Walk | Talk | Think Because of the new lives that were nestled inside of his pack land, and because he was a paranoid, overprotective parent, Rune was back out scouting the territories that sat just beside his. At least one border he could have been sure of to be safe - the new pack to the south of Secretua, newly christened Donostrea, was keeping true to their word about causing no trouble and keeping to themselves - but the rest were uncertainties and potential dangers. And since the grey Guardian could have neither around his growing family he took it upon himself to go beyond his borders to inspect further. He started just north of where his territories of the Fern Gulley and the Algoma Prairie met, leading him straight into the distrusting hills north of his pack lands. They had never played tricks on him as he knew they were customary of doing, but he had felt the tremors from a distance. Being caught in the middle of an earthquake the likes of which took place here was nothing he was keen on experiencing, and he hoped his young children knew well enough not to wander off in this direction. But despite the land's unpredictability, he was looking for dangers of an animal sort, other creatures or canines that would have posed threats to Secretua. So far the coast was clear as he padded swiftly along, his dark paws carrying the grey wolf with purpose, but his frosty blue eyes continued to look about searchingly, not altogether trusting the location or those that might have been sheltered in it.

The man had been in the middle of of the land when the trimmers of a quake had begun. The ground shaking beneath his paws had frightened him as he had never been through an earthquake before. Yet rather than running away in panick as a pup would, he looked around and made his way away from the trembling earth. He had gone quite a ways away from where he had previously stood only to spot another, larger, male than himself. At first glance Ravine had the urge to run back the way he came but instead moved forward. He didnt really know where he was or who this male was. He didnt know if this man would attack him or simply be cautious as he would be. There was only one way to find out, and that would be to approach him. Slowly and with caution, Ravine would walk toward the grey and black man. "May I ask were this is and who you are?" he would ask respectfully though his tone would be tainted with caution . Speech,

Walk | Talk | Think Rune's quiet inspection of the hillside was interrupted by the sight of another wolf treading through the area, and as soon as Rune's eyes alighted on the male he fixed his attention on him. Not a pup, no, but a grown, dark colored male, seemingly moving without a direct purpose if his wandering pace seemed any indication. A rogue the grey wolf deduced, and though there was a part of him that simply wanted to continue on without further interaction than simply spying the stranger from afar there was another part of Rune's mind that was curious. It had been some time since Secretua had welcomed its last new member into the ranks... To his surprise, the stranger spotted him as well, and rather than turn or keep himself away at a distance the dark colored wolf drifted closer, looking a little nervous or at least wary. Rune slowed his purposeful gait and eventually stopped, holding himself with the status and authority that he could never quite shake even beyond his pack lands, and let the stranger come to him with his questions. Definitely a rogue, he confirmed. "This is the Barren Hills, of the south," he responded, his gruff tone direct but lacking in its typical defensive quality. They were still far from Secretua's border; the dangers here were slightly less, and this wolf had not given reason for the large grey male to believe him a threat. "I come from Secretua, a pack in this area," he added, purposefully avoiding specifics about the pack's location, "Rune Kaname, Secretua's Guardian." He did not question the other male directly, but he continued to watch him closely, expecting introductions of his own to follow.

So far the male had not reacted badly to his presence. Instead he would answer the questions that were askked of him. First telling informingg him of were he had wandered into and then where he came from and who he was. Based on the way the man was holding himself and the way he spoke of his pack, Ravine would guess that Guardian meant Alpha. The look on Rune's face when he had finished speaking was one Ravine knew well.  So he would comply. "I am Ravine Tsarve. I was born to Valhalla and left with no home when it fell. I was onee of their hunters." his tone would be proud but sad at the mention off his own pack. Though he was talking with Rune with a seemingly comfortable attitude,  his guard would not be let down. He did not yet trust this Guardian of Secretua. Besides that, he had been left, lied to and chased away too many times to trust a stranger as easily as he once had. His ears would swivel a few times to see if he could hear anyone else and he would also glance around every once in a while. He hated being a loner as ge was an awful warrior,  it made it quite a bit more dangerous to be a loaner and even more so since he was actually alone. For now he would keephis fiting skills, or lack there of, to himself. Speech,

Walk | Talk | Think The wolf seemed to pick up on what he waited for and did not delay going into introducing himself for the Guardian. Ravine Tsarev. Not a name that he could claim to know, but as the stranger proceeded to talk about his history and relations with the packs of years before Rune felt his attention become fixed on one word. Valhalla. There were still wolves who claimed lineage from that pack? Rune was admittedly surprised. He had supposed Erani and her family were all that was left of them, but could he have been wrong? His brow furrowed, though it lacked its typical distaste. Instead it masked his curiosity. "So was my mate," Rune stated matter-of-factly, "while we lived there. We left long before they fell." They were lucky for that too, though it was still a sore point with him. It had been his family to steal their home after all. It was those same high respect and guilt over his own blood destroying their home that soothed the anger and natural distrust that lurked within the Guardian's conscience, and he sighed quietly. "Where do you stay now?" he asked.

