Whitestone Monadnock unalii

Potential joining thread.. so @Craw or @Morganna

“Usgwanikdi..” The words ushered forward in a light sigh as the lissome female slowed her pace – senses alert, the silver woman tipped her muzzle as the wind spoke to her, informing her gently of the wolves that resided here. Respectfully, the girl dutifully bowed her muzzle lower, her pale eyes dancing upon the land formations before her before she truly made up her mind – this would be a place she could scope out first and see if they were accepting new members prior to the winter months.

Reserved in this, Saqui remained still as the chilly air swept at her grey fur. There was no true method to her decision – she had traveled for months, exploring the lands, and had come accustom to the realization that one could not truly know a pack prior to joining them – it was simply a request that held risk for any lone wolf.

Unless, of course, she went back home to the Meadows – but she was not keen on the idea, and so the watchful traveler waited, determined not to send up a howl and beckon those of the land to her – she would see their merit that depended upon how fast they would find a stranger at their borders.. and she was a patient creature.

What a wonderful way to kickstart my muse~
Anyone else from WM welcome to pop in, of course, especially if they wanted to follow him from up high :)

The air was growing chill, and the space atop Whitestone was so bare to the elements as to precisely feel every icy touch. As the world around them began to change in colour, the tundra's subtle and gradual wardrobe change from summer to winter, so the wolves of the monadnock were resolute and unchanged and undeterred. Every single wolf of those who had made the journey from south to north were with them to that day - and perfectly aware of the fleeting nature of the average wolf's loyalty, Craw could not have been more pleased with his choices.

A grey shape among all the strong browns and reds of the changing grasses could have been mistaken for a boulder, one of few scattered about the lowlands, no doubt the closest of which were once a part of the very construct which Craw called home. But he had stood in this spot and gazed down more times than he could count, and unless there had been a fresh breakaway, he knew that there was no rock which sat in that very location. And as his attention piqued, ears pushing forwards and eyes narrowing to focus on that small shape, he thought it appeared very much alive - and, indeed, like it could have been staring straight back.

It took no longer than that to decide he was going to confront it. With a passing bark to those gathered on the rock and passing the day, just so they knew his intention, Craw turned his paws onto the goat track which was now covered far more in pawprints than hoofmarks and with a flick of his tail slunk down to ground level.

The wind died down as he went, sheltered by the monadnock, a passing oddity which he could never help but observe, but it did not distract from his intention. Confirmation came as the grey woman came into sight from around the curve of the plateau, stood near the side where the organ piping laid stark and sharp, and his eyes slid over them briefly before coming to rest on the stranger at his doorstep.

But she was not a fool - she had stayed her paws where it was still polite. But she had not called. He did not know whether she meant to be seen, or had come just to observe. To admire his home was one thing - to spy was another. This uncertainty did not stop his tail from curling over his back, his head from rising, his posture from telling her everything she needed to know - but her own did not show disrespect, so he would give her a chance.

"What do you think?" he wheezed, glancing up at the mighty structure which brought him such pride before returning his yellow gaze to her own.

More confident now than she ever had been before that her children were capable of getting themselves out of trouble (most of the time), she had spent her morning scouting to the west. The caribou were breaking into smaller herds for the autumn rut - a dangerous choice of meal while their hormones were raging so, elk likewise, were edgier than usual. The big wild wooly beasts were ever on edge, their youngsters almost at the point where she wasn't certain they would be able to take one down. Perhaps then, it would mean they would be better off taking on one of the less wooly beasts that dwelled down near the treeline.

A quick glance at the sun told her it was time to be getting back, the cutting wind picking up enough to tell her there was little threat of snow today. She relished the knowlege and her dark coat that drew all the warmth it could from the unhindered sky, the only trees in sight far to the south. 

Morganna had not travelled far enough for her home to disappear past the horizon, so when she spotted the pale shape (too bulky to be Celandine) descending to the tundra below, she picked up her pace, mother's worry that perhaps something had gone wrong pushing her forward. Instead, he stopped, and her eyes followed the direction he was taking to observe the stranger at their door. Well that was hardly a reason for her to charge forward so. Pace still brisk she closed the distance that remained, a quick greeting nudge to @Craw before questioning glance fell on the stranger. Her own stance was more relaxed than Craw's, tail even taking up a slight wave as she considered the wolf before them. 

Perhaps it was the endorphins from her run or the respectful stance the stranger maintained, but there was no denying that right now, she found herself in a good mood.

There is a family of deer nearby. Hunt Opportunity

For a fleeting moment, Saqui felt eyes upon her, and glancing up with a sea green gaze, she thought she saw a distant form vanishing atop the peak as it maneuvered away. She remained still – certain in her path, and in the interim of an interlude with the pack members, was considering the sight before her to be truly magnificent.

It would appear the high tops had indeed harbored a guardian upon them, and as he traveled closer, the small dot of a wolf became larger – his stark fur becoming clearer, and soon his features distinguishable. There was no mistaking the way the wolf held himself to what rank he held – though Saqui would have paid homage to any who called the land before her home.. she was, after all, but a visitor upon their borders.

