Lost Lake You promised Peace!... I promise Loyalty!

Steel had been headed towards the mountains ever since he and Athena had parted ways. He just hadn't known it yet. Vaguely, he wondered if the clever lady had. Her words had haunted him with every loner that he had met, <i>...You could live in peace within my lands. No bothersome loner nagging at your tail...</i> Of all of her pretty speech of power and worth, <i>that</i> was what had stood out to him. With each new encounter, the white lady's voice had grown stronger and the pull of her mountains more powerful. The rugged terrain appealed to him and his travel hardened muscles, the rawness would be intimidating to the faint of heart. Yes, indeed, the land called to him. Now he just needed to find Athena. If her offer still stood, then he would pledge himself to her if she spoke true.

He was not a social wolf and he had made that abundantly clear to her, yet she still wanted him to join her. She saw something in him that he didn't even care to look for in himself. He was as basic a wolf as they came. He lived, ate and slept. Everything he did was for himself and he'd never had to consider another. All of that was about to change, but that didn't mean that he was going to roll over for anyone. He would serve her. Athena and no other. That was his deal.

Shaking his black and white head, Steel shook the thoughts from his head. He would not think about it until he absolutely had to and so he traveled on in his powerful ground-eating pace. The land became even rougher and a strange mist seemed to appear and disappear at random intervals, almost as if it was trying to hide some wonderful secret. The view may have been obscured, but the scents coming to him on the moist breeze spoke volumes. Several scents intermingled to mark the border of a pack territory. Only one mattered. <i>Athena.</i> He had found her territory and he saw no reason to put off their inevitable meeting any longer. He leaned back and gave a strong and sure howl, calling for her to keep her promise.

(This post was last modified: Jul 02, 2012, 04:57 PM by Steel.)

<blockquote>The cry echoed through the mountain-surrounded land with utmost certainty and attracted Ava's attention almost immediately. Another rogue, so soon? The wolf's howl had asked for Athena - her leader - but as the black-furred female lifted herself off the ground she went ahead and did herself the kindness of assuming her presence would be welcome as well. Her pale leader would be there certainly, for she was the kind to never forsake her duty, yet there were plenty more duties that came with leadership than time preferred to allow. Ava made short work of loping to the nightshade path that lead the way to their secretive territory and slipped through the dark flora quietly. Her approach was as silent as she could make it, for she had no desire to provide the loner with the way to their home until he had been approved. Breaking forward into their outermost territory she caught a whiff of the male almost immediately - sight followed shortly.

Easily she approached the rogue, a curious expression coming across her face as she came closer. Black and white with darker blue eyes. She could've laughed. Had Jade come by only days later than she had, her search would've been over. One display of his <i>rough</i> personality and she could confirm his identity. Yet Jade's personal journeys were pushed to the back of his mind, for this man had not called for his sister. His howl rang for Athena, and he stood just past the border. It was only logical that he had come to join their ranks, and she could use the time before Athena's arrival to judge him herself.

Ava stopped a short distance away, lifting her head and tail but lacking aggression in her stance. At this point they had Kegan and Tlarx in their ranks and another male could be useful. Ash had been asked to return at some point, yet he had not shown. And if Ava was to tend to Datura, they could use some more hunters. Some more guards. Some more... backbone. "<b>Ava, Second in command of Poison Path. Could I help you?</b>" Her introduction was short, but not quite clipped. Professional and simple as she could make it, to judge best by his reaction.</blockquote>

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He waited for the white Lady to show after his call and wondered briefly if she would take long. Patience was not his strong suit, but that was one reason that he was here, right? No more loners, just the solitude and wildness of her mountain. Although he knew that it might be a while before she responded, depending on the size of her territory and her present location, he could not allow himself to relax. His stance remained alert, tall and proud, strength easily rolling off of him.

It was in this stance of alertness that the black fae found him as she answered the call meant for another. A grimace of irritation started, but he fought it back. If Athena let him join as she had promised, then this woman would become his pack mate. So a storm of emotions crossed his face, but he refrained from snarling as she approached and introduced herself. Her own confidence and power was easy to see and fit when she announced herself as the Second. Some of his irritation melted away. She served just under Athena and was no irritating loner so he listened as she spoke.

Thankful for her brevity and quickness to get to the point he replied, <b>"Steel. I'm here at Athena's request."</b> That request or invitation had been extended some time ago and he knew that she hadn't expected him to follow her home at her heels like an obedient puppy. She had given him time to realize for himself that her offer was far more appealing that the life that he had been leading. The jury was still out on that, but the appeal of life as a loner had definitely paled for him. As he spoke, his stormy blue eyes met her bright ones and he gave her the tiniest dip of his head to show her a titch of respect for her position as Athena's Second. Given his lack of social niceties, it was the best that he could manage at this point.

