[Zavona]

Z a v o n a

#B4CFEC * profile

Gray...Black...White....

...Overcast.

A perfect day it was for this certain individual. Not too sunny, not too glaring, just right. It was a perfect setting for the goal she had in mind. If it were anything but cloudy, she didn't think she'd have the confidence to go through with the task ahead. This was something she had longed to do for what it seemed like eternity now. The lone-wolf life didn't suite her very well.

She had never been accustomed to loneliness. There have been many days where she longed for what was. She wanted it back, so much so that it physically hurt. It had all happened so quickly, so suddenly. Everything had seemed so...perfect. But it was all a ploy, taunting her because of her innocence. It mocked her for being so naive. The girl would never forget what happened that fateful day, when a blazing white knife sliced into her perfect world.

Her humans, her companions, her family, gone with the torches of their rivals. If only that disease hadn't wormed its way into her home. If only food weren't scarce. If only it hadn't been winter. If only the universe hadn't made them an easy target.

If only if only if only....

It no longer matters now...they're gone, just like the snow that softly fell on the aftermath.

Dappled pink nose brushed against the cool grass, taking in the obvious scent ladened on the blades. This is where she stopped, frosty blue eyes scanning the land beyond. She sat, tucking her striped tail neatly against her side. This is where she would wait, patiently.

Hopefully, someone would arrive soon to receive her, and, hopefully, to rescue her from this lonely world.

[Livid (RP)]

For Livid, the overcast day could often go two ways. It could either become sunny and ever so sunny, too bright or it could be the calm before the literal storm. That's how it went in Gemini, a land where the weather was just as topsy-turvy as its residents. The Ranger, unlike the recruit she was about to great, had also dealt with loneliness and, for a while, had become resigned to the fact that she would always be alone. Even though she would never admit it - or it would be a long time before she did - Anky had begun to change all of that. How unexpected it was that such a strange beast would be one of the first to hold her attention, keep her interest and remain in her memory. She supposed such things like friendship and relationships were best left to fate like that. 

A strange scent filled her nose, just like the day she had met him and threatened to remove his tail. The Ranger knew that a newcomer had reached the nearby border and she wasted no time in trotting towards the origin of the scene. She had been slacking lately, and she was eager to become more efficient at her job. Especially if the alternative was a reprimand from ol' Greenie.

The recruit was a curious-looking thing. She sported a coat of grey-browns and grey, with ice-blue eyes that matched her's and a bright red marking that went up her nose. Livid approached with purpose, seeing that the other woman had stopped before the border, just as she was expected. Off to a good start already. The respectful ones always were the easiest and Livid already had a good feeling about this one. As such, she spoke neutrally and with a degree of professionalism. Not too aggressive but not friendly either. The girl had to prove herself before the Ranger could permit her to enter. If she were here for acceptance, that is. That was something she had to decipher first.

"Hello there," the Ranger greeted her. "You're on the border of Gemini. State your name and business, please."

Straight to the point: that was one thing that had not changed with the hybrid.

[Zavona]

Z a v o n a

#B4CFEC * profile

One good thing about the monochrome female is that she had patience. She was never one to be antsy, itching for something to do and to get her legs moving. Her body didn't possess an excess of energy, but that's not to say that she couldn't get a job done if required. She would run to the ends of the earth if a task was laid upon her shoulders.

But that would entirely depend on who positioned her with the task.

However, she had no task at hand at this point in time, only one that she laid out for herself, and it was currently in progress. All she needed to do now...is wait.

It wasn't too much longer when she caught movement out of the corner of her eye. It was another darker hued female mixed with whites, and icy blue eyes to match. No scent presented itself to her until the individual came closer. Perhaps that is how the stranger knew of her presence. The wind granted the patient female someone to come to her aid.

"Hello there. You're on the border of Gemini. State your name and business, please."

No beating around the bush. No fluffy formalities, just simple and to the point. This brought some relief to the young woman. She wasn't one for much conversation. Luckily, the monochrome female could get behind the business-like formalities the Gemini resident presented her with.

She nodded her head in respectful greeting toward the other female before giving a short and sweet answer in return. "Zavona, here for acceptance into Gemini, if you'll have me."

[Livid (RP)]

Livid watched expectantly as the female nodded in greeting, her face giving nothing away. Although the female seemed harmless and submissive enough, the Ranger was on guard and her eyes occasionally darted to the land around them, trying to pick up any movement. Such behaviour could be described as paranoid but the skulls that decorated the entrance to the packlands told newcomers that the pack and its border guards had every reason to be sceptical. 

"Zavona, here for acceptance into Gemini, if you'll have me."

