Blacktail Deer Plateau i am the stone that the builder refused

Charon had said he would visit Osprey sometime, and so far he hadn't managed; but now he found a peep of time and was able to make his way there. He was nearing nine months of age, a time when he would be an adult officially. He'd enter the adult ranks, and fully expected to enter them in a leader position after the talk he had had with Thistle Cloud. Charon knew that she needed the help, and he was the most competent wolf for the job. Especially after Ragnar's death, the pack really needed another leader - someone like him. And he was, after all, the heir to the pack. No one would be better suited for the position. Stavanger Bay was small, but it would grow again, and they were heading into summer, anyway, so they were fine for now.

When he reached Blacktail Deer Plateau's borders, Charon raised his nose into the air and howled for @Osprey to come. Once he had called, Charon casually sat down and waited at the borders, keeping his body language neutral as he was upon another pack's borders. The eight months old wolf waited patiently for Osprey to come, hoping she was feeling better than the last time they met.

i can't resist.... When Oss comes he will skedaddle but for now >:)

Dante heard the call, and the fact that it was for Osprey, clear as day.  But he was nearby, and he happened to recognize the voice.  It was the kid, the one whose name he failed to remember but whose face he could hardly forget.  Sir something or other.  He was terrible with names.

He couldn't help it though... a part of him knew he should probably leave the call for Osprey to recieve, but another egged him towards it.  The part that he normally didn't listen to, but that today wouldn't be ignored.

He was sitting politely on the border when Dante strode forward, and Dante kept his the same.  Neutral, though naturally erect. "Hey.  Long time no see."  Voice held at the same level - neutral, he waited for an answer.  Inwardly he was curious... Last time they had not parted well, and Dante wondered if the boy held a grudge.  And if that would be kept in check, seeing that he was on his own borders at the moment.  "How are those rolling skills coming?"  A reference, though he was careful to keep his smile hidden.  He really didn't want to dissolve the situation so soon, but the words had slipped out, unable to be contained.

haha, that Dante <3

Charon was disappointed when the silhouette that appeared in the distance didn't look much like Osprey's. When they came nearer he noticed it definitely wasn't Osprey; but he'd seen the wolf before. Upon closer inspection, when the wolf drew nearer, he saw that it was one of the Plateau's leaders, Dante. The annoying dude he'd met sometime out in... where was it, Gyrfalcon or something? Whatever, it didn't matter. In response to the 'long time no see' Charon let out a disappointed, "Oh, it's you." He'd hoped to see Osprey here. He knew he should probably be respectful of this dude though, considering he was a leader and these were his borders. Charon didn't like when outsiders were disrespectful to him, either, although he never showed up when someone called for someone-not-him.

When Dante mentioned the rolling skills, Charon shot him a glare. He wanted to be polite, he really did, but it was sooo hard. "They are fine, thank you," Charon said with an even voice, though clearly holding himself back. "You sure changed since we last met though, Osprey. Have you eaten a lot recently? You look kinda fat. I guess spring's been good to Blacktail Deer Plateau." Charon kept his tone even and his body language neutral as he spoke, not smiling once. He wasn't sure why he was even trying, because if experience taught him anything it was that Dante would probably just shrug off his insult and laugh about it.

Yeah, he definitely wasn't thrilled.  And especially not after Dante's comment.  Later, when he looked back at what he had said and analyzed the situation (an unavoidable activity for him), he would undoubtedly come to regret not holding his tongue on that. At the moment, he found the entire happening amusing as hell. Charon wasn't wrong in his assumption, as Dante did laugh at the jab, and any annoyance he might have felt last time they met was replaced with a sort of affection. The kid gave as good as he got, and Dante appreciated that.

"As a matter of fact it has. Better not let Osprey catch you mistaking me for her, though... Doubt she'd be flattered." He sat down, glancing back. "I'm sure she'll be by, but in the meantime... I wouldn't be much of a landholder if I let strangers sit on the borders unattended, would I?" Ok, a peace offering now. If Charon would take it, that is. "You still looking to make leader in your parts?"

As expected, Dante didn't respond to Charon's jabs at all, which infuriated Charon. He wanted so bad to kick this punk's ass, but there was nothing he could say that would offend Dante, probably, nor would he be able to physically kick Dante's ass... probably. Charon broodily stared forward while he considered what he could possibly do to embarrass Dante as much as he could when Dante said something about whether or not Charon still wanted to be a leader.

