Luna

Luna had just made a friend, but had to leave. Winter was her name. She had potential, and was a kind wolf. Now she was looking for a permanent home. The Alley was probably a good place to look. She let out a shrill howl, not low enough for humans to hear, just animals. Hopefully a wolf.

Trap & Aakasi

Luna's howl reached the ears of Aakasi and her nephew Trap. The two wolf-hybrids had been traveling through the allies to meet with their old allies, the Shadow Lurkers, but stopped to investigate this unknown caller. "Come this way, Aaki" Trap whispered to his alabaster aunt, and sprinted forward down a narrow alleyway in an effort to locate Luna. A little leery but not about to lose track of her nephew, Aakasi pressed forward and loped after the dark tan and brown canine.

Trap paused once to howl back before carrying on, slipping down a second alley and crossing over a street before entering a third. "Careful, Trap!" Aakasi called from behind him, having nearly gotten run down by a speeding car as she crossed the road. Picking up her pace, she closed the gap between her and Trap, and a few paces on, they had finally reached the wolfess who'd first howled out. Trap slowed and came to a stop a short distance away from Luna. He wagged his tail faintly and quirked his head to the side a little, "Hey, who are you?" Ever the friendly brute, Trap was the first to yip in a cheery voice.

Luna

Her eyes widened at the boldness of the brute. No, bold wasn't the right word. Not hostile--yes, that was it. "Well, my name is Luna. Is there a pack here? I would like to join." Her head lifted a bit and went to the side.

Trap & Aakasi

"Trap's the name." The brute responded in turn. He gave his tail more of a wave to show his good intentions, and before Aakasi could speak up and give her name, he was going on, "Actually there is, the Shadow Lurkers. My aunt Aaki and I-" He flicked one of his tall ears to the side, motioning at the mostly white hybrid that stood beside him. "-aren't part of that pack, but we're friends of there. We could introduce you, if you want?"

Trap

"That would be amazing! Thank you so much!" Luna wagged her tail. And then she nodded earnestly at both of the wolves. Then, calmer, she said, "I would like that very much." She nodded.

Trap & Aakasi

Trap smiled broadly, happy that he was able to help. Aakasi regarded the situation a bit more cautiously however, knowing full well that the Shadow Lurkers tended to be a bit wary about who they let into the pack. Still, since Trap had already offered his help, Aakasi kept quiet and allowed him to lead the way.

"Follow me, their main den isn't too far from here." Trap said as he turned back and started down the alley and towards the street, backtracking his way to the old building where the Shadow Lurkers stayed.

Luna

"I really appreciate this." Luna told them. She followed Trap to the Shadow Lurkers' territory.

Trap & Aakasi

"We don't even know her." Aakasi whispered uneasily to her nephew. He responded by shaking his dial and giving a nonchalant reply, "Chill, Aaki. She seems friendly enough, at least I think so." Aakasi didn't say anything more after that, and fell in line just behind Trap. It wasn't that she disliked Luna, but... she was wise enough to know that the Lurkers were cautious with anyone new in the rank.

Trap didn't seem bothered by it at all. In fact, he cheerfully turned his dark brown muzzle back and spoke to Luna, "If you don't mind all the noise of the city, I think you'll really like it here. There's always something interesting to see or do." And that was true. From the never-ending plethora of scents to investigate to all the curious sites and delicious human foods to search for, the Alleys was rarely a boring place.

Luna

"I think so, too. I've been looking around over here a lot." Luna replied calmly. She thought for a little bit, then asked Trap, "You don't need to answer this if you don't want to. But I was wondering, why don't you and Aaki join the Shadow Lurkers yourselves?" She stiffened a little, hoping for an answer.

Trap & Aakasi

As they padded along the litter-strewn alleys and past rows of dilapidated buildings, Aakasi fell back from her brother and took up a position a few paces behind Luna. That gave Luna more space to walk closer to Trap if she wanted, while the two talked. "Aaki is a member of the Silver Glades, a wolf pack that lives out in the wild lands. They're close allies of the Shadow Lurkers. As for me... well, I'm more of a loner, but I visit my family in the Silver Glades a lot."

Luna

"Oh." She said, keeping up with them. "Do you come over here often?" She asked him, moving just a little closer when Aakasi fell behind. Trap was interesting to her, she wanted to know more about him. Maybe she liked him, maybe she didn't. But he at least was helping her, not chasing her off like all of the rest.

Trap & Aakasi

Trap's bright yellow eye turned to Luna as he shook his head, "I actually don't come here too often, but I do like to see the city every once in a while." Compared to most of the strays and loner wolves he came across, he had to admire Luna's amiable nature and friendly personality. "How about you? Have you been around here long, or is this your first time in town?"

Luna

"Well, I've been here only a little bit." Luna said, seeing some dogs here and there. She ignored them, only tuning in to Trap, her eyes gleaming.

Trap & Aakasi

"This is going to be quite the experience for you then." Trap replied, "I'll tell you one thing, the food you find here is amazing! I don't know how the two-leggers do it, but the food they find tastes like nothing you'll catch out in the wild." Something mischief shown in his expression and he grinned a little at Luna, "I'll have to show you some of the best places to get two-legger food, sometime. I know all the best places."

Luna

"That sounds great!" Luna said enthusiastically, wagging her tail.

Trap & Aakasi

Trap wagged his dark brown tail too, "I bet you've never had icecream before, have you?"

Behind them, Aakasi rolled her eyes lightly at her cousin and what she thought was a bit of flirting on his part. She let it go though, figuring there was no harm in it.

Luna

"No, I haven't." She said.