The seconds between his reply and that of Runes reaction were agonizing. He hadnt known whether or not the man had been a friend to his birth pack or an enemy. Before his words came Ravine had been ready to bolt, after Ravines ears would perk up and directly toward Rune. He he hadnt ever expected to see another from Valhalla again. There had been too many Valhallans at one point in time to know all of them. Wolves came and left other s dindt leave until they were forced to either because they had died or because the apha had banne them. This had to be one wolf he hadnt gotten the pleasure of meeting. He would give a small nod to the fact that they had left before Valhalla's fall. "Regrettably I wasnt there either. I had been out tracking deer for a few days and when I returned with a fawn in towe everyone was gone." He tried to hide some of the pain in his features, but not all of it. His pack mates had needed him and he hadnt been there to help them. It was only when Rune asked him where he currently stayed that the black and white man would pull himself away from that self loathing. "Right now, were ever I can find an empty den I wont get chased out of." Speech,

Walk | Talk | Think Ravine's story did not sound like a very pleasant one, though Rune felt his own curiosity and suspicions grow. He had always supposed Valhalla to have been a strong and sustainable pack, and had suspected the place within the west where they heralded from to be bountiful and capable of feeding those within their borders. What must have happened to drive their hunters beyond their borders so that they would miss the call to arms and the subsequent loss that the pack faced in the aftermath of that fight? He wished not to be suspicious or distrusting, but Rune's calculating mind was simply not something that would sit still when presented with any tidbit of information. Still, he was not sure the kind of expression that the dark colored male expressed could have been construed on the spot. There was a certain unshakable honesty that seemed to be an identifier of the Valhallan pack, and he suspected that was what he was seeing here too. They were soft in that sense, too honest for their own good. Perhaps that was what Viridiana had exploited when she had targeted them he wondered, though very quickly he banished the thought. Understanding Viridiana was not something he wished to do; he was done with that side of his family. Their motives no longer mattered. Which left him free to decide what it was he was going to do about this rogue Valhallan traipsing so close to his home. A part of him was still unconvinced that this wolf would prove to be an asset or if he would prove to be as helpful as Freyr had been. The last thing he needed was to take in another wolf only to have them desert the pack at the first sign of being put to work for their community. But at the same time, he had his own unmistakable soft spot for those associated with the pack that had taken such good care of his mate before she had officially become his... "Do you have interests in joining a pack?" Rune questioned, angling his head to peer somewhat sidelong at the male through his narrowed blue stare. Secretua still did need more Hunters. And Scouts. And Guards. Hell, they needed more numbers, period. A poor leader he would have been to simply turn away a stranger for only a suspicion if he would be willing to pull his weight.

After giving his story, Ravine could see the scepticism in the Alpha's features and felt the need to explain why he had gone do far from his pack but no questions relating to his huntinng trip had been asked so he would bite back his words instead of blerting them out. For a while it would seem as though they were both examining one another and then a question would be spoken. Was Rune asking him if he wanted to join Secretua. Now it was Ravines turn to be a bit sceptical as he had been offered a position in a pack before only to be ignored at the boarder. He didnt want that to hhappen again but he would never join another pack if he didnt try. A nod would be given as he gave the man another examination. He seemed to bbe sincere in his question but so had the woman in her offer. Though trust would be an earned thing on both ends Ravine was willing to give it a shot. "I am interested in joining a pack. Ill hunt ill train to fight, though im not very good at it. Hell I would even be willing to learn the healers trade." his voice would hold nothing but honesty. He hated being alone and was ready to do anything to have a new family and friends. Speech,

