With her head down, Novi was able to watch her paws descend into the previously undisturbed snow; her pads sank a few inches before touching the hardened ground of winter. Her steps were weighty and getting heavier by the minute. Normally, Novi would practically dance through the snow, her paws not even sinking completely into the white blanket. But grief was like the weight of an elk upon Novi’s back. She felt as if she had aged many, many years, when it had only been three seasons or so since Veya’s death. Veya…

Suddenly feeling the crunch of dead leaves beneath the snow, Novi glanced up and realized that she had arrived at her destination. A forest lay before her, silent and white, not a single movement within the trees. But Novi’s other senses told a different tale; the scents of wolves filled her mouth and nose. A pack. A home.

Novi had heard the whispers of other loners, speaking of a strong pack that knew how to use words to better themselves. She could not deny that she had dreams of such a place. Having nowhere else to go, Novi followed the whispers with a hopeful heart. The other loners had led her to this place, this forest. What lay beyond was a mystery to the young she-wolf.

She sat on her haunches carefully, forcing herself to cancel out all negative emotions. Veya would laugh if she could see Novi in her sorry state. So she had to be strong. She had to be.
Novi breathed in the icy snowflakes and stared intently into the forest. Would someone come?

On nimble paws he moved swiftly through the pure white substance that coated the ground, his pads leaving their print lightly in the trail that he made through the forest. It had taken a while for him to get up and find himself food after his stomach had begun to groan and snarl for it to no longer feel the emptiness that he perhaps felt. The elite found himself wanting to be left alone, yet at the same he needed someone there to stop this rut he was in. It was all so confusing and conflicting that in the end he ended up spending the majority of his days pacing aimlessly or hidden away in the confines of his den. Though the loss of his mate had affected him badly today his hunger had grown too much that it had made his instincts awaken and his nose had led him to the area he knew a family of hares lived, close to the borders of his pack. He had started out as a hunter in these lands, when his now departed friend Aurora had accepted him and given him that rank. In time he had progressed to become the lead hunter, and so he knew every skill necessary for making each kill successful. That had been proved today as he trotted through the leafless foliage with the limp and lifeless body of a plump hare in its fluffy winter coat swinging in the grasp of his powerful jaws.

Eclipse stopped mid-step as he caught a scent on the breeze, standing silently and flaring his nostrils at the foreign fragrance. It was the smell of a wolf that did not belong in Helidos, the scent on their pelt not yet one with the forest nor mixed with any of the other members here. The brute resumed at a faster gait and weaved through the trees, soon seeing a young fae seated on the icy earth. As he approached his tail slowly rose over his spine and he kept his head level as he observed her appearance, quietly asserting his rightful dominance over the loner. He halted a couple of meters in front of her and stood squarely, opening his maw and lowering his head briefly to set the dead creature down before him. Then he straightened and spoke in a calm tone that was vaguely inviting yet also demanded an answer. "You are on the borders of the Helidos pack, ruled under the leader Alphess Quinn. What is the purpose of your presence here?" Snowflakes settled upon his dark mahogany fur as he placed a paw protectively on his meal and awaited the response of the stranger.

Seeing the darkly coloured wolf before her, Novi had to fight to not wag her tail and bark with joy. She reminded herself, once again, that being respectful was key in this situation. So Novi bowed her head and forced her tail to stay low to the ground, resting atop the snow. She had noticed the hare that the brute placed his paw over protectively, and fought to control a rumble of hunger in her stomach. Novi averted her eyes and looked back down at her paws. She noticed a slight tremor in her body and silently hoped that the dark brute could not see. Was it her nervousness, her hunger? Novi realized that she felt no fear, for if this pack did not accept her, there was a good chance that she would die of starvation or some such thing. This meant nothing to Novi; without a pack, she was nothing and did not need to exist. In the stead of fear, Novi felt calm acceptance. Maybe it was the snow, the way it put a blanket over everything and created a quiet world. The quiet was calming.

Novi ended the quiet with her voice, ringing in an echo throughout the forest. Novi's voice remained subdued, a hint of sorrow coming back into it at the thought of Veya. "I am aware that I am on the borders of the Helidos pack, and that is why I am here... It is that I wish to join this pack, if I may ever be allowed." Now all she could do was wait.

The brute watched the younger wolf intensely, unsure of what she was doing on the edge of the packlands. She had not howled, and therefore he had reason to suspect she had perhaps ill intentions for she had not announced her presence to inform Helidos that she was there. It was a sly thing to do, or maybe it was something that had just slipped the fair fae’s mind. A small smile graced his maw as the female dipped her head, content that she was aware of showing respect and her purpose was likely harmless. As his golden eyes rolled over her pelt he noticed a tremble, so he assumed maybe she was nervous and did not know what was expected of her. Both ears perked, he listened as she began to speak, her voice quiet and mellow for some unknown reason but hinted that she was affected by something, the kind that suggested more than simply being shy. The elite could empathize with her, but there were still formalities and important matters to tend to if what she truly wanted was acceptance. Eclipse relaxed more and allowed his tail to lower a little as he rolled his shoulders back and leaned back onto his rear limbs, putting less pressure on the pad that secured the hare beneath his weight. Slowly and faintly he nodded his head, understanding what she wished for as he too had wanted the same when he had stood on the other side of the invisible divide some time ago. “Well, since you wish to join us I must ask you why it is you wish to join. I need to know a brief account of your history; your name, key events in your past, and most importantly which skills you learned along the way which would made you a valuable asset here in Helidos.” He spoke in an honest and decisive manner, telling her straight what it was that was required of her and with a gentle firmness to reassure her.

