asked about Mortar saying they could keep an eye out for him and hopefully help her to reconnect.

“He goes by Mortar, vary much taller then myself, pelt consists of black and greys and he has two different colored eyes. I appreciate if you can, but sadly I’m afraid he has left these lands, like I said I have searched and searched,” she said with a light nod.

She was vary appreciative of the offer, but something in her heart told her he was never coming back. That she would never see or be by his side again. It broke her heart when she thought that way, but it was a repetitive thing in her life. No one ever truly stuck around, not even the man who took her in as a pup. He spoke again this time making her feel extremely dumb. He was right, coming to pack borders would ensure that you would get someone to talk to. Though she knew most packs didn't like that unless you were looking to join. She nodded to his question that was what she was seeking.

"Your right a pack is the place to find company, although I feel it's rather odd to just come to pack borders for a chat without joining," she replied.

Enrico nodded in acknowledgement. He'd never really considered whether it would be odd to stop at a pack simply to socialize, since he'd never done such a thing. All his actions had always had more than one reason behind them, and visiting a pack would have been at least equally if not more about information-gathering or recruiting or other things for the cosca as socialization. "Do you have a particular skill you could trade to packs?" he questioned, tilting his head slightly. "Or perhaps something you craft or gather that they might be interested in? It could make it easier for you to survive as a loner if you do, if you visited packs in order to trade. You visit, you talk, you get to know them and be known to them, and you get paid for it." He gave her a faint smile. "It is as they say, a winning-winning situation." He didn't know why he was going out of his way to be helpful to her. She had already expressed not wanting to join a pack. She seemed very sweet and uncertain of herself, and the gentlemanly part of him wanted to swoop in and save the damsel in distress... but he'd been burned far too badly by that in his past to trust his own impulses in that regard. He thought, too, that he might be able to use contacts among the free traders if she decided to go that way. Life as a loner was hard though, and most lone traders had tended to go missing after a while. He was surprised she'd lasted this long on her own as it was. He shrugged. "Of course, the more you wander the harder it will be for your friend to find you, if he lives yet. It may be that you would be better suited to settle down in one spot, in a pack yourself."

His question made her perk up. The one thing she had been good at was healing and herb gathering, it seemed to be the only light she had left at the present day.

“Well I’m decent at healing and herb gathering, vary far from the best, but I did have a good teacher for a while,” she replied with a slight smile.

He then went on giving her an option that had never come to her mind. Offering her skills and herbs in trade for some temporary company with packs. Would that really work?? Would it be satisfying enough to keep her from being lonely? It was something to consider, but one thing it lacked was the whole constant company. Mortar hadn’t been around 24/7 but it was pretty constant and she liked that.she gave him a faint smile back, finding that his generosity during this interaction rather heartwarming.. it felt good to be around someone again even if he was still practically a stranger.he then brought up another point that made her smile fade a bit. If she was withandering it may be harder for Mortar to find her if he was looking. That of course was enough to sway her desicion.

The pack life seemed like a better choice all around, but what pack? The ones she used to be a part of disbanded and this one here. What kinda pack was this one? Though what else could she lose at this point. This member of the pack didn’t seem like an evil guy, so how could she see him being part of an evil pack.

“Your right,” she admitted after a few short moments of thought. “Pack life seems like the better desicion all around.”

“What of your pack? Does it have room for another?” She asked. “I am really good with healing and knowing where to find herbs.”

"Having a good teacher is one of the best things one could ask for in life," he observed. He'd been that, once, mentoring and bringing up young wolves in the cosca. He'd seen many a young wolf move their way through the ranks under his tutelage, and he'd been proud of that. It made everything that had happened after that much more difficult and had made it all the more difficult to choose to make a pack of his own and do it all over again. He mentally huffed out a sigh, but mustered a smile for the woman. "Niente is small, but we are willing to take in anyone who wants to better themselves and their fellow pack members, as long as they can keep an open mind about what the pack may choose to trade," he added the last slowly. He knew he wasn't a good man, not the sort that she might have been used to in this land, and it was inevitable that there was going to be shady dealings eventually. "I am not a good man," he echoed his thoughts aloud. "I will undoubted, eventually, cross into a very gray area morally, and while I will never force pack members to participate in anything they are not comfortable with, you should be aware of the possibility that others in Niente will."

She nodded in agreement with him, another light smile gracing her features. He went on to explain about the pack. She was relieved to hear they would take others in and she was looking to continue to improve herself and her skills she had been graced with. She could help to improve her pack mates with knowledge of healing. The basics of healing was always a good thing to know especially if you were traveling and ended up getting hurt with no one close by. She didn't really know how else to help her pack mates right now, but she was sure once she got to know them she could figure something out.

She didn't quite get what he meant by the whole trading, not realizing that he meant more shady things. Honestly she really wasn't to experienced with everything that could possibly be traded. It was concerning to her when he stated that he wasn't a good man. She hated to think he wasn't especially when he had been okay so far. He said he wouldn't force anyone to participate in anything, but other members in the pack may participate. She knew she had no control over others, she could try to be an influence, but she had no control.

If she didn't have to participate then she could deal with it right? If she was honest he did have a way of making her question herself. She looked to the ground for a moment before looking back up to his face.

"As long as I'm not forced to do things I'm not comfortable with..... I will be okay what others do is not under my control, but as long as I don't have to know about it and I'm doing what I feel is for the best then I can live with that," she replied.

