Paws padded lightly on the ground as a scarred up she wolf made her way through the slowly shriveling forest. Autumn. Her favorite season. Because of the colors? No, the color sickened her. Because of the scent of leaves? No. Because she could watch the life of the forest shrivel and die, like her enemies. Feel it's dead leaves crushing beneath her paws like a helpless piece of prey. On top of the forest itself dying under the encroaching darkness of winter, the cooling breeze blew through the air near constant and seemed to chill the cold, black heart that resided in her chest even further. She loved it. Love, an uncommon thought in the head of a phantom.

As she closed in on her destination her nose wrinkled in distaste, the smell of a male hit her nose, no doubt an alpha. That is how she knew to stop where she did, the place where the sour scent was the strongest, at the very edge of the Erenxy pack border. However, despite its unpleasant strong, bitterness she could smell A scent underlying it, a scent she knew and respected. Power. The longer she stood and sniffed the more she scented out the power and strength this male must hold. She continued to stand at the border, her icey blue eyes searching the surrounding area for any threats. Nothing. Not even the scurry of a mouse or squirrel. Smart little creatures, knowing to stay away from the scent. The scent they had surely come to recognize as their death. Death, now that was a thought that frequented the battle scarred she-wolfs mind.

Shaking out her fur she threw her head back and let the pressure build in her throat before forcing it out in an exploding howl. Her throat continued to vibrate as her call echoed through the forest. This was it, she was calling for the high rank members of Pack Erenyx. She had heard some of this ruthless pack and knew that she would have little trouble fitting in, being that all she had learned in her time of being a rouge was fighting, and killing. That's it. She had pushed herself recently in her training, no longer fighting off rouges she came upon, but killing them, she had known she needed to make sure her skills were where they should be. At their peak. As her lungs ran out of air she sat, wrapping her tail around her light cream paws. Now she would wait. She would wait as long as it took for a high rank wolf to show up and except her into their pack.

More time spent on the borders with little enough to do had the Guardian restless. It was probably a good thing, after his less than ideal first encounter with a young traveller named Faola, he was in no mood to receive another arrogant wench. He had no patience for useless wolves who didn't know their place. Those would be put down if they were lucky. He would make them live the lowest of lives if not. He had no wish to disappoint his Alpha and bring him weaklings for his army. Magnus very much valued his own life, not for himself but for the mental wellbeing of his beloved. He wouldn't let some entitled cretin be the reason his corpse decorated the Alphas den. And yet, even as he considered this thought, a feminine howl came to him. Tiny hairs in his ears vibrated, relaying the sound to his brain for interpretation. It took less than half a second for him to know the meaning of the call. Another bitch in search of a mate before her heat kicked in. If she had any illusions of bedding the Alpha he might just turn her away now. Teren had no interests in taking an Alphess as his equal. He saw himself as the superior creature, not requiring a mate to "complete" him.

The Alpha was certainly one of a kind, Magnus respected him for his blunt, I-don't-care persona. He took his time walking to the source of the voice, copper fur rippling in the autumn breeze. He slid from the shadows of autumn, breaking away from the camouflage of the red and orange leaves. Fluffy tail curled high over his spine, expecting full submission from the female if she wished any chance to enter these lands. "Mind telling me why you've summoned me? My time is not to be wasted by the likes of you." He eyed the female, she might be considered pretty enough. But she didn't hold a flicker of a flame to his mate.

As Pharika sat in wait she gazed around knowing someone was approaching at a leisurely pace. However, she heard him before she saw him, for being a mexican wolf her larger ears more easily picked up the faint sound of padded paws crushing dead leaves upon the forest floor. As the male walked into her view she dipped her head respectively knowing this male was of high rank. "I am Pharika, and I have came here to ask acceptance into your pack. As you might be able to tell by my pelt I've been in many fights and skirmishes and know how to do more than hold my own in a fight." she said, her voice a mixture of respect and matter-of-fact in tone.

