Sanguine Cove gatherer

@Oksana @Nash for visibility but AW! he's waiting on the borders :D

He carried his heft up the mountain side. Then the land seemed to dip down below his paws, a lake had made a home in the heart of the mountain. He admired it for a long while before he approached closer.

Then the smells of others became stronger and stronger. A border marked where his paws had led him to and he carried a heavy curiosity for it. Who had made a home of the mountain lake? What strong beasts lived among them? Perhaps they had a need for hunters and his skills would not be wasted on just himself.

He tilted his head back and let out a warm, deep call.

(This post was last modified: Jan 23, 2023, 08:30 PM by Spartan.)

There was a specific log not far from the borders that offered shelter from the snow - and therefore a dry place to tuck away for a quiet moment to himself. Nash had sheltered from a blizzard here with Jethro the previous year. Now, he sheltered here from his duties. Not for long; just enough to take a breath and relax.

But duty calls, this time quite literally. It wasn't far from where he lay, so with a sigh Nash opened his eyes, stretched, and set off to greet this new wolf. "Hello," he said as he approached. "Welcome to Sanguine Cove. I'm Nash; how can I help you?"

The man who greeted him seemed formal, but warm. He could not place what he had expected. Perhaps it had been a giant, built from the stone itself. A man who wore greys and whites, akin to his own. If there was disappointment in him, it did not show.

He rumbled softly, then bowed low upon the earth to give his respect to the man before him. His tail tucked softly as he did such an action too.

Then he stood back up once more. Offered a peppier, livelier, sound in the form of a whuff. His muzzle swung to gesture at himself, then at the man and his lake.

spartan does not speak!

The man who Nash met at the border was... an oddity, to say the least. Or perhaps that was rude; he was really just different. They tended to have more border calls during the winter, although why someone would randomly climb the mountain in the dead of winter would always be a mystery to the leader, especially if they didn't know a pack waited in the pass. He'd expected an explanation for the stranger's presence, or at least a name, but all the man did was chuff and bow respectfully before gesturing to the lake.

Nash tilted his head in curiosity. "...Are you wanting a drink at the lake?" he asked. There were parts of the lake that were not within the Cove's borders, although the man before him might not know that. But then there had been the gesture at Nash himself. "Or are you asking about the pack?"

A drink! No, no, no. He shook his head at that question and then gestured at the man again with a gentle grunt. You! He meant to say, even if his voice could not find the air.

But the man learned quick.

He nodded his head up and down. Yes! The pack, the creatures who claimed such a hardy place in a land that he had seen had kinder places. The willows had been beautiful, but not meant for the likes of him. A man who wished for the strain of a mountain life and the work that came with it.

His short ears cupped forward softly, gaze respectfully stuck onto the man before him.

spartan does not speak!

It appeared water was not the source of the man's desire. Even though the drought had ended months ago Nash still felt a flash of surprise. Water had been so valuable and had led to unexpected visitors and threats and disaster for so long... it was strange that this new face wasn't after it. But it was winter, and water was all around them. Of course he wasn't here just for the lake.

The man nodded excitedly and pointed at Nash again. Okay, so the pack. But still he didn't speak, and the leader had to think about what it might be he wanted once again. "Are you here to join us?" he said. He'd been present for many a join call, but none as strange as this. "We're always happy to welcome new members, but have you ever lived up a mountain before? It can be hard, especially during the winter months."

He'd never felt the need to warn someone before, but there was just something strange here.

Aha!

He nodded, this time with pride. Of course he had lived upon mountains before! He had also lived in a tundra! Ah, but this man could not tell the man before him all the stories he had with him. Some better than others, of course. Such was the way of life. Perhaps in time he might show the proof of these stories in his actions.

Once more he bowed himself with a respect that was deserved for the man who seemed to lead those who lived upon the mountain lake. There was very much a want to prove himself among these people!

spartan does not speak!

Nash smiled as the man nodded. He wondered for a moment what he was nodding to; perhaps he shouldn't have asked so many yes-or-no questions in a row without giving this man an opportunity to answer in that silent manner.

Even so, with the bow, Nash could confidently guess the stranger wanted to join the pack. "There's no need to bow," he said gently, if not a little uncomfortably. He stepped forward and brushed his flank against the other man's before stepping back and indicating for the man to join him. "Welcome to Sanguine Cove," he said again, this time with a different tone and much different meaning. He paused. "What's your name?" he asked.

He did not understand the man who did not wish him to bow. It was a sign of respect, of his greatness! Why did this man not desire such? He supposed it was not his place to question (if he could) or challenge.

As for the question?

He could not answer it! He could only offer a little bit of a sly, apologetic look. The man may call him whatever he wished, truthfully! Spartan would still be diligent and answer each heeding for him. Would this silent way of life hurt the man's thinking of him?

Let him be forgiven, he prayed!

spartan does not speak!