The new world felt so foreign to the whimsical babe. Each pad fall was blessed with promise and a grumbling belly. Since leaving her cozy home Mint has felt both the positives and negatives of being on her own. Never before experiencing the rogue life she really didn't know what to fully expect. Upon venturing forth with no titles nor flags she experienced freedom, hunger, the elements, and the dangers of predators each day. But with all of that being accounted for... Mint felt more alive then she ever had back home. As horribly cliche as that would sound. After a few months of being a true rogue Mint had come across the lands of Ardent. Most of which were completely unknown to her. She had remained south as she had never enjoyed the cold very much. In her travels the crimson kissed femme scoped out various pack lands from a far with silent observation. It seemed with the stale scents and very fresh borders of a few of the southern packs that perhaps many had moved. The reminisces of the volcanic eruption clued into why they have done so. But, after her very minor investigations she decided to see what one of the packs was all about. Approaching from The Orchard towards The Range she carried on with very carefully placed steps. Mint wasn't prowling but her form was light and nimble as if ready to react to anything. She wasn't so sure if others would respond nicely to her being close to the borders. That being said, she stopped at about ten tail lengths from the fresh scent line. Vibrant green eyes took in her surroundings as she collected her breath. Another grumble in her belly was heard before her slender head was tossed into the air. Mint howled for the leader of the pack or any others that may hold rank.

A smug smirk lifted the corners of Tyrian's mouth as the howl for the alpha rolled over The Range. For the first time in his life that call was for him. Knowing someone was politely waiting on the border for him was a wonderful feeling and one he could certainly get used to. He stood slowly and stretched; forcing himself to take his time instead of rushing immediately to the border like a desperate-for-attention puss. Of course he would get there in a timely fashion, it was only fair to offer the caller the same courtesy s/he was giving Tyrian by howling politely, he just wasn't going to trip over himself in haste.

He wasn't far from the border so even after forcing himself to adopt a dignified pace Tyrian was there in a flash. The woman that waited for him was young. Older than him certainly but definitely no more than by a year or two. And pretty - even his youthful eyes could see that.

Tyrian gave Mint a short, brisk nod in greeting and said, "Hello, I'm Tyrian, the alpha here at Fireside." Too formal? Not formal enough? This was all so new and he hadn't decided what kind of tone he wanted to set at the border yet. "What can I do for you?" Was that too much? Fuck, was he being soft? Or weird? Or both? Perhaps he should ask Chaos or his dad for some pointers later. Or maybe he needed to let it play out first before he made a decision.

It wasn't long before her summons were met. Mint watched with shameless curiosity as a young and handsome male came striding forth. Slate fur with odd accents as well as abrasive fangs caught her eye. She also could not help but to notice how much taller he was then her and he was clearly a bit younger. But, it did not bother her much. She was aware that she was entirely average in height for a female Wolf her age. As she continued watching he offered a polite introduction with name, rank, and pack. Following was an inquire that she could have seen coming. Overall, Mint was appreciative of his formality and the fact that she hadn't been ran off yet. Mint dipped her head down in a respectful nod before raising again with a very gentle grin to expose the nature of her intentions. "Thank you for coming, Tyrian. I am Mint Mistcrest." A pause. "I'm fairly new to these lands and have been scoping out the local packs. I've grown a bit weary of the rogue life." Mint cocked her head to the side ever so slightly and offered a curious look. "Would you be willing to tell me more about Fireside?"

Ah, this was exactly the sort of opportunity he had been hoping for and dreading a little. There was no real way for him to gain experience any other way and he welcomed the challenge. Still, the thought of being judged by another and found unworthy or ill suited was unpalatable to such a proud creature. Were he and Fireside not the best? His skills needed refining; he wasn't yet the kind of talker who could hold his own against his older relatives. That was what worried him a little. He thought he lacked the quick charm and calculated charisma of a salesman and was afraid of doing his pack an injustice by not speaking well. But, that was just a risk he was going to have to take. If he needed to improve he couldn't do it without experience.

"Is that so? Well, I hope you find a match in Boreas. The land has been in a bit of an upheaval since the volcano erupted, but it is healing and while I can't speak for the other packs Fireside, at least, is prospering." Tyrian didn't know which packs, if any, Mint had been to but it didn't hurt (him) to sow a seed of doubt towards their ability to rally after the volcano. "I would be happy to tell you of Fireside. The pack has only recently come into my possession so the pack is still in the process of adapting to the changes I've made. For that reason it might be better," he said with a small smile, "to tell you about who we are going to be as a pack instead of who we are now."

"The volcano and the resulting calamities made quite an impression on me." Tyrian's gaze drifted up in thought as he considered the last few seasons. "The cold, the dark, the scarcity of food." His gaze drifted back to Mint. "It made me aware of what is truly important to me. For that reason we have a 'Fireside first' policy. Our survival, our prosperity, is paramount. To that end we have made preparations to raise our own prey and the care of our animals is the cornerstone of our existence."

