The Sunspire Can't use an old map to see new lands

@Rannoch

Rueger had been accepted into the pack, though he knew his status was precarious, since he would need to prove himself. He didn't have any problem with that, knowing that packs wouldn't want to keep anyone around who wasn't pulling their weight. Rueger would just do what he does, and hopefully that would speak enough for him.

He was roaming the territory now, getting the lay of the land and familiarizing himself with dens and landmarks. He made sure to steer clear of the den entrances, though, knowing the mothers would be upset with a newcomer being so close. So, as soon as he realized there was a den, he committed it to memory, and then continued on his way.

 

A silhouette had grabbed Rannoch's attention—he did not recognize whoever was roaming about. Through a quick series of elimination, he decided that the unknown figure had to be Terance and Cassiopeia's recruit, Rueger. Rannoch broke into a lope and strode proudly to pursue the man who wandered ahead of him. 

Once the newly drafted wolf was within earshot, Rannoch asked, "Rueger?"

A voice had him stopping in his tracks. Initially his ears were perked, but they quickly folded on his head as his tail lowered at the sight of the dominant male. He couldn't imagine anyone would be that dominant, except the Alpha. He turned to face him, his gaze focused below the other male's eyes. Yes, I'm Rueger, he replied. He wondered if the other male had smelled him near the dens and been upset.

He could obviously understand, seeing as how he had only been here a couple of days, but he hoped the Alpha would give him a chance to explain his motives. If not, well... He was just screwed.

Rannoch's suspicion had been confirmed. "I've been meaning to introduce myself," he revealed as he cleared the distance between them. From first glance, Reuger seemed to be in good health, and Rannoch was pleased to see that an able-bodied individual had happened upon his borders. 

When Rannoch stopped in front of Reuger, he introduced himself, "I'm Rannoch." Despite his dominant stance, his expression was friendly. Rannoch wanted Reuger to feel welcome in Sunspire.

One ear swiveled as the Alpha said he wanted to introduce himself. So... Rueger wasn't in trouble? The other male didn't sound upset, so Rueger took it as a good sign that him mapping the territory hadn't been misinterpreted.

I'm Rannoch, the other male said. Yup, definitely the Alpha, he thought. Nice to meet you, he responded. He seemed friendly, thankfully. Rueger didn't need much discipline from his leaders in order to work for them. He was self-disciplined in that aspect. He just needed someone right to follow. Your territory is nice. I was just mapping it out, he confessed.

"It's nice to mee you, too," Rannoch replied. 

Reuger then explained what he had been doing, and Rannoch was further intrigued; he was already showing initiative. "Thank you—we were lucky to find it unoccupied." Although his fondness of the territory was beginning to decline, he couldn't deny that the peak was impressive. "I can show you around if that would help you out," he offered.

His tail swayed side to side at his hocks when Rannoch offered to show him around. I'd appreciate that, thank you, he responded. Mapping could be tedious, and if he had help with the main areas, he could do the rest in sections and knock them out a lot faster.

If it's alright, I'd like to see all caches first, since they are the most likely target for intruders. He wasn't being too pushy, was he? I was also trying to map the dens without getting too close, he confessed.

Rueger was a protector at heart, and he didn't feel worth anything unless he had his plans in places to prevent any intruders from getting in in the first place. If they did, he could at least track them quickly by knowing where they might be headed before they knew themselves.

With each piece of information that Reuger revealed, Rannoch found himself growing more comfortable in the stranger's presence. He smiled and motioned towards the east. "The nearest cache isn't too far from here," he reported. "It's a smaller one, surrounded by tall grasses—I think it used to be a fox den." At least, Rannoch recalled smelling the reek of fox scat when he had helped Wraen examine it. 

"Also, I appreciate you being mindful of the dens." he appended. "We have a pawful of little ones but, I'm sure you'll meet them soon." At least, Rannoch would welcome Reuger to meet his lot soon enough.

Rannoch was willing to show him around, and Rueger's gaze shifted briefly to the east before going back to the Alpha. An old fox den was easily repurposed into a cache, but Rueger wondered. Do you get a lot of fox in the area? Scavengers were more like to raid their caches than wolves. A wolf was more easily identified and dealt with, whereas foxes and the like could be a little sneakier.

He nodded his understanding regarding the pups. Are they very young? he asked. The older they were, the less likely they were to become meals to other predators. I'm sure the mothers wouldn't like me snooping around their dens too much, he commented, regarding meeting the pups. He understood he was a newbie here, and it would take time to earn the trust of the other pack members.

Rannoch had to consider Rueger's question for a moment. "No, not anymore," he decided. The fox population had drastically diminished in the time which Sunspire had claimed the mountain. "I think we chased most of them out but, you'll see one every so often. I just caught one the other day so that the kids could play with the pelt." 

In regards to the children, Rannoch summarized, "We've had three litters this season. The first is about four moon-cycles, the second is three, and the most recent, my lot, are just over two moon-cycles." 

"I'm sure you'll meet them in time," Rannoch assured Reuger.

He was glad to hear that the foxes seemed to stay away for the most part after being run off. It didn't surprise him that Rannoch ran into once, as they were opportunists at heart, and would always try their hand at the wolves' cache. I bet they liked that, he commented on the pelt.

