Northstar Vale disco pizzaman

Having settled his family on the plateau, Grayday turned his attention to something else he'd noticed along the journey. It seemed he had a few acquaintences within the nearest pack. Now that he had a bit of time to spare, he decided it might be nice to drop in and see some familiar faces.

The climb had been somewhat taxing on the sterling male, but he made it up the mountain in good time. When he reached the lip of the valley, he took a moment to catch his breath and admire the stellar view. It seemed like the Vale wolves were all set up, here - food and drink, space to run, trees and grasses. Rannoch had really hit the jackpot, as far as territories went.

With excitement bubbling up in his chest, Grayday tipped back his head and howled, hoping Genie or Rannoch might be the one to answer.

It had only been a few days, but still, an inexplicable knot of anxiety wrapped itself firmly around Liffey's lungs. Rannoch was not one to leave the territory too often, but she certainly had on many occasions. On her frequent trips, nothing bad had ever happened. She was perfectly capable of handling herself, and Rannoch was even more so. Truly, there was no reason to worry. Still, a terrible feeling of foreboding had loomed over  like a black cloud her ever since he'd gone, and no amount of logical reason seemed to be able to dispel it.

There was nothing for her to do but keep herself busy. With Rannoch gone, Liffey found herself the highest ranking member, and so she was quick to answer the call that rang out across the Vale. She did not recognize the voice, nor did she recognize the caller when he came into view. She stopped a few yards short of him and struck a friendly, but guarded pose as she took him in.

"Can I help you?" Liffey said after a beat, her head tilting slightly. He looked far too healthy to be someone on the lookout for a new pack. She supposed he might be a neighbor, though she was certain they had none near enough to bother with them. In any event, she suspected she'd learn soon enough. And (for the moment) she was distracted from endlessly dwelling on Rannoch.

Grayday lowered his head and splayed his ears as the woman appeared, his tail whisking gently behind him. "Hello," he called out as she approached, though he waited until she was closer before expanding on his mission. "I'm here to see Rannoch and Genie," he explained, glancing behind her as if expecting one of the pair to burst out of the treeline any second. "Just wanted to drop in and say hi, I guess."

The man proved himself in an instant to be respectful and polite, which put Liffey at ease. She relaxed her posture as he explained who he had come to see, in spite of the twinge of anxiety that clenched at her heart upon hearing Rannoch's name. Being perceptive as she was, Liffey spotted the glance behind her and felt the twinge sharpen.

"Rannoch left a few days ago in search of his brother," Liffey informed him, totally pulling a Rannoch and leaping to trust a stranger with probably too much of the truth, "He's not back yet. Genie should be around, and I'm sure will come if he heard your call." She didn't know the latter too well yet, and so she did truly hope that he would show. Or she. I should check before posting.

"I'm Liffey, Gamma of the pack and Rannoch's..." Liffey froze for a second, paralyzed by both surprise at beginning her comment and uncertainty as to how to answer, "...Second." Good one. She shifted uncomfortably, realizing how odd she must seem but unable to help herself. Plus, she was his second? A gamma? That was just plain contradictory. Time to distract. "How do you know him? Them?" ..But not very well.

Don't mind Grayday. His dad hormones are in overdrive right now.

The woman, like her alpha, was young. @Genie was young. Grayday began to wonder if they had any older wolves in their pack, or if they were all just flying by the seat of their pants into what was probably the first winter many of them would experience. He thought again of Adeline, and the hollowness of her cheeks as she'd returned from that first expedition on her own.

He decided he'd be checking up on these kids as the months went on.

"I met Genie at the beginning of summer. She was still a loner, just passing through," he explained. "And I met Rannoch about a month ago, maybe? We took down an old buck together. I wouldn't say I'm close with either of them, but I think they'd know me, and I wanted to drop in and see how they were gettin' on."

He paused.

"Oh, and Rannoch knows my daughter, Dawn."

lol I love it. Also, I'm making random assumptions here.

Liffey was attentive as the older wolf explained himself and the connections he had to her packmates. He apparently knew Genie better than she did, but not Rannoch so much. She smiled at the story he told, but felt herself flinch inwardly as he mentioned a relationship between Rannoch and his daughter. She nipped that particular jealous reaction in the bud almost instantly, realizing the emotion for how crazy it was. Outwardly, she just smiled.

"I believe I remember that buck," she replied thoughtfully, "Rannoch brought a bit home for me. He and I have hunted together a number of times now and have not once ever caught anything, so I think he takes pity on me and makes sure to keep me fed." She grinned at the memory and felt a pang of longing for the wayward alpha. She missed his companionship fiercely, and it was hard to be reminded of every way that she was lacking with him being away.

Nevertheless, she continued. "It's kind of you to stop by. Hopefully Genie will be along before you get bored of my company and head off. I'll certainly tell her you came to visit if she doesn't make it in time though," Liffey said as her tail wagged, "I don't think I caught your name?"

I think we can wrap this one up XD

Grayday wagged his tail at the girl, a bit embarrassed for her when she shared her lack of hunting skills with him. He predicted that the pack would not last the winter, though he felt a bit callous for having such thoughts. Liffey seemed like a sweet girl, after all, and he had two other friends among them as well.

"I'm sure you'll learn," he offered, wondering if, perhaps, her parents had not been around to teach her to hunt. "If you want a teacher, you can come down and visit me. It's an important skill to have, with winter coming up and all." He felt obliged to offer his assistance to the young pack, though he had a lot on his plate as it was. 

He gave another smile and another small shake of his tail when he realize she was right - he hadn't introduced himself. "I'm Grayday - from Morningside," he replied.

They settled in to wait, but when several minutes had passed with no response from @Genie, Grayday began to think he might be better off coming back another time.

"Well - why don't you just tell them both that I dropped in to say hello," the male excused. "It was nice to meet you, Liffey." Then, the male turned and took his leave, and before too long, was completely out of sight.

Liffey smiled at his kindness, but said nothing to either accept or decline the proposal. Truth be told, she was a decent hunter - Rannoch seemed to just be bad luck for her. Or too distracting. Either way. She would never be able to boast at being an excellent hunter and no one would be coming to her for lessons anytime soon, but she was content at being average. She took more pride in her other skills.

The Blackthorn nodded, asserting that she would indeed pass his message along. It was a shame that Genie hadn't showed for him, but she supposed that simply meant the girl was busy with more important pack business. "Good meeting you too," Liffey answered as Grayday took his leaving, watching him go. She watched long after he disappeared, but it wasn't the Morningside alpha on her mind, but the one from the Vale that she had watched disappear just like this, far too long ago.