i got a reason behind me

ooc; since edith has recruited godbrand, please allow her to greet him first thank you!
@Edith @Célnes
 

He finally makes it to the Elk's Crown. It was a trek with little direction, remembering where Edith had come to and from two separate times. He merely follows the scents he associated with Elkshire, and had come to their border. Standing there now, he does not so much as tip-toe over. Bran raises his head and calls out for Edith, and anyone of rank to come. Considering the girl recruited him, it was just polite to include her here as well.

Though there is a chance he'd be alone in this. Which was acceptable; he could do this alone if possible. It felt odd to leave Greenwood after only a month, but he felt this was the right direction he needed to go in. Bran stood near the border now, lowering his skull and waiting. He rather hoped it'd not take long for someone to come and greet him. Even if he was not accepted into the pack in the end... He would rather an audience tell him this.

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”Godbrand,” Edith greeted smoothly as she arrived. She had dropped what she’d been doing as soon as she had heard his howl and had made quick work of making her way to him. ”I was beginning to wonder what you’d been up to.” Her heart pattered as she realized the divine intervention of this recruitment; that The High Elk had lead him to them.

”Praise The High Elk,” she said. ”I am glad that He lead you here and that you found us,” she looked the other wolf up and down, ”And that you seem to be in good health.” Surely The High Elk had kept Godbrand safe.

”Tell me—how did your conversation with your leader go?”

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A familiar face appeared, and not the queen he had heard of. Which was fine, considering she was a princess of Elkshire. "Edith" he rumbled a greeting, dipping his head "praise the High Elk" he repeated, which would probably be a motto by the time they were done with him "forgive me for my detour; I came with boons for Elkshire's cache." Though thankfully it was not a deer or any of those that the pack worshipped.

No, it was three or so rabbits. He pulled them closer from the side, allowing Edith to inspect - accept or deny included - their worthiness. The bodies were freshly caught, he made sure of that. "It is... rude to show up with nothing" he added quietly, recalling how he had woken up on Greenwood's border and unable to gift them anything "especially when an offer of a community was made." A change, a new beginning.

It did not surprise him to hear Edith ask about Greenwood. "Greenwood and Elkshire will remain on good terms" he responded "I was released from my previous pack. No venom attached" He hoped, but could not speak for all of them "I am free to join Elkshire."

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I give you permission to power play them to a nearby stream. The bend is lined with some stacked stones and the cache is in the base of a nearby oak tree.

---

Edith didn’t usually praise dilly dallying, but Godbrand had a good reason for doing so. ”You are forgiven,” she said, ”The High Elk was right to lead you to hunt before coming to us.” The rabbits were fresh, and she began to salivate as she stepped forward and began to inspect his bounty. They were healthy—with no signs of poison or anything else that may harm her or her pack—and they would make good meals for whoever came across them. ”I’m impressed,” she said.

He then revealed the details of his departure from Greenwood and revealed that there was no bad blood between him and his former leader. ”Thank The High Elk,” she breathed, feeling instant relief. ”He really is watching out for us—and we are lucky that you have come to us.” Edith had never felt so certain of anything; this man was blessed and he was meant to serve The High Elk. She just knew it.

”As Princess of this pack—I accept you into our ranks,” was it really her place to do so? Probably not—but it was something that she would see through with her mother. ”Please, come in, and I’ll introduce you to our lands. Don’t forget the rabbits.” She wouldn’t help carry the load.

”First, we’ll deposit those at a cache not too far away—its near some holy grounds that I’d like to introduce you to.”

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He was accepted. Bran felt the buzz of activity beyond the border, whether imagined or not. It certainly was more lively here, but almost whimsical and daresay spiritual. Edith inspected the prey he had brought, and he had a fleeting thought if she had the thought it'd be a piss poor bounty for Elkshire. He would not willingly drag a rotten corpse to a border, let alone a few of them. It would take too long, for one. Finding and picking the prey that was riddled with disease... Also just plain disgusting.

He'd risk himself becoming ill if that was his intention. Bran was not a madman. "I am thankful to be among Elkshire's ranks and to be glanced at by the High Elk. His guidance brought me here; it is up to me to do the rest" he bowed his head politely to the princess, his ally. Forget the rabbits? "after all the trouble I had catching them? I doubt this." He plucked them carefully from the ground, having not much trouble at all. It was an attempted joke. Edith knew he was an acceptable hunter already. Bran lifted his brows, indicating he had them in his grasp before they walked.

The woodlands were quite peaceful. He spies the cache easily, making note of the location and also the holy land that Edith mentioned. At the Oak Tree's base, the scent of food wafted toward him. A wordless glance is given to the princess and he deposited them if she gives permission to approach the cache. He backed off quietly after that. "There is more than one holy ground in the Elk's Crown?" He asked, wondering if the High Elk Himself blessed each one "I will have to ask for the story behind them, and their significance so I can recite them for others that wish to learn." But there was time for that.

Edith need not show him the entire keys of the kingdom in one day.

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He was hitting all the right marks, which pleased her immensely. 

"There is," Edith confirmed. She appreciated Godbrand's willingness not only to learn but to do so to teach others. "But, there aren't any stories associated with them," she said. "Holy land is any place where I feel close to Him—or at least that is how I've interpreted his messages. A good indication of whether or not an area is blessed is if you see an elk herd grazing nearby. The elk are His apostles and are closest to Him." Her gaze swept up toward the treetops; the light between the branches was warm despite the chilly day. "I feel close to him in this spot because this is where I pray most days. I usually sit on the shore and stack stones as I talk to Him." She motioned towards the shore. 

"Have you found any places like this?" Although she doubted it, as he had only recently converted, she wanted to see how much influence The High Elk had in his life.

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Hmm. 

"My mother's culture revered elk as well," Bran replied after Edith had spoken "they were considered the kings of the forest. They carried mystery and knowledge. To watch an elk pass you by with no aggression or fear was a sign of nature's blessing" It stopped at that. They were allowed to hunt and harvest. And they would then offer their thanks to the northern gods for a gracious bounty. He resisted telling the girl this, for it would anger her "I admit I felt a peaceful silence over any area that had deer or elk grazing in my travels. I recall a deep, suffocating forest... And then I saw an elk step out. The anxiety I held stopped as it looked at me. My travels were tranquil until I stepped out of that woodland."

The Viking kin would also capture elk and deer. They would convert them to meat; breed them, and then kill them for resources. Bran recalled a settlement with many deer in a pen. At the time he thought little of that, but now he grew uneasy. He had never personally hunted elk, but deer were another matter. His mother had been dwarven as well, so she spoke to metal and stone as well as been aware of the Viking gods on the surface. "I think" Bran ventured "being able to pray in solitude is sacred" A pause "the ability to be close to Him anywhere speaks of one's devotion. It need not be a blessed place, but a place important to you. He will find you there, surely. Your prayers would be clearer for Him." On one's own terms, worship was more potent than being forced.

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