A Stranger Arrives (Open)

A thick-furred feline padded through the snow, her tail dragging across its surface. Lucrais's blue eyes were downcast as she moved through the snow. She was exhausted, and her paws were numb from travelling for so long. The mountains were far into the distance by now. '... The mountains...' she thought, her head lowering. Somewhere in those mountains, her mother & father along with her former mate and cub were buried under snow. She didn't give a damn about the rest of her pack; she never really cared about them anyways. But her family... all dead.
At least the new area she had trekked into had a better prey supply. She used to be underweight and bony; now she had regained most of the weight and strength she had before the prey went scarce. She could easily tell that there were probably packs of animals here; maybe wolves, or tigers, or the likes. Lucrais had never actually seen any of the two; she had lived in the high mountains all her life. Only the elders knew what wolves and tigers looked like. She tried her best to envision them, but wolves were hard to visualize. Tigers... not so much. She figured they looked like giant, orange and striped snow leopards, except less cool looking.
The she-leopard then stopped once she scented a rather odd aroma. '... This is the border, hm?' Lucrais mused, sniffing the air. She tilted her head with curiosity. She had been told of the pack that lived here; they were fierce, ferocious wolves and big cats, who looked down on the weak and showed no mercy. 'My kinda pack,' she thought, smirking.

(Sorry for the late reply! I've been lacking muse lately.)

Lucrais lifted her head when she smelled an unfamiliar, strange scent. Her icy eyes flicked through the thicket, trying to find its source. Only soon after, a strange brutish creature emerged. The snow leopard's ears flicked; this must be a wolf. She was surprised to see how large he was. She figured they were only just larger than herself. Maybe it was just this wolf as well; perhaps he was the leader of the pack. He had the sort of stature and gait of a leader - proud and swaggering. Everything about him spoke of dominance. Bowing her head in respect, Lucrais's long tail wrapped neatly around her paws. Though she treated those she believed to be lowly like trash, she regarded most leaders with respect. This male certainly seemed powerful and strong, undoubtedly deserving respect. When she lifted her head, Lucrais had a calm, relaxed expression. "My name is Lucrais.... You are the alpha of this pack, am I correct?" she purred, tilting her head. She could also tell from the wink and the charming grin that he was a flirt. Perhaps he used his charm as a sort of strategy, like she did. 'I can respect that,' the she-leopard thought, her icy eyes glistening.

Nero watched the leopard carefully, studying her with a predators gaze. At her question the black male gave a wicked smile that showed his teeth, teeth designed for tearing flesh. "I guess formalities are to be exchanged, hmm? I am Alpha Nero of the Sardothien pack. What are you here for, Lucrias?" The alpha introduced himself before continuing with a question. What was she doing at the border of his territory and not calling out to someone of authority? However, the brute didn't question. It wasn't his buisness, long as she respected him and obeyed his laws and ways was perfectly fine with him. The brute yawned before sitting down and speaking, "I'm assuming you are here because you wish to join my ranks and I? If so what rank do you want?" Nero grumbled out, wanting to get this meet and greet done and over with.

Lucrais licked one of her large paws calmly, her icy eyes fixed on the large wolf in front of her. 'Nero, hmm...? That's an odd name...' she mused. Of course, Lucrais had never really left her mountains. All names were foreign, at this point. She kept an even gaze on the male, setting her paw down at his assumption. "That is correct," she yawned with a slight nod. She paused for a moment, thinking over what rank she'd prefer. In her old Clan, there weren't many ranks; just the high-ups had an official 'rank', like the elders, queens, deltas, betas, and alphas. Anyone who wasn't a higher-up would hunt, fight, patrol the territory, and take care of the young. Flattening her ears, the feline then mewed, "My old Clan didn't have 'ranks' per se, so I'm not sure whether or not yours are too specific. All I can say is that fighting and spying are my areas of expertise. I could partake in battles and skirmishes, and fight to defend your pack- or, I could deceive your enemies and gather their information before relaying it back to you..." The snow leopard then paused, tilting her head. She proceeded to purr, "Perhaps you could decide for me... You are the alpha of this pack. Your opinion trumps mine."

Nero watched the leopard as she licked her paw before setting it down and reply to his question. "So, in other words, you are looking for a position as a Scout or Warrior? Tricky since you don't look like you could handle a fight on your own nor a very good scout. You would stick out way too much and be killed for it. Though I don't think Alphess Raina could do it - kill you. She's too soft," A sneer grew on Nero's lips, one of disgust towards the young alphess. The black male got up and crossed the border to start circling the leopard. Studying her to see what rank would suit her best. After a few munites the wolf stopped and stood in front of Lucrias. "I don't know who you are nor your talents so until I do you'll become a warrior of my pack. Welcome, Warrior Lucrias." Nero said has he watched for a reaction.

Lucrais kept her eyes fixed on the large wolf, evidently quite wary. At his critique, her ears flattened. She always thought she was a great fighter and scout - then again, this was a different environment, full of different creatures. Sure, she was at the top of the pyramid while in the mountains, but it seemed that other animals held dominance here. 'I'm sure I could handle a fight with a wolf or whatever other animals live here...' she thought, flexing her long, sharp claws. After Nero had decided what rank would suit her best, the she-leopard nodded somewhat to herself. 'So long as I get to fight, I'm satisfied,' she mused. Lucrais dipped her head to the male, purring, "Thank you, Alpha. I am honored to join." However, she was slightly anxious; this was a completely different environment from what she knew. Her pelt wasn't designed to hide her in this land; it was colored so she'd effectively blend into rocks and snow. Not to mention, there were different animals here. Many of them were probably larger than her. Sure, Lucrais had a lean, stocky build, with sharp claws and teeth, but there could be bigger, fiercer animals. '... Hmph, there's no need to worry. I'll be fine. I've survived many hardships up until now. I am strong!' she told herself, her icy eyes glistening with determination.

(You may begin to roleplay in Sardothiens territory's)