Charred Ash Draw love like winter

With @Treyah serving as his ever cheerful guide, the emaciated male followed along with an easily waving tail. So far, things were going swimmingly. She chattered on endlessly, still trying, he suspected, to cover her anxiety over using foul language the afternoon before. His smile was easy and relaxed, belying the excited tension present in the subtle tautness over his shoulders. Just how friendly was this pack to outsiders? Treyah had promised her mother judged others based on their own merits. If she only knew... He imagined the woman would have all manner of hatred for him and horror that he'd already charmed the fur off her daughter.

Well. Not completely. But she had been awfully willing to snuggle against his thin frame during the night to keep warm. Zerxes had purposefully moved slow yesterday, distracting her with any manner of silly things to hold her attention and buy himself a bit more bonding time with the girl. The more she felt affection for him, the more of a shoe-in he would be for the pack. He'd dragged his paws even more until he was able to catch a rabbit to present as a gift. Most packs wanted nothing to do with a loner during winter, but for one in such poor form as him to still present a gift could only show his good faith and wish for the pack to prosper no matter the personal cost to himself. Or so was his thinking.

"I'm a little nervous," he shared with Treyah. "I haven't been in a pack in so long." It was a childish concern he felt certain she could empathize with in some fashion. No doubt she would assure him that her family was wonderful and lovely and any manner of sickening objectives to describe a group of wolves that functioned as a unit to survive with little other motive.

Stopping at the scent boundaries of the territory, the masked male set down the gift at his paws and lifted his muzzle to warble out a greeting call, hailing any of the nearby wolves and the pack's leaders to meet with him. He plastered an almost shameful expression on his face and turned to Treyah. "Maybe if you call out, too, they'll be more willing to appear?" he suggested, voice wobbling just so with feigned nervousness.

Maera liked to think that she was starting to adjust to the idea of pack life, and in doing that, she found herself fitting into her own niche. More often than not, she was rather antisocial… it was just a lot to adjust to, and she was sure that behavior would fade with time. Still, her scent could be found lacing the borders often, and smaller prey would get stored in the catches after she found them, hunted it down herself… anything to help take care of the pups. She liked it here, despite not being able to fit in very well.

She heard the call from the stranger, and quickly she broke into a run, arriving at the scene (she wasn’t too far to begin with), just in time to hear Treyah speak, a cautious smile on her maw. “I’m sure your parents will be here momentarily, Treyah. I don’t think it’s necessary to seek them out.” She greeted softly with the wag of her tail, her ears perking as she took in the poor form of the newcomer. She wasn’t too impressed, but Maera was also a hard woman to please. She wasn't entirely fond of social situations either, but this warranted it, it appeared. “I’m Maera. Who are you?” It seemed that Treyah had turned recruiting loners into a habit of hers – wasn’t that how Maera and @Kerberos had found their way to the then small band of loners? Well, her and Reiko…

The border patrol she'd been on that morning had taken a little longer than usual which only reminded the agouti woman how badly she'd messed up. The wound on her foot wasn't completely healed and in fact it was only a few days old so it still pained her a great deal if she put too much weight on it. Leotie wasn't one to let it keep her from her duties she was just glad it wasn't a worse injury. The last thing she wanted was to be kept from helping the pack.

Slowly making her way along the border trying to keep the weight off her paw a call sounded from the border. It was a voice she hadn't heard before and thought it best she make an appearance. It was lucky she wasn't too far from the part of the border the call was sounded from. Doing her best to pick up to pace she half ran half hopped until she finally came to where she found Treyah with a strange man as well as Maera and Kerb already there. Hearing the last part of what was said she came slowly, trying to keep the weight off her paw, up behind Maera, “I think a nice chat is a good idea but I think we should wait for Triell and Naira to come,” she stated. She didn't think it a good idea to let the stranger across the border without permission. “I think it would be best if he had their approval before crossing the border,” she added to clarify herself.

Zerxes wanted to roll his eyes at the crushing naivety @Treyah possessed. While it was useful up to this point, she clearly knew not the laws of the pack. Though the Zamora male had not been in a pack in so long, he knew well that trespassing was grounds for death. After all this work, the masked man sure as shit wasn't going to invite it right off the bat. Luckily, he'd kept his expression carefully neutral and was in the midst of shaking his head and telling the pup how bad an idea that was when his devil green eyes lifted to take in a new arrival.