In the rise of his own form, her own lissome silver figure would bend lower to humble herself – her keen eyes that once studied the craggy landscape soon sweeping down to the stranger’s paws. He questioned her thoughts on his land – and just as she was about to answer, a swarthy she-wolf pulled up to his side – equal in her confidence of position, and further still causing Saqui to lower her muzzle. “It is very uwoduhi,” she murmured in her lilting voice, and then paused. “Very beautiful.”

Barely was the question loose when he sensed her, his nose so attuned to her that it was as though he felt her before any truly tangible sign appeared. He did not even need to look to confirm it, able to recognise the sound of her gait and her breathing, the way she reached to touch him in greeting, the way he grew stronger just by having her stood beside him. He had already been in a pleasant mood, and sensing her own only strengthened that. The loner before them reacted with appropriate regard, bowing herself further in the presence of the two wolves who owned this part of the world. It satisfied him to see it.

But her initial silence still snagged on his mind.

The compliment was given easily, an objectively true observation by all accounts, her voice sweet and somewhat beautiful itself in its peculiarity. His ear twitched at the foreign word, the singular inclusion of which explained any of her accent. He could not know if her following translation was honest - but could only trust it to be so.

"It is," he agreed, and glanced to @Morganna with a lazy smile before fixing his yellow gaze back onto the almost-entirely-amenable stranger. She smelled of nobody except herself. "Did you come just to admire it? While I won't fault that, outsiders tend to be otherwise received best when they announce themselves."

*kicks strangely silent Morg*

As she stood by her mate's side, with their towering monadnock at their backs, she felt secured to this place in a way she had never quite felt in the willows. It truly was fate that led them here, for who could have guessed that it would be as they reached the towering monolith that her children would choose that moment to come? And none of it would have been possible without the wolf at her side. Subconsciously she leaned in his direction enough for the tips of their fur to mingle, the small grin staying on her face despite the curiousness of the lack of a call. Was this woman so silent because she had been caught in the middle of something nefarious, or was there more to it than that?

She could appreciate that the silver wolf waited to choose her words, her accent betraying that perhaps they required more thought to be spoken than most when she slipped in that strange word. Morganna wasn't sure that she would able to wrap her own harsh tongue around such a language, and it was while she was trying to puzzle out just where this strange wolf might have come from that Craw offered her a lazy smile, and she returned it with a warm one of her own, considering his question to see if there was something she should add. It was well chosen and she found herself with little to add other than silently wondering if perhaps, it might have been a test.

She held little insight to the discomfort she had stirred in the male – he seemed quite reserved, and unconcerned by her appearance. Had she known otherwise, the grey she-wolf would have been quicker to settle his doubts, but as it stood, her eyes would sweep between the two, daring only to study parts of their features, and never once lingering upon their gaze.

She noted the ease of affection between them – it seemed to stem more from simple pack mates, and she reveled slightly at the prospect that she had come upon a more traditional pack – the lead pair were the mated pair, as had been taught to her as a proper way since she had been but a cub.

She was pulled from these thoughts when the silver wolf noted she had not announced her presence, and in turn, she dipped her muzzle lower. “My apologies if I bring unease – it is my intention to seek a pack in these beautiful lands, and your borders are one of the first I have come upon. It is..” she paused then, her brows knitting together slightly as she sought the word, for while she was fluent in English, it did not roll from her tongue with the ease of her native language. “It is a hard decision to make, to know which pack to choose. I am pleased to see your borders are so well guarded.”

His mate's silence did not concern him, for he knew it was not out of some sense of hierarchy; @Morganna would make her opinions known exactly as and when it suited her. That also suited Craw just fine. He was equally satisfied with the stranger's reaction to his pointed (but not entirely overt) line of questioning; she appeared to catch on to his meaning just fine, dropping her gaze further in acceptance of it. With the next words past her exotic lips offering regretful acknowledgement of the impression she had been risking, the spider was satisfied further.

And so it was so; she was come in search of a home. What a marvellous choice she had made, Craw thought with shameless pride, unable to resist glancing at the grand monadnock to their side and how it stood like a beacon to their greatness. Her words were simple and true, and her final remark brought a rough but gentle laugh from his gravelly throat.

"Whitestone is well-guarded, well-fed and well-governed," he rumbled, unapologetic for the blatant boast for it was all perfectly true. "As you would be welcome to see for yourself. What is your name?"

@Saqui sorry for the hold up!

Perhaps it had been some sort of test then? Not that she found herself upset by the prospect. Even with their reduced numbers the wolves that had answered the willows borders with a show of force had, for the most part, chosen to follow her north. Well a little flattery never really hurt, did it?

She liked that this woman was weighing up her options, perhaps she needed a little wooing in turn. While Craw's words were boastful but true - there was more to their pack than well-guarded borders and full bellies. "We're all a big family." she added with an easy smile. "Everyone is here b'cause they chose ter be. We didn' like the way things were elsewhere so we changed it." She had never been on a diplomats track. "We're not the biggest pack around, but from what I've seen we're probably one o' the closest..." After her journey to the south had resulted in such disappointment, she felt more than qualified to say so.

Since Craw had already asked her name, she took the chance to add her own. "I'm Morganna. What's yer specialty?" Not that she would consider turning away another hunter or healer with winter upon them, but perhaps she would be more flexible than some others claimed to be.