Looking for a wolf pack

A small framed hooded figure heading along the path leading up the massive mountain as a blizzard blew out of control around her. She was freezing and surrounded in snow, but she didn't care. She had heard rumors throughout her home town of Cedar. One learns a lot when they sit quietly, unnoticed by the rest of the world. She had become accustomed to being ignored by the world. It was better than being bullied, to say the least.

"Are you sure coming here was a good idea, Rin? I mean, following a rumor, that might be just that, into a dangerous blizzard?" The voice in the storm came from a large wolf. Well, it wasn't a voice exactly. His words echoed directly into her mind. A message only for her to hear.

"It's the only lead we've got, Timber. Silver Wolf. It's our chance to finally belong somewhere." The girl responded out loud. She looked down at the wolf beside her. "Don't you want that for us? For me?"

"Well, yes. But..."

Suddenly the blizzard picked up speed. The intensity of the wind caused Timber's bluish-black and white fur to blow wildly. His eyes squinted, ears flat against his skull as he pushed against the storm. His companion, Rinni Faithe, pushed onward a few steps behind him. The wind blew her hood off her head unveiling her true appearance.

With her right hand, she pulled her cloak tightly around her form. Her left arm was held upward to shield her face from the cold air and snow. Her face had a small canine-like muzzle with a cute black nose. Her long black hair blew wildly behind her like a cape. Atop her head, black wolf ears with pale insides lay flat almost invisible in her hair. A black wolf tail trailed behind her blinking in and out of visibility as the wind covered and uncovered it again, her cloak blowing wildly.

"This is bad, Timber!" Rinni shouted over the wind. "I can't see anything! Wait... what's that!?"

Just ahead of them, glowing translucent wolves stood clear as day within the blizzard. Rinni remembered hearing something about wolves, spirits or something like that. They supposedly tested and guided friendly people to the guild. Rinni and Timber stopped and stood in stunned awe as the spirit studied them at a distance. Finally, the wolf-spirits howled and headed up the mountain range.

"Should we follow?"

"I... I think so."

Wolf and girl followed the spirits as they guided them toward a building surrounded yet untouched by the blizzard. That had to be it. Silver Wolf. They made it. Rinni drew her hood up over her head to hide her ears and face as she ran toward the building. Once outside the door, she swallowed and took a deep breath before entering the building.

The interior was breathtakingly beautiful. And it was surprisingly warm inside. All around were members talking or checking out the mission board. Now that she was here, she was terrified. What if they turn her away? What if they... see her? What if she makes a fool of herself?

Timber entered behind her and shook the snow out of his fur. Sensing her unease, the wolf nudged the palm of her hand with his nose. She looked down at him and stroked the wolf between his ears with a soft smile. Beneath her hood, only her lips were exposed. She kept her tail hidden under the cloak, her ears and muzzle concealed by the hoody. Most people saw her appearance as creepy. Others saw her as mysterious. Only time would tell what the members of Silver Wolf would think of her.

"H-hello? I... I heard I could join the Silver Wolf Guild here. I... I came a very long way... so I hope..." Her voice trailed off uncomfortably. She was trembling. She held her hands in front of her, visibly shaken. Timber calmly sat on his haunches by her side, watching any who pass or approach warily.

Wearing her green-and-gold outfit with Argent Gloves and Adaptable Armor, Leona was trying to get through the paperwork involved with hiring and paying Professor Rosetta and other guild paperwork like maintenance costs and the updating of the library's books. She heard a knock on her door and bade the person on the other side to enter. In stepped an older staff member who informed her that the guild had a visitor, a young woman who had traveled a long way and was looking to join Silver Wolf.

"Thanks. I'll go down to the foyer right away." Leona said to the staff member, who nodded and left the office. Leona set aside the paperwork and left all of her weapons in the room except for the knife in her boot. She was trying not to intimidate newcomers by greeting them with visible weapons. The power of her magic was weapon enough.

Leona walked down to the foyer and saw the newcomer. She spotted a young woman wearing a cloak. She had long black hair, wolf ears, a wolf tail, and a small wolf-like nose. At her side was a black wolf, but Leona was not worried about it because it did not adopt an aggressive stance towards her. Leona noticed that the young woman was nervous... it was a good thing that the blonde left her weapons in her office.

"Hi there. I'm Leona Jarnefeldt, the Guild Master of Silver Wolf. What can I do for you?" Leona asked, keeping a respectful distance from the young woman. She did not want to come on too strong and chase a potential new member away.

