The First Step

It had been a long trip, but Réaltán’s nose told him that he had finally made it to his destination.  At least, the door step of his destination.  Adjusting the straps on his backpack, he gazed around at the rather picturesque landscape that surrounded the territory of the Braveheart pack.  There was no one in sight and it did not smell like there was imminently approaching, but surely a patrol would be along soon enough.  If not, perhaps he would reconsider joining this pack, despite the opportunities that it would provide.

Looking around until he found a suitably large rock, Réaltán then made his way over to it and carefully set his backpack down beside it and perched comfortably on the edge of it.  Are you certain about this? the wolf, called Talon, asked, slightly uneasy with the possibility of allying himself with a potential pack of Wilders.  Réaltán nodded.  Don’t you remember what Ryker said about this pack?  He told us that it’s power very nearly rivaled that of the other pack and the Alpha is even older than that Noctavia lady.  We’ve been over this before, Talon, and agreed that this would be the best chance.  Don’t tell me that you’re losing your nerve over something like having to put up with a few Wilders.  The only reply was a short snarl from Talon over being called out.  Réaltán grinned slightly.  “I thought not,” he replied out loud.  Well, all that was left now was to wait, so wait he did.  Reaching into his back, he removed a small black notebook and a pen and began writing down short phrases, mostly just clauses but the occasional sentence made its way in.  To anyone else, the writing would look mostly jibberish, due to its complete lack of continuity, but to Réaltán, each clause and phrase represented a thought that he was planning on pursuing to greater depth at a later time.  Thus he waited.

"Damn bastard!"

Slamming the rusted and faint red hood of the old pick up with frustration, Alexander groaned and turned away to head back to the house's garage for mort parts. He cursed repetitively under his breath as he stomped off in retreat, but he couldn't quite finish his commentary for it was a foreign smell that caught him off guard. Alexander craned his neck left and right for any movement from the house or timbers, but no one seemed to have smelt it other than him. At his advantage, he took it in hopes to aid the Betas and Alpha Gabriel and become Delta, or even Elite male if her were lucky. Before he could head into the woods, he walked inside and up the stairs to his room to tear off his shirt to change into a new. Unfortunately for him now that summer had taken across the states, working without breaking a sweat was not going to be an option whether he liked it or not. He wore nothing special, just a pair of ripped jeans and grey slimming t-shirt to fit his frame without causing him to appear wider than he really is. A pair of converse to cover his feet, laces untied due to being lazy. He waved them off and headed out the door, carelessly shifting into his huge brute self.

Alex's wolf half stood to at what he would understand to be ten-feet max, crimson brown and ashen grey to mix into his pelt as well as darker portions of grey to accent his large build. His indentions were not to of welcome a newcomer so early in his days of being here, he had only been here a week tops and he already felt at home with the area. He had a friend in which was the Beta female and his best 'girl' friend he nicknamed, Red for her hair color. Padding his way further across the terrain the brute neared towards the border, lowering his snout to register more of the scent, following it soon after to find a male sitting upon a rock. His mind was the first to act, stepping forwards from the darkness in order to expose himself, still in his other form to tower over the rock entirely. "What brings you to the Braveheart's border, wereling? I am Warrior Alexander Reese Jr., but please, mate. Call me Alex or A.J. for short." His British accent slurred, just as strong since the day he left England in hopes to start a career in music. Realizing his form was useless, he phased back to his original human shell, leaning out a hand in greetings and he provided a cocky, half-smile.

ooc- Oh, btw. I am that Noctavia-lady. (; Alexander is my third account. Nice to meet cha.

((ooc- Ha, well hello there, Noctavia-lady.  Nice to meet you, too.))

Réaltan tapped his heels against the rock on which he sat, waiting for the welcoming party from the Braveheart pack.  He honestly had not been sitting for very long, but completely waiting had always irked him.  Talon tended to be slightly more patient with things like that.  He could feel the wolf inside his head, slowly pacing back and forth.  Would you like to handle the conversation, or should I? he asked.  Talon gave a small snort of laughter.  As much as I love simpering politics, I think I’ll let you do the talking this time around.  Réaltán nodded, alright with that decision.  He had always been a better actor than Talon, anyways.