The Ranger mulled over this. If, indeed. She looked the female up and down, deciding that she seemed healthy enough but there was a desperation in her eyes that made Livid pause. There were little signs that you needed to look out for when deciphering if somebody was serious about joining or if they just needed a place to party and make friends. She could not relate. She had joined Gemini to serve a purpose and make something of herself. It was just by happenstance that she had made some friends. Well, one friend. But she hardly cared. It was better to have one good friend that you could trust than a bunch that could stab you in the back.

Speaking of which.

"Very well, what can you offer to Gemini?" the Ranger asked the newcomer. "What use are you to us? Pretty standard question. Bonus points if you have a particular talent that you can teach others, but it's not required. I just like to be wowed every now and again."

After all, what acceptance went by when you weren't told one could fight or tell one herb from another? Not that it would impact this girl's evaluation. If she could fight and she could tend to the sick and demonstrate it quite well, she was as good as in. However, since Anky had showed off his own talent, Livid was curious to see if she could pluck more talented recruits out of the wilderness.

[Zavona]

Z a v o n a

#B4CFEC * profile

The other woman's darting eyes did not go unnoticed by the monochromatic female, but she hardly found it suspicious. If anything, it was a customary part of the job to be on the look-out for any potential threat, which is completely understandable.
Zavona knew she herself wasn't a threat to the other woman, but the stranger didn't know that. The young female made sure she didn't come off as a potential threat by keeping her stature as relaxed as possible. However, it would be a lie to say her nerves on the inside weren't making themselves known to her. Yes she was nervous, who wouldn't be? More specifically, who wouldn't be nervous if they were seriously trying to sell themselves in order to be accepted into a new home? The young woman refused to let these thoughts show on her face or in her body language. She needed to make a good impression as best she could.

Even though it was true that she was desperate to find a new place to call home, the thought of just lazing about and leeching off the pack did not appeal to her. It would be a selfish thing to do. Plus, she wasn't the type to laze around anyway. She always needed something to do to keep her busy and moving. She loved the feeling of movement, because it imbued a sense of purpose within her. Not to mention, staying busy kept her thoughts at bay.

"Very well, what can you offer to Gemini? What use are you to us? Pretty standard question. Bonus points if you have a particular talent that you can teach others, but it's not required. I just like to be wowed every now and again."

A talent? She hadn't really thought about any talents she may have, apart from the ususal; hunting and tracking, which she bettered over the time she was on her own. However, what wolf couldn't do those things? A pup. It wasn't good enough, and while useful, was too generic. She had to think of something she knew she was good at, or at least a passion that could potentially be of use.

...Well, she did enjoy various types of weather.

Time to put on the game face.

"I can predict the weather, at least to the best of my ability. The weather is of a fickle nature and can change quickly, but for the most part it stays consistent." Turning her gaze away from the other female, she let it travel to the deciduous trees surrounding them. Her eyes focused intently on the leaves, watching them tremble in the gentle wind. "There's a slight breeze with an overcast sky, which means there's a chance of light sprinkles of rain, but nothing too heavy." Turning back to the other woman, she proceeded. "Wind is a good indication of rain on the way. The heavier the wind, the higher chance that a storm is well on its way. Another thing to look for are the leaves on the trees." She turned her eyes back to the nearby trees and motioned to them with a slight nod of her head. "If it's really windy and you can see the undersides of the leaves, that means heavy rain is on the way, possibly a storm." Turning back, she wondered if that would be good enough. Was it all common sense? They could obviously smell the rain on its way, but...

"It's good practice to have in case your sense of smell is impaired, such as a runny nose, or on the off-chance that you don't have a sense of smell at all, probably due to some form of trauma." Anything else? "It could also prove useful for traveling. It's best to have an idea if light rain is coming, or if a storm is on its way, that way you know whether to keep going or if it would be best to stop."

As an afterthought, she looked up to the clouds above. "When it's not a cloudy night, I often look to the stars for guidance. For the most part, they're pretty consistent."

It was weird, talking this much. She couldn't remember the last time she talked in a continuing string of sentences. In a way, it made her feel self-conscious, but only a little. More than anything, it surprised her to hear and feel how confident she spoke when she talked about her passion. She felt...different, unlike herself, or at least unlike the self she knew. She didn't want to come off like a blabber-mouth, but she needed to sell herself if she were to be granted into the pack, and letting your passion show was a good method, especially if it could benefit others.

