Times Have Changed

There was a border, and the scents around it were strong. Alessia had stopped in her tracks when she scented it. It made her wrinkle her nose and cough, but she had to stop and wait. If she had learned anything in her years of travel, it was to not cross scent borders put out by others. She had gotten into a few scuffles with different "packs" of animals because of border crossing. She didn't think this would be any different, but this was suppose to be her new home. She wasn't about to fuck up any chance she had in calling this place a home. She couldn't afford to loose the place before she was even accepted. Alessia was in her human form, dressed in a Jimmy Hendrix shirt, black jeans and boots, she didn't look like the normal werewolf. Her personality sure as hell wasn't normal for a werewolf. Alessia was a happy person, sometimes she showed it and other times she didn't. At this point, she was being very serious. She felt giddy, this being her first time actually entering a 'pack' of werewolves. She had met only few throughout her life as a werewolf, which was rare but this was her first chance at a life...not alone. With Alessia's trust issues, it had made it hard for her to actually find any place to stay or build a career for herself. Not that she wasn't smart, most of her time had been spent cooped up in a library just reading. Alessia had learned much while reading, and had found out she was smarter than what others saw her as. The last book Alessia had read was Moby Dick and it had been a good read. Alessia tapped her fingers against her jeans and closed her eyes for a few moments letting her thoughts slip back into a different time.

Being alone was not Alessia's first choice in anything, then again she would rather be alone and not hurt people. She had told herself that she wouldn't kill because she was still human..at least some part of her was. There was slightly more beast than human in her now but she still had some human strings attached. Alessia didn't need her thoughts wandering at this moment, but honestly she had nothing else better to do but wait for someone to find her. So instead of standing around the whole time, Alessia pulled her leather jacket around her and took a seat on the ground. The ground was hard and cold, but not wet. It wasn't the first time she had to sit against the cold hard ground, and she was sure it wouldn't be her last. Alessia had spent many nights alone, in the dark, on the hard cold ground not having a place to go. In all honesty, Alessia had never found a real place to call home. People she met, and hit it off with let her use their shower and crash at their place but Alessia had been a drifter. What changed her mind into becoming part of a pack? Well..it's kind of mystery even to Alessia. Something just flipped in her brain, something told her to find a place to be accepted. Maybe it was the chemical balance in her head just going screwy or maybe it was just because she needed others around her. What ever the hell it was, she was here now..ready for acceptance. Taking off her jacket and wadding it up she put it behind her head and closed her eyes to wait for someone to come find her. Alessia kept her senses open, and her ears alert. No one would be sneaking up on her if they tried. She wasn't going to let that happen to her. Alessia was already tense, anymore tension would probably cause her to turn. No need for that kind of b.s. at the moment. No one needs to get hurt. She thought.

This was certainly one of the coldest winters the she-wolf could recall within the last few decades. The winds were relentless and the snow extra thick in many places. With all her extra patrolling per her Alpha's request, she was fast becoming tired of the treks through the white landscape and finding nothing and nobody. Being as fit and trained as she was her endurance was not so much an issue, but it was tedious and aggravating to spend the time guarding her pack and for there to be no apparent threat nor fellows of her kin attempting acceptance. Surely she should be glad of there being no danger, but she wished that something would make her effort worthwhile, plus the pack really would benefit from more wolves. As time passed with no indication to warrant suspicion on Callista's behalf, she decided to take a short break. The large tanned female moved herself over to a spot beneath a large pine tree and used her strong forelegs to push aside the deep mound of snow there, clearing a patch for herself. There she curled herself up as small as possible and relaxed, her eyes still scanning around due to her protective instinct. A few minutes passed, the gales aggressively blowing her pelt into disarray but she did not concentrate on the chill nor the flurries quickly gathering on her messy fawn coat. For just a few moments she closed her eyes and shut everything out.

She was up on her feet in a flash, her mind and body ready as territorial barking brought her back to being on guard. Her Belgian Shepherd was there before her, barking and charging at her but stopping short of running into her, telling her it was urgent. With a flick of her head she told the dog to lead her on and followed close on her companion's tail as the dog turned and ran. Seeing that the dog was moving along the borders told her straight away that it was a new wolf, and the scent quickly confirmed that. Coming closer on her hind legs, the Beta telepathically told her canine to be quiet and heel, the two walking forward quietly. She took these few moments granted by the element of surprise to assess the other, a female who seemed to have already have made herself at home on the ground beside the pack's territory. It was no secret that Callista was not one for introductions or being friendly to others, particularly strangers, yet perhaps the cold had her subdued somewhat as she did not snarl at this woman. Instead Karma was doing all the growling, but she paid no attention to her mutt and purposely shook the snow from herself as a means to get the others complete attention, preferably not showering the girl too much. She addressed the other with a strictly authoritative tone. "I am Beta Callista. Madam who casually relaxes beside my home unannounced, care to stand and explain who you are and what you want from my pack?" She looked down to the loner, face as blank and stare as hard as the frosted ground beneath them.

