Meeting the Pack (Roar)

Pravin didn't take much notice to Tessa as they walked back to the dens. Rather, he tried to learn the land, so that he wouldn't get lost if he had been left alone. Even though he heavily doubted that he would be left alone. He learned the path from the lake to the dens quickly, as they approached their current den. He walked straight in, sniffing the area, as he hadn't exactly inspected the whole place earlier. He merely looked at it and then forgot. It was big enough for the two of them, he knew that. But he stepped outside again and went to a snow bank just beside the den. Digging a hole that was just his size, he climbed in and lay his head on the cold snow. It was all very relieving to him, the cold feel of the snow. It was somehow comforting, as he glanced at Tessa and then Blitz. Eventually he shut his eyes, not knowing what else to look at.

Tessa spotted him walking into the den, following before she lost her sight completely in the dark. She entered and laid down, looking up in confusion as he exited again and laid outside. Had she chased him off? She frowned, her ears pinning back against her skull, but she didn't follow him. She sighed softly, resting her head on her paws and closing her eyes. It wasn't her problem where he slept. She didn't take up much space in the den, and there was plenty of room for her, so she left him alone. With another sigh, she fell asleep, curled up and tucking her nose under her tail.

Even with eyes closed, even with exhaustion riding around the corner, even after a long day travelling, Pravin could not get asleep. After a while of trying, he got up quietly and didn't bother to shake the snow from his pelt. It was still cool and comfortable to him, and more snow would only get on him anyways. He peeked inside the den and saw Tessa sleeping comfortably within herself, and he didn't enter to bother her. Instead he stayed within view, circling the center rock in a slow gait. He took in the scents, the scattered pack was everywhere in the dens. One in this direction, one in that direction.

Tessa slept and dreamed peacefully, oddly comfortable with the packlands and the dens, not even noticing that the male poked his head in and began moving around outside. Soon, however, she found herself waking up, thirsty, for some reason. Maybe it was because the air was so dry in the den because of winter, but she woke regardless. She sighed, stretching and yawning as she looked around the den. Unforutunately, she could barely see a thing, and the den was just a big black blob to her. She squinted in a failed attempt to look around, and soon got to her feet, feeling her way to the entrance.

She hoped the moon would give her enough light to see to the lake, but when she exited the den, she frowned. It was cloudy, and nearly pitch black. "Great." She mummbled, not even noticing the male wolf nearby. She was still half asleep, groggy, and blind in the dark, yet she still tried to make her way to the lake. If she had known he was there, she probably would have gone back into the den and dealt with it, but she didn't notice, and she walked forward, running right into a tree. She grunted in surprise and discomfort, the impact making her fall back on her rump. She growled softly in frustration, getting back on her feet and trying to feel her way to the lake, as well as follow her nose to the water.

Pravin was in a trance as he walked, having walked the same circle many times over. He wasn't sure how long he had been on his feet, but he snapped back to reality when he heard a grunt nearby. He turned his head to see Tessa fall back on herself; it looked like she was heading back to the lake, but was having trouble. This was strange to see as Pravin had thought she had really known the way. He tilted his head questioningly, until he saw a looming tree with thick roots somehow get in her path. Pravin frowned and trotted over in front of Tessa, giving a soft growl to warn her that she was about to trip and hit him. "Watch it." He had said. As he spoke, he took note of how careful she was being. He looked around, and it wasn't too dark, even without the moon, and he frowned again.

"Can you see?" He added shortly, but curiously.

Tessa jumped at the sound of his voice, freezing in place. She frowned, sniffing the air and pinning her ears back. Pravin was standing right in front of her. When did he get there? She sat down, sighing softly as he questioned her. "No." She muttered, her ears pinned back in frustration. She had hoped to keep her slowly degenerating vision a secret, but obviously she had failed. She mentally kicked herself for not being more careful. She sighed, looking up at him, or what she assumed was his face, and narrowing her eyes in an attempt to make out his features. But all she saw was blackness. "It all started after I fell into the rapids." She said softly, frowning and sighing in frustration. It was a horrible thing for a wolf to not be able to see in the dark. It made it more difficult for her to care for herself, and to protect herself. Come on, she couldn't even get to the lake for a drink!

Pravin watched at Tessa jumped and then answered. The rapids had messed with her vision? If she couldn't see now, what could she see in the daylight? He tilted his head, taking it in for a moment. "Come on, just follow my voice." He said soon after, getting up and trying to slow his pace so that she could follow him to the lake. He then stopped a little distance further, waiting. "So what can you see right now, in the night, if anything?" He said both out of curiosity, and so that she could follow his voice.

Tessa's ears perked up as he spoke of following him. She nodded slightly, getting up and following the sound of Pravin's voice. It was a slow walk, and when he asked her what she could see, she sighed. "Nothing but black right now. During the day, I'm fine." She said softly, pausing until she heard his voice again to move forward. She wasn't exactly sure how it had happened, but she knew that ever since Inferno pulled her out of the water, she could see next to nothing in the dark. It frustrated and embarrassed her, but she did her best to deal, and to keep it secret. Well, except for tonight.

