travel brought him to the west of this new land, and Holland wasn't sure what to think about it. the dry landscape was littered with greenery in a few places, especially here at this valley. he'd have no trouble finding the herbs he needed to build an excellent cache but the problem was that this was some pack's land. no stranger to communities, he'd march the length before the scent-line with intent in his pale gaze. he was a simple wolf and it'd been a year since he walked with others. maybe this was some blessing in disguise. if he could work here, learn here, he'd have no trouble. it was only a matter of if they'd take him.

lifting his head, the young man would call for the alpha or leader or whatever the hell the person called themselves. he had no prior knowledge and maybe it was risky to ask for an audience but whatever. you only lived once. today was as good as any day to die. he'd done nothing wrong. his paws were firmly before the pack's lands, not over. and if they didn't take him, he'd go somewhere else. it wasn't like a pack couldn't use more healers anyway. between the heat and the coming cold months, his craft would be in demand. he only hoped to learn the foliage here before that time came. he couldn't exactly heal without herbs. what, did they expect him to grow mold along his back to harvest?

but wouldn't that be something? for now, he'd left his bottom grace the ground as he sat. waiting for anyone to approach.

It seemed Lirim's borders were bustling lately. Or at least, this time it was at the borders. Rags had been one helluva strange creature, and she wondered if this newcomer was just as strange. She had to admit, Rags kept her pretty-boring-life-so-far from getting boring, so she supposed it wouldn't be so bad if the stranger at the border was just as strange as rags...right? She abandoned her fruitless search for something to do and decided to meet whoever was at the border. While she had no authority to accept anyone, she didn't think Torin would mind if she went to check out who it was. Knowing the territory like the back of her paw, she moved with a quick and easy stride towards where she heard the caller. It didn't take her too long, and when she saw a brown form come into view, she kept her eyes on it. Her intention was to try and study them and figure out if they'd be a weirdo or someone normal. If normal was a thing, that was. As she drew closer, she noted that it was a male and...quite a handsome one at that. There weren't any other males in the pack besides ones she was related to, or Frostbite's kids. To say she was relieved and glad to see another male around Lirim was a total understatement. But...she couldn't get her hopes up yet, could she? After all, she didn't know if he was joining or stopping by for something else. "Hi! Welcome to Lirim, what're you here for?" Okay, maybe not the most...polite greeting someone would use when someone came to visit, but she wasn't the alpha so formalities weren't a huge thing for her. Besides, she wasn't really the formal type, either. "Speak"

another being would make the approach. Holland picked up the distinctive scent of female on the wind as she appeared. the russet-black woman approached him in a friendly manner, even, and gave the name of this pack. "Lirim" he repeated softly, knowing not if this wolf could even accept him into the community. she looked confident, but he wondered if she held sway here. or did just the alphas accept wolves, and no one else could? he could live with that; he wasn't a very social creature and if someone came asking to join anywhere he was... well, he'd be second guessing.

nobody should count on him to make pack decisions. he had no experience with giving orders, only following them. though he was quick to be gruff and strict toward patients who didn't rightly follow his advice. he was only trying to help. "I'm here to join. Lirim" the man went on after his brief silence. he held her mismatched gaze as he continued his words. "my name is Holland and my trade is a healer." he kept it simple enough for the woman. if she wasn't able to accept him into the pack, she could easily repeat his words to who could.

It seemed his response time was slagging, his worries only multiplying as Derecho got closer and closer to her due date and he was busy running around fetching food and nesting materials and any else Derecho told him was needed or that he figured might be needed. But the pack life wasn't going to just wait for him and his kids, no it seemed the world would keep turning as he tried to will it to stand still. So when the call for him rose up along the borders of the valley he'd been among the willows, grabbing moss to help line the den with. He stopped off briefly at his den to give his mate her bedding and then picked up his pace to meet the stranger that called for him. He saw his sister already there and he felt his lips quirk up in a slight smile, happy to see Kairi seemed to be taking more intiative lately. He rose up beside his smaller sister, easily dwarfing her and even the stranger before them. He caught the last few statements of the stranger. Seemed he could skip a step. "Greetings Holland." He said, dipping his head at the stranger but kept his stance more dominant. His position clear in his raised tail. "I am Torin, Kalin or Alpha of Lirim. This is my sister Kairi." He passed his gaze over the man, then sought to meet his gaze. "We could always use more healers." He would be happy to have more healers among his members, after Novel and Ara they were woefully unequipped and he knew it was vitally important to have someone to help train the two yearlings in his pack who'd showed interest in the art. "However I'd like to know a bit more about you first if you do not mind." He gladly offered up information about Lirim in exchange but he wasn't about to blindly accept anyone into the pack. "Silent Treatment" & Deep thoughts

