-Senka- So this is the other side of the mountain..... (FS w/CM + CS)

CrystalStream rolled her eyes slightly. Whining, even fake whining, wasn't something she could abide in an adult wolf. It was perhaps a weakness of hers. Her mentor had drilled it into her head that crying, of any kind, was for the weak. Consequently it had taken Mudclaw's death to finally get her to let tears fall. Rainbow had seemed to understand, but Unknown One was still raised in very much the same tradition she had been.

For the moment, however, she remained professional, and turned her attention back to Senka. "A badger claw," she said finally, "Or a wolverine claw... both would be acceptable. It will take great skill and strength to do this however, as both hide in their underground lairs and are difficult even for skilled hunters to bring down. As you can see, we all perform a similar task." She nodded downward, indicating the bear claw she wore draped around her neck by a thread of deerskin.

"First, however, we wait for Snakebite, and see how well you take to the marking."

SnakeBite had a funny habit of popping into a location where she was needed at the right time; Her father, Leadpaw, joking that first her birth was what kept him and his mate together as a couple. She was the one who found Red Stag when he was starving as an orphaned pup while playing by a lake as a pup. As a Healer, this knack for being in the right place at the right time was essential; she was responsible for stopping blood loss, wrapping cuts, and gathering herbs for medicines, all having to be performed quickly and without wasted time or energy.'

Today, however, she was a bit late in meeting up with her Alpha and a wolf her did not recognize by scent. Her father had not been feeling well as of late; since he fell through the river ice last winter, he had been weaker than his usual strong self and less and less frequently getting up from his den.

The lanky she-wolf, head down as she trotted towards her alpha, tried to not make it noticeable that she was practically drinking the air around her to take in the scent of this unfamiliar wolf.

"I apologize for my tardiness, CrystalStream", she said, "My father has taken ill again." SnakeBite turned her head towards the unfamiliar wolf, sniffing.

"And who is this?" she continued curiously, "I don't recognize this scent."

Senka had seen that eye-roll from CrystalStream. He didn't really understand what he'd said wrong. It had been a joke in his eyes, and that had been how he'd meant it. Of course, Senka had not grown up like CrystalStream had, and therefore couldn't understand yet her views on things. Once he got to know her and other members of the pack better, then he would understand. However, he was working with limited knowledge at the moment.

"A badger claw,""Or a wolverine claw... both would be acceptable. It will take great skill and strength to do this however, as both hide in their underground lairs and are difficult even for skilled hunters to bring down. As you can see, we all perform a similar task."

"First, however, we wait for Snakebite, and see how well you take to the marking."

The pale gold wolf nodded quietly, looking at the ground, thinking in his head. He had obviously irritated the young alpha, though he didn't understand why. Senka moved one of his claws around in the dirt, drawing small, intricate swirl designs that reminded him so much of home. His ears pulled backwards of their own accord, mostly of a little sadness, but a smile crossed his face as he continued to draw in the dirt. There was a fondness in his eyes, as he seemed to remember his family that he had left so long ago.

"I apologize for my tardiness, CrystalStream""My father has taken ill again."

Senka's head shot upwards and his ears forward as Snakebite approached. He used his large paw that he had been drawing and erased the images from the dirt as he focused his attention on Snakebite.

"And who is this?""I don't recognize this scent."

The wolf nodded his head to Snakebite, as a manner of respect, just as he had with CrystalStream earlier. No reason not to show respect after all.

"My name is Senka. I am a new member."

Crystalstream's ears perked as SnakeBite finally managed to join them. She nodded her head slowly, understanding. "LeadPaw has not been the same of late," she sighed, "Of course, do everything you can to care for him, Snakebite, but for the moment, I need your talents here."

She began to circle Senka. "Senka has expressed a desire to join with the Clan. I've spoken to him of our beliefs and our traditions, but as you know the marking is to be left the medicine wolf. It you would, take him to your den and see to it?"

She paused, looking over at Senka again. "It will be somewhat painful, and it will take you a short time to recover from your marking," she warned, "When you have done so, come see me, and I will lead you into the forest. From there, you will have two sunrises, and two sunsets to fulfill your task. If you do so, you will be made Delta, the leader of our scouts. If you fail, you will be made an omega, and will have to wait another season before trying again."

