""

It hadn't been too long since their hunt by the river, but Alpha Riv had lead her to her now home- Myriad. She had been excited the whole way, her mind on overdrive upon who she would grow bonds with and what duties she would be given first. She hadn't felt like this since she had been given her first task back in her old pack, and that had been a good year ago.

Her gaze focused on the area around her, nose eagerly taking in and memorizing the scents. It was clearly marked and claimed, and any wolf who intruded obviously had to be dumb or wanted trouble. Either way, Lourdes would be sure to ensure as much protection as she could, and would look forward to walking the borders and taking in more of the pack land. Right now, though, she had to keep focusing on bringing this deer back. They had carried it a long ways, and even though it wasn't as heavy as it had been when the first killed it, it was still a hassle. But it was for the pack- and therefore it was worth it. Finally entering deep enough into the lands, Lourdes slowly let her grip on the carcass fall away, eyes brimming with curiosity and enjoyment- gaze scanning around her. "This is absolutely stunning." She commented in slight awe, eyes drinking in the beauty and calmness that the area offered.

Rivaxorus was happy this had turned out so well. As they reached his homeland, she complimented it as he as well dropped the kill. He would give out a chuckle. The blue vines never lost their hue even in winter. It gave nice cover, should they be invaded. If they learned the land well, it would be easier to get the jump on their enemies. While they had the plains as well, this was where he lived and slept. "It's the last place my mother lived in before she died - I was a bit older so it stuck to memory and I always loved the terrain. It took me a long while to decide to live here. But, I did train in Fiori before I made Myriad." The man explained. "I should probably introduce you to my mate and the secondary alphess Zephyra." he told her as he raised his head in a call. Although anyone was welcome to come. With the meat here, they could easily have a small social gathering. As much as he wanted to spend a little more one on one with Lourdes. "Talk" "You" Think

Today he had taken a break from his tracking and had spent most of the morning cleaning out his den. His bedding had grown old and dry, no longer soft and comfortable like it had once been. So it was time to clean out, making several trips from his den with mouthfuls of old bedding. He ditched them outside of the den area. That didn't take long, but hunting down new bedding and relining his den had taken much longer. When the male had finished he was lounging under his willow tree, just inches from the opening of his den. He was still quite pleased with this spot and that his den was down under the large roots of the willow tree.

The howl from his brother drew his lazy head up and his yawned before he briefly stretched. The call had sounded welcoming, so Jackson was gonna go meet up with him. Perhaps he was doing something interesting today and he wouldn't mind company. Standing up the male took off at an easy lope, not rushing to find his brother. It hadn't taken him long to find his brother, but what he didn't expect was the strange female by his side. Although the new face didn't bother Jackson much, he had always loved to meet others. He had never been one to be weary about meeting others either.

With his tail wagging the male approached and dipped his head politely to the both of them.

"Afternoon," he greeted with a warm smile.

""

Her attention had been upon the lands- but once Riv's voice came out, her gaze flicked to him and stayed there. A pang of sorrow flashed through her at his words- the poor thing. She hadn't experienced loss, not besides her brother, but she could not imagine how it felt to of lost a parent. She nodded mutely, an understanding in her gaze- she would not push him on the subject, she had no right to.

Slowly, Lourdes lowered to her haunches as he spoke of his mate, the secondary Alphess. She smiled, watching him howl and call- and her gaze turned to and fro. She hoped more than just his mate would show, she wanted to become family with Myriad, but any start was better than nothing. They weren't alone for long, and soon enough another entered into the fray. He seemed polite, his head dipping in a mannered greeting. Lourdes let her gaze roam over him, observing his features. He looked remarkably similar to Riv, large and bulky- and even had the same eye marking. It caused her to assume they were related, and Lourdes easily smiled and dipped her head right back at him. "Greetings, I'm Lourdes- Riv-sama just accepted me as a Kariudo." Her tone was gentle and welcoming, doe-brown eyes casted on the male. Her paw nudged at the carcass, head nodding towards it. "Riv-sama and I recently succeeded in a hunt, please, eat as much as you desire." She urged, not wanting the food to go bad, seeing as it could be a great help in filling some of the pack's stomachs.

