A soft breath escaping a delicate maw, pawsteps light and slow, gray-tipped auditories perked high atop a wide crown. The grass underfoot was lush and alive, and it brought the large-set woman great joy, as she knew a pack was nearby, the scent easily being carried by a light wind. She was headed for these strange lands because these were the first she stumbled upon, and she didn't want trees surrounding her anymore, or any mountains. She was absolutely exhausted by her former surroundings, and didn't want to live in a place similar, so she chose to head towards the plains, since she had never lived in that kind of terrain before.

As she went along, she carefully observed the land that laid out around her, noted the faint prey scents, the scents of loners and rogues and a large gather of... Wolves! A pack! The lady grinned at this notion, then settled her expression to one of calm indifference, tail held aloft behind her swishing slightly with her emotions, but that was all she would allow. She paused for a moment to collect herself, and then proceeded to track the scent. It grew increasingly stronger, until finally it was so overwhelming that she stopped, realizing that she must be at this packs border.

The dark hued feminine backed up considerably, before carefully settling herself upon her haunches, her bright emerald gaze scanning ahead, before she lifted her crania to the sky and let out a loud howl asking for a viewing at the border. As she did a decrescendo, she lowered her head, tilting it down a bit, still very much alert. Her banner curled beside her, pressed snugly against her aching right side, flicking occasionally. She lapped at her side as she waited patiently for any member of standing within this pack's borders could come to give an audience and see if she was worthy to join.

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313 words. Excuse me for any shortness, or spelling errors. I am currently on my phone to post. ~

There had been a great influx of wolves to Olympus lately, something Natalya found herself more than pleased about. She had been concerned only a few weeks ago that the pack would not survive. The Empress had been absent to care for her newly born children, many of the family members were missing, and very few strangers had called at the borders. Fortunately the dull times did not last and the empire was expanding as it was meant to. The sable female was just settling for an afternoon nap nearby her den when the call reached her ears. Her head raised off the cool grass followed shortly thereafter by the rest of her body. Her muzzle tilted to the sky and she let loose a response to let the newcomer know she was on her way and to alert her family that they could rest. Helios had been extremely active since his promotion to Consul and for what may have been the first time ever, Natalya wanted to take a little of the work off of his shoulders. She was pleased, nonetheless, to see him doing so much for the family, and she was more than pleased to see him so happy. She went forth at a leisurely pace, being a very short distance from her goal. It took only a few moments before the stranger's scent caught in her nostrils and she knew where precisely to direct her attention. Both her head and tail were held high as she came to a stop before her caller. "Greetings, stranger. My name is Natalya and I am the Centurion of Olympus. Tell me, what brings you to our borders?" Her tone was stern, yet it held a hint of openness within it. After all, her goal was to find out if this wolf was worthy of the Olympus name, not to intimidate her away, and Natalya genuinely hoped that she would be successful.

Ears pricked as a female tone reached her, a response to her howl, telling her to stay put, and a message for others within the pack. This wolf sounded strong, and the midnight-grey pelted woman was eager to meet whomever it was and hopefully be accepted. She would expect that they would wish to test her, or at least ask a substantial amount of questions to get a feeling for if she would be a correct match within the pack.

As another large wolfess approached, Chenoa rose to her paws, almost immediately sliding her right back down, left folding, and muzzle coming close to the dirt, bowing to the lady in respect and a gesture she was taught should always be used when requesting and being awarded an audience for a pack. She proceeded to listen carefully as she spoke, and then answered back, "It is my pleasure to make your acquaintance, lady Natalya, Centurion of Olympus. My name is Chenoa Altsoba, former Warrior of Abiteth Pack. I have been traveling for quite a while in search of a home that would suit me best and fit my needs, one that I could greatly contribute to, and feel connected with. I have not heard much, if anything, of this pack, but I was told of the lands of Alacritia, and how they were plentiful with packs of all kinds to fit any and all. I chose to test my luck in the plains, as I am unaccustomed to this type of terra, and that seems to possibly prove an exciting change."

As she spoke, she watched the others body language, studying her carefully, not wanting to miss anything. She was observant, and somewhat surprised at the other woman's appearance, all black with a simple scar on her left paw, and these dark obsidian eyes. She had never met a wolf whom had black eyes with a pure black pelt before, and she wondered what that was considered, blinking her eyes slowly, inquisitive gaze returning to the others face, so as not to focus on the scar, wondering how she got that, as it was the only pop of colour upon her.

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361 words.