His brows rose when the Alpha listed off all the litters of pups. You have a handful, he chuckled. It will take me weeks to learn who is who, he confessed, only half joking. He liked to know which pup was which, but it wouldn't mean his protection of them would change any.

As they walked, he wondered. So, is there anything specific I can do for you or the pack? he asked. He knew he needed to do the basic stuff, but Rueger could get bored easily doing the same thing day in and day out.

"They loved it," Rannoch replied with a humored glint in his eyes.  "My youngest, Breccan, kept hogging it and shaking it around. I guess we're teaching them early about what to do with foxes," he added with a laugh. 

When Reuger admitted to his potential difficulty with learning names, Rannoch offered him a smile. "I can understand that," he assured the other man, "And if you need help, I'm here. You're learning a lot of names at once, and that can be a lot on a wolf's memory." Thankfully, Rannoch had a knack for remembering names. 

Rannoch considered Rueger's question for a moment. "Loyalty," he began, "We are a tight-knit group, and commitment means a lot to us. Skill-wise, guarding and hunting, mostly. But, if you have any other talents to offer, they'd be appreciated and welcomed."

He grinned as he imagined the pups going crazy over the fox pelt. The earlier, the better, he figured. Foxes could be pesky critters, and were better off outside of the wolves' territory. If they choose to come in, they usually got some wounds to show for it, if they made it out at all.

He nodded gratefully. Thank you, I appreciate that. I'll definitely reach out of I need help. Rueger considered himself a capable wolf, but he wasn't above asking for help if he needed. That was the whole point of living in a pack, to have others there to back you up, and to back them up when they needed it.

His ear swiveled and then his eyes followed, landing on the Alpha. He hadn't been expecting that answer, and he wondered where it came from. Did the pack have a lot of wolves that left? He considered Rannoch for a movement. He had only been here a few days, but the wolves seemed trustworthy. I have no problem pledging my loyalty, he said. To you, he added. He wasn't going to make the same mistake twice, and pledge his loyalty to some future Alpha. I can't make promises about anyone who might come after you.

Rannoch grinned as Reuger pledged his faith. "I'm glad," he replied; Rannoch had no reason to doubt Reuger's commitment. The mention of any potential predecessors intrigued Rannoch, and he looked at Reguer curiously. 

"I plan on sticking around for a long time," he promised—a navie declaration, perhaps. "But, I do appreciate it," he reiterated with a smile.

While Rueger's mission in life wasn't really to please, per se, the follower inside himself was still glad the Alpha was happy in regards to his pledge. Good to hear, he replied, about Rannoch sticking around a while. Most Alpha's were not overturned easily, and he couldn't see Rannoch giving up his position without a damn good fight.

So, are the rest of the pack as chill as its leaders? he asked. He had only been here a couple days, but the only non-leader he had met was Cass, who had intercepted him at the borders. He supposed he would need to make the effort to meet them.

"I'd say so," replied Rannoch; the only "un-chill" one he could think of was Treason, who was focused more on her duties than socializing. "We've got a lot of friendly faces, for sure." Reuger wouldn't have any problem fitting in. 

"So, tell me a little about yourself," Rannoch prompted after a brief pause in their conversation. "What brought you to Sunspire?"

Rueger was glad to hear Rannoch say they had a lot of friendly faces. While he knew the reality was he wouldn't see eye-to-eye with everyone, he hoped he could be on good terms with most of them. At least, that's what he would strive for.

He wasn't surprised when the Alpha asked him about himself. Well, to be honest, and he usually was, The promise of bigger prey, he answered with a grin. Maybe not the answer Rannoch was looking for, but it was the truth. Honestly, I had left my previous pack several months before, and I wasn't sure where I would end up. Your borders seemed strong, which indicated a strong pack, and that's where I wanted to be. He wasn't sure if that was a great reason, but Rueger hoped the honesty would make up for that.

Although Rueger's response was not what Rannoch had anticipated, he appreciated the honesty. "I hope you found what you were looking for," Rannoch replied with a smile. 

Eager to delve further into Rueger's backstory, he asked, "What was your old pack like?"

Rueger returned the smile, meeting the eyes of the Alpha for a split second before moving his gaze forward again. Looks good so far, he said optimistically.

Rueger wasn't surprised when Rannoch asked about his old pack. The male was eager to move forward, but he knew he would not hide his past to do so. I was there quite a while. Leadership was good, most of the pack was good. Then an up and coming male overtook the Alpha male, forcing him out. He let in a bunch of rogues that he had apparently made friends with and tried to enslave the rest of the pack. We escaped, I stayed long enough for them to get settled, and decided to move on. He often wondered how they were, but with the addition of a few more wolves along their way, he had left them with the ability to defend themselves.

"Oh... wow," Rannoch replied; he had not expected to unveil such a traumatic backstory. "I'm happy to hear that you all escaped and resettled," he added. "Should you hear of any other troubles concerning your former pack, Sunspire will be more than happy to assist in any way we can."

Rueger was a little surprised that Rannoch would so quickly agree to back him up should any of the bad guys from his past show up here. He didn't expect them, too, though he couldn't imagine their pack was able to sustain themselves once he got his pack out of there. I appreciate that, thank you, he said sincerely. He had a feeling he and Rannoch would be close. At least he hoped so.

Rueger would part ways with the Alpha and continue on his rounds for another hour or so before heading inward in the territory to try his paw at hunting. If there was anything around to hunt.