Ears perked when she heard the stranger repeat back the name. Yeah, duh. She just said it didn't she? Maybe his memory sucked and he needed to repeat it for his own sake, whatever the case. He was silent for a while after that before evidently cutting straight to the chase. He was here to join. Lirim. That was his business and she should have guessed. Why else would a loner approach the borders? Though she was of no rank to accept new members into the pack, she hoped Torin would be here soon. As far as she knew, he was the only member in the pack that could accept anyone. She didn't mind but at the same time she did. What with his new family coming into the world soon, she was sure he would appreciate some help so he could focus on them. But that wasn't something she would discuss, it wasn't really her forte. She would help where she could and bug her brother to accept others when they came. "My name is Holland and my trade is a healer." A healer huh? Well the pack could certainly use one or two or a few of those. The only healers she knew they had up and disappeared a while back, and she was vaguely aware that one or two of her kids was interested in the role but nobody really knew anything to teach them. The other healers passed away recently, so they didn't have anyone to teach them anything let alone handle things if something happened that required the skills of a healer. "A healer huh? Well I'm sure my brother will be happy to hear that," Speaking of which, her attention turned away from Holland for a moment as her brother approached. He stood by her as he spoke, her attention returning to Mr. Serious again. "And I'm Kairi, he can accept you. Probably." Her lips turned up in the slyest of grins. It wasn't often she got to tease a stranger looking to join. Walk, "Talk" Think

it wasn't long before the head honcho arrived. this one was serious or trying to be serious, cutting to the chase quite easily. Holland appreciated that. he wasn't going to stand here doing nothing, chatting with this woman on someone else's land. it wasn't exactly a great first impression to be had. his blue eyes flickered away from the woman to the alpha. it'd be stupid to ask this man, this Torin, what he wanted to know. clearly, they needed the stranger to tell more about himself. "there's not much to tell" he'd reply easily enough, shrugging. "I'm self-taught but serious about my craft. I came here alone. whoever was my kin are in another land, far far away" his eyes went to Kairi as she told him Torin could "probably" accept him into Lirim. her own mismatched eyes were full of amusement, and he resisted a scoff. this was a serious position he was in. he couldn't afford to make mistakes and play her game. maybe later. maybe when there was less at stake. he gave her a wary grin. "Lirim's the first pack I came upon." he may be an open book, but there wasn't a lot written on his pages. "I suppose I could bore you with my people's customs and how I was exiled for taking an interest in healing" the grin turned to a grimace as he addressed Torin "I have no interest in wars or conflict, sir. all I want to do is study, learn and assist other people if they accept it."

Torin listened as Holland spoke, easily slipping into his impassive mask. Dual toned gaze running over the man again, nodding as Holland mentioned being self-taught. The man was young, but no younger than his nieces and nephews he'd guess, and they were adults now, and Torin wasn't about to turn away anyone with any sort of understanding of these skills. The man kept talking and Torin shook his head. "Your secrets are your own." He cast a quick glance at his sister very much aware she seemed to be amused about something, "I only care to know if something could pose a thread to the pack." Torin shifted slightly, suddenly also very aware of his sister. He hadn't had a chance to talk to most anyone about the changes he'd been rolling around in his head. "We're not particularly interested in war either, but Lirim strives to be a place of refuge and a home for anyone looking to study their craft. Provided you pull your weight you'll be allowed to do and go as you wish. But try not to stir up any trouble." Torin cast another glance at his sister and gave her a slight smile but also gave her a look that told her not to say anything. "If that works for you I'd like to accept you into Lirim and grant you the rank of Nutrix, a healer." "Silent Treatment" & Deep thoughts

She sat back and listened to the exchange between Holland and her brother, though she couldn't say she was particularly interested in any of it. This dude was as dull as the pack was most of the time, not that she blamed either of them. Her mother had started the pack years ago. Made a safe haven for those with nowhere to go and who wanted peace...but lately...she'd been getting tired of it. She wanted more, and she wasn't quite sure how to attain that. She was a warrior, or wanted to be...but there was almost literally nothing that required the need for her type of rank. Still, she listened quietly as Torin offered the man the rank of a healer. She was curious though, why he was exiled for being interested in healing. Maybe she could pry that story out of him later. Her brother had glanced at her with a small smile, her eyes narrowing just the slightest bit. Was he implying something there? She couldn't help the smirk that broke past, but whatever the case she didn't say anything on the matter. The only trouble they had had been from within the pack, and she had a couple specific name on her tongue but she refrained from saying anything. Besides...she hadn't seen them around for a while, anyway. Turning her gaze to Holland, she smiled "Welcome to Lirim, Holland. I'm sure you'll find it pretty easy to fit in." She stood and turned to her brother then, "I'm gonna...I dunno, probably patrol or something." She dipped her head to Holland real quick before turning and heading off deeper into the territory. -exit- "Speak"

his secrets were his own. good. if he had to say what happened, he'd just get annoyed and throw a fit. it was hard being away from everything you knew. he was putting a lot of faith in these wolves. Torin would go on to accept him into the pack, giving him the rank of a healer. "I accept the rank" Holland replied, secretly grateful he wouldn't have to explain himself to the Lirim wolves. maybe in due time. Kairi, probably bored with the whole mess (or maybe he had no confidence in keeping someone amused), announced she was leaving. he'd blink at her as she departed before turning back to the alpha. there was no point keeping her here if she didn't want to be. he could have asked to join her, seeing as he was a Lirim wolf now, but his interests didn't lie there anymore with patrolling and fighting. "thanks. both of you" he'd add, loud enough for the departing woman to disappear. he'd dip his head to Torin. "I'll... do my best." thoroughly done with the conversation, Holland waited to be dismissed by the alpha. or the alpha to leave him to his own devices. he wasn't sure how these wolves did things. it'd be rude even for him to dismiss himself when he was just accepted in.