this is the most eventest of horizons

Although she trekked towards wolf territory, Atticus' amethyst gaze drifted only to catch a glimpse of Maeve. She had already made such an awful impression on the woman and it was clear as the sun in the sky that she didn't think too highly of their canine companions. Any chance at rekindling their friendship (it was the longest and best she had ever had, lasting all of fifteen minutes) would be forever snuffed out should she catch a glimpse of her. The leopardess knew it wouldn't matter in the end, however, as her only goal was to help those in need.

The dainty medic paused when the strongest scent of wolves mer her nose, a clear indicator that she had arrived at the borders. Curious as to how they might take a feline visitor, Atticus took a few moments to groom herself in order to appear her best. Appearances were everything, after all -- or that was what she had been told all along.

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 He just so happened to be out wandering the borders of the territory... well, maybe not wandering, more like patrolling. Making sure no weirdos got in and that everyone was safe! That was his job, after all. He quite enjoyed it. 

 Mostly.

 What he would reeeaaalllyyy enjoy was a snack. The last time he'd eaten was approximately... uh, maybe thirty minutes ago. A drowned squirrel had washed onto shore a few days ago by the smell of it, and he had had such a lovely snack of it. Man, he could go for more squirrels. Or maybe some berries to pair with it... or maybe--

 OH HELLO! Someone was there! He hardly ever found anyone sniffing around their borders!

 Especially not a big ole fluffy cat!

 "Hey there! Can I help you with somethin'?" The big friendly guy asked he walked right up to the well-groomed feline who he noticed was on the proper side of the border. "Your fur looks real nice! Nice and groomed and spotty!" He said with a smile. What could he say? He was in a good mood. Although, he was usually in a good mood.

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With her unfortunate habit of bumping into the angriest of souls, Atticus was on high alert as she awkwardly waited for attention. There was no way of knowing how a wolf pack would respond to the abrupt arrival of a feline, particularly not one who seemed so.. suspicious. And by suspicious, she meant standing there politely at the borders with her eyes wide with wonder. Definitely suspicious.

It was a booming voice that finally tang out and the leopardess quickly turned to face him as he jovially plodded towards her, greeting her warmly. Heck, he even went as far as complimenting her! Atticus' cheeks warmed with embarrassment and her expression turned sheepish as she bashfully tucked her chin, smiling from ear to ear. "O-oh, thank you, sir. That's so very kind of you to say." The snow leopard could have died happily then and there, but there was business to be had!

"My name is Atticus, sir, and I'm looking to possibly offer my services to your pack. I'm a healer, you see, and my passion is to help." Her tail curled and uncurled nonchalantly as she spoke, pride sparkling in her eyes as she discussed her favorite pastime.

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 Very kind? "I mean, it's true though!" Was it kind if it were true? Although, he did mean it so maybe it was! He wanted to be kind, anyway. He never saw the point in being mean. What did it do but create bad feelings all around? Blegh, it was always better to make friends! The only time he was ever "mean" was during a fight. But those were a compleeetteellyy different story.

 On to this business!

 "Nice to meet ya, Atticus." He wondered if he could call her "Atti" but maybe he should hold off on that until later. He didn't want to offend anyone. "We're always lookin' for others to help us out with all sorts of things! We got this sorta thing where we help other packs by helpin' ourselves an', an' uh," He frowned as he realized he was probably mucking up this explanation. "Okay, so we've got our members, right? And they do their jobs buuuut they also teach classes an' help other members from other packs do things as well as our own. So, it's like this big ole school thing where we share all of our knowledge for the betterment of everyone! You see?" Hopefully she saw. He didn't always have his head wrapped around things and this was one of those times where it didn't completely click but he had most of it down.

 "My name's Mordecai, by the way! I'm the Accretion which is just a fancy way of sayin' I'm the second-in-command here in Event Horizon. If you like that we'd be happy to have you." Chatty, just like always. He hoped he was doing okay while Crux was gone. He had to remind himself not to howl for the guy when she seemed interested in their ranks. He had to take care of this himself. No pressure.

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Oh, this was going splendidly! Atticus couldn't help the smile from washing across her face as @Mordecai went on to reinforce his compliment. She was downright giddy at the appreciation despite the heat in her cheeks suggesting otherwise. "You're too kind," the leopardess giggled, more than happy to stand there and allow him to proceed. Yes, yes, go on! Tell her how pretty she was, please!

When things turned to business, Atticus listened attentively. It seemed she had stumbled across a school of sorts! Her amethyst eyes grew wide with excitement as he continued to explain, even offering her a position within the ranks! "R-really? You'd let me help teach? You're not.. bothered I'm a leopard?" Atticus herself had no problems with wolves, but she was still wary of prejudice. Mordecai certainly didn't seem bothered by her being a different species, but would anyone else?

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^^Harper was out and about today, checking out a few herbs here and there, an’ doing other usual arborist things when an interesting scent caught her attention. A scent that she’d never smelled before, and decided that she’d go an’ check it out.

