Bramblepoint clos du bois

@Rannoch!

Lagan had been itching to go on another adventure since his first, and so with a quick note to his sister, off he went. He didn't plan to go as far as last time, but he did want to explore the forest just outside of the Caldera territory. Last time he'd been there he'd met a new friend, a chocolate brown male named Pyro. He'd been pretty fun, and Lagan hoped he might meet him again, or maybe another like him.

He stopped at midday for a rest under a large tree. It was a beautiful day, the sun was shining across the forest floor in large splotches. He rested him chin on his unusually large puppy feet and closed his eyes for a quick nap.

In the wake of Rannoch's innermost ambitions, he had found himself roving the territory in an attempt to see if everybody was within Bramblepoint. He was getting very close to confirming that everybody was nearby and it was then that he would call the misfits together for their first meeting to break the news of their migration.

In his wandering, Rannoch had come across a scent that sent him astray in his wandering, giving him a purpose. Upon first sampling, the smell, Rannoch's heart had skipped a beat, and he had paused instantly, recognizing the scent to be almost identical to Liffey's. For some reason, to Rannoch, it seemed as if there was something off about it, but he pushed such suspicions aside for the giddiness that resonated within him. 

Following faithfully, Rannoch trekked through the brambles until he made his way to the other. Seeing the other's gray form in the distance, Rannoch picked up the pace, feeling driven by his excitement until he pulled alongside the other. It was as he observed that he felt a flash of uncertainty and Rannoch picked himself up, his head tilting as he attempted to comprehend what was happening. After all, this wolf smelled and looked so much like the ember-eyed woman. But, still, there was something undeniably off about this wolf. 

Looking for answers, Rannoch lifted a paw and prodded the other. "Liffey?" He asked with baited breath, growing more concerned that this might not be the wolf he was expecting. Still, he prodded, waiting for the other to wake so he could figure just who was here-- even if it didn't happen to be Liffey.

Lagan was a quick one to fall asleep, so he was out before he realized that there was even somebody nearby. His snores were rather loud and noisy, and probably pretty noticeable. He curled himself up as he slept, turning into less of a wolf and more of a big grey cloud. The other male's first prod didn't wake him, he kept on sleeping. But when the prodding persisted, Lagan opened his eyes lazily. He couldn't really make it the shapes around him, and he didn't care to. He saw the grey of the other male's pelt and for some reason assumed it was his father, and he forgot momentarily that he'd left the Caldera at all.

Jus like five more minutes dad I swear... He said, rolling over to face the opposite direction. If the other boy hadnt realized by now that he wasn't Liffey, then he could probably tell from his faint lips and lower voice.

I LOVE Lagan! <3

When the other stirred, Rannoch met with the striking shade of apple, a color much different than the fiery hue that Liffey's eyes possessed. Crestfallen and surprised by this development, Rannoch felt his posture tighten and his heart race, no necessarily knowing what do to at this point. After all, the wolf was the Caldera was too close to his family, even if he didn't seem like a threat. 

"Hey!" He hissed to the other, jabbing a paw forward to attempt to stir the apple-eyed wolf for good this time. "I am not your Dad! Wake up!" Rannoch was uncertain what he could do if this didn't work, but, he would do his best to wake Lagan.

EEE THANKS! <3

Elwood was being rather persistent, his jabbing only increased after Lagan asked for more sleep time. It wasn't until the guy spoke again, explaining that he was not in fact Elwood, did Lagan roll over to face him again, now wide awake. At first he was scared at what he'd open his eyes to see, but when he saw that it was just some other kid like him, his wide eyes returned to their normal size. The guy was bigger than him, but he didn't look very intimidating. And Lagan didn't get intimidated too easily anyhow.

Ok ok I'm up! Jeezus you're gonna get you're foot dirt all over my fur. I didn't wake up like this ya know! He grumbled, he was always his grumpiest when he woke up. Blinking a few times to get the really wake himself up, he looked over the other male briefly.

