The sun shone as Ryka padded, slowly and softly along in the wilderness. Her newly healed shoulder was aching and she was exhausted by her long journey so far. Suddenly she came to the edge of a large mangrove forest. Ryka decided to try and take some shelter from the sun under the trees. She entered the forest cautiously and took refuge under a particularly large tree right on the edge of the forest. She sniffed the air and caught the scent of wolves, although in her exhausted state, she could not tell how far away they were. "At last I have found a pack. I can only hope that they are not as hostile as some of the other packs I have met on my journey." she said, thinking aloud to herself, sitting down slowly and looking around.

Ryka let out a long howl which hung on the air for a moment, before being carried over the forest on a slight breeze. She then stood up and dug a hollow in the ground right in the base of the tree. The young wolf then laid down slowly and curled right up into the base of the tree trunk to keep warm. Her ears flicked back and forth as she listend for any sounds at all. "Right let's see what happens." she said to her companion, a little white arctic fox who was curled up next to her, before once again looking round at the forest.

Leo was settled at the base of a tree near his den when he heard a howl coming from the direction of the border. He lifted his head from his paws with surprise, his ears perking as he listened. The number of calls for him from the border had certainly gone up recently and he wondered what it was that had brought this sudden surge of visitors. Not that he was complaining at all. He got to his paws and shook out his fur before he went trotting off to meet whoever it was that was waiting for him. He was on the opposite side of the mangroves from where the voice had called from so it did take him a few minutes to get there, but all in all he didn't take too long. When he got there he thought for a moment that whoever had called had left since he didn't see someone standing there. However, a flash of white caught his eye and he saw the arctic fox first before noticing the wolf that was curled up under a tree. "Oh there you are," he commented with a chuckle, giving her a small smile. "Are you alright?" he asked as he padded a bit closer. He left a comfortable amount of space for her, but he moved close enough to be able to talk with her comfortably. "Talk" "You" Think

Ryka's ears pricked up when she heard twigs cracking. Looking around, she couldn't see anyone at first, then all of a sudden she heard a voice and spotted a wolf stood nearby. Looking at the wolf 's stance, she could tell that he was the alpha male of whatever pack was here. Both Ryka and the arctic fox instantly moved themselves into a submissive stance as the wolf gave them a small smile and proceeded to ask her if she was alright. Keeping her head low to the ground, Ryka replied in a soft voice "Yeah I'm okay, I am a bit stiff and sore due to a newly healed injury but I am okay, my name is Ryka and my companion is called snowflake. We come in peace. I am seeking a pack to call home as my own was wiped out." At this point, memories overwhelmed her and she shut her eyes briefly, before opening them again.

Leo noticed how the pair of them immediately dropped into a submissive stance and he frowned a little. He knew he was the alpha and he never failed to carry himself as such, but he kept such a casual air around his pack that he wasn't used to others reacting to him like this. He also couldn't help but think of Svetlana as he glanced toward the fox that the woman called Snowflake. This fox looked nothing like Svetlana's, but it wasn't hard to remind him of her. He brushed the thought aside though as Ryka went on to say how she was hoping to live here since her pack had been wiped out. Worry creased his brow, but he nodded in understanding. "Of course, of course. Well, just to briefly tell you about our laws, we are a communal pack so it's highly encouraged to hold gatherings or participate in any training sessions. Loyalty is very important here so anyone that betrays another pack member will be punished. We prefer that if you take a mate it either be within the pack or you bring them to me to have them join with you. We just want to make sure that if you were to ever have pups they would be fully protected within the pack. Also, I'm the King so I have the final say on decisions, but I also have a council that helps me." He realized with a start that he hadn't introduced himself and he quickly added an introduction with a smile. "I'm Leo by the way. Sorry, I'm usually good about introducing myself." He chuckled softly at himself and moved on. "As long as you agree to follow those laws then you're welcome to live here. You and Snowflake both," he said with a glance toward the arctic fox at her side. "Also, if you need any help with lingering wounds or soreness, my sister, Amalia, is the lead healer here. She'll be happy to help you. Will you tell me what your skills are? So I'll know what rank to place you in." "Talk" "You" Think

Still holding her head lower than the other wolf, Ryka sat up as she listened to Leo speak. "It sounds very similar to how my old pack was run and it its nice to meet you Leo." Ryka says softly when he introduced himself. "I also solemnly swear to follow the laws of the pack ant to do my best as a member of the pack." Ryka says offering Leo a smile as the little fox followed suit and swore to obey the laws and do her best.

When he asked what her skills were, Ryka gave him a brief history. "I was in the the eldest in my litter born to the alpha pair in a small pack in a forest far away. Because my pack was small, it was constantly having to defend its territory and hunt to feed itself, so my pack raised and taught pups as a communal pack, all the skills they would need in life with a mixture of love and strict discipline, with an emphasis on learning to fight to defend the pack, hunting to sustain the pack and also healing. I demonstrated a particular talent for healing from an early age. I am also a fairly good hunter.My parents were quick to notice my talent and when I was old enough, they began teaching me, my mother taught me how to heal and my father taught me to hunt and fight." she said ,smiling at the memory. When he mentioned about his sister, Ryka nods. "I will bear that in mind, thanks Leo" She says once again smiling softly.

Leo smiled as Ryka took what seemed like a very formal oath to abide by Fiori's laws and do her best here. He appreciated how seriously she took this. That wasn't something he often saw in new members. He gave her his undivided attention while she talked about her past and her skills. She was right, it did seem that her old pack was run in a similar fashion to how he liked Fiori to run. He thought that perhaps Fiori was a tad larger than her old pack now, but there were definitely times when Fiori had been on the smaller side. They were more fortunate now to not have that problem. Now the worry was that they were going to go too large for the land they were living on. That was a worry for another time though. For now he did have the room and too much of a heart to turn Ryka away. "Well, we'll put you with the healers for now then. Please go ahead and make yourself at home, okay? And make sure you let me know if you need anything else. You'll be able to tell from the scent markers, but our territory is this mangrove forest behind me and the lands around the waterfalls nearby. My den is toward the middle of the mangroves. You can usually find me there or patrolling the borders. I don't venture out of the pack too often these days."   "Talk" "You" Think

Ryka sat and listened as Leo spoke, just letting the sunlight and its' warmth wash over her through the trees. She sighed happily, It had been a while since she had felt this safe and happy. " Thanks Leo. I will remember that." She says smiling at him, bowing respectfully as she stands and stretches before sitting back down again and looking around her. The mangrove forest was beautiful and she smiled as she looked back at her new alpha. "Once again I can only thank you for accepting me." She said bowing once again and then nuzzling the little fox at her side.