Noctisardor Bypass proven strategies

With cloud-cover slowly increasing, though the day was definitely mild and pleasant--practically picturesque, she decided to stay in the Bypass and perhaps hunt and prowl around there for today. Usually she had good luck in doing so, which had her going about her business without any major concerns so far since it was early enough still. The efforts towards further recruiting beyond their claim were generally more iffy lately, but those were not on the docket for today. The Eizokusei could appreciate a refresh on that notion after so very many lacking opportunities lately, anyway.

She had left the lake behind not too long ago, but kept to a slow, meandering gait outward from its shores. Jomyo skimmed the scenery, wondering who might be around--packmate and prey alike.

I just wrote a whole post then realized it wouldn't fit with what you said I r smart LET'S TRY AGAIN.

Spook was always trying to find things. Things was a wide definition -- edible things or interesting things, it didn't matter too much, but he was certainly always looking for them. The former would be dinner, the latter would go in his growing collection. It kept him occupied and out of the way, which he was sure his mother sometimes appreciated -- he'd ask too many questions or just generally be a bit too needy. Especially now. He'd cling to what family he had left, even if they didn't exactly appreciate that.

So the fact that he could be found wandering around with his nose to the ground was par for the course today.  His track had zigged and zagged depending on the scents he'd found, but so far nothing had both piqued his curiosity and turned into something substantial. A lot of old trails. Either way, this time as he turned back along an old game trail that seemed like it hadn't been used recently enough to make his nose useful, he raised his head and spotted Jomyo coming the other way. He sort of knew her vaguely in passing -- from the hunt and all that -- but given his opinion of himself, Spook doubted she really knew him other than as one of Arbiter's kids. He wagged his tail in a silent greeting but seemed kind of uncertain, slowing but not sure if she was going to stop to say anything or just continue on. He basically let everyone else direct the flow of things.

ohhh noo! i know i didn't say a lot in the first anyway c:

Her perusing was not uncovering anything substantial yet, though the efforts were still early, honestly. None of the exciting sorts of prey, and so far, fresh trails on pack mates were few--then again, it was a tossup on how sociable she was feeling. Jomyo supposed like many things, it depended on the company, though the faces in Legion were decent ones for all she knew so far. None had gone against her grain and it seemed if someone was worth Arbiter's time, then they weren't completely empty-headed, either--which she could respect. It sure made it easier for her, anyway.

Eventually, though, along her casual meander, she lifted her head to find one of the leader's yearlings. Not sure entirely what to make of the greeting given, she would just provide one of her own, generic as it may be: Hey, the scout offered as she eased her paws to a stop then, and pinned the younger wolf with a look up then down. Spook, right? she asked just to be sure and in case that was not the right moniker for this one; Jomyo picked up their names here or there (along with the sense that they were not always the same, or something to that effect), not that she had too much to do with them on an average day, so not a lot of practical application and all. You finding anything good out here today? she asked, aiming for a neutral topic without knowing what this hooded one was particularly interested in.

He nodded. Yeah. That's me. Did he need to put on a good show and stuff to prove he was a good kid? He probably was doing an awful job of it so far. He did want to at least seem like he was responsible and contributed, but never was sure how to do so. He was quiet and kept out of the way most of the time, even if more recently he'd taken jaunts outside the territory.

How did he not sound like a loser? He wasn't sure. The whole thing had been pretty unfocused, so he didn't really have an answer and said the honest thing, Not really. Um. There's stuff out there though... But nothing right here and nothin' that seems really great. I don't know if I should try to hunt stuff for mom or just like.. Find some cool things for me. More objects to add to his little collection that he'd stashed away... But that sounded lame, so he added, What about you? That sounded almost like a real conversation, wow.

That confirmation worked for her, and she took it simply as it was offered, replying only with a small nod as if to say noted. If she intended to spend any span of time with him, regardless of a few moments or a few hours, that was probably the most useful, and courteous place to start.

From there, his answer came with a bit of a meander. She followed, though, picking up a few key pieces and feeling like she ought to guide him to hunt for his mom--that was probably his biggest point-earner, if she had to guess, but it might only feel like a chore to him. Without the greatest grasp of who he was, she would probably play the middle-ground. Yeah, nothing that great right here I've seen either. Some mole hills a little while back, if you're into hunting those... she offered, sort of, pairing with a jerk of her snout to where she had seen some lumpy spots that were awfully telltale for underground activity. But, she didn't know how fresh they were at such a glance. She didn't think she remembered them from last time she had passed through.. so maybe..

What are cool things for you? Do you like to collect stuff? she asked, a hint of interest there in her voice as she kept her expression otherwise impassive, no judgement--she'd seen the bone collectors, the herb gatherers, the whatever else, you name it, someone out there probably hoarded it at some point. Not exactly her forte since she didn't often like to lord over a stash of something, but sometimes she liked to admire their works.

Spook did give the moles a bit of a hunt, I dunno, might have to check them out later though no matter what. I want to make sure mom has food and stuff. He was responsible. Not great at hunting necessarily, but he'd try. Maybe he could rope Pheiros into it and have better luck with smaller things than rