When all else fails, when there's no one left, when there's no home to go to, what is a wolf to do? This has been the question that this fea has been trying to answer for over a year. The pads of her paws were tough and worn from use and every muscle in her body was toned from the constant movement she put herself through. She had traveled hundreds of thousands of miles, and where did she find herself? A huge, wide open space with only the occasional rock to break her view. Gradually she slowed from her steady trot to a complete halt. She muscles ached and her paws were sore and she was in the middle of a large, empty plain. She sighed and sat down heavily. "This is getting old..." she mumbled to herself. She looked up at the sky, watching the few clouds drift by above her. She shivered as a gust of winter wind tore at her fur and she sighed again. "Definitely getting old..."

She stood and stretched her legs out in front of her, groaning as all of her tired muscles stretched out. When she stood up again she shook out her thick, multi-hued fur, breaking loose the snow, dust, and pieces of grass that had gotten caught. She look another look around her and noticed, to her surprise, dark patches all over the ground between the patches of snow. She trotted over to one of these patches and sniffed along the ground, catching the faint, but unmistakable scent of old blood. She took a step back and looked around her again and noticed these patches were everywhere and she was sure they were under the snow as well. "Where in the hell am I...?" she whispered, shaking her head. Walking over to where she thought it might be a little less stained than the rest of the earth, she sat down again.

For a year and a half this had been her life. Wandering from place to place, only stopping to sleep and eat. After surviving the attack and making a new life for herself after she had lost her memories... There wasn't much else she could do. She looked skyward once again and took a deep breath. Something was going to change, she could feel it. Meili didn't know who or what was coming or what was going to happen, but whatever it was she was ready for the change.

Cormalin

The large black male padded along the edge of the Battlefield. He?d been here a pawful of times, sparring. He?d won the first one, but he wasn?t sure what had even happened in the second. Now he was here again, considering a spar, but also keeping an eye out for wolves that might want a home. Mismatched gaze of gold and blue swept the plain, as he took a sniff of the wind, ignoring the scents of blood and strife, and perused the other scents. He was a Beta now, and proud to serve Valhalla in this position. He could accept new wolves, or turn them away. The ability to do so meant a great deal to him. The slaughter of his birth pack had been the result of lax caution in who was accepted into Redwood Pack. Three males, guised as runaways from the rival pack, Blackmoon Pack, had come to the Redwood borders, with the tale that they wanted to change their ways. It had been a cleverly played ruse, and after six months, they had led the slaughter. He had meant to die fighting that battle, only a yearling. His sister had been lucky; she?d slipped out early that Spring morning, to gather herbs. She had come home to a bloodbath. Cormalin had used the last of his strength to command her to run. Then everything had gone black. But he hadn?t died. And he was here in Valhalla, with his sister. His head raised higher on his shoulders as a fresh scent shook him from thoughts of the past. Feminine, matured but young. And no pack scent intermingled with her own. He padded lightly toward it, until she came into sight, then he paused, hovering on the edges of her location, taking in her form. She was small, and bore the natural Timber coloring and markings. She seemed weary, and wary. He stepped closer, in time to hear her words. ?This is the Battlefield, Miss.? His baritone, British accented voice rolled gently over the plain as he approached, keeping a respectful distance from her. Stopping that distance away, he settled onto his haunches, head dipping in a respectful greeting. ?I am Cormalin, Beta male of Valhalla, a large pack in the southwest. His head lifted and he studied the female as his heavily furred tail coiled around his paws. "Forgive my curiosity, Miss, but, if you don't mind me asking, what brings you to such a place?" His question was voiced in a gentle, conversational tone as his ears pressed forward to take in her answer if she wished to give one.

Meili was so lost in her own thoughts that she didn't even notice the larger, black wolf approaching her. At the sound of his voice she gave a little jump and instantly sprang to her feet, an automatic reaction she had learned from her time living alone. It took her a second to realize he was sitting calmly a short distance from her. She relaxed a little and sat back down as well, but kept a suspicious eye on him all the same. She took in his description of this place as a battlefield and realized that was the reason for the destruction this land showed.

She returned the polite nod he had given her while her teal blue eyes continued to watch him carefully. A year out in the wilderness taught her to never trust anything till it was proven to be safe. It had kept her alive many a times.

"Honestly, Cormalin, I haven't the slightest idea," she responded, her voice naturally gentle and smooth, her tone conversational like his own. "I never really know why I'm anywhere though, so it's not a surprise to me." She rolled her shoulders in a slight shrug. There was a brief pause as she considered the bit of information about his pack. "I've never been in a pack. Well, not that I can remember at least. The only contact I've ever had with a pack... Well, it wasn't pleasant..." The scar on the back of her head ached as she thought back to the day she woke up covered in blood among several dead wolves. As far as she knew that was where her memory began. She shook her head and brought herself back to the present. "I won't bore you with my story, Cormalin." She paused again and then realized she had never introduced herself. "Oh! My name is Meili by the way," she said with an apologetic nod.

Meili wasn't sure what to do now. She had only heard rumors and stories about packs and what they were like from other lone wolves like herself. She had no idea what to expect with Cormalin, but the ache in her bones reminded her that she needed to do something besides run endlessly. Eventually she would have to stop.

The Battlefield. It was the first time Deteste had visited. He had been to many such arenas in his life but within the country of Alacritis he was a stranger to these lands. It was eerie how alike each battlefield had been, this one no different than the others. All were flat, thinnly grassed and bloodied lands. Deteste was grateful that it was winter. The ice sterilized the air and it did not smell so much like decay, even in the freshest scenes. In this unforgiving land Deteste did not bother silencing his walk or masking his presence. His tall black form was bold against the snow and the short taupe grasses that reached out from it. His gait was formal and somewhat stiff legged yet the pace was leisurely and his posture implied no status. The sol had ventured into the battlefield only to survey it ahead of Jupiter's battle and he did not desire to attract any attention to himself. However there was an alternative but minimal reason to his exploration. Were he to come across any friendly strangers he would readily invite them to join the Ludicael.


In the distance two bodies formed before Deteste. One black, the other timbre. His walk ceased and he allowed himself a moment to observe the interactions between the two. He would not enjoy unwittingly stumbling upon a personal battle. He was sure that the traffic around here minded it's own business but he'd rather not spare the chance of getting involved in anything. The behavior between the two strangers ahead of him seemed friendly but formal. Deteste believed the wolves were meeting for the first time and their violence-less interaction insured for the most part that it would be fine to at least briefly graze their company. A hot, white breath snaking from his jowls he resumed his lope and prepared to approach the strangers.


Where in the hell am I? These were the words that greeted Deteste as he entreated in the other wolves' shared space. It caused him to take pause and observe again the bloody ground he walked. He admitted to himself that he was somewhat desensitized from the environment he was in. He waited silently until the two wolves had reached a pause in their conversation. Hello. his deep voice breaking the silence. He dipped his crown in respect of both wolves and allowed his crown to hang casually in their presence. There were no kings here. In the battlefield only your physical ability separated you from the rest. "Since I have caught your names in your conversation, I will introduce myself. I am Deteste and I hope that I am not intruding." He spoke with a respectful timbre, observing them both with a warm glance.


The woman before him was obviously a traveler. Having only recently been freed of the nomadic life style Deteste easily recognized the details of a worn body and calloused feet. Her words were not necessary to describe her situation. He sympathized with her emotions. Her tiredness. He had been so worn down when he joined the Ludicael that some members would not be able to distinguish his past self and his current self as the same being. Content with his analysis of Meili, as the wolveness described herself, Deteste shifted his glance to the man who accompanied her. He was a Valhalla member and Deteste would do well to treat him respectfully. From what Jupiter had told him a new alliance had been formed between the Valhalla and the Ludicael and he would do anything in his pour to nourish that relationship.

Cormalin

She jumped like a fawn out of a thicket when he spoke, but after the initial alarm, she held her ground and studied him, suspicion evident in her teal gaze before she nodded, eyes still on him. She spoke her reply, and he listened with interest. She went on to say that she?d never been in a pack, and her reference to her only contact made him wonder what pack she?d come across. She gave her head a shake, seeming to clear her mind, then went on that she wouldn?t bore him. ?On the contrary, I find tales interesting, but you don?t need to speak of it if you don?t want to.? It was then that she seemed to realize that she hadn?t introduced herself. She gave her name as Meili. He mulled over the name. ?A pleasure, Meili. So what do you plan to do with your future? Are you considering joining a pack?? The gentle question was given, before a black male approached, giving a greeting, before introducing himself. Deteste. The male had the scent of an Alpha. Cormalin lowered his head in a respectful greeting. Deteste was obviously from one of the kinder packs. After a bit of study over the scent, he decided that he came from Ludicael, a pack that had recently allied with Valhalla. Deteste?s attention turned to Meili, the blue eyes of the male studying her, and seemed satisfied with what he saw. Those eyes turned to Cormalin. Cormalin gave a slight smile. ?You are the Alpha Male of Ludicael, are you not??

The corners of Meili's mouth lifted in a small smile when Cormalin said he found tales interesting. She did as well and appreciated that he wouldn't mind hearing hers. At his question, she hesitated and mulled it over for a moment. Did she want that? It would mean that she would have a home for once in her life and she would have someone to care for and someone to care for her. On the other hand, she had no idea how to behave in a pack or around a large number of wolves for that matter. She looked down at her paws that were covered in dust, calloused, and cracked from her travels and knew that this was her only option. She looked back up at the brute and nodded. Before she could elaborate on her answer, her ears gave a slight twitch when they caught the sounds of a new wolf approaching and his voice. She didn't jump like she had when Cormalin had come up to her, but she did keep her guard up and view him with just as much suspicion. He introduced himself and she gave him a polite nod. She didn't know much about packs and such, but she could tell they were from different packs by their scent, she had gathered that much information in the past year. "It's nice to meet you, Deteste." Then Cormalin questioned his pack and what she guessed was his rank in said pack. She knew that being an alpha was important somehow, but she wasn't sure exactly why. She racked her brains and searched back into her muddled memories and her eyes widened slightly when she remembered that the alpha was the leader of the pack. Then, with a little more thought, she remembered that Cormalin had mentioned that he was the beta for his pack and knew that was a high position of some sort as well. She gave each wolf another look as she registered the power that each of these wolves carried and looked back at her paws. All of the sudden she felt like she had gotten into so much that she didn't understand and questioned her decision to be a part of this life. Meili did her best to gather her courage back up and lifted her gaze again, reminding herself that these wolves had power, but neither of them had power over her... yet.

Deteste dipped his crown once again in acknowledgement of Cormalin's statement. After pausing to mirror Cormalin's smile with his own toothsome grin Deteste spoke again, Indeed I am. Though his identity had been revealed to his company De still made no move, nor had any desire, to assert his rank. He retained his humble stance and retained his friendly and casual affect. In the few moments that they had met Deteste knew that he liked Cormalin. The scars across his maw implied that he was a warrior, most likely a much more virtuous one than Deteste had been in his youth. Deteste felt respect for the Valhalla beta and in turn a greater respect for the Valhalla. A true alliance for the Ludicael.



Straying from these thoughts Deteste returned his attention to the travel worn woman aside him. He could sense her discomfort and understood it. Before Deteste had joined the Ludicael he had been alone for two years and had never before been a part of a unified, friendly body of other wolves. It took months until he was confident enough to meet the other members but when that confidence was found his life took a great change. He hoped that Meili would find her own confidence in time. And it is nice to meet you, my lady. He spoke, timbre gentle. In an attempt to comfort the distressed wolveness De sat slowly upon the frozen earth, rump touching to the sod without a thump. His forelimbs splayed forward of him in a lazy stretch and scraped the snow as they retracted.



Deteste understood that he had, somewhat awkwardly, walked into a Valhalla claim in progress. Cormalin was quite forward in his business and Deteste was surprised to find such hesitation in Meili's glance. He found himself increasingly curious of the lady's history but he would not press her farther than she had already been pressed by Cormalin. It was not Deteste's fashion nonetheless. He preferred to open relationships with friendship not with membership. But Cormalin had done no wrong on his part and Deteste admired the man's dedication to kindness. Are you hungry, Meili? He inquired, sharply changing the subject of conversation for the sake of the troubled girl.

Cormalin

Meili?s reaction to Detestes arrival wasn?t as pronounced as her reaction to his own approach. A slight smile tugged at the corners of his maw as she gave a polite greeting to Deteste?s introduction. Her answer to his own question had been a nod, and she had seemed to be about to answer vocally when Deteste had arrived. The hesitation he could understand. If she had only ever been a rogue all her life, with the only experience of a pack being horrible, then joining a pack, any pack, would be a big step. And not a little frightening, he thought sympathetically. He had to give her praise for her courage though. Deteste?s reply to Cormalin?s inquiry brought a smile to the older male?s face, and he answered Deteste with a wider smile. ?I?ve heard that your Territory is a beautiful place. Perhaps someday our packs will have a meet? It?s good to see new places. Valhalla is a land of plains and patches of forest. Beautiful place, but I have never seen a mangrove in my life..? Mismatched eyes twinkled with good humor as he allowed Deteste to veer the subject away from possible joining of either pack. ?A hunt does sound good. As long as it?s not rabbits. I?ll leave those to younger and faster wolves.? He smiled to Meili. Her light frame and long legs were perfect for hunting bunnies.

The teal eyed fea blinked with surprise at Deteste's question. She felt like it came out of left field, but it was good to get her mind off the issue of joining a pack for a moment. It helped her feel a little more at ease with them and reminded her that they were still just wolves, even if they did hold important positions. At the mention of a hunt and talk of food, it reminded her of the hollow feeling in her stomach. She had no problem catching food for herself, but she had failed to find any yesterday and hadn't had a chance to today. She gave a little nod to Deteste and added, "Yes, I suppose I am." Meili caught Cormalin's smile and returned it with a soft chuckle. She had eaten her fair share of rabbits in her time. In fact they made up most of her diet, with the occasional fish or other small animal thrown in, depending on where she was at the time. She hardly ever had deer or other larger animals, since she couldn't really bring them down on her own and there was no need for her to kill such a large animal just for herself to eat. "Rabbits aren't so bad, If you can catch them," she told him with a little grin. Her ears folded back and she hunkered down a little as a particularly strong gust of winter wind blew through, ruffling her fur and sending a chill to her bones. She gave a small shiver and shook her fur back into place when the wind died down again. The small multi-hued wolf sighed and looked at the two brutes again, considering her options carefully. She did want to join a pack, she had already decided this. But now that there was two wolves from two different packs here, did she have to pick? Did they pick for her? She didn't know how all of this was supposed to work. If she was going to chose, she would probably go with Cormalin... It wasn't that she didn't like Deteste, she just had to go with her instinct and something was telling her that was the right choice. "So, like I was telling Cormalin," she said, "I think I am interested in joining a pack... I've never even tried to be in a pack though, so I don't know what I'm supposed to do next." "Speech."

Deteste's heart and affect warmed as the conversation turned to his home, the Lover's Mangrove. He could speak a novel of the mangroves and he was especially excited to see them in spring for he was not sure what changes would come in such a tropical place. When I joined the Ludicael I had never seen anything like the mangroves in my life. It was a great change but I would not be happier in any other place. And it would be wonderful to have your company Cormalin. Deteste could not solidly describe why he had taken such a quick liking to the man before him but he sincerely hoped that he would visit and with the new alliance between the packs there was certain to be an event where they would meet again.


He smiled, chuckling deeply at Cormalin's joke. He was unsure how close they were in age but as of now Deteste was still able to catch small game. It was strange to know that, in time, age would wither his strength. He preferred not to think of it now and turned to Meili who had pulled the subject back to pack business. Deteste's teeth were pulled beneath his lips as his smile softened. He paused to clear his throat before he spoke again. It will be new and you will be challenged Meili. I have been there. It will come naturally and in time you will be a confident part of Valhalla. I could not recommend a better place to be. his timbre was earnest and he turned to Cormalin to offer him a subtle wink. Unfolding his haunches as he did so. He would leave the two to their business, it had not been his intention to walk in on such a thing but he was grateful to have met part of Valhalla's leadership and he was hopeful to have more interactions in the future.


If you will excuse me, I have pressing business to attend to., he spoke, beginning to turn southward of their location, Cormalin. I hold you to your offer. He nodded towards the beta, a bow of goodbye before turning his back and walking into the distance.

"speech"

Cormalin

Deteste warmed greatly at the mention of his pack lands, talking about his first times in Ludicael, seeing the mangroves. He understood the feeling that he would never be happy anywhere else. Valhalla was his place, and he was proud to be the Beta there. ?I would be honored to visit.? He dipped his head with a smile. Cormalin smiled as Meili admitted she was hungry, asking playfully, ?Have you ever tried beaver? Rich and fatty, excellent for Winter hunting, but tricky since they?re mostly aquatic and can deal nasty bites with those front teeth. They make the most unusual noises, as well.? Her little chuckle at his remark about rabbits made his heavy tail wave lightly in a wag. Her reply made him grin, and wink. ?That?s the catch there. ?If?. I haven?t managed to catch one since I was four, and that was four years ago. I stick to slow prey now.? He noticed her shiver as the wind gusted, and stepped inconspicuously into the path of the wind to act as wall against the cold. Gentle concern glinted in his eyes as he studied her. As she shook it off, he smiled, tail wagging gently as she looked at him and Deteste. Then she spoke to Deteste. The blue eyed black male?s reply made the Valhallan Beta smile. He agreed wholly with the Ludicael wolf. Until he said it like she?d already joined Valhalla. Cormalin tilted his head slightly at Deteste, questioning, catching the wink. And as Deteste excused himself, Cormalin understood. Deteste was giving Cormalin the field, and the chance to claim the young female to Valhalla?s protection and family. Cormalin smiled. ?And I will honor my offer. Walk safely, and may Luna be with you, Deteste.? He dipped his head and watched the Ludicael Alpha leave. After a moment, he turned his mismatched gaze to Meili. ?Would you like me to explain about packs and ranks? They can vary from pack to pack. Some name their ranks differently. It?s good knowledge to have, should you not wish to live within Valhalla. And I want you to think carefully and be sure that you want to be in the pack you choose before you join them.? He genuinely cared for the young female. He didn?t want to hear that she had joind a pack, and become unhappy there.

Cormalin blocking the wind from her didn't go unnoticed by the timber-colored fea. She gave him a grateful smile so he would know she appreciated the gesture. Her ears perked up to listen to the blue eyed brute as he gave his recommendation for the other wolf's pack, Valhalla. If wolves from other packs were willing to give good remarks for another pack, that pack must really be a good place to be. She nodded gratefully to Deteste and watched as he made his leave before turning her gaze back to Cormalin. He seemed very kind and she couldn't help but wondering if the rest of his pack behaved as kindly. If even half of the wolves that lived with him were this nice then she knew she could be happy there. She listened to his offer to explain some things about the pack to her and she nodded eagerly in response. "Yes, I would like that very much." She was relieved, really. She had no knowledge whatsoever on packs or pack life, much less their ranks or what it meant to be in that rank. She had no interest in being in a high rank like Cormalin was in, but she thought knowing what they were and what they did was useful information. "Speech."

Cormalin

He returned her grateful smile, and when she nodded and accepted his offer to elaborate on pack ranks he nodded, and started off across the field, in such a way as to keep the wind from blasting the small female. ?I?ll begin with Valhalla?s Ranks. We have the most simple and most common rank names, Alpha, Beta, Heir, Delta, and so on. Those are the higher ranked wolves. Chrysanthe is Valhalla?s Alpha female, and currently we haven?t got an Alpha male. Myself and a white female named Aislyn are the Betas of Valhalla. We can fill in as Alphas if need be, Aislyn even filled in for Cairo, Chrysanthe?s sire when he was Alpha of Valhalla. Azalea is our Heir. When it comes time for Chrysanthe to step down. The Alpha status will go to Azalea. ?Now, a male named Thane is our Delta, a trusted member of Valhalla, and he has a great deal of good advice and wisdom. Now I?ll move on to the lead hunter, healer, and warriors. Our Lead Healer, or Theta, is my own sister, Erani. She?s white, beautiful, and has our mother?s blue eyes, but a shade darker. You?ll know her if you see her, should you choose Valhalla as your home. She?s the best healer in the packs, in a lot of wolves? opinions.? He winked at Meili. Then he went on, tail waving as if to embellish his narrative of the Valhallan ranking and the wolves that made up the ranks. ?Next is our Lead Hunter, or Psi, Ashtoreth. She?s a sweet wolf, grey with lovely eyes. The start as gold at the centers, then turn to amethyst. She?s a fine hunter, and keeps us well fed, with help from those who join her to hunt large prey. ?We haven?t got a Lead Warrior, or Digamma, yet. My personal nomination for the place would be Erani?s mate, Nova. He?s not at all ambitious though. Our Gammas, upper warriors, and Etas, Regular healers, are Ookami, Morgan, and Nova, then Rayne and Soleil, and Preston, but he?s been absent for a very long time. Then there are the Epsilons, who are regular members without a set rank, or pups. Then, Omega. The punished ones. These wolves have no rank whatsoever, but they aren?t abused, nor hurt unnecessarily. Now, that?s Valhalla?s ranks. We have Allies, Ludicael, Glaciem, and Seracia. Seracia is Kingdom ranked, King, Queen, Princesses and Princes and so on. Their current King is Gerhardt Matthias. His son Maverick will take the throne after him, with Chrysanthe?s sister, Epiphron taking her place by his side as Queen. Seracia will be well off with them. Ludicael is ranked with celestial names, so far as I?ve heard. I?ll have to ask Deteste next time I see him. ?Glaciem is the northern Pack. Their Alphas are called Chiefs,, Betas are Betas, and then there are the Braves, or Warriors. And Healers are called just that. I?ve heard they have a bear with them. Valhalla has a horse named Obsidian, so I can?t say that at all surprises me. Obsidian is friendly, but happily does her best to train as a warrior. I met her when the mountain in the old land erupted and packs were fleeing. No matter what I tried, she stayed with me, and I ended up bringing her to Valhalla, and surprisingly, they let her stay. She?s grown on me over the seasons.? Mismatched eyes rolled up to the sky, tail flicking slightly with embarrassment. Not many wolves would accept a horse as a friend instead of a meal, and fewer still would admit to liking one as a friend. But Obsidian had won a lot of hearts in Valhalla. He had a feeling Chrysanthe actually quite adored the mare. Obsidian was faithful to the end, and fiercely ready to defend her friends. However, he wasn?t at all embarrassed to admit that Obsidian was a friend. But he did wonder. How would the mare feel when the wolves she had befriended grew old and died while she grew slowly? He knew she would have a longer lifespan than the wolves. And he wasn?t young. Mismatched gaze dropped to Meili. ?What would you like to know next??

Meili got to her paws and followed Cormalin as he walked toward what she assumed was his home territory, toward Valhalla. She padded alongside him, graciously letting him block most of the wind from her, while she listened carefully to his detailed explanations of Valhalla and their allies. It was an overwhelming amount of information that she knew there was no way she was going to remember the first time around, but she tried her best. She at least thought she caught all of the names of the ranks, even if she didn't quite remember the names of the wolves attached to them. Meili did happen to catch that a large number of wolves in Valhalla and apparently even a few in other packs were a part of his family and in higher positions. She didn't know if that was a coincidence or what, but it did make her respect his family. Surely they wouldn't be in these positions if they didn't earn them. She blinked at him with surprise when he mentioned one of Valhalla's members being a horse. It was hard for her to believe that they actually had a horse not only as a friend, but as a loyal member. She had no reason not to believe her new friend and guessed stranger things had happened. When he finally finished up the first part of his lesson on the packs she chuckled and blinked at him. "Well, that's certainly a lot of information! It sounds like Valhalla is huge with all the wolves you just listed off. Are all the packs that big? I can't imagine there being that many wolves in Alacritis. And how many packs are there in all? Are you allies with all of them?" "Speech."

Cormalin

He grinned at her surprised blink when he mentioned Obsidian, pausing to sink onto his haunches. To her next question, he smiled. ?No, not all the packs are as large as Valhalla. From what I can tell, Valhalla may be the largest pack, but I believe that our numbers are still going to grow. We have many pups, including my nieces and nephews.? He regarded the question about alliances. ?Unfortunately, no. But we have a truce with Tortuga that if their members don?t harass our members, the courtesy will be returned in kind. They are the only pack that we aren?t firmly allied with yet. A lot of wolves tend to think that Tortuga is dark and evil, but in truth, they?ve never declared war on us, nor have they ever done us harm. They prefer to stay off to the side lines. Some of their members aren?t as neutral, but we haven?t too much trouble with them.? Powerful shoulders rolled in the semblance of a shrug. ?I believe there are six packs in all. Valhalla, Glaciem, Tortuga, Amenti, Seracia, and Ludicael.? His full tail thumped the earth as he smiled at her.

Meili stopped and sat back on her haunches as well, sitting across from him. She listened like any good pupil to everything he said, taking all the information in. It was impressive to have the largest, and still growing, pack, but it kind of scared Meili a little. She had no idea if she would be comfortable around so many wolves at once, but she guessed she would find out! The whole pack situation was almost like trial and error. There was no way she was going to know if she liked any of it till she actually experienced it. When he listed off the names of the packs she repeated them silently to herself. Valhalla, Glaciem, Tortuga, Amenti, Seracia, and Ludicael. She thought that might be helpful information later on so she wanted to be sure she remembered them. Along with the fact that Tortuga wasn't always a friend. The small fea returned his smile and her tail wagged behind her as well. He really was very nice and she hoped again that everyone in Valhalla was as nice as him. But all the information he had for her was overwhelming and her brain was still reeling from it. She needed some time to think and absorb everything that Cormalin had told her. Her teal gaze found his two-toned eyes and she asked, "I really think I want to join Valhalla. Or at least try. I'm not sure why, but something is telling me that I should and I always believe my instincts." She hesitated and continued, "But this is a lot to take in, you know? It's a little overwhelming. Could I take some time, sleep on it? As soon as I'm sure I'll come find your territory and let you know." She waited anxiously to hear his answer. "Speech."

Cormalin

Cormalin could see that Meili was absorbing the information he gave. Like his sister, he?d been given training in reading the body and face, and in how t wipe one?s own body of expression. That ploy was Erani?s specialty. During a spar, even when they were pups, once she had mastered that trick, her sparring partner was hard pressed to predict her next move. He liked that Meili was considering Valhalla, and her next words confirmed his readings. He could understand her following addition to those words. Cormalin nodded, smiling. ?Of course. Take all the time you need.? He rose and turned toward the west, and slightly south. Gesturing with his nose, he spoke. ?That way is where Valhalla is located. If a white female with blue eyes and an interesting accent answers your call, that will be Aislyn. Show the strength you have, but be respectful, she can be grouchy at times, but she is a good Beta. If a white female with a dark brown face and blue eyes answers, that is our Alpha, Chrysanthe. Let them know that I think you?ll fit in well, and told you where to go if you choose Valhalla.? Full tail wagged lightly. His ears pricked at a distant, familiar call. Erani. ?That will be Erani. Looks like it?s uncle duties for me.? He grinned, looking forward to it. Turning to Meili, he bowed his head. ?Walk safely, Meili. I hop to see you in our family soon.? It was an earnest hope. He liked her bravery. With a friendly brush of his tail toward her shoulder, he took off at a smooth lope. He felt that he?d been successful in his first claiming in the long run. -Exit Cormalin!-

Meili felt a certain relief when Cormalin easily agreed to her taking some time before joining his pack, not that she felt like he wouldn't. It was a big step for the loner and he seemed to understand that. She looked off in the distance where he pointed, committing the direction to memory since she felt like she would be heading that way soon. She nodded and tried her best to remember the names and descriptions of the wolves that might greet her should she go to join, just so she would know who to expect. Her ears perked at the sound of a howl, Cormalin apparently recognizing the voice. Meili gave him an easy smile and said, "You walk safely as well, Cormalin!" as he turned to head back to his home. She watched him trot off for several moments, feeling much more hopeful about her future than she had before. Suddenly she had somewhere she might could live, she might have a home. She wouldn't have to be on the run all the time. It was a lovely feeling, that warm hope that spread through her and made her smile. She stood again, getting in a good stretch and shaking out her fur before turning toward the nearest wood to find something to eat before she journeyed toward Valhalla. -exit meili- "Speech."