She turned and walked off to tend to other duties, for now, leaving Snakebite in charge of accommodating Senka.

SnakeBite nodded, listening intently. Her father's weakness and her maturing have sobered and mellowed the young shewolf. She was certainly glad that CrystalStream understood why she could have been late to meet with a potential Clan-member; her father, after Red Stag had run off during the war, was the last of the family she had in the Clan.

"Right, I will take him right away," she replied, lowering her head again. Throwing her head back and turning to show the way to her den to the new wolf, she seemed to relax once the Alphess left their presence. She sized him up with her eyes cursory-glancing him over. Very light in color, like her. Much larger, though; but she knew from her fighting days that size meant nothing.

"Senka, huh?" she said as she started walking in the direction she nodded to, "I am called SnakeBite, the Medicine Wolf for this Clan. As you heard already, I perform the marking that, well, marks you as a Clan member. If you follow me, I'll take you to where you'll be marked."

"It will be somewhat painful, and it will take you a short time to recover from your marking,""When you have done so, come see me, and I will lead you into the forest. From there, you will have two sunrises, and two sunsets to fulfill your task. If you do so, you will be made Delta, the leader of our scouts. If you fail, you will be made an omega, and will have to wait another season before trying again."

The pale gold wolf listened to CrystalStream intently, ears pricked forward. Okay, simple enough orders, get marked, heal, find CrystalStream, then do his test and retrieve his trinket.

"Senka, huh?""I am called SnakeBite, the Medicine Wolf for this Clan. As you heard already, I perform the marking that, well, marks you as a Clan member. If you follow me, I'll take you to where you'll be marked."

"Nice to meet you, Snakebite."

Senka nodded quietly, following Snakebite without hesitation. He wanted to join the Clan, he had to do this, no use in delaying or anything of the sort....

SnakeBite stopped in front of her den, a hollowing in a grassy hillside. Inside, there could be seen leaves and rocks with pastes and round balls of fat and herbs on them. It was the mark of the Healer's sanctuary; it was deep enough for three or more wolves to step inside comfortably. They were to stay outside for now, however, since LeadPaw was sleeping soundly in the den at the time, and she dare not disturb her father.

"Now, Senka," she said softly as she stopped at the entrance of her den and turned to face the newcomer, "We all must bear this short pain to be relieved of the pain of loneliness and a lack of kinship. I too, as an adolescent, shed blood for my Clan. Ready yourself, and know that I am not attacking you."

She ran her front paws through a mixture of herbs and water to do her best to clean them. It had been a long time since she had marked a new member; often, since it was a younger wolf, she would just use a small rock in her jaws to scratch them on the right shoulder. This was a much larger animal, however, and a rock would not do the job. Thank goodness she used to be a fighter.

Gathering the strength she could muster, she lunged forward and aimed a good strike with her front legs and the claws at the end of them towards his right shoulder, hoping it'd cut. She had the medicines at the ready to stop the bleeding and pain, once the deed had been done.

"Now, Senka,""We all must bear this short pain to be relieved of the pain of loneliness and a lack of kinship. I too, as an adolescent, shed blood for my Clan. Ready yourself, and know that I am not attacking you."

The wolf nodded his understanding as Snakebite explained that she wasn't attacking him. if she hadn't, Senka would have dodged and snarled in defense otherwise. Senka tensed his body as she lunged, keeping his shoulder relaxed so that hopefully, she would be able to do the job easier.

He did not yelp. In fact, he actually growled as her claws struck true, cutting into his shoulder. His ears flicked backwards and he looked a little agitated, but nothing more. Not that he didn't feel it, geez could he feel it, but it was no use crying about it since it needed to be done. Wounds were not foreign to Senka. He'd traveled for three winters before he found the Swift River Clan, he'd had plenty of encounters that had left him wounded in varying degrees.

Senka looked towards his shoulder as blood from the cut began to spread into his pale gold pelt, slowly trying to run away from the wound in his shoulder.

"Good aim, Snakebite. Clean cut, too."

It was meant as a compliment as he looked at the work of the healer, before he spoke again.

"How long do you think this will take to heal, if I may ask?"

