The vessel that carries a soul across the lands of this earth in which we prosper is a beautiful thing within itself, as something so fragile and insignificant as a body of flesh and bone would certainly never be the first choice to place a source of such luminous purity and warmth of righteous power. But, so it is, and what some might see as an ironic twist to what is already a twisted life, Lucy has accepted what is and what will most probably be with both an open mind and heart. She was never one to believe in fate, nor in the concept of otherworldly heavens, and whether these seemingly negative outlooks were the product of her father's darkness or of her own sound mind she knew not. But despite what some would label as ignorance that influences her word formed by thought and tongue alike, this wolfess is far wiser than to just simply scrape at the surface. Days go by like birds in the sky, just as a millennia seems to pass just as quickly as the turn of a season; enough time for those to write their own within the texts of their history books before the new age unfolded. Those who wasted what was already an incredibly short time to follow 'fate's path', as some would have it, by stressing over how short of a time they had in the beginning were the truest of fools, and Lucy was not one of them.

And, so. Here she was; upon the soil that held the many paw prints of pack members that called these territories their Alpha's, though exactly which pack and which Alpha, she wished she knew. She had passed countless borders before this very one, each of which reeking of a pack who's name escaped her knowledge, though why she chose to slow at these lands puzzled her for just long enough to allow her interest to peak. She recognized that her need for company, and furthermore, shelter, had grown in her past months of solitude, but was she ready to call to an Alpha she knew nothing about in order to fill it? At this she let loose a dry bark of laughter, the sound unusual and foreign to the ear, as she stood tall before the border. Her tongue had tasted the scents of what wolves resided within this forest, her paws of ebony had touched its dried leaves and ice that lay upon its floor and her eyes of amber wisdom its horizon and the shadows between its trees of paling bark. Not danger on her part nor the stench of death was present among these pack lands, and if their master was fond of playing tricks when the inevitability of their meeting from on either side of this border rolled by, Lucy was sure she would have no issue in simply leaving and forgetting.

After many second thoughts and finally an answer made with, yes, incredible risk but with a yearning of the heart in mind, her song begun. The trees above took their last glimpse of what embers remained in the depths of her eyes as their lids closed, her muzzle touched by cream and crimson lifting to the last of a retreating autumn's leaves hanging from a birch and the sky of grey they attempting to conceal. Her mouth parted to release what felt like a mix of growls and guttural snarls as the walls of her unseasoned throat tightened, the heat of her breath slipping from between her lips and mingling with the chill of a harsh winter's breeze in wisps and curls like plumes of a dying fire's smoke. What erupted from this little she-wolf surprised even herself, it's melody strong and steady and uncommonly bold. A wolf miles away would hear the howl just as she did then, the ending sound of its call ringing with a fading echo that bounced between the trunks of the trees that surrounded her, but, alas, though her voice was laced in confidence her stomach was tickled by anxiousness at the thought of what would come next. Whom would be the first to answer her call and emerge from between those giants and the fog that seeped from their trunks and knotted roots? Whom would have the unpleasantry - she was sure - of deciding her fate?

She lowered her haunches to the forest bed, what leaves that lay beneath ruffling and crunching from the shift in weight. Her fur of dappled brown would be set ablaze with the streams of the sun's light that filtered through the auburn leaves every now and then, the russet that ran in frantic patterns along her body ignited for any that hid to behold before dimming to their diluted color once again. Her eyes were fixed ahead, her posture tall and her expression blank, and she had no intention of moving but an inch until either friend or foe came to greet her presence.

Azul's white ears perked upon his head, searching for the beautiful call that rang through the forest. His body was quick to follow the way from which it came. His large pads crushed the earth beneath him, making his rounds around the border. There had been many wolves seeking shelter within his border. Some wanted protection and numbers, while others seemed to only want a place to rest their heads. His nose was quick to work, sifting through the numerous scents to target the new and sweet scent. Once he finally picked the trail, he ignored the rest, going straight for hers. His tail curled over his spine, resting on the soft fur of his back. His eyes were calm and welcoming. He had always done his best to make visitors wish to stay.

As he approached her, he watched only for a moment. Although he was much larger than her in size, he was unsure of her capabilities. The Alpha male was not afraid to fight, but put all other options out first. He smiled to her as he cleared himself from the bushes and branches of cover. He shook his body, shaking the excess leaves that had fallen on his powder coat. His eyes were warm, just as before. They scanned her form, looking over her coat and her body. She was very beautiful, this much was true. This only made the wolf more intrigued about the fae. He planted his paws before her, staring down with a smile. "Hello, I am Alpha Azul. What brings you to my borders?" There was no demand in his voice, only inquisition.