"Huh?" Charon looked at Dante and then hastily followed up with, "Oh, yeah, 'course. Thistle's our only leader right now and she's got babies to take care of and stuff and she's all alone now with just Levi to help her look after all four of her babies, so I'm planning to become leader when I turn nine months." Charon was pretty sure that Thistle Cloud felt the same way that he did about his pending leadership; he'd made it very clear how competent he was and she had said that she agreed about that and was proud of him. Then she had said that she would 'think about it', which was pretty much the same as 'you've got the job' in Charon's mind.

Were Dante a wittier, less conscientious individual, he might have commented on Charon's expression, for his face was rather sour.  There was a line drawn between poking fun and being rude, and it wasn't one that the silver alpha enjoyed crossing.  He did wonder a bit at how Osprey got along with such a disagreeable teen, though perhaps he was a bit more accommodating when they spoke than he was towards Dante.  Maybe it was a guy thing.

"Nine months, eh?  That can't be far off.  And you think the rest of the pack will agree?"  He didn't comment on age, but he did wonder if Charon understood that a leader wasn't just someone who declared themselves and tada, there they were, issuing orders.  Orders weren't much good if no one followed them.  He didn't know what the bay was like, though, and so there was nothing but genuine curiosity in the question.  If their pack was small enough, and tightly knit, then perhaps they wouldn't mind such a young leader in their midst.  Though he imagined a rise to Beta would probably be the precursor.

How Dante ever had become a leader, Charon didn't know; he wasn't very smart, in Charon's opinion. Kept asking dumb questions. However, Charon didn't comment on the stupidity of Dante's question, considering he sounded genuinely curious this time, and not just jabbing fun at him again; so Charon felt very mature that he would answer with a genuine reply to the question as well.

"Dudn't matter what the pack thinks about it, matters what Thistle says," Charon said with a grin on his face. And after his talk with Thistle, Charon was pritty sure that he would be getting a promotion right into the leader ranks when he officially became an adult in the pack. If anyone disagreed within the pack, they were welcome to challenge him, but Charon didn't think they would challenge what Thistle had to say. "And I'm the heir and stuff, anyway, so it's my right," Charon went on to explain, trying his hardest not to sound too smug, because it was obvious that Dante didn't like some good old righteous smugness.

"Ahh. Ok." He made every attempt not to sound skeptical of this, and might have succeeded, for he didn't really want to argue with Charon about this. He sensed it wasn't a subject that the youth was going to see reason about, and anyway, it was hardly his business. Thistle would have the final say, but he imagined Charon was going to get a little bit of a reality check at some point. And it would be a lie to say he was unhappy about that, though he didn't actively dislike the boy.

"Either way, good luck! I'm sure Thistle will make the best move for everyone." He figured Charon would assume this best move went with his ascension, and made no argument as to the contrary. If Charon was this driven, and truly cared about what was best, then he would likely make a fine leader some day. Though it was Dante's opinion he could afford to get knocked down a few pegs too.

He lapsed into silence, unsure of how to continue the conversation (or really if he wanted to). He wondered if Osprey would come to the call or if she was too far away to hear it. When she came, he'd gladly leave these two to it. He sensed Charon likely wouldn't be sad to see him go, somewhat to his amusement.

Charon decided not to question Dante's well-meaning words; whatever, it was just Dante anyway. If this loser was Alpha of a pack, anyone could be. Did they give Alpha positions away for free when this dude arrived in the pack, or what? Charon wisely kept all of these thoughts to himself, and he was happy now that this Dante fellow and Osprey weren't going to be mates and have puppies together, ever. Dante wasn't near smart and cool enough to be with Osprey, even if he was, y'know, alright.

When Dante said that Thistle would make the right choice for everyone, Charon said with a nod, "Yes, I'm sure she will." After that, both of them fell silent. Charon waited in awkward silence, really hoping Osprey would show up soon to rescue him from this guy.

As a matter of fact Osprey had been both far away and busy, when the summoning howl raised in the air, requiring her presence. She was frog hunting in a swamp like area, located not far from the Lauren's nest. There was plenty of grass and moss, water and, unfortunately, mud too, making moving around a little difficult. Yet despite these obstacles she had managed to catch and eat one and all in all had fun. Until her feet had got stuck in particulary nasty area of sticky mud and it took some effort to free herself.