"Oh! Ummmm..." Rinni pulled the cloak tight against her body, attempting to hide her unusual ears, tail, and nose. It was her defense mechanism. Remain a secret so no one can hurt you. The 14-year-old wizard stayed close to her wolf. The wolf nudged her hand gently with his nose. She looked down at him and nodded as though he had spoken to her. Of course, the wolf hadn't said a word.

Rinni took a deep breath and tried to get out all she had to say in one sentence. "My name is Rinni Faithe and I've been on the road for at least two months trying to find the Silver Wolf guild and this is my friend Timber and we're really hungry and tired and I just want to join the guild!"

"Rin, calm down!" Timber looked up at her with concern as he spoke telepathically.

"I'm trying to, Tim. But I'm scared! You don't know what I've been through..."

"I know enough, Rinni. I'm right here. I won't let anyone harm you again. I promise."

Rinni shut her eyes and inhaled deeply. She then exhaled slowly and opened her eyes again. Still keeping her tail, ears and face hidden by the cloak and hood she looked up at the guild master that stood in front of her. Those silent private conversations between herself and Timber, that's what kept her going these days.

"Sorry. Could I... please... join...?"

Leona was taken aback by the sudden urgency of Rinni's request. She also learned that the black-haired girl had been traveling for two months in search of the guild and that the black wolf at her side was named Timber. Leona felt sympathy for the hapless Rinni and Timber because her own situation upon joining Silver Wolf was almost as desperate as Rinni's own, only without the starvation and exhaustion. The blonde had joined up after narrowly defeating Jacob Goodnight as a Guildless mage and meeting with Leila Vergious in a Hargeon Town tavern.

"You can join Silver Wolf, Rinni. We have plenty of room for new members." Leona assured the nervous Rinni that she was welcome to join the guild. Silver Wolf did not turn Leona away when she looked to join. The blonde would not turn away anyone unless they threatened to harm the guild.

Rinni was taken aback, surprised to be welcomed so quickly. She still wasn't comfortable with the idea of revealing she looked like a wolf, but she was grateful to the blonde haired woman for letting her in. In fact, she had to restrain herself from the sudden overwhelming urge to hug the guild master. Instead, she bowed as low as she could and Timber moved away from her in awkward embarrassment.

"I... I don't know what to say! Thank you! I've been... well, it's been hard. I... I'm not really great around people. But I'll try to make Silver Wolf proud."

As if it suddenly dawned on her, Rinni remembered seeing tattoos on wizards who were part of guilds. She stood upright and looked at her hand. She didn't want to remove her cloak or hood. So she instead held out her left hand for Leona to stamp the magical tattoo. She wasn't sure how this worked exactly, but she was tired of being homeless and unwanted. She would earn peoples respect and prove herself as a wizard.

Just as Leona and Rimmi were having their rather heartwarming exchange of conversation, the main entrance door behind the hooded girl swung open rather violently. And in the middle of them was a silver-haired young girl with completely scorched clothes, burns on her face and… a bit of flame still trying to consume those silver locks of hers. Not only that, but she was also breathing heavily as if she was exhausted. Despite that, her eyes quickly scanned the scene in front of her, as her determined look seemed to quickly drop into a disappointed one. “Oh…”

Simply letting out that single disappointed noises, Leila would straighten up her posture while closing the door behind her and putting out the fire on her hair. Even the burns on her skin started quickly disappearing, her body healing in mere seconds. Eyeing both of the girls in front of her, the ex-guild master sighed. “Pardon the rushed entrance… I was out and checking on the storm barrier as it grew a bit stronger these past few days. And while doing so, I saw this person who appeared to be in rather rough shape.”

Clearly suggesting that she saw Rimmi front distance as she was approaching the guild, Leila coughed into her hand. “But as I tried to get to her and help her out, the storm… ehm… let’s just say it was charged enough for lighting to happen and I was a convenient target. Hence why I’m a bit late… still, you’re awfully fast…” Directing that last part at Leona, it almost looked like Leila wanted to be the first person to greet this newcomer. But alas, that was not how things went down as nature itself clearly demanded differently.

Moving around Rimmi, Leila now looked completely normal aside from the damaged clothing, a smile adorning her face. “Greetings, I hope my entrance didn’t scare you too much there. My name is Leila Vergious and I’m the one who originally created this guild, as well as that blizzard barrier… sorry, it gave you so much trouble. But it’s necessary to keep evildoers from our doorstep. Here, take this to warm up!” Seemingly out of nothing, a rather large plant grew on top of the wooden floor. One which bore a bright orange fruit about as large as your average sports ball.

