Excuse the wall, I put it up from time to time.

It'd been a number of weeks since he and Reiko had led their companions Northward to Tsukiishi. Quicksilver, having grown accustomed to life on mountains with a significantly milder temperature, was taking time to acclimatise to the snow and frost. Their frosted spires were beautiful, of course, and he was anticipating all the happy memories their family would create there, but he could not deny the feeling of homesickness for a place he once belonged.

They were not far from Vanderfell, but there was a distance. The Wintertime had prevented him from travelling much between Fate's Summit to Tsukiishi the year before, and commitment in reclaiming the Silver Towers was sure to keep him from one last visit before the cold season's first snowfall. He wondered if, come Springtime, Ira and Hiero might have a new litter to introduce to him when they were reunited.

The Empress was with their young brood while Quicksilver set about refreshing the markers along their borders. He remained vigilant as he patrolled, ears alert for any sound of footfall and pale eyes always scanning for movement. Life on Tsukiishi had mostly been quiet, thankfully, but he knew better than to let down his guard. It'd been many months since the tiger had shown his face, though the possibility of another band of rogues testing the strength of Shiroshika's claim kept him on edge.


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ooc; hope you don't mind! am curious about joining shiroshika for awhile
she's near the border but not over it
 

There it was again — that lingering community smell.

She hadn't been here long, only scouted a few times further east during her 'stay' in this world. She knew a pack was here. It wasn't as strong as the ones she had passed on her way here though. The Vale and the Frost held their own stronger scents, while this one was like... a baby. The girl made her way to the invisible scent line, using the natural camouflage of the location to hide.

She wasn't going to trespass. Oh, no. She knew better than that. Kalvin relied on her for protection right now. If she perished here or was captured, he would starve. He would die. Her own stubbornness made her refuse this, but a kind part of her drifted to this pack for a reason. Would they accept her and Kalvin? She knew some wolf packs didn't like to have children outside of the alpha pair...

Edelweiss was strong and capable, but the pup was reliant on that. She couldn't do it alone. She couldn't. Spotting the man patrolling, she gives a soft chuff in his direction. Her paws plant near the border, digging into the ground as she readies herself for a social confrontation. Edelweiss isn't the best at this... But she could try to glean this pack's intentions and values all the same.

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Thank you for joining! <3

---

Quicksilver could smell something, someone, and he paused to raise his sterling crown and flare his nostrils. He inhaled deep, detecting the distinct scent of wolf, then shifted to look around. His tail gave a contemplative curl as he failed to catch sight of any rogue along Tsukiishi's lower reaches. The druid, concerned, cocked a leg and deposited a fresh stream of urine against a large boulder to signal that the lands were his to protect, and pressed on.

Soon after he prowled forward, a sound drew his ears up. Quicksilver shifted toward the source and found an ashen-furred wolfess lurking, requesting his attention, and she did not appear threatening in any way. If anything, she looked anxious. The Emperor twitched a whisker, curious, and picked his way quietly toward her.

“Are you alright?” Quicksilver asked, placing some distance between himself and the stranger as she pawed at the snowy earth.


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She does not wait long. Frankly, she prefers a prompt response. The silver man is quick to angle himself toward her, approaching. Instead of warning her away, or being outwardly aggressive, he asked if she was okay. Edelweiss raised a brow, wondering how that was possible. Did he not like her near the border? It was his border. Pack wolves could be so strange.

"I am fine" the girl began, resisting the shuffle against the ground and remaining upright and still "this is a pack border, correct?" Her tune was curious but not prodding, withholding sarcasm, or aggressive behavior. No, she did not appear suspicious in any way. Just a vagabond searching "I am... scouting some packs in the Tundra to join."

She did seem a bit hesitant, but if she wanted Kalvin to survive — well, she would bite the bullet. "I rescued a child in the Moors" Edelweiss continued "I had hoped to be a loner for some time, yet I cannot protect him alone. Would your community be averse to having two young ones join your ranks?" A pup was resource-wasting at times.

A yearling could hunt and fight, at least. "I wish to make sure this is a good place for us" she added after allowing the silence "so, um... if you could tell me a bit about this pack?" She was not going to waste his time, humming over direction and decision.

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She seemed anxious, and he understood. It was difficult to approach strangers and ask for guidance; Quicksilver felt sympathy bloom in his gut for the ashen wanderer, and nodded to her initial enquiry. The alabaster tip of his tail gave a contemplative curl at a slim hock as he listened to what else she had to say, his ears pricking with intrigue as she shared that she was scouting for an appropriate pack to align herself with. More curiously, she was not alone, for she'd taken an orphan under her wing, which seemed to be the driving force behind her desire to seek a place among others.

“You wish to remain with him, then?” Quicksilver asked. He blinked, undeniably concerned that Shiroshika would later be burdened with a pup that was not their own - considering her admission if having wished to remain a loner. He would never turn away a child in need and believed Reiko would share his thoughts, but Winter would soon be upon them. Resources would grow scarce and they needed as many able bodies as they could gather to support the youngsters already within their care. “We are Shiroshika, and I am Quicksilver - the Emperor.”

