Wolf RPG

Charon had gathered his wolves and their belongings from Stavanger Bay, and they'd made their way here. While he saw Thistle had a hard time with it all, Charon knew that she would see it was for the better of her in the long run, too. She'd understand in time. He wondered how far along Amekaze's wolves were, if they were about ready to join them on Moonspear too. It would probably take time for them to see him as the great leader he knew himself to be, but Charon just knew it would all turn out fine. They needed this, after all, to survive through winter. He'd only just arrived upon Moonspear's slopes, but already Charon felt very much at home here; perhaps in part because he knew it came attached with Alpha title.

Morning mist clung to the forests along the bottom of Moonspear, causing an eerie atmosphere as the yearling trotted leisurely along his borders, at the area where the forests ended and vanished into the Twilight Altar in the distance. Every now and then Charon stopped to take a pee or rub some of his fur and scent onto someplace or another, before he continued his trail along the mountain's foot, slowly but surely laying down his claim.

Lex didn’t see a point staying in the Sunspire more than he had to; it wasn’t going to be his home.  He made the occasional trip back to see if anyone needed anything but, for the most part, he stayed in the areas surrounding where the pack was going to go.  It was much more useful to get to know the places around the new territory than the old and he at least wasn’t getting any problems for it.  He wasn’t causing trouble or giving anyone a hard time.  In fact, he’d barely run into anyone else at all but he wasn’t going out of his way to meet them.  

He stretched his legs as he wakes up, rolling sternal and outstretching his paws.  The morning due collected on his white fur but he shakes as he stands, a light spray of water slinging free.  He yawns, deep, and bellows a groan as any creaks leave him. 

A scent comes by his nose and he turns, pivoting toward its strength.  It wasn’t Amekaze; no, it was strictly masculine, and the fur on his neck ruffled just slightly as he makes he way from his sleeping spot to the nearest border. The scent is fresh but it’s familiar at least, but not by name or face.  It didn’t exactly remind him of the Sunspire, what little he’d spent there, but nonetheless he was on the lookout.  He trots forward a while before he sees the wolf up ahead and offers a chuff as he rounds a few trees—there was no need to hide away and cause more problems than he’d care to solve.

Just when he finished rubbing some of his white fur along a tree at the borders, Charon heard another wolf's chuff. He turned around, realising he must've been downwind to the other wolf, since he hadn't noticed him by scent. Tail rose instinctively, head carried proudly to indicate this was his rightful claim, displaying dominance over what he already considered his.

Charon closed the gap towards the other wolf, carrying himself with the dignity of an Alpha, while he sniffed the air to try and find out if the other was friend or foe. He did not seem unfriendly or dominant so far, which was a good start, and soon Amekaze's scent drifted to Charon's nostrils. His pose relaxed somewhat as it did, though still carrying head and tail high; but he was at least convinced that this was no enemy or wolf here to deny him his claim.

It was still a bit of a game to figure how everyone fit together, and Charon had not realised that up until now, when he'd mostly spent time with the Stavanger Bay wolves and Amekaze. "You must be one of Ame's wolves," Charon said as he approached. "I'm Charon, Moonspear's Alpha male." It felt good to say, and the yearling sported a confident smile that he simply couldn't keep off his face as he said it.

He knew there was an Alpha male over the new home in addition to Amekaze also leading.  To him, Amekaze was his leader; he’d chosen to follow her, but this wolf, Charon he introduces, is unknown to him.  His sparse knowledge of the other pack left him wanting more and this wolf would be the one to fill in blanks he has.  Charon was young, but so had he when he’d taken a piece of land of his own, but something he would prefer to bury away.  It no longer held any relevance to his life. 

“I am,” he confesses with a slight nod of his head, “Lex.”

Lex’s own smile appears on his face as he begins to hide away his own insecurity.  He wouldn’t have stepped up behind Amekaze if he didn’t trust her decisions.  Most wolves probably wouldn’t step up into the mess about to unfold with the merging of two packs—something he wasn’t given several months ago—and he wanted to know that things could work after all.

