Moonspear leap of faith
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#1
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With intent he moved to where @Gannet had been staying that day. It'd not been too long since Rannoch and Liffey had left and had taken Osprey's children with them to boot. Charon's pride was still wounded, and it would be for some time to come. He felt betrayed, for he had given them so much and he had received only a kick in the teeth in return for it. He did not understand their motives and never would; how could they not only turn their backs on him but spit him in the face as they left? There were too many things going on that ruffled his feathers in those whole affair, and the only solace he found was in the fact that his family felt much the same. He at least still had them by his side.

Gannet, however, had stayed. It was one of the few bright bits about this whole affair, for if anything was a test of faith for the boy, it was this; a good portion of his friends leaving while he was left to fulfil his duty here, like he had promised. Althaia had taken the first chance she had to be disobedient and then leave when she had been thrall, but Gannet, it seemed, was cut out of better wood than that. Charon carried a thin, bony rabbit carcass that he had freshly caught as he made his way over to Gannet's cave, eager to see how the boy was doing.
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#2
When Charon came upon him, Gannet had just geared up and gone for a run. He was remaining in the flat area around where he'd been sleeping and making wide, sweeping circles, a bit like a runner at a track. The pace he set wasn't a sprint; still not there yet. But it was the patient, mile-eating lope that he knew he needed to master to keep up with the pack. So far, today, it felt pretty good.

He found that once he stopped focusing on how different it was, it became easier. Now, when he ran, if his leg missed a beat, the others would for the most part compensate. There were still moments of jarring uncertainty, but once he was able to sink into the rhythm, that familiar feel of the run settled in and he thought about nothing.

Likely he presented a bit of an odd sight to Charon, the swing of his gait and the pattern of his legs altered forever, but he wasn't the type to be self conscious. So he finished his circle when he spied the alpha, then diverted so that when he slowed, he was approaching. He was very obviously elated, though as he came in close, he ducked his head to pay deference, lowering himself and allowing his tail to continue going tentatively.
Gannet's face and body are open books; you are more than welcome to distinctly notice any emotion written in his posts.
(Most thread titles come from Into the Fire from the Scarlet Pimpernel)
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When he neared Gannet's cave he saw someone approach in the distance. The lope was off, but it still put a smile on Charon's face to see that Gannet was out and about, working on being able to walk and run properly again; working on being able to contribute to the pack again in the future, to make up for what he had cost. As Gannet pulled up it was clear to see that Charon was pleased with the progress. "I'd ask how the leg's doing..." he said with a smile on his face and trailed off, leaving the obvious out; he was doing better. Maybe not all better just yet, but the improvement was clear to see and hopefully it'd continue from there on.

"Must be tough to see so many of your friends just walk out on you," said Charon, a tinge of bitterness to his voice. Of course this counted for him, too; it had hit him hard to see the children of wolves he had loved walk out of his life as if he mattered nothing to him. To hear them say such terrible words when they had kept their mouths shut for the months before while they plotted taking off. But Gannet — he had no choice in it all, and so it was somehow a little different for him. Perhaps he asked this question because he wanted someone to stand by his side to share in his pain, perhaps because he needed to reaffirm whether Gannet's loyalties were, indeed, with him and his family still, or perhaps because he genuinely cared. Even Charon was not so sure which it was.
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#4
Charon looked genuinely pleased, and that singular smile sent a high tune singing in the young omega's heart. It was worth every ounce of training so far, and the enthusiasm set him positively glowing (albeit still winded).

His next comment took a bit of the shine off, but not a whole lot. There was little in this world that could keep Gannet down for long; when a person focused only on the positives, it was hard to dwell on the past. "I don't understand." He said in response, then gave a small shrug. "But yeah." He recalled his conversation with Liffey, and that his presence seemed to have been at the crux of it all. "Sorry," he finished, glancing sideways at him. He didn't know if Charon blamed him or not, or if they still would have gone if he had never showed up. He just wanted to say it regardless.
Gannet's face and body are open books; you are more than welcome to distinctly notice any emotion written in his posts.
(Most thread titles come from Into the Fire from the Scarlet Pimpernel)
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"You're not the only one," said Charon when Gannet admitted that he didn't understand. Charon didn't get their reasonings, and he didn't get how they'd played nice for so long and then spat in his face on their way out, told him to be better or... whatever. None of it made sense to him. Hopefully they'd move far, far away, because he sure as hell didn't ever want to see their faces again.