When Osprey was finally free and padding in a steady pace towards the borders, her feet and belly were covered in mud, with specks of it splattered accross her face and back. More of a swamp monster than a respected and mature member of the pack. The good thing, however, was that, as she drew nearer to the borders and spotted plateau's leader's familiar form, Dante had taken care of the visitor. And judging by the relaxed way the two people were discussing things, it was no one dangerous.

She began smiling the moment she recognized Charon (boy, had he grown up again) and, after giving a friendly nibble on Dante's cheek (and thus leaving a mud-mark there), she passed him to greet her friend. "Charon - it's so great to see you! And..." she stopped mid-path and cast a glance back to Dante, "I see that you two have got to know each other too. How nice."

He was considering asking Charon to come back another time, though he knew this likely wouldn't go over well considering the vein their encounter was taking. He didn't feel it was necessarily his fault either that they didn't seem to click... Charon had the sense of humor of that stump over there, and Dante was amazed Osprey could have made him look so highly on her. He couldn't picture her stroking Charon's ego, so it must have been something else. Crazy.

Luckily the target of Charon's visit chose that moment to appear, inexplicably covered in mud. He quirked a brow at her questioningly, but didn't ask, accepting the muddy nibble with a light wave of tail. "We have," he said, now turning his attention to Charon once more. He wondered what he would say now, and what would be discussed once he left. "He was just telling me about his goals. They are admirable." If lofty and a bit misplaced, he thought silently, amicably. He didn't want to just bolt as soon as Osprey arrived, though, so he lingered a moment longer. He would dismiss himself shortly, if he wasn't pushed off sooner, that is.

The meeting wasn't going very well, with Dante being a boring stick in the mud. Charon didn't really feel like even talking anymore at all, because Dante would just say something lame or negative about what he said, and that'd be that. Stupid Dante. Soon, however, both of them were rescued by a muddy figure. "Osprey!!" ... Well, he was pretty sure it was her, anyway... Had to be. She was probably one of the only grown-up wolves who'd voluntarily splash themselves in mud and then show up at the borders to greet a visitor. Osprey was crazy! That's one of the things Charon liked so much about her.

To Charon's dismay, she greeted Dante first (although she did splash some mud on him) before turning to him. Osprey said it was nice that he and Dante had gotten to know each other, and Charon suppressed a sarcastic snort. Probably better if Osprey thought they got along alright. "Yeah, we cool," Charon casually said as he looked at Dante, who said that Charon's goals were admirable. It seemed that all Dante needed to not behave like an asshole was for Osprey to show up; that was good to know.

Dante stuck around, although Charon didn't know why. He was a leader, right? Didn't he have more important things to do than ruin Charon's day? Deciding to just ignore Dante, Charon turned to Osprey and licked the underside of her chin respectfully before excitedly suggesting, "So are you gonna show me all of the Plateau now that I can finally visit??"

"Really?" Osprey was still clueless that the two favorite men in her life right after her brother Peregrine weren't exactly honest with her and that there was some sort of tension between them. She was aware that Charon had become a little too full of himself and thought that he knew everything in the world, but find a teenager, who was not like that at this age? Osprey didn't think it was her task to put the boy in place or be an annoying know-it-all, who told that the boy knew nothing from life. That kind of knowledge came with age. The only fact Osprey regretted was that her friend had grown up so fast and that he probably wasn't that keen to hunt dragons anymore.

"Well," she felt a bit uneasy now for giving such a promise without Dante's consent. Especially now that he was here to hear it, there was no way of sneaking out of it. Therefore she looked first at Charon then back at Dante saying: "I have to ask the man of the house. Charon here is an old buddy of mine, we have done dragon-hunting together and a lot of other stuff. I can vouch for his good nature and I trust him. Will you let him be my guest in your kingdom?"

Though he wasn't thrilled with the offer obviously having been given without his knowledge, Dante wasn't too bent out of shape over it. After all, he saw little harm in guests being allowed so long as they were escorted and kept clear of the children. The only exceptions being wolves who Blue and Lasher agreed to let visit the little ones, and he doubted that Charon would have reason to be on that list.

"I trust you, and him." Alone, Dante might not of, but he trusted Charon's friendship to Osprey. He doubted the teen would want to do anything to harm his relationship with a wolf he so clearly looked up to, and respecting her home fell under that blanket. Dante figured he'd be relatively conscientious of that. "So I don't have a problem with it, so long as you stay with him and escort him out." That kind of went without saying, but he wanted to be sure.

