bit of a twist; open - joining

[rhosmari]

Oh man, how long had he been walking and searching? It seemed like days to him but really it had only been a few hours. Yet with his panicking he felt like he had been separated from Hircine for so much longer than that. His brother was going to kill him when he actually was able to find him and frankly he deserve a good cuff over the head for it. "Stay close he said. No problem I said. Now look what happened, I can't even follow simple instructions." But still he hadn't meant to wander off too far and when he looked around Hircine was gone and he was completely and utterly lost. For a bit there he had just sat down where he was and began to caterwaul to the sky hoping that his brother would find him. But no luck there so instead he began to do his own searching. Yet it never  occurred to him that the more he went looking the farther away he was getting. Again, just rotten luck. The large feline would pause with one paw raised in the air like a pointer dog and ears pulled forward. His small bag shook gently from around his neck as he looked this way and that. This forest he was in was strange, odd twisting roots and he swore that he heard someone follow9ng him earlier. Maybe it was his imagination but this forest gave him quite the willies just from standing still in it. So he pushed onward starting to become unnerved a bit. "Just,..Just keep moving forward. Don't look back...nothing back there. You are totally imagining things, Dovah." Not like there were creepy monsters lurking around in the dark of night. No. Impossible.

A sound cracking behind him made his weak will crack and he started sprinting through the brush, sharply pushing against anything that caught his fur. The vitiligo marked individual didn't waste much time getting through that forest and as soon as he was out he tumbled across the ground, thrashing his paws in the air. Gasping he would lift his head up and his odd colored eyes like a new sunrise would widen upon what he saw. A place! He was at a place! Whatever place that was has he swallowed thickly before pushing himself to his paws. Maybe he could barter for safe haven? Would they take one of his really valuable items? Dropping his bac to the ground he began to shuffle through it before pulling out a smooth stone and a stork feather. Very value to him and he sniffed the air, picking up fresh scents. He had to make this work till Hircine found him and kicked his butt for not paying attention.

[sup]template made by tikki[/sup]

[RHINESTONE.]

LEADER ❝ RHINE ❞ PALMCLAN

Rhinestone knew a thing or two about losing a brother, although his situation hadn't been quite the same. After all, Toadwhisker had gone off all on his own, into the great unknown because he felt as though he needed to. He had been lost to Rhine, yes, but he hadn't exactly been lost himself – although some would argue that Toad had lost himself the moment he walked away from Palmclan. Either way, the leader of Palmclan would be able to understand Dovah's situation better than most, especially since he had practically taken in an entire litter at this point that had lost their guardians. Part of him felt a little worried about how many unattended children or younger apprentices ended up on their border, but he supposed it wasn't all that bad. He would rather have them within Palmclan's camp and boardwalk, where they could remain safe, rather than out in the wilderness, all by their lonesome.

The rust red feline had been on his way towards the border when he ended up stumbling upon Dovah, briefly surprised by the other's appearance. It had been pretty out of the ordinary, watching someone come bolting out of the trees of the Twisted Forest like their tail was on fire. Not that Rhine really had any room to speak, considering the sprawling landscape of trees still terrified him, even in his older age and advanced position within the group. Rhinestonestar allowed Dovah a couple of minutes to collect himself, watching as the other feline began to dig around in the bag that he had brought with him. The tom found himself chuckling when he saw what the other pulled free, not entirely surprised by the bag's contents. It wasn't unusual for members of the group to collect things, even if the stork feather that Dovah had brought out was hardly common to these parts. Once he thought the other had calmed down a bit, Rhine drew closer, clearing his throat and speaking with a flick of his tail, "Hello there. My name is Rhinestonestar. Although, you can call me Rhine, if you'd rather do that." he kept his introduction short and simple as always, giving Dovah a moment to process.

