Moonspear mighty lonely on my own in the city

48F/mist & sun.

Over the weeks, Tehama had ventured ever closer to the mountain-with-no-name.  Or at least, no-name-that-Tahoe-had-known.  The russet-hued older male had been good enough conversation of a morning, but the woman found herself now craving more consistent wolfish companionship.  She was made for pack life, not for days spent merely in solitude, and the signs of autumn had come upon into the lands in earnest now.  One could see the golden and crimson colors of the fall beginning to blanket forests at the highest altitudes, and even at the lower reaches the trees were changing from the vibrant emeralds of summer to the drab olive tones that would precede their inevitable turn and decay.  Te knew vaguely that her own body, too, was affected by the winds of change, stripped of its gentle sloping curves and any fat reserves by her continuous travels and sparse meals, her coat dulling, thinning.  She felt sympathy for the trees, as if she, too, were losing her leaves.

The season of change had often been the catalyst for change within Tehama's own mind, and this was no exception.  It was time to set her sights to pack life again and the mount was the place she aspired to do so.  For a time Tehama had held hopes that she could be the first to explore its many climbs, but her exploration of its foothills over the past fortnight had revealed scent trails coming to and fro, and she had come near to marked borders more than once before veering away and leaving them a wide berth.  It did not surprise her that a pack already resided here.  The mountain seemed to be a forested fortress, well-suited for both hunting and defense.  In truth, it would not surprise her if the wolves residing within were already aware of her presence, lingering as she had been in the unclaimed lands surrounding the peak.  Always the lady kept its spire within her sight, wherever she laid down to sleep each evening. 

But no longer.  This night, she hoped to find slumber within the depths of the alpine forest, and she hoped in the morning to ascend past its tree line and look out at the dawn from the mountain's heights instead of within its shadow.

So Tehama came to the place that she knew from once before, where amongst a smaller copse of trees and shrubs she had scented the comings-and-goings of pack wolves.  The silver-kissed woman brought with her a trio of quail, carefully hunted the last few days.  She ignored the growling and twisting of her own stomach; quail chicks had been hardly enough to satiate to break fast after the cold night, but this tribute was more important.  Late morning light slanted through the trees, illuminating the fine mist that drifted there.  Te deposited her feathered offerings upon the damp soil, some two or three wolflengths away from the true urine-marked borders of this mountain pack.  When she lifted her head in the morning chill, her howl sent the mist swirling in enchanting patterns of visualized breath, requesting an audience.

Dawn had come and gone, taking with it the soft light of morning. Awake and moving a little late today, Keres had eventually made her way down the slope to make use of herself at the borders. After her discussion with Hydra, Keres had decided she would pick up the slack wherever she could until she found her own calling. No use in sitting around twiddling her paws while she sorted herself out, after all.

So it was that she was patrolling this morning, stopping every so often to mark the borders and investigate errant scents, making sure they did not venture past where they should have. Coincidence or fate put her close already when the call had gone up and, not recognize the voice, the silvered valkyrie immediately adjusted her course and set a pace to intercept the visitor.

Only when she neared did she slow, tail and head adopting a dominant posture to the one who had called. Hello, She greeted, eyes flickering over the fowl at the woman's feet before looking up to her again. I am Keres, of Moonspear. And you are?

AWcripes, shadowposted haha!

It would come to Bronco as no surprise to find wolves drawn toward the life of a pack wolf, esepcially when the Autumn months came. Those who were proactive, at least, found their way to join a pack before the snow began to fall, or during the months when the snow lay thick through the forests. Then, at a time when life was hardest to manage in the face of food shortage and freezing temperatures, some packs might turn strangers away, should they not find it possible to feed another mouth with their dwindling food supply. So he certainly could find no reason to begrudge strangers who were smart enough to search for a place to live before the hardships struck. 