Adjusting the lay of his black button-up shirt over his close-fitting blue jeans, Réaltán realized that he was fidgeting.  Heaving a slight sigh, he forced his hands to sit still.  And more waiting.  However, his waiting seemed to be coming to an end as he caught the scent of a wolf approaching and heard someone moving through the brush.  Standing from his seat on the rock, Réaltán faced the approaching wolf.  The fact that the being that came through the shadows of the trees was a ten foot tall wolf did not even phase him in the least.  Instead he dipped his head in a small bow.  “Good afternoon, Warrior Alexander,” he greeted the man, reaching out and shaking the newly shifted man’s hand.  His tenor voice carried a distinct Irish brogue.  “M’name’s Réaltán Dahling, but my friends call me R.  I’ve come to request admittance to the Braveheart pack,” he said.  Hopefully this Warrior was vested with the power to grant admittance.  From what he had researched of the packs in the United States, such authority in a warrior was rare.

ooc- Haha, call me what you like, but in cbox or ooc I like to go by Tavi, :3.

..So many Irish folk around here it seems..., The raspe voice of his wolf said, and for Alex he couldn't deny that there seemed to be a lot more Irishman that the British. He hoped sometime around there would be a nice British girl to waltz right into the borders for him to meet. For now, all he could do is fix up his truck once again and get this meet n' greet over with. Laying his head back and his side, he stuffed both in his pockets, "Cool name, although your nickname sounds like somthin' a pirate would say." He joked, laughing a bit before turning to his natural state of a half-smiled expression, "Well you've come to the right place, R-." He replied, looking around him, "I have been given permission to accept werelings due to the chance of becoming possibly Delta male, this is the price I have to pay in order to work up to that state."

Though he knew it wasn't the greatest idea in welcoming werelings without a notice, it would be rude of him to of not taken the chance when given. It was the perfect opportunity to make a better of himself, helping not only the Alpha himself, but his best friend and her mate was just a bonus to it all. Alexander studied the man's features closely, keeping assure he wasn't being too creepy in it all. From what he could tell so far is that he was a rather young wereling, however his mother had always told him not to judge a book by it's cover. and he feared that the kid could beat the shit out of him if he tried. Alexander was much older than him and with age comes strength and greater intelligence in a wereling's like. But, he held the blood of a mutt running through his veins from what he knew. His mother was nothing but a simple human girl who foolishly married a shifter male, they coincidentally had twins and when the time came of both their shifts, the father dumped them on the side of the road. Alexander never looked back at the point and took his brother at his side to travel the world in hopes to find where they truly belong. He looked back up at the younger shifter, his smile still alive as it was from the beginning, "Now. Let's get down the business shall we? I'll need to know what you can provide for this pack, weaknesses and both strengths and intelligence. Judging by your travels so far you've done a tight job of keeping yourself sturdy, but what exactly can we, as in my pack, benefit from a wereling like yourself?" It felt strange to ask so many questions like so for it had been his first time accepting someone. He'd never been in a pack before and held the authority in meeting one at the border. ...You are doing fine.... if things don't work... let me speak... , Jasper spoke at the back of his mind, his low-toned and raspe voice bouncing off the very walls that captivated his thoughts. Alexander understood for he never feared his wolf since he barely ever did any damage unless it was a full moon which he never really understood what happened during that time. Every time he woke up the next day it felt like a hangover. Blank...

A slight grin tugged at the corner of Réaltán’s lips at the comment about his name.  “Heh, aye, but it’s a lot easier for most tongues to say than Réaltán,” he explained.  The news that Alexander was capable of accepting members into the pack was fantastic news.  That way there would be a minimum of waiting to come.  R nodded his understanding of Alexander’s position, though he felt Talon give a slight, bristling growl.  Just our luck that we must present simpering humility to a mutt, he complained.  R just kept his smile in place.  Acting out an emotion that he did not feel was rather a strong suit of his, after all.  Compared to most other people and werelings, R’s emotional scale was fairly flat.  He still felt angry, sad, upset, depressed, exuberant, joyful, and anything else that anyone feels, he simply felt it on a lesser scale than them.  However, because humans and even werelings are basically emotional beings, he had to learn how to fake those emotions so that others could interpret his communications.  This has bred in him a rather useful ability to “fake it” and put on a very convincing mask that only those who have known him all his life had any hope of seeing through.