<blockquote>Ava watched the subtle changes in his expression and lifted her head a little higher, gaze narrowing. Arrogance was the last thing she expected from loners, but his posture begged otherwise. It did not necessarily threaten her dominance, though it did not accomdate it either. He made no move to bare his teeth, which was a precaution she greatly appreciated, and responded to her question in a clipped and yet informative fashion. This was Jade's brother, but he was anything but like the little she-wolf. <i>Rough</i> indeed. Why would she want to seek him out? He would give her little if nothing of company and kindness... though it was truly none of the black female's business.

Her brilliant stare never left the monochromatic male as she casually glanced him over. Strength was the most obvious one of his assets, though she wondered if his personality would be tolerable. It was easy to forget that Athena was guarded, for it had been a long time since the two females treated eachother with such a coldness. Back in the beginning of their pack's creation they had held one another at arm's length, always watchful and uncertain. It was clear to see this male had customs much like that, although she highly doubted there was a warm heart lying beneath his thick muscles like there was with her leader and close friend. Ava had to refrain from shutting him down right then and there. Steel would have time to prove his worth, she supposed, as he had already gotten a good note with the leader.

"<b>Athena requested you? I suppose you impressed her rather well then,</b>" she stated cooly, not meaning anything rude by her words. If anything it could be considered complimentary, for at the moment the stoic wolf was offering literally nothing that Ava would want living with her. The tiniest dip of the head was not fitting, but Ava doubted that words would adjust his attitude. His nature was far less domesticated than her pack-mates, Ava concluded, so the only way to remedy the situation was to straighten her tale even further and never remove her relentless stare from Steel's form. "<b>What have you come to gain here?</b>" Ava pressed further, certain she would gain resistance and irritation at her question. But it was important to note that she outranked him both as loner and as a potential pack-mate, so just the smallest wrinkle in her nose began in case he proved hesitant to answer her question.</blockquote>.

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Steel saw the slight changes in her demeanor at his own reactions, but kept his own confident stance. She was clearly not satisfied with his display of respect, but chose not to push the matter beyond a heightening of her stature. It was probably a good thing for him that she said nothing about it, as he might have snapped at her and ruined his chances with Athena. His mention of the snowy woman seemed to garner some surprise and a bit of grudging respect from the dark lady though.

In answer to her inquiry, the stoic wolf answered, <b>"Perhaps. Athena offered peace in exchange for loyalty to her."</b> Once more, his answer cut to the chase. She probably wanted a more in depth answer, but he was not used to conversing and had no real desire to get used to it. Athena's words came to him again and as he thought of all the irritating loners that he had come across in the past weeks, his eyes grew darker with emotion, almost a midnight blue. If one more happy-go-lucky loner approached him and tried to befriend him, he feared that he'd absolutely lose it and truly bite their heads off.

<blockquote>The man was a wolf short on words, and had this time been before all their Poison Path drama's unfold Ava would have found him at least rude, if not intolerable. Right now, however, she was almost thankful for his lack of conversational desire. Ava did not have much either. As far as she was concerned she had come here and performed her duty excellently. The borders had been guarded and the loner had been addressed. Now all that needed to be done was wait. Not to seem rude, she twitched an ear to his words while her gaze roved over the mountain-tops behind them. <i>Peace</i>. The word brought a wry grin across her dark face, the emotion behind it hidden within her bright eyes. What did she know of peace anymore anyhow? Why, she could hardly be asked to perform the promise given by Athena! He didn't have to know that, of course.

Slowly she allowed her stare to fall upon Steel again. "<b>So long as you can serve as skillfully as you claim to be loyal then I would welcome you,</b>" Ava remarked shortly, her clipped words reflecting little anger. She was not mad, because there was nothing to be mad at, but there wasn't a whole lot to be happy for either. Somewhere her youthful personality had crawled into a dark crevice in her mind, replaced by an antagonistic and professional face that never seemed to leave her. The mask was about as dark as the cloud over her heart, glued on over her typical jovial expression with more hold than sap in the winter. Wearing the hardened expression she remained in her dominant stance. Normally while waiting for Athena she'd choose to sit a moment, but her company had made it very clear how highly he thought of himself. There would be no relaxing today. With an idle sigh, Ava looked over her shoulder, hoping to see the white wolf approaching.</blockquote>

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Time doesn't really pass by when there is so much to be done. The pups needed to be cared for and looked after. The borders needed to be taken care of and restored. Food needed to be caught and put in the cache. And sooner or later, she needed to take a trip over to Swift River. Being a leader and apart of a pack took a lot of work. That's why a pack would never be made of just one wolf. It took many to keep a pack strong. It took wolves that were strong and loyal. Either physically strong or strong-minded. As a howl interrupted her thoughts, she knew it was a matter of time. Her meeting with Steel had apparently struck a nerve. One that made him think about himself and his well-being. It was like getting a homeless guy off the streets and giving him a big ol' meal of steak and potatoes. Nobody homeless could pass her deal up.

