Winter Rain and Moon Otter

[hazlogs]

[Time, who cares about time when you're a wolf? Dates are human things!]
[The first IC meeting of Winter Rain and Moon Otter, a while before he ]
[returned to the Wheel.                                                ]

Evening is spreading its dark blanket over the land as the sun begins to touch 
  the horizon on its descent. Nestled one one side of a tree-covered hill, a 
  small pack of wolves is begining to stir.
Hidden from view and downwind, Winter Rain watches the pack from afar, nose 
  twitching as she scents them, wistfulness in her otherwise brittle amber 
  eyes.
The black wolf is the first to rise from his position above the den. Pushing 
  to all fours with a mute grunt of effort, he pads over to the mouth of the 
  den, disappears briefly inside, then reappears with a wayward small cub at 
  his heels. A brief chuff ushers the little fellow back to the warmth of the 
  den before Moon Otter begins making his rounds of the area.
Winter Rain watches the black alpha quietly, her ears tilted backwards. Then 
  she rises, puts her muzzle skywards, and howls, a simple message of humble 
  greetings.
Moon Otter pauses in his trek, takes a few steps back towards pack, then turns 
  to face the direction the howl came from. Lifting his own muzzle, he returns 
  the howl--not hostile--but stating that there are others in the area. A 
  second, briefer howl inquires as to what the stranger wants.
Winter Rain slips out of cover, limping slowly on three paws, her stance wary. 
  She lowers her tail and ears and does not approach too closely.
Moon Otter's tail rises straight up as the other wolf exits from her hidden 
  place. The remainders of the pack, stirred from their rest by the howls, 
  peer and sniff futily in Winter Rain's direction. A curt growl from Otter 
  tells them to stay back--especially the cubs. This done, he turns his full 
  attention towards the new wolf. He chuffs out over the night air, Who are 
  you? What do you want?
Winter Rain dips her muzzle, ears flattening back against her head, meek 
  before the black alpha despite the obviously large amounts of rage simmering 
  within her. She utters another howl, doleful and sad. She is Winter Rain, 
  and she is alone. She does not wish to be alone anymore.
Moon Otter approaches closer, to get a better look at this Winter Rain. He 
  whuffs, You are injured. Can you still hunt?
Winter Rain lifts her muzzle slightly, though she doesn't raise it above 
  Otter's. She can hunt. She lost her paw to a Weaver-trap, when she was still 
  young, long ago.
Moon Otter's ears twist outwards at this. Then, he cautiously closes the 
  remaining distance between the pair--sniffing.
Winter Rain lowers her body, submissive, perhaps unable to be anything but 
  toward the wolf who is so much an alpha in form and stance. She seems 
  anxious to be accepted, perhaps desparate.
Moon Otter takes some obvious time to muse over his decision. This one could 
  use help feeding the cubs and protecting the pack. So long as you do not 
  challenge this one's mate--Crimson Dawn--you may stay.