The summoning howl came a voice refined and elegant, and Bronco set off to answer it. He wasn't aware that Keres, too, was out on the prowl- and that she was closer to the stranger than he, so he continued on in his journey. There was a chill in the air, and he'd begun to notice that it took him longer and longer to warm up as he performed his morning border patrols; a sign that the seasons were changing. The morning had begun to shrink into darkness, and the sun became like an overtired whelp, unwilling to rise in the mornings. 

He took note of her silvery fur in the distance and as he approached, and lifted his head when he caught sight of Keres approaching the female, who also bore silver markings to her pelt. He caught sight of the game birds she had brought with her- three of them, which he found to be a promising demonstration of her hunting prowess. Quails were an interesting bird- often scuttling about in groups, chuckling to themselves as they rustled through the dry leaves of autumn. Three had met their match not long ago, though, and now they appeared to be laid out carefully, to catch his attention. He drew near to Keres' side, and gave her shoulder a friendly tough with his muzzle in greeting, before he looked to the stranger. Given the fact that Keres had already introduced herself and asked for her name and purpose, but Bronco sought to make the ice breaking a bit more comfortable. He gave the female a nod of his head, and couldn't help but smile softly as he nodded toward the quails. "Who told you that we accept bribes?" He asked with a faint, but amused grin.

Tehama hadn't anticipated how her howl would suddenly seem such a brash and foolish thing in her mind, or set what felt like a flock of birds to flapping their wings within her chest.  She had never before had to stand upon someone's metaphorical stoop and knock, awaiting answer.  Their flight from Mount Mirror to Thousand Rivers had been led by her mother, and the calamitous shifting and rumbling of the earth and Mount Mirror belching toxic fumes and ash had heralded their arrival long before the pack's refugees would have announced themselves.  But this was not a pack leaning on the goodwill of their allies in a time of need.  Te was but one wolf, and a small and increasingly thin one at that; she had skills to offer, but she wouldn't be surprised if a pack facing down the coming winter would turn away a loner like herself long before she ever got a chance to prove she was worthwhile.  All of these considerations, anxiety coursing through her veins, left the woman sinking lower in posture, her ears flecking back, tail dipping, some time before any pack wolf had arrived.

Soon enough, however, another did came.  Whereas Tehama was a pale tawny with silver and charcoal dusted across her face and upper half, this wolf was cast in greyscale.  Te saw a hint of green eyes as the other approached through the trees.  She didn't gaze directly at the pack wolf for long, casting her pallid gaze appropriately down to soil and leaf debris, but a flare of her nostrils brought in the other's scent, female and with a number of other co-mingling scentmarkers and odors that the younger woman couldn't recognize individually but knew collectively as the pack scent that demarcated the nearby borders.

"...Moonspear."  The female, Keres, put a name to the pack and to the place, and Tehama mentally clung to it, savoring the strong shape of it. Perhaps its alliterative quality with her own Mount Mirror made her even fonder of the jagged name moreso than she might otherwise have been.  Before the silver-dusted lady could identify herself in return, a third wolf approached, a dark tawny foil to the silver females.  In her peripheral vision, Te saw the motions of a friendly greeting between the two pack wolves, and registered a bit of a smile on his features.  He was younger than either of the women, if appearances were anything to go by.  He, too, held the distinct scent of Moonspear.  Unlike his packmate, he didn't share his name.

A bit daunted by a larger welcome committee than she had anticipated, but not dissuaded, Tehama took a deep and steadying breath before introducing herself.  "I am Tehama.  Te, for short."  She allowed a low wag of her tail, an earnest and eager expression, not one of challenge or assertion.  "I am looking for somewhere to winter over, or stay longer if it's agreeable.  The mountain, Moonspear," the name on her tongue was satisfying, "It called to me."  The woman nudged forward the quail she had brought.  They provided a convenient place to look that was not at either of her two greeters. Gathered over the past few days, the lady was an adequate hunter but nothing overly impressive.  Still, they represented three days that she herself had elected not to eat of the fruit of her labor, carefully storing them for just this moment.  "I'd not call it a bribe.  More of an offering."  Te hoped that the faintest quirk of her own lips would not be considered out of line by either of the pack wolves. "For the leaders, or for the pack's caches."

