Bramblepoint know who you are

When Rannoch's intentions were revealed, Rian flattened his ears and shot a glance at Tryp who stood somewhere off behind Rannoch. He certainly wasn't out of earshot but in that moment Rian found he didn't quite care. His heart sprang to life and began to make quite a ruckus; it pounded loudly in his ears, drowning out all the other senses, save his sight which bore quite fiercely into Rannoch's own. "What?" He blurted flatly. "We don't even know who he is," Rian hissed in a low voice. "what if someone is looking for him?"

First Rose, now Tryp.

Cypress wasn’t altogether comfortable with the way their band of three had already become a band of four, and his expression was dubious as he looked from Rannoch to Rian and back again. “Five,” he muttered under his breath, his cryptic comment drowned out by Rian’s startled, “What?”

The air crackled with tension that Cypress, perhaps influenced by his more dominant peers, had finally come to understand in full. He noted the jade-eyed O’Malley’s fierce stare and Rannoch’s answering turquoise one, and he stood down accordingly as befitted his role. Sulphureous eyes didn’t fixate on any one thing; they were soft and pliant, drifting from Rian to Rannoch in an unobtrusive way. A wolf with a softer heart might have tried to smooth over the situation and ease the way, but the occasionally pragmatic eidolon knew that these outbursts had to happen if they were going to move forward. To cast his opinion would be folly, for he couldn’t make a choice without offending at least one of his brothers, so he kept his mouth shut. He agreed with Rannoch to some degree, but doubted Tryp’s true hunting ability; he agreed with Rian to some degree, but didn’t particularly think it mattered if anyone was looking for the silver-saddled stranger.

What bothered Cypress about Tryp was the same thing that had initially bothered him about Rose — he just didn’t know them well enough to want to lay down his life for them, and he believed that accepting them into whatever this was meant he ought to be willing to do exactly that. He wanted to see the potential new recruit in action, would settle for that in lieu of deep and abiding trust, but he decided to reserve this opinion until Rian and Rannoch had sorted things out.

Rannoch's attention volleyed between his brother's, catching their reactions as they surfaced. Though Rannoch hadn't known what to expect from his siblings, especially after how they reacted to the idea of including Rose, he waited for each of them to share before expressing his thoughts on the matter. 

"He's looking for his brother, and he's not even confident that he'll find him," Rannoch began, his eyes falling to Cypress briefly in an attempt emphasize the obvious connection between Tryp and the two Frostfur brothers. With Cypress regarded, Rannoch's attention shifted to Rian's concerns. "And if he is somehow being followed," his eyes turned to Rian, looking directly into his cousin's eyes, "I'll take care of him myself." Rannoch did not clarify just how Tryp would be taken care of, but the seriousness of Rannoch's expression gave way to an indication of what would happen. "But he seems to have a passion for something that would be useful for us, and I want to give him a chance." He fell silent, curious to see their reactions.

When Rannoch's tumultuous turqouise gaze settled on his own, he didn't look away immediately. He stared down the younger Frostfur as he voiced his opinion and boasted (foolishly) that he'd take care of the issue. Something about that didn't sit right with him—as if it was solely Rannoch's responsibility to dole out punishment to the group, and not the three of them together. He didn't like the implication of this. Rose's inclusion, while nervewracking, was understable. Tryp, however, had him on edge for reasons he couldn't place and it was Rannoch's blind faith in him that gave him even more cause for concern.

But he soon found his own gaze faltering and, finally, he gave in to the urge to look away. A soft growl of frustration (and confusion) punctuated the motion. "He could be lying for all we know, but whatever. Do what you want." 

The storm passed, leaving a residue of unease in its wake, and Cypress spoke into the terse silence with deliberate mildness. “We’ll find out eventually if he’s lying about the brother thing, but we can find out right now if he’s lying about his skill.” The raven was disinclined to trust…well, pretty much anyone who wasn’t Rian, Rannoch, or the Cerberus. “Let’s test him,” he urged, looking from brother to brother with a growing eagerness in his hollow timbre. “If he’s telling the truth about his hunting ability, at least he’ll be pulling his weight. If he’s lying, let him starve.” There was a pitiless streak in the elder Frostfur. He reasoned that if Tryp was lying about his hunting skill, he was probably lying about everything else, too — but if he proved useful enough, Cypress was willing to give Tryp the same chance as Rose.

