Moonspear wine and halo top
239 Posts
Ooc — aerinne
Offline
#1
All Welcome 
Weather: 19°F, Foggy. Heavy snow (2–5 in.) starting later this afternoon, continuing until tomorrow morning.

Fog had settled on the mountain, although Dune was fairly certain if he climbed higher, he could get above it. Not that he was planning on doing anything like that. Instead, Dune had decided to spend his day getting to know the ins-and-outs of the very edges of his home. Slowly but surely, he had started making his way around the very edge of the mountain, planting his own scent by rubbing against trees and scratching at the earth every few yards. He was in a good mood as he did this, his footsteps light and his spirits high, humming a little tune to himself he'd picked up from his mother as a child.

He had managed to (at least briefly) introduce himself to everybody else in the pack. There were Charon and Amekaze, the alpha pair, then their three identical daughters, Rannoch and Liffey, who seemed to be a pair as well. Then there was Wraen, Terance, Dirge, Drogon, Ganondorf, Bernard, Jarilo, Vela, and Gannet. He was pretty sure that was all of them. Many of them he did not know well, had only seen in passing, but he would know them by sight and name, and that was about as good as he could accomplish for now. As time went on, he hoped to form personal connections with all of them.
Remedy#8618 · amwelles · amwelles · human
Ghost
he came and stole the wild
1,808 Posts
Ooc — Chan
Master Coach
Master Historian
Offline
#2
Although Rannoch and Due had briefly met, the resident Coach wanted to reconnect and ensure that the mountain's newest recruit was settling in well. Picking his way carefully up the mountainside, Rannoch followed Dune's scent trail through the fog. 

Although Dune was camouflaged against the clean blanket of snow, Rannoch spotted him from a distance. Feeling pleased that he finally found his packmate, and somewhat fatigued from climbing higher than he usually did, Rannoch chuffed and approached Dune with a smile.
a crime so old as the sky and bone
he came untied, solid as a stone
all is almost lost and it starts to show
239 Posts
Ooc — aerinne
Offline
#3
Rannoch approached, looking just as jovial as Dune felt. Dune's tail wagged, and he put his marking on hold to take a few trotting steps toward Rannoch and greet him with a Muzzle Nuzzle™. Although Dune was never very verbal, he tended to be incredibly expressive through his body language and movement. Friendly as always toward his pack mates, Dune perked his ears up and gave Rannoch an obvious silent question: What's up?
Remedy#8618 · amwelles · amwelles · human
Ghost
he came and stole the wild
1,808 Posts
Ooc — Chan
Master Coach
Master Historian
Offline
#4
"I wanted to check in on you," replied Rannoch to Dune's nonverbal inquiry; he suspected that his packmate was doing quite well, considering that he was hard at work. 

"How are things so far?" he prompted, regarding his packmate with kind eyes.
a crime so old as the sky and bone
he came untied, solid as a stone
all is almost lost and it starts to show
239 Posts
Ooc — aerinne
Offline
#5
Dune bobbed his head up and down at Rannoch. "Good," he replied. "Moonpear good." Dune had yet to learn the proper pronunciation of his own home. Tsk tsk. Thankfully, being fully immersed in a pack was going to ramp up his spoken word quite a bit. Remedy did her research, and it typically takes a human seven months to become fluent! Because wolves have much shorter lives, she's gonna shorten that quite a bit, but still play out the process, woo!

"Liffey hurt?" Dune asked. He knew that she, Wraen, and Terance had fended off a cougar, but he wasn't sure about the extent of their injuries (or even if they had any). He'd seen Terance, but not Wraen or Liffey. "Terance give rabbit?" Dune had dropped one off with the dark lad, and hopefully, it had made its way to the correct party. Since Rannoch and Liffey appeared to be close, Dune assumed he was the best person to ask.
Remedy#8618 · amwelles · amwelles · human
Ghost
he came and stole the wild
1,808 Posts
Ooc — Chan
Master Coach
Master Historian
Offline
#6
"I'm glad you think so," Rannoch replied with a smile; it was refreshing to see a happy face around. "Do you have any questions about anything so far?" Although he was satisfied with Dune's content, Rannoch was aware that he might have some lingering questions. 

Rannoch nodded at Dune's first question. "Yeah, she's hurt, but doing much better." Thankfully, the majority of her injuries had been minor. Despite the lack of severity, Rannoch still kept a close eye on his wife. 

The next inquiry caused Rannoch to pause, and he considered what his wife had told him in the previous days; he couldn't recall her saying that she had received a rabbit. "No, I'm not sure if Terance gave her a rabbit," Rannoch admitted, his voice apologetic as he looked at his packmate. "I'd be happy to ask her about it tonight if you'd like." If Rannoch were in Dune's paws, he'd want to know whether or not his gift was delivered to the one he had intended to give it to.
a crime so old as the sky and bone
he came untied, solid as a stone
all is almost lost and it starts to show
239 Posts
Ooc — aerinne
Offline
#7
Even though Rannoch spoke more than Dune did, or could typically understand, his body language was more open than some. Dune always found it frustrating when wolves used their voice to say one thing, but their body to say another. At least Rannoch was clear, and it made his words even easier to understand than most. Dune shook his head at the first question. Whatever he needed to know, he had a good feeling he would learn in time. He had his whole life ahead of him, and unless something drastic happened, he did not plan on moving away from Moonpear.