Though she knew this male seemed less than willing to be here right now listening to her she also knew that he wouldn't turn away a good fighter, unless of course he wanted his pelt lining the alphas den. From all she had heard of Erenyx pack she knew their alpha, who went by the name of Teren, was a ruthless male who's only wish was to have a pack made up of equally ruthless warriors. She also knew that he had no room for the weak or any who would even attempt to challenge him. As she sat there watching this male she kept her posture a bit bent, in order to seem submissive and respectful, her eyes staying focused a this paws rather than on his eyes, because from all that she was taught, looking a higher ranking wolf in the eyes was a sign of challenge and disrespect.

"I have heard much of your pack and know that you are seeking out good warriors, so, I have come to see if I could prove myself worthy to stand among your ruthless ranks" she added, her tone still very respectful. The last thing she wanted to do was irritate or anger her only chance to gain entrance to a pack. However by looking at this male and by his processing his scent she could tell he was not the alpha, and he wasn't the overlying scent she could smell at the border. Being that his was true he was either a beta, head warrior or a guardian. All of those ranks being somthing she hoped to acquire one day, however, she would keep her high set ambitions to herself for the time being,and would accept the rank, which was hopefully warrior, that she was given.

He rolled his eyes. Was this what Chiara dealt with on a daily basis? And then to return home to care for the pups. Truly she had more patience than he. But he would hold his tongue for the moment. Let the wench spew her fantasies of battle and glory, let her show her badges of honour with pride. If she kept on like this, he might just decorate her a little further. She was cocky, very self assured. He wanted so badly to put her in her place like he had with that Faola. Surely he couldn't have been this bad when he first arrived here. He smirked, remembering the day. That was indeed a day to remember. At least this one is a little more submissive, he thought. If she'd tried to hold eye contact with him, no words of apology could forestall his wrath. He would not be disrespected, he would not be challenged. He was a Guardian, the shield to protect his fearless leader. The wall that kept the enemies from their territory. Without him, so many would die. He considered her words, how could she have heard "much" of Erenyx. Teren was very private, he kept quite a lot about their pack secret, only discussing that which was imperative. Either she was full of crap, lying through her canines to seem far more intelligent than she was. Or, she had somehow breached their defences, a security matter which he would need to address immediately. He'd keep a watchful eye on this one.

He tilted his head just slightly to the side, analysing her. Rage was not a thing meant to be suppressed. The longer it was suppressed, the bigger the explosion. It would be a lovely thing to release his anger on this one. But to suppress it a little longer would mean a more spectacular snap. Maybe just a little dig... he rationalised, she could do with a little reminder of who she is. He grinned, set on his path. "I don't care how many scars you wear nor how many battles you've fought. They mean nothing as of now. Nor do I care how entitled or skilled you think you are. I care about what I see and what I see is a fae with no actions to back up her words." He shook his head before she could move into a defensive stance. "No, we will not fight here. It would make no sense since I've already forewarned you. No I will let the fear fester in your mind, let you doubt yourself. Let you forget and drop your guard. I will strike when you least expect and then when I am satisfied with your skills will you have earned some smidge of respect from me." His voice was low, with barely the hint of a threat. He'd learned that loud voices were full of hot air, but those who were quieter, more controlled could be mysterious, questioned and incalculable. "What I require of you for now is some detail. Where have you come from? Why did you leave? If you lie to me, I will kill you. There will be no entering these lands under false pretences."

Pharika stood there quietly listening to his threat which was, no doubt ,an empty one. Sure this male looked strong and powerful and all that garbage but he wouldn't be so foolish as to kill a potential member of his pack simply because he wanted to. Wrapping her tail tighter around her paws so he couldn't see her digging her claws into the earth she straightened her back, fine, he wanted her to back up her words, she would. She wouldn't stand down from this male, she would respect him, but she wouldn't keep up this act of slightly cowering in submission anymore.

As he continued to speak she listened carefully, fighting herself to keep from rolling her eyes. This male was fast getting on her nerves and if it wasn't for his obviously high rank she would have ripped his flesh from his bones. But as he mentioned not fighting here she let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding. Not because she was scared, no, bu because she didn't want to have to fight his male, especially knowing that it meant probably not getting into a pack. Sure there was another on this land but from what she had heard of them, they were goody goody wolves that she had no interest in joining.