Plucking it and offering it to the hooded lass, Leila hoped to correct her awful first impression a bit. “It’s a lantern fruit, generates heat. Should warm you up right quick if you hold it against your body. You can also take a bite, tastes like pomegranate. Though I’d imagine you want a proper meal more, yes?” Ready to take her to the dining area, the goddess in disguise didn’t even seem to be bothered by following any kind of formal joining ceremony for the guild. After all, she made Silver Wolf be an open guild for anyone. And sheeply individuals like this required a friendly approach.

Both Rinni and Timber's ears twitched and perked upward in unison. Before either could react the door burst open causing the teen to jump 10 feet back from the sudden disturbance. Her hood fell off her head revealing her ears and a black wolf-like nose. The fur on her tail stood on ends as the tip of her tail peeked out from under her cloak. Timber's fur stood on ends as he too was startled. He bared his fangs and snarled at the intruder as Rinni cowered behind Leona trembling.

Normally, she wasn't this jumpy. But, she'd been on the road a long time wandering through forests and mountains to get here. And before that, she lived on the streets as a thief struggling to survive. She had very little human contact in the last few years, and what she did have involved pain. The fear of further abuse was almost overwhelming. But when the new person started to speak, both girl and wolf calmed and just stared at her as though she were an alien creature.

Her skin and clothes were burnt and her hair was on fire. She was casually brushing the flames out like it was nothing, and the burns on her skin were healing extraordinarily fast. Rin could tell this girl wasn't a regular wizard. She was a very powerful one. She knelt down next to Timber and stroked his back. He looked at Rin then back at the new girl and sat down quietly.

This new girl must be another member of Silver Wolf. She looked as though she may have been here quite a while, maybe back when it was first founded. She was obviously very powerful. Rinni felt quite intimidated being in the presence of these two women. When a plant sprouted from a wooden floor, Rin and Tim's eyes grew wide. The girl plucked the fruit and offered it to Rinni, who took it cautiously.

"She's got nature magic?" Timber silently questioned.

"I guess so..." Rinni responded out loud, which would look strange to anyone else as no one had said anything to warrant that response. She held the fruit to her chest and blushed as she realized she answered Timber out loud. "Oh, sorry! Timber asked if you used nature related magic..."

Rinni slowly sniffed at the fruit, and as the strange newcomer confirmed it safe to eat the teen took a nibble. Her ears twitched at the taste and she eagerly devoured the entire fruit in a matter of seconds. Afterward, she tossed the core aside and slowly stood up. She pulled her hood up over her ears and lowered her gaze, waiting for someone to call her a freak or monster.

"Th-thank you for the fruit. I'd be grateful for a meal, yes. Unless you'd rather I leave... I know I'm hideous to look at..." Timber growled in disagreement to Rinni's statement.

Leona listened to Rinni's conversation and saw that she had presented her left hand to be stamped with the guild tattoo. Then Leila came in with her clothes and hair smoldering, which alarmed the blonde more than a little because she had no idea how Leila ended up like that. Leona felt Rinni hiding behind her, which sort of reminded her of the time the former clung to Leila after perceiving that she was standing near a cliff and her acrophobia attacked.

"It's OK, Rinni. She won't harm you. She's Leila Vergious, the former Guild Master and one of Silver Wolf's most important mages. She's the one who recruited me into Silver Wolf many months ago." Leona said to Rinni, trying to help the nervous girl relax a little. Leona, Leila, and everyone else would have to be patient with Rinni because she was nervous and very sensitive about her appearance. The blonde turned to Leila and spoke to her.

"Hi Leila. I'm glad that you got through the storm barrier all right even if your clothes didn't. I was just speaking with Rinni and she'd like to join our guild." Leona said to the silver-haired mage who had just popped in. Leila produced a lantern fruit that provided both food and warmth, something that Rinni no doubt appreciated after the arduous trip to get here. Rinni was obviously hungry, so she decided to make an offer.

"If you'd like, I can give you your guild tattoo after you and Timber eat a full meal." Leona offered to Rinni.

As expected, the jumpy newcomer didn’t quite appreciate Leila’s sudden entry. But it seemed that things deescalated pretty swiftly. Leona also quickly informed the silver-haired maiden of the state of things and that this was indeed someone who wished to join the guild, making Leila clap her hands together with a smile. “Aha, a new addition to the pack is always welcome here!” She also tilted her head to the side slightly as she heard Rimmi say out loud few words that seemed to be either out of context or towards someone they could not see.