The air was starting to become bitter, as nightfall began to slowly come over the land. She felt her head start to nod forward. She was starting to get tired, waiting for someone to show up at the edge of the border. Maybe it would of been a better idea for her to call for someone but what the hell was she suppose to do? Howl? Alessia scoffed at the thought and shook her head, then again she didn’t really know how werewolf packs worked. It would be interesting to see what would happen when a person came to the border. What would happen when they saw her...they probably wouldn’t be to happy. Her breath came out in a large white cloud above her head, and she turned her head up to the sky. Her eyes followed the white cloud until it was gone, and she sighed. The sky was beginning to turn dark, and she shivered. The thought of turning into her other form was tempting, especially since she needed the warmth. Breathing in the hard cold air, she let it out. She reached up and rubbed her frozen nose, snorting slightly as she tried to warm up her nose and then her hands. Why does it have to be so damn cold? She wondered, shivering at the cold air. It was getting darker as the time ticked by, but it didn’t bother her. It really didn’t bother her, the dark had never bothered her. Being on her own for many years had taught her not to be afraid. The darkness was comfort, and that was the one thing that had always made her feel safe. Closing her bright blue eyes, she shivered and relaxed.

The scent it what warned her, and Alessia had time to turn her body and look up. She was greeted by a large werewolf looking down at her. Alessia glanced over at a dog, and she rose a brow. She had never really seen a dog with a werewolf, but then again loyal companions were loyal companions. Alessia heard the growl in the beta’s voice and nodded her head. She stood up, licking her pale pink lips and looking the female up and down. This was interesting, she had never been approached by another werewolf while they were in their other form. It was very very..interesting. She spoke quietly. “My name is Alessia. I did not mean to be unannouced but finding your scent marker i decided to wait. I want to be apart of the pack that roams these lands.” She said her voice soft and full of brightness. She was a perky happy person, but she was being serious at the moment. She was a nice person when it came down to it, but she had another side to her that many didn’t see. She was a tough little wolf, and she would always show that side if need be. She would show this beta if she had to but she had feeling Callista would be..slightly reasonable? Maybe, at the moment she didn’t look to happy and neither did her dog. “Your dog is very pretty.” She said hoping she would get a chance to pet Karma.

Karma continued to grumble low in her throat while Callista didn't move her position, ears pressed forward and waiting for a response. It seemed as though she hadn't caught the fae off guard, just slightly by surprise. The wind was as harsh as ever further out from the heart of her home so she lowered from her hind legs and dropped onto all fours with a vibrating thud. Now the wind wasn't breaking on her tall figure as much. There was a moment where the two eyed each other with regards to just meeting each other and being in opposite body forms. It was a curious situation but neither female was particularly flabbergasted by what they saw in any way. All Callista could reasonably judge was that the other was respectful, which was pleasing. When the female finally spoke up, her voice was soft and quiet but the Beta could pick out what she said with her excellent predator's hearing. For a few seconds she stared at the other and noticed that she seemed to be rather cold, perhaps she wasn't used to this climate, it was exceptionally cold this winter after all, but if she would just shift into her primal form the freezing temperatures would not be an issue. However, the beast remained silent about that recommendation and wondered if the female had enough sense to know how to handle herself and her shifting. She wouldn't help a stranger so easily anyhow, as well as using this as a slight test to see how much she knew about her forms and if the cold really bothered her, perhaps it did not affect her enough for her to need to shift. Maybe she was more resilient than her gentle attitude suggested.

"Greetings then, Alessia. I understand you made only a small error out of politeness, but I suggest to you that should you find yourself seeking other packs in future, it would be best to howl to let them know you're there. Otherwise you're more likely to get this reaction." She said with the same tone as before, glancing to her growling canine companion to indicate the reaction she spoke of. With that said she shifted on her large paws, the snow biting at her pads and crunching under her weight. She was less pressing now that she knew who it was at the border, a seemingly innocent woman but who also seemed fit and healthy. "Leave it." She snapped at her dog, who continued to grumble until Callista bared her teeth, then she immediately stopped her aggressive protests to Alessia's presence and stood down from being dominant. "Yeah she's a fine dog, but she is very forward and has a high drive to work and protect. Don't worry though, she knows she's off duty now." Callista hinted that it was okay to pet the dog now, since she assumed that was what Alessia wanted. She stared indifferently as Karma padded forward to the other fae and sniffed all over her clothing. The dog could be a bit touchy about being petted by strangers but so long as they moved slowly and surely they would be okay. "Alessia, I have to determine where you will fit in here. This pack is ruled by Alpha Lucian, the first werewolf created. There are high standards but we look out for each other. What skills do you have that would benefit you in the position you best fit? Also, how long have you been of this race and have you been in a pack before?" The she-wolf questioned, wanting to know what kind of wolf she was talking to and how suitable she was. More questions gave less room for the unknown and more room to see if Alessia would be good for the pack or could be moulded to be useful.