“I admit I’ve not been here too long. Don’t know what that says about me stepping into the middle of a merger,” he says with a little chuff of a laugh.  “I like the place though.  It’s nice.  I don’t quite have my mountain legs, though. You?”

Luckily whatever tension was between them was quick to crumble and Charon was glad that he would not have to prove his claim as Alpha as it appeared to be accepted without much trouble. The Sunspire wolf introduced himself as Lex, confirming that he was one of Amekaze's, and Charon nodded in thanks of the given name, trying to map it to mind. Stavanger Bay's wolves were all wolves he'd known nearly all of his life, if not all of it, and their names came easy to him. Now he'd have to remember another batch of them, with faces unknown. He was thankful to meet Lex now so that he could learn them one at a time, hopefully.

Lex admitted he hadn't been following Amekaze for very long, but that he liked the chosen terrain. As for his question, Charon said: "I grew up at the ocean myself, but I spent some time at the Sunspire. I guess before you joined up with Ame then. It'll take some getting used to living on a mountain, but I've done quite some exploring and there are so many great things about it. Have you seen the view yet?" Charon looked up towards Moonspear, which seemed to pierce the sky even from where he stood. He hadn't explored its very tops, unsure if it was even possible to get there, but he had climbed it and seen the views, and it was one of things that had convinced him of this place's charms. Another had been the forest they stood beside, which would serve them well in winter and would draw prey in, too.

Lex’s tail sweeps back and forth behind him a few times and shifts his weight to something more comfortable.  He had no reason to feel a threat from his alpha.  If he trusted Amekaze, he could trust Charon.  Trusting her meant trusting her decisions and Charon was a decision.  His background is vague but neither of them opened up their heartfelt stories of loss and heartbreak and, well, whatever else.  It wasn’t important.

“I have not,” he says, turning his head to follow the younger male’s gaze up the mountain.  He hadn’t seen the ocean since he’d gotten to the area but he was closer to salty air and that was okay for him, for now. “But I would like to.”

The white male shuffles a little, hoping the question would lead to an invitation.  His cheeks flush with warmth beneath his fur as he tries to hide his assumption.  He probably had more important things to do than to show Lex around a territory he was supposed to be putting on a map in his mind.

Lex did not have to wait for long before an invitation was extended. His words were positive, and Charon smiled eagerly while he said: "Let's go check it out." The yearling rubbed his head along the side of a couple of trees, leaving white hairs everywhere and spreading his scent and claim further. He then branched off the borders and started to trot through the old forest at the base of Moonspear.

"So you from around here, or come from afar?" Charon asked while he walked, figuring he may as well use this moment to get to know Lex a bit better.

Lex follows the younger wolf closely behind, taking in the surroundings for future reference.  Eventually, he’d know the layout of the mountain memorized.  Each day was easier, engulfing himself in his new home; soon it would become second nature to him.  He wouldn’t have to watch every step he made to ensure he didn’t fall on his face.

“I come from West of here,” he explains but does not elaborate.  He’s not sure how long it would take to get to where he’d come from.  He wasted a lot of time when his family split up, going no where in particular.  “Will you miss your old home?”

'West of here' didn't really answer Charon's question, and he lifted an eyebrow, but didn't further pursue it. Perhaps he would've when he was younger, but he didn't feel like a useless discussion. Lex asked him if he'd miss his old home, and Charon rolled his shoulders in a shrug. He didn't really know yet if he'd miss it. So far, he didn't miss it at all, glad to have settled here at Moonspear, but maybe he'd grow to miss the oceanside at some point.

"I dunno. Not so far. I like Moonspear better than my old home." Perhaps because it was actually all his, where he'd only been a second in Stavanger Bay. He considered asking Lex about Amekaze, but then remembered that he'd only just met her, too. He probably didn't know much more about her yet than Charon himself did.

They breached the forest at last and Charon picked a trail that lead up to one of the ledges on the side of the mountain that had a great view of the valleys below. It wasn't one of the higher-up ledges where you could actually feel like you were looking at the entire world, but it still provided a great view. "Almost there," Charon said when they'd nearly reached the ledge, speaking little otherwise during the journey there, unless Lex had more to say.