SnakeBite seemed satisfied in both her own ability to make clean marks long after she had fought as well as Senka's reaction. Some pups cried, sometimes she had to chase down potential members and have another pack member hold them down. This male took it very well, even complimenting her on her marking ability. She was not a proud wolf in the least, she could not be in this pack environment, but she could not help but feel better about herself as a result.

She nosed around near the mouth of her den, sniffing out a specific mixture she set aside for patching up cuts like these. Finding the mix of fat, honey, and a few cooling herbs wrapped in a thick leaf, she took the mix out of the den gingerly in her jaws.

Setting it in front of her and opening up the leaf packet, she took a good-sized amount of the past on her nose and pressed it against the fresh wound. Continuing until the cut was fully patched and the bleeding began to trickle to a stop, she stepped back.

"Your wound will heal quickly; I suggest you rest for a little while. I began to look for my totem at the nightfall of my marking, but I was what they called a 'wild child' and jumped into the whole game pretty quickly. This mix will stop the bleeding and the pain; the herbs make your skin feel cool too. It's quite nice, and the best part it that it is edible."

"Your wound will heal quickly; I suggest you rest for a little while. I began to look for my totem at the nightfall of my marking, but I was what they called a 'wild child' and jumped into the whole game pretty quickly. This mix will stop the bleeding and the pain; the herbs make your skin feel cool too. It's quite nice, and the best part it that it is edible."

Senka watched quietly as Snakebite patched the cut on his right shoulder, nodding at her words. She was right, the paste did indeed cool his skin and the pain had already dropped to a dull throb. The pale wolf reached his head around and his brown nose twitched a few times as he sniffed at the paste. It smelled a little sweet from the honey and the herbs gave the scent a small tang. While it didn't seem like something that Senka would eat on a normal basis, he would probably lick it off later, just to try it once his shoulder had healed more.

"Thank you Snakebite. It's helping already."

While he was tough wolf and could ignore the pain should he have chosen to go into the forest at nightfall tonight, he knew going into a fight with either a badger or wolverine would not be a wise move if he right shoulder had not had the time to recuperate.

"I don't think I'm going to jump in quite as fast as you did. I have to find a badger or a wolverine, according to CrystalStream, so I think that it would be wiser for me to start looking tomorrow, perhaps in the morning or afternoon would be best."

The pale wolf nodded to Snakebite before taking his leave. Though, he stopped and turned back to her, smiling lightly.

"I almost forgot, I wish your father well, Snankebite. I'm sure you will find a way to help him."

He smiled, nodding once more before he left, obviously slower than when he'd come running in with CrystalStream. Well, he mused a moment. No reason not to head back to the river. It was nice and calm, though he wouldn't swim right at the moment, he could lay and relax a bit.....

CrystalStream had been busy herself, informing the rest of the pack about the newcomer. She returned as Senka completed his marking, and nodded, pleased. It would likely take about a day for the cuts to close completely, and then about a quarter moon from there before they healed fully, but no matter. He was Swift River Clan now.

The she-wolf made her way closer to him, holding herself as tall as she could. "Your marks appear clean... Snakebite did a good job," she commented. She sat down before him, keeping her face straight as she could. For the moment, she was acting in her capacity as alpha, nothing more.

"Once you've obtained your token and brought it back here, there will be one more task for your to complete," she explained, "I do not make all new members do this, but as you are to be placed in a high position I felt it necessary. When a young apprentice reaches the age of adulthood, and once they've obtained their trinket, they are sent into the forests, alone. They must remain awake a full night, with no food in their stomach. The forest itself, we believe, speaks to us, and gives us our true names. If an apprentice does not return with a new name, they are denied rank and adulthood for a season, because the forest has not deemed them ready... Naturally, you can understand the importance of this... You will need a new name."

"Your marks appear clean... Snakebite did a good job,"

Senka turned his head to his mark before looking back to CrystalStream, his face straight as hers. "That she did."

"Once you've obtained your token and brought it back here, there will be one more task for your to complete,""I do not make all new members do this, but as you are to be placed in a high position I felt it necessary. When a young apprentice reaches the age of adulthood, and once they've obtained their trinket, they are sent into the forests, alone. They must remain awake a full night, with no food in their stomach. The forest itself, we believe, speaks to us, and gives us our true names. If an apprentice does not return with a new name, they are denied rank and adulthood for a season, because the forest has not deemed them ready... Naturally, you can understand the importance of this... You will need a new name."

