Blackberry Fields Masterful Aim

@Minka or @Tokino please!


A mid-morning sun began to turn glittering jewels of dew into small puddles on the earth below. The grey loner stalked a brown hare amidst the trees. His eyes narrowed, focusing intently on his hunt. The ex-prince had little to no experience hunting among trees, and he had certainly never caught a brown hare before. He had only ever hunted white hares with his birth pack in the mountains.

Before the wind could ruin his hunt, his powerful haunches launched him into a flying leap several feet in the air that brought him down right atop the prey. With a swift bite, it was slain. Nearly bursting with pride, the loner picked up his rabbit and went to stand right at the edge of the blackberry bush pack's well marked borders. He tilted his head back and howled.

In the mountains, he had been a strong howler, and could send forth a howl which would echo through the entire range his parents had owned. This howl was muffled considerably by the surrounding foliage, but such was not discouragement for the man.

Closing his maw, he sat down. It was most unlike him to be particularly submissive around leaders of packs, so he remained very neutral. He knew better than to be dominant, but submission was not something he was particularly good at. As he waited, the man stood and arranged the slain hare into a crouching position, so that if it hadn't been for its lolling neck it would've looked almost alive. Returning to his seat, he rehearsed his lines in his head. He hoped he would meet the female alpha, but beggars could not be choosers.

My name is Regem Rakkair, ex-prince of the Rakkair dynasty, and I come seeking a place in your pack. I am a valuable asset to you, for I can hunt, advise, teach, or guard. Wherever I am needed most, I will be happy to step in. He knew what he would say, and if he met the queen of the pack, then perhaps he would joke around a little...

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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It wasn't a terribly long wait before another arrived, but it was enough to put the grey figure on edge. The wolf who did appear out of the blackberry bushes walked out with a confident strut, the same one his parents had used when participating in important business. He noticed it was a she-wolf, and judging by the overwhelming tide of confidence which smothered the air which she occupied, it was the alpha. Perfect, this was exactly who he had wanted to meet! Not that he would've minded a little man-to-man to welcome him in, but still...

After providing her with a playful bow, he crouched in what was close to a submissive pose that wasn't perfect, but was still believable. The concentrated look in his eyes stated that he was trying to be submissive, but didn't have much practice. "Greetings, mi'lady. I go by Regem, although 'hey you' works equally well. My business at your refreshingly well marked borders is that of asking your permission to join your pack. I can be anything you wish me to be, but I am especially strong, and therefore could be a valuable guard for mi'lady and, if I assume correctly, the young heirs of the pack." The tone of his voice remained light throughout his speech, and took on a happy, joking note at the appropriate times. If this lady was going to welcome him into her family, Regem wanted her to know that he was a joke teller and a happy soul. Every family needed a trickster, or clown as it was sometimes referred to, and he was nothing if not one to make others smile.

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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As the leader whose presence he shared relaxed and became more friendly, Regem did as well by standing up straighter by a hairsbreadth and letting his tail untuck itself a fraction, although his mainly submissive posture looked relatively the same by the end of thses slight alterations. The grey man raked his brain in search of experiences he could use to prove that he could defend her and presumably her children well. Eventually, he hit solid evidence.

"In my birthpack, I trained to become a guard, and although I left shortly before I finished my training, I was still the most promising young guard in the pack. On my travels to this place, I got into some scuffles and one or two fights with other full-grown and sometimes fully-trained wolves over food and a place to sleep. I won most of them, so I know well how to defend a specific object, such as prey or a packmate, as well as how to guard an area, such as a den or territory." Regem felt sure that this was a good piece of evidence, and with this he was satisfied. Remembering his gift to the alpha, the grey man shuffled backward akwardly, grabbed his brown hare by the neck fur, and placed it between him and Minka. He thought hard about any possible joke he could make to further encourage the Lagina to smile, but for once, nothing satisfactory enough would come to mind. Oh well, he'd have to hope his memories had worked...

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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The Lagina Queen didn't respond immediately, which would've sent Regem into a fit of pacing and whipping his tail in annoyance if he had been younger, such as when he began his journey here. But time and travel had granted him the important gift of unending patience, so he remained very calm. When the alpha asked another question of the stone grey loner, he replied with calm confidence.

"If the official role is not already fulfilled, then I could fill it. If not, when is an extra guard not helpful? I have always enjoyed the peaceful sense of purpose and the desperation to protect your family which accompanies a proper border patrol." Again, a joke settled itself among his words. The man's gut told him that this was going well. When Minka spoke again, the seriousness of her tone was a sharp contrast from her calm and friendly words before.

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? Personally, Regem thought Black Thorn Downs was a lovely name for a pack. But this thought was not pondered upon for long as he wasted barely a breath before his response.

"Lady Minka Lagina, leader of the Black Thorn Downs pack, I, Regem Rakkair, swear on my own life that I will remain unwaveringly loyal to each and every member of Black Thorn Downs, you and your mate above all, until death brings me away from you. Should the circumstances call for it, I will give my life to protect this pack, and every day I will wake up and remember this promise, and every day I will make sure that you, your mate, and everyone else in Black Thorn Downs knows without a doubt that I will protect and remain loyal to this pack as long as I live." As he promised Minka this, his golden amber eyes met hers so that she could clearly see that he understood what he was saying, and that he meant every word. Of course, his gaze dropped a moment after he finished speaking. To follow up this, he waited several moments before asking two questions.

"By the way, what is the name of the alpha male? I feel that it might be inappropriate if I had to call him 'hey you'. And you mentioned treason. If any former members have committed such a heinous crime, I would ask for their name and description so that if I am to guard the borders, I can properly recognize and dispose of them." Regem hoped Minka had caught his humorous reference to his own introduction, in which he had offered jokingly to be known as "hey you".

Feel free to post Regem's exit in the next post and then I'll do Minka's after that so we can get to 10 :)

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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As the alpha female added her scent to his, Regem quietly took a deep sniff to firmly plant his new alpha's scent within his memory so that from now on he would never forget it. The man was glad to see that she responded so well to his jokes and humor. Some wolves were too uptight to be bothered with laughing at a joke. Her mate had quite the handsome name, although a cousin of his had a somewhat similar name, Talino. He hoped he wouldn't mix up the names...

As Minka informed him of a betrayer, his nose wrinkled slightly at the fact that any wolf would abandon their pack. "If I ever come across the man, he won't even have a chance to blink before I've alerted you of his presence." Regem said seriously, then added on a lighter tone "And if he does blink, then I'll have to go on a diet so that I can run faster." Smiling, his submissive posture disappeared a little more, although not yet entirely. He still owed the Lagina respect. She continued that he should explore his new home, both in terms of packmates and landscapes.

"Of course! I'll take a lap around the borders to get familiar with them, and then see if I can find some others so that I know who my new family members are. After all, guarding things is so much easier when you know who your allies are. I wouldn't want to chase a pack mate out of their own home!" Regem finished with a smile and a laugh. "Thank you, mi'lady, for your acceptance. I will never let you down. If it's quite alright, I'll be on my way now." With a respectful nod to his queen, the stony grey guardian disappeared into the blackberries. It appeared that his grey coat blended in with blackberry bushes as well as rocky mountainsides.

Exit Regem

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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