Eura shivered and buried her fleshy paws into his fur as Rogdar crossed over the glacial landscape, his head lowered and his expression one of determination. Careful to avoid stepping too far into the pack’s territory the slate male lifted his head in a low howl, calling to be met by the alpha. Amos had gone and joined a pack like their father and that was just fine. He would join a pack too, but a better pack, a stronger pack! As his thoughts raced his body began to lean dangerously to the side until he spilled onto the icy floor. He scrambled back to his feet, glancing around to make sure no one had seen him and decided to sit while he waited to be met. He huffed a breath experimentally then sniffed it, testing for the smell of alcohol on his breath. He glanced at Eura who looked back at him disapprovingly. Maybe the leader wouldn’t notice. He straightened slightly. This was going to work. speaking Thinking you

Enrico held a pair of red grouse clasped carefully in his jaws, Asriel another pair, as they trotted back to the ship. They were almost there when a low howl summoned him to the border, a stranger's howl. Suspicious, but curious, Enrico detoured in the direction of the howl rather than straight back. He stopped for a very brief conference with Asriel, and as the cat indicated he wanted to see what this was all about, they both cached their grouse in the ice and continued on together, coming up behind the swaying young male and the monkey waiting with him. Asriel's ears pricked forward with interest, and he casually ran his tongue over his whiskers. The northern cat certainly didn't know what the creature was, but it certainly looked like a snack to him.

"Leave the monkey alone, Asriel," he said, pitching his voice for the boy to hear. "I'm sure our guest here wouldn't appreciate you devouring his friend." The snow leopard grinned.

Enrico studied the stranger through slitted ice blue eyes. He caught an odd scent that seemed faintly familiar, before placing it. Alcohol. Some of the young toughs back in his homeland used to partake of the vice, so he was not entirely unfamiliar with the scent of it as it was exhaled and sweated out of a body. He had never cared for it himself, though it wouldn't be unheard of to work with a smuggler of the stuff. Few of the youths that indulged tended to amount to much in the ranks of the cosca, though, and he'd made it a point to stay away from them when recruiting. Too much of a liability.

Said the one who had ACTUALLY turned out to be the liability.

That said, he had known others to turn their life around despite the drink, and he wondered about the viability as a trade good here. Clearly some partook, so perhaps it was an option if they could source it.

Asriel exchanged a glance with him, one eyebrow raised questioningly - obviously the cat had caught the odd symptoms of drunkeness as well, and was curious how Enrico wished to go about this. The cat had never seen alcohol, so he was mildly disturbed by what looked and smelled a lot like some sort of disease, and his tail was beginning to lash worriedly. Enrico, on the other hand, just met his gaze with a slight smile. He was withholding judgement for now. He was curious to see what this youth was looking for, and what he might be made of.

"You stand on the borders of Niente," Enrico continued easily to the boy. "I am Enrico Falcone, the Tiercel here. You had need of me?"

Rogdar swirled abruptly, caught off guard by the male’s sudden presence and immediately lost his footing, toppling over. With a soft grunt Rogdar stood as quickly as he could careful to keep his expression serious and resolute. He had bruised his thigh badly in the fall and the pain was slowly becoming excruciating even in his drunken state, but the young male refused to show it..beyond a small wince that tugged at his eye. “Greetings Enrico, I am Rogdar Allentide and this is my companion Eura.” The monkey chattered at her introduction and bowed her head respectfully. “We come to you today in the hopes that we may join your…” He trailed off, what was the pack named? “Ninight.” He said with a confident smile, completely unaware that he had in all likelihood offended the male and made a fool of himself in a single swift motion. Alternatively Eura carefully placed her head in her palm and let her hand drag down the full length of her face, scandalized. “We are your humble servants.” Rogdar said and tipped his head in a bow that nearly sent him bowling over. speaking Thinking you

Unfortunately for Rodgar, he really had made a bit of a fool of himself with his alcohol-induced faux paus. Luckily for Rodgar, he hadn't offended anyone at all.

Enrico and Asriel exchanged another glance, this one filled with mutual amusement. "Ninight?" Asriel mouthed soundlessly, then his sides convulsed with silent laughter. Enrico shook his head at the cat, but amusement filled his own blue eyes as well. "Niente," he corrected the boy gently, his lips twitching in an effort not to smile.

"I am Asriel," the snow leopard offered in a low, amused rumble, his whiskers twitching. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Rodgar and Eura." He huffed a laugh.

"So you believe you wish to join Niente?" Enrico prompted Rodgar, shooting Asriel an exasperated glance. "What is it about our pack that is of interest to you, Rodgar?"