When he asked her about where she came from and said that liars would not cross into the land she nodded. She had no shame in where she had came from, for it wasn't her fault her mother was with a rival packs male. "Well I suppose you could say I'm from a little bit of everywhere. Not like I'm complaining. I rather enjoyed growing up all over the place, better learning opportunities. As for the reason I left, my mother mated with a male from anther pack because she wished to produce stronger pups. But when her supposed-to-be-mate found out he killed her other two pups and chased her out."She said her voice as even as her heart rate showing she was telling the truth.

He could see his threats did not stick in her mind. Possibly she was foolish enough to believe him to be all bark and no bite. How wrong she was. He was a brute of action, had he not just said that? Then she had the audacity to rise without his permission. He made them wait purposefully, to test their mettle. He snarled lowly. "Did I give you permission to move? No, you would do well to stay in submission until your superior tells you otherwise. You are lucky it is not the Alpha who greeted you, for he is far less forgiving than I." Still his voice was even, though with a hard edge. If she dared test him again, he would have no choice but to put her in her place. Her gender held no sway in his decision, all would receive the same punishment for the same crimes. She released a sigh of relief after he'd suggested not fighting here. He smirked his trademark. How foolish she was. To be relieved that her punishment would not come this day, but could come on any day at any given time. Perhaps tomorrow or a year from now. He didn't care. He enjoyed watching her squirm.

Such a simple explanation fell from her maw. The daughter of a traitor. How could he trust her to stay loyal to his Alpha? She shared the genes of her treacherous mother, what stopped her from doing the same? "If your mother was a traitor, how could I trust you not to be the same?" He was especially curious to see what answer she might provide. Would she be witty? Truthful? Abrasive? Defensive? Each of these already had a predetermined response within his brain. But much of it depended on the respect she showed him. Plus, as an added bonus, he enjoyed seeing her wait in uncertainty. She would wonder if her answers were correct, if he believed her good enough. If the next breath she drew would be her last. It was all a game to him... partially. Like a pup toying with a pinecone. But no matter the amusement his own antics gave him, he took the safety of his pack, of his family seriously.

Pharikas ears flattened against her head and she sat "I apologize sir" she whined, tipping her head back, showing her throat in submission and respect. As he continued to watch her she could practically see the evil wheels in his head turning. Evil..wait no....not evil. More like, practical and protective. The longer she sat there the more she felt like she wasn't gonna make the cut, an awful feeling really.

As he asked his question she flicked her ears, thinking about it for a while. How could her trust her? "Well sir....I mentioned earlier how I wasnt gonna complain about being a loner all my life. However, being that I know how hard it was for my mother, getting kicked out of a pack and raising a pup on her own, I wouldn't like to go thrgh the same thing if I ever do find a mate. Also, From what I've heard wolves here wouldn't be so forgiving as my father and just chase me off. I may be a bit headstrong sometimes sir, but I'm not a fool, I wouldn't purposely anger a pack of wolves who wouldn't hesitate to kill me." she finally answered.

Everything she had said was the truth, the only thing she didn't add to her reply was the fact that being a Wolf, she naturally longed for companionship. Why didn't she ad this little detail? Because she didn't want to look weak? No. But because she didn't want to ramble on and on and irritate him. Therefore by keeping her answer, short, sweet and too the point maybe increasing her chances of being accepted, because honestly she was getting fed up of sitting here.[/color]

Good, he thought. He was finally getting through to her. But at least her answer was honest, considered. At least she was starting to show she had a brain between her ears. He nodded, appeased. "Fine, you wish to join us, you shall be a Warrior. You would do well to seek out your Leaders, Naomi and Raymond. Introduce yourself to them as their new ward. You will be under careful consideration for some time and if the Alpha does not feel you are performing your duties to the best of your ability, you will be demoted. Killed if you're lucky." He looked around, searching for the simplest directions for the fae. He looked over his right shoulder through the trees. "Go through those trees there and follow the trail. You'll come across a creek inhabited by water fowl. Cross it and you'll find yourself in the packs main encampment. I have places to be." He nodded once to her then trotted off towards the moors. Maybe killing something would help. At least this encounter did not require violence, he thought as she slid into the trees.