Against her back was the comfort of what sunlight made it through the auburn leaves, rays of warmth reaching down in broken pillars of gold to caress her fur of soft dappled luster, and yet biting at her nose was a bitter winter's breath. A shiver would race down the length of her spine as the wind pulled and pushed against her, racking her body with an unpleasant ripple of shudders, though the unusual cold that came with each gust was welcomed by the she-wolf. Winter had always been the most majestic of seasons in Lucy's opinion, though her birthplace refused to give the justice it deserved; choking back what snow threatened to fall with rolling mists of humid air and a sticky dew that draped from the trees and carpeted the forest beds. No, a forever summer was not at all favorable to the little wolfess, and so she took delight in the knowledge that these unknown lands would change their colors with each passing moon. How strange this place was, hidden away in the shadow of the conifers and leafless birches that guarded its entrance; a secret haven of sorts, resting in plain eye though only seen by those who take more than but a rare glance. Though she sat across from its master's border with a posture strung with confidence and an expression calmed and stoic, a certain light of awe could not be kept from those eyes of hers. She reveled in the beauty that surrounded her now, finding that what some would see as barren and dead was far more appealing than the constant green that prospered in the land of which she was born, her pools of amber curiosity dancing from tree to tree, leaf to leaf, knotted root to knotted root.

She remained still upon the floor of frost and browned grass, her tail curled around her side to embrace her paws of deep ebony and cream; a statue, frozen by patience, painted the colors of autumn with a pretty face bright in wonder to match, and save for the wisps of breath that puffed from her nose or the slightest of flutters as she blinked this much would be true. Shadows from an ancient tree's silver branches and peeling bark were strewn jagged across her back of twisted scars, her thin form half enshrouded by darkness and half lit by the glory of the sun. Her presence in this forest would easily go unnoticed if not for her song already sung, and even then she knew her voice was small to the ear of an Alpha. It seemed that this was always the case, even before the title of 'Alpha's daughter' was stripped of her name, and how ironic it was that such a mind brimmed with tales to tell and a wisdom to share was subjected to silence for a time as long as hers. She was a modest creature, all but utterly oblivious to the beauty that both shone upon her coat and dwelled within her eyes, but she had always known she was much more a thinker than a fighter. Though, she could do nothing to stifle the rather thoughtless growl that began ever so softly at the sound of heavy foot falls approaching.

He broke through the wall of sparse foliage to her side with ease, slipping around the gathering of broken twigs and brush that grew tall in his way. The growl that had threatened to rip from her lips had ceased as quickly as he emerged from his hidden cover, and though her eyes had grown wide and her spine had grown rigid, she kept what dignity she could in her composure and remained upright. He paused at the tree line for only a moment before obviously finding what he sought, taking the few steps that separated the two with eyes of metallic bronze locked on her. His stride was that of a dominant wolf, his tail and head raised high in confidence, although the smile that so delicately curled at the edges of his muzzle was not one of pride but of...kindness. This, indeed, puzzled Lucy, and before she realized she was staring he had placed himself in front of her. She blinked up at him, silently taking note that he was much, much larger up close, and matched his welcoming grin with one of her own - tattered and lopsided from the most grotesque of her scars, but her own, nonetheless. She met his gaze with one of sun-kissed chestnut before lowering her head in an elaborate but most certainly sincere bow, removing her ivory tipped tail from its tight embrace around her paws before resting it upon the soil to her side, frayed strands of fur splayed across crumpled leaves far from her body. She straightened her neck only when his voice rang out from above her, though her ears were flattened against her skull and her back remained hunched as she lifted her head just half way. Alpha Azul. She tested the words in her thoughts, copied them to memory, and formed them on her lips for herself.

"Alpha Azul,"

She called him by name as if to ask a question, though her voice made it out as if she spoke of him in greeting. Those words were edged with a harshness, as her voice most often does, though flowed with a sweetness and dripped with amber honey. "It's a pleasure to meet you. I apologize for disturbing your forest, as well as your duties, though I have lingered so close to your borders in hopes I would have the chance to simply ask of you your benevolence." She paused and - with some hesitance - lifted her gaze to his face, her eyes of brittle amber stone alight with an odd brightness following the rippled fur colored of the purest snow that grew in tufts up his chest, touching his of wary amity only briefly. "My name is Lucy, and I come to you with nothing else but just this; a name. I must admit I know not of your pack, or even of the land that surrounds your own, but I wish to join a family as I had once before my time of solitude."

The ivory-coated male looked down to the fae. Her voice was soft to his ears, an almost angelic sound. Many had said the Alpha's heart was as large as he himself. He was especially easy on the faes, allowing them to not e completely submissive in his presence, unless they had done something which caused the pack harm or angered him. Azul believed words were mightier than the aggression of fangs and claws. He hoed those below him would follow in his practices and encourage others to do the same. His smile, never fading, "do you have any skills or enjoy something that may help the pack when the thich sheet of winter attacks us with her icy daggers? Or do you perhaps wish to learn from others as an apprentice until you learn a trade you enjoy?" He would not put this fae under the watch of Steele for she was far too delicate, but Kenai could teach her the ways of the Warrior if she had wished it.

