Emily woke up with a jolt. It had been a week since she had left her pack and less than a day since she had found the border. She had taken refuge in a field not far from the territory line. A twig snapping not far in the distance had disturbed her sleep, and for this she was quite angered... This was her first few hours of sleep in a long time. Last time she slept had to be close to two days now. She got to her paws sleepily and set out to meet a wolf in hopes of being accepted.

The branch snapping could have been anything, from prey to a predator. And she wasn't sure if she had the guts to go after the more dangerous animal or the energy to chase the lower species. She remembered the first time she made her first real hunt, she had caught a rabbit when she was four months old just outside her pack's camp. Oh, how good it tasted to eat her first catch.

Then there was the time in which she had met her first enemy too. It was a puma, and she had dared not bother it. She watched it from a distance though, noting it's hunting techniques as it brought down a juvenile moose, then how quickly the cougar had killed it. After a breeze brought the cougar's attention to the she wolf, Emily bolted.

So, she headed to the border line she had found not to long ago. She sat on her haunches before letting out a wild song to alert any pack wolves of her being at their borders. She let her gaze wander as she waited, over the trees: green leaves, deep brown branches, rough bark. Over the dirt: just a dull brown. Over the grass: green as the leaves.

She let her eyes snap back to the trees beyond the border. Oh do come find me pack wolves.... she mused to herself silently.

Fel was walking in silence along the outskirts of their territories, the cavity that was once her heart filling with loathing and mistrust. Then again, since her heart was gone, those feelings could no longer affect her mind in such ways as it could the common imbecile. Her thoughts were clear; her consciousness focused on the world around her as she did her rounds of patrol. What was inside of her stayed inside, abandoned in the abyss to rot away to hell. Sooner or later, she would meet up with them there anyway.

The raven ears of the brutish fae swiveled at the sound of a summoning howl, her paws turning to follow the sound. She did not rush to meet the newcomer however. Instead, she took her time. One paw after another, the tall demon lumbered wordlessly through the woods, eventually approaching this new fae. From the moment her figure was visible, the gaze of the Elite – nearly devoid of color – locked onto it. Her stare tore across the dark form in an observatory fashion before meeting the bright green orbs of the other as she drew nearer. Fel stopped a few steps in front of her, still glaring down to the stranger as she spoke, clearly challenging her and daring her to show disrespect. Her voice, as always, was unexpectedly deep for a female. “I am Fel, Elite of the lands ruled by a brute called Teren. Speak your name and purpose, fae… And I suggest you do so quickly. You don’t want to waste my time.”

Did it usually take this long for a wolf to come to the border? Emily waited many long minutes for her call to be answered, and finally heard slowly moving paw-steps in the distance. She waited patiently, she respected that not all wolves absolutely desperately ran to find more tributes for their pack. More creeks for their river system. More parts for their well working oiled machine.

As this wolf neared, Emily took in the raven colored wolf. She was large, taller than Emily by a long shot. She was otherwise quite like Emily, black fur, brightly colored eyes, lithe figure, snake-like movements. And then she spoke as she towered over Emily, demanding her purpose and her name. Emily lowered her body to the ground, ears plastered to her head, eyes cast down. "My name is Emily. I come searching for acceptance into these lands ruled by Teren. I will try not to waste your time as best as I can," Emily said, loudly enough for the other wolf to hear, but quietly enough to not express a challenge.

Please let this be over with. Please, just accept me, kill me, or banish me, just do it quickly.... please. I beg you, she wanted to say. She wanted to plead it aloud for this fae to hear but she didn't want to seem weak. She was a strong wolf, she would get through this. The young black fae awaited a torrent of harsh words...

Glaring down at the other, Fel listened to the other’s brief words. At least, she figured, this one was better than Heaven. That fae had been pathetic and fearful at the border… And now, even with a few courses of training, she had failed her test against the other healer: Cliché. Her forced apprentice had a storm coming her way, whether she knew it or not. “Rise, Emily,” Fel ordered the submissive wolf, “and explain to me why I should bother accepting you into Erenyx. What are your strengths and skills, fae?” The onyx statue still stood with no intentions of taking a seat. She always remained in the best stance for the situation. As this was a border introduction, she needed to be sure that she was mobile and could fight off an intruder without giving anyone the advantage of catching her sitting down. Fel would listen to the response and pause for a moment before continuing. “Well, tell me a few things about your life. For instance, where do you hail from? I do not personally care, but it is information I need to know none the less.” Perhaps her words were rude, but it wasn’t like it bothered her. She was as blunt as could be, a trait she favored in conversations with others.

She did as Emily was told. She rose up and still laid her ears back. What skills and strengths? "I can hunt well, I can fight however I prefer not to, and I can track. I have really come though to be a caretaker, I have always wanted to have pups of my own, I was just never able to."

She listened to the next question. "I come from two alphas from another pack far east from here. I was supposed to be alphess, but I chose not to. With the power came no respect, no trust and no choices. All decisions would have been made for me, including my mate. I did not believe in their ways, so I moved on from that pack and I hope of joining this one. I do not mind which rank I get, however, if I do start out as a caretaker, I will continue to try and gain higher rankings. Not because I am greedy, not because I thirst for power, it's because I was originally supposed to be a leader, and that hope still remains within me," Emily said, still submissive to not blow her chances into getting into this pack. If one misstep was made, she was sure she would be banished before she could protest.

Fel raised a raven brow as she listened, her eyes still trained on the other’s. By the time this intruder was finished, a hoarse laugh was coming from her jaws. It was such a strange sound, this offspring of a cackle and a growl. The laugh was fake, even forced, but the humour she felt behind it was sincere. The idea was simply preposterous to her. “A caretaker as a leader? If you were kin to my family, your disgraceful pelt would cover the floor of my father’s den.” She huffed once, “Your choice in profession is weak, but fortunately for your sorry hide, vacant. We’ve got two litters of pups currently running about. You can have fun rounding them up like the devils they are.” The towering fae turned around, and began to walk back with her long tail snaking behind her. “You may follow me to the pack clearing, caretaker,” she spat out the rank like it was vile to her tongue, “or you may explore our lands on your own. Either way, I leave you with this warning: Do your job well, or I will personally dispose of you.” Without another word, she disappeared into the foliage as silently and slowly as she had come.