Sheepeater Cliff of an emotional landslide

ATTN: @Rannoch, @Rian, @Cypress, @Liffey // anyone from the brat pack!

It was odd to realize that he no longer considered Neverwinter Forest his home.

Once, it had been everything to the boy— but over time, as he lost his father, and then uncle, and then the rest of his family one-by-one, it had slowly twisted into something foreign. His own loyalty had faltered. He had come and gone many times over the last several months, no longer connecting with his siblings or his mother. But Dublin had wanted to, had always believed it was just something he was going through, that one day he would escape the menacing, anxious thoughts that clouded his mind and it would start feeling like home again.

But it never did, and now, he didn't care.

He didn't care about much anymore, a stark difference to his early youth. But perhaps being alone did that to you— it tested and tested your nerves until they finally shattered, leaving you with nothing left to feel. Dublin's anxiety had dissipated to be replaced with apathy, and perhaps some well-buried anger.

He stalked at the base of the cliff, pacing like a caged lion, with his eyes set upon a goat that defied gravity there.

Set before the bear thread!

 
When Rannoch was not amongst his wolves, he was scouting. Not completely satisfied where they had set camp, Rannoch was always looking for something bigger and better for the members of his pack. Today's exploration brought him to the base of Sheepeater Cliffs where Rannoch had been rummaging around the pebbled base for any indications of plant life in the general vicinity. Having little luck in this search, the male halted his looking over a curiosity that suddenly overcame him. 

A smell, which was oddly familiar to him, had come to him by way of a gentle breeze. Turning towards the source, Rannoch caught sight of the pacing individual, who was not more than a half a mile away. Stalking slowly towards it, Rannoch kept his posture high and his eyes trained to the other as he approached. Upon clearing the distance between them, Rannoch felt there was something familiar about the other, but he couldn't quite put a paw on just who this individual was. 

Once he was close enough, though still at a safe enough distance to flee if required, he chuffed before called out to the other, voicing his curiosity: "Do I know you?" He was not shy about his concerns and wanted to know if the other wolf recognized him or not.

Rian had been very withdrawn in the week following his breakdown. While he still attended to his duties, and saw to his brother's needs, he was frequently found on the fringes of their gathering looking out at the wilderness with little to say. He just needed time, and while he knew Rannoch and Cypress both respected that desire, he knew they worried, too. There was little he could do to reassure them, because he knew the callous would form and he would return to the wolf he was before. Or something close to it.

Today was hardly different, except when he saw Rannoch slip away. He was laying on a particular sunny patch when he spotted the young Alpha depart their camp. Rian knew he was always in search of the perfect territory; the perfect fit. The perfect solution to their growing problem. The pack was growing, which meant more mouths to feed, and a greater chance of unwittingly inciting conflict with the established packs in the region. The O'Malley feared many things, but most of those things were conjurations from the demons living in his head.

With a glance towards those who deigned to nap or relax at their rendezvous point, Rian rolled onto his paws and set off after Rannoch to ghost the young leader and see if he could be of any use. He kept his distance, well out of range of the burly gray scale wolf's senses (unless the wind was to change suddenly). 

It didn't. And as Rian finally made his approach to annouce himself to Rannoch, the breeze carried to him a scent that was by all rights familiar, but altogether offensive. He froze mid-step and turned his gaze upon the wolf that his cousin approached; pale of fur, with gentle brushes of tan and gold dispersed throughout the coat of the individual. He recognized that face, that smell, that wolf. 

Dublin. Returned from his adventure, or wherever his family had fucked off to—he didn't care much for the circumstances. All he knew was the sting of anger and hurt as he abruptly changed direction and walked boldly up to stand right at Rannoch's side. He wanted this to be a picture of unity and devotion—his only weapon against the hurts inflicted upon him time and time again by the broken family. 

His eyes flashed with disappointment as they regarded his brother. "I thought you were gone for good." He remarked cooly. Dublin had been withdrawn much in the way Rian had been in the short months leading up to his departure from Neverwinter, but Rian was not concerned with the past. What mattered now was why he was here now. 

Silent observer. Feel free to skip me at will. ♥

Where Rannoch and Rian were, Cypress was never far behind. He’d departed briefly from the group to run a quick patrol, and when he got back and noticed both brothers were gone, he moved at a quick clip to follow their trail. His own steps added the third strand to the braid, drawing him up alongside Rannoch’s left side to run parallel with the other two. Tipping his head, he nipped briskly at the grayscale leader’s chin in a quick, easy display of respect and offered both of them a contented chuff that descended into a throaty rumble of greeting. A question hung in the air that Cypress hadn’t quite caught, but he saw no reason to speak, fully expecting that both Rannoch and Rian had made their needs plain. The intent, disappointed look in his jade eyes said this wolf was more than just a stranger, but Cypress couldn’t place him — he and Dublin had only briefly interacted once, and they had been children then.