Once he thought the other knew who he was, Rhinestone continued on, "This territory that you're on right now is the territory of Palmclan, the group I lead. Do you need some help? Because we can offer you shelter, if you do." He thought about asking for Dovah's name as well, but held back for now. The poor thing already seemed a bit confused, and he had just seemingly recovered from outright panic – he could use a moment to catch his bearings.

NEVER OPENED MYSELF THIS WAY
LIFE IS OURS, WE LIVE IT OUR WAY

— Reggan

[rhosmari]

He didn't want to be the source of more problems for his brother and he knew that he caused a lot of issue. From having to be rescued to having his brother feed him because he couldn't catch anything on his own. Hircine was taking care of a literal man child and he had no excuses. Sighing softly he just hoped that this worked and he shuffled his paws a little bit, pressing his paw into his bag and pulling out a bit of chamomile to chew on. It always helped him with his nerves when he started thinking too much. Jaws parting he was about to plop it in when sudden a voice sounded out and scared his fur into a puff. Dovah dropped the chamomile in his startle and turned sharply to look at the rust colored tom with his sunrise eyes. Oh, oh. Just breathe Dovah, things will be fine. He hoped they would be fine and he quickly decided to go got the apologizing route. "I'm sorry, like really sorry!" It took him a moment to realize that they guy wasn't trying to clobber him and was in fact giving his name as a means of introducing. For a moment he fumbled with picking up the chamomile in his paws. Eyes still partially wide but more with wonder now. Oh, right, he should at least give his name. That was common courtesy. "Oh, yeah, right. Nice to meet you, Rhinestonestar. Pretty name you have there. What's a rhinestonestar? My name's Dovah, I was supposed to have been named after dragons but I don't think mom was correct, hehe. I mean, I've never seen one and kinda don't think they exist." He rambled on as he watched the other, quietly stuffing his maw with the chamomile he had dropped earlier to chew on almost thoughtfully.

Besides he didn't want to be rude as he was talking again and his ears perked up with delight. Whatever a Palmclan was he could get shelter here. He could not die. Finally! But he also understood that this guy was the leader, he was told. He curled his tail a little bit because his mother had taught him manners. Respect to those that were higher was necessary and he beamed a smile brightly. "Shelter, yeah that is what I need! I can barter for it. I have this stork feather and this smooth stone and maybe this can get me a few days here? I'm trying to wait for my brother to find me. We got separated. But you, sir, you lead here so would it be alright with this trade?" He lowered his head and nudged the large feather and stone over to the leader, highly proud of his fine wares that he had collected on the way here. Hopefully Hircine was right on his trail and he didn't get eaten by anything. The wilds were a dangerous place and he just wanted to collect items and barter with them, maybe even sell them for things.

[sup]template made by tikki[/sup]

[number nine.]

It was hardly unusual for Number Nine to end up spotting new people while he was flying over the territory that Palmclan inhabited. He had made a sort of habit of soaring through the skies high above, taking in the sights and enjoying the breeze in his fur as he kept an eye out for any potential joiners. This time, however, he wasn't the first one to spot the newcomer within their territory. That honor went to Rhinestone, and that was enough to intrigue Nine into drifting downwards, dual set of white wings spread out as the jaguar eventually landed against the soft ground. He was about to nudge his shoulder against Rhine's in a friendly greeting, but he quickly halted, realizing that such an action would probably lead to a disaster. The size difference between the two of them was pretty considerable, and Number Nine wasn't exactly in the business of embarrassing their leader in front of a stranger. So, instead, he just chuckled and smiled, flicking his long tail against the smaller feline's back in a silent greeting.

