Sprouting new growth- KESALI recruitment!

His family met him with warm greetings, the familiar wash of affection a balm upon his soul he didn't know he needed. Branch didn't shy away from his affections in front of the growing crowd, and returned his nuzzle with a light bump of shoulders. Yes, right. They were men! Manly men! His soft laugh harmonized with the rumble of his elder brother's chuckle. Aspen readily absorbed all the love he had to offer without hesitation. Her tail wagged fiercely, and he couldn't help but feed off of her energy. His own tail swept uncontrollably across his heels as he tried and failed to contain himself. "Birch you slippery mongoose! How the heck did you get all the way out here?" She questioned as loud as could be.

Brows shooting upwards, he glanced away briefly. "Hey, all the moms said I could go! I'm grown now, Penny! I'm a big boy!" he assured her, puffing out his chest proudly. Yes, he was definitely a big strong man. Not like Branch- no one was as manly as he was being right now.

“Birch - oh, I should have seen the familiarity in two giants with woodland names” Riva said, and he remembered that he had started shouting at everyone he recognized. Today was Embarrass Branch Day, and apparently no one had gotten the memo. Or maybe he had gotten the date wrong. Whoops. "Yes, yes you should." the brute teased, the tip of his tongue catching between his teeth in a friendly taunt. After all, they had distinctly similar names.

Speak (think?) of the devil, Branch picked himself up and began to speak in what the male could only assume to be his Big Boss Man voice. "Thank you everyone for coming. I am Branch wreckage I have called seeking anyone looking for a home. I have claimed Weeping woods and Tall grass plains in the name of my pack Kesali. A pack that seeks to form alliances with other packs, live in peace and share our skills with others," he began, pausing to make sure everyone fell under his cool gaze. "If everyone is interested I will gladly lead you to our home, if you have any questions I will also gladly answer them."

And how! Without thought, Birch was ready to go. He picked up his paws and looked around for where they were supposed to go. He had no idea where these Weeping Woods or Tall Grass Plains were, but he was ready to go! Get some rest, regroup with the family, and then get some more sleep. Maybe a meal in there somewhere, too. "Don't tell me you plan to make this place our home," drawled a familiar voice, prim and proper and no nonsense. Ah no, Ivy was here to ruin their fun with all her responsible adult nonsense. Who had time for being responsible? It was lame, and no one ever had fun or got covered in mud. A travesty, really. "Happy to see you've all made it here in one piece... if not a little worse for wear," she emphatically swiped a clinging leaf from his leg with a forepaw. He pouted, brows furrowing in her general direction.

"I'll have you know, those leaves bring out my eyes." he quipped, lifting his chin with a feigned air of disgrace. It didn't last long, he was right back to being a doofus in record time. He bumped his sister ever so lightly, leaning his weight towards her so their shoulders just barely touched. He missed her, just like the rest. Since it clearly wasn't Embarrass Branch Day, he would hold off from rounding everyone up and forming a dog pile of sibling love. For now. "Ivy, so happy you came to join us!" Penny cried, being a grown adult who knew how to properly show appreciation.

“Excuse me, Mister Branch… but uh, what’s a pack? Is it like a group of friends who live together?” A tiny voice piped up from amongst the gathered wolves, trying its hardest to be heard. Trying to break all of their hearts as well, apparently. What kind of kid didn't know what a pack was, at least vaguely? Someone needed to take care of her. Right now. Me. It's me. Branch immediately thought to himself, despite a complete lack of knowledge on child care and rearing. The girl tipped her head to the side. Oh. She was a cutie, all right. He was unfamiliar with the accent, though. Same with the markings. They were foreign, for sure. “So we’re all going to be friends… and we’re going to live in those places you mentioned, right?” Not wrong yet, kiddo. “...and we’re all welcome? Me? My brother?” Brother? The... kitty? Could kitties be brothers? He guessed so. Verdant gaze drifted to Branch, wondering how his brother would respond. Much as Birch wanted to get the hell out of here, he wanted to see how this played out.

The little feline spoke up in response. "A pack is a group of wolves that are like minded and claim a place to call their territory. It's not exactly a good thing for us other predators, since packs don't like us hanging around and hunting on their lands but for you its definitely worth it. Since they'd probably teach you to hunt, heal or fight." Strange, that the feline saw himself as a sibling, but also distinctly "other". The feline continued to speak, little regard for the group of wolves towering around him on all sides. Brave. "And what happens when one of the other packs around here decides that you are trading more with another pack and giving better stuff to someone else? What happens when they bring war to your borders over it? Do you intend to train warriors to defend it or let them take what they want to avoid a fight?"

Birch definitely raised his brows at that one, eyeing up his older brother. That was quite the question. One might even call it an accusation. How would the elder Wreckage respond?

"speech"