Rannoch wasn't particularly fond of the other's tone, and such was evident in his expression. His lips fell into a straight line at Lagan's retort and his ears pinned up. But, despite this, Rannoch ceased his prodding and took a step back, allowing the man with the acidic eyes some room. 

"Sorry if I got you dirty," he began, feeling a flick of irritants within his breast, and he attempted to ignore this for the sake of being well aware that Lagan had just woke up and he too would be grumpy if he had been woken up in such a manner. "But, you know there's a pack in this territory, right?" Giving Lagan the benefit of the doubt, as their borders had not be marked, Rannoch gave the other a chance to explain himself for being too close to his family. In the midst of this confusion, the burning question of Liffey's scent was also present, but he didn't voice this just yet as he wanted to adress the larger issue at hand.

The other male apologized for getting him dirty, and Lagan cracked a smile. He hadn't actually expected an apology to his snarky comment, so it was kind of funny that he'd gotten one. It's ok man, I'm just messing with ya. He said, wiping his face with his front paw. He shook out his fur, as well as his grumpy attitude, then looked back up at the other male. The guy told him that he was in another pack's territory, and Lagan made a confused face. Sure he'd smelled a bunch of random wolves in the area, but last time he was here there was no pack. He'd assumed these wolves were just passing through.

Oh. Sorry about that then. He said with a chuckle, finding the whole misunderstanding funny. I'm Lagan. What's your name? He asked.

The lively banter that came from Lagan calmed Rannoch a smidge, but the brute of a wolf did not allow for his guard to come down. Instead, he listened carefully to what the other said, his head bobbing at the apology. "It's okay," he offered with a wave of his tail. "We haven't marked much, but,  I just want to keep my family safe." As he offered his perspective, the self-titled alpha beckoned with a sharp jut of his muzzle, as if silently indicating him to get to his paws. 

"I'm Rannoch," he replied kindly, realizing how much the stranger and Liffey's names sounded alike. "Hey, Lagan, I have a random question for you," he began after a beat, his tone awkward at the beginning as he attempted to work his thoughts into a complete sentence. "Do you happen to know a Liffey? She's a friend of mine, and I swear you smell like her..." He trailed at the admittance, his ears drooping slightly as his posture visualized his embarrassment.

The other male's name was Rannoch, a weird name, but Lagan refrained from telling him for now. There was a pause, then Rannoch proposed an odd question. Lagan was taken aback, because he'd never met this guy before, so how did he know Liffey. For some reason Lagan assumed he knew everyone that Liffey did, he had to remind himself that Liffey had a life outside of the one they lived together. She's my twin, so yeah we smell alike! He said with a slight smile, his tail starting to wag a bit. A friend of Liffey's was a friend of his, and he was always glad to find more friends.

When did you guys meet? Did you meet here? Are you guys like... dating? The Blackthorn whispered the last word as if it were a deep dark secret.

Lagan's reply was unexpected, and Rannoch's expression grew wide to accommodate an expression the mirrored how he felt. Looking at the other more closely, Rannoch realized how much Lagan looked like Liffey, and he voiced his observation plainly: "Yeah, you like a lot like her, too." 

Following the realization came a sudden surge of questions and Rannoch looked on like a deer in the headlights. "I...." He began, his voice wavering as he attempted to answer everything that had been asked. "We met about a week ago near here... she taught me how to see the pictures in the sky," his voice grew fond at this, a faint blush growing on the bridge of his metal-brushed snout. "N-Not dating," he admitted with just a twinge of sadness in his voice. "But I want to see her again! I've just been busy..." his ears fell at this, realizing that he didn't even know where she lived.

Lagan's questions were met by an astonished expression, and confused stammering. Fair enough, for he had moved a little quickly. Rannoch did his best to answer them, and in order too. So they had met here, a week ago. Lagan didn't know what he'd been doing a week ago when Liffey was missing, it was weird to think that she'd been gone and he hadn't even noticed. Rannoch told him about Liffey teaching him to see the pictures in the sky. Liffey was always trying to show them to Lagan, but the boy never saw the ones that she saw. He always made up his own, which included; Raven's butt, Towhee's big head, Elwood's foot, etc.