The 'sorry' visibly surprised Charon. It hadn't even really occurred to Charon that they might've left because of Gannet, and because of what'd happened with Galaxy. Titmouse, he knew of, or at least had suspicions about, but he hadn't really tied all of these things together until now. Realisation dawned on him, again visibly, as he suddenly realised that it all came to what Alya'd said; they had been disloyal from the moment Galaxy had died and they didn't think Titmouse or Gannet had any part in it. They didn't understand. They didn't care about Galaxy's death or any of it. No better way to piss off a father.

"Alya told me about it — how they felt and that they weren't loyal," he said to Gannet. "I should've listened and thrown them out then, but I wanted to somehow believe that it wasn't true, wanted to give them a shot and see if something really didn't go wrong. Their parents... They were my friends." Eshe, Osprey... In both cases he hadn't gotten along well with the fathers, but he had never expected this. "But I guess wolves are not their parents." Charon looked at Gannet, who might become an example of that. So far he hadn't left them, at least, which to Charon was proof enough that he was different from his Redhawk parents. "You aren't to blame in this. Assuming you didn't tell them to spit in my face and turn their backs on us." He quirked an eyebrow at Gannet, a serious expression on his face, though was at the ready to exchange it for a grimace as soon as Gannet denied this; it was intended as a joke, but somehow it came out more serious than intended.
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Charon seemed surprised with his apology, but Gannet didn't mind bringing it to his attention. He had assumed the conclusion drawn all this was ignited when he came around (well, when Titmouse did, but anywho) but even if not, he felt better for giving it.

He did not think Liffey or any of them disloyal, per say, though he had wondered a time or two. But now he thought maybe they were loyal to different things. He might not ever understand why Liffey would stay where she wasn't happy, or why she chose to leave right after he chose to join, but he was trying as hard as he could to not take any of it personally. It was the only way to stay positive through.

"No," Gannet said, lowering his face some. "I wanted to stay with them, but they didn't." A large portion of his choosing to remain here had hinged on their presence, but now he was glad he had decided so. Dune was quickly becoming a fast friend, Hydra was here, and others were pleasant to be around. Even this was nice, speaking to Charon without the reek of disapproval in the air. He liked it quite a bit.
Gannet's face and body are open books; you are more than welcome to distinctly notice any emotion written in his posts.
(Most thread titles come from Into the Fire from the Scarlet Pimpernel)
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It was somehow nice to have a decent conversation with Gannet, now. To see him still standing here and not having run off with the rest of the traiterous dog placed them above them as far as the Alpha was concerned. They had both faced losses here, and like Charon had expected, Gannet had wanted them to stay, too. He nodded with a curt "mm" as he thought it over and wondered how that conversation must've gone. The one where they tried to convince him to leave and he responded with rejection rather than accepting their ideas of just leaving over.. well, over what, really? It put the smallest of smiles on the Alpha's face now.

"We'll get over it," said Charon with determination in his voice. "And we'll be stronger for it than before, because we now know who our loyal members are." He glanced pointedly at Gannet as he said this last bit. To both show appreciation that he was still here as well as impose an expectation there. He had not just accepted Gannet into the pack, after all, but he had made him swear loyalty indefinitely; forever, or until Ame or he decided it was enough. Things had blown up when he had done the same to Althaia, but Charon had some hopes this time it would be different.
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If Gannet had known Charon assumed an offer had been made to him to join them in leaving, he would have cleared that up, though the answer would have been no regardless. He had come to the assumption over the last few weeks that the reason Liffey hadn't asked was because she didn't want him; it had technically been his coming here that had ruined this place for them. Likely, understandably, they didn't want to risk him setting off another one, even one they led. Maybe he was bad luck for her.

