Nios considered himself a guard of the borders rather than a message receiver, and yet when the cry echoed across his new home, the swarthy male knew he could not simply await another of his pack members to seek out their visitor and determine what it was they wanted.


No, it was likely he was the closest, and by default, that responsibility fell to him.


His own dark form swept forward -- seeking out the she-wolf who summoned them. His pace was steady, though not rushed, and he came upon the female within the next half hour. His amber eyes flickered over her in cautious study -- she was a sleek ebony creature, but there was something about those peach eyes that captivated him for a moment.


With a nod, the newly acclaimed Woodlands wolf stopped his gait a respectful distance from her, his tail swinging casually behind him much like a banner. Mirren or Nina could have possibly been along soon, but if not, he would simply take the message directly to them and be done with it. Nios was no scout, and his desires spurned more toward the art of battling, hunting and guarding. "Hello," he offered casually, his gaze finally drifting away from her facial features to make further note of her -- she seemed healthy enough. A pack wolf, most likely, and he silently wondered what ties she held to this pack, if any. Secret Woodlands had been dealing with their grievance over the loss of a young pup -- one who Nios had not ever met, and as it was not the offspring of his brother, he had little emotion to it one way or another.


So while the family grieved, he would be here -- aiding as best he could. "What's your business here?"

The names 'Archer' and 'Willow Ridge' struck a chord of familiarity within him, but he expressed nothing upon the subject. His father had told him tales of Relic Lore and those he had known within it -- but Nios had little desire to discuss the pleasantries of the past that had little to do with him. Instead, he gave a brief nod, and responded in turn. "Nios Tainn."


His ears perked forward at her request -- a hunt with another pack seemed odd to him, but he had also been raised by the ever traditional Tainn family -- pack was family, and outsiders were unimportant. Still, the decision was to be made by his brother and Nina, and Nios was not going to deny their wishes one way or another. "I'll tell Mirren and Nina you've proposed the idea -- what time do you expect a reply by?"


He shifted his weight then, listening to the rest of her queries. She was a curious thing -- and the casual drawl to her tone was almost distracting. "I don't know anything about a pack further north -- I've just come from the mountains myself a few days ago. I can't deliver any news of the Woodlands, either. I just joined recently." He would have apologized -- but he wasn't sorry he couldn't offer her more. If she requested more information, they would simply send up a howl and ask for a longer term member to come forward. "Our packs must be on good terms, then?"

Bemusement flickered across his features only briefly before he gave a nod. He considered her request with a small nod – he would see how @Nina would like to reply and go from there. Yet the thought of packs joining for a larger hunt seemed an intriguing idea to him, and with the hint of an aloof grin, the Tainn wolf canted his muzzle ever so slightly. “And that means I’d get to see you again?” The words were joking – but he found himself drawn to the girl’s drawl.. and her upbeat determination.


The conversation would drift to a wolf in Cedarwood Forest – an area he had not thoroughly explored as of yet, but his gaze narrowed slightly. “A Cut Rock River wolf?” Whisper Caverns had held some hesitance with the pack in the Forest, but nothing had truly ever come from it. But the pack had been established for some time – or so he had been under the impression. And so, with calculation, the swarthy male watched her, his tail giving an idle lash as he debated what this news meant for Secret Woodlands. By association, it sounded as if they had landed themselves yet one more enemy. It almost made him long for the simplicity of Copper Rock Creek or Sequoia Vale.

Grizzly Hollow was a new pack he had yet to hear of, but rather than question her further on the matter, the dark wolf offered a brief nod of his muzzle. He could relay the information to @Nina and see if she wanted to do anything else with it.
“I guess we’ll see what the winter brings,” Nios murmured quietly, his eyes drifting from the she-wolf before him and to the direction of Secret Woodlands. It had been awhile since he had settled down in a pack for the winter with his family, and this time he felt the desire to protect them further from harm. A large hunt as proposed by Morganna seemed a decent start, and with the tip of his head, the Tainn studied the female with piqued interest.


It was a tempting thought, given the brightness of her eyes and the seeming soft texture of her fur – he could have asked her on a small hunt for the moment and perhaps sought to get to know her further, as he had hinted to before. She didn’t seem opposed.


But what good would it do? The two were in entirely separate packs – and even more important, his own rank was not one to boast of if any form of a fling could even turn serious. Best to let it lie, for now.



“I’ll inform Nina,” he offered then, in way of closing the conversation. She seemed busy, and he would not hold her up for much longer.