It wasn’t until the male asked that Ruthgar realized he had no real idea what had brought him to the northern pack in the first place. He had heard nothing of the mysterious wolves or what their pack stood for, he only knew that they were there and that his brother hadn’t joined them. “The weather suits me.” He said with a grin, which wasn’t entirely untrue, he had inherited a naturally plush coat from his father, Eura on the other hand was an entirely different matter, but one he would deal with at another time. “Actually I’ve heard precious little about your…You. Your pack and you.” He fumbled over his words as the name escaped him yet again, but he had at least learned that his gut instinct couldn’t be trusted to give him the right answer. “I can say though that my interests aren’t very well aligned with some of the other packs.” By which he meant all of them. “So I guess I should at least find out if I’m completely doomed to the life of a loner, or if this…” He looked over the barren ice and at the rusting ship in the distance and wrinkled his nose with slight disgust before returning his attention back to the male “-Place. This lovely place is somewhere I can call home.” His grin felt more forced now his expression suddenly becoming unsure. speaking Thinking you

Enrico listened to the boy without judgement as he spoke, noting his clear distaste as he wrinkled his nose at the ship. "Hmm," was all he said, taking a long moment of thought, his own gaze lingering out across the ice. "Niente is... different than most packs here, it is true," he finally said slowly. "We are more accepting of what would be offensive to the ideals of many others." He thought for a moment to Regulus, and to Celestial's self-righteous ways. Slowly, his gaze shifted from the distance to the boy. "What do you hope to get out of being part of a pack, Rodgar? What is it that appeals to you in this idea of being in a pack?"

He paused at the older male’s question and for the first time realized that aside from wanting to vex his brother he hadn’t given any thought as to why he should join a pack. In the back of his mind he could hear the burly tones of his father, explaining that wolves belonged in a pack back when he was much younger. All hesitation left him, and the young male suddenly became uncharacteristically serious. “I suppose you deserve some explanation…” He said, his body language shifting as he prepared to lay his heart bare for the man to see. “I was born and raised on this land, but for the past year I have been elsewhere.” He explained, watching the male intently, attempting to gauge his reaction through the masked male’s carefully neutral expression. “While abroad I made a name for myself yet lacked the security to reach my full potential.” There was no need for the man to know he had been known for piracy overseas, not for the time being anyway. He would keep that secret to himself for as long as he needed to assuming he would be allowed to stay. “I know a pack is exactly what I need to hone my skills, and hopefully I’ll be able to make a name for myself in my homeland as well.” A small hopeful smile crept over his lips as he said his piece while Eura clung to his neck and looked between the two wolves while making soft chittering noises. speaking Thinking you

A ghost of a smile touched Enrico's muzzle as the boy spoke earnestly about his reasons for joining a pack. "I encourage all my wolves to strive for their full potential," he told him. "If someone isn't willing to push themselves to succeed, they're holding back their packmates from succeeding. Lives are very interconnected in a pack, but that very interconnectivity is what allows us to concentrate upon reaching that potential. Knowing that there are others there to support you and teach you, to learn what you have to teach and to give you the safety net of knowing you can concentrate on your skills without starving to death." It was a very similar speech to the one he'd once given to the boys he'd been introducing to the concept of the cosca... somewhere you can belong, trust, support... He swallowed back the bitterness and trained his gaze on Rogdar.

"If you are serious about wishing to join, you should know more about the pack, yes? Niente is set up as a series of guilds for different skill sets. The usual - healing, fighting, hunting. But others as well, the traders and craftsmen, and also..." He hesitated a moment, thinking how best to describe it to a newcomer whose proclivities he did not yet know without sugarcoating it. "Those you might call scouts, or spies. Once you have proven yourself well trained in your general field you can choose a specialty. A hunter may excel at tracking, or a fighter at being a bodyguard, or perhaps... assassin, or raider. A healer may choose to concentrate on ailments of the mind, or the battlefield."

He tilted his head slightly. "We will of course provide you with the training opportunities for whatever guild you choose to join until you can pass the tests to show you are ready for a journeyman rank. If you feel you are ready for the tests now we can provide that opportunity as well. Is there anything in this that you find appealing, Rogdar?"

He had to smile earnestly at his own good fortune at finding Niente when the male mentioned spying. Spying was as close to his old trade as he had found since returning to his birthland and he didn’t doubt that in time the talents he had cultivated would come through as well. Eura chittered excitedly, flashing her small white teeth at her companion and his soon-to-be leader. “It seems we have an accord.” He said, unable to keep the enthusiasm from his tone. “I’ll be joining your spying guild.” His head rose slightly with confidence. “And given the nature of that proffession, I’ll be taking that test now, while I can’t lead anyone back here.” Speaking  Thinking You

Enrico nodded, though when he spoke up it was to the negative. He'd just had a thought that needed more time spent on it, but it appealed to him. "I believe I have an idea that will allow me to test both you and another potential hobby at once. Since she has been a part of the pack for some time now, it would be in the interests of fairness for you both to bear pack scent. Besides." He smiled. "Being sneaky is not the only skill you must have in order to gather information. You must know how to get that information from wolves who are inclined not to trust you, or to be able to talk your way out of trouble if you are caught. Find a den, get to know your packmates, and when I have worked out the details I will call you both to me." He dipped his head towards the ship, gesturing for the younger wolf to proceed. "Welcome to Niente, Rogdar."