For curiosity's sake

The young male had put off this moment for a while, he had been meaning to visit the Midnight Plateau since it had been claimed from when he first heard about the pack. Ruiko the second in command of Swift River had been the first to inform him but since then he had frequently picked up traces of the small new pack on his various trips and excursions up the slopes of the Dire Mountain. Though he had been put off by the rumours that this was just another splinter group of the Tainn kin, the Alpha was the uncle of Indru? Oh great... It was hard not to judge Honijo on this fact but until he met him and decided he was nothing like Indru he would never lose that impression.

Cautiously Weldering made his way to the borders of the pack, the scent markers beckoning him to not advance any further and obediently Weldering complied. The last thing he wished to do was trespass and make another rival for himself within Relic Lore. Standing casually for a few moments as he took a few minutes to survey the landscape Weldering finally tilted his muzzle up into the sky letting out a howl to call for the Alpha of Midnight Plateau, Honijo.

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What is Wisdom?

Life could get a little mundane, sometimes. As far as Honijo was concerned, he was living alone on top of the mountain, looking out over the horizon day after day, completely removed from life in the forest below. He had not been visited by any of his nieces or nephews since Indru had visited, but since then, there had been very little activity around the Plateau. The harem of females who had sought him out when he first broke off from Swift River had disappeared; and Honijo could honestly say he was not sorry to see them go. As far as he was concerned, the whole pack of them had been useless - not at all helping to enforce the borders he had painstakingly marked.

Not that he needed their help; Honijo was more than capable of patrolling his territory alone if need be. That's what he was doing, in fact, when he heard the howl. Ears perking atop his head, the alpha listened, waiting only a moment before setting off in the direction of the origin of the howl. The voice was not one that he recognized, but he was entitled to investigate any disturbances on or near his territory; and they had called for him as the leader of the pack.

It didn't take long before the dark furred male to come into Honijo's golden view. The leader sized him up, taking in the black and silver pelt and the light blue eyes. He noted the stranger's size, and the youth. Honijo was a regular old geezer in comparison. But that made no difference in his mind, and as the leader strode forward, he instinctively lifted his head and curled his tail over his back in a sign of a dominance. There would be no question about that, regardless of what this lone wolf wanted. Coming to stop at the edge of his borders, the Leader looked at the other male for a moment before speaking, "I am Honijo Ithil, leader of the Midnight Plateau pack." Nothing more was said. A wolf of few words, Honi was not about to speak volumes to a wolf who had requested him.

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Why would anyone come to a pack's clearly marked borders, well if they were a Lone Wolf at least there was usually only one question in mind. Would they let them join? Weldering had waited a while now for another pack to form for him to join and he had no such luck. There was not a chance in hell that he would join Swift River under Indru's reign and that only left Midnight Plateau. Autumn was quickly approaching now and fearful that packs might close their borders at winter to stop leach like rogues from taking advantage of the pack's supplies he was making his move. He had arrived at Midnight Plateau's borders not determined to join per say but indeed he was very open minded. He hated the mountains, it was in his mind the worst spot for a pack. His distaste ran back to his yearling days when he'd fallen from a ledge but even before and after that day he had been constantly tripping and stumbling over his large powerful black mitts. Even now that he was fully grown he felt awkward on rocky ground. But Weldering had no other option.

The tawny male approached him now, just by his appearance alone Weldering could conclude that he was the Alpha. In response dipping his maw slightly to pay his respects. <b style="color:#0d5b8c; font-family:geogia; font-size:13px">"My name's Weldering Darksidy, I've been living in Relic Lore for a few months now looking for a home. I'm interesting in joining your pack... but I don't know much about it." Getting to the point straight away after introducing himself.

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What is Wisdom?

It was just a game that they played, day in and day out. The alpha and the loner. Each of them knew their part, to some extent. While the details changed; it was nothing new to them. Honijo had often accompanied his brother-in-law to the borders when he accepted loners and he was familiar with how the game worked. He also had his own experiences; having accepted a number of wolves into the ranks of the pack in the past couple of weeks. So long as he wolf stuck to his designated part, they would be fine; and the real test would come later.

The younger male bowed his head in respect, which Honijo accepted, but his posture became somewhat more stiff and his gaze more sharp. That little bit of submission would not be enough to cut it if the black and silver male wanted to call the Plateau his home. Listening to the younger wolf's introduction, Honijo bit back the urge to growl in annoyance. Why was he here then? If he was not sure that he wanted to join the pack? It would be a waste of time to them both. "We control a vast majority of the land on this particular peak of the mountain. There are currently five of us who call the Plateau home; all adults." Pausing, Honijo took a moment to figure out what else he wanted to tell Weldering about the pack. "Loyalty is a must. If you plan on leaving soon, then I suggest you turn tail and get out of here." After what had happened with his harem, he would not be so kind to the next wolf who decided to abandon the pack.

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He had a feeling that the Alpha Male was not going to like being asked about his pack too much but some random lone wolf who just showed up at the border. Then also remarked that they were interested, but honestly was still the best way to go about business. Who else was there to ask other then Honijo? He didn't know these four other adults that were in the Midnight Plateau pack and the only other wolf that seemed to have a whiff of information was Ruiko. But getting words out of Ruiko was like jumping off the Plateau and surviving. The beta had been irritable that Weldering was asking about Honijo's pack and not his own as if it was some kind of stubborn jealousy.

But what else was there that Honijo could really tell him? It seemed like a perfectly normal pack which is what Weldering was hoping for. Fairly small and new, but that did not mind the silver and black masked brute. His ears sliding back slowly as Honijo then went on the mention loyalty to which Weldering replied by dipping his maw lower then before. <b style="color:#0d5b8c; font-family:geogia; font-size:13px">"I have no plans on leaving a pack once I've made up my mind, which I have. I'm willing to devote myself to Midnight Plateau, should you want me."

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<b>OOC:</b> My sincere apologies about the delay on this, Debain. <3

What is Wisdom?

The absence of others was something that the Midnight Plateau leader was fast becoming accustomed to. It wasn't something he particularly enjoyed, but there was really nothing he could do much about it. The wolves he accepted could ultimately come and go at their leisure; though he would put as much pressure as possible on the new comers. He would start with Weldering, and with any luck, the others would hold true to the same agreements.

Satisfied with both Weldering's words and his signs of respect, Honijo finally dipped his own muzzle in return. What else could he really do? "Very well, Weldering. Welcome to Midnight Plateau." Taking a step backwards, Honijo indicated with his head that the new subordinate should follow him. "You'll have to work your way up the ranks, if high status is what you're after," he explained. Most new wolves were, and truth was, he couldn't blame them; he had been at the top of the hierarchy for so long, he couldn't imagine it any other way. Ambition was not something Honijo disapproved of, so long as those attempting to climb the leadership ladder understood that he could knock them back down a couple of rungs if they attempted to remove him.

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