Once Rhinestone was aware of his presence, Number Nine turned his gaze towards Dovah, looking the other over curiously. He sure did seem like a bit of an airhead, but that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Even without book smarts – or even street smarts, in this case – it was impossible not to like someone who was kind, and Dovah seemed kind, at least from first impressions. Letting his wings settle back down against his spine, the large feline let out a friendly chuff before speaking to the younger male, "Hey there, Dovah. Sorry you got yourself lost and ended up all th'way out here, but at least we're friendly. I'm not as important as this guy 'round here, but I am a warrior. My name's Number Nine. And before y'ask – I know it's a pretty unusual name. I think that Dovah is much cooler, honestly." Nine considered telling Dovah that he had seen quite a few dragons of his own throughout his life, but he decided to hold off for now. He didn't wanna blow the guy's mind, especially when it was obvious he was already pretty lost. Besides, it had been quite a while since Number Nine had seen a dragon – had he even seen one in this world?

Shaking that off for now, Nine then turned his green gaze towards Rhine, smirking and rumbling to the younger leader, "I think we should let the poor guy in, boss man. His offerings are good enough for me, and I don't think he'll cause much trouble. Vaas and I could probably throw him straight across the sea if he even tried." Nine's words slipped easily forth from his muzzle, and he silently hoped that he wasn't scaring Dovah with them. He had no actual intention of throwing Dovah, or even intimidating him, he just wanted Rhine to know there was nothing to worry about.

HELLBENT ON MAKING YOU LOVE ME TOO

[RHINESTONE.]

LEADER ❝ RHINE ❞ PALMCLAN

Dovah. It was an interesting name, for someone who would evidently turn out to be quite the interesting kid. Or childish adult, rather. The apologies that spilled forth from the other's mouth cause Rhine to temporarily step back, caught off guard by how frantically remorseful the other seemed to be. The leader let out a slightly awkward chuckle, shaking his head from side to side before he explained, "Don't worry, it's alright. We're used to strangers wandering around here, and we're not gonna have any issue, provided you're friendly." Dovah didn't exactly seem like the type to go spoiling for a fight, so Rhinestone didn't expect him to be the mean type. As it turned out, he was extremely right, considering that the male launched right into introducing himself, next.

Smiling calmly as Dovah began to settle, Rhinestone shook his head from side to side before explaining, "Er, I don't believe there is such a thing as a Rhinestonestar, besides myself. Although a Rhinestone is a type of gemstone. My parents told me that they called me that because of my eyes, since they reflect all sorts of different colors. My warrior name was even Rhinestoneeyes, before I took over as leader." The tom then trailed off for a moment, evidently caught up in his own reminiscing, before his pelt grew hot with embarrassment. He quickly turned his attention back to Dovah, saying with a hum, "As for your name... well, I think your mother may have been right. After all, one of our allies has a dragon as their leader. Their name is Bai Shi." Bai Shi could be more than just a dragon, as Rhine had seen in the past, but the dragon form left the most lasting impression.

Number Nine's approach caused Rhinestonestar to halt in his speech momentarily, looking towards the jaguar and greeting him with a dip of his head. The other immediately launched into his usual friendly banter, causing the rust red feline to shake his head from side to side. Before long, the leader realized that he had gotten so distracted that he hadn't heard what Dovah was offering him. Turning back towards the other, he looked down at what the other feline had offered him, seemingly thinking it over. It took only a moment before he was frantically shaking his head, saying with a sharp-toothed smile, "Oh, my... Dovah, you don't need to give us these. We'll be more than happy to provide you with shelter, free of charge. The most we might ask of you is for a little bit of work, like hunting or patrolling. Nothing serious." He didn't want to take anything from the poor lost loner, especially since it seemed as though he valued those objects quite highly. It wouldn't have been fair to take them anyways, considering Palmclan had let others in permanently for no kind of price before. Nine's words rang through Rhine's mind for another moment before he snickered, reiterating, "Number Nine is right... I doubt you'd be able to cause any trouble around here anyways. You are free to join us, even if it is just temporarily until your brother gets here." The tom then flicked his tail back towards Palmclan's camp, as if silently offering Dovah a guide back towards their home.

NEVER OPENED MYSELF THIS WAY
LIFE IS OURS, WE LIVE IT OUR WAY

— Reggan