Northstar Vale look at me now

joining thread aw :) @Rannoch

She doesn't know if this is the right decision or not. Truthfully, she hasn't thought, for a long time, whether her decisions were right or wrong — mostly, she'd just gone with feeling. If she felt it was right, she went for it. Okay, admittedly, a fair amount of thinking also went into her decisions, but the decisions themselves were created based on her emotions. This time, however, it was based on logic. Genie had never been part of a pack that wasn't her natal pack, but she knew that maybe she should join one for the timebeing, get to know the workings of a pack. If she didn't like it, she could always leave. Right?

She stood a respectable distance from the borders and gazed anxiously at the packlands. Genie bit her lip, turned around to leave, then turned back around and stared. The muscles beneath her chocolate coat were tense, and the anxious flickering of her gaze betrayed what she felt. Before Genie lost her nerve, however, she tilted her head back and called for the leaders of the pack.

!!!!! I am SO excited that you're here!

Heeding the call of the voice that the Alpha did not recognize, Rannoch abandoned the antler that he had been gnawing on in his boredom. Thus far, it had been a particularly dull day, though Rannoch wasn't complaining about this; he savored these instances as he knew that they were a rarity. But now that he had something to do, the yearling raced off to the borders excitedly as he curiously wondered who awaited him. 

Rannoch had truly arrived at the scene one he breached his limits of the packland and entered the unclaimed portion of the Vale. "Hello," he greeted once he paused at a respectable distance. Though he had an inkling of why he had been summoned, the Alpha was not outright about these assumptions. Instead, he would allow his guest to explain herself. "My name is Rannoch Frostfur, and I am the Alpha of this Vale," he observed her as he spoke, noting silently that she seemed to be in good health and well fed. "How can I help you today?" 

!!!!! ;)

She paced nervously by the edge, though when she saw in the far distance, a silhouette of a wolf, she stopped immediately and stood, still as a rock. Then, as the figure drew closer and closer, Genie began to panick internally. Shit. What was she supposed to do? No one had ever really told her how to do this. No, she didn't need to be told how to do this. She could do this. She was a wolf, for god's sake. This was in her nature. Right? Her posture shifted into one of submission, tail swinging low by shadowy ankles, chocolate crown lowered as she nervously anticipated the arrival of the wolf.

Nervousness crawled up the length of her spine, sparking a chill on her neck. Genie knew that she was overreacting just a bit, but there was no one around to judge, and even if there was, she really couldn't care less. She just needed to get through this in one piece. That should be easy enough. She steeled herself, adopting a facade of quiet confidence. Her posture remained respectful and submissive, but she was not trembling or generally making a fool of herself.

The wolf was huge. Burly and robust, with a pelt of dark gray fading into a gentle cream on his undersides and beautiful turquoise eyes. She loved pretty eyes, and if she wasn't so nervous, she'd probably have stared a bit longer — not that she did stare at the bear of a wolf, but, figuratively speaking. 

The bear had a name. Rannoch Frostfur. Alpha. Genie thought he looked pretty young, possibly the same age as her, and yet, he was the Alpha. That was pretty cool, she had to admit. 

"My name is Genie Korwulyn," she spoke, her voice soft and smooth and thankfully, without a stutter.  She praised herself silently. "And I seek to join your pack." 

In their short exchange, Rannoch was able to confirm that his inkling had been correct. With this fact known, Rannoch took more care in his observation of Genie in an attempt to see if she'd be a good fit or not. His first impression of her was positive. She seemed capable, confident, and overall appeared to be in good health. Rannoch needed wolves like this to help carry the Vale through their first Winter, and thus far he found no reason not to accept her. 

He smiled, seeking her honey-colored eyes. "It's nice to meet you, Genie Korwulyn," he rumbled, slowing his words as he attempted to mimic the manner in which she had said her last name. It was a mouthful, but Rannoch did an okay job of doing this. Not dwelling on this, as he would be more accustomed to her name, Rannoch went on to the more important topic: the recruitment. 

