The Sunspire Hoping when it opens I'll see you
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#1
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@Rannoch 

There is an old and rather vulgar saying - don't worry about the current problems, other shit will come your way and you will forget about these. In Wraen's case a good bash on her head had done miracles in clearing away any anger, resentment and even shame towards Rannoch and how she had acted in the whole "that is not a coyote - that is my pet" ordeal.

After leaving the stage, she had gone down to the Greatwater lake, where a couple of swans were grazing in the grass (or, whatever is the term for birds eating grass - they do, by the way). Usually she was pretty careful with these white beasts, but now in a fit of angry emotions she charged at all four, who met her first in surprise and then in just as much fury. There was a flury of hisses, growls, flapping wings, flying feathers, tufts of fur, a painful yelp and three figures waddling away, leaving the fourth lying on the ground. 

Wraen stood over it's dead body, panting hard and, as the adrenaline gradually left her blood-stream, she became aware of the numbing pain and swelling around her left eye. One of the birds had hit her hard on the zygomatic arch and it was a miracle that she was not lying there along her kill. However, ignoring her pain and anger (now aimed at no one particular) and the little stream of blood from the same side of her face, where the hit had landed and torn the skin open, she grabbed the bird by the base of it's neck and began to carry towards Sunspire.

It was a late afternoon, when she arrived at the borders - the bird had been heavy and she had had to stop many times along the way.
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Unlike Wraen, Rannoch's passion didn't recede effortlessly. It stewed as he contemplated the situation that had unfurled. Not wanting to sour anybody else's day with his attitude, Rannoch had kept to Sunspire's outskirts.

When late afternoon struck, his brooding was obstructed when he detected movement towards the border. Curious, Rannoch dropped his attitude and sauntered stiffly towards the approaching figure. As he drew nearer, Rannoch recognized the figure to be Wraen with some odd-looking goose. He paused at a comfortable distance and felt spontaneously worried when he saw the injury she had acquired. "Are you alright?" he asked and moved to remove the gap that distanced them.
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
Ghost
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#3
By the time Wraen had reached Sunspire's borders, her angry energy had been drained by the effort it took to carry the rather unhandy bird. Though it was not too heavy (surprisingly so for a bird this size), it was big and it's dangling wings or neck constantly got in her way. She had lost count of, how many times she had stepped on those limbs and almost tripped over.

Therefore Rannoch was greeted with a look of utter gratefulness - at this very moment he was a god's given gift to her. She put the bird down and said: "Could you help me take this over to the cache, where Olive lives?"
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Rannoch obliged without a second thought. Once he nodded in response to Wraen's request, Rannoch moved quickly to relieve her of the burden. Although the bird was not heavy, he saw where Wraen's struggle originated from; even being as tall as he was, the animal's feet still touched the ground. 

Once Rannoch felt as though he was ready to make the trek, he nodded once more and beckoned for Wraen to lead. For now, he would follow. 

The two wolves moved mostly in silence, as Rannoch couldn't really contribute to any conversation aside from moving his head. When they arrived at the cache, Rannoch placed the body before the entrance and then moved to situate it amongst the rest of the stashed prey. When he was done, he turned and backed away from the storage den before he directed his gaze to Wraen. 

"Good work with that catch," Rannoch praised with a wag of his tail. Despite the easy climb, he was noticeably winded from their trek.
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
Ghost
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#5
"Yeah, well," Wraen shrugged, looking down at the bird and still feeling every bruise acutely, where the bird had hit her with it's wings or pecked her with it's beak. "I should have been more careful though - when you see a bird this big, one should not forget that they are tough, will defend themselves and will definitely not want to die," she mused out loud. 

Then after a pause, she looked up to her friend and said: "I am sorry about that show-down with coyote - I should have dealt with the situation better. But that guy - Bronte? - he annoyed me so much and it suddenly was so embarrassing for my authority to be questioned not only by you, but him too."