Speaking of putting on a mask…He took a breath in through his nose, carefully studying the scent of the male in front of him.  His grin widened ever so slightly.  The slightly musty smell of uncertainty reached his nose from Alexander.  So, this wereling male was not quite as confident in either his mutt blood or his endeavor to reach higher in the pack as he would have Réaltán believe.  Good.  He gave a perfectly friendly smile.  “Well, I certainly wish you all the luck in climbing the ladder, regardless.  As far as what I can bring to the pack, well, I understand that there is something of a conflict between your own pack and the neighboring pack, Eternal Darkness.”  His voice was fairly suffused with venom as he spoke the name of the other pack, as though it left a bad taste in his mouth.  “I’ve been trained with a skill set that just might be of use in that area.  As the youngest sibling of one of the most powerful families in Europe, until recently I held a small chance of inheriting the rule of the family and thus its power.  But now, that chance has been stolen from me.”  His lip curled in a faint hint of a sneer before he carefully replaced his placid mask.  “As the youngest, I was trained to be able to compliment whichever of my siblings did eventually succeed our father.  Research, strategy, hand to hand combat and assassination are the main things that I have been taught from my family.  On my own, I have earned a Master’s degree in abnormal psychology from Oxford University.”  All of this was spoken without the slightest hint of boasting in his tone or body language, merely the surety of a scientist stating irrefutable facts because, as far as Réaltán was concerned, that’s all that they were: facts.

While he spoke, both he and Talon kept careful track of Alexander’s scents, body signs and any faint twitch of muscles which might betray any thoughts at all.  Talon, especially, was interested in the man’s other half.  It seemed to him that the wolf was the calming influence inside Alexander’s head, rather than the emotional instigator, as often seemed to be the case.  Regardless of whether that hypothesis was correct or not, though, the pair carefully observed the man’s holistic demeanor, looking for clues.

ooc- Too long? xP

Jasper stirred inside his mind, standing to his four paws to look over both the man's wolf and him as well as Alexander. He felt strange being looked at in such ways like as if he were a lab experiment, it almost angered him. When Realtan finished, Alexander purposely payed close attention to his words and it all made sense as to why he was looking. His wolf, Jasper didn't budge or even growl which caused him to feel curious, though he stood still and played out his continuous smile and friendly attitude. Back from when he was a younger drunk he'd play this 'watch' game when some broad would steal his beer out of a group of them all. Thankfully for his brother at the time, he was there to both calm down his alcohol driven anger and keep him out of the fights. But if anyone and that went for even for a pure blood to touch his brother, Alexander would do everything in his body to put an end to it and Jasper to help. He had to admit that Realtan's skills could be of great use to the pack, but he also feared he held competition for the rank. Nonetheless he held no other expression to give such things away, a talent he earned in order not to be arrested when drunker than a sailor. "Well as for me, I had no greater education or such money to be able to be put in schooling like so. From the age I could shift it was basically the life of the streets for me and my brother. You hold potential, kid and I envy you for that I will not deny. As for the pack, I wouldn't claim it as 'neighboring' since we live at most fifty miles out of the city. I haven't for sure clocked where the pack resides, I've lived in a trailer park since the day I stepped foot into New York or I should say, American land. Just a few weeks ago I discovered the Braveheart pack was living beneath my nose all along. From what I can tell is its not going to be easy finding the pack in such a busy city like New York. I know little of the Eternals, but according to my packmates, they're trouble and we should keep our distance. I've spoken rarely with the Alpha and he agrees not to cross paths with them or even provoke them into a fight unless necessary. As much as I love to throw a fist at someone's face, I listen well to my peers and have stayed in my packlands unless for work of course," He said.

