[Connor]

(OOC: Come play with the resident android Page)

Little trickles of water made their way through deep leaf litter and claggy clay soil alike. Alteron was filled to the brim with tiny creeks and waterfalls, what it currently lacked was a watering hole large enough for even a small wolf to submerge himself long enough to break through the heat a summers day brought. Connor could not stop panting openly. And he had tried - there was something completely undignified about a lolling tongue and droopy ears. The rain forest didn't even thin out on the borders. It continued past Alteron's scent borders and well out into unknown territory. Connor lapped at the tiny pools when he crossed them during his patrol but hopefully there was another Page that could pick up the slack soon.

There were so many of the pack he had yet to meet. Connor probably knew more of those who had to seek acceptance from him than he did the higher ups. Stopping in his tracks a slight shudder made it's way through his body. Not that he needed to meet them to keep up his patrol. Questioning those higher than yourself was a long fall with a very sudden stop. Curiosity was just something that needed to be put toward something rather than blindly indulged. 

Scratching away some of the trickles on his route had started to form deeper little pools in some areas. Some had even begun to unearth rounded stones hidden under layers of debris. Good, it was good to have more permanent drinking areas the Pages could move between when they needed it. Anything to make their jobs more efficient.

The scarred wolf was not one to hide away and it would be easy to spot him making his way through the thick underbrush. He needed to be easily spotted by those seeking acceptance as well as the other Pages that might pass him by on his patrol. Seeking out a Page needed to be easy for those who needed them and, somewhat more importantly, they needed to be easily seen by those who would abuse Alteron's borders.

[seir]

The day was positively sweltering, and Seir was doing their best to stay cool. A dip in the lake had wet their fur, and a day den in the cool dirt beneath the roots of a tree kept the hot sun off their back. A snack of juicy berries kept their tongue wet and their belly full without the exertion of a full hunt, and it was easy to spend the hottest part of the day in a casual doze, watching the beasts of the world go about their business. It was quiet here, towards the borders. Not many were here other than the pages, most not having any business on the edges of the territory. It was soothing for Seir, not having to focus so hard on what they couldn't hear. And with it came the added bonus of potentially seeing Cuff during their day. But that was rare, and Seir could go a few days before catching sight of another pack mate. The heat of summer only made the outskirts even more deserted as they crowded around the big lakes towards the center of the territory. So they were caught just a little off guard as legs crossed in front of their vision, passing by at a decent pace. Red eyes blinked, wide, the rest of their body frozen as they watched them continue on, not noticing them in their little den. They waited for a couple seconds before shifting forwards to poke their head out. It’s no one they had ever met before, a smaller male covered in scar tissue and a coat of browns and grays. A page, they assume. Seir tracks the frame as it goes by, head tilting to the side as they note the hanging jaw, the heaving sides. They debate for a moment, tail stirring up the dirt as it twists from side to side before they sigh to themself. They scoot back into their little niche to grab the small basket half-full of berries from their lunch before shuffling out and going off after the stranger. They were going to offer them to Cuff if she'd passed by anyways, they tell themself as they casually follow behind. When they catch sight of him again, Seir gives a small huff to grab their attention. They bob their head, setting the misshapen bowl of berries down between them and nudging it forwards. “They will help cool you down,” is all they say. There. Good deed done. Cuff would be proud.

[Franziska]

Buuuuurrppp.

"WOOO!!"

The muscular woman yipped as a belch boomed from her and sent an awesome echo through the rainforest, and she chuckled to herself thinking of all the little creatures she'd disturbed. It was another day of lazing about, the heat making her feel heavy and tired. If a higher up had seen her it would be likely that she would be scolded for slacking off. But she didn't care toooo much. After all, she was new. She could pretend she was just a novice idiot and that she had no idea what she was doing. Oh Alteron, please help a poor clueless soul! Yeah, right. She wasn't that helpless. Just minding her own bullshit.

She groaned as her stomach rumbled with hunger. She pressed a paw to her belly and massaged it lightly, hoping it would tame the awful pains. She was so lazy that even food wasn't on her mind. She supposed now was the time to start looking. There were no visitors, no trespassers, no packmates. Might as well. Franziska stood from the boulder shaded by trees that she had been lounging on and began picking her way down a pile of similar stones that formed a hill. She was too slow to catch birds, but maybe some mice would scurry by and she could kill them with a swift stomp. Anything easy and quick was preferred. She had a whole lot of nothing to do today.

Her eyes suddenly fell on a rather skinny gray male being followed by another small youngling, a rather cute one at that. A tired smile stretched across her face as she noticed the dainty looking basket of berries they carried. A snack! Might they be willing to share? Surely they wouldn't turn down a strong Page like herself, working endlessly to protect their home! "Heheh..." she chuckled again, trotting her way towards the two. Her paws made great thuds against the earth that she carelessly stomped upon, hoping to startle them both as she strutted up to them. "Hallo-- BUUUURRP. 'Scuse me." She might have forgot the fact that she had downed a bottle of something she had found abandoned in the forest. It tasted amazing. And made her feel fanfuckingtastic. Maybe that's why she was so ravenous.

"Mein name ist Franziska. Ich bin eine Page von Alteron." A slightly tipsy Franzi raised an eyebrow at the small one and grinned. "Whatcha got there, eh?"

