The Brother and the Emissary (Shoshana and Impala)

Impala


Impala’s orange-amber eyes located the dark brown pelt of one of the two new wolves from Dawnguard. Impala understood that the second wolf, an older one, was currently recovering from the journey. But the younger one, a green-eyed female, seemed unoccupied enough for Impala to meet her. She would be very new to Chandor right now, and Impala wanted to make her feel at home.

The silver she-wolf wagged her tail and trotted over with a friendly smile. “Hello, Shoshana correct?” Impala always tried to learn the names of the newcomers before she approached them. It was just more professional to show the new acquaintance that she had put in the effort to find out beforehand, a habit she had learned well from being an Emissary. Wolves almost never minded introducing themselves, but it often served to start on a positive note if she led with their name, as a small indication of the care she had put into the meeting, “my name is Impala. Welcome to Chandor.”

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Shoshana


It had been only a couple of days since their arrival to Chandor, and so far Shoshana's stay within the pack was pleasant and enjoyable; the territory was gorgeous, with lots of places to explore and see, filled with locations perfect for a peaceful walk to clear her mind. Currently, the juvenile sat under the mid day sun, enjoying the warmth it sent rippling through her pelt; her eyelids were drooped half way over her green eyes, drowsy from the wonderful sensation of the light.


But, a warm voice woke her up, small ears perking up in response to the stimuli; she gazed at the beautiful and kind-looking pale pelted female before her, before snapping to reality completely and actually replying. Her tail copied Impala's gently wagging behind her and lifting up some dust from the dirt beneath it.


"Oh hi! Yes, nice meeting you, Impala" she began with a warm smile, looking up into her yellow eyes "Thank you! It's a lovely pack, really" the she-wolf added, looking around as if to accentuate her words.

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Impala


Impala was encouraged at Shoshana’s kind reply. She wasn’t the most naturally friendly wolf, and she didn’t always make the best first impressions anymore, but after the ice was broken she found building good relationships easy. She already really liked Shoshana. “It is! Nadia runs it well,” Impala agreed, “So what brings you here? I have heard that you and your friend are from the new pack of Dawnguard?” she asked. If she were anything other than a Beta she wouldn’t ask the question out of tact. But she was a Cousin now, and one of Nadia’s closest advisors. She had to gather all the information she could. She hoped that whatever the situation was would not dampen Shoshana’s spirits to talk about.

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Shoshana


The question hit her right in the chest like a stone, and a slightly somber look covered her sweet features before she blinked it away; Impala shouldn't have to listen to her whine all day, nor did she deserve to sit around and wait for a reply.
So Shoshana swallowed some saliva to even out her voice before beginning, flicking an ear lightly.
"We, um, Dawnguard merged with Heyl; the union didn't seem to make the gods too happy" she began, doubting on how to explain and tell the series of events that had lead to their new life in Chandor "A herd of elk was found dead within the new territory with no apparent reason; Ivichi and I had a bad feeling about it, and we had both been searching for stability. And that wasn't precisely our conception of stability" a gentle laugh followed the last sentence, finding humour in the situation, smiling somewhat sheepishly "So we left and travelled for days until we ran into Alpha Nadia".


Shoshana fell into a light silence now that her tale was over, blinking her sanguine eyes at Impala, perking her ears again.

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Impala


Impala noticed Shoshana’s expression fall and she felt guilty, but at the same time it made her all the more anxious to know. Impala more than any wolf would know the importance of foreign affairs, and how interconnected different packs could be. A rabies epidemic that had started near Kausen had been responsible for Morrow’s disbandment all that time ago, after all. Keeping aware are your surroundings was so important.

Impala nodded as she explained. Heyl was also a young pack. Perhaps the two leaders were friends, and decided to share the burden of their new packs together. Though the next part was strange… “A whole herd…” Impala echoed, not questioningly, just surprised. That didn’t sound good. Especially not if it drove Shoshana and Ivichi away from their pack. She would have to bring it up to the Aunts and ask them to report elk numbers in the area when they went out to hunt. She refocused back on Shoshana and gave her a gentle smile, nodding in amused empathy as Shoshana explained that herds dying randomly was not her notion of stability. “Well, I can assure you that Chandor is very stable. We have been established for quite a long time, we have lands that provide us with plenty, and a pack that is compassionate, experienced, and respected. I believe this is a pack that you and Ivichi can come to love,” she said. She paused thoughtfully, reflecting on how it had now been over a year since she had moved to Chandor. She missed Kausen still, but this place was already her home.

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Shoshana


Shoshana watched Impala's gentle face show her an empathic smile that instantly drove her into swallowing down the anguish that her little summary of their late lives had brought; she grinned back, hoping to show the female she was okay and there was nothing to worry about.
Of course she wasn't precisely fine, but the juvenile would cope. So far, it indeed seemed like Chandor was a spectacular pack, just like the other she-wolf had briefly described; that filled her with genuine hope, and as it was usual, optimism shone in her deep green eyes.
"Yeah! I think so too" Shoshana began, her short tail wagging behind her person "Thank you for asking, Impala, that's very nice of you" came her gentle gratitude, peering up at the white-pelted wolf with her still puppy-ish eyes.

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Impala


Impala wagged her tail brightly, “Of course!” Impala couldn’t help but admire Shoshana, she had been through so much but still she was here and smiling. “So if you would ever like a tour anywhere, you just let me know and I am happy to show you around,” the female offered, “I am curious, too, if you know much about the different tasks you can pick from if you plan to stay here for a while,” Impala was always quick to introduce tasks to new members. She knew that the best way to get accustomed to a new place was to throw yourself into the pack life as soon as you could. It kept your mind off any sort of sadness that could be associated with the previous life as well.

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Shoshana


The juvenile happened to share the same beliefs as Impala, which was why Shoshana had searched for something to invert her time and thoughts to almost immediately; her question pulled a proud and bright smirk from her lips, looking up at the female as she replied.


"Thank you, I'll make sure to remember!" she barked enthusiastically, feeling her body quiver with excitement at the thought of exploring the new territory, which promised so many adventures and things to discover "Yes, I think I've picked a task already; Brother sounds fun!".

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Impala


Impala could not help but feel a wave of affection as Shoshana admitted she wanted the task of a Brother. A Brother was the Chandor equivalent of Emissary, which was Impala’s own very first task. She smiled broadly, “we’ll have to talk sometime. In my old pack, Kausen, I was the Beta Emissary, which is the equivalent of the Brothers in Chandor. I’d love to help you learn the tricks of the trade,” she said brightly. Impala felt a connection with Shoshana then, almost like she was a younger version of Impala herself. Impala had decided to go with the more local task of Cousin upon her move to Chandor, but to know that Shoshana was taking up the task encouraged her. She knew already, from her easy conversation and manners, that Shoshana would make an admirable Brother.