Hide, attack, serve

Haru knew a thing or two about being the new wolf, mainly because he'd been the one holding the title. It was nothing he'd resented- how could he when he was just so relieved and elated to even be accepted? Joining a pack was something he'd wanted since the day his mother had told him about them, as if the tales themselves had awoken some ancient thing in his blood that compelled him to make it his reality.

The dream hasn't soured any now that he was here. The honey-brown and cream wolf felt more alive than ever, his young body never seeming to run out of energy. He was either patrolling the borders or racing other wolves, fishing off the coast or exploring the islands. It would have been nothing out of the ordinary though. Haru was full of life and determination, named by his mother for the liveliness that came with Spring.

And so when he spotted a strange wolf walking through the trees it was only natural that he approach her.

Haru was a long-legged canine, with lean muscle and strong hindquarters. He was fast and light on his feet, but heavy enough to throw his weight around if needed. He was far from the strongest wolf and outwardly lacked the bruiser look with his soft features and wagging tail, but what he lacked in strength he made up for with unwavering loyalty and endless tenacity. He was far from afraid of challenging strangers -even ones with swords and giant dog companions- and his willingness to follow orders to the end was no doubt seen as foolish and naive by many. It didn't bother Haru, though. That's just who he was.

As he neared them though, he quickly realized there was no need for confrontation. He could smell the fresh pack scent coming from her even at a distance, and his body relaxed as if a switch had been flipped. His tail resumed it's low, gentle wag as he neared and the bounce returned to his step as he wound his way through the alabaster trees, coming to a stop a short distance away.

"Hello." he called as his green eyes met her own, a small smile on his lips since she'd yet to give him a reason to act unfriendly. Haru prefered it that way. Pack was supposed to be the most important thing, and having tension among himself and one of the other wolves was hardly something he liked. It was one of the reasons he'd continued to come over after he'd realized she wasn't some rando on their land, because Haru was still suffering the effects of being new himself. He didn't know very many of the pre-established members and had sort of been winging things to the best of his ability. Meeting a new face early on would save him the trouble of having to do it later, and depending on what kind of wolf she turned out to be then there was always the chance he'd be able to make an ally or friend out of her. Who knows?

"I'm Haru- are you new here? I don't think I've seen you around before." he'd say, knowing full well he could be wrong. He'd hardly had a chance to meet all the wolves of the Ashen face-to-face, but after having been here for a few weeks he'd learned the faces and scents of many, and she wasn't in them.