Northstar Vale daddy issues

for @Rannoch !!!

daddy issues - the neighbourhood

After what seemed to be an epically eternal yawn, Remi pulled himself from the ground. Though he was still pretty much a stranger in these strange lands, he was feeling, little by little, more comfortable in these mountains. Yeah, he could definitely grow to like this, like a lot. Then, like following a little script or maybe just being an ignorant victim of routine already, he scratched his ear with one of his hind legs and pissed on the nearest bush before setting off.
Where to?
Who knew. (hint: not Remi)

Soon, he was racing across the slopes of the mountain, his tail waving over his back as he continued his reckless rampage. And he would've probably continued running arround erratically for who knows how long if it wasn't for the sudden whiff of a critter's scent nearby reached him. With his mousey-sense nose, filled with the aroma of a potential hunt, Remi stopped in his tracks and began well tracking the critter, his ears moving atop his head like radars as his nose continued to scour the earth for the critter's trail.

Thanks for starting!! <3 This is all over the place-- I'm sorry! ><

Whether or not Liffey's new siblings had been born was a still mystery to the pair. There had been no messenger to bring the news and, as far as Rannoch could infer, he assumed that this meant that there was still time before they arrived. Knowing that his Delta was feeling antsy about reuniting with her family, Rannoch prepared the more difficult outskirts of their territory to ensure that all was in order before they departed for the Caldera. As far as the Alpha was aware, he and Liffey could embark at a moment's notice, and so he made haste in ensuring that the borders were secure. 

It was as the burly Alpha tiptoed across the highest reach of the Vale's claim, his nose lowered so that he could sniff occasionally to see whether or not anything out of the ordinary struck him. Fortunately, all seemed well. 

It was as he trod along the path that Rannoch caught the scent of Mouse. Pausing at first indication of his newest recruit he smiled to himself knowingly, as if he was not surprised to see the resident stuntman up so high. Continuing at his own pace, Rannoch stalked along until he finally caught up to the grey-scaled male who appeared to be tracking, too. 

"Hey, Stuntman!" he called out with bark. "Wait up!" And with his presence known, Rannoch picked up to speed to catch up to the other wolf.

its perf ok?

It wasn't long until Remi could decipher the critter's identity: a rabbit.
Another one, he thought while narrowing his eyes, his mind trailing back to the discovery he had made a few days before, a small burrow he had completely destroyed while meeting Redshank. Remi's nostrils flared as he continued to unravel the path the rabbit had taken. He was about to take off once more before a familiar voice reached him.

Pausing his task for a second Remi turned to glance at the young Alpha over his shoulder, his own darker colored tail swishing in greeting as the other ran up to him. "hey! Alphaman!" he called out in return, awknowledging the male's higher rank with a slight dip of his head and a subtle descent of his tail. "you're just in time to see me wrestle a rabbit" he barked with a grin. He knew that that didn't sound particulary impressive given he would easily be 10x the size of said rabbit but it was more fun than saying simply 'hunt a rabbit', right?
Well Remi thought so.

ILU ;0;

Pleased by both Mouse's show of subordination and his ambitions to contribute, the Alpha smiled. "Is that so?" he mused. In his advancement along the rocky terrain, Rannoch had also smelled the pungent perfume of the Leporidae and knew that they were lurking about. In addition to this realization, Rannoch was becoming increasingly aware of his hunger and knew that this kill would help alleviate it for the time being. 

"All right then," he decided as he sat, drawing his tongue over his dark lips as he looked at his companion. "Let's see this brawl." If need be, Rannoch would hop in as needed, but, given what Mouse had said, the Alpha would not step into the other's fight unless prompted.

Almost inmediately Rannoch played along to Remi's silly antic, which made the creamy Ostrega's face light up with a smile. He liked the instant complicity that had developed  between them, it almost reminded him of the relation he had with his siblings -it was until now all smiles and mischiveous exchanges sans the petty discussions he sometimes had with the twins especially.

Remi met the Alpha's expectant eyes with his own, after the words 'lets see' were uttered Remi did not need anything else. He turned, still smiling, and went back to the task he had put on hold: tracking the rabbit. Soon enough he found again the critter's scent, and with slow, measured steps began to follow it. After a few minutes of this, Remi found himself directed at a shrub. Beneath it, the stupid unsuspecting rabbit nibbled on something that would be it's last meal. Crouched and ready to spring, like a kitten that has been watching a fly rub its hands idly, Remi readied himself for the brawl.

One.
Two. 
With a quick movement, the creamy Ostrega sprung forward, his front paws straighted to squash the shrub so that he wouldn't have to dive in the leaves and branched head first. The critter squeaked, just as Remi's teeth met the flesh of its back. Now came the wrestling part. With his lips pulled back to reveal his teeth as he still held the animal down, Remi then tried to tighten his grip, opening his mouth slightly and then closing it with a growl.

Then, as if he planned to actually wrestle the critter, he began to trash his head around, brusquely rattling the rabbit still firmly clutched in his jaw. The fight, if it could be called that, was over quickly. As soon as Remi felt the tensed muscles of the critter go limp in his mouth he allowed the now lifeless body to flop on the ground. Then, with his tongue swiping over the blood that had stained his muzzle, his crystalline eyes sought Rannoch again. 
K.O.