Bronco's arrival was noted with a smile and touch to his fur in return for his own gesture. While they had not spoken at length yet, the two had accompanied @Hydra in their venture just weeks ago. Their bond as packmates had been strengthened by such an experience, progressing them from strangers to acquaintances, and though it left significant room for improvement, Keres still felt all the more comfortable with him at her side. Even if he was on the younger side, he was a good, loyal wolf from what she'd seen.

His quip brought a soft laugh from the self-proclaimed valkyrie, and that smile remained as she listened to Tehama, pleased with the information she presented. With winter looming, it is smart to find somewhere to call home, She replied, vaguely sure that the Spear's leaders (tags @Dirge and @Jarilo too) would prefer those who intended to stay rather than those who would prefer to make use of the mountain's resources for no loyalty in return.

We appreciate your sacrifice, Keres would comment, dipping her head too the woman before glancing at Bronco. He was of a higher rank and, if he wished, he could command the conversation and ask questions he deemed fit. If not, Keres had a query or two at the ready.

Tehama, as far as Bronco could tell, had a calm and respectful air about her- she deferred to the two pack wolves meekly, and seemed to be subservient and pliable. He was likely too quick to pass judgement- as a fine actress might have seemed just as suitable a fit for their pack if they did well enough in hiding ill intentions. But he was of a forgiving, gullible and naive nature when it came to strangers, and tended to have a favourable default judgement of others. Keres too seemed to be at least content with the female's bid to join them- albeit a least for the winter. That detail caught his attention, and he found himself wondering how his leaders might respond to taking in a new joiner- who perhaps only wished to join with a pack for the sake of their own survival, rather than to become one with the pack, and take their packmates as family. 

But that wasn't his responsibility- though he kept in mind that that detail ought be passed on to whichever leader came to greet them first. In the meanwhile, Keres seemed willing enough at least to accept the generous offering that Tehama brought with her, an indication to Bronco that she, at least, was in favour of allwing Tehama to join the pack. He nodded in agreement with Keres' appreciation. "Seems like you're a pretty good hunter, Tehama. Got any other skills you think we should know about?" He asked, before he halted- "Oh, I'm Bronco, by the way. S'nice to meet you," He said, with a slight nod of his head. Maybe he wasn't as refined in his border-etiquette as Keres, but he was getting somewhere, at least.

Another summons—he wanted to cringe. It wasn’t so much as the fact that they came about as it was that he hadn’t been able to shake Altair from following him like a shadow. A poor imitation of a shadow at that, seeing how the boy had been pegged early on in this venture but was trying so hard to stay unseen that Dirge decided not to pay him any mind. But the summons to the borders changed that, and he had taken the opportunity to let himself be captured along enough to have him tag along. Of course, that was also under the stipulation that he behaved as he should, otherwise he would have to answer to his mother.

Also assuming that Hydra did not coat him in displeasure upon finding out, too.

Typical, he discovered as he reached the borderland, that he would find Keres already there. Bronco was a welcome sight as well and between the two of them was the source of all cacophony in the day. She was not entirely sable though it shone through in simple ticking; comprised of more silvery shades and tawny tinges she may as well have been a fair amalgamation of the wolves that gathered there. He took notice of the offering she had brought as he strode up to join the duo, and Altair trailed behind quietly as Bronco inquired about her other skills.

Since that question was on the table, Dirge only regarded her with interest.

What would her answer be?

The borders were an exciting place, though he found he had to contain that excitement. It was a difficult thing to do the moment he saw at least two other faces he knew—his aunt, for starters, and then that glimmery fellow that he had spied on here and there but hadn’t quite approached yet. That was about to change considering he was hot on the heels of his father and in that mix of adults, Altair clutched the tail feathers of their confidence and ease. He couldn’t be standoffish, not here. This was home and most importantly, he was in the company of his father.

So silently he lingered just behind the lot of them, his tail waving a little bit friendly.

