leave the past behind

open for one other hraf member! permission was given to assume Laith had been accepted already

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It had been a little while since Laith had been accepted into Hrafnsvaktin, and so far, they’d done very little to acquaint themself with the rest of the pack. In their defense, it wasn’t as though they were avoiding anyone outright, but more that they hadn’t felt quite confident enough to seek anyone out individually. The mountain was large and there was much to explore, so Laith busied himself with that instead.

It was a nice day, all things considered. A little cloudy and foggy, but the weather wasn’t bad, and Laith was getting used to the cold and the rugged terrain both. He’d split open a paw pad recently, but with a little care, it had healed quite well.

He was nearer to the base of the mountain, today, weaving through trees and memorizing the area. It was a good idea to know the territory, they decided.

Or, it would have been, had a squirrel not picked that exact moment to jump onto the tree branch above Laith’s head, dropping a wolf-sized amount of snow onto them. They yelped at the contact, briefly completely coated in snow.

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A new smell. A new body. Was she surprised? Not at all. Was she concerned of their ability to mesh with the pack? Their ability to give as much as they took? Not in the least.

The leader here, the few times she had spent any length of time with him, seemed to be one that looked out for his wolves, for his mountain and home. He did not give her the feeling that he would allow just anyone within the borders of his realm.

So what was it that he had seen in this one? She wasn’t sure quite yet. The Vala would meet them for herself though, to get an inkling of their path and desires. To get a feel for how she could assist in their enmeshment into the culture of the Northern wolves.

And yet…

She could not help but loose a soft chuckle into the sound-dampened environment at the site of the wolf wearing such a beautiful dusting of ice.

“The mountain seems to have accepted you,” Came her accented words, a smile gracing her expression as she closed the distance between them. “A good thing, no?”

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They’d been half-hoping to have been alone this time, so that they could brush off the embarrassment of being surprised by a squirrel and some snow of all things, but they had no such luck. Someone chuckled and Laith turned toward the sound, ears perked.

It was a woman, fur a highly contrasted black and white. She was older - much older, in fact - but that didn’t take away from her beauty or the hardiness Laith could see in her.

Taller than him, too, he realized as she drew nearer. There was no malice or intimidation in her stance, however, so Laith remained still and let her approach without tension or apprehension.

“Did it, now?” they asked, a small, playful smile on their face. “Does it accept everyone like this, or just me?”

They hadn’t had the pleasure of meeting any more packmates just yet - only Bartel and Stjornuati, but they were very much looking forward to it.

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A smile. What a breath of fresh air. The mountain was full of stuffy, serious viking men and to have one opposite that was refreshing. Every clan needed some levity, some light and and pleasant personalities, or they'd spiral into blackness, into the clutches of Hel herself. That this one had been accepted showed that the Jarl kept the idea of balance in his mind, even if subconsciously.

“How the mountain welcomes her subjects is the choice of none other than the mountain herself. I think her welcome to you is quite special, however.” Her own had been subtle and simple, but lovely all the same.

“What drew you here?” Not "how did you end up here" or "tell me about yourself" but a question shot into the dark of a consciousness, an answer that she wanted to pull from the depths, for it would tell her more than other answers ever could.

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