Alexander shifted his weight from side to side, rolling around his neck to feel a pleasurable pop at the tip of his spine. Standing was one of his least favorite things to do. He wanted to run, fix his truck and get this over with. Looking to the wereling, he sighed and pulled out his arms to cross over his chest, "I ask nothing further of your skills so far. You've given a great explanation of your experiences and achievements from what I can tell. There is just one last thing on my agenda of questions I have left before deciding your fate, kid," He replied, pulling free a hand to rub over the beginning stubble of a beard over his cheeks, "I am a man of my word and I expect you to trust me when I say this, but you must understand from the position I'm working in. This pack has given me not only shelter and food on my plate, but its opened opportunities for me that I never thought to of seen at all of my future. I've earned a friend for which I cherish very much, but not only that for I care about my pack and packmates along with it, kid. You'll have to swear your life to me that you will bring no harm to come of this pack, or I will have no choice but to have you get off these lands and to of never return. If anything were to of happen to them, I'd be devastated to see it happen and I will not put up with it without someone else's blood to be drawn." Within his mind he stole a glance to Jasper who then nodded and bowed slightly to his performance. Both held a love for what they do and the people around them. They've been through lots of losses for which cannot be replaced, though he knows for sure that he promises himself not to loose Teimhnin. She's given him a home and a friendly smile to warm him every time he returns. He smiled at the thought, knowing she would be home with her mate and waiting for him to suddenly stop in for a chat and possibly all have dinner together or hang around the campfire like most of the pack members did for fun.

The story of Warrior Alexander’s life came as no great shock to Réaltán.  Most people did not have access to the resources and training that he did, after all, and so he had found that such stories of maladjustment and displacement were fairly common among most werelings that he had interacted with.  Of course, a great many of those had been retainers of some sort or another to the Dahling family, but their backgrounds were as varied and diverse as could be expected.  However, the main difference between them and this Alexander was that not a single member of the family’s contacts and staff were anything less than pure blood.  That difference did slightly irk R, and Talon significantly more so, but they knew exactly how careful they had to be not to let even a hint of that distaste show through their façade.

R nodded slowly as he listened, neatly storing away all of the information that he could about not only Alexander himself, but also about the Braveheart pack.  Even things that seemed rather trivial were made note of and put into their proper place in Réaltán’s mnemonic construction.  The fact that Alexander did not even know where the borders of the Eternal Darkness pack lay was certainly not lost, either.“So it sounds like there hasn’t been very much trouble with them, then.  That’s a relief," he said, giving a slight sigh.  “I was afraid that I was going to have to be fighting day in and day out if I joined.  Not that I’m afraid to fight,” he quickly amended.  “It just gets a little boring, after a while.”

He listened very carefully as Alexander said there was only one other thing on his questioning criteria.  As he expected, it turned out to be fairly typical—not to mention slightly stereotypical—emotional drivel about giving one’s life to the pack and protecting the packmates and whatnot.  Réaltán considered the wording of the request carefully for a moment, and considered his response with equal care.  Even to someone like him, promises of this nature should never be undertaken lightly.  After a moment, he refocused his brown eyes on the man in front of him.  “I do not pledge my life to you, no, but I will do so to the pack.  I will act in its interest and protect it however I may, even including physical sacrifice and harm.”  He waited in respectful silence for Alexander’s reply while Talon snorted slightly with amusement.  That was well worded, he commented.  R chose to ignore the quip and keep his focus on Alexander and the man’s body language, still carefully watching for hints or clues.

"Well from what I've heard is that most of us have been keeping it at bay between them. I can't say they haven't made an attack when we encounter towards the neutrals, though I know an individual or two that has come across these lands as a loner and decide different. Its a shame that I never got to meet him, from what I heard is that he could have been a valuable part of our pack," he shrugged, scratching the back of his neck, "I can agree it does get annoying after a while, constantly fighting people off just to get through and stuff done properly. I don't expect you to swear yourself to me, that is, but it would be nice to know you have my back in case things are shaken up. As long as i know you'll protect the pack, that's all that matters to me." Alexander looked as him as any other brute, someone to pass down the halls without a hello, but he wasn't going to stoop to that level just because he wasn't willing to be reasonable with his words. As an Elite, he expected a little more effort put into it, fake or not, but he guess things don't always turn out the way he might want it.

Glancing at Realtan, he sighed slowly, "Don't make me regret this, kid, but..." The brute put out a hand in agreement, not a trace of a smile, not even half-friendly one to appear on his face as he was about to continue, "Welcome to the pack, Warrior Realtan." Shaking his hand firmly, he let it go and turned it away, hoping he'd follow up behind him as they walked back to camp. "I'll show you to your room, but from there, keep out of trouble. Alpha Gabriel will not put up with it, trust me, I know. Once you are settled, you're free to do as you please."

[[ You don't have to reply after this. Change your name to Warrior Realtan, Welcome to the pack. :3 ]]