"We have room for another within the Vale," he verified with a nod. "What skills do you possess that could help contribute to the pack?" It was an easy question, honestly, as Rannoch needed all the help that he could get. He was relatively easygoing in his accepting of new members, and thus far, Genie was doing a stellar job or proving herself to him.

A hesitant smile graced her lips when Rannoch said her name. It was a bit complicated, Genie would admit, but it held a certain elegance to it that she herself did not possess, and as someone who wanted to become a creature of beauty and elegance, not the awkward girl she was right now, she held onto her name stiffly, even though it brought her more bad memories than good.

Genie perked up considerably when it appeared that she had a chance of joining this pack. Rannoch seemed like a good guy, young, but a good guy, a nice guy. She decided that he would probably be a good Alpha, but only time spent as a pack member of the Vale would show if her hypothesis was true. She wanted to be part of this pack. A spark of determination rushed through her and she swiped a tongue over her lips thoughtfully, wondering how would be the best way to answer the bear's question.

"I am an aspiring medic," she began, listing her main skill easily. "I'm a good hunter, I can fight if needed, and I'm also an astronomer." Fearing that it wasn't enough, Genie quickly added, "And if you need anything else, I can always learn."

She was everything that he could have sought out in a potential recruit. It was as if a gift had been left for him at his borders; neatly tucked up in an earth-colored package and tied with a honey-colored bow. "We actually are in need of a medic," he replied, trying his best not to sound too eager about it. Ever since Rose's unexpected disappearance, there was a lack of medical expertise in the Vale. Rannoch knew he would sleep easier having a professional within their ranks again. 

In an attempt to not get too far ahead of himself, he reclined onto his hindquarters, and once he sat, he invited her to do that same. "Do you have any questions for me before we continue?" he asked, wondering if anything had come up that she needed to know before joining.

They were in need of a medic. Genie tried not to let her excitement show through her facade of cool indifference — the only indication that she was feeling anything in particular was the shy smile that suddenly graced her lips, and the little twinkle in those bright amber eyes. She shifted her weight between her paws, taking his relative silence as a good thing and waited.

At Rannoch's question, Genie shook her head. "I don't have any questions in particular," she said, after a moment of silence. "Just..this pack...functions like a traditional pack, right?" The chocolate wraith knew of packs which deviated from the norm — some were packs of soldiers and warriors, others where scholars, some worshipped gods. Most remained strictly 'normal', whatever that was, and Genie honestly wasn't picky about packs, but if there was anything special about the way the Vale functioned, she thought she should know.

That is, if she managed to join.

If she accepts I'll add you to the ranks next time you're on! Feel free to post in the forum as a pack member, too! <3

Not to Rannoch's surprise, Genie seemed to be on board for the most part. The only inquiry that she held was in the manner in which the pack was run. He smiled and nodded, agreeing to the latter aspect of her question. "Yeah, we run like any other pack out there," he knew that there were communes out there that ran different; worshiping entities and whatnot. The only thing that bonded the wolves of the Vale together was their need to survive as they had all been so much younger when they first started. 

It was as he looked at her that he noticed the ghost of a smile that danced upon her dark lips. It brightened her appearance considerably and gave her a sweetness that he didn't see previously. Though he wanted to remark on it, he kept his thoughts to himself, not wanting to come off the wrong way to Genie. 

Instead, he made a rash decision based on what she had offered and his gut feeling. "I would like to offer a spot in my ranks to you," he said with a smile. "If you accept, I'd love to give you a tour of the territory and get you acquainted with everything." Mostly, this swift acceptance came from the fact he was confident that Genie would be a great addition to the Vale.

;D

He was offering a place for her. Genie almost frowned — that couldn't be it, could it? Because it would be way easier than she'd expected. She had been thinking about demonstrating her skills, or something along the lines of that, but Rannoch had accepted her easily enough and she was pretty sure it was not on account of her charming personality. Perhaps, she thought with a tilt of her head and a lick of her lips, that it was because they were lacking in medics — that made sense, but Genie figured that she shouldn't dwell on it anymore. She'd gotten in, and that's what mattered, right?