The striped female gave a light chuckle. "I guess you could say the sky is a big interest of mine." But not just her passion would do. She needed to give her word that she would do her duty for the pack in whatever way possible. Putting on her serious face again, she went on. "I will also do my part for the pack in any way I can, whether that be through patrolling the borders or navigating on any trips you might take outside the borders." Remembering her thoughts from earlier, she tacked on, "I'm not one for sitting around. I need to stay busy, to keep moving. Put me to work, and I'll get the job done." Of course, words can only take you so far. It's easier to say what you'll do than actually following through with it. The young woman hoped she would be granted the chance to show her worth.

[Livid (RP)]

Zavona stood up to her scrutiny quite well, Livid reckoned. She made another quick scan of the female to detect any signs of insubordination or deception and relaxed herself when she found none. OK, routine acceptance ahoy. The female, despite her good manners, seemed eager to join. Eager to adapt and to change herself for pack life and that impressed Livid. The way a wolf presented one's self spoke volumes during these interviews. For one thing, Livid would've been concerned if Zavona had appeared hungry or unwashed. A wolf that could not take care of itself had no business joining her pack. 

"I can predict the weather, at least to the best of my ability. The weather is of a fickle nature and can change quickly, but for the most part it stays consistent." 

Livid raised an eyebrow, imploring her to demonstrate. She herself possessed no real meteorological training, but she knew enough from being a Ranger what the basic signs of an oncoming storm or whatever meant. It would be handy to pick up some more concrete hints whilst on the job. Following the recruit's eyes to the leaves, the two women observed them together whilst Zavona offered what was probably the closest thing to a weather forecast that you would get in these lands. 

"There's a slight breeze with an overcast sky, which means there's a chance of light sprinkles of rain, but nothing too heavy."

Giving nothing away, Livid's nostrils flared as best as they could. She had the beginnings of a cold, so her nose was blocked slightly. Thus, she used an eartip to check the direction and strength of the wind. The girl was correct, of course. But she wanted her to proceed further. This was actually rather fascinating, especially for a wolf that had originated from the North.

"Wind is a good indication of rain on the way. The heavier the wind, the higher chance that a storm is well on its way. Another thing to look for are the leaves on the trees. If it's really windy and you can see the undersides of the leaves, that means heavy rain is on the way, possibly a storm." 

Zavona was stating the obvious, but obvious was good in Livid's book. Forecasting did not have to be filled with complex vocabulary or techniques, especially when it came to teaching pups. In a land that was very much hit and miss with the weather, this sort of stuff was valuable and Livid had to admit that she had not seen anybody demonstrate such skills so far. The more you know and all that jazz.

"It's good practice to have in case your sense of smell is impaired, such as a runny nose, or on the off-chance that you don't have a sense of smell at all, probably due to some form of trauma. It could also prove useful for traveling. It's best to have an idea if light rain is coming, or if a storm is on its way, that way you know whether to keep going or if it would be best to stop."  

Gemini rangers did tend to travel a lot, Livid silently admitted. It was not too long ago she had accompanied a small group to Inaria, one of their allies and the weather had certainly been an issue then. They had spent a lot of time complaining about being wet and cold rather than making it to Inaria and completing their task, Livid thought. She listened as Zavona explained further, displaying not only a clear knowledge of what she was talking about but a passion as well. It was all well and good stating that you knew a certain skill, but having a passion? That was unique. The female chuckled suddenly and concluded her answer.

"I guess you could say the sky is a big interest of mine. I will also do my part for the pack in any way I can, whether that be through patrolling the borders or navigating on any trips you might take outside the borders. I'm not one for sitting around. I need to stay busy, to keep moving. Put me to work, and I'll get the job done."

"There are quite a few ranks open to you, but this is a matter of opinion. You don't have to join these ranks if you wish," Livid began to explain. "Rangers like me patrol the borders and accept new recruits. We're also sent out on missions, something which your skills might benefit. There's also Whispers, who serve as diplomats. You seem to be quite collected and calm and are able to travel so that rank might suit you. However, we also have something known as 'skill ranks', which is a speciality you can hold alongside your ordinary rank. You may teach others in your skill if you wish."

"With all that out of the way, you're in. Keep walking along the coast, and you should be well within the lands by then. You can call me Livid, by the way. Welcome aboard, Zavona."

(ooc: aaand she's now part of Gemini. Sorry that this was kinda short, but she's demonstrated a useful talent and such like Livid requested so there's no sense in lengthening things out. Welcome to hell the family. 8D)

[Zavona]

||OOC:

Welcome to hell the family. 8D

Ha! So much juicy darkness awaits :'D

But thank you! Since there's not much else to say IC wise, we can just say Zavona listens attentively to what Livid is saying, appreciative of her advice regarding potential ranks, thanks her, and follows her directions into the territory.

Thank you again for the RP and acceptance! I hope to see you and Livid around! <:||