Altair was merely there to observe, but he knew to run if things went sideways.

more of a cameo post though i'll try and use this for a trade too lmao

Tehama had gone from being alone to being surrounded by wolves in a matter of moments.  They were strangers, for now, but pack mates, potentially.  To Keres' silver features and Bronco's youthful crimson, she had names to attach.  The newly-arrived older male came upon them silently and offered no introduction, but moved with an aura of authority exceeding that of her original greeters.  Te thought promptly that this might be Bronco's father, by appearance, and Moonspear's Alpha, by sheer power of presence.  Acutely aware of herself as outsider, lone wolf, petitioner, the lady shrank still a degree further, and dipped her head in an acknowledging gesture toward the older male's silent arrival.  She caught a glimpse of other dark wolf behind him, partially obscured by the mist, and was pleased to note that it was a youth following along behind the adults.  This is a strong pack, the female decided firmly.  She still remembered being that adolescent herself, following her mother along well-worn mountain trails and defending their borders.  She just hadn't realized what it was like to approach from the other side of that power dynamic, as a stranger and traveller.  It was a humbling experience, all encapsulated in just a few brief moments of time on this autumn morning.

Te cleared her throat softly, willing herself not to sound awkward or as shaky as she felt on the inside.  "I'm just a fair hunter," she acknowledged in Bronco's direction, deflecting his more confident assessment of her ability.  The scar upon her cheek would be noticeable at this distance, a long-ago accident that was a relevant caveat to any discussion of her hunting prowess.  "But I am mountain-born and know both the dangers and the rewards of living in such a place."  Relevant, she felt, for lowlands wolves too often overestimated their competency navigating mountainsides where rocks might shift underfoot, cliffsides cropped up seemingly out of nowhere, and inclement weather could be deadly.  "I have knowledge about a number of things.  Scouting, guarding, diplomacy.  How to fight, if I must.  The very rudiments of healing, navigation."  Her size worked against her in battle, but gave her speed when it was needed.  All of those skills had been intended to serve her as her mother's heir; that education was cut short, but would have to do, for now.  

The lady's ears, tail, and thin form remained subdued, but she did glance briefly at each of the adults' general directions, to make her next point.  "More to the point, I'd say I'm a quick learner at most things, and not above doing any task."  That was true.  She'd not been able to sit leisurely and listen to stories or learn the patterns of the stars like her siblings, but she'd gained pragmatism and a strong work ethic.  She could still hear her mother telling her never to give a task to another than she wasn't willing to perform herself.  That was a lesson that would serve her throughout life, even if she never grew to lead a pack as they'd all expected of her.

More wolves arrived, her brother and nephew, though the boy was carefully a short distance behind them. A smart move, and Keres acknowledged him with a glance and a soft smile before turning her attention back to the woman and her pheasants. Mountain-borne with the ability to hunt, heal, fight, advise. Truly, a jack of all trades if all she said was to be believed at face value.

Given no reason to not believe her, Keres would put forward a new question to her, continuing the joint-interview for the potential packmate. How well do you work with others? Sure, she could hunt, but could she function as part of a unit? How well could she be one of many rather than a single creature who operated on their own?

Well, she was humble- and Bronco liked that. Arrogance was not the most attractive quality, in his opinion, so he found Tehama's graceful decline of his compliment to mean that she was a modest creature, and wasn't willing to sell herself beyond her own capabilities. Honesty was definitely a merit that she seemed to have, and Bronco- having already found himself sporting approval, found himself with little else that he felt it might be necessary to ask. She seemed willing enough to fit in where she was needed- if not leading in any particular area, then contributing at least, and willingly so. Keres posed a question that might pinpoint how she would fit in with a group, which was another good qurestion. Bronco was satisfied, so he looked to Dirge, assuming he would be the one to make the call.

She was versatile from the sound of things, which was a favorable thing to have when she was the one looking to be taken in. They could always use more hunters, though Dirge had no qualms about taking in someone who could heal too. Scouts had their uses too; they could always use those with all that went on, especially with their pack dividing to seize the glen as their own. Bronco’s gaze turned to him and he met it briefly, only to turn and check on Altair. The boy hadn't moved, busy watching the exchange.