A shy smile tugged at the edge of the fae's lips and her eyes curved into little crescent moons. "Thank you," Genie breathed, her tail wagging slowly. "I won't let you down. I'll work hard," she promised, giving Rannoch a determined look. She would show the bear of a leader that she was worth the spot in his ranks. He would not regret it. Hopefully.

Rannoch was trusting to a fault. There had been previous instances where both Rian and Cypress had not believed his judgments in recruiting. But, thus far, the Alpha had not been wrong in accepting who he had into his ranks-- even Airi. Despite her negativity, she had still hung around and thus far was doing what he had demanded of her.  Like the others, Rannoch already felt faith at face value of what Genie had offered him.

But even with her easy acceptance, the Alpha was still curious of his newest recruit. He wanted to know what he could get from her, and he intended to get such information as he introduced her to her new home. "I'm sure you won't let me down," he assured her with a smile, his muzzle swinging towards the expanse of his claim. He sighed happily, before turning his attention to the cinnamon roll once more. "Are you ready to see the Vale?" he always loved this part of recruitment: showing the newest member to the expanse that they had been so lucky to claim. Wanting to keep the conversation going as they set off, he inquired: "Also, if you don't mind sharing, tell me how you came to learn about medicine. I'd love to hear your experience in the field." 

"Yeah, of course," Genie said, smiling shyly as she followed him into the pack lands. She was part of a pack now. A pack. A pack which wasn't her family's. A spark of delight rushed through her and her smile grew wider. If only they could see her now. Those idiots. 

"My parents exposed my brother and I to all sorts of different trades when we were young," Genie explained. "So we could see what we liked and wanted to pursue. Of course, we had to learn to hunt and fight — all wolves do, I mean, but we found what we loved to do, and started learning and specialising in it from a young age." This part of her history did not pain her, so she had no qualms with sharing it. Although, if Rannoch did ask her about the parts of her life that she herself had no wish to ever revisit, she would probably still tell him. This was supposed to be a new beginning after all, and it could only be a new beginning if she acknowledged that her past had ended, and she no longer needed to dwell in those memories. "My brother, he's a fighter. But I always gravitated more towards learning. Plants and herbs came as easily to me as fighting came to my brother, and I loved nature in general, so.." Genie trailed off, realising that she had been rambling, but shrugged it off. Rannoch had said he wanted to know about her experience after all. "Medicine is my passion, has always been."

"I'm still learning, but I've looked after plenty of patients in my life and I've done pretty well with them. My girlf-" she cut herself off abruptly and hastily said, "-my friend, I mean, she gets injured a lot. I patch her up afterwards, her, and everyone else."

It with her acceptance that Rannoch started their pace. Keeping their strides slow, as there was both much to discuss and see, the Alpha turned tour guide kept his attention to Genie as she went on to tell him of how her ambitions flourished. From the get-go, the Alpha was captivated by her tale. Never had he experienced parents who exposed their cubs to all trades, as he and Cypress had naturally gravitated towards being Guardians, and so he was curious about how they had gone about doing so. 

The conversation moved with Genie's train of thought, picking their way selectively through the Kappa's past. They arrived at a moment in which Genie corrected herself quickly and though the Alpha had caught her misstep he didn't comment on it. He had, at least to his knowledge, not met anybody with different sexual preferences than himself.  Though he was intrigued to get this snipped into her life, he did not remark on it, having been drilled by his Mother to respect other's privacy. This fact, he felt, was something that Genie would want to keep to herself given how quickly she corrected the statement. Given a chance to speak on the topic, Rannoch would offer his only thought on the matter: love is love. 

