Redhawk Caldera constantly flowing

@Aliana, if you're up for threading out the promotion.

Sometime after her conversation with Towhee, Ruenna sought out Aliana. There was no sense in delaying good news, and Aliana deserved some recognition for her hard work. Ruenna drifted toward the Caldera's border, certain that she would find the guardian hard at work, keeping a watchful eye out for anything amiss. 

Although Rue had never heard any mention of the Saints until about a moon ago, news of them was on the lips of every traveler who showed up on their doorstep. From what Ruenna had gathered, the Saints used to reside in the western mountains, perhaps in the lands that were once home to Rue when they were called Asterism Grove. The Saints had since moved on to parts unknown, but Aliana had informed Ruenna that they left behind a small band to form an outpost uncomfortably close to the Redhawks' claim. 

According to Aliana, the Saints might soon seek an alliance with the Redhawk Caldera. However, according to Germanicus, the Saints were at war (or would be soon) with the equally poor-reputed Ursus clan. In her mind, that settled the matter. Ruenna wanted no part of this war between two foreign packs over matters unknown. It did not involve or concern the Redhawks in the least-- at least not in any way she could see at this moment.

Aliana sat at her usual spot at the border, her eyes scanning the distance for any approach or any more scouts and thinking about Satsu. Satsu was nice and respectful, no doubt about it, and perhaps their friend was respectful as well. But it was their connection with the Saints, whether willingly or not, that made them a liability and Aliana feared that it wouldn’t be long before the Saints leader would be knocking at their door. She hadn’t met him yet...but just from what she’s been told, he sounded like a prideful, condescending asshole.

She snorts indignantly at the thought of him before her ears perked up, hearing someone approaching from behind. Her head turned to see the Regent aproaching, “ Oh!” She stands up, “Greetings Regent! What brings you to the borders?” She asked.

Just as she had expected, she found Aliana watching over the border. She might normally have found Towhee posted in this exact spot, but the Redhawk Sovereign had been laid up for a few days, fighting to recover from what appeared to Ruenna to be a mysterious bout of fatigue. 

Aliana had stepped up to cover Towhee's watch, for which Ruenna was very grateful. 

"Hello, Aliana." After a slight pause, and she noted, "The Caldera no longer has a Regent. Towhee and I are both Sovereigns, now." It was very recent news, but with Towhee out of commission, it was up to Ruenna to spread the word she supposed. 

Ruenna smiled, delivering the news. She didn't mean to be prideful, but stars, she was proud! And she did not intend to hoard success for herself; she intended to turn and offer a hand those in line behind her. 

"I thought the ranks could also use a new tradesman," Ruenna continued. "I wondered if you would be interested in serving as a mercenary in an official capacity. You have been a diligent guardian of our border, and I can't think of anyone who more deserves a promotion." Ruenna wagged her tail. The role of Sovereign had come with a great many responsibilities, and this was one of the few pleasant ones.

Her brows rose in surprise, "O-Oh!" Aliana turned around fully to face Ruenna, " I ... don't know what to say but Thank you! And congratulations? " Usually when there were two Alphas, it's the Alpha and their mate but closest of kin can be the exception. She bows her head to the new Sovereign, tail wagging. " I accept the new rank gratefully. I'm just doing my part to make sure the land is safe especially with all the cubs we have. I don't mind being a Merc but I also want to work on my hunting skills..."

Aliana looks out at the expanse of Wilderness, " With each sunfall, the air starts to grow colder and it won't be long before leaves begin to brown. If you don't mind, I want to start to check the caches and looking into possible nearby food sources just in case ." She looked back to Ruenna. She wasn't going to shirk her patrols at the borders, but she wanted to make sure the Caldera was prepared for the Winter.

"Congratulations yourself," Ruenna returned with a smile. Yes, this was definitely going to be her favorite part of her new job. 

"Certainly," Ruenna agreed as Aliana noted her concern for the pups' safety. "Some of the older pups are ready to stand guard with you. You might think about inviting Sphyra out for a patrol." It was Ruenna's intention to pair all of the Caldera with mentors and mentees who were above and below them in rank, respectively.  

Speaking of which. 

"Hunting? That would be great! I will rest easier knowing you are keeping any eye on the caches." She smiled. In a beat, her eyes lit as she recalled her conversation with Eljay. "Actually, we have an upcoming hunt planned with our allies, Brecheliant. It will take place at Lake Rodney on the autumn equinox. Could you, perhaps, track the herds in the area in the time leading up to the hunt?" It would be very helpful to have an expert to lead the two packs directly to their prey. "You could even team up with Bronco, our pack's Master Hunter," she suggested.

Aliana nodded. She didn't know if she'd be the best Teacher but if Sphyra was willing to learn then she would do her best, "I'll seek them out when I'm prepared and see what they say." She wasn't going to force the cub to train with her if they didn't want to. After all, she hadn't made herself very much known to the pups yet...they've most likely seen her around but she hadn't really interacted with them.

Then there was the Hunting and again she nodded, "And I'll see if he's willing to come to Lake Rodney with me and sniff around a bit. We'll come back with our findings before the Autumn Equinox." She answered. She hadn't been to Pack Event in a while so she would do her best to contribute to it.

Hey! I realized that we're already at the autumn equinox. Time flies! You are welcome to start the hunt thread at Lake Rodney if you would like (I'll join with Ruenna to call Brecheliant), otherwise I'll start it within the next few days or so. I know your thread with Phox and Bronco hasn't gotten very far yet, so we can be vague about who from Redhawk Caldera is present.

"Perfect. Thank you, Aliana." Ruenna inferred that Aliana was not entirely familiar with the children, given that she had used a gender-neutral pronoun for Sphyra. "Sphyra is one of the girl-twins," she explained. "The one with the fierce expression." She chuckled. Both of the twins were high-strung, but Sphyra truly had the heart of a warrior. 

"I'll leave you to it, then," Ruenna said with an air of finality. She turned to leave. After taking a few steps, she turned over her shoulder. "You really are doing a fine job here, Aliana. Redhawk Caldera is better for you being a part of it." Ruenna knew all too well the struggle of feeling like an outsider among all of the tightly-knit Redhawk family members, and she wanted to make extra-sure that Aliana knew she was part of this family too. She earned her rightful place with every patrol she walked and every addition she made to the caches.

Ruenna limped off, her shuffling gait taking her into the heart of the land over which she now reigned.