In Dire Straits

It's...High Noon.

Or rather, if it were noon (which it very well may have been) it would have been extremely hard for one to tell if they weren't looking up. The forest in which The Reach inhabited slowly grew thicker and thicker til the forest itself became dense and dark. Were it not for the specks of sunlight that managed to stretch their way down to the forest floor, one would not have known what time of day it was. Even now, as the forest grew ever thicker and damper, a fog rolled in low to the ground, only rising with altitude as it too desperately tried to reach the sunlight that broke through the heavy tree top. There was a quiet about this place, a sort of eerie melancholy that would have made some depressed and others turn back. Yet for one stranger amongst the underbrush, that was a far different story.

Large limbs carried a behemoth through the wood, his head held high and his gait clearly showing the pride that he carried with him. His fur did not match the tone of the setting of the forest; the reds and browns of his coat leaving him completely open and un-camouflaged in his new environment. But he didn't care; no, in fact he wanted to be found. One would not strut so intently with conviction as he did if they did not wish to get the attention of another.

He had found himself leaving the safety of the Fringe for a much more interesting place to call home. The Fringe was, well, it was it's own head of problems, but there was always a safety net for the young wolf. He knew the lay of the land, he knew many of the loners that strayed at the edges of his home in the hopes of joining a pack (which he too knew would never happen for his People were a Proud People* ), and in short- he'd already conquered that land so it was time to move on. It was time, perhaps, to find something a bit...fresher.

The male had found himself circling the Reach for several days before stumbling upon a thicker tree line and he'd had a hunch that perhaps something good, or at the very least interesting would be beyond it. So far his hunch had been proven correct. As he wandered through the fog with his nose high in the air, he could smell the very essence of a pack nearby. His lips curled in to a smile as the scents became stronger and stronger- he was coming in to pack territory. It had been some time since he'd encountered a large gathering of any creature. Excitement bubbled up in his chest as he pressed forward, pausing only to take in the wet air that hung all around him.

Cancer licked his lips and sat down; he was no longer in public territory, and that meant someone was surely on their way to greet him.

Everyday seemed like it was overcast when you lived in a place like this. Humid, rainy, and fog always looming overhead. It was enough to make her just want to stay in her den all day, her joint rarely ever giving her  a break from the shooting pain that gripped her. Life was torture, yes, but she had a job to do. A pack to govern, an obligation.  Telana was a lot of things, sure, but she'd never turn back on a chance to prove her family wrong.

Her father would roll in his grave if he saw her now, and she'd be there shaking the figurative coffin if she could.

But there were rare days, when the pains weren't as bad, and these days were so few and far between. She snatched them when she could, each step felt like a thrumming numbness, rather than a boulder being repeatedly dropped upon her body.

It was a habit of hers to find people incompetent at certain tasks, and it was starkly untrue in the case of pages, they were doing magnificent jobs. However, with Telana, she was little more than a helicopter disguised as a wolf. She HAD to know what was going on, WHO was joining. File away the information and save it for later. Walking steadily along the southern border, she'd spot someone.

Golden gaze narrowed, and brows furrowed for a moment as she took in the reddish hues, but couldn't place their origin. Must not have been anyone she knew. Stalking forward with a visible limp, she'd hesitate as her paws met the log bridge of the moat. He was big, far larger than her, though most in Alteron were (save for the foxes). Ears pulled back and she as she sat silently looking him over before ten or fifteen minutes passed and she finally addressed him. "You're on Alteron's doorstep, what could you possibly want?" That completely uninterested tone, matched with an equally jaded look. "Speak or leave, your choice."

Speech #ffcc33

The dampness in the air hung and still he smiled as silence filled his ears. He didn't mind sitting, waiting- no that was always par for the course. He was lucky though; he didn't have to wait long. From the corner of his eye came the figure of a limping wolf that sat across the moat from him. She too engaged in the silence, placing herself down directly parallel to him and watching him for a moment. He met her gaze, still smiling gently as she watched him. Was this a power play? Perhaps not, but she was definitely someone with an agenda.


"You're on Alteron doorstep, what could you possibly want? [...] Speak or leave, your choice."