Gannet nodded, glad to be included in the count of loyal. He felt loyal... he had no qualms about his promising to stay, now that this was home. He assumed they would eventually either tell him to leave or count him family, and either of those would be ok. "When did you come here?" He asked, suddenly curious. How long had this mountain been home for him?
Gannet's face and body are open books; you are more than welcome to distinctly notice any emotion written in his posts.
(Most thread titles come from Into the Fire from the Scarlet Pimpernel)
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The subject shifted from one of injured pride and friendship to a less brittle one, as well as one Charon enjoyed speaking of more. Gannet asked him how long he'd lived here and he had to take a moment to think. "Two and half years ago." It felt like eternity when he said it like that. It was probably longer than Gannet had been alive. It was strange to sit here and suddenly count himself the old guy when he'd always felt so young; ironically, when he was younger he always felt more mature than he was and now that he was more mature he felt so inexperienced at times.

"Amekaze lead a pack at the Sunspire, the large mountain to the east. I was Beta of Stavanger Bay at the time, but both our packs were small. It was some sort of luck that made me stumble into the Sunspire wounded," whether it was bad or good luck, he left in the middle, "And noticing it was as small as the Bay, I suggested we band together. We explored various territories before we found this one." Charon smiled softly as he reminisced exploration with Floki by his side. They'd instantly knew when they had found Moonspear that this was it, their new home to be.
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That was a long time, perhaps even as long as the Caldera, Gannet wasn't sure. So they had originally been two packs, combined into one. Gannet has only ever heard of splits, never combinations. Must have been hard to have so many wolves relocate and work together.

He'd stayed with the wolves who helped him when he was wounded too. Gannet was starting to see a theme, though he didn't comment on that. That wasn't really the interesting part to him. "Why this mountain?" He asked, curious. If she had lived on a mountain, why not stay there? This one was beautiful, but were some mountains better than others? He didn't know much about it yet, though he hoped he would learn in the coming months as he could climb again.
Gannet's face and body are open books; you are more than welcome to distinctly notice any emotion written in his posts.
(Most thread titles come from Into the Fire from the Scarlet Pimpernel)
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There wasn't really a big reason why they had picked this mountain. Maybe because it was the biggest, or maybe because it was the one that felt most like home when he'd first set foot on it. Charon thought on it a moment before answering: "The Sunspire was the other big mountain in the area, and that is where Ame came from. We did not want it to seem like either of us was the original pack Alpha -- we wanted something that was ours, the both of us, and with that, something new." He hoped that made sense. It didn't explain much why this one specifically, except that the Sunspire had already been Ame's and they'd agreed to find a new place.

"When I first set foot on this with my brother, I just knew that this was meant to be ours." Charon thought back to that day when he and Floki had first come here; he'd been barely able to get back to Amekaze and tell her that this was the perfect place for them to settle. Luckily, she had loved it too.
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That made some amount of sense... make sure the packs were combined in a new area. It seemed risky, especially to Gannet, who couldn't imagine his old pack ever leaving the Caldera where he'd grown up. What if your pack didn't like the new spot?

He and his brother.... he didn't know Charon had one of those. "Brother?" He asked, curious. Likely he'd gone the way of Whip and Ferret then, or maybe even Peter. Disappeared or killed. But maybe he was around, and Gannet just hadn't met him yet. There were some here still he hadn't spoken to often, and some wolves liked to roam beyond the pack.
Gannet's face and body are open books; you are more than welcome to distinctly notice any emotion written in his posts.
(Most thread titles come from Into the Fire from the Scarlet Pimpernel)
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"Ah," Charon said as he realised Gannet had, of course, never known Floki. "Floki. He was my brother and best friend, but.. it's been roundabout a year since he's gone. He went scouting and got caught in a snow storm. We'd looked for him, but all the tracks were erased so we never did find him." Charon frowned, a worried sort of frown that might hint that he didn't think his brother was still alive today. It seemed some sort of transitioning into adulthood to be one of the oldest wolves there -- to have your siblings and elders go and your children still around -- but Charon didn't like it much. He still missed Floki often.
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"Oh," so he was gone, like Whip moreso. Disappeared somewhere in the world and hopefully living aside. "My brother left too." He offered, not immediately thinking about the fact that Charon had met a very different brother not so long ago. He considered his younger siblings family of course, but didn't relate them the same as the siblings he had grown up with. He'd left too recently after they were born.

