The faint sound of a gasp reached the ebony she-wolf's ears and caused her to smirk slightly. Occasionally she was met with such a reaction - it was not often, after all, that one happened upon a wolf of her appearance. She did not react, however, simply sitting back on her haunches with her head high to listen to the girl before her.
Girl was certainly the appropriate word. It was clear from the moment she opened her mouth that this one was not practiced in communication, especially under such circumstances. She was a yearling and seemingly inexperienced at that. Natalya knew that she would require more than a simple wish to join before ever allowing this one to step over their borders. Without any tone of judgment in her voice, she cut in abruptly as the girl finished speaking, leaving her no time to add more panicked words.
"You are but a child, Miss Haust, and you have much to learn about where you stand before you can begin to wish to join us." She narrowed her eyes and gave her a pointed "look" before continuing. "Olympus is not only a home, it is run by and named for my family. My niece, Virgil, is our Empress and her word is law. We are a family descended from the gods themselves and this pack is their gift to us. Strength and loyalty to the family are most important here. If you wish to join us, you must be prepared for vigorous training and the impending expansion of our pack into an empire." She paused, giving the girl a moment to consider her words.
"I am under the impression that you are not a yearling who has seen many battles or hardships - if I am wrong, feel free to correct me. Our pack is very strong and will give you great protection, but you must be willing to offer the same for us and life here will not be easy. It may not be the place for you, but if you are determined and can convince me, I may welcome you in. If you are accepted, you will be given the rank of Squire and assigned a mentor to train you to fill a position in your second year."
"Speech"
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