His attention returned to Tehama then.

Dirge remained silent as Keres made further inquiries—it would seem his sister knew a thing or two about this process too, though it should not have surprised him any. Standard questions, a summary of worth stacked against those who were already in the midst of their pack. He could have chimed in with something, words already resting gently on his tongue, but he was curious—what would Tehama say?

So, this was what happened at the borders, at least in this scenario.

With a gaze that wandered between the adults, Altair could not help but be a little mind boggled by all the things that this Tehama could do. He liked that she could hunt because he was always up for someone else to hunt with, but to be a scout and a healer and still have more skills in her repertoire? He could only hope to someday be that skilled, or at least proficient in so many things.

When his father turned to look at him, he offered him a faint smile. There was nothing much to glean from the expression he found there, but the snippets of emotion he did capture seemed warm; he preferred this to any sort of sternness he occasionally came across, and thought it bode well for the she-wolf at their borders. She seemed like the sort to do well, he thought, but knew that the decision would rest with his father in the end.

He took a couple of careful steps closer to him at that point, hoping all went well.

Tehama hadn't intended to mislead them as to her aptitude, and was not by nature a braggart.  She meant to be fair in her moderate assessment of her hunting skills, and in other realms she held an intermediate knowledge at best.  She might by some measures be considered a jack of many trades and master of none.  That would happen when one's education was truncated and life upended by natural distaster.  Scouting, guardian, diplomacy--these were a leader's core competencies; fighting, a necessity among wolves for fundamental reasons of survival.  Her attempts at healing and navigation were at a novice's ability level, and the woman wouldn't hesitate to defer to someone more experienced in such matters if there were anyone more experienced.  She dwelled for a moment upon thoughts of her father, who had indeed been the pack's most adept at setting broken bones, ushering pups into the world, finding the right herbs and plants to treat an ailment.  She regretted not learning from him when she could.

The lady shook her head faintly, almost imperceptibly, to clear away the sadness those thoughts had settled onto her.  In the present moment, she heard Keres pose another question, while Bronco and the yet-unnamed adult and adolescent remained silent still.  Not yet certain what the dynamics were between each of them, Te supposed she would answer frankly to the greyscale woman's query and await any further questions from the remainder of the pack wolves afterwards.  "I am not suited to the life of a loner," she said, wondering if her too-thin frame didn't already attest to the veracity of that statement.  "I was raised to succeed my mother in leading our pack, but fate had other plans.  So we had to start again and integrate ourselves with our neighboring pack.  It was a change, to go from leading to following.  Humbling, but successful."  The female hesitated, wondering if she had already rambled on too long, but chose to try and anticipate the question she thought would come next.  If it went well, why leave? "I chose to leave this past spring.  My mother found a new mate, and was raising a new litter.  I needed to find my own future and it wasn't in a calm meadowed valley.  I miss the mountains."

It was true; the scents that clung to each of them were practically intoxicating, so strong did they compel her to recall her earliest memories of exploring Mount Mirror.  Moonspear was not the same, was unique in its own way, but Tehama desperately wanted once again to be that little tawny pup leaping from crag to crag, mimicking the bighorn sheep.  And it meant throwing her lot in with these wolves, who seemed level-headed, physically capable, strong in number, and family oriented.  It was better than Te could have hoped for.

Short post, sorry for the wait!

The female wove a short tail of modesty, going from the heir of a pack to serving another, seemingly without much issue. If that were truly the case, she found herself thinking highly of the other already. In Keres' eyes, everything aligned well enough that if the decision had been left to her, she would have accepted the female. As it were, her mountaineer sibling was the leader here and she had no issues deffering to him, taking a moment to glance his way.

Short post, can prossibly be skipped next round :)

When she spoke of learning to follow others, after having led a pack, Bronco felt even more convinced that she'd be a good fit with Moonspear. She was proving herself adept at working both on her own, and contributing to a group without squabbling over rank and heirarchy. She seemed to have had some experience leading, which gave her confidence, something she would need should she be required to make a quick decision on her own. Bronco was often quick to like other wolves- and this case was no different. 

