Shallows Edge I know you're dying to meet me, but I can just tell you this

@Harlem and @Hawthorne
Backdated to the 12th of the 5th

With less paws on the ground Askan took it upon himself to pick up the slack. It wasn't too big of a deal, as the pair weren't instrumental to the pack's welfare but it was a bit of annoyance, to say the least. Not that it took much these days to get under Askan's skin, perhaps he wasn't quite as mellow as he'd thought. Or maybe he was just having a bad week, or month?

Marching along, Askan stopped here and there to mark in his usual places. A craggy rock here, a weathered log there, he found solace in how mundane it was, how everyday it felt. Somethings, he was relieved to realise, never changed. He dragged his paws in the dirt, leaving little smelly, scratchy marks in his wake. The man could only pee so much, he had a lot of ground to cover.

It was then he noticed a dark shape approaching the border from the north. Out of instinct, and perhaps habit, his eyes narrowed into a squint as he regarded the figure. Who the-oh. His ears flicked upright as his tail relaxed and slipped back into it's usual, less-bristly state. He'd recognise that yearling anywhere, Hawthorne. He leaned against the trunk of cedar tree as he watched her stomp along,it wasn't unusual to watch her come and go, after all she made herself very busy serving the pack. But Askan soon realised she wasn't alone, she had company in the form of a white coated, orange eyed stranger.

It was then he moved away from the shadows of the trees and announced himself with a-not so- casual clearing of his throat.  

"Who's this?" He asked, his tone sharp as always, but marred with a hint of curiosity.

In all honesty, Harlem had no idea what the fuck she was getting herself into. Protection from reckless coyotes that apparently loved pestering wolves sounded promising, but was it worth joining an actual, serious pack for? The female, of all possible recruits, didn't necessarily have a good reputation when it came to commitment. Hell, she'd just managed to get out of Bryte's Grotto.  Guess the only option was to have a look and hope for the best, right? As Hawthorne led the way into her pack's territory, pumpkin eyes traced keenly over the surrounding terrain. Nothing special, it seemed, granted she hadn't laid her eyes on the actual shallows yet. At least the area wasn't open fields or some shit like that. If it wasn't for his words, Harlem likely wouldn't have spotted the distant figure within the shadows. Her gaze averted to his outline when he announced his presence, brows knitting together upon realising he was likely one of the members. Were all of these wolves so dark and gruff?

"Harlem." She returned easily. A brief glance at Hawthorne was offered. "I was invited."

Becca gave me permission to PP and say hawth is standing around, squinting, looking edgy

Askan's gaze flickered to Hawthorne then back to the white woman. Her response was quick and to the point, he appreciated that as he hardly was the sort to listen to inane chatter. Still, the woman was quite different from the usual loner he encountered when roaming the wilds. The Edge Lord couldn't quite place his paw on it, first meetings were always so foggy and a little confusing but perhaps this one held promise.

He wasn't the most welcoming of souls but he was-usually- willing to see what loners were made of. Sure, it had gotten him burnt a few times in the past but he knew shutting the Shallow's gates wouldn't do him any good either. It was a risk worth taking, probably.

"Hmm." He hummed in acknowledgement, as his gaze roamed over her once more. Not lecherous, to Askan's credit he was anything but- rather, judgemental, as though he was gauging her worth.

Despite being a loner she wasn't all skin and bones, she was clearly capable. She looked in far better shape than he had when he'd arrived in the north all those months ago.

"Askan Selwyn." He returned, just as casually as the pale visitor. "Here's the thing Harlem, I don't really have the patience for small talk so I'm gonna be blunt with you." His tone was rough as always, but he wasn't being particularly forceful or rude. He was merely spelling it out for her, just so they understood one another. "I know there's a lot of coyotes about, being a loner is even harder than usual. Can't exactly blame you if you're just looking for a place to hole up, but as a leader I don't want any of that bullshit. You're welcome to join if you're willing to pull your weight, if not keep walking."