There was a chill that ran down his spine as she spoke; her words cutting through the thick air that suffocated them both. He rose from his rear, his height in full glory as he looked out to her with those sharp green eyes.

"Well now," he said quietly to himself, his glee only growing as he took a step towards the edge. He wasn't sure why but, this was interesting- she was interesting.

"Hello!" he barked cheerfully at her, his own desires pushing themselves deep within the back of his mind. "Name's Cancer. I'm here looking for a place to call home." Cancer looked around a moment at the scenery and taking it in. Alteron, eh? Sounded kind of nice.

"Who do I speak to for that? Is it you?" He looked back to Telana and smiled.

He stood up, straight and tall, and the ginger female could almost feel her eyes trying to roll. She sighed under her breath, her bored look seeming to intensify as they stared back at one another.

Cancer? Noted.Her mind trying to edge around what exactly his personality was like for the very few bits she was given thus far. Cocky? Maybe, his body language sorta pushed for that assumption. Her brows raised for a moment and then furrowed. "Well, I'm the only one here, on this side of the moat. You know, the side that belongs to this pack." There it was that patronizing tone she so frequently used. "Survey says, yes, you need to speak to me in order to get in." She gave him a rather annoyed look.

"Telana." The woman said curtly, exhaling another sigh. She didn't see the point in giving her rank, she never did to anyone, unless it was for official business. Her rank was a job, a job that required her to make sure this place was running like a well oiled machine. Thus far, yeah, it was surprisingly thriving.

"Why would Alteron want you, Cancer? What makes you so great, so special?" It wasn't a question she asked recruits often, especially when the usual recruit came fearfully limping toward their bridges, or was battered and bloodied. Telana had a penchant for these types, the ones the world forgot. Many would think a pack full of cripples and the like were useless, but even the untouchables deserved a place to call home.

Perhaps now she was being needlessly difficult, was it because his smile unnerved her in the slightest? Or was it because she was testing her original theory on his cockiness? Whatever it may be, she stared him down from where she sat.

"Well, I'm the only one here, on this side of the moat. You know, the side that belongs to this pack.[...] Survey says, yes, you need to speak to me in order to get in."

A chill ran through Cancer's spine as the other spoke; it was quiet and unnoticeable, but he felt it. There was a feeling of electricity pulsing through his body, and he couldn't help but feel his lips pulling back even further in to that smile. Who was she? Frankly it didn't matter- there was an interest and he couldn't help but feel himself drawn towards her. It was that sort of sensation where when one sees something so cute they'd want to hug them to death. He wanted to know her, and he wanted to strangle her until her lungs gave out. If given the chance, Cancer would have admitted there and then that what he wanted most in that moment was not to be accepted in to a pack but instead to draw this creature from across the river and get to know her in a way that may have been disturbing to so many others. Yet he calmed the deepest pits in his mind and simply watched as she spoke again.

"Telana. [...] Why would Alteron want you, Cancer? What makes you so great, so special?"

Telana.

There it was again; that spark ran down his spine as she questioned him from across the river. The male stood after a beat and watched from across the water at her, his smile slowly fading as his tongue rolled across his canines.

"Well, Telana," came the drawl of tone from Cancer's lips, "I'm not one who likes to brag about my...abilities; but I think you find yourself staring across from one of the most competent creatures of the Fringe." He lifted his head just slightly, smirking as he looked from Telana to the tree tops then back to her.

"I am strong, capable; I can hunt most any prey without fail- but mostly I prefer to spend my time working along side others. I find community to be something of an enigma and I find that most intriguing of all. Working as a hive mind to accomplish tasks. It's...refreshing."

She cut her eyes at him, but only slightly, that same air of nonchalance with a splash of 'I'd rather be anywhere, but here, and yet here I am'. His smile was cut short, it was noted as he stood. He started of and she felt her mind numb at his words, only keying in on the competent part and she nearly let a scoff escape her. Oof, how many times had she heard that throughout her life.

Though her eyes watched him as if he were some kind of rare bird. His smirk caused her to roll her eyes, a deadpan expression taking form on her face. He was big and strong, the same lines she heard from a few others in this place, but she wanted something deeper, an answer with more sustenance. "Yeah, okay." She said plainly, clearly not impressed. What the Major Arcana cultivated within Alteron was a house full of the unwanted. Rare little odds and ends the world wouldn't miss, she knew their ranks were capable, even if they had a hard time showing it.