A small flash of something ran through his veins, realizing that he was now a part of making a new chapter in this wanderer’s life. He wouldn’t know it now, but helping his pack and other’s in this way would give him hope and a push towards accepting his loss and making something great of who he was and what he was capable of. “You see, everyone here has a role to fulfil and we must know where you will fit in. There are opportunities to develop , improve and make a great life, if you prove in your actions that the words you tell me today are an accurate depiction of yourself. We will provide you a safe home, but we must know you will help us in return.” Licking his black lips, he tasted the blood of the small herbivore on his teeth and gums and was reminded of his hunger. Yet he stayed patient, flicking his tail casually and watching her with an interested gaze.

Stop trembling, she told herself, stop trembling. The brute had asked for her history; this had to be a good sign, right? She felt that perhaps the wolf in front of her has given her a chance. A chance was all she needed. So she inhaled deeply and slowly, snowflakes and icy air slowing down her racing heart, as if a blanket of the snow had fallen atop her anxiety, the same way it blanketed the earth beneath her. Her history... Not the most beautiful thing to exist in the land. But the respectable brute had asked for it, so she had to speak of it. "My history is short yet filled with an amount of sorrow. My mother was a loner, and I was her single pup. She wanted to teach me a lesson on being self-providing, so she banished me from the woods where I grew up, as soon as I reached the age of one. So I never went back. I learned how to hunt, and I found that I enjoyed it immensely. The feeling of wind running through your fur, the sound of your heartbeat and the pounding of your paws against the earth. Oh, and the way all the scents are sharp-" Realizing that she had drifted off, she shook herself a little, causing snow to fly off of her pelt. She felt her skin heat up in embarrassment, but forced herself to continue.

"So I learned how to be an excellent hunter while on my own. And I get my fighting skills from experience with other hungry rivals. Anyway… I fooled myself into being content as a loner, hunting and fighting and sleeping. I met another fae after a while, and we began to travel together as good friends. We both desired the feeling of being in a pack, and this was the closest we had to that. But…" She had to mention the bad part. What had happened to Veya… "But something happened to my friend. She gave up her life to be loyal to me. It was a bear that I did not want to run from… And she would have run, but she knew I wouldn’t have followed. I would have died if she had not jumped in the way…" She trailed off, not willing to say any more of that incident. But she was proud that her voice had not choked up the whole time. "I learned a lot after that, learned that I needed to be responsible. I cannot run through life as if it is all a game. Being in a pack can teach me more of this, I believe. I will do everything I can to contribute to this pack, but I am young. I have many things to learn, this is true. My foolish actions caused a death, and I can never forgive myself for this. But if you are willing to accept me into your pack, I promise to never put another wolf in danger, for I have learned." She had probably just convinced the brute to never let her into this pack, but she had to speak of the Veya incident. She was completely honest about having learned from the incident, and hoped that the brute would hear that honesty.

Listening, he kept still and silent as she detailed her upbringing. It was a strange and harsh way to be reared, forced to leave her only family at a fairly young age. Yet it would have taught her many skills and useful techniques for survival, as she had proved to live for this long all on her own. At the mention of her love for hunting he nodded along slightly, a fondness showing in his eyes as she spoke of the adrenaline and freedom of hunting that he was all too familiar with. He too enjoyed the intricate game of killing for survival, not due to any dark or sadistic mind, it was the way life and death were played against each other and only one could prevail, and how the excitement coursed through your veins. Eclipse could tell from her passion in the way she talked about hunting that it was something she loved to do and was probably something she took pride in as she had likely taught herself. As she shook her pelt and snow was thrown onto his face he considered that maybe all she needed was to gain more confidence and training so that she could shake away her nerves and thoughts of her past.

The way her voice changed as she continued he could tell there was a tragic part of her story to come. And sure enough it was, as she had lost her only friend due to her own actions. He realized now that her disposition was a creation of long-term loneliness and guilt. But as she persevered through the painful recollection and went on to explain how she had learned from the mistake and what she hoped to achieve from joining Helido he felt her words were true, he could tell, and he respected her honesty. Though she had much to learn, especially of what it was to serve in a pack and etiquette around other pack members of differing ranks, she showed much promise. There was a hope in this fae, like the slightest scent of prey on a windy day. "It can be difficult to talk about your history, so thank you for doing so." the brute ended the silence with his voice. "Everyone has their pasts filled with happiness and sorrow. Yours seems the same. I should say I'm sorry to hear it, but it is a fact of life. Many experience a share of loss and mistakes, some more than their fair share" He paused, taking a moment to make sure he didn't venture any further about that. This wasn't the time. This wasn't about him. "But it is not about these bad things that have happened, but how you cope with them. If you use the negatives to make positives there is nothing to feel bad about or long for. I see that you have learned from your mistakes and taught yourself many things, and as such see no reason not to accept you. You say you won't make the same mistakes in future, and you should be proud of yourself for having learnt, not guilty." A small reassuring smile was offered on his maw as he lifted his paw off the body of the dead hare. "I can tell you have a deep passion for hunting, and so you are a hunter from now on. I can bet you haven't eaten for a while, so if you are hungry you may follow me and I'll lead you to the kill pile. I did not catch your name, but welcome to Helidos, miss." With that, he took his meal into his jaws once more and turned, trotting back along his pawprints in the snow to return to the pack clearing.

((You don't have to reply to this. You may change your username to 'Hunter Novikina'. Welcome to Helidos))