Lex shifts his weight as the moved, putting another foot or two between them.  The space between them made how awkward he felt a little easier, especially when he couldn’t place it.  Neither of them wanted much to talk about the past so Lex didn’t push further into asking about the pack Charon hails from.  Amekaze had given him a brief rundown, at least, but information about it would be useless at this point.  They weren’t the Sunspire and the Bay anymore—not that he’d been apart of the former very much anyway—and together they were Moonspear.  

Charon assures him they were almost there and he wags his tail a little, before dropping his nose and sniffing the ground.  He felt the strain of the climb, trying to take what even levels of the path he could, but he can’t wait until his muscle memory starts to kick in and this would be a breeze.

They walked in silence, and Charon glanced around occasionally to make sure that Lex was still following. He followed a trail up the mountains, feeling good and not really noticing any awkwardness between them; he didn't mind travelling in silence. Charon followed a trail along the mountainside, and by the time they nearly reached the ledge, he was pretty tired himself. He wasn't used to travelling on mountains much yet, but he pressed on and didn't let any of his discomfort show, because he wanted to impress Lex. It was important to Charon that others thought him as great as he considered himself, after all.

He went round a corner and a smile fell across Charon's face as the ledge he reached displayed one of the many great views Moonspear offered. The eastern part of the valley was laid out in front of them. In the distance he saw Silvertip Mountain, though partially overshadowed by the much nearer Ouroboros Spine, and more to the right he saw the sunspire mountain ridge, in front of which the valley was beautifully laid out like a piece of artwork. In awe, Charon stared at it, and only after a minute or so did he check to see if Lex had caught up yet and if he was enjoying the view equally much. He knew from experience (Dash) that not all wolves were as aesthetically focussed as he.

Lex follows behind him still, taking the corner easily as he comes to a stop just a moment later.  He rests for a moment before stepping up to stand nearby, looking out in the same direction his leader is looking.  He doesn’t know exactly what he’s looking at but he thinks he recognizes the Sunspire but the other mountains and expanse of flatlands and forests between Moonspear and as far as his eye could see.  It was beautiful and Lex couldn’t put words to what he sees.  He glances to the side as Charon looks over and he offers a smile in return.  

“I have never seen anything like it,” he muses, turning back to look across the horizon.  

It will be a spot Lex returns to another time, if only for some perspective on the world. The orchard he’d inhabited previously had nothing like this and he thought, for the first time, that everything might be okay.  His decision to retreat from the pack wanting to take his land hadn’t been so bad after all and he could be comfortable somewhere else, under another’s rule.  If this view is the only reason, he’d be okay with that.

Charon glanced sideways to see if Lex appreciated the view as much as he did, and he was pleased to see an appreciative smile. While some might be able to get perspective looking down on the world, Charon himself liked coming here because it made him feel powerful and strong, as though he was ruler of the entire world because he was ruler of this mountain. He decided not to share this, but it was one of the reasons Charon really enjoyed finding the places with the best — and most expansive — views.

"I knew you'd love it," Charon said with a broad grin, even though he hadn't known that at all, since he barely knew Lex. "So what sort of things do you like to do? Working on any trades? I'm a Naturalist myself, and also a Chronicler and Warden." Charon wondered if Lex had any trades in mind he might want to go for, or maybe already had.

He let the silence linger a few moments, watching the view with Charon for the time being.  He notes how they’d gotten there, committing it to memory and couldn’t help but wonder if he’d find Charon up here more than a few times since he’d been the one to show Lex.  It was surreal to see so much at once and he was sorry he’d missed out on so much by not visiting or living on a mountain sooner.  Lex knew he made a good choice with Moonspear.

“I hadn’t much thought about it yet.  It’s been a little overwhelming. I came to this area but wasn’t expecting the change of packs so quickly but I wanted to be apart of something new,” he says but he’s rambling and going off point early in his explanation.  “What I mean is, it’s a lot and getting settled here and helping solidify the land hasn’t left much room for it but I know I want to go for something.  I want to be useful.”