"Most everyone leaves," he said, more a statement than a question, but his tone was fairly light on it. It seemed the thing to do at his age... even he had done it eventually.
Gannet's face and body are open books; you are more than welcome to distinctly notice any emotion written in his posts.
(Most thread titles come from Into the Fire from the Scarlet Pimpernel)
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Gannet said his brother left -- which left Charon to wonder if that was Titmouse, or if it were a different brother he spoke of -- and Charon quickly corrected: "Floki didn't leave. He... He's probably dead." It wasn't exactly a more comforting thought than him having simply left, but it was what Charon needed right then; to believe his brother'd gotten stuck in the snow storm and he had either not found his way home or he had perished in the freezing cold.

'Most everyone leaves' seemed to be the most painful of truths. Charon had learned that early in life; wolves either died or vanished. Some told they were leaving but most of them just.. poofed. He nodded grimly and agreed with a "mm.." while he gave it some thought. "It's a grim world." He had never wondered why it was that he and Amekaze were here when most everyone else left or died all the time. After all, he had always considered himself special, destined for something great, for owning this mountain and being a Jarl, a King. A fleeting thought passed on to Potema. He wondered if she and her daughters were still 'round. Obviously she hadn't taken his advice in coming to Moonspear where she would have been safe.
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He didn't see how Charon could be so sure, but if that was what he felt, Gannet wasn't about to argue. He preferred the path of optimism personally; thinking Whip or Ferret dead did him little good, but thinking them alive made him glad. He guessed Charon differed for some reason.

It was. But even as wolves left, new ones came and replaced them. He thought on that. "If they didn't, new wouldn't come," he finally said, thoughtful, and his tail gave a light wag. No matter how dark a thought, there was always that silver lining. If he didn't leave, he wouldn't have met Hydra or Wraen or Dune. And if Liffey hadn't left she wouldn't have met Rannoch or whoever she met next in her new home. Maybe that was the fun of it; he'd always loved that aspect, though he preferred the more temporary meeting of exploration to truly leaving home. Moonspear was his first time doing so voluntarily after all.
Gannet's face and body are open books; you are more than welcome to distinctly notice any emotion written in his posts.
(Most thread titles come from Into the Fire from the Scarlet Pimpernel)
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Though Gannet's statement was true and some new blood had been brought to their pack that was good, Charon still much rather would've stuck with what they had in the first place. Charon nodded, though the smile that followed was more of a grimace. He rather would've had Floki still here than many others that'd come and gone through his pack.. but it was not to be. No more than a "hmm-mm" was given in thoughtful response while he thought of them, the wolves that had been a part of Moonspear, many in numbers and faces... Hopefully Gannet would stay, as he had sworn, until Charon and Ame would relieve him of his duty - if ever.

"I should go check on Ame," said Charon. With a quick nod to Gannet he took off, ready to go and catch some food for Amekaze and bring it to her, for she was growing bigger by the day and needed to stay well-fed for the pups.
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He seemed dubious, but as Charon left, Gannet liked to think they ended on a bit of a high note. It made him feel a tad better about his standing with the alpha male; After all, they had had an entire conversation, and no threats had been given or insults thrown.

Gannet watched him go, then continued on his own way, off to do who knew what for the rest of the day to keep busy.
Gannet's face and body are open books; you are more than welcome to distinctly notice any emotion written in his posts.
(Most thread titles come from Into the Fire from the Scarlet Pimpernel)