 "Your friend was lucky to have you," he commented with a knowing smile. "In the Vale, you will have many wolves to patch up, too." Though his wolves didn't often get injured, Rannoch still felt better for having somebody here for the offhand instances. To this, he shifted the topic to something that he thought was of prominent importance. "Our former medic, Rose, had a den and garden that she tended. I'm not sure what herbs she was growing, but, we could go there first and scope it out?" For the aspiring Medic, Rannoch knew that it would be helpful what herbs she had handy from the get-go.

For a moment, Genie stiffened. Had Rannoch noticed her slip? Then, she relaxed, even if he did, he didn't say much on the topic, something which the aspiring medic was very much grateful for. The topic of her sexuality wasn't as much the problem as talking about her ex, she'd come to terms with it ages ago. But her ex, on the other hand, was something she was not over - their story wasn't particularly pretty, and the girl had no wish to dwell upon that topic, even though when she was alone, she often found her thoughts drifting back to her.

"I suppose so," Genie replied amiably enough. "She was always an idiot though. Sometimes I wondered if it was better to let her heal by herself." She left the topic of her past at that and inclined her head at Rannoch, nodding eagerly at his suggestion. "I'd love to," she said with a bright smile, amber eyes lighting up considerably. She, personally, had never had a garden of herbs in her life, but she had always wanted to, and seeing other wolves' work would prove help her considerably.

So sorry for the wait! Please feel free to determine what herbs are in the garden!

 

The more that Genie disclosed about her girlfriend, the more Rannoch yearned to learn more about her. Despite this, he did not press, as he assumed that he would be given all of the information that his latest recruit would be willing to share. Perhaps in time, the Alpha would find himself stringing together off-handed stories that she had shared over time to piece together the entire picture. He found his mind wandering at this theory, but, despite his interest in Genie's elusive friend, he remained active in their conversation. 

Their trek from the border and towards the den lead the pair along the river that had been carved through the Vale. Keeping the conversation light, as Rannoch knew their journey to be a short one. When the den was in sight, he turned to the Kappa. "It's just up the path," he said, leading them to the path that Rose had once taken. He wondered what had taken her from them as it had always appeared that she had been content with her stay. Despite her reclusive nature, she had always beamed brighter than the sun on a hot summer day, and Rannoch had assumed her happiness at face value. 

It felt weird being here. Though Rannoch felt no hard feelings in regards to the Vale's previous Medic, there was something about the space that seemed lifeless-- as if something were missing. Hopefully, Genie would do her best to fill the void that Rose had left. "So, here it is," he said with a smile, masking any indication of the confusion he felt over Rose's situation with a broad smile. His eyes turned towards the neatly organized rows, observing the line of sun-bleached and overgrown herbs. "I'm not sure what she left behind," he admitted as his attention returned to the cinnamon-haired woman, "But I'm sure it'll be a start?" 

it's no problem <3

Genie followed Rannoch easily enough, marvelling at the landscape as she walked. She padded up the path, breath held in anticipation. The garden was everything and nothing she'd expected it to be. Truthfully, Genie wasn't sure what she thought a herb garden would look like, but this, yeah, she could work from this. Many of the plants present were those that she recognised — marigold, goldenrod and more. But some, some she wasn't quite sure about.

A sort of nervousness overtook her for a moment, but she breathed in and shot Rannoch a smile of gratitude. "Yeah, it's great. You can come find me when you're sick or injured or whatnot." Then, realising her words made no sense, and sounded a lot weirder than it had when spoken in her head, she hastily corrected herself. "I mean, well, you can probably find me somewhere here, if you need me. I'm not implying anything, like, you're not my type." Although, now that she thought about it, she'd probably overthought it — it wasn't really that weird...

wHAT THE fuCK? 
I'm disowning you.
You can't disown me, you're me.

"No, I meant, that's not what I meant, I mean, it is, but it's not, like-" Genie clamped her mouth shut and promptly avoided eye contact. "If you're in need of medical assistance, you can find me. Also, I sincerely apologise. I don't usually speak a lot, if not at all, so, yeah, shit sorry."