Rannoch explained that they weren't dating, but that he wanted to see Liffey again. Lagan nodded, and said, So you do want to date her then?

Rannoch felt as though their conversation was taking leaps and bounds as it intensified by the moment. The question that came next brought a pause to his basic cognitive skills and all he could do was stare dimly towards Lagan. "I ... uh, I!" He attempted with little success, feeling both embarrassed and helpless. With a million things lingered on the tip of his tongue, and feeling as though he couldn't comprehend a manner in which to express them, Rannoch looked away, unable to answer the apple-eyed man before him.

Lagan was amused at how the other boy stammered over his answer. Oh embarrassment, a thing that didn't come to Lagan all too often. The boy was too confident, naive almost. If he had a crush on a girl he would be telling everyone, but he'd never met any other girls so he didn't know the feeling. But he liked messing with guys who did. Rannoch looked away, not saying anything and for a moment Lagan worried that he'd upset him. He peered around until he could see he guy's eyes.

Hey! Hey it's ok, Liffey's great you totally should have a crush on her. You seem nice too, I'm sure if you like wanted to come to my pack to hang out with her my family would be down. I am. I need more guys to hang out with, I just have a ton of babies to talk to all day. And Liffey of course, and my big brother Eljay but we don't talk that much. He explained, pausing at the end of every thought as it all came to him.

Lagan was reassuring, and Rannoch appreciated it. It felt weird for him to admit so openly his feelings towards the starry-eyed woman he had met just days ago. To make matters even more nerve-wracking, Rannoch had somehow managed to confess such affections to her brother. 

Thankfully, Lagan went on a tangent about everybody he could visit if he came to the Caldera and it distracted him momentarily to the gripping reality of what he had done. In an attempt to distance himself further from his admission and learn about their family, Rannoch's head tilted, curious about the babies he mentioned. "Babies?" He echoed curiously, as it seemed as though they were not baby siblings based on the other's description of them.

It wasn't until Rannoch pointed it out that Lagan realized how that might've sounded. He did not have babies of course, he was hardly one yet; but he couldn't wait until he could have them. He sometimes liked to imagine a bunch of little hims running around doing him things. It was amusing to think about, and exciting, but for now the firebirds would do. He chuckled a little, finding the confusion on Rannoch's far pretty enjoyable. Not my babies of course, they're my baby cousins. I'm going to be a care giver, so I like taking care of them and watching over them when the rest of my family is out.

As Lagan clarified what he had meant, Rannoch's expression brightened as he connected the dots. He had never met any babies and was curious to know what they were like, so he voiced his interest in the only thing he could think at that moment: "What are they like?" He asked, not realizing how vague the question was.

Lagan didn't really know what Rannoch meant by what're they like, so he answered it to the best of his ability. Well, they're round. Cute. High energy, very playful, kind of dumb for a while but then they learn. Oh and they love eating. He explained, adding on the last sentence as a sort of afterthought. His brain momentarily shifted to his babies back at the Caldera. It made him want to see them very much. Perhaps this adventure would be shorter than his last, so that he could go see them.

Though Rannoch had been a puppy at some time in his life, he could not recall what had been like. Those memories, long replaced with the ones he carried with him now, were foreign to him. With this suppressed memories there was also the matter that he had never seen newborn puppies. Rannoch was gone long before his den mate at Blackrock Depths had given birth. 

To what Lagan explained, Rannoch nodded. "They sound like fun," he admitted freely with a wave of his tail, not ashamed by his lack of experience in the matter. "I've never seen a puppy like you've describe before," feeling the need to elaborate, Rannoch continued, "The only one I know is probably... five months old?" Rannoch was off on his guesstimate on Redshank's age, but, he had very little knowledge on the topic.