She took this time of brief silence to look him over, her eyes glowing with a curious light as they roamed down his body and back again. His fur was the purest of white, a color Lucy had rarely seen in her time, its surface glossed and polished with a shine that burst to life in the rays of liquid gold that streamed from above. He was, indeed, much larger than herself, the muscles that lined the length of his legs and wrapped around his chest defined clearly for all to see, though what some might've found intimidating only proved to intrigue the little wolfess further. She could imagine how very few of those who came across his border dared to defy his word, as simply the sight of this towering male would be sure to strike fear within those who acted so unjustly, and yet Lucy was so bold as to look upon this Alpha with a gaze of placid warmth and innocent curiosity instead of one filled with a submissive pleading. Perhaps it was his smile, a gesture of welcome and kindness so un-befitting for a wolf of his stature, or his eyes of bronze and copper stone, so easy to read and yet brimming with hidden shadows of the unknown. Or perhaps it was the simple fact that he was different than all that she had ever known, the fact that she saw no twisted hunger in his features or malevolence in his stride. Despite how close she had gotten to the most wicked of his kind, there was no hint of fear present in her amber pools as she sat calmly before the Alpha's border she hoped to soon enter, as those who were capable of ruling without unrighteous pride and with instead a gentle paw were of the few she kept near.

Her head had remained lowered in somewhat of a bow until he spoke once again, his words causing her ears of faded crimson to perk atop her head and her eyes to rise to his own. She thought back to what skills Audric had taught her that were intended for rather destructive intents, though also to the knowledge of a healer's herbs she possessed, and realized she would make a fool of herself either way if her rank was to ask of her to perform one of these talents, for she was attuned in neither.

"I am afraid-" she glanced down to the soil at her paws in a moment of a weakness as she revealed her embarrassment, though returned to his face with the smallest of smiles in an attempt to regain her footing. "-that though I have been instructed in both the artistry of healing wounds to the flesh as well as creating them, my knowledge is far too limited to call either of them my art. I must assure you, however, that I am capable of holding my own if a situation arises that calls for more than..." Smart ass remarks? Her muzzle closed with a barely audible snap as she shook her head from side to side just briefly, huffing out an elongated breath from her nose before straightening her neck to its full length. "My heart may be scarred but its intentions are pure, and though my assets may seem transparent or insignificant, I wish to learn what I must to change. If I were to become one of you, I would be delighted to take up apprenticeship beneath one of more skill, but it is your say, Alpha Azul. Place me where you see fit, and I promise you, I will uphold whatever rank that may be with gratitude."

Stubborn, she is, though modesty is her strong suit - as well as her downfall. How odd it is that a she-wolf with such a beautiful mind cannot acknowledge what she is, who she is. The remainder of the wounds inflicted by a past of fire and maliciousness still lay open upon her skin; gashed and bloody, untouched and untreated, while what others flaw her coat of autumn and tattered magnificence have since healed, leaving behind nothing but puckered scars and a pain nearly forgotten. She has accepted what she sees of herself as the only truth: a failed Alpha's daughter, ugly, broken, grotesque. What she spoke of to Azul was certainly no lie, but, alas, her heart of pure intent has grown weary of hiding its dark secrets, and it's longing to be free of the walls Lucy has built around it is but a cry unheard.

But as the fae spoke of her abilities, a new idea came into mind. There was something different about her. She was calm and endearing, even though she had been shy. Azul looked at her, into her eyes, looking over her coat. he would keep her out of harm's way as best he could. He worried if Steele would discover this fae out and what actions he would take. It had been decided. "Please stand Apprentice Lucy. I wish you to work closely with Caretaker Creek. She specializes in healing and will do all she can to teach you the ways and all she knows." He smiled and nodded his head to her. "You may go create your den along with the Caretakers or you may learn your new home. I shall be returning to camp, if you wish to accompany me."

Apprentice Lucy. She couldn't help but chuckle aloud as she thought of how ironic it was that an Alpha's daughter and future successor would wind up as an apprentice. Of course, her father's ideals and principals of apprenticeship were far more tainted than her own, as she highly doubted such a rank was purely for weaklings. She was true in the fact that she would fail miserably if this Alpha were to anoint any responsibility to her name, as she could offer simply nothing but knowledge - ancient knowledge, at that, as Audric had only known what his father's grandfather had passed down to his spawn before his last breath was drawn. No, her new title did not discourage her. It excited her. She sighed in relief, her posture relaxing significantly, and her eyes fluttered closed before meeting his again.

"Alpha Azul. You've no idea how wonderful that sounds." Her grin spread wide across her muzzle, the sunlight doing its deserved justice to her fur as it danced across its glossed surface, and by the time she managed to stand her eyes were alight with a glow they had not seen in ages. She took the few steps that separated them with care, stopping quite a bit from his side at a respectful distance and tipped her head in a last bow. "Please, after you. I will have to learn my home another time, something I will be sure not to forget, as just this view is...stunning. I'm sure the rest of your territories are of the same beauty, but I must admit I am anxious to meet this Creek you speak of, and, of course, anxious to begin my teachings."