New Home, New Family

Backdated to 10/20/13 about a week after he joined. Is that okay?
@Nina

It had only been a couple days since Miccah had been accepted into Secret Woodlands, but he had no trouble throwing himself right into work from the very beginning.

His scent could be found all over the borders now, he would think. And a bit out of it as well, for he had gotten lost and confused a couple times for it was too soon for him to know where the borders were by memory.

The thought now brought a chuckle rumbling deep from his chest, but he remembered that it had not been funny then. The recently bumped up second-in-command smiled as he remembered his emotions on that day.

He had been embarrassed and angry. How could he show the pack, his new family, that he was worthy of their trust and respect if he had forgotten where the borders laid?! Oh, the young man had much to learn.

As he continued to walk around the borders, leaving his scent every couple of feet or yards, his thoughts drifted from his new family, to Ashanti herself. Gosh, how he had missed her! To think, he was now in the same pack as her, even in the same rank! Oh, what a stroke of luck. A stroke of luck that brought him great joy. It all seemed too good to be true, a bit too surreal.

A silly, little smile played upon his lips before he remembered that he was out in the open, guarding the borders. A loner or pack mate could show up at any moment. Clearing his throat, he wiped the grin from his face, replacing it with a serious demeanor. But, there was no mistaking the warm twinkle shining brightly in his strangely colored orbs.

"speech"

Finally she had been getting back onto her feet. Preparing for what could possibly be the longest trip that she would take this year had not been something Nina had been looking forward to, but now in a few days time she would be leaving for Willow Ridge and Whisper Caverns. She had faith in herself that she would be able to push herself through this, but in the meantime she was comfortable with doing rounds at her borders. The day had been nice and cool, a clear indication that winter was coming…but perhaps too quick for her liking. Nina would have to make her trip brief and short to avoid being away from her family for too long. Her muscles rippled easily along her pelt as she walked, her stride purposeful with a certain prowl to her step.

Letting her single eye adjust to the different shades of darkness she was walking into, she tensed slightly when an unfamiliar scent whispered against her nostrils. It was obvious that whoever this was had been touched by her loyal Hollow but that didn’t mean anything to her, not until she knew who this man was that had joined her ranks. No less one of the few calls she had ignored during mourning. Moving forward she gracefully moved quickly through her thickets, her green eye catching the male in front of her. Clearing her throat, she raised her tail and head as she strode purposefully behind him, her voice strong and demanded his attention, "And who are you?" Her single eye observed him as she waited for him to turn in her direction.

It seems when you're around, my life is complete.

A rustle in the thickets caught the man's attention. Tue next thing was the scent. It was obviously of Secret Woodlands, and the young man's tense posture relaxed.

A woman came into view. From her posture and tone of voice, it was clear that this woman was the alpha. What did Hollow say her name was? Nina, that was it. His head bowed in a sign of respect, while his legs bent to show submission to his Queen.

As he stood up once again, the man noticed her once again. His stare wasn't intrusive or rude, just merely attentive. Her posture was regal, pouring out confidence. She must've injured her eye in some sort of fight or scuffle. Making the decision that it was high time to introduce himself, Miccah smiled.

"Ma'am. You must be Nina, I assume? Hollow mentioned you when I joined. Forgive me for the delay, but my name is Miccah Athesila--an old friend of Ashanti's. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, my Lady." His blue orbs twinkled kindly as he moved a couple paces closer, but still a respectable distance from the alpha of the Thickets.

There was no better way to succeed in pack life then being friendly to the inhabitants. New, old, young, it didn't matter. But of course you couldn't be blindly trusting either.The man remembered something that his father had told him long ago. 'Judge people of their intentions, good or bad, by their very actions. You always have to assess people to know their will for you--remember that my son.'

Her gaze remained on him, sharp and not exactly kind. When he spoke, it was as if he were peeling off a herbal remedy that had long since been dry. He was a friend of Ashanti…one that she may or may not have told Nina of. When he approached her, she felt no harm in letting her lips draw back in warning, her emerald eye twinkling dangerously. The woman was extremely protective of her subordinate, they had formed what could be known as a mother and daughter relationship. Both women were comfortable with it and ever since Nina had managed to get Ashanti entrance into her former pack, the two had stuck together. Ashanti was the only remaining member that had traveled with her from Copper Rock Creek. The rest of them were gone. Letting a small growl slip past her lips, she spoke coldly, <b style="color:#008080">”Does Ashanti know you’re here?” Hollow had obviously been the one to accept the young man and Nina would have none of it if Ashanti did not know that this Miccah were here. She watched him closely, making sure that he didn’t come anywhere closer to her. Had it been any other time…like perhaps when Tacoma was still alive, Nina would have been much less cautious, less grumpy, but ever since her dear son’s death, all she could think about was the bloody mess of his body laying against the thicket ground and his pained face that was frozen in terror. Never would she look at anything the same in her life. She thought that losing Koda twice had been unbearable, but the pain of losing her own child was much worse. Letting her lips finally fall back over her canines, she waited for his response.

It seems when you're around, my life is complete.

At the sight of the dangerous twinkle in her eye, and the small growl that she released, Miccah stopped dead in his tracks. But she didn't deter him. The only way to kill the meanness out of someone, was just to smother them with kindness. And that's just what he would do. Of course, he wouldn't overkill it either, he had better class then that.

Her tone was cold, but if she was expecting a snappy answer back, she would be sorely mistaken. An admiring twinkle appeared in his blue orbs. He was glad that she was so protective of her pack mates, especially where Ashanti was concerned. He smiled slightly, and spoke, his voice warm and polite as it always was. "Yes Ma'am, she does. She was at my joining, and it was quite...a reunion," he finished with a small chuckle rumbling from deep in his chest.

He found it funny in remembrance of Hollow's presence, declaring that he wouldn't leave, afraid that Miccah would end up dragging Ashanti from the pack. He enjoyed the brief silence, before he decided to speak again. "How long have you known Ashanti?," he spoke curiously. He really did want to know. He wanted to gleam every bit of Ashanti's life before they reunited. The good and the bad. He had missed her so much, he believed he was ready to hear it. But oh, how wrong he was. The foolishness of a young man's heart in love.

People were naive, and stupid. But that was what life was for. Life was to make mistakes, and to learn from them, so that somehow, someway, you'd be happy in the end.

She watched each one of this newcomer’s movements with a sharp eye, her ears pricking forward when he spoke to her. With his first comment, Nina’s single eye narrowed, making it seem as though she had closed her eye due to the unusual way her eye slanted. When he spoke again, the question he asked caught her off guard and a sharp growl erupted from her mouth before she could stop it. If he truly claimed to be such great friends with Ashanti, then he should have been there asking the question to her and not Nina. Clenching her teeth together, she reminded herself that Hollow never would have allowed someone within the pack if he didn’t trust him. Taking a deep, calming breath, Nina spoke evenly, and dangerously low, <b style="color:#008080">”About a year now….I would prefer if you asked her questions instead of me.” She looked the male dead in the eyes, her lips pulling back to reveal her canines as she spoke again, <b style="color:#008080">”And…if you ever hurt her…I will tear your throat out…and make sure you suffer through it for a long time.” The scary part about it was that Nina was not joking. Hell, she could wait until spring when herbs were plentiful and torture him all she wanted and then dispose of him whenever she felt the need to. The alpha knew that she needed to back off though and lightly tried to change the mood by putting a smile on her face, <b style="color:#008080">”Now…what is it you exactly have to offer my pack?” She blinked her single eye and let her interrogation begin.

It seems when you're around, my life is complete.