It seemed as though the root of his brother's issues with Tryp stemmed from the fear that he was lying. Rannoch could not blame the others for this, as it was something he had not considered in his conversation with the docked wolf. Knowing that it would please Rian and Cypress, Rannoch nodded as he looked to them. "We'll test him, then," and Rannoch would consider this interaction a lesson when it came to trusting others. Turning to Rian, Rannoch regarded his older cousin with a dip of his head. "You're the best hunter out of all of us," he began, the cogs inside of his mind turning as he quickly devised a plan. "So, what if we have him take us hunting and you'll be able to see if he's lying or not?" It seemed like a good plan to Rannoch, but, whether or not it was would fall on his brother's opionings. He waited then, silent suddenly as anticipated any sort of feedback on the matter.

Rian liked Cypress. He liked Rannoch too, of course, but Cypress was consistently on the same page and it gave Rian just a bit of hope that whatever tension working itself between himself and the other Frostfur would work out in the end. He waved his tail at the suggestion, feeling an odd sense of pride at the suggestion that he'd been too uncertain to voice. Though he wasn't entirely sure if he was the best judge of hunting ability, Rian nodded all the same. "Fair enough to all of us, I think. If he at least shows some skill, we can let him join." He added, deciding to remain transparent on how he would be judging Tryp.

Cypress had little to add to the conversation now that his suggestion had been evaluated and Tryp would soon be evaluated. He wasn’t inclined to trust strangers anymore than he was inclined to trust himself — but he trusted Rannoch. He trusted Rian. If they wanted the snub-tailed, silver-saddled youth to tag along, Cypress would accept him and include him as they bade him. “Good idea,” he said, grinning toothily. He had been the one to suggest a test, but he hadn’t really thought through how the test was going to work. Rannoch and Rian filled in the blanks for him, and he settled back, a little easier in his posture now, his tail waving almost eagerly behind him.

Paging @Tryp!

 

With the approval of his brothers, Rannoch turned from his brothers and towards the stranger, picking himself up as he lead the group back to where the interaction had begun. Once he was before Tryp, Rannoch smiled as he looked upon the possible recruit. "We would like to extend an invitation to our group if you can take up on a hunt and show us what you know," he said, not wanting to beat around the bush. "If we are impressed with what we see, you can consider yourself one" He fell silent, allowing his words to settle with the golden-eyed boy. 

"And if you're ready, we can begin our hunt now," he added after a beat, falling back from his prominent positon to allow for Tryp to lead the way.

[table width=80%][tr][td]Tryp waited anxiously at the place where they initially met, not wanting to hear awful things about this "shifty, silver-saddled stranger". He waited, and waited - then waited some more, all while thinking he could've been looking for Pyro all this time. He missed his family dearly and hated the thought of just missing Pyro by a few minutes just because he had spent time with Rannoch and the bunch. When the silver man, who looked so much like his father, did come around he held in his breath.

When the plan was given, his ears lowered bashfully. I... I've never hunted in a group before... He admitted - fantasizing about how big a prey they could catch with the four of them. I-I'll give it my best shot! He then said more confidently, raising his chin proudly.[/td][/tr][/table]

Rian was quiet as Rannoch led them back to the boy, and told him what their stipulation was. He stole a few looks at the stubby-tailed yearling and fought the frown that threatened to tug at his lips. His dissatisfaction still wasn't entirely quieted by the ultimatum, but he was somewhat curious to see if Tryp could walk-the-walk and talk-the-talk. The O'Malley boy wasn't a prodigy by any stretch, but he knew his way around a trail, and how to herd quarry into a deadly trap. He was a flanker, by all rights. Bulky, with a ton of stamina, but only quick in short bursts. 

So when Tryp agreed, Rian smirked at the show of enthusiasm and waved his cricked tail. "Maybe not a deer. Don't wanna risk injury right now. Anything else is probably fair game." He added before heading off to the far left of the group.

Cypress said nothing, merely following after his brothers and the self-professed hunter with a critical eye, sulphureous gaze intense but largely innocuous. He wasn’t about to admit that he’d never hunted anything but small game before. He had nothing to prove here. To be honest, the majority of his attention was focused on Rian, who had always been regarded as something of a hunting master — even though Cypress had surmised by this point that his cousin had been bluffing about the whole three rabbits in one go thing.