Rivaxorus was glad to see his brother. His tail wagged a little as he smiled at him, inching forward to greet him with a soft touch of his nose to his cheek to the smaller male. His head turned to Lourdes after she introduced herself. "Jackson is a entry level hunter. He's also my brother." riv explained as he smiled towards the two of them. It meant they would be working together, which wasn't a bad thing either. He did certainly hope more of the pack showed up. Rivaxorus would settle himself, since he had already eaten his fill. It was a good time to relax and socialize with the rest of the pack. Something that was probably well needed, though this wasn't forced. "Talk" "You" Think

Hmm, this was interesting. Riv never called for her in public, more for their intimate little evenings together, but especially not to greet a new member of the pack. What was all the rush for introductions anyway? The young queen had her ways of finding new members, though surely they didn't need to make a whole celebration out of it. Shaking her head, she snaked through the willows, carefully analysing the scents before her scarlets caught a glimpse of the gathered wolves. There was Riv, his brother, and an unfamiliar feminine scent. Instinctively, her body stiffened and tensed. Was this the new member? Only one way to find out.

Adding a hip sashay to her step, she emerged from the draping willow tendrils to find the three wolves settled around a freshly-killed deer. Intermingling with the mouth-watering scent of the deer were the strong scents of Riv and the female. Aha, there they were. She couldn't help but to narrow her crimson eyes at the sight of her mate talking away with a smaller yet older woman of auburn shades. They talked as if they were pals. How long had she been here? How long had they been together? "You must be new," she started after clearing her throat, staring the female straight in the eye and forcing a smile to her lips. "I am Zephyra Agatsuma, queen of Myriad. You are...?"

The new female spoke first, introducing herself and offering some of the meat from their kill. She had mentioned her entry rank too which if he remembered correctly was a step up from his rank. It put a bit of a damper to his mood, but he quickly reminded himself that she looked older and that Riv was the alpha. If Riv wanted her in that rank then he shouldn't question or feel differently. Wagging his tail he dipped his head again. Riv them closed the distance and greeted him with nose touch to the cheek. Jackson's tail wagged in response glad to see his brother was still doing so well and that it was growing so nicely so far.

"Nice to meet you and welcome to Myriad and thank you for the offer," he replied before moving over to the kill and pulling a chunk off.

He stepped back away from it and settled down on his stomach to relax, talk, and fill his stomach. He was about to introduce himself before Riv stepped in and did the honers and he smiled nodding his head before taking a bite of his chunk. His ears flicked as he heard another approach and he turned to see Zephyra closing in on the small group. Again the male's tail wagged in a greeting to the queen and then turned back to his hunk of the kill. As he ate he listened to the other three around him.

""

They were all so welcoming, her gaze on the one called Jackson- Riv-sama explained him to be an entry level hunter. Lourdes' tail swayed gently behind her, warm smile still etched on her face.  "We will have to hunt together sometime, yes?" The warm offer left from her lungs easily, hoping he would find the interest in it like she did.

The scent of another female had her gaze moving, landing on one with abnormal colors. Her interest peeked, and as she spoke- Lourdes knew what manners she needed to show. Queen. Her head dipped to her, showing her respects. "Queen Zephrya, I am Lourdes, Riv-sama recently accepted me into Myriad." After a few moments did her head lift. "Please, help yourself to the meat- it would be honor." Her formalities were present as she stood in the essence of royalty, hoping that the kill she helped take down would suffice to the Queen.

His Queen's unsettlement may not have been apparent to others, but Riv could see it. That was when he removed himself from Lourdes and the meal. Rubbing himself into Zephyra, the two of them always significantly larger than most of the wolves here. However the gesture he made of mingling their pelts was to reassure her that he was still hers. To make sure her scent which easily over-rode that of their newest member. He would take a seat next to her digging his nose gently to her shoulder where it met with her neck. "It wasn't too hard to catch." he smiled. "Since doesn't seem like others will show up more for you two I suppose." Riv chuckled towards Jackson looking at Zephyra. His two different colored orbs still had a sense of silent communication to her. Lourdes would be a huge asset to their pack, she was respectful and easily followed orders it seemed. For generations to come, it would be important that those knew who was who. "Talk"

Somehow, this woman just got under her skin. The way she acted, spoke - it got on her nerves. There was a difference between respect and 'sucking up'. Where had Riv found her? And why was he letting her call him that pathetic nickname, Riv-sama? Pursing her lips, she curtly dipped her head in thanks to the woman before settling her haunches around the carcass, ripping out a large piece for herself. She was tentative to start taking bites, though eventually she persuaded herself to start eating. Between bites, scarlet eyes flickered from the woman - Lourdes, to Rivaxorus in a casual manner. How long had they spent together? What had they done together? Was she overreacting? Was she taking one flaw and exaggerating it? Probably. But maybe, just maybe, she could take a liking to this woman. She could relax a bit with the formalities, though if she was truly skilled in a certain craft, perhaps her use of speech would cease to be a problem to the queen.