Except it turned out that they could see them. The moment this literal wolf girl explained who she was talking to, Leila herself would position herself in front of the wolf and squat down. “Oh my, good day to you as well! I assume you two have a telepathic bond? Hehe, I should Introduce you to Melon sometime soon, my own wolf companion. Though she’s a bit unusual for this land.” Getting back up, she let her gaze slide over the two once again before actually answering the question.

“And yes, you could say that I have nature magic. Though it is just a bit different. It’s a power called Gardens of Eden, allows me to draw magic from my Paradise realm which calls to Mother Earth herself.” It might have been an unnecessarily complicated description, as nature magic really described it almost perfectly anyway. But it was out there now, so the two of them could forge their own views and opinions on it. Though there was one slightly troublesome thing, what Rimmi had said at the very end.

Cupping her own chin with her pale-ish fingers, Leila stared at the new girl for few seconds before grinning and snapping her fingers. The moment she did, her physical form became shrouded in a visible magical energy as a white fluffy pair of wolf ears sprouted from her hair, as well as a wolf tail from her lower back. Even one of her eyes turned golden and radiating with some sort of ethereal aura. “It’s not quite like yourself, as you can see. But I can assure you that there are plenty of ‘unusual’ individuals here. And none of them are perceived as hideous. So you will not be seen like that either.”

Slowly moving close, Leila tried to take a gentle hold of Rimmi’s hand and start leading her toward the large dining area which served free food for the guild members and acted as a bit of a restaurant for those who were simply visiting for the hot spring. “And just so you know, I think you’re very pretty!”

The dark-haired wolf girl really appreciated the offer for food. She hadn't had a real meal in a long time.    When Leila squatted down and spoke to Timber the wolf let out a small bark-like noise in response to meeting her wolf one day. He hadn't seen another wolf in a long time. The closest thing he had to a pack right now was Rinni, and now Silver Wolf themselves. Leila explained her magic to the two of them, which both amazed and confused them. The wizarding world was still a fairly new thing for Rinni, who had only discovered her own magic recently.

"That's amazing! I only recently discovered my magic. It happened after I met Timber. I call it Dawn of the Wolf. It's a form of bonding magic." Rinni explained it the best she could. She still had a lot to learn about magic and a lot to learn about herself.

Leona had remained silent when Rinni expressed her self-consciousness. Leila, on the other hand, wasn't done surprising the girl. Right before her eyes, Leila had sprouted wolf ears, a tail, and even a different color eye. Rinni had never seen anything like it! Who or what was this woman? Both Rinni and Timber stared in bedazzled awe at the beautiful sight that stood before them. She wasn't that much different from Rinni after all. They were both part wolf and both had a wolf companion.

It took her a moment to realize Leila had grabbed her hand, and when she did Rinni flinched slightly. Timber licked her other hand, letting her know she was going to be okay. She allowed Leila to lead her to the dining hall and blushed when the older female called her pretty. No one had ever called her that before. She had been called a lot of things but... that was never one of them.
________________________________________________________________________________

Once the three girls and wolf were seated in the dining hall, Rinni felt secure enough to share a bit of her past with them. She explained how her parents were a normal couple in a normal town. And how her life was misery and pain from birth up until this moment. She stuffed her face with whatever fruits and meats she could grab, easily avoiding the veggies. Timber laid on the floor behind her gnawing on a bone with meat still attached.

"I've always been alone. My parents abandoned me when I was very small. The church beat me every time I did something wrong. Sometimes for no reason at all..." Her ears lowered as tears filled her eyes. "The only person who ever cared about me died. But before he did, he gave me a sword and taught me how to use it. Everyone that knew me back home... thought I was a monster. I never want to go back there again..."

Timber lifted his head and looked at the human he had bonded with. He let out a soft whine, ears drawn inward. After a moment or two, he went back to gnawing on his bone. Rinni returned to eating her meal and then looked toward Leila. "Oh." she said as if just remembering something important. "My name is Rinni Faithe. And, as scared as I am still, I look forward to meeting everyone here."

Leona listened to Rinni's story and watched her and Timber interact with Leila. Rinni was not accepted in her hometown and voiced a desire to never go back there again. Leona could not blame her for not wanting to go back to a place she was abused in and had so many bad memories of. The blonde would try to make Silver Wolf a place that Rinni would feel comfortable calling home.

"You don't have to go back if you don't want to, Rinni. Silver Wolf can be your new home. You'll be safe here because it doesn't matter what you look like." Leona assured Rinni. The guild was home to Inkormine and Song Talea and Yuvon Mu-Myu, three people who definitely did not have what could be considered "normal" appearances. They had found a place here and had become part of the Silver Wolf family.