Walk | Talk | Think It seemed they were both similar in their suspicions. They had both trusted before, been given something they needed and wanted to see work, and had it fall through. They might not have been about the same thing, but they could both see something here, a potential for comfort and assistance, and though both were wary neither were so wary to turn away completely. It was too big a risk for Rune to take, to potentially miss out on gaining another asset for his pack, for him to let his natural pessimistic attitude get in the way of his decisions as leader of Secretua. And, as he reminded himself, he would never know if it would work out unless he gave the wolf a chance to prove himself. Ravine did not volunteer the information about what he was capable and willing to do for a pack with much enthusiasm, still sounding a bit hesitant though he made it clear he was willing to do whatever was necessary, but there was still that tone of honesty in it that Rune appreciated and admired. Maybe they both needed to be taught to trust and to see from the proof of their actions that it would all work out in their favor in the end. "Secretua is still looking for able bodies willing to work for their keep," he stated, straightening a little as he resigned himself to making his offer. "So long as contributions are made, we'll consider you one of our own." It seemed like such a simple trade; how had he found so few willing to agree to it? Getting caught up on past thoughts was going to get him nowhere in the here and now, however, and he did his best to not let his thoughts wandered down paths better left alone. "Would you be interested?"

Yep, offering him a place within Secretua had been exactly what Rune had been doing. He made it very clear with his last words spoken. 'Secretua is still looking for able bodies willing to work for their keep' Ravine almost couldnt believe him. There had to be more wolves out there who were more able and just as willing as himself, yet the man had straightened as if to say he werent lieing. 'So long as contributions are made, we'll consider you one of our own.' the words could have been spoken like Ravine had already accepted some kind of proposal but they werent as Rune had at the very end of his words asked him if he would be interested. Aqua optics would stare at the alpha for a moment as he tried to pick out anything that would mean thhat he was being lied to. But there was nothing. Finally Ravine would nod his head. He was wary of this man and his offer but he couldnt turn it down. He couldnt be alone anymore. "Yes, ill join Secretua. And I meant what I said, ill do what ever it takes to be a good allie. Speech,

Walk | Talk | Think The rogue Ravine withheld his decision for a moment as if fully considering his options, and with his gaze fixed on the black and white-marked male Rune gave him his needed time. It was not an easy decision, joining a pack, and in no way did he want to rush it. The last thing he wanted was to bring the male in only to have him decide a week after staying that he had made the wrong decision and then leave after. Or worse: to have him say nothing and then find later that he had left without a word. Such actions had already happened more than enough times, and Rune was not ready for a repeat of those events. With patience, he let the ex-Vahallan think. When he did finally answer, it was with a positive, affirmative statement that he would join. While it was a relief to the Guardian, it was only half of the battle. Now came the hard part: helping him find his niche in the pack where he would bring them all the most benefit. Rune nodded his head once in confirmation, his mind busy at work. "Very well. Consider yourself a Secretuan, Ravine," he stated by way of welcoming to the wolf to his pack and into their ranks. "Our pack lands lie that way," he explained, turning to gesture with a motion of his muzzle to the southeast where he knew home waited for them, "within the Fern Gulley and Algoma Prairie. I'll take you there now and show you a little of the place. And since you've been a Hunter before, I'd like to place you in that rank, but feel free to help in any way you can." There was more he wanted to say, more that he could have gone on to explain about his small pack, but that seemed enough for now. Once Ravine settled in, there would be plenty of time later to go into all the details. Because he had said it, Rune finished his turn and started to walk in the direction he had motioned in before, leading Secretua's newest recruit back to their pack lands so that his assimilation could begin. -Exit Rune- OOC: Figured this might be a good stopping spot. Is Hunter fine for Ravine? I could change it to something else and say they talked it over on the walk home if it doesn't work.

Ravine would look to the southeast after he had been welcomed as a Secretuan wolf and told in which direction his new home was in. He wasn't sure weather to be exited, nervous or confused. Exited at the fact that he would no longer be alone and would have a better chance at new friends and family. Nervous because he was beginning to have trust issues. Confused because he had never been able to wrap his mind around ever being anything but a Valhallan. Valhalla had been his birth pack and the home of everyone he had ever known and loved and now the great pack was gone and with it most, if not all of those wolves with it. Granted he now knew there was at least one other living wolf who had once belonged to Valhalla, he did not know her. The black and white man was grateful of Runes offer to take him to Secretua. He didn't want to be left alone quite yet. Even though he didn't completely trust his new alpha, his company was something he hadn't wanted to loose quite so soon. At the mention of his rank Ravine would give a small smile. "That's perfect, thank you. Ill help when ever I can." his voice now held a friendlier tone and the nervous glancing about he had been doing had stopped. He no longer feared being ambushed by this man. Trust would come as it always did though this time it would take some time. Silently he would follow the other man to his, their, territory. All the while looking around him, not for other wolves, but to remember his surroundings and looking for any signs of prey. He wanted to know every inch of his new home and the territories around it. -Exit Ravine Speech,