Lagan nodded happily. Oh they are fun, but sometimes they can be a handful. Rannoch went on to explain how the only puppy he'd ever seen was about five months old. The difference between a newborn and a five month old was massive, however the firebirds were probably about 3 months old already. He wondered if the pup that Rannoch knew acted like the firebirds the way Lagan's knew them now, or if the two months in between would bring a lot of growth.


Well, if you ever come to visit Liffey, wink wink, Maybe my mom or Raven will let you see one of ours. He said.

Rannoch blinked, pleasantly surprised by what Lagan had offered him. He was already scheming of when he could slip away from the pack to visit Liffey, but, with the current offer, Rannoch found himself all the more tempted. "That would be awesome. Thank you," he replied, not shying away from the surprise he felt in the other's offer. 

Feeling as though he had a vessel of knowledge on the topic of children before him, and feeling his interest of the subject matter blossoming within the garden of his mind, Rannoch asked another question: "How do you start to become a Sitter?" Even though he did not have the youngest of wolves in his pack, he wondered if he could pursue this. "I don't have young pups in my pack... does that mean I can't be a sitter?" He asked quickly after by way of an afterthought.

No problem dude. Lagan replied, smiling cheerfully. He really was a friendly boy, and made friends pretty darn easily. Rannoch seemed friend material, so if Liffey and him ever did get together, Lagan wouldn't mind (little did he know that Rannoch would soon steal his twin away from him and Lagan would come to dislike him for it).

Rannoch's next questions seemed a little odd. Was the guy hoping to be a sitter. It'd be cool if he was, because Lagan didn't meet that many others with the drive to raise babies for a living. He thought about his answer briefly then said, Well I don't know. I guess you could sit other things if you don't have kids. You could sit... He trailed off as he tried to pull a few examples out of his ass. Old people? Or hurt people I guess. Being a sitter is usually helping pups and raising and teaching 'em, but you could still be a caretaker and help out that way.

Lagan's response caused unease to bubble within the pit of Rannoch's stomach. Though the gunmetal male knew that the other was trying to be genuine with his advice, he also realized how doltish his query had been. "Thanks, ... dude," said Rannoch, tampering with the lingo that the wolf of the Caldera had. He hoped he didn't sound silly, but despite his initial optimism on the matter, Rannoch soon felt a creeping suspicion that told him that he his comments had been ridiculous. His ears splayed upon his head as he looked to the apple-eyed male before him, yet a desperate smile remained as silence slowly swaddled him.

Lagan smiled as Rannoch attempted to use his lingo. Lagan had a lots of words, and slang terms that he used, some he picked up from his family, some he'd just created out of thin air. Dude was a favorite of his, a word that he was pretty sure Uncle Pee had taught him. He missed his Uncle Pee so much, even though he hadn't known him for a long long time, he'd learned so much from the man. Glancing toward the sky, Lagan noticed how the sun had moved, and while it wasn't too close to setting, he still had a little ways journey back. If he was gonna make it home he ought to start moving soon.

Well it was nice meeting you Rannoch. You seem like a really cool dude, and I'm sure Liffey would think so too. He said encouragingly, then he trotted forwards and nudged his new friend on the shoulder. See you 'round! He said, then turned and prepared to leave.

Rannoch followed Lagan's skyward gaze, looking up as the other wolf did. They pair seemed to realize in unison just how much time had slipped from them. Agreeing with Lagan when he began to withdraw from their conversation, Rannoch nodded. Noticing the other's advance, the turquoise-eyed man did not initially express his pleasure at their meeting. It was only when Lagan reached forward that Rannoch voiced such affections, "Thanks, Lagan, that means alot," his eyes were soft as he looked to what he considered to be a new friend. "Safe travels back," said Rannoch, wishing the apple-eyed man nothing but the best. 

Keeping his eyes on Lagan, Rannoch lingered. "See yah," said Rannoch, bidding the other wolf a fond farewell, secretly hoping that he would see Lagan sooner rather than later.