Willow Ridge here's a crazy idea

Backdated to the morning of 6/28, Clouse is howling to the willows group to introduce @Mouseling. All welcome! heads up to @Rashina @Daegal @Niamh @Kaeruka @Deirdre.

Clouse gave a reassuring smile to his acquaintance as they approached the first set of markers hinting at this being someone's home. Not a full-fledged pack but rather a group of rogue hopefuls, the territorial borders weren't as strong or all-encompassing as they should have been. Still, it was clear enough they were here, and he would respect the distinction as he would any of his other family's lands.

He tilted back his head and called out with song, alerting them all that he was returned and with a guest. Another round would ask at least their leadership, Hagar and @Avella, to meet them at the western-most cache.

"Just don't go leaving my side and you'll be fine," he instructed Mouse, moving to lead him to the tilled earth that hid their next meal. The guy was in bad enough shape (and they needed members badly enough) that he didn't think anyone would be offended in sharing just one breakfast.

The scent of strangers' territory markers brought back memories of his time fleeing north. Mouseling tried to carry himself with some dignity as they traveled through Clouse's territory. All dignity quickly fled when he remembered he would be meeting the wolf's pack, and they likely wouldn't want someone very dominant.

"You won't have to worry about that," he promised. He stepped closer to Clouse and dipped his head down, his ears pressed flat against his skull. Instincts forced his tail between his legs, and Mouseling was sure he made a pitiful site to the wolves of Clouse's pack. He prayed they were all as kind as Clouse had been.

When they came upon the cache, Mouseling caught the scent of meat. His mouth watered and his stomach rumbled, reminding him he still hadn't had a full meal in weeks. He sniffed the loose earth eagerly.

She didn't expect many to show up to the call. Hagar and Niamh likely tending to her little sister. Iseldir and their mother still gone. Ra, gone. A few of the "misc members" not of their family coming and going as they pleased. Daegal, hopefully, was somewhere near...

So when Eve came and saw that it was Clouse here, followed by a stranger next to him (which was probably the reason for his calling) and no one else, Eve was not paticularly surprised. Clouse had never mentioned it, but she knew he came and went from the territory frequently, likely to visit those he had lived with over the mountains west before coming here. Maybe he felt trapped, she thought. Maybe she wasn't the only one.

"Hey." She spoke to her cousin and then her sky blue eyes shifted to the equally small male next to him, sniffing at their catch. "Who's this?" To Eve, honestly, Clouse should have brought him to his other group out west instead. Better odds.

Mouse was obedient so far, which Clouse didn't much mind as it likely would make all of this go smoother. Some of their other relatives might see nothing but weakness, but he felt confident that Avella would see sincerity. She had a kinder, more intelligent approach than the more coarse among their family tree's many branches.

Nineve met them nearly simultaneously at the dig site, the girl starting to earn a bit of an eerie reputation to her cousin. It felt like she'd pop up anywhere, at any time. Or, maybe that was just his distaste for teenagers.

"Hey," he tossed back, greeting her with a few wags of his tail before setting to work unearthing chunks of a near-depleted deer carcass. He pushed some toward the young man's paws, and then lobbed a bite toward Nineve.

"Mouseling. He's looking to pitch in, isn't that right?"

Nevermind that the stranger had not explicitly stated as much. Clouse's grey eyes shifted toward the other wolf expectantly.

(This post was last modified: Jul 31, 2023, 01:40 AM by Clouse.)

Mouseling's hunger was momentarily forgotten when the other wolf arrived. She had appeared faster than he expected in response to the call. He dipped his head in a respectful greeting, offering a quiet "hello." His tail curled under his haunches.

The meat Clouse pushed in front of him smelled delicious, if a bit old. It did not matter to him either way; food is food. As he reached for the morsel, the wolf's question gave him pause. He pulled back from his meal.

After a few moments of deliberation, he nodded his head.

"Yes," Mouseling replied. "Yes, if you will have me." He looked up at Clouse with hopeful eyes. Was this finally the end to his wandering?

Clouse dug into the cache further, offering food to the newcomer and Nineve alike. Mouseling was introduced and said hello, to which Eve spoke a soft 'hello' back as Clouse then explained his want to stick around. Eve picked up and swallowed down the dirt covered morsels before lifting her head back up and licking her mug. "That so?"

She looks to the small male, tail tucked and a submissive attitude towards the pack wolves. Eve didn't think too much on it. He was a stranger here, eating from their cache and seeking a home. He was being respectful and didn't assume off the bat he was being a whimp.

"Sounds fine to me." She said nonchalantly, after all, it really wasn't her choice to make, despite being the one to heed the call. She figured Clouse would keep an eye on him, show him around and if he proved troublesome, her father could then boot him out.

Hagar had only just been able to lay down when Clouse's howl rang across the territory. He couldn't help but let out a tired sigh, before dutifully hefting himself back up onto his paws. He'd been at the creek, not so far a walk from where the call originated, thankfully. His mocha limbs brought him into the vicinity in time to hear the Archer's prompting of a stranger.

'He's looking to pitch in, isn't that right?' and then a more gentle-voiced, 'Yes. Yes, if you will have me.'

Green eyes looked the younger wolf over as he came to stand at his daughter's side. There seemed nothing threatening about him, and he was not dark-pelted like the murderer they'd been warned of by that odd Backwater child. These were pretty much his only requirements, for how much could one learn by talking? Hagar would much rather see how the wolf carried himself. He was only one of two parts, however; since Avella had not yet shown, he would attempt to be her voice as well.

"What brings you here? Are you seeking a home or merely respite?"

(This post was last modified: Aug 01, 2023, 07:11 PM by Hagar.)

The other agreed, earning another bright smile from Clouse. Good. The more paws on board, the more quickly the errant Archer could go back to his own life. Eve didn't necessarily seem impressed one way or the other, but his thoughts followed hers- all that needed to be impressed was his cousin or her co-lead.

Speaking of... Hagar's lumbering form parted the forest's vegetation as he appeared, those pale eyes of his ever-watchful. He did not introduce himself, instead questioning the stranger Clouse had brought him. Perhaps he assumed his posture spoke for itself.

Clouse looked to Mouseling, quietly supportive. What was the worst the little guy could say, anyways?

Mouseling perked his ears at yet another presence entering the clearing. If there were many wolves in these woods, they were slow to answer. If there were few, Mouseling knew at least this newest one would not be the last he would meet.

It was clear the wolf held status among them, the way he walked and held himself. He dropped the mouthful he had reached for and looked to Clouse. The wolf's expression told him enough. He turned back to Hagar and bowed his head low to the older wolf.

"My pack was unkind, and chased me out. I do not want to wander anymore. A place to rest if that's all you allow me, but a place to live, if you would be willing," he said. Mouseling deferred the choice to the apparent leader of the group. He would only stay as long as permitted by them.

Eve's father arrived and from here she nudged her nose into the dark fur along his jawline and settled down into a sit, eating at the remainder of meat Clouse had tossed her way. She listens carefully, a silent observer as she watched her father decide the fate of this newcomer into their game. However long he ended up staying.