[Connor]

A quiet huff bought Connor to a dead stop. Ears pricking back he turned slowly to the figure who had spotted him. Another canine, most likely full blooded wolf if their build and fur could be counted. Not a wolf he knew.  

The first to nose their way out of the brush was clearly a part of Alteron. Their dark features and stance was enough evidence of that, even if Connor had never seen them before. Perhaps they were a shier member, or their job didn't bring them to the borders often. They pushed their little bowl of berries forward and Connor tilted his head to the side as he looked them over.

Berries were not often a part of Connor's diet. Too many needed to keep his stomach through. It would be rude to turn away such an offer, and since this other wolf had already done the work...it would be an insult to refuse. Better to leave half to their collector than gulp down the whoe lot though. No matter how cooling they would be. 

“They will help cool you down,”

At the very least the lack of small talk could be appreciated. Connor dipped his head in thanks, nosing his way toward the little snack. But then....

"Hallo-- BUUUURRP. 'Scuse me."

Connor's small body went wire taught, sidestepping to put himself between the Alteronian and the new figure. This was his job as a Page, to find strangers on the border and protect his packmates from them.

The new figure was larger. Much larger than himself. Heavier and wish more plentiful muscle mass as well. Smelled too much like the packlands around them to be anything other than Alteron. Good. An enemy that large would have put up a considerable fight with high likelihood of fatal injury. Having the other at his side may help if things turned hostile but so far there was no reason to show aggression.  

"Mein name ist Franziska. Ich bin eine Page von Alteron. Whatcha got there, eh?"

That was...not a language Connor recognised, but the hulking wolf didn't seem to want to eat them if the confident slur to her words was to be believed. Either she was looking for a Page, which made little sense given she had been coming from the central packlands direction, or she was one. Connor relaxed a fraction at the thought. It would be good to have some sort of backup on his current patrol.

"Hello. My name is Connor, and I believe we share a vocation." Connor glanced back toward the other who had not yet shared their name. "Our packmate here was offering a refreshment. I can offer my own share if you are in need." 

[seir]

The male dips his head in thanks, otherwise lacking in expression. Seir doesn’t care, simply watches as he bends towards the berries and, satisfied at a good deed done well, turns about to head off without another word. Only to stop short as the ground shook beneath their feet and a large, thick wolf stomped up close, mouth opened wide as she said something. Seir stared and, after a moment of careful consideration, concluded that, yup, they had zero clue what she said. The male stepped between them in a protective stance, alert as a page should be - and their opinion rose of the stranger, as useless as the gesture ended up being. They didn’t focus much on that though, staring intently at the moving lips of the stranger as they spoke again, eyes apparently focused on they themself. After a second they got it - a number of seconds longer than it should have - but by then, the Page was already responding, and they turned their attention to try and see if his response led any insight to the others words to confirm. ‘Hello. My name is Connor, and I believe we share a vocation.’ Seir wasn’t entirely sold on the last word, letting it drift through their mind in search of definition, and waited patiently for Connor to finish his sentence. So she was asking about the berries? There was enough for everyone - a decently sized bowl, and though the idea of loosing their whole supply to a couple of strangers was slightly irksome, the knowledge that Cuff would most likely approve of their efforts lessened any negative inclination they might have held. As the smallest of the three offered up his share, Seir shook their head. “There is enough for everyone,” they said quietly, moving to push the bowl between the two strangers. They didn’t even think of sharing their name, not having been asked, nor particularly caring if these two knew their name. It wasn’t intentionally, they just honestly didn’t think about it, and after waiting around a moment or two to see if the pages partook of their gift, Seir would start to back away, having accomplished what they set out to do. After all, it was much too hot out to be lingering in the open and chatting, their own dark coat soaking up heat like a sponge. Their small spot beneath that old tree was at least 10 degrees cooler, and the thought of the damp earth cooling their belly made them rather eager to get back.

[Franziska]

Franzi noticed the rather short lad step between her and the cutie, and for a moment she appeared confused. It seemed as though they were well on their way to continue their day. What was the rush? She cocked her head to the side and raised a brow as the male spoke, and it took her awhile to understand what he meant. It was then that the one she had her eye on mentioned that they were willing to part with... aaaall their snacks? That's sure what it sounded like to Franzi. She glanced between them both, a fang poking out of her lips as she thought hard. As words translated in her head, it showed completely in her face when she realized everything that just happened.

"Hmm... AH. Ahhhh, okayyy. Connor! You are a Page. Wunderbar, I am so fucking bored, man."

Her rump made the earth shake as she walked past Connor and sat herself right between them, scooping up a mouthful of berries into her mouth. She had a stupid smile on her face as she chewed, thankful for the juices quenching her thirst. She made sure to wink at the rather quiet one and mumble a few "MmmMmMm" as a way of thanking them and letting them know that they were delicious, since her mouth was quite full. Once she gulped them down and licked her lips clean, she looked back to Connor with that stupid grin of hers.

"Let me tell you one thing, I--" Her attention was diverted as she realized the kind stranger she'd been eyeing was taking their leave, and she huffed at them to hopefully stop them in their tracks.

"Oi. Where's the fire? Got somewhere to be, maus?" She had only just gotten here and they were both being pretty stiff. Was she that intimidating?