Even though Rannoch had survived months in isolation, he still did not consider his hunting skills adequate to judge Tryp. He left to deciding to Rian, falling into a supportive role amongst the group. Nodding when appropriate, and agreeing with his earth-coated cousin, he showed his support to Rian's comment, recognizing that deer would not be the best for this situation.

[table width=80%][tr][td]Tryp giggled nervously - yeah, deer hadn't been in his mind either. What had been on his mind was a goat. He had seen one from afar, although he didn't remember when exactly in his complicated childhood. Truth was he didn't even know where they were usually found. Still, seeing that they had forests, fields and mountains nearby there was a high chance that they could find it. He just had to luck out this once.

He led them out of the Bramblepoint toward the mountains - staying far from the looming pack scent that came from higher than they were. He let his nose do most of the work, tongue lolling out of his mouth in concentration and nervousness. It was then that it hit him - the strange whiff of what he believed to be a mountain goat. When he luckily spotted the white coat of the grazing, young male he almost bit his lip to keep in a squeal. He turned to the others, knowing they were safe where they were - the wind was playing favourites, choosing the group of young wolves. Those horns mean nothing - if we attack it from behind he'll have no chance to use them... He whispered in his low voice. The goat was clearly young - perhaps inexperienced with how to handle a party of three capable males. You guys want this guy for dinner?[/tr][/td][/table]

Tryp took point and Rian followed close behind, keeping his own tabs on the scent trail the younger boy was keen on. He led them up and away from the pack; a smart move, and one Rian was grateful for. It was obvious the other male had some sort of sense, and it was becoming quickly apparent that his talk of skill was more than just boastful. Because, sure enough, when they came to a stop there was the pale swatch of wooly fur that caught his eye. A goat. Young, and lacking the truly impressive rack that came with years of experience.

Rian flicked his ears forward, then back, and swung his muzzle around to face Tryp. "I don't think we're in a position to be too picky..." He remarked in a hushed whisper. "It works for me. Guys?" 

Feel free to skip and powerplay Cypress at will because my work week is starting. ♥

Cypress said little, looking interestedly at the strange prey animal, but at Tryp’s inquiry he turned his attention away from their quarry and toward the nervous male. His lantern yellow gaze swung from Tryp to Rian as the jade-eyed O’Malley opened the question to the floor. Cypress was typically not a very talkative wolf, but he felt that both Tryp and Rian would appreciate a verbal reply. “All right with me,” he commented in a whisper, keeping his body low and his voice lower.

Falling into line was easy for Rannoch. As they advanced along the scent trail, the turquoise-eyed man would sample the air every so often to see how they were progressing. Soon enough the figure came into sight along the horizon, and Rannoch halted with the rest of the group, keeping his eyes on the potential target. Like the others, he noticed that the ram was juvenile in its appearance and, perhaps, an easy target. 

Turning to the group while licking his chops, Rannoch nodded in agreement to what had been proposed. "Yes," he agreed, his voice quiet as he lowered his posture to blend in amongst the others. "I think this is our best bet." 

[table width=80%][tr][td]Tryp grinned in anticipation and let his tongue wet his lips before he went to look at the grazing mountain goat again. He had to come up with a strategy that gave them the full advantage and so that everyone had something to do - something that proved to be quite difficult. The strongest and scariest could block the goat's path, the swiftest could chase it to wherever they wanted to have him and that left two or perhaps all of them to take it down...

Rannoch - can you block its path so it can't go back into the mountains? Running slightly downhill was a bit more dangerous but ultimately faster and the chance of losing their meal was less. And do you want to run ahead so it can't go too far into the open fields, Rian? He asked then. If his eyes had not mistaken him, there was a large fallen bolder - that could serve as an amazing landmark for Rian. Then Rannoch and I can chase him down - as soon as we have him cornered we can all go for the kill together. He suggested.[/tr][/td][/table]

Rian nodded, and immediately slipped away from the group, motioning to Cypress to join him since Tryp hadn't deigned to give him a task. Though Cypress wasn't nearly as stocky as Rian, he was faster and would be an excellent safety net should the sheep slip past Rian's defenses. The pair slunk downwind of the sheep who remained completely ignorant of the hunt about to take place. The young O'Malley stole a few glances toward it as he stepped carefully across the terrain towards the boulder, mindful to freeze in place should the sheep look up. 

