The female alpha of Black Thorn Downs had been making her mid-morning rounds when she heard the call. Speeding up her pace Minka abandoned the task at hand of marking her scent along the borders and hurried towards the sound. She had been marking the far western borders and as such it took her nearly 15 minutes before she arrived, though she hung back for a moment before making her presence known. Through the thick foliage that marked the lands the she wolf was sure her body was well masked from the stranger though he would be able to smell her. It took her a mere moment to take in the appearance of the male and make some assumptions; grey with a stocky build, one could assume would be good for guarding. No pack scent meant he was probably a loner looking to join, which if this was the case he would need to prove himself like everyone else.

Pushing through the bushes that surrounding the borders taking care not to get caught in the thorns Minka came into sight. Instantly her tail flew like a banner over her back and her head held high; the position made it clear, the loner would have to submit or face the consequences. Black Thorn Downs had been built on a foundation of loyalty and respect, and that meant submitting to anyone who outranked you. An aura of confidence rolled off of the female alpha as she stood there, something that she had grown into as a leader, something she revelled in. After a moment of silence as the gold eyes surveyed the man and what seemed to be a gift she spoke, "I am Minka Lagina, alpha of Black Thorn Downs, what business do you have at our borders?" She knew of course the answer that would come, he was searching for a home, for a pack or for a family, but she would wait for the man to deliver it himself.

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The stranger, Regem, seemed to struggle at first to get into submission, though in the end he did it, sort of. It was enough to appease Minka, whose tail lowered into a more friendly position though her head remained high. A small smile cracked her muzzle at his jokes and the alpha nodded to his answer, straight and to the point, she liked it. There was more of course, there always was in these meetings than just saying who you are and what you wanted and the tawny she wolf was always plowing through them. Some may bother with tricks and small talk and beating around the bush but not the Lagina woman. To do these things would just be to waste the time she could be using to finish the border patrol, or spending time with her growing children.

It was along these lines of thought that Minka quickly followed his response with more questions, "Tell me Regem, do you have any previous experience in guarding?" It was one thing after all to think you would be good at something, and something completely different to actually be good at it. Minka herself had once thought she would be a healer, but it quickly became clear she did not have a knack when it, their names and uses all got jumbled up in her mind. It was after this brief and failed attempt to become a healer that she discovered her gift in hunting. She allowed her mind to wander briefly as she waited for his answer, though she was still at full attention should anything happen.

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Regem's posture relaxed slightly but it pleased Minka that he stayed respectful in his position. So far so good; she had no reason to dislike the male and he was passing each step to acceptance with relative ease, including having experience to back up his earlier claim. Nodding her head she pondered over his offering before responding herself, "An impressive background I must say, would you plan on pursuing the official rank of guardian within the pack ranks?" Minka was intrigued, after all they had no official guardian and while they had been alright so far in dividing up the border patrols, it would take a large burden off everyone's shoulders. Ryka and Lugh could spend more time hunting for herbs, Inali more time out exploring and finding information. Plus it would add protection for her children, who now they remained small, unable to find themselves anywhere near the borders soon would most likely be trying to slink away.

It seemed that alphess had mostly made up her mind; but she still had one more question left before she could truly put her mind to rest with the loner. His answer could make or break this meeting and so her voice was serious when she once again spoke to Regem, "This pack was built on loyalty, it is expected that all members remain loyal for as long as within the borders. Those who commit treason will be expelled from the pack and not met with a friendly welcome if they return. Tell me Regem, should I accept you today could you without a doubt pledge loyalty to Black Thorn Downs?" They had already had a deserter, Erebos had slipped away one day during a border patrol and never returned. The order was given, should anyone find Erebos anywhere near the borders they were to go for Minka or Tokino immediately.

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Minka laughed lightly at his joke, her tail swinging behind her almost lazily as the man responded to her questions. Regem had passed every test, answered every question flawlessly and without hesitation and so the tawny woman smiled. Moving forwards she rubbed her side against his own to mark him with her scent, a sign that he was now part of the pack. Returning to her old position she announced proudly, "Then it is with confidence that I announce you Regem Rakkair, the newest member and sole guardian of Black Thorn Downs." Soon she knew his unique scent would line the borders and become interlaced within the territory just as everyone else's had, and the pack member's and the blackberries within Regem. It would mark him everywhere he went that he was one of the members of their pack, that he had a home and a family.

His next questions caught Minka off guard though she had to laugh at the first one and nodded, surely Tokino would not respond well to 'hey you'. With a smile she answered the former question with ease, "Tokino Lagina, and I'm sure he would much rather you call him Tokino than 'hey you'." The she wolf laughed again imagining the face of her mate when the newest member calling him such an informal and inappropriate name, he would surely have a hernia. She sobered as Regem continued and once more Minka's mind wandered to Erebos, what a lapse in judgement she had had with the male. With a sigh she answered, "Just one, Erebos Argyis, male, stocky build, white coat, distinctive orange eyes. I'm sure he's long gone by now with no plans to return, but if he does Tokino and I are to be alerted immediately." That was it though, Regem was now one of their members and would be for the unforeseeable future. With these thoughts a smile once more appeared on the light tawny maw and she announced, "You are now free to cross our borders, I would suggest you take this time to explore your new home and greet your new packmates." Then Minka nodded once more in his direction awaiting his answer and movements.

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The Lagina woman found herself once more laughing at one of Regem's jokes chortling back, "I'm sure a diet is quite unnecessary." Then allowed herself another moment of laughter. It's just what the pack needed, especially now with the children, a wolf who was able to light up the area with jokes. She was sure as they grew her children would grow quite fond of the man who stood before her now, someone who though older seemed capable of acting their age. Minka nodded back as the grey male took his leave, her golden eyes watching his form well after he had disappeared in the foliage, presumably to take a look around the borders as she had asked him to do.

It was a long few moments after she could no longer see Regem before Minka herself once more began to move through her territory. She herself decided to abandon the rest of the patrol as the new guardian claimed he would be making a lap of the borders of his own and headed towards the den. Though it had only been maybe an hour that she had been separated from Kova and Noble she craved to be in their presence again, to look into their puppy blue eyes and most of all, keep them safe. It was with this in mind that she hurried through the trees, weaving through the boughs from memory as she moved deeper and deeper into the woods, her mind at ease. Her family was safe, and it would seem, growing quite quickly.

EXIT MINKA

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