Again, Senka listened, his face straight as it was before. He didn't entirely like the idea of having to be granted a new name. He liked the name that he had now, it was the one that his parents had given him, the last thing from them that he had left. However much he didn't like it, CrystalStream was alpha, and her word was law.

Noting that CrystalStream was standing tall as she could as she sat in front of him.

"Understood. Alpha CrystalStream. Since you are here already, maybe I should go into the forest tonight, so as not to waste any more of your time. I am sure that you have other much more important matters to attend to as alpha than myself?"

Senka did not smile, didn't laugh this time. He wasn't sure what he had done to irritate the young alpha earlier, but he would've rather avoided it, even if it made him look cold in the process...

CrystalStream could tell that Senka was not pleased with the prospect of changing his name, but it was not a change of name, per se.... She, like all her Clan, believed the forest alone knew a wolf's true name, and that it would be that which was revealed to a wolf sitting vigil.

She quickly shook her head as the wolf suggested he ought to go out right away so as not to waste anymore of her time. "Nonsense," she said, head shaking quickly, "You should rest as long as you need. You'll do no one any good if you aggravate your injuries, I promise, you're not wasting my time. As alpha, my concern for all the wolves under my care is equal, whether you're my sister, or an Omega."

She noticed he seemed colder... more distant now, and she wasn't sure why. She wondered if she'd bothered him with something she'd done or said earlier, but she would not say anything about it now. Best he could keep focused on his task.

"Nonsense,""You should rest as long as you need. You'll do no one any good if you aggravate your injuries, I promise, you're not wasting my time. As alpha, my concern for all the wolves under my care is equal, whether you're my sister, or an Omega.

Senka nodded lightly. How stupid of him. Looking upwards a moment, he noticed that the skies had begun to darken only slightly, the sun just barely touching the horizon before he looked back to CrystalStream, his eyes not much different from how they had been before. He was quiet for a moment.

"So, a wolverine, huh? I guess I will have one hell of a fight out for me tomorrow then."

The pale wolf looked towards the sun again before looking back at the alphess.

"Well since tonight obviously isn't a good idea for me to start looking for my totem, how about tomorrow afternoon or evening?"

CrystalStream nodded. It was indeed quite the fight Senka would have ahead of him. Granted, compared to a cougar or a bear it was still nothing. Senka would need to fight a bear if... she quickly shook her head, wondering why she was even thinking in that direction. He was going to be the leader of the scouts... and that was it.

"When you feel ready, I'll start you out in the right direction," she promised, "Tomorrow you'll rest. The rest of the pack will go hunting and we'll be sure enough food is saved to keep up your strength. Getting that token is what matters, so don't be afraid to come home with a few scraps of fur missing from that handsome golden pelt of yours."

Her last remark was, of course, a joke. She wouldn't want any wolf under her care injured, but she also needed to show Senka she was not angry with him, nor was she permanently serious. His earlier whine had bothered her, but that was about the extent of it. "Ever stayed out late to stargaze, Senka?"

"When you feel ready, I'll start you out in the right direction,""Tomorrow you'll rest. The rest of the pack will go hunting and we'll be sure enough food is saved to keep up your strength. Getting that token is what matters, so don't be afraid to come home with a few scraps of fur missing from that handsome golden pelt of yours."

Senka chuckled deeply once again, looking at the alphess with a bit of humor in his voice.

"Come now CrystalStream, you make it sound like I have never been in a fight before."

"Ever stayed out late to stargaze, Senka?"

The way Senka acted when he was more relaxed seemed the closest to how he was on a normal basis. He smiled lightly at her question.

"I always used to, when I was younger. I used to sit next to the ocean, and stargaze while the water would play at my feet. The ocean always roared with the waves, but it would sometimes be quiet; calm. I felt more at peace there than anywhere else."

Senka breathed deeply, his eyes closed in memory.

"I miss that."

He smiled as he opened his pale blue eyes, and sighed deeply. Indeed, Senka missed the ocean a great deal. The smell of the salt water, the sound of the waves and roar of the wind. It seemed, from his description, he was about as part of the ocean as the water that made it. He'd spent so much time in it to begin with; that for the three winters that he had traveled, it was a deep longing to return to the ocean and it had taken everything in Senka to not turn back and go home....

