A strange scent had teased his nose for days – a ghost of a smell, drifting away but never coming too close to his home. He was fiercely grateful for that, if only because the alabaster male had grown sued to a more peaceful lifestyle since the birth of his children. Magnolia Glen had seen little trouble – had even dodged it at times, such as the cougar that had luckily drifted farther from their abode. Phineas was no fool to disruption however, and he knew the quiet of the vale would only last so long. With winter on its way, the Argyris male knew harsher times were coming.. especially with so many neighboring packs that threatened competition for food.


Yet the pack numbers were growing, and the Leader could take solace with that. His long limbs carried him through his terrain, his figure held with an air of dominance. Autumn was finally upon them – the crisp breeze that drifted across the glen hinted to the oncoming frosts, and soon he knew the leaves on the trees would paint themselves brilliant auburns, oranges and yellows. Soon, they would die, peeling themselves from the tree that had given them life.. and then the snow would come. All in a year, his life had changed so very drastically.


These thoughts crowded his mind greatly lately – though this was soon placed aside as the figure of another came to view. Stiffening, Phineas’ stoical features seemingly hardened, his lip curling in a warning growl. His fiery eyes swept across the male, noting the paleness of his fur. A low growling bark escaped his jaws then as he maneuvered closer, waiting for the wolf to speak his reasons for being so close to claimed land; after all, at least the stranger wasn’t haphazardly traipsing through his home without a care in the world.

The stranger’s teeth flashed in response to his own as the silver male crouched lower to the ground – the submissive sneer caused his own lip to curl in distaste, but he relaxed slightly as the other lowered himself even further. A demand was made at that point – the spit of words stirring an argument that held little meaning to the ivory wolf, and he allowed another snarl to echo through the air, prowling forward to close the distance between the two. Phineas rarely used such a fierce stance, his gums revealing as his lips pulled back while his ears flattened to his skull menacingly. He was not sure why the male offered such words – perhaps the onset of winter was closing in on him.. or perhaps the life of a lone wolf was beginning to take its toll. Either way, he was in no position to have demands made of him from those outside of his pack, nor did he owe this stranger anything.


“I do not recall offering my help,” he replied smoothly, his fiery eyes locked upon the stranger who dared make demands of him. To test him, the Argyris wolf swung his muzzle forward, his jaws agape to clasp the unknown male’s muzzle in dominance – if he made contact, he would give the muzzle a firm yet gentle shake, as if reminding the wolf he had best use better manners. There was only such a small amount of time for either to make a first impression upon one another, and already the alabaster Leader knew this was no wolf he would want near his children unsupervised.

The male succumbed to Phineas’ attack, much to his surprise. He had expected the rogue to buck and twist, to return searing jaws and attempt a grip. Impressed, he allowed the muzzle to fall free from his jaws, taking a step back before gazing critically upon the younger male. He did not trust him, but the stranger curled himself even tighter, even lower, seemingly realizing his full place now – one simply did not waltz upon pack borders and make foolish demands.


Phineas’ ears perked forward as he listened, a sardonic snort escaping his nares as a low laugh escaped him. He was not usually this heartless, but the silver wolf had already rubbed him the wrong way.. he wasn’t sure he could trust the wolf. “You could,” he mused aloud, flexing his shoulders slightly. “But the question is.. do I trust you to keep such word?” There was a small pause as his mind reeled – he wished @Borlla were here at the moment, for she could give her opinion on this matter. “What’s your name?” If only to bide some time, the Argyris male prodded for more information, hoping to glean further insight to the male he was dealing with before him. Upon acceptance, it would be likely that the ivory Glen wolf would seek out both his mate and @Inkheart, warning them of the new member to their little family so they could prepare themselves to be wary.


Then again, perhaps Phineas was completely misjudging the lone wolf before him. Allowing his snarls to subside, he withheld a sigh. “I’m Phineas, Leader of this pack.”

Albireo. Or ‘Al’ if he wanted. Withholding bemusement at the option of a nickname, the ivory regal spoke nothing to this, instead, allowing his eyes to sweep over the male before him. There was a small pause between the two – the Glen leader awaited any questions the other might have to him regarding the pack itself, and yet all the pale wolf before him desired to know was whether he was accepted or not. Apparently, Albireo put little thought or care to what morals or conduct the pack itself held, which raised the Argyris’ suspicions even further.


“Magnolia Glen is a tight knit pack that looks to each member as family. Each wolf pulls their weight here and we do not accept laziness or selfishness.” There was a small pause as his tail gave a slight lash, his figure lifting higher in dominance.
“You, specifically, are not to touch the pack cache until you add something to it,” he drawled now, a smirk slowly smoothing to his lips.
“If you try to empty our caches and then leave.. I will hunt you down for taking food from my kids mouths.”

>

He gave a nod behind him, his eyes only briefly leaving the wolf he had yet to trust.
“The main den is that way.. make sure you make yourself useful, or I’ll throw your ass back over the borders.” Finally, his smirk turned more ferocious as Phineas took a step closer to the newcomer.
“And lastly.. stay away from my kids until you’ve earned the trust of the pack.” These were the rules he set out for now, and with that, he prowled forward, his figure bumping somewhat roughly in to the other wolf’s as he rubbed his scent off upon him, accepting him to the pack… for now.

The response he received at first was silence during his explanation of Magnolia Glen's values, which was exactly what he had wanted. Upon finishing, the silence did not stretch for very long between the two when Albireo confirmed agreement. Whether the ivory Leader believed the stranger was speaking the truth or not, even he did not know. The only reason the male before him had gained acceptance to the pack was because of his sudden realization regarding submission, and as Phineas stepped away from the pale tawny male, his eyes followed Albireo as the wolf began to slink in to the territory that was now his home.


With a grunt, the regal wolf followed after him, speaking nothing and keeping distance for now — if the newcomer desired company, he was free to seek him out.. though after his 'warm' welcome, he doubted such was the case. As much as he wanted to follow the other and keep an eye on him, duty called, and after minutes, the Argyris wolf veered to a path towards the eastern part of the land, continuing his patrol. He would check up on the male later, making sure the cache had been filled per his request and no trouble had arisen. Hopefully, his initial introduction of Albireo would be wrong, and the male would instead become a respected member of the pack.


Soon the ivory regal was out of sight and gone, his paws carrying him swiftly to mark his borders and perhaps scout the potential of the migrating herds.