The girl showed some concern at his warning, her expression making it clear she was giving it real thought. Good. That's what he wanted, for wolves to understand what they could potentially be getting themselves into. He nodded slowly as she spoke. "It isn't so bad as it sounds," he did assure her. "I am not an evil man, and I have no interest in having evil within my pack. But there are many moral ambiguities that not everyone will agree with, and I have no wish to put anyone into a position where they joined us believing we were something we are not, only to find out later when a pack member sells weapons to an evil pack, or recreational drugs, or something of the sort. No one wins in a situation such as that." He sighed. "You can rest easily knowing that I will do only what is best for Niente and the wolves in it. What is best for the pack is certainly not going to be killing for pleasure, or rape, or..." He shook his head. Violence had its place, and he could be as coldblooded as any, but he couldn't abide the inelegance and... ham-fisted approach to it that others took pleasure in. "I will not tolerate those behaviors in my wolves."

He tilted his head slightly, studying her. "If you are still interested in being a part of our pack, I could see to settling you in with the healers. I'm afraid," he added somewhat apologetically, "that I am still at a loss as to how to test my healers' knowledge, since I am certainly no healer myself, so I have no fully accepted journeyman healers to complete your testing if that is the rank you want. I believe I will be testing everyone interested in a full rank at once for ease, once I decide on a method."

He tried to reassure her saying it is not as bad as it sounded. Stating that he wasn't an evil man which made her nod her head. He really appreciated how straight forward he was being, to her this was a good thing and this was a sign that she could deal. Selling things to and evil pack really didn't bother her at all, as long as it helped to ensure their survival and that they would not have to participate in some evil ritual with those packs, she could deal with it. Besides this was how packs tried to normally survive right? Trading and making alliances to help them survive. He went on to explain that some of those unspeakable things would not be allowed of his woods, easing her a lot more. This pack didn't sound bad at all in her opinion. He continued on apologizing that he didn't have a proper testing method for his healers. It was understandable, it was hard to know how to test a skill you know little about. She didn't mind if that was the case, she was just thankful that she had stumbled upon the pack to begin with.

"I think I can handle that if your still willing to have me. I think I can provide a good service to this pack and pull my weight," she replied. "I think I can handle it all, a pack needs to survive and part of that includes selling and creating some sort of alliances to help ensure that... I don't remember my other two packs having that so hopefully that will mean this pack will have more success."

She was feeling optimistic again and it could be seen by the smile slipping onto her face. Something good was happening from what she thought was a big mistake, maybe this was a break for her.

"Delaney Callen and I would love to join your pack," she stated realizing they had never gotten to the formalities of their names.

He was glad that she'd put real thought into it instead of recklessly accepting the pack at face value. He was still not certain what precisely had led him to encourage her to join, or why she had made the offer, but at least she couldn't say she had been taken by surprise as she got to know the pack. He was faintly troubled for reasons he couldn't entirely put his paw on, though undoubtedly it had a lot to do with one pretty, delicate young flower who'd taught him that the prettiest flowers tended to be hiding poisoned thorns. Still, he smiled and inclined his head to Niente's newest member. "It is a pleasure to have had fate place your paws on Niente's path, Delaney Callen. I am Enrico Falcone, the Tiercel here, and this is my friend, Asriel." He nodded towards the leopard, who had been staying quiet and watchful up until now, and the cat twitched his long whiskers and nodded to her in turn. "He and the other companions to the pack members are treated as full members of the pack regardless of species, so if in the future you wish to bring in a non-wolf companion of your own feel free to do so. Just let me know when they decide to join you, so that I can give the other members fair warning. It would be unfortunate if someone didn't realize they were part of the pack and tried to eat them." Asriel gave a rumbling, brassy chuckle deep in his throat at Enrico's words, clearly amused at the idea of a wolf trying to eat him.

"speech" & 'thoughts'

She smiled at his words and his introduction. It was so nice to have someone to converse with for once and for some reason she was beginning to feel more optimistic about her choice. This was another chance to start new relationships and meet new wolves. This maybe where she was meant to go in the first place. Her bright green eyes looked to the leopard giving him a nod in return and a light wag of her tail before her eyes drew back to Enrico. It was interesting to find that others within the pack had companions, something she had never felt the urge to try. To befriend a species other then a wolf. It was interesting to think about though. Maybe that was something else that could help her along, but for now she would need to focus on settling in and getting to know the others.

She smiled with amusement as Asriel gave a deep chuckle. She too saw amusement in that because she knew Leopards were powerful creatures just like wolves were.

"I will keep that in mind. It's something I never really considered, but it may be helpful to have a companion in the future," she returned. "Any tips as far as getting along with the rest, or are they fairly social?"

Art by Carvalle

Enrico nodded. "Most do not feel the need to, I believe, and others choose to gather lesser creatures to do their bidding rather than befriend a predator equal to a wolf. I do not see any way as being more valid than another in this respect, and if Asriel and I had not been so compatible as friends it is not likely something I would have considered myself." As for her question, that took a bit of thought. "The wolves of Niente are somewhat less than social in general," he said tactfully, "something I hope that will change as they grow more used to one another. We are still fairly new as a pack and I admit I have been somewhat remiss in providing opportunities to come together as a group. I do not believe you will have any personal difficulties with any of our members. Though," he added swiftly, "we do currently have a prisoner in our midst you may want to be wary of. He can be..." he debated the most diplomatic way to describe Basileus, before settling on, "difficult. He is potentially quite dangerous, so while I do not mind you speaking with him if you desire, I must ask that you do not enter his prison or release him from it no matter how persuasive he may set out to be. I do not wish to risk your safety if I can avoid it."