It's been quite some time since the encounter with the two females, Athena and Naira. Since then he had eaten well with Rainuh after the short-lived hunt. Things had been quite comfortable since the awkward meeting, where he was outnumbered by females. He could deal with Rainuh, but with other females he tended to be more awkward; not quite sure what to say or how to say it. Females were far more complex than males.


His wound was nearly healed. There was a scab now, but soon it would be a scar and it would no longer itch or hurt the little bit that it still did. He shook out his fur, ignoring the itch around the wound, and continued onward, straight for the the border of the nearby pack. He knew where he was. When he had been in the area before he had taken the time to scope out the wolves that lived in the area and he had come across the pack borders. He did not cross them then, and nor would he now, but it was time for he and Rainuh to join a pack so that they could begin to build up their strength and start their own pack someday. It would take time - they still needed to find allies - but he was sure that they could manage it.


When the smell of many wolves told him that he was at the border he came to a stop. Knowing full well that Rainuh was not far behind him, he wasted no time lifting his muzzle to the sky. A long, deep howl echoed through the trees as he sang his call to the leaders of this pack. He made his message clear; he was interested in joining. His message was not so detailed as to let the leaders know that he had brought someone along with him, but that was something he could deal with later.

Sabre remained on his feet, waiting patiently for the appearance of a pack leader, or even of another member of the pack. He made it a point to stand slightly ahead of Rainuh, as if to show that she was under his protection. He felt confident that the pack would take them in, as they each had skills to offer and neither of them had any ill will towards this particular pack - or any other pack in the area. He and his mate just wanted a home for a year or so, where they could be a part of a pack and feel useful again. Of course, there were his other goals of growing stronger and gaining some experience in how a pack worked. The other packs he had once been a part of had been very loosely organized, some hardly even packs at all.


It didn't take quite as long as he had expected for someone in the pack to appear. When she did come into view, Sabre was certain that she was a leader. Who could have missed it? She held herself like one, as he sometimes did when he was challenged by a loner. However, today was not the day to be strutting around like he owned the place. And, if things went right, he wouldn't be doing that for quite some time, unless he met a loner at some point or another.


Sabre quickly lowered his head to a respectful position, showing submission to the dominant female, though deep inside he hated the gesture. He lowered his tail down to his legs, but did not go so far as to put it between his legs. His ears were almost flat against his skull. He needed this to go right, and he was willing to do almost anything to make it work. Almost anything. He discreetly glanced at Rainuh, hoping that she would copy his posture.


Before he had a chance to respond to Corinna's introduction, another wolf appeared. This one was male, but clearly a subordinate and not the male leader of the pack. Sabre paid him little attention, putting his focus on Corinna.


"My name is Sabre, and this is Rainuh," he said, ending with a gesture towards his mate. "We've been searching for a pack to call home, where our skills can be put to real use." As a loner, his skills were hardly useful. Hunting was difficult on your own."We can both hunt, and I can fight if there's ever a reason. Rainuh is good with pups." He desperately hoped that was enough to convince Corinna, though he somehow doubted it. Though he didn't show it, he did not like either of the pack wolves, and he instinctively moved closer to Rainuh. If she had anything to add, now would be a great time. Anything would help their case.

Sabre sighed inwardly. Were wolves really so stupid these days? Did Rainuh even look as if she could carry a litter of pups right now? They had been separated for so long, and he had no idea what Rainuh had even gone through. As it was, neither he nor his mate were fit enough to raise pups of their own. Even if they tried, chances are any pups that were born would be few and either stillborn or near death. Breeding season would be over soon, anyways, and Rainuh would not be well enough to raise pups by that time, even with the assistance of a pack.


"As you can see," he said clearly, looking directly at Corinna, though avoiding eye contact. "Neither of us is in a position where we could successfully raise pups of our own. We have no intention of breeding this season, and the next season is a year away yet. Too far ahead to think about just yet." He was doing his best to be respectful. His ears were pulled back, his head was low and his tail was right down along with his legs, if not quite between them. He and Rainuh needed a home. "Besides that, when we tried for pups before.....nothing happened. We're not so eager to try again right now. For all we know one of us is barren." There was some pain in his voice. They had tried, once, back before they were separated. It was a long time ago, but he wasn't going to tell them how long.


"We're only looking for a home right now," he said, making his voice as sincere as was possible. He had ulterior motives, but he had kept them hidden perfectly. He was telling the truth. Right now they did need a home. He simply was not telling the whole truth, and they had no way of knowing that. "We've both been alone for a very long time since our last packs, and we just want to be a part of a pack again." Throughout all of this, Sabre was thinking in his head that these wolves were blind. Both he and Rainuh had been a part of packs before, and they were well aware of the hierarchy that existed. The one time they had tried for pups they had been loners, and nothing had come of it - not even a pregnancy, as far as he had been able to tell. And they had been separated not long after that, by the fire that ravaged the area.