She had also met other mages with different appearances like Akeya of West Fiore Trading Company and Arcadia Fairchilde of Fairy Tail. She was not sure if the wings on Arcadia's head were some kind of decoration or actual wings, but it did not matter. Leona knew that Arcadia was handy in a fight and that was all that mattered to the Silver Wolf Guild Master.

"I'm sure the other mages will welcome you too." Leona said to Rinni. Silver Wolf tended to welcome new arrivals with open arms, so the new arrival should be be able to find a place here without any problems.

Bonding magic. Powers based on a bond between a mage and another entity, often a live one. Though the girl would not be surprised if there were people who would pull off bond magic with some sort of magical golem that was actually not a living being. Still, it seemed to be more on the rare and new side of magic, Leila not having a whole lot of experience with it. Though she was certainly interested in reading about it later to figure things out. Perhaps she could even help this newcomer improve her powers later on.

Rimmi was a curious one, and now also a bit amusing to watch as she stuffed herself with whatever was offered to her safe for raw vegetables. Only the amusement of such show did not last very long. The wolf girl recounted her story thus far, bringing the guild master and Leila up to speed. It was not a pleasant story, that much was clear. Looking directly at Rimmi for a while, Leila wondered how to approach such a situation. It was a bit complex, as she obviously had a somewhat frail individual in front of her. But she certainly agreed with what Leona had said.

“It is true that you do not have to return to a place like. That. And Silver Wolf will be more than happy to provide for you, be your new family. However…” As she sat across the table, Leila leaned forward a bit and once again tried to gently take hold of Rimmi’s hands in hopes of not spooking her too much. “While you could live here till the end of your life, that is obviously not the best solution. You should be able to take care of yourself at least a little bit if you ever want to venture outside.”

There was definitely something special about this one. And it wasn’t just the appearance. “I might not look like it, nor do I particularly want to admit it myself… but I am among the stronger mages in Fiore. Having power is sometimes just required. And I think I could mot certainly teach you a thing or two if you would be interested.” Offering to take her under her wing, Leila also looked to the side at Leona to see how she was taking all of this. It was definitely a special case.

The black haired wolf girl looked at Leona, then at Leila. They were different from everyone else she met. They were so open-minded and accepting. She looked around the dining hall and saw all kinds of oddities among the members. For once, she wasn't an outcast. She actually found a place where she fit in. Maybe she did belong here. Once she had her fill of dinner Rinni Faithe leaned back in her seat satisfied.

At that moment she felt someone take her hands, gently as though trying to not startle her. Her ears and tail tip twitched ever so slightly as she looked across the table to see Leila studying her intently. This made the teen feel a bit awkward and in her embarrassment she blushed, her ears falling back against her head. The motion of her ears was barely visible under her hoody. The tip of her tail barely poked out from her cloak as she sat at the table.

"Teach me? Like...like an apprentice?" Rinni inquired. No one ever offered to train her in magic. To mentor her. She had that friend that trained her as a knight a couple years ago. But up until recently, she didn't even know she had magic. Maybe a mentor would be a good thing.

Timber lifted his head from his bone. I think you should accept."

Rinni turned and looked at Timber. They must have been speaking telepathically as neither said a word. "You do?"

It could be good for you, Rinni."

"Maybe you're right, Timber. A fresh start in a new place." Rinni looked at her guild master. She searched her face for any signs of doubt or approval. She then looked at Leila, the beauty of the guild who still had hold of her hands.

"I know I said earlier that I'm scared. But I think, if you were there with me, I'd be just fine. Thank you, Leila." Rinni smiled for the first time in a long time. She then turned toward Leona. "I'm ready to make it official, Leo-... I mean, Guild Mistress Leona."

"OK then. We'll make your guild membership official, Rinni." Leona said, removing her right Argent Glove in order to give the guild tattoo to the new member. Rinni had said that she had wanted the guild tattoo on the back of her left hand, so Leona held the palm of her right hand over the back of Rinni's left hand and used the spell to give her the guild mark.

After roughly thirty seconds the process was complete. With the giving of the tattoo, Rinni was now an official guild member. Now was the time to say a few words to make the addition of Rinni to the guild complete.

"Welcome to Silver Wolf, Rinni." Leona said to the newest member of the guild. With Leona in charge and with Leila as a mentor, Rinni was sure to find her place in Silver Wolf.