CrystalStream chuckled softly. "I have no doubt you've fought a great deal, but it is a different thing, going after creatures we would normally avoid at all costs... and alone. You will not have the pack to support you in this. You will have to rely on your strength, your skills, and on the life force of your ancestors, present within this very forest in order to prevail. It is the way of things... how we are judged worthy."

She seemed so proud of her way... the way her fathers and her mother had taught her... the way her mentor had betrayed. It was everything that made her who she was.

Still, she seemed to lose her seriousness as Senka described looking out over the oceans at the stars. It sounded magical, looking out across vast, open waters, into the heavens above, where some wolves imagined their ancestors resided.

"I can't offer you open oceans," CrystalStream explained sadly, "But I know of some open spaces where the skies are clearly visible. Since you're not going to be leaving until tomorrow to find your token, I'd be honored if you'd join me. It's... nice to have someone to talk to, apart from my sister."

"I have no doubt you've fought a great deal, but it is a different thing, going after creatures we would normally avoid at all costs... and alone. You will not have the pack to support you in this. You will have to rely on your strength, your skills, and on the life force of your ancestors, present within this very forest in order to prevail. It is the way of things... how we are judged worthy."

Senka smiled quietly, his eyes thoughtful a moment. "It is indeed a different thing. But I must thank you, CrystalStream." He looked towards the alphess. "For accepting me. I know I have get my totem and name, but I thank you for giving me the chance to do so."

"I can't offer you open oceans,""But I know of some open spaces where the skies are clearly visible. Since you're not going to be leaving until tomorrow to find your token, I'd be honored if you'd join me. It's... nice to have someone to talk to, apart from my sister."

The pale golden wolf continued to smile as he nodded his large head. "You may not have oceans, but you do have the river. Regardless of the size, the river eventually goes to meet the ocean, so in some sense, I'm never really that far from it. And of course I will join you. Stargazing alone is well.... lonely, obviously. No reason not to."

He smiled a moment before he moved his hind leg to scratch at one of his white ears, shaking his head as he finished. The sun had finally set, and the stars had begun to reveal themselves in tiny pinpricks of light.....

CrystalStream's ears perked happily. She turned and issued a soft bark for him to follow. It was nice.... having someone outside her few trusted wolves to talk to. Something told her Senka was more trustworthy than even her own father. Or perhaps it was simply her admitted attraction to him. Whatever the case, she didn't feel quite so lonely anymore.

The path on which she took him slowly led uphill, away from the river, but still close enough that the two would be able to hear it softly singing to them. CrystalStream raised her nose in the air, breathing deep of all the still-strange scents around her.

Eventually the two emerged into a clearing. A pair of rocks in the center formed a natural platform, having been weathered by wind and rain, and overgrown slightly with clinging vines. "I chose this place to be the center, for when we need to meet together as a pack," CrystalStream explained, "but I also value it because it's quiet... away from the packs, away from the voices of the forest... It's peaceful, and I can reflect on my own." She moved toward one of the rocks and soon hopped atop it, releasing a long, melodious howl, adding her song to the nighttime chorus.

"I chose this place to be the center, for when we need to meet together as a pack,""but I also value it because it's quiet... away from the packs, away from the voices of the forest... It's peaceful, and I can reflect on my own."

Senka followed CrystalStream, noting how happy she seemed that he'd said he would join her in stargazing. The pale wolf was silently relishing the look on her face, she seemed so happy by his simple acceptance that Senka almost wondered why.

As CrystalStream led him away from the river and to the center of the packlands with the platform. She was right, it was quiet, and it was peaceful. The river was still close enough to bring some sense of the aquatic for Senka; he too, found some peace here.

He followed CrystalStream onto the rock, breathing deeply and inhaling the cool night air, a smile on his muzzle before he joined in with her howl, his deep baritone howl a sharp contrast to hers....

CrystalStream's ears perked as Senka's voice joined hers. His howl was strange... so deep, and haunting... It was beautiful. For a time she simply sat there with him, singing to the forest and the stars above.