Lex shakes his head, not entirely sure why he’s rambling.  If he didn’t have white fur covering his cheeks, they’d be burning bright red.

“Chronicler is one I’d like to do.  I’ve got a good memory and it would be relatively easy collecting the history of the pack from it’s birth.” Being apart of the genesis of Moonspear would benefit him in this aspect.  “But Warden and Outrider have been in the back of my mind too.  I’m strong,” he says, puffing up his chest without thinking about it. “And I think I’m pretty easy to get along with so I guess I’d be good at those too.”

You’re rambling, Lex.  

He shakes his head, unsure of why he feels so uneasy and awkward when Charon’s relaxed nature didn’t even pick up on it.

It seemed very unlike what Charon had seen of Lex so far for him to ramble. When he did, Charon lifted his eyebrow in question, a bit disappointed because he had a good expression of Lex so far. Oh well, he was probably just more nervous than he'd previously let on in the presence of his new and very cool Alpha.

Chronicler was the first trade he mentioned, which pleased Charon. He needed good wolves to recount the glorious tales of Moonspear. "Sounds good. We could use good Chroniclers. It'll be nice if there's someone around who knows about our history." Warden and Outrider were also on the list, and Charon nodded at those, too. "Sounds like you already gave it some thought. Good, I like that." He figured maybe by giving Lex a pat on the back, he'd feel less nervous and get less rambly.

"Hey, if you want to become a Chronicler, maybe you could recount the story of Moonspear to me as you would tell it to an outsider." It wasn't that long a story yet, of course, but enough to craft a story out of, surely?

Lex shuffles his weight around a little and makes to sit but before he gets too low, he decides against it.  He is hyperaware of how much he had spoken and when Charon pipes up and points out parts of his speech, Lex turns his head away.  He looks out over the horizon again but he doesn’t focus on it and instead focuses on not looking at the peppered leader next to him. 

“I guess I had.”

Charon then proposes to him a recount of Moonspear’s birth and he takss a moment to consider it.  He doesn’t know much and he tries to recollect everything Amekaxe told him the first day.  She spoke of their former Alpha and that Charon had been the Beta to rise to power.  There were details he is unaware of and hesitant to speak to the one that had lived through them when all he had was second or third hand information.

“Well,” Lex begins but pauses, glancing back to try and capture his expression.  He looks away again.  “The Sunspire and the Bay came together to strengthen in numbers and formed a collective pack on Moonspear.  Amekaze remains in power here, as well as you,” he hesitantes, mulling the thought over.  “Maybe if I knew the motive behind the Bay forming the coalition, I could have a better detailed history?” He leaves it open ended, giving Charon a chance to teach Lex about the Bay and their purpose.  Amekaze was a rather elusive and vague wolf and he was sure, if Charon agreed to lead beside the woman, knew this.

Lex commenced the story as requested, and some of the bashfulness fell off him. Charon listened to the recount of the formation, and though it was pretty much as it was, the story clearly lacked some elements. A good story had heroes in it, after all, and some adventurous, exciting tales to spice things up.

Lex asked about the Bay's side of the story, and Charon was eager to explain. "I was Stavanger Bay's Beta at the time, when I got to know Ame a bit better. Both our packs were pretty small, so I suggested merging the packs together to be strong for winter." Charon spoke proudly, clearly feeling good about what he had achieved.

"So if you tell it as a story, you always add some more adventurous elements. Wolves want to hear about heroes and knights and all that stuff. So if you were recounting our history, you could tell it like the Hero from Stavanger Bay rescuing the Sunspire's damsel in distress from a poor winter." Charon looked at Lex to see what he'd make of the young Alpha's offered storytelling tips. "Well, it's a personal preference, I guess, but that's what the wolves like, so..." Besides, Charon was sort of a real life hero (or he considered himself such) for coming up with the brilliant plan to give their packs a smooth ride through winter.