He looked to Dirge, and gave him a faint nod; a not so subtle way of showing that from everything he'd seen thus far, he was in favour of allowing her to join.

She spun another story and he listened, finding the answer to actually be fairly adequate. All things considered, it showed that she could overcome adversity and despite her travel-weary appearance, she had managed to survive in spite of the odds. The life of a wanderer was certainly not for everyone and with the approaching winter all but breathing down their backs, Dirge could not fault her for seeking out something familiar.

And if that happened to be a mountain, well, all the better for them.

“I think I’ve heard enough,” he said when the eyes of Keres and Bronco both rested on him. “You may have the potential to do well here in Moonspear, once you’ve rested some. We may not have the most idyllic of lives here, but there is little you will want for in regards to stability.” They were a long lived pack, multi-generational at that point, and even he saw the use in having kith that did not share blood with them. Desdemona and Bronco both had been fine additions to their pack, proving their loyalty with no doubts, and he was curious to see if Tehama would do the same.

He gestured to the rise of the mountain behind him then, eyes alighting on his sister and the tawny guardian in his company. A gesture for Tehama to come along with them, a rolling welcome if ever there was one. His tail swished passively at his hocks.

“Assuming neither of you are busy,” he said to the duo who had come across her first, “perhaps we acquaint our new friend with a cache and somewhere quiet to bed?” And if they happened to busy themselves with something more, there was at least he and Altair to keep her company; he wouldn’t hold it against them to quit the scene.

if y'all want we can push this towards a close and presume that tehama got a walkabout. :)

Success—at least for her, Altair thought. He may not have understood just how it would benefit them in the long run just yet but the acceptance was not lost on him. He mirrored his father with much more enthusiasm, his tail wagging away, and broke his hold to stride up alongside of the trio of adults that stood before Tehama.

Wasn’t like there was much point in fearing that she was bad news or something, because if that had been the case then he was pretty sure she would have been run off. Or worse, as his mother had told them once or twice or many times before as to just what happened to the unsavory sorts that occasionally turned up at their borders.

And giving her a little tour too? He liked the idea of this, and his eyes set on his aunt and Bronco gleefully, almost imploring them to come along. He’d been good thus far, so obviously they’d come along, right?

It has been lovely threading with you all!  <3  I am fine with closing out with a fade-to-black here unless anyone's compelled to reply once more.

It became clear as Keres and Bronco, along with the silently observing youth, looked to the older, dark-pelted wolf that Tehama had not been mistaken as to his authority.  Birds' wings continued to beat against her ribcage, but she held steadfast and willed herself not to become shaky or outwardly display her uncertainty.  She didn't think she'd spoken anything wrong, but that alone would not ensure admittance into a pack's trust.  A rejection might be issued for any reason, or for no reason.  Merely a sort of "no vacancy" situation, and a door closed in her metaphorical face.

Something faint in the still-silent wolf's expression shifted and Te's breath caught in her throat for an infinitesimal moment.  He spoke, and she let out a faint puff of air in relief, creating an eddy of mist that hung between the group of them.  "... there is little you will want for in regards to stability."

The lady couldn't resist letting her tail wag at the words that sounded the most certainly inviting, and her hopes were confirmed at the beckons he issued to all of them thereafter, specifically including Tehama. If they departed together, she would drop into place at the rear of the group, quite concious of her place in lowest position on the totem pole and utterly unbothered by the need to defer to all of the others, even the quiet adolescent who was clearly well on his way to serving the pack.

"Thank you," was her earnest expression of gratitude to all assembled.  The worry that tightened around her chest lifted off, and though she knew intellectually that she was still hungry and weary from the trials of travel, Tehama readily forgot all of that.  Her mood soared and a bright smile emerged upon her lips.  Readily, the woman hefted the trio of quail she intended for the pack's cache or this still-unnamed leader's consumption.

Just like that, she was... well, she was Moonspearian.