He felt awkward, still, to pair his name with such a grand title that was hardly befitting of him. Quicksilver had never carried himself with the regal, confident air that so often shone from his mate, yet she had chosen him to fill the role as her husband and co-leader. There was much he still needed to learn, to grow into, and he could only hope that he wouldn't disappoint his snowflower. “Though we live here quietly, we ally ourselves with Vanderfell Woods who reside in the mountains South of here. All we wish for is peace,” there were those who would not agree, and he thought of the battle for the Everfrost; “I'm confident that we could make room for you and yours, should it suit you.” A pause, as he mustered a thin smile, “what is your name? Do you specialise in any particular trade?”


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She gives a nod. "Until the boy is old enough to make his own decisions" Edelweiss replied "I would rather be around until then." It'd be easier to dump him somewhere and hope for the best, but she was not a quitter. Nor did she expect a pack to welcome him into their fold without someone carrying the burdens he brought. The man introduced himself as Quicksilver, Emperor of Shiroshika. She remained emotionally for a moment before dipping her head.

The man did not seem big on titles, nor did he want to praise rank. She did not embarrass him, bowing and carrying on like a fool. "My name is Edelweiss" she continued after the silence, raising her skull "before I came here, I was a hunter and scout for my people" And of course "I had also just begun physical training to be a guardian for them as well as a healer." Until the storm, and she had been swept away. Carried here. The gods willed it, no doubt. A test of some sort. Perhaps...

If she survived it, conquered it... She could return? "I plan to pull my weight in any way possible. I would not place a child on someone and expect their resources to not suffer as a result. I would be content with hunting and patrolling" Edelweiss had sought a pack for that purpose. Her vagabond resources would not hold alone, with a child in tow. No, a pack was safer "earning my keep, and Kalvin's."

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She bobbed her head, confirming that she would indeed prefer to remain with her young ward - at least until he came of age to make his own decisions. Quicksilver twitched a whisker at such honestly; she was not committing herself fully to a pack, and the possibility of dispersal would remain. It was her right, the Emperor reminded himself, and briefly considered the future with a quiet hope that Edelweiss would share her departure with them should the time come.

The sterling yearling shared that she'd been a hunter and scout in her previous life, having only freshly begun training in guardianship. Having dabbled in the basics of the paladin and medic trades, she could certainly learn the latter from Shiroshika's leaders. Quicksilver was always a willing teacher in his profession and he smiled warmly, comforted with the idea of Edelweiss perhaps going off into the world with better knowledge of how to care for herself and others.

“You and Kalvin would be welcome here,” he told his newest acquaintance, “my own children - two boys and a girl - would appreciate a new playmate, I'm sure.” He gave a soft wag of his tail at the idea, considering how his own brood had only each other to entertain.


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He seemed a bit surprised she was so forthcoming. Did wolves here join packs to remain for eternity or was it a survival tactic? A pack was a sort of comradery, placing her faith blindly in Shiroshika... She wished it was that simple. Edelweiss remained skeptical of communities like these, but she would try for Kalvin's sake. At least the man was as honest as she was being and eventually accepted her into their ranking system. What sort of job she'd be assigned to...

She could not know for now.

"Thank you," she bopped her own head, mimicking his movements "I will fetch him and come back. I... assume we are allowed over the border?" She eyed it as if the scent line would reach up and slap her across the face. How did this work exactly? Did he share with the others of his pack she was in? Would she be marked in some way? Her people employed dirt and mud at times to blend in and be aware of each other. Or was it just simple? Word of mouth...

It was also powerful.

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The ashen she-wolf did not comment on the availability of companionship for her young charge, but instead turned focus immediately on retrieving him. Quicksilver dipped his pallid muzzle in quiet acceptance of her need to update him on their situation and return him to a community in which he would soon find himself to belong. Her question regarding their was met with a blink, and it was clear to him that there was some anxiety regarding her status as newcomer. “Of course. You can call for me on your return,” he offered kindly, “and I can introduce myself to Kalvin. Then I'll show you to the denning areas.”

He would do his best to help them integrate, but ultimately it would be up to Edelweiss to acquaint herself with her new pack-mates. When she and the boy were more settled, then they could discuss a suitable role for her.


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She could sit and chat, but she would rather not. Quite aware of the dangers in the Tundra firsthand, she would begin to drift back to Kalvin before something found him. "We will speak later" she said to Quicksilver, agreeing with the terms. At least he seemed to be level of the head. Kalvin would enjoy spending time in a pack with children over just herself, being near adulthood and unable to... really understand that age. She didn't understand a lot of things about packs and hierarchy and power struggles anyway. But children were always a bit iffy to her.

But her promise was truthful. She would seek out Quicksilver later, upon their return. Edelweiss gave a short nod to him and turned, beginning to head back to where she had more or less stashed Kalvin. While she attempted to compose herself and be calm, the fact is; she had been too long. Anything could have nabbed him by now. A predator, a passing wolf... She began to quick-walk, mapping the location of Shiroshika and it's border as she departed. A final flick of her tail to Quicksilver before she vanished from sight.

The snow swept her up.

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