"I'll allow you dragon hunters to go at it, while I go walk the walls." So to speak. "It was nice meeting you again, Charon." It always was interesting, and Dante wasn't against the idea that they might run into one another again. It intrigued the alpha what sort of man Charon would grow into, and as he had no reason to worry about it, not being a part of the Bay, it was simply curiosity. He wasn't sure they would cross paths again though. He doubted Charon was keen on that prospect. Giving a brush of his nose to the fur around Osprey's ear in farewell (one of the few non-muddied spots), he listened for any final remarks before loping away. He had no desire to intrude on their adventures, not this time at least. The Kings in the castle were rarely the ones to go on such adventures, after all.

Charon's expression fell momentarily when Osprey admitted that they needed Dante's permission. The adolescent turned to look at Dante, ears cupped forward and a pleading expression on his face; surely, Dante wouldn't say no? Finally the 'yes' came, and Charon wagged his tail as they got permission, even though he wasn't so sure that Dante trusted him at all. He really hoped that Dante wasn't gonna come, because it would just make things kind of weird, and Dante seemed way too boring to go dragon-hunting anyway. He had no imagination, or anything, wasn't cool like Charon and Osprey. Luckily he soon declined, and maybe the relief was a bit too visible on Charon's face when he said his good-byes.

"Yup, seeya," Charon called after Dante, and then he turned to Osprey with a smile. "Oh boy, I can't wait to see your home. How are you? Are you feeling better now?" Last time they met she had been hurt, after all, and they needed to take it slowly. Hopefully Osprey was all better now so that they could explore the Plateau together without too much slowness and pause.

"No, problem, sir!" Osprey saluted. Though Charon was her friend, he was a stranger and would technically be a trespasser in the plateau, therefore keeping a watchful eye at him was just as important for the safety of the kids and adults here, as for his own health and well-being. She would not to see him torn apart by someone, who mistakened him for a thief or a potential killer, and at the same time Osprey knew that she would not hesitate to do that herself, if he so as much endandered anyone here.

When Dante was gone, she cast a cheerful glance at her buddy: "So, my dear knight friend - let's enter my realm. And keep by my side and don't get lost, the forest is a magical a bit, it likes to play tricks on those, who are not careful." Plateau was indeed a place of mystery, wonders and hidden surprises and, as she warned Charon, she thought, how very well Dante's tale fit in this place. Of course, deceitful birds aside. "I am much better, thank you," she said, when they began walking and feeling grateful that the boy had chosen this time to visit her and not before. She did not want to go in details of hows and whys about childbirth, while having no mate.


"I believe that your coming here will do me a lot good too," she gave him a fond look, she was really happy to have him. "How is life in the bay - what new have you learned - tell me everything important there is to know."

Charon nodded when Osprey told him to stay close, and he excitedly followed her into Blacktail Deer Plateau lands. He was pretty excited, and wondered what sort of adventures they'd have here. He was glad to hear that Osprey was doing better since they last met, although he wondered what had made her sick last time. Well, he knew that sometimes wolves got sick; he wasn't often sick himself, but he knew that other wolves in the pack had been sick, and they'd just need a while to get better. Maybe Osprey had just got sick when she got to the Bay, so it was just bad luck. Since she said nothing more about it, that's the theory that Charon decided to follow.

Osprey asked how life in the Bay was, and Charon said: "Well... I got four new siblings from Thistle and Ragnar. But Ragnar died not long ago, and every time I look at Thistle I think she might die from a broken heart too..." Charon looked sadly at Osprey, ears folded back. "We're also a bit thin spread right now. We really need more members in the pack. But I dunno if Thistle's up for making the Bay big again right now. That's why I told her I'd become a leader when I'm old enough to help her. She pretty much said yes already." Thistle had been abundantly positive about it, at least, so Charon assumed that he would become leader. Perhaps he should remind her on or just before he turned nine months of age.

Osprey had expected to hear happy news and the beginning of the Charon's speech was promising, yet the words to congratulate him remained unsaid, when he revealed that Ragnar had passed away. It was so unusual to think about the strong and mighty alpha now lying dead. He had not been much older than her after all. She was tempted to ask, what had happened, but had a feeling that this was not a subject her friend would want to discuss in detail, nor would he know the precise cause of death either.