She came upon a rather interesting scene filled with giggles and laughter, and a large, spotted feline that looked to have the fluffiest fur. Harper had caught the question about her being a leopard, and tilted her head as she made her way over to them. “You can’t help what you are. Why should the fact that you’re a leopard hurt anyone?” Harper paused with the nod of her head. “Hello, Mordecai. Hello to you too, miss leopard. My name’s Harper.” It felt weird to announce her rank, so she didn't.

^^
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 Wow! She seemed so surprised about his statement. Why shouldn't he let her in? He nodded his head then cocked it to one side. "Nope! Are you bothered I'm a wolf?" Should he be concerned she was a leopard? He didn't think so. She was awful nice and kind and knowledgeable about herbs apparently. Those were all things they could use!

 Just as he was pondering such things, Harper showed up. The lovely lady walked up and easily came into the conversation while his nubby tail wagged in greeting at her. It as so nice now that he knew things were all good between him and them. "Eeyup! That's exactly what I think!" He said with a nod of his head. "Hi, Harper! Harper's the queen 'round here! This is Atticus and she's a healer leopard." He made the introductions easy enough, he was hardly ever at a loss for words or things to say. "So, yeah! You can join us and help teach and help heal. You're okay with that too, right Harper?" He wad doing good right? Tell him he was doing a good job in Crux's absence!

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A woman approached next, her fur various shades of shadows and accented with an all too familiar amethyst. "Oh! You are so beautiful!" she chirruped, unable to withhold her compliment -- even if a similar one had chased away her fellow feline. There was a subtle conceitedness in her words, however, as she admired her own eyes reflected back in the wolf's own.

Hearing there was no prejudice against her for being a leopard was reassuring. Had she been a canine, her tail would have been wagging a mile a minute; instead, a simply rhythmic coiling and uncoiling of her fluffy tuft would have to suffice. "You are both so kind, I was not expecting this kind of welcome!" she purred, watching them with dancing eyes.

"I would be absolutely delighted to teach! Oh goodness, I would just be so delighted." Atticus did a tappy dance in excitement, clearly prepared to throw herself directly into the throes of the literal wolf den.

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^^Wait, what was happening? For several moments, Harper started at Atticus; Atticus stared at Harper. Mordecai’s greeting wasn’t registered, because she’d got lost in Atticus’ pretty amethyst eyes. It reminded her of her sister in law, and Harper just found herself staring.

And then Atticus was doing that cutest little happy dance she had ever seen and almost immediately, she wanted to adopt this leopard and call it her own. “Keep it up, Atticus, and you won’t be allowed to leave.” Harper warned, and though it was a serious warning, in itself, there wasn’t a growl or even a serious tone in her voice. “You’re so cute. It’s almost criminal.” Harper winked with a smirk and a nod of her head. “But thank you for the compliment. You’re also very pretty. Your coat looks like the fluffiest coat ever. ”

And then she paused, looking at Mordecai with the nod of her head. “Oh! Yes. It’s completely fine. The more of us that learn from you, the better paws we’ll be in when a crisis comes. And! And if anyone gives you grief about being a leopard, let me know and I will handle it.” Harper smiled with the flash of her teeth and the nod of her head.

^^
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 Wha-- What was going on? He looked between the two ladies, noticing the staring. Was there something there or-- OH WAIT! It was probably because their eyes were the same color and they just realized it. Yep! Case closed, he figured it out. Was Harper serious about the not leaving comment? Hmm... Nah! He wagged his little nub more, happy that everyone was getting along and they'd have a new healer! She did have the fluffiest coat ever!

 What a cute little tappy dance! Ah! She was so cute! "Awesome! We're happy to have you! Oh! We can show you where the camp is and you can pick out a den! Oh! And I can show you the best food-y spots for all the food! Do you like berries? There's a lotta good patches but no strawberries, yet..." He might have to make a trip down south to find some place to remedy that.

 He turned to lead the ladies away. "C'mon! You gotta see the territory! It's all pretty and red and misty and everything!" And on and on he would chatter to their new recruit.

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Not allowed to leave? Oh, spirits. Atticus giggled, her smile spreading from eye to eye -- and to be complimented in such a way! Cute! She was getting ready to simply explode. "Thank you! I like to keep it nice and clean, it's so wonderful for it to be noticed. I can help you all keep your coats shiny and fluffy as well." You know, if that was something they wanted. Atticus knew a thing or two about coat hygiene and would be more than happy to share it with the world.

Hearing that they were so accepting of her species, Atticus nodded enthusiastically. Yes, for sure, if anyone ever gave her grief for being a leopard she would be certain to let them know.

And then @Mordecai suggested picking a den! Oh, she even got her own den. "I would love a tour and some berries. Thank you both so much, this is amazing!" And hopefully the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

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^^Harper hadn’t thought about giving the snow leopard a den, but alas, thankfully, Mordecai had. To which, Harper smiled and nodded her head in agreement. Yes, yes; a den. They couldn’t not take care of her and treat her like the super special guest that she was!

“You’re too kind!” Harper cooed with a giggle and nodded her head. “No, thank you.” Harper smiled, knowing how thrilled Crux would be, when he learned of the news. “Come, come; Mordecai, won’t you lead the way?”

^^
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