She got up quietly, trying to not disturb her precious cubs. She gently licked her adopted daughter on the base of her ears and she gave some love towards Ava's son as well before heading out. She trotted though the thicket of nightshade before peaking her head out towards the Lake. She spotted the dark figure of her beloved second and the burly silhouette of Steel. She emerged from behind their protective cover and continued on towards the pair. The lake was as calm as ever and she hoped that this meeting would go as smoothly. Tail and head held up regally, she brushed against Ava's side before stopping ahead of her a bit. So Steel, have the mountains been rough on you? Or should I say, Ava here?" She said, glancing over towards her dark furred friend, giving her a smile before turning back towards the man. "Have you come here to accept my offer?" She inquired, cocking her head to the side slightly.

|| Ash is welcome to make an appearance in any thread. ||

Steel wasn't quite sure how to respond to her. His instinct was to bow up and tell her that it was none of her business, In reality, it was very much her business and her opinion would matter. Despite the fact that he'd never lived in a true pack, he knew the basics of how it functioned. As Second, she had pull with Athena. He wouldn't grovel for either of them, but he didn't want to mess up his chance here. These mountains appealed to him and something about the regal white fae Athena appealed to him. It seemed as good a place as any to settle down and get some peace. The ruggedness of the mountains and foothills would be daunting to most, so pesky loners should be kept to a minimum.

Deciding that less talk was better Steel simply said, <b>"Thank you,"</b> in a gruff voice. He wasn't sure what else to add, since the woman that he came to see had not shown herself as of yet. He was not now and would never be a conversationalist. His gaze swept over the dark fae once more, hoping that it would be enough for her for now. Just as his nerves were starting to get twitchy, another wolf joined them, seeming to float over the rough terrain as if it were a cloud. He had forgotten about her strong presence and was genuinely pleased to see her again. This sentiment was so foreign to him, he wasn't even sure how to react to it.

Instead, he tipped his head to her, a good bit farther than he had for Ava and greeted her. <b>"Athena"</b> When she inquired after his treatment by the mountains and her pack mate he replied, <b>"Both have been refreshingly challenging and yes, I have come to accept your offer."</b> His ears felt strange listening to his own deep voice. He'd not spoken so many words strung together in recent memory.

( Sorry this one's short/shit but I don't want to delay your joining any further! )
<blockquote>
Steel's modest remark would have been enough to ignite a flame of anger within the dark woman had she not resigned herself to the simple tasking of waiting for Athena. Polite words spoken with no tonality lost their meaning. Of course, she was no more than a hypocrite on that end, for all her words had come out dead in the last few weeks, but such a conundrum was no where near the focus of her attention. A delicate twitch of relief was goaded from the tip of her tail as her golden eyes watched the trail of poison flowers long enough to spot her pale leader approach from within. Pleased, she returned her gaze to the male while some ghost of a smile appeared on her dark maw.

Athena sidled up to the two wolves with all her grace and majesty. She accepted her Leader's greeting, leaning a little in to the white wolf's side just long enough to show her support before taking an idle step backwards to further the distance between their dominance. Perhaps a display of respect would teach Steel how it was done. Perhaps he would just think her weak. It was not her concern, not yet. A smirk and a chuckle would follow the two wolves' banter. Ava, rough or refreshingly challenging? What lovely compliments. She turned her head toward Athena for Steel's final judgment.</blockquote>

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His submission needed a little work, but that could be dealt with later. He would learn how to socialize better and by then he'd now his place. As his voice graced her ears, she smiled gently when he said he was indeed here to accept her offer. She knew he was smart enough not to deny her offer. She doesn't give offers like this out like candy. Poison Path needed warriors now and that's what they were going to get. With three adult males in Poison Path, two of them were unusually over-sized and burly. While Kegan needed work, he was the smallest guy she's ever seen. Now with Steel, Poison Path was in the right direction.

Ava's pressure against her side was always welcomed and she was disappointed it was gone once she took a step back. But, she liked the respect that her Second was showing. Perhaps, Steel could learn from her. "I do hope that I won't regret this decision as you seem very promising to me." Stepping forwards after her final words, she gripped Steel's muzzle marking him her subordinate. She was careful not to apply too much pressure to hurt him. Releasing him, she then ran along his side, marking him with the Poison Path scent making him an official member. She walked back towards Ava's side bumping her cheek gently before stopping to look behind her at Steel. "If you'd like, Ava can show you to the den." She said, before walking off back towards her waiting den.

-Athena out-

|| Ash is welcome to make an appearance in any thread. ||