Rannoch's words seemed to be the promoter of Mouse's actions. As the other wolf slinked away, with every intention to bring down a rabbit, Rannoch followed on light feet as he calculated every step that he took. One misstep could have easily derailed the entire hunt, and he wanted no part in ruining this for his Theta. Instead, when he found that the smell of rabbit grew particularly strong, Rannoch stopped his pace to observe that impending brawl. 

Once Mouse sprang, Rannoch watched with care as he followed the action. It was an easy fight, despite how viciously the mammal wriggled, and soon enough Mouse was deemed the victor by default. "Well done, Mouse!" Rannoch barked enthusiastically, his tail whipping to and fro and he padded towards his friend with a pep in his step. Honestly, the whole thing had energized Rannoch to the extent that his hunger was long forgotten and he wanted a part of the action now that he had seen his Theta kill. "I want in on the action," he decided once he paused before the Theta. "What would you say if I suggested we hunt something together?" 

Slowly, a smile began to form upon Remi's lips as he continued to look in silence at his alpha and friend. He recieved his congratulations with a satisfied grin and enthusiastic wags of his tail.Though he was too a bit too hungry, the creamy Ostrega did not dare to take a bite of the still warm rabbit that laid at his feet. Instead, he nudged it forward soflty, a non verbal invitation for the Alpha to take a piece or all if he pleased.  

Rannoch met him with another offer instead. To hunt together. Remi looked at the rabbit, wondering if he should drag it to the nearest cache since it seemed eating was not quite yet on the agenda. "i'd say lets do it!" he barked almost instantly, his ears swivelling atop of his head to face the Frostfur before turning again to the sides.

His excitement grew with Mouse's confirmation. Though the scent of Mouse's kill was alluring, Rannoch forewent indulging in his cravings for now. It would be much more rewarding at the end of their hunt, he decided, and it wasn't worth slowing down their hunt with a full belly. 

"Want to take this back to the cache together and then we can decide what to go from there?" Even with Rannoch's limited experience in hunting, he was sure that Mouse's expertise would be able to even out the playing field for them both. He would allow his friend the opportunity to lead this hunt.

assuming this is after he met seabreeze but before he knows genie is in the vale

"all right!" 
With that said, and his tail still wagging rythmically, the creamy Ostrega picked up the dead critter, and turned to go towards the nearest cache. Still, he stopped to look at his friend over his shoulder waiting for him to move too before getting the unspoken hint that he was letting him lead the way. Remi chuffed, a muffled sound between the dead critter's fur, and began to walk to the cache where he quickly deposited the body. 

"so, i've met a few packmates" he decided to comment before going back to discussing the logistics of their hunt. He wasn't saying this because he wanted to look good in front of the Alpha, and make it seem he was doing a good job at being social, but because he felt that with Rannoch the conversation could go beyond the tactical planning of a hunt. 

"Airi, Redshank, and Seabreeze" he listed, thinking specifically about the two females he had met and how different they were from one another. Airi and Seabreeze, had been quite a contrast. The snappy and the sweet. 

With an agreement intact between the two men, Rannoch followed Mouse's lead towards the nearest cache so that they could start their hunt. Once the prey was deposited, Mouse spoke about something that the Alpha had felt concerned about: whether or not the stuntman was getting along with the other. Though he was pleased with the roster, there was a name that was missing from the list: Mato. Rannoch had requested the Epsilon to introduce himself, and it seemed he hadn't done so yet. Rannoch would give the yearling the benefit of the doubt, as he knew Mato had been spending more time along the border, but, he wasn't pleased to find this out. 

Despite how he felt, he did not allow his unhappiness to surface. Instead, he prompted, "And? What do you think?" with a smile.

being super vague because none of those threads have advanced much lol

Oblivious to the fact that it wasn't so much who he named but who he didn't that got the Alpha thinking, Remi simply continued to smile at his friend. A gesture that, with a question included, was quickly reciprocated. Remi's tail began to wag, as a thoughtful ummmm left his lips. "Redshank is a fun guy, we dug up bunnies" he began, his grin widening at the memory of dirt flying everywhere and then the glorious, sweet, taste of triumph when he had scooped the first rabbit off the floor. "yeah, cool dude" he concluded. 

"Airi, um, she's .....something" he barked after a brief hesitation. She had seemed hostile at first, then completely uninterested in him, but as the suggestion of a hunt was brought up, she had been more present. Then...um. Well anyways. "but her frown couldn't scare me off" he added then, to convey without giving much detail that it'd been fine in the end anyways. Could've certaintly been worse.

"Seabreeze caught me in a bad time, im surprised i didn't scare her off" he mused then, laughter rolling from his tongue as he thought back on their encounter.Then, a somber expression washed over the Ostrega - out of all the encounters he had had with his packmates it had been definitely this last one the one that had moved him the most. 

For the majority of what was said, Mouse touched upon everything that the young Alpha had expected. "Seabreeze is understanding," he assured Mouse with a smile. As far as Rannoch was concerned, the female was one of the most understanding in their ranks, and she would not be one to hold a grudge. Especially towards a wolf as spectacular as Mouse. 

Their conversation progressed as they made their way to their hunt. In time, the pair would find something acceptable to feed them both. By the end of the day, the couple of males lounged alongside the river that cut through the Vale with full bellies, please with the work that had been done between them.