There were other ways of getting results.

She stopped herself once more from rolling her eyes and instead opted for looking to the side and sighing. "Capable, and can hunt? Wooow." Her gaze fell back onto him. "That's like saying, florals for spring. Groundbreaking." She deadpanned once more. There was once saving grace to his little spiel that caused her brow to raise if only slightly. "However, the ability to work with others is Alteron's main focus at the moment, it's refreshing to hear that someone understands the importance of such a quality." She paused. "Many of our members are, how do I put this, hmmm? Unfit for normal pack society. Broken and or just unable to grasp social structure and cues. I don't mind that, especially if it's something that can be tempered, which I believe it can." The woman said matter-of-factly.

She stood up then looking at Cancer as if she was bored of his company. "So when I ask you what you'd be willing to do for Alteron, for it's people, for us, I want to hear.....???" Giving him leeway to cut her off with a sharp answer, leading him like a teacher might her students. And if he gives her an affirmative answer, the one she's looking for or close enough to it she'll sigh. "But I want to see it as well, we're all working toward making this place stable and efficient. That means we need all the right tools and pieces." There was a miserable look on her face as she exhaled. "You nearly bombed this acceptance, lucky for you that you brought up a good point at the end, welcome to Alteron, Cancer." She waved him off.

"That means you can walk across the bridge now."

"Capable, and can hunt? Wooow. That's like saying, florals for spring. Groundbreaking. However, the ability to work with others is Alteron's main focus at the moment, it's refreshing to hear that someone understands the importance of such a quality. Many of our members are, how do I put this, hmmm? Unfit for normal pack society. Broken and or just unable to grasp social structure and cues. I don't mind that, especially if it's something that can be tempered, which I believe it can."

Cancer's face dropped as the male began to zone out as the other from across the moat began to monologue her disgust with him. Perhaps he had misjudged his interests far too quickly. He stared past her, his ears still perked as he picked up bits and pieces of what she was saying, though his mind had already begun to wander. He watched her facial expressions and the way she held herself; her composure and her annunciation of certain words over others. Sure, she didn't smile much and frankly she was starting to feel like a stick in the mud for the fringe, but never the less he tuned himself in to her physical self. He didn't care what she had to say at this moment- her sudden change in body language had become fascinating. His head jerked though as she rose to her feet and continued her monologue- the boy's eyes meeting hers for a moment as he gave her another chance and listened.

"So when I ask you what you'd be willing to do for Alteron, for it's people, for us, I want to hear.....??? But I want to see it as well, we're all working toward making this place stable and efficient. That means we need all the right tools and pieces."

Here she went again. He did his best not to let an eye roll slip as she seemed to reiterate over and over again the importance of something that he was too busy ignoring. Something about being fully committed? Hadn't he already said that he was loyal? Clearly that wasn't enough for her. Cancer feigned attention once more towards her though his mind began to wander again. She really did like to talk, didn't she? He wondered for a moment what her vocal chords would have looked like if they'd been exposed in this very moment. Would they vibrate or pulse? A small smile crept up on his face as he dismissed once more a thought of intrigue. This Telana was surely not at all what he was expecting, and even if she was becoming a bit of a bore to him, there was always the excitement of seeing exactly how she worked.

"You nearly bombed this acceptance, lucky for you that you brought up a good point at the end, welcome to Alteron, Cancer."

Oh?

Cancer's head instantly snapped to attention as her sentence crossed the threshold of his ears.

"That means you can walk across the bridge now."

He snorted as she finished her monologue which had somehow apparently granted him acceptance and an allowance in to Alteron. The boy smiled widely as he too rose to all fours and began his trek across the bridge in to a new place that he would call home. A shiver ran up his spine as he crossed the threshold and in to the pack lands, his gaze never once leaving Telana's gaze. He left his smile up though as he strode past her, pausing only briefly to give a small nod of his head.

'You should smile more,' he thought to himself but instead offered that toothy grin.

"It is an absolute pleasure to serve you and Alteron, Telana."