He was glad to hear Liffey was doing better, though he was a bit disappointed to hear she may not have gotten the rabbit he had given to Terance. Perhaps Terance had kept them all for himself, which would have been a selfish thing to do. Brow furrowed, Dune shook his head. "It ok," he replied, "I bring more." He now wondered if Wraen had gotten her rabbit. Maybe he could seek her out soon to find out.
Remedy#8618 · amwelles · amwelles · human
Ghost
he came and stole the wild
1,808 Posts
Ooc — Chan
Master Coach
Master Historian
Offline
#8
Although Rannoch was aware that Dune was a man with a limited vocabulary, he was confident that his packmate would voice concern even if he didn't know the exact way to express it. "Don't be afraid to ask me if you do," Rannoch advised Dune, taking the words at face value. 

"Oh, well, I know she would appreciate really that," Rannoch replied with a smile. He impressed by his packmate's enthusiasm. Rannoch hadn't encountered a wolf so eager to please for a while; Dune's generosity was infectious. "I could help you hunt one down if you wanted."
a crime so old as the sky and bone
he came untied, solid as a stone
all is almost lost and it starts to show
239 Posts
Ooc — aerinne
Offline
#9
Well, that was an even better idea! If Dune gave something to Rannoch, he was sure it would end up in Liffey's possession. It wasn't like Rannoch was going to steal from his beau. Dune nodded enthusiastically, tail helicoptering behind him. "Where hunt?" he asked, figuring Rannoch probably had a better handle on this than he would, considering he'd lived here longer. This was just one of the many ways he could hope to prove himself a valuable member of Moonpear.

Dune pranced in place, eager to cut to the chase.
Remedy#8618 · amwelles · amwelles · human
Ghost
he came and stole the wild
1,808 Posts
Ooc — Chan
Master Coach
Master Historian
Offline
#10
When asked where they should hunt, Rannoch contemplated the selections that they had available to them. Regardless of where they went, he was aware that the fog would make their hunt challenging. 

"Let's go down a little bit," Rannoch suggested. "I'm worried about us hunting too high up— I want us to be safe." There was plenty of space below to hunt, and he felt more comfortable chasing prey in an area without too much of an incline. "Once we are down there, we can track something down?" 
a crime so old as the sky and bone
he came untied, solid as a stone
all is almost lost and it starts to show
239 Posts
Ooc — aerinne
Offline
#11
Dune nodded in agreement. He had not wanted to hunt that mountain goat with Charon just yesterday, and he did not want to hunt something high up today, either... even if that made him look bad. He would much rather look bad than be dead. Besides, if they did not trust his judgment as a hunter, how could they trust him as a pack mate? Hunting was arguably his strongest skill, but if they could not see that, Dune thought they might not be a great fit for him after all.

He followed Rannoch down the mountain, trying to think of something to say, something to ask. He felt he was stunted when it came to conversation, but he really did wish to improve that skill. "With Moonpear long?" he asked, wondering if Rannoch had been born here or if he had come along later like Dune had.
Remedy#8618 · amwelles · amwelles · human
Ghost
he came and stole the wild
1,808 Posts
Ooc — Chan
Master Coach
Master Historian
Offline
#12
When they agreed to a plan, Rannoch turned on his heal and began their descent down the mountainside. Although he wanted to learn more about Dune, Rannoch focused on where he stepped; he figured that there would be a time and place for to discuss such matters when they weren't navigating dangerous terrains. 

Dune seemed to have the same conversational intentions as he had; Rannoch was pleased that he had begun their conversation, as Rannoch was too focused on getting them down the mountainside. "Not long. A Few months," replied Rannoch as he kept his eyes on the path ahead of them. Curiously, he returned, "Where did you live before Moonspear?" 
a crime so old as the sky and bone
he came untied, solid as a stone
all is almost lost and it starts to show
239 Posts
Ooc — aerinne
Offline
#13
"North," Dune replied. He had not known it as anything else. His pack had been a simple one. It had just been his parents, a few of his siblings, and that was it. Usually, a few of the kids left each year to make room for the next litter. That was why Dune was now at Moonspear (having just realized there was an S in there). "Cold there. Flat. No mountain." Those were the main differences. He had thought that the mountain would be a big change, but Dune was taking a liking to the varied landscapes here.

He returned his attention to his footing since they were going down a particularly challenging descent, and Dune didn't wish to tumble to his death.
Remedy#8618 · amwelles · amwelles · human
Ghost
he came and stole the wild
1,808 Posts
Ooc — Chan
Master Coach
Master Historian
Offline
#14
Feel free to PP them arriving on a flat stretch of ground!
 
Rannoch found it particularly impressive that Dune hadn't come from a territory that was situated on a mountain. "You seem to have gotten the hang of things here already," he complimented his packmate lightly, "It took me some time to climb as high as you have." 

The path before them dropped dramatically, and Rannoch fell silent in favor of concentrating; the snow and fog added hazard to their task, and he didn't want to risk anything.
a crime so old as the sky and bone
he came untied, solid as a stone
all is almost lost and it starts to show
239 Posts
Ooc — aerinne
Offline
#15
Tag for Stevie's reference. And to guilt Liffey for leaving MSP. ;P

The two eventually made it to more even (and safer) ground, and Dune was thankful to have that stress out of the way. He had adapted to the slopes well, but he was definitely more at ease when he didn't have to think so much about where his feet were supposed to go. With that out of the way, Rannoch and Dune set their sights on their prey, eventually catching a big fat duck for @Liffey to dine on while she was healing.
Remedy#8618 · amwelles · amwelles · human