"But I promise to apologize to that little fellow and treat her nicely too. And... leave the border stuff for you and Terance, and Treason. I guess you are way better judging the people than I am," she finished with a smile.
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Rannoch nodded. "Yeah," he agreed, "But, I'm sure you won't forget about this the next time you hunt down another large bird." At least, Rannoch expected that Wraen wouldn't underestimate her prey in the future. 

"Also, make sure you have Hyacinth check out your injuries. I don't want anything to get infected," he appended; Rannoch didn't like seeing Wraen injured. 

As Wraen apologized for her behavior at the border, Rannoch quickly shook his head; she was not the only one at fault. "I appreciate your apology," he acknowledged, "But, you were not the only one to misbehave. It was foolish of me to criticize you as publicly as I did. You were protecting the pack and had the right intentions." Rannoch's ears flattened, and a feeling of guilt overcame him. "I'm sorry, Wraen." 

"I hope that you can forgive me, and we can move on and learn from this."
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
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Least of all Wraen had not expected Rannoch to apologize to her and this was the moment, when she realized the fundamental difference between her and Terance and then this guy, who not only saw the truth in both sides, but had the modesty to take a step back and admit that he had made a mistake as well. With her at times very firey nature and righteous attitude even, when she was not right, her friend's natural knack at diplomacy and peace-making was something she desperately needed. From this point on - was hell-bent on learning it. 

This flow of thoughts, formation of new connections and resolutions happened in the brief silence that followed after Rannoch had finished his speech. Her contemplative expression changed to a happy beam that despite the trauma gained by fighting a swan, still made her features pretty. Smile suited her a lot better than a scowl and aggressive attitude - that was for sure. 

"We could, of course, toss around some more "I am sorry"s and "no, I am sorry"s," she said with a laugh, "but I consider the matter solved and closed. Though I have to say - you have impressed me so much that from this day on, the little angel that sits on my shoulder is replaced by a little Rannoch." The devil had stayed the same, though for one curious moment she thought that Liffey could take that spot. Encouraging her to do some reckless stuff for a balance.
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#8
Rannoch agreed with what Wraen said—there was no use in wasting their energy on frivolous remarks. They had taken time to think of what happened and had collectively concluded on a shared perspective. 

"I'm flattered," Rannoch mused with a wave of his tail. "I just hope that nobody within Sunspire has earned the role of the Devil."
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
Ghost
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#9
"Well, the spot is vacant and I will consider all possible applications," Wraen joked back. To do that, she would have to first define, what was she looking for in a devil. Something fun to play around with in her spare time for sure. Except she would forget about this by the same evening.

"Are you busy with something now?" she asked to changed the subject. "Or I can steal you from the important and precious alpha throne?"
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"Good," Rannoch replied with a grin. "As far as I am concerned, that spot can stay vacant for a looong time." 

When asked of his availability, Rannoch nodded in reply. "I'm free, for now," he amended lightly. Rannoch's requested attendance was sporadic but, as far as he was concerned, he was free. "Steal away."
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
Ghost
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#11
"For the sake of Terance's peace of mind - I agree with you," Wraen replied with a mischievous grin and winked. She reverted to the cache then, doing some finishing touches, in order to have the gift properly hidden out from the sight of hungry feathered or furred beasts. With a layer of earth, leaves and some small-to-medium size rocks it was hard to distinguish the snow-white bird underneath. Except for a single black foot that stuck out. But - knowing that Olive and Seabreeze would not leave it to rot for very long - she left it the way it was. 

"Okay," she turned to Rannoch and shook dirt off her coat. "I need some help in widening and reworking some caches in the forest. Also camouflage needs to be worked on as well. Ready to get your paws dirty?"

If you wish to close up your older threads, you can fade out in your next post and we can have a new thread. If you are fine with continuing - that works for me also.
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#12
Rannoch was up for the assignment that Wraen presented him with; he nodded. "I am," he agreed, "Please, lead the way." Wraen and Rannoch then made their way towards the forested portion of Sunspire's territory to work on the reserves that needed their attention. 

As promised, by the time that both leaders were satisfied with the work that had been accomplished, Rannoch's paws were stained with mud—it was a visual indication of a job well done.
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