Being blind from birth, her sense were so honed that she rarely missed the sound of a figurative pin dropping if it was anywhere near her, and the sounds of certain movements had become wholly familiar to her. She heard the shifting of the she-wolf's paws against the ground and listened as her voice rose from below. She smiled down at the newcomer as she completed her statement. "You may rise, young lady. I am glad to see you know proper manners." Natalya sat back on her haunches before continuing. "If you are, in fact, a warrior, Olympus may be very well suited to you. The majority of our pack mates are members of the Olympus family. My niece, Virgil, is our Empress, and my husband, Helios, serves as her second in command, the Consul. Our family is one blessed by the gods, and we pride ourselves on strength and loyalty. Every member of the pack is expected to be skilled in the art of combat, regardless of position, and children of Olympus are trained vigorously." She paused, giving the girl a moment to absorb the information. It was these pieces of information that would likely determine for the girl if she wished to join. "If you still wish to join our ranks, Miss Altsoba, please tell me a bit about yourself. Your interests, your background, and your age will help to determine what rank will suit you best."

The large girl listened carefully, nodding as she followed the others example and rested upon her bum, tail curling over her paws this time. Her gaze trained carefully upon the others face, watching her as she spoke, and then asked her a question. She regarded the other woman for a moment before answering, "I was raised from a young age how to hunt, fight, heal, and proper social skills. The pack was a family, much as this, as you said, ending up in my relations constantly around. I was trained by my aunt, who was quite strict. Punishment always was severe and humiliating if you did not correctly perform a task and you needed assistance. At the age of 2, I was traveling, and met two brutes who also taught me. They helped me to better hone my social and fighting skills. Though, I am still lacking in the healing part of things, as I only know the basics for traveling and small injuries."

The lady paused for a moment, somewhat shifting her weight forward, lifting her head a bit, giving Natalya enough time to process everything she had spoken. Then, she proceeded to speak, "I am currently at the age of 3 years. I'm quite interested in learning what makes other wolves tick, what pleases them best, what I can observe and mimic from others to improve my own performance and appearance within the pack. I often enjoy watching others and learning like that. I'm also quite intrigued by pack allies and enemies, since we had none of that in my old pack. I want to better understand how those types of things work, if they assist the pack a lot or rarely speak and only help if absolutely necessary." As she came to a close, she licked her lips, ducking her head and lapping at her chest fur for a moment, realising she had rambled a bit.

---

319 words.

In stark contrast to her last meeting with a new member, this one arrived with more promise than she could have hoped for. If she was to accept Chenoa as a member of their pack, her training would be minimal if she needed any at all. Not to mention that her manners were impeccable. Natalya would be lying if she acted like she wasn't at least marginally impressed. Nodding along as the girl spoke, she absorbed and considered every piece of information. "It sounds as though you would be well suited to the position of General, a warrior of our pack. The rules here are simple, but very important. Loyalty to and respect for the Olympus family is of the utmost importance here. You will be expected to maintain those characteristics within and outside of our borders." "The roles of our allies vary, but you will be expected to respect them at all times regardless of how close our relations are. Allies are the only non-pack wolves who are permitted to cross our borders. I prefer to give others one warning, then to attack, but others in our pack may not be so generous. Every member is responsible for monitoring the borders and ensuring our safety." "Do you have any questions?"

The great woman nodded, "Of course, I would dedicate my life and very being to the pack, solely focused on assisting in making this the ultimate pack. I would be respectful of all packmates, and all allies." She shuffled her paws a bit, pulling her tail back and tucking it against her left side, leaning to the right. Emerald orbs were full of excitement, not that the other could see, however Chenoa did not know that. Her paws flexed against the dirt, fire in her veins as she could almost taste the membership, the possible acceptance.

"I have but one question, about the allies. Are any of the surrounding territories nearby, or are they away from this place? As well as, are any packs around these lands your enemy packs? I always like to know what I'm dealing with." She questioned, her mouth twisting into a concentrated half-frown, as she hoped they weren't, yet also wanted enemies nearby for she enjoyed the excitement.

Her ears flicked back briefly, as she thought she heard a sound, and then her head snapped up, and she swiveled it quickly to the side, maw parting and nose sniffing the air, and the scent was unmistakeable. Her jaws watered a bit, but she knew she wouldn't be able to follow the creature, as she was in conversation, therefore it was impolite, as well as the mammals scent seemed to be wafting from Natalya's side of the border.

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242 words. Very very short. ;-;

ooc;; sorry this will stink, I am exhausted from testing

Natalya was pleased with the new girl's oath of loyalty and nodded in acceptance. The question that came next was easily answered. "We are acquainted with our neighbors in Valhalla, though no official alliance has been established. We are on poor terms with Ludicael in the east, but I am not certain that I would consider them enemies per say. Ebony in the east is our strongest ally. We have no concrete relationships with any of the other packs, negative or positive, though I am sure now that the Empress is returned, those ambiguities will be resolved." She smiled, her tail swaying softly against the ground behind her.

"So, what say you, Chenoa Altsoba? Will you serve as a General of Olympus?"