Lex wishes Charon had stopped after he explained the motive behind Stavanger Bay but he went on.  The large wolf turns his head and closes his eyes, trying to hold back his tongue as the boy gloats about being the hero of the story.  Amekaze didn’t seem like the damsel in distress and Lex grew up with three sisters on his heels.  He was protective of them, as the older brother, but they were more than capable of taking care of themselves.  Except maybe Tavi but she only caused trouble; she knew how to keep herself safe.

He’s not sure if the leader is out of touch with wolves or if he’d been brought up by pseudo excitement but either way, he’s not sure the trade is right for him.  Lex just nods and offers an “okay” in reply to bide him over.  Getting out of the conversation abrutely might raise questions but Lex isn’t sure how to continue.  

“I will keep that in mind next time.”

Charon noted that Lex didn't say much in return, and he wondered if his criticism had bummed him out. Charon fancied himself quite the storyteller, even though he'd been rubbish when he was younger, and wasn't that much of a star at it even today. He just wasn't aware of this fact himself because everyone had always praised him for his efforts, all his life, so Charon fancied himself quite the special cookie on all fronts, storytelling included.

Deciding to help out his pack mate even further, Charon hoped to lighten the mood again and avoid too long an awkward silence after Lex had spoken. "Hey, no worries, don't get down in the dumps — you'll get there eventually," he said cheerfully. With a bit more imagination he'd be a great storyteller, surely. Some day. "And if not, you always still have Outrider and Warden." Charon, ever great at comforting others.

Lex lifts an eyebrow as he turns to look at the younger male, shrugging off the attempt to cheer him up.  There just wasn’t anything to cheer up:  “I’m not.”  Disinterest.  The large wolf blows it off his back.  Keeping note of the history of the pack had been the goal but Charon had other ideas.  Nothing wrong with it.  Lex would give it some time and consideration and decide later.  Perhaps he’d find a better job in his size, as he always had.

“I do plan to make a visit to nearby packs once everything comes together.  I’d let you know before I go, though,” he tells the leader.  “I can work on my skills during my trip and outrider at the same time.  Is there anything particular you wish for me to do while I'm away?”

He could at least get the topic onto something else.

Charon decided not to further mention Lex being embarrassed about being a sucky storyteller. He'd get there eventually. Anyway, Lex mentioned visiting some other packs, and asked if there was anything Charon wanted from him while he was gone. Charon gave it some thought, wondering if there was anything that needed doing.

"There's a white wolf with a black head called Blythe living along the coast. If she would ever be part of a pack again, I'd like to know. Last I saw her she was alone scouring the coast, though, looking like a mess." Charon thought a little further, and found he had no real wishes to transfer messages to any existing packs. "Oh, hey, if you wanted you could ask my friend Potema of Blackfeather Woods to visit sometime. Haven't seen her in a while." He smiled, hoping that Potema'd actually drop by for a visit, then looked at Lex for confirmation, not even considering that he might not know where Blackfeather Woods was at.

Lex finds it a little odd at the first request.  There are no more details; a lone wolf named Blythe on the coast?  He doesn’t make a demand to know the information but the request is there and he contemplates his desire to attempt to find a wolf of that sort.  Maybe he’d travel to the coast during his trip and check it out but he doesn’t expect to find much.  The shore is vast and his chances would be slim.

“Okay,” Lex replies with a dip of his head.  “I will keep that in mind when I visit.”

With no reason not to trust Charon that Blackfeather Woods is a real place, he doesn’t question how to find it.  In due time, he’d uncover the information but until then he’s got his purpose in his back pocket.

“I think I’ll get back to the borders now.”

Charon nodded at Lex' answers and his mention of going towards the borders for now. It seemed a wise idea. Charon smiled at Lex and said: "It was nice meeting you! See ya later, Lex." It was good to know that Lex was keeping an eye on their borders. Along with Dash, Charon considered him one of their stronger new recruits.

After Lex had departed Charon went the other direction, deciding to patrol along the other side of Moonspear so they covered all grounds together.