He crept around the boulder and ducked down low with both ears forward and mouth set in a serious line. Despite the necessity to test Tryp's skill, Rian was very hungry.

Cypress waited patiently to be addressed or acknowledged in some way — Tryp’s trial, after all, had been his idea — but the silver-saddled flibbertigibbet ignored the raven entirely. The eldest Frostfur considered sulking about it — or at least calling attention to the fact that it sure didn’t sound like “we can all go for the kill together,” included him in the slightest, but he didn’t particularly feel like wasting his breath. What he did register was a swift and sudden drop in his estimation of the older wolf, and his obsidian-feathered tail flicked irritably as he fixed the stranger with a baleful sulphureous stare. At Rian’s urging, he fitted himself to the chocolate-and-espresso male’s shadow, mirroring the jade-eyed hunter’s every motion.

Cypress was a good pupil, and he mapped the way Rian kept his eyes on the sheep and seemed to melt across the earth. Well enough — he could do that, too. He had a natural aptitude for moving swiftly and silently, and his dark pelt proved useful as he crouched beside the O’Malley. There, he waited further instruction from his cousin.

Though Tryp's plan seemed like it would work, Rannoch quickly realized that it lacked any involvement of his raven-haired brother. Shooting Cypress a quick glance, Rannoch then returned his attention to Tryp. "Sounds like a plan," he said, agreeing with what had been laid out for them. 

With the scheme in place, Rannoch slinked off from the others on gently-placed steps, bringing himself to where he had been told to go. Once in position, his attention returned to Tryp, and he waited for the other's command.

[table width=80%][tr][td]With everyone in place and a nagging feeling in his stomach that he had forgotten something, he crept closer to the mountain goat that now definitely sensed he was in danger. Giving a thoughtful nod at Rannoch did he announce that it was time for the chase and the muscular Rochester snapped at the mountain goat's back legs to make him run down the slight hill. Now all they had to do was jump it together and they had their free meal.[/tr][/td][/table]

Powerplaying @Rian per Siro’s wishes. ♥

“Notice me, Sempai!” Cypress practically begged his jade-eyed brother

At Rian’s urging, Cypress fanned out and slightly to the side to approach the young goat at an angle. The shy ungulate was cornered on all side by the young, hungry wolves. Rian was a wonder, his stocky frame leaping into action the moment Tryp set things into motion, and Cypress followed suit almost immediately thereafter. The irritation he’d nursed at being ignored faded with a rush of adrenaline so heady he began to pant in exhilaration long before he was actually winded. The goat stutter-stepped as he was faced by the two darker wolves, one chocolate-and-espresso, one silver-dusted black, and tried to shoot off to the side — directly toward Rannoch, just as Tryp had hoped. Cypress shot a wicked, triumphant half-grin toward the O’Malley complete with worshipful, heart-shaped eyes and howled raucously to rattle the goat some more.

Want to roll and see if we get it or now, @Tryp?

It came as no surprise to the aspiring leader that Tryp's plan was going accordingly to plan. From Rannoch's perspective, it appeared that the docked male possessed the skill that he had talked about in his initial questioning. They were lucky to have run into somebody genuine in their intentions and Rannoch would come out of this interaction both victorious and with a new lesson learned. If it hadn't been for the logistic balance that Rian provided, Rannoch would not have considered the other as potentially lying about his cause. 

In its panic, as the goat was faced with two famished wolves, it veered from where it had been running and headed straight for where Rannoch has settled. Watching carefully, Rannoch waited for the opportune moment for when Tryp launched himself into action or their game came close enough to strike. Keeping his hunched positioning tight, Rannoch licked his chops as he waited, anticipating the thrill that was yet to come.

Nope - it's fair to say that they'd catch it with 4 capable young men!

tryp kept chasing, proud of the young men that were with him as they all lived their newly assigned roles. It was when the goat went for Rannoch that Tryp knew they had won and he barked cheerfully to stir the poor animal up some more as Cypress had. As soon as Rannoch had stopped the goat were they supposed to ambush, but that moment would be felt more than anything.