Trap & Aakasi

"Then that means I'll definitely have to show you where to get some. It's a bit trickier than getting other human food, because it's... well, it's like snow, but much sweeter, and thicker. I'm not sure where they get it from even, but during the summer it melts very fast, so you have to be quick to steal it after they set it down." Trap explained with an ongoing grin, showing off his human-savvy ways.

"We're almost there." Behind them, the white-coated Aakasi yipped to get their attention. "See that building over there? That's the Aegis Den, where the pack resides." Her long muzzle was directed at an old factory building at the end of the block. The scent of wolves and dogs was very strong in the area.

Luna

"Thank you both so much." Luna said. "I really hope to see you again after I join the pack." Her tail wagged as she glanced at the two wolves, a light smile on her kissers.

Trap, Aakasi, & Honthale

"No problem, Luna. I'll probably be stopping back in a few days, and I can take you to find some ice cream." Trap suggested hopefully. Aakasi padded up to stand closer to him and Luna, where she nodded her white muzzle at the other fae, "You're welcome, and good luck in the pack."

Walking out of the Aegis Den was a large, dark brow and black brute that looked to be a mix of wolf, collie, and shepherd. This was Honthale, a sizable male who'd been a part of the pack for six years now, and often patrolled the area around the old factory to keep an eye out for enemies and potential dangers to his family and friends. It didn't take long before he spotted the three canines heading towards the Den and turned immediately to intercept them. Walking briskly, Honthale soon covered the distance between them and stood tall before Luna, Trap, and Aakasi. "Who are you?" Already knowing who the latter two were, Honthale directed this question to Luna.

Luna

Luna was starting to like Trap, and she tilted her head, smiling. "Yeah." She agreed. She wanted to see him again. Very, very soon.

The half wolf, quarter Siberian Husky, quarter German Shepherd dipped her head and wagged her tail softly, showing no harm. Luna had to admit, she was a little intimidated by the large brute, but she stood strong and replied, "Luna. I am here to join your pack." She looked back at Trap and Aakasi, then slowly turned her eyes back to him. "Now that I have introduced myself, may I ask who you are?" The wolf-dog sat down.

Trap, Aakasi, & Honthale

Oh, Trap already planned to return to the Alleys soon, and not just for ice cream. He hardly knew Luna, but he'd enjoyed their short talk today and found himself eager to get to know her better. "How about tomorrow, around this time?"

The light wag of Luna's tail and the polite way she dipped her head appeased Honthale. And she was just bold enough to earn respect from him as well, "Well met, Luna. My name is Honthale, son of Ankh and Snowy Owl." While the hybrid sat down, Honthale remained standing. "If you wish to join our pack, you must follow a set of rules, mostly regarding the humans. Have you much experience with the two-leggers?"

Luna

Luna felt strangely cheerful, a somewhat forceful tugging sensation at her chest as she turned her head to look at him. "Sounds fine. Just fine." Flitting her gaze back toward Honthale, she shook her head. "No, I tend to avoid them, and just get their scraps."

Trap, Aakasi, & Honthale

A brighter smile lifted Trap's expression when she agreed to the outing. He wanted to say more, but he offered her only that brightened smile before going quiet. Now that they were discussing her potential membership in the Shadow Haunters pack, he figured he'd best let her concentrated on what Honthale was saying.

The big doberman-mix nodded his head to Luna's words, "That is good. Living in human lands means we must not draw attention to ourselves from the two-leggers. We absolutely never attack them, unless it is in self-defense, and there is no way around it." That was perhaps one of their most important rules - after all, if they caused too much trouble in the city, the local animal control could put a quick end to their presence here in the Alleys and drive them out for good.

Luna

She nodded. Luna nearly had an encounter with a couple of them, but instantly ran. They sometimes intimidated her, no matter how much they lacked in hearing, sight, and sense of smell. They were much larger, clumsier, but more dangerous with their guns and how they had a pound, where dogs would....She shuddered at the thought.

Trap, Aakasi, & Honthale

The human issue didn't seem to be a problem with Luna, Honthale thought approvingly. With that settled, he moved right along to the next topic that would decided whether or not he lead her into the den, where she would meet the alphas of the pack. "Another thing that you must understand about this pack is our loyalty. Family is everything here, and once you are a part of our pack, you remain a part of the family forever, even if you choose to move on to a different pack. Should you eve break that trust, you will become an enemy to us."

Luna

Luna had to think about that rule for a moment. It was like when she was only a small puppy, where her family was everything to her. Of course, until her parents drove her out and promptly forgot her. Loyalty was important to her, so she replied, "Of course, I understand. It was like that when I was little, in a blood-family. We had to help each other, through thick and thin."

Trap, Aakasi, & Honthale

So far so good, Honthale thought. "If you're ready to follow those rules, come with me. I'll take you to our leaders." The wolf mix turned on his large brown paws and started to saunter back down the stretch of road that lead to the Aegis Den. On the way there, he looked over his shoulder at Luna and spoke to her again, "Our pack has many allies and many enemies in the Valley, which you will learn about in due time. The Ankhian Lurkers live out in the wild lands, and the Ranch Lurkers live directly with the humans; there aren't many of them, though. The Silver Glades is another wild pack we are good friends with. Have you heard of any of them?"

Luna

Luna felt excited as she followed Honthale. I'm going to join a pack! She thought. She looked back at Trap for a moment, then answered his question, "I've only heard of the Silver Glades."

Trap, Aakasi, & Honthale

"Ah well, you'll learn about the others soon enough. Now then, it's time for you to meet the alphas. Follow me, and mind your manners." Having covered all the important bases with Luna, the only thing left now was for her to meet Argolis and Dixie for the final judgement.

Though not a part of the pack, Trap was an ally of theirs, and so he invited himself along as Honthale led them to the old factory building.

Luna

Luna nodded, trotting lightly after them.