Soon, however, something was gnawing at her mind. She looked down. "Senka, you have a lovely voice," she said, "I... I wanted to apologize for my manners earlier. It's just... I don't really take well to pup-like behavior in adults. My... mentor... even if he was a madclaw, I can't erase the things he taught me, and the truth is, I hadn't smiled much since my parents died. MudClaw... Cattail... the former alphas. They did everything for me, and in the end, I couldn't do anything for them."

She sighed a bit and looked back up. "If I come across, at all, as cold, or overly serious, know it's nothing personal... It's just hard to wake up one day with the weight of an entire pack on your shoulders... so suddenly."

In truth, she didn't even know why she was saying all of this. Maybe it was just the night air. Maybe something about Senka just made him easier than the others of her pack to talk to. She lay down there on the hill and cast her beautiful eyes back into the night sky, not really looking for a response from him. It felt good to get those things off her chest. That was all that mattered.

Senka could not have thought of a place he would rather be, than singing next to CrystalStream. Her flowing, melodious howl was a stark contrast to his own. It reminded him of the river that they had just left, ever flowing and never stopping.

"Senka, you have a lovely voice,""I... I wanted to apologize for my manners earlier. It's just... I don't really take well to pup-like behavior in adults. My... mentor... even if he was a madclaw, I can't erase the things he taught me, and the truth is, I hadn't smiled much since my parents died. MudClaw... Cattail... the former alphas. They did everything for me, and in the end, I couldn't do anything for them."

The pale wolf cast a sideways glance at CrystalStream, his equally pale blue eyes watching her quietly as she began to speak. He didn't speak, only listened. It seemed like she needed to get something off of her chest, so he wouldn't interrupt.

"If I come across, at all, as cold, or overly serious, know it's nothing personal... It's just hard to wake up one day with the weight of an entire pack on your shoulders... so suddenly."

Senka had laid down on the rock by this time, watching the sky with her. He eventually turned over on his back, legs splayed in a strange manner, while his head hung off of the edge of the rock that they were on, looking at the stars. The silence was calm and peaceful as Senka's deep voice broke through it after a moment's pause.

"I couldn't blame you."

CrystalStream slowly nodded. There was so much she wanted to say, and it was good to finally be able to speak of it with one who knew nothing of the past of her pack, knew nothing of the scars that still marred it.

She looked at Senka. She said not a word, but she looked at him. She wondered why it was her father had seemed so aggressive with this wolf. Surely he could not mean her, or her Clan any harm. Even after she'd been so cold to him earlier, her still accepted her without question.

She returned to her activities before, howling and letting her song be cast into the night. For now, she could forget everything... forget the responsibilities of shaping her pack in this new land. She could simply be a young she-wolf, enjoying the cool night with someone she already considered a very dear friend.

"I hope all goes well for you tomorrow, Senka," she said, "I think... I think I'll be honored to have you lead the Scouts."

Senka got the distinct feeling like he was being watched, though he didn't turn his attention to CrystalStream because she hadn't spoken to him. He continued to look at the stars, enjoying the countless dots of light that permeated the sky.

"I hope all goes well for you tomorrow, Senka,""I think... I think I'll be honored to have you lead the Scouts."

As CrystalStream spoke, the pale wolf had to shift his body slightly, curving his left side more towards the alphess as he looked at her. A smile was present on his muzzle as he looked upwards at her. He felt strangely a peace and oddly comfortable around CrystalStream. Even in his old pack, he hadn't felt this close to another wolf that wasn't related to him. Others that he had met on his journey did not have the privilege of seeing this side of Senka, not because he didn't trust them on occasion, but because he could not relax around them. CrystalStream was different....

"I hope so too. I am glad for your vote of confidence, CrystalStream. I am honored that you find me worthy enough to lead your scouts."

CrystalStream nodded her head. "The forest will determine whether you are worthy Senka," she reminded him, "My father will be among those judging you... but... I'm confident in your abilities."

She lay down then, eyes slowly closing as she relaxed. She would sleep out under the stars tonight, with Senka beside her if he so chose, but in the morning the time would come for him to be judged, and if he succeeded, to receive a new name.

It was out of her paws now... It was up to Senka.

((Go ahead and skip to him returning. We don't have to play the whole thing out unless you want to, Zero.))