Please kick me out now.
Please just, I don't know, please spare me God, what did I do to deserve this.

Genie is literally the best. <3

The steady pace in which their exchange had been progressing derailed suddenly. Taken by surprise by what Genie had said, as it had seemed to have come out of nowhere, the Alpha was left to flounder in the wake of her remark. It was in these moments that followed her outburst that he sought the right thing to say to alleviate the confusion that he felt. The part that confused the Alpha the most was the part in which his Kappa remarked that: "I'm not implying anything, like, you're not my type." Was this another implication or her preferences? He couldn't say for sure. All that he knew was that he was confused where her thoughts had come from. '

Since Liffey, Rannoch didn't look at others in the way that he looked at his Delta. As far as he was concerned, and he hoped that she agreed, she was the only wolf for him. She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, and he would never dare look at another the way that he looked at her. 

A few steady thoughts steered his expression away as he gave Genie the benefit of the doubt. Given her situation, as she was new and seemingly wanted to impress him, he could understand where her slip had come from. "Can I find you here, usually?" he asked steadily as he attempted to usher their conversation in the right direction. "Or will you be settling down elsewhere?" He smiled then and offered her a wave of his tail; an encouraging act in an attempt to realign their conversation

she's so awkwARd omgg

Thank the heavens Rannoch decided not to comment on Genie's sudden awkward word vomit because she was pretty sure if he did, she would've found a hole and buried herself in it. Or drown herself in the river, anything that would get her away from the Alpha's presence was a good thing. She would never be able to forget this. Hanging her head in embarrassment, Genie avoided eye contact at all costs, her dark cheeks darkening even further as she flushes heavily.

"Yes," Genie cleared her throat, pushing all thoughts of further humiliation aside. She tried to empty her expression of emotion, but all half succeeded. Nevertheless, she composed herself quickly and nodded. "I'll be here most of the time, probably," she informed Rannoch in her most professional voice. "I'll find a den somewhere near enough."

Slowly but surely, Genie was recovering from her self-inflicted embarrassment. He could understand just why she was so embarrassed and he could not blame her given the situation. If he had been in her paws and was trying to seek admission into a pack, the Alpha could easily see his confidence wavering. He frowned, wishing that he could comfort somehow. He wasn't sure how receptive she'd be, and he didn't want to risk scaring her off. So, instead, he remained as he was as they both attempted to re-route their conversation to some normalcy. 

Finally, it seemed like they were getting there. Nodding to what she said, he offered, "Need help finding a place? Or, if you need time to settle in, I understand that, too." He wasn't sure what she preferred, but, he wanted to make himself accessible to the newest recruit.

"No, no, it's fine. I can find one by myself," she hastened to say, not wishing to bother the Alpha any more than she already did. Genie had a feeling that if Rannoch went with her to search for a den, she would mess up again and the whole thing would end in a complete disaster which would result in her being kicked out of the pack. Okay. Maybe that was a tad bit dramatic, but even if she didn't get kicked out, her reputation would be tarnished forever. Not that she had much of it in first place.

"I think it's best if I look around alone, for a bit," Genie glanced at him hesitantly. "If you don't mind."

Feel free to either archive or put in one last reply!

"Of course," Rannoch replied. He could understand why she wanted to be alone in her search for a den and he respected this. He would not question it, figuring she had been through enough today. "Please, don't hesitate to reach out if you need anything," he said then, sensing that it was his time the leave her to her search. "And if I don't hear from you, soon, I'll assume you've settled." Rannoch would make a point to check in within the week, but, for now, she'd get the space she desired. 

"Welcome to Northstar Vale, Genie, and good luck with finding a den," he said finally before he turned from her and set off towards where they had come: the borders. Though he was confident that others were patrolling, Rannoch wanted to reaffirm his scent as the most prominent. He tended to do this after recruiting new members and it only felt fitting that he did it now.