There came a time in life when one encountered crossroads with difficult decisions. It was a pivotal moment, one that no matter the outcome would guarantee a monumental change in the circumstances or situations in one’s life one way or the other. Elias had been travelling the earth for years, amassing what little knowledge he could find and cultivate according to his own interests which were ones that were not entirely expected of a hunter. Diseases and illnesses weren’t usually an area of interest for wolves that were non-healers and neither were medicinal herbs or plants. The male had been granted an inquisitive mind which had focused its energies on the more morbid side of the healing arts but he was also an adept, capable hunter. As a whole, his body was much more suited to hunting. It’d been conditioned over years of manual work and fending for himself without others to call his pack-mates. It was what he hoped, the rank he would be bestowed with if he was accepted. The wolf was lean without excessive muscle to weigh him down and act as a hindrance towards his speed. He was tall, long-bodied which served him well in covering ground quickly and efficiently. The muscle he had was dense and strong, packed tightly to his frame. Though, they were only prominent on his legs which had the least amount of fur. Elias had also won the genetic lottery of having a full pelt of handsome silky white fur that was not only mixed with smatterings of grey and tints of black but it was also thick which meant it hid most of his body. Wide shoulders and all. Therein, lay the cross-roads and consequently, the change. He could enter into a haven as a deadly hunter with a penchant for the morbid and macabre or as a medic, a ghostly, silver-spun mage with a heart of ice. Although, his heart was already dead. There was nothing alive in it and it showed in his eyes which were haunting and void of any emotions, holding a canvas of blank, earthy amber. And he appeared without a sound near the border line underneath the evening waning sun, a silent spectre crossing into the realm of life.

The upper half of his pelt, white dappled with shades of black and grey, glistened like sheets of snow, ash-white to glimmers of effervescent silver. Like bleached bones and polished metal but softer, melted down into their very essences. Black-trimmed ears alert and forwards listening for any sounds of paws brushing the ground or the snap of a twig. His steps weren’t overly powerful in that they didn’t leave massive indents in the ground but they were precise and controlled. Each movement flowed into the other, in one synchronized motion. Slowing to a smooth stop at the edge, he peered at the mass of trees in front of him searching for any signs of the pack. Perhaps a glimpse of one of the upper ranks of the highest order. The Alpha or Alphess, the Betas and if this pack possessed, the Deltas or Guardians. Spying none, he raised his grey-striped muzzle to the afternoon skies and released a long, powerful howl into the air announcing his presence to those that held authority to greet him.

The large black male moved through the foliage, swaying his hips from side to side with each step. He moved forward and lowered his eyes upon a small morsel which had recently been killed by something else. His eyes glared at it and his paws pulled him closer to it. He sniffed around the carcass, discovering it had been killed by a member of his pack. He calmed down the anxiety and anger which was slowly swelling within his mind so he could get a clear view of the truth to the incident. It was nothing to get so worked up about. Steele wondered why the thing laid here though, at the border no less. For it was a strange thing, but he continued walking past it. The Alpha male moved along his path, marking as he moved past faded scents of his space. Upon making it to the denser part of his terrain, he heard the call from a loner, asking for his company. Lately Steele had only welcomed a few new wolves to their lands, normally his most trusted females did the tedious task of accepting the others. But he figured since he was already here, why not take care of it currently? Racing for the sound, he made his way to the border where the new wolf was located. As he approached his tail curled over his spine, and his chest pushed itself out. He stood before the mostly white wolf and snarled angrily towards it. "Who are you and what brings you here?"

Letting his howl trickle into fading remnants as he caught a lone figure in the far distance, Elias lowered his head his two-toned tail sweeping the ground idly. His eyes landed on the wolf who had answered his call with curt attention. From afar he couldn’t gauge the size of the wolf but he was considerably large, maybe larger than the average male wolf. He was clothed in pitch black. When the other paused at a carcass lying on the ground, glaring at it and pulling it closer to him the white wolf deduced he was most likely the Alpha. The only male wolves that carried themselves with that much confidence were the Alphas. Then there was also the fact that he seemed to carry more anger over the carcass than what would’ve been expected from an ordinary pack member. Those things, combined with his size, made him the prime suspect for such an assumption. One ear cocked and he sniffed the air, catching the scent of the piece of meat. From first glance, it was just an ordinary kill. Had one of the pack members deliberately gone against his orders perhaps? Or had been it an innocent misunderstanding from some unusual circumstances? Whatever the case, the presence of the dead creature clearly wasn’t a normal occurrence. Mystery upon mystery. A name was something he was missing for a moment. Then it came to him in a flash, dredged up within the myriad of memories piled up inside his head. Steele. Alpha Steele. He would call him by that name as customs and respect demanded if he was taken under his venerable wing.  
     