"You have a very good heart, Charon," she said, moved by his genuine wish to help Thistle and the rest of the pack thrive. Even if it was partly because he wanted to boost his own ego. The fact that he cared was more important. "Being a leader is a tricky and difficult thing at times, but I think that you will do fine," she smiled at him. "What are the siblings like? How many sisters, brothers?" there was a tinge of sadness, when she asked about the children, because it reminded her that she had lost her own.

Charon smiled when Osprey praised him, for even though he grew older, he would never get enough of being praised. The adolescent's smile grew even broader when Osprey said that she thought he would do fine as a leader -- there was no bigger compliment than one of a good friend. Particularly after Dante's scepticism, the outspoken bit and the silent bit, it was refreshing to hear someone beside Thistle Cloud say he would do good.

When Osprey asked about the pups, Charon excitedly told her, "There's three boys and one girl. Their names are Jorunn, and Flóki, and Ragna, and Kaylan. They're so tiny!" Charon wondered if he was ever that tiny, but he probably was. It was weird to imagine, though, since he was so big and grown-up now.

ooc: I am sorry for being slow and another thing - would you have time to swap some more posts and finish this thread next week? I am cutting down the number of threads I have at the moment.



"Those are quite original names," Osprey liked the sound of them. Jorunn and Ragna were her personal favorites and she briefly considered asking Charon, whether he knew the meaning behind them, but then her attention was turned away from the conversation. She stopped in her tracks, listening carefully and looking around. The scent of fresh deer tracks was nothing uncommon in the plateau, which had gained it's name because of the resident herd here.

"Come," she told the boy quietly and beckoned him to follow her. "I will show you something," she went on explaining, thinking that it was a good luck that she would be able to impress Charon with something that was entirely unique to her home.

yeah, that’s fine for me! :)

When Osprey mentioned liking the puppies’ names, Charon enthusiastically said, ”They’re Viking names!”, not knowing that Osprey was actually curious where the names were from. He wasn’t sure what their meanings were, but then, Charon wasn’t used to names carrying meaning: his didn’t, and neither did Levi’s – well, as far as Charon knew, anyway – after all.

When Osprey asked Charon to come and follow her, he was quick to oblige. Ears perked forward in curiosity as he followed Osprey, curious for what she was going to show him.

There was a tale about the deer spirit that chose to walk among it's kind. Almost impossible to tell from the rest of the herd apart, but you had to look for a specific marking. The resident herd here was different from the rest, because of their black tails, but a while ago Osprey had noticed one that stood out in the crowd. And if they were lucky, she would be able to show it to Charon.

It took them some minutes to reach the clearing, where the herd was grazing, Osprey led her friend to a place, where they were obscured by the bushes and the wind blew their scent away from the animals. Her gaze searched the deer, until she spotted the one. It was a young doe with a typical grayish-brown coat, but there on her right side was a marking, which resembled maple leaf.

"Take a look at that one," she said quietly to Charon and pointed out to the doe. "It is the spirit of the forest. A sacred being." Would her friend ask more, she would tell the full story and then would lead him to the Lauren's nest and witch's cauldron, maybe engage him in an adventure game.

ooc: this is Osprey's last post, please, fade out this thread in the next one. Thank you for the thread!

Charon followed Osprey as she led him to a clearing where a herd of deer were grazing. Charon noticed that their tails were coloured differently than the deer that he had seen before, but considering the name of the Plateau pack, that was probably not what Osprey wanted to show, specifically. Osprey seemed to be searching for something for a while before pointing out a specific deer.

Looking at the deer, Charon didn't instantly notice anything different. He squinted his eyes and saw a black spot on her right side, though he couldn't make out a shape of any kind. Osprey said that it was the spirit of the forest, a sacred being, and Charon wasn't sure if he should believe it. He looked on the fence for a while, as if the child and adult Charon were discussing whether or not it was too late to believe in spirits and magic.

"Really? That's cool," the kid Charon eventually said. He wasn't Beta yet, so he was allowed to be childish for a bit longer. He looked at it for a while before he looked at Osprey and said, "Do the crafting bears live 'round here somewhere too? Can we go see them? I should thank them for fixing Drake." Drake... It had been months since Charon had said good-bye to his imaginary friend, but whenever he was with Osprey, it was like he was a little kid again for just a little bit. Charon followed Osprey into whatever further adventures they followed. The pair of them were busy adventuring and telling to and listening to each other's stories for a good while before it was time for Charon to return home again, tired from all the adventures he'd had with his good friend Osprey.