Pravin stepped forward again, "Really? Hm. That's weird." They were in view of the lake, how they'd gotten so close was kind of a mystery, but they'd get there soon. He moved everytime he talked, at least trying to act as a guide. "Does anyone know? The pack healer for instance?" If anyone knew how to deal with Tessa's problem, it would be the healer, whoever that was. Pravin had only met Alpha and Beta, Tessa and Head Warrior. They had to have a pack healer, right? Tessa probably looked worse the night she came in, and Pravin knew that some other wolf had a help in that.

Tessa frowned when he asked if anyone else knew. "No, and you weren't supposed to find out either." She said softly, almost a mumble. She sighed, stepping forward when she smelled and heard the water. She kept walking until her paw hit the water, and then she took a step back, lowering her head to lap at the water, grateful that the hole hadn't re-frozen since they had been there earlier. When she finished, she turned around, lifting her nose to find Pravin. Unfortunately, he had been right there, and her nose hit his neck. "Uh, sorry." She said softly, turning so that she was no longer touching him.

Pravin slightly twitched as a wet nose nudged his neck. He looked down and saw the near-blind Tessa turning away, apologizing. "No worries." He answered quickly, afterwards leaning down to get himself a drink. The icy cold waters slipped down his throat, and dripped off his muzzle as he lifted it up to look back at Tessa. He moved back in the direction of the den. "It would probably be better if you told someone that could help." He said, all words pointing to healer as he spoke.

Tessa frowned and followed his voice as he headed back to the den. "No one needs to know. Promise me you won't tell." She pleaded, her tail curling slightly between her legs and her ears flattening in embarassment. She could manage on her own, and she didn't want the pack finding out. Not while she was still hoping for acceptance. If they knew she couldn't see in the dark, she'd be next to useless as a member and she bet that they would never let her in. So for now, she'd keep it a secret. She looked up at him, well, what she assumed was him, and frowned. "Please?" She said softly, squinting in the dark hopelessly.

Pravin frowned as he continued to lead Tessa to the den site. She didn't want anyone to know, but why? He quickly pondered the idea of being blind at night, every night. It would be troublesome, he knew. But if she didn't want the help, he would leave it be. She pleaded for him not to tell, and he looked at her squinting at him. As bad as it would be for her, he said, "Fine. I swear I won't tell." He doubted it would be long before she came to her sense and asked for help. He stopped in front of the den, and as Tessa passed, he would nudged her into the den. Hopefully she would be able to tell.

Tessa relaxed slightly when he said he wouldn't tell, and she continued to move, pausing as she heard him stop moving. But as she walked past him, she felt his nudging, turning slowly and letting him guide her into the den. "Thank you." She said softly, her ears still flattened in embarassment as she entered the den and laid down, cursing herself for going out in the first place. She sighed softly, curling up even tighter than before and burying her face in her tail, failing to fall asleep this time.

(sorry it's short)

Pravin nodded his 'you're welcome,' but then realized she probably wouldn't have seen it and said it out loud, "You're welcome." He stayed in front of the den, debating whether or not to crawl back in his hole in the snow bank, but voted against it; he knew he wouldn't be able to sleep. Dawn could rise at any moment anyway, sleeping wouldn't help. He went back to the center of the dens, to the rock, and ran around for a moment, soon returning to the front of their shared den. He peeked in, wondering if Tessa was asleep. He stepped inside and dropped next to her, unsure of what to do. Pravin looked at the wolf just across the den and took note that she wasn't breathing as calmly as she most likely would if she were sleeping. "Awake?" He finally spoke.

Tessa's ear twitched slightly when Pravin came into the den, but she didn't move nor speak until he asked if she was awake. With a soft sigh, she shifted her weight a bit, lifting her head to look back at him. "Yep." She said softly, unable to see him in the darkness, but knowing by the location of his voice and scent that he was laying across from her. "Couldn't sleep?" She asked, yawning softly and blinking through the darkness at him. She wasn't sure if he knew why she couldn't sleep, but she didn't want to bring it up again. She was still embarassed, and she hoped that he had forgotten about it. With another soft sigh, she rested her head on her paws, her ears flattened slightly as her tail curled around her back paws as she laid awake in silence.

Pravin placed his muzzle on his paws when Tessa answered. He glanced at the wolf across the den, then he looked outside at the dim snow. "Yeah" He quickly asked himself why, "I think I'm just nervous about this probation. More of, how the others are responding to me." He remembered how the day had gone, and how Inferno and Chaos seemed threatened by his size. Even Tessa had been at first. They seemed intimidated by the way he was, and he wasn't sure how anyone else would react. He shifted his weight so that he was mostly on his side, and turned his head to look at Tessa. "You're not a pack member either, are you?"