Mint consumed the baritone vocals of the fanged Wolf before her. An influx of important imformation came her way and she made sure to try and remember all of it. She was aware of the volcanic eruption but hadn't gone through it. Her heart rate quickened as she thought of what the male before her, and others, would have had to go through in the past few seasons. She couldn't help but to grimace very slightly before turning her attention towards his explination of the pack itself. Cattle was seemingly their main focus other then the overall well being of their people. Mint had little to no experience with herding animals but she was an experienced huntress. Perhaps she could help in ways she couldn't pin point in those moments. As Tyrain finished his speech Mint offered a small grin. The pack seemed to have a neutral stance of desiring to be the best it can be for it's members. Mint was not an overly goodie gal nor was she on the evil spectrum. A pack that could walk the middle line of wanting to thrive and survive could work well for her. Perhaps Fireside was a good option, but would she be a good fit for their puzzle? "I've never worked closely with animals other then training to be a huntress in my previous pack." Mint raised a brow, "The concept alone has captured my curiosity." She shifted ever so slightly, "What roles are you looking to fill in Fireside? As I said I am trained in hunting but I am rather flexible."

Tyrian noted her interest keenly and eagerly pounced on the subject of animal husbandry. "While we aren't hurting for any one role to be filled I think it's fair to say you could have your choice of ranks if you chose to stay. I'd rather my wolves do what appeals to them most over whatever pads the roster. Basically everything we do revolves - in one way or another - around the animals we keep. For example, hunters would be tasked with the usual job of hunting prey for the pack. In this case it would be "exotic" game; the sort of things we don't raise ourselves. They would also be tasked with catching wild specimens of the species we do keep in order to diversify our stock. We have herders; those whose occupation revolves solely around managing the movements of the herds. Our fighters are divided by into two groups; those who wish to defend the pack - the soldiers - and those who wish to raid for the pack - the raiders."

He sank to the ground and seated himself comfortably. "Let's see...we have the scouts who alert the pack of good raiding targets, track down runaway livestock and search for wild game for the hunters to catch. The healers tend to both the pack wolves and the livestock." Tyrian fell silent for a second, his gaze distant and thoughtful, and then he snapped back to attention. He fixed Mint with a smile and said, "Of course those are just the base ranks. With experience in the pack comes more prestigious ranks and the ability to pick a secondary title."

"But, these are just things to consider right now. If you were to join us you'd take the rank of commoner until your skills have been assessed. So, say you wished to be a hunter. You'd take the rank of commoner, do what is required of those in that position, but at the same time you'd work with the hunters so they would have a chance to evaluate your skill. After that you'd be free to pick a rank that corresponds to your skill level."

Mint consumed the information the fanged male offered. It seemed each role would have additional duties due to the pack's focus on livestock. The concept easily sparked her curiosity and she thought of joining based on that key factor. Of course joining as a simple huntress would suffice but the opportunity to broaden her horizons was rather exciting. It was also nice to know that if she did join she would not have all of these duties piled onto her immediately. Mint would join as a commoner and be evaluated to see where she stands as a huntress. The babe was confident in her skills but knew it would take time to get acclimated to the finding of exotic wild life. Not only would she be learning a new pack but also learning these lands. Boreas was new to the crimson lady as a whole. As the King finished speaking Mint offered a small nod. "I would like the opportunity to join your ranks, Tyrian." A pearl smile could be seen gracing inky lips. "If you would accept me I'd like to see how I fair as a commoner and learn more of keeping livestock. With time I have no doubt you will be pleased with what I can offer to Fireside." It felt easy, giving herself to this pack. Perhaps it was impulsive but she also knew it would take ages to knock on each pack's door and suss them all out. Fireside seemed up her ally and Mint would like to give it a go, if their King accepted her.

Tyrian was quiet for a beat as he considered his next move. Perhaps he should give her a more thorough interview, but she wasn't setting off any alarm bells or giving off weird vibes that made him think he needed to do a background check before showing her the secret handshake. Mint seemed normal. Decent. More importantly, she seemed genuinely interested in Fireside and she seemed like she'd be an easy student. If she possessed a bratty, hard to love personality she was keeping it under wraps. Could he be wrong? Absolutely, but time would tell if he'd made the right decision or not and he was betting that he was.

"It's my pleasure to give you the opportunity! You're accepted - welcome to Fireside." With a smirk he jerked his head to the side; inviting her unceremoniously into the packlands. "I would be happy to show you around and if you never need anything, feel free to call for me. I'll do whatever I can." As she was the first wolf he'd ever accepted into the pack Tyrian was tempted to make her his pet project. It seemed only fair, right? She'd put her faith in him. It made sense for him to do all he could to make sure she got the training and attention she needed to thrive and become part of Fireside.

-exit?-