He managed as well to hold back the appreciative purr. Now there was a fine specimen as well. More mature, to be sure. So as not to let his tongue loll from his mouth in obvious male glee, Zerxes swallowed the saliva pooling and allowed himself a meek smile instead. "I agree," he murmured, dipping his head in polite greeting. "It's not polite to enter pack territory without an Alpha's permission, Treyah. I have no intention of disrespecting your parents." It was said with patient kindness, something Camio no doubt would have dropped dead from hearing in disbelief. The lad had no idea the extent Zerxes would go to fulfill his goals.

"Ms. Maera. It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Zerxes Zamora." Z got no further in his introductions before another arrived, plainly making his claim to the female apparent with the term of endearment the masked man could overhear. It took great effort to ignore the lifted tail, though he automatically hated the male for trying to show any form of dominance to him. To him! He'd find out one day what a mistake that was.

Z inclined his head to Kerberos as well, smiling in a manner that could only be interpreted as friendly. And yet another arrived, ratcheting up Zerxes annoyance tenfold. Just how many fucking wolves needed to show up for a simple meet and greet with the Alphas? Of course, the important wolves had yet to arrive. To his credit, he didn't curl his lip up and stayed in character. "As I was just telling Miss Treyah, I think it may be best if I wait for your leaders to arrive," in full agreement with another agouti female.

"Actually, Miss Treyah invited me along in the hopes that we may find some information concerning my little brother's whereabouts. His name is Camio. I'm told her mother knows of him. But regardless with whether there is any information to be had, I was actually here to request to join the pack." Zerxes dipped his head to nudge at the rabbit at his paws. "I know it's not much. Winter has been hard on me, as you can see, but I want to prove that I will work for the pack's interests above my own. If it should please you all, that is." He looked to each of them, his tail in a lowered, respectful position that felt wholly unnatural for him while he continued to smile. Taking their neutral positions as cue, Zerxes lowered his hindquarters to the ground and sat to alleviate some of the tension. Nosy bunch.

Zerxes tilted his head as he heard the call supposedly from one of the leaders. He actually snorted in amusement at her perceived impatience. "I guess that is invitation enough. Lead the way?" he suggested to each of the wolves. He wondered how many received such a heavy escort. Was one emaciated wolf enough to put them all on such guard? Just how weak was their leader to need such protection? Or was it simply boredom that led them all there first? He would find out soon enough.

“I wish I could say the pleasure was mine.” She was standoffish, but that was just her nature, and again, she wasn’t big on the whole social thing. The proud woman stood there, firm as her mate arrived and bumped at her flank, a soft smile towards him that faded within moments of its appearance. She was already analyzing this man, trying to figure out what use he could be to them, and why Treyah would even bring him to begin with. Hadn’t she been the one worried about food and abled bodies to hunt when she’d first met Maera? “That's not always true, Treyah, and it's better to be safe than sorry.” She reminded the youth at her protests. Different wolves had all sorts of different agendas. It wasn’t her call to make, but that didn’t mean that she couldn’t form her own opinions. Leotie was next to arrive, and she felt more confident than before – there were three of them, abled adults, to take this wolf and remove him should Naira or Triell see him as a problem.

Of course, she could take him on her own, especially in his sorry state… but that was beside the point at the moment. Maera heard Naira’s call, and it took everything in her for her tail not to lash from side to side for a few paces. She’d grown up a loner, met plenty of others – she refused to turn her back on them. She’d been that wolf once, the one who waited for you to turn your back before stealing your pelt right off you… she just didn’t know his this Zerxes was one of those wolves.

“And how exactly would you plan on doing that?” She inquired about him ‘putting the pack’s interests above his own’ as he had put it. It was her way of requesting information on his skillset. Evidently, it wasn’t hunting. Winter was hard on every wolf – especially those who were alone, but she’d managed just fine, and so had Kerberos, even before they’d begun to travel together… and evidently Mr. Zamora had not.