Tessa was surprised when he seemed to open up about what he was thinking, something that she hadn't expected at all. But then he surprised her again by asking if she was a pack member. "No, I'm not a member. I'm just waiting for them to kick me out. I wasn't invited into the pack lands, nor did I intrude, I was dragged here by Inferno. I haven't decided whether I want to stay or not. It's all just been too much to take in is such a short amount of time." She said, looking towards the entrance and sighing in relief as she could see the sun starting to poke it's way above the horizon, allowing her to see a bit better. "And I wouldn't worry about the pack. Chaos is like that with everyone. You should see how much she terrifies the Healer. Oh, the healer, her name is Molly, you'll like her. She's basically the opposite of Chaos. But you'll have to be careful, she's had a 'guard dog' around with her for a while. Apparently she is recovering from being very sick and malnurished. But she seems fine to me." She said, referring to the black wolf - Coven, whom she had only briefly met - by 'guard dog'.

Pravin wasn't surprised when Tessa said she wasn't a member either. Otherwise, he doubted she would be put to share a den with him. They were alike in some sort of way; except she was injured. They seemed like the kind of pack to take in the injured. But Tessa did verify that Chaos was always like that, and that he shouldn't be surprised. Then she mentioned Molly, the healer, who was sick and had a friend with her? Pravin could only assume that's what she meant. "What about Inferno? Does he trust easy? He didn't greet me so well either." Pravin flicked his ears as he realized that he hadn't met many wolves at all.

Tessa frowned when Pravin mentioned Inferno. She looked down at her paws, still unable to understand the beta herself. "I don't think he trusts easily. But honestly, the only interraction I've had with him was when he saved my life. He hasn't really been around, or talked to me, since." She said, glancing at the entrance and wondering where the Beta male was at the moment. She hadn't even gotten a chance to thank him for saving her. But soon her eyes returned to Pravin, wondering if he understood a single thing she was saying. Mostly because she didn't even understand what she was thinking either.

(grrrrrrr sorry it's soooo sort)

"I haven't seen him since I first entered the territory, but he's bound to show up eventually." Pravin remembered that Inferno was the beta, therefore the other part of probation. Pravin didn't know what to think of the beta, as he looked outside to see the sun peeking out from the covers of night. He wondered when the wolves here awoke, or if they would any time soon. He glanced at the alpha's den right across from their's, and wondered if Blitz would come get them to do something. Or maybe they would stay at the dens. "Well. Do you think they'll have us do anything today?" Pravin wasn't the kind of wolf who enjoyed being cooped up.

Tessa watched him when he talked, and then looked over at the entrance when he mentioned whether they would be given things to do today. She frowned, tilting her head to the side slightly and thinking. She hadn't been given anything to do but recooperate since she arrived. Now that she was almost fully healed, she wondered if the pack would kick her out or let her stay. What was worse, she wasn't sure if she wanted to stay or leave. She was still sorting everything else out that had happened since her fall in the river. She looked back at Pravin, sighing softly. "Blitz usually gets up early, in fact, he's probably already up. We could go ask him, but I doubt he'll have anything for us to do but stay close to him or Inferno. Well, in your case. I bet he'll want me to stop by Molly's den." She said, looking at the entrance and then back at the male again.

Pravin nodded, more to himself, as he noted that Tessa was most likely right. He wouldn't have much of an option anyway, either stay at the dens or trail behind the alpha and beta like a sad prisoner of war. He was on probation, it very well could have been that way. But he knew now that Tessa didn't have the options either; she was as welcomed as he was. Pravin yawned, stretching out his tongue. "We should probably just wait then, if that's the case." He put his head on the cold ground, and just looked at Tessa, inviting her input. He was sure that Blitz would come in when he needed them.

Tessa nodded as he spoke. That was probably the best thing to do, just wait for Blitz to come and get them. Her eyes searched his face for a moment, but soon wandered off to explore the den they were in. When they had first entered, it had been too dim for her failling eyes to examine, but now light streamed in from the morning sun, illuminating how plain and simple it was. Obviously not meant to be used for very long, and obviously for those wolves in the pack lands that were not members. It wasn't a horrible place, comfortable enough, but still, not a homely place. Not comfortable or particularly welcoming.

Finally her eyes made their way back to Pravin, tilting her head to the side slightly. He appeared to be such a fierce and threatening wolf, his size making him look nearly as big as Blitz himself. Yet he headn't done a single thing (excluding the encounter with Chaos) that implied that he was aggressive or dangerous. Why was he on probation? She sighed softly, glancing toward the den entrance. Wasn't that answer obvious? Inferno. She figured Blitz had wanted to allow him in the lands, yet Inferno's constant doubt forced the alpha to choose his words carefully. But then again, would she have done any different?

Pravin saw Tessa nod, and took the time to finally look at her. The light shone into the den from the wake of daylight, and illuminated her red fur. Except it wasn't entirely red. The colour red was woven together with whites, and tans. It was a strange pattern to see on a wolf, but Pravin figured that she was okay with that. He then looked around her, at the light shining into the not-so-great den. He then looked back at Tessa, only to see her looking back, looking confused. He raised his muzzle off the cool ground and leaned his ears forward, "Yes?" He questioned.