He watched the other male race towards him, his own ears positioned forwards intently. He had been right. He was the Alpha. He further proved it by curling his tail over his spine and pushing his chest out in a display of dominance. Tail touching the ground, Elias dipped his head towards him until it was below his as he came to a stop in front of him in a show of respect. His ears folded back against his skull, eyes travelling down to the ground in front of him instead of looking directly at him. Holding this position he spoke in a clear, strong voice,“I am no one but a simple loner who goes by the name of Elias. I heard about your pack, Erenyx and seek to join as part of your honourable guards as a hunter. I am strong as you can see and I am also fast and agile. I can be of excellent use to you and your pack as I can take down game very efficiently and quickly. I have sharp eyes and ears and react fast. All these skills and my loyalty, I pledge to you and your pack. That is of course, if you would accept me.” Straightening, he waited for the other’s answer. His expression, set within a white-grey face tinged with jet black, remained entirely blank. Not even a shred of life in those eerie, faded eyes.

Steele watched as the frame of the other wolf changed for the respect he showed to him. Why couldn't all wolves know how to react this way? The Alpha enjoyed the sight greatly, but his the smile from his maw. It was covered by the thoughts of hate and rage, forcing him to keep his dangerous appearance. The Alpha male looked over the other wolf. The coloring was strange, something he had not seen before, or even recalled seeing. His pale eyes stared at the wolf, thinking if there was anything else which needed to be said before he allowed the wolf to enter his lands. As he thought of it, he discovered there was nothing, nothing else he could possibly say. he cared not for his past or anything of the sort. He only cared for the few wolves he actually considered important to him: Nyx, Chiara, and Katyusha. "Very good." he said for a second. He paused his words as he thought of what he exactly wished to say. He had done numerous border acceptances in the past, as both a Beta and an Alpha. "I am Alpha Steele and I solely own these lands. You have found the pack you seek, but I warn you, the things and the wolves you will see here are unlike the neighboring pack to the south. They are pathetic mongrels which I will someday force from their lands and control this whole land as my own. In time you will have a chance to rank up, if you can prove your worth to me and my pack. From this moment on, you shall be called 'Hunter Elias'. You may explore the lands as you please. Do not bother me with your questions or anything of the sort. I do not have time for such things." With that being said, the Alpha turned his back on the other and headed back to his den.

His reaction seemed to have brought an equally pleasant reaction from the other male though there still something fearsome in his smile. Most likely because of his overall appearance. Black was on all occasions, associated with danger and his eyes were as hollow as his. It wasn’t a comforting appearance and would unsettle most wolves. But Elias had come too far in life to be disgruntled about appearances. And he’d seen too much. It was why he was the way he was. Stone cold. Unfeeling. It’d made him so, much to his soul’s detriment. He supposed the only way it was alive, clawing for life, was in the form of his ghoulish interest in medicinal herbs, diseases and sicknesses and everything they entailed in a wolf from organ failure to paralysis. He didn’t know why the Alpha was examining him the way he was but he guessed it may have been his eyes or his pelt. His eyes were not normal due to the accident with the snake poison when he was somewhere in between puppyhood and adolescence. They were like two wells that had been drained of water, now empty and marred by death. And his pelt had a habit of shimmering when the moon hit it at the right angle in a coldly grotesque kind of way. Decayed bones and liquid metal to make silver. He still wasn’t sure that was a good thing or bad thing. Whatever it was, Elias maintained his composure staring ahead like a living statue until he was spoken to. There was nothing to say anyway.

His ears swivelled back towards him as he spoke, taking in what he assumed was acceptance and he nodded slightly. Very good. Elias inclined his head slightly. It’d been so long since he had heard words of that kind. Listening to the rest of his words, the spectral wolf mulled them over his mind. A neighbouring pack who he considered pathetic and whose lands and wolves he wanted to take over and control along with the lands he was currently controlling. And things he would see in Erenyx that was unlike the other pack. It was a warning he took attention to, tucking it into the back of his mind.“Understood,” Elias said. To the rest of his now Alpha’s words, he nodded in response. He would do what was required of him, perhaps even more if the situation demanded it and leave the rest to fate. A hunter he was and a hunter he would remain unless the future had other things in store for him. He watched the other turn and leave to return back to his den after giving his final words. He supposed he should’ve been happy that he had been accepted but that part of him had died a long time ago. The part with feelings that is. So now that he’d been accepted, he took a step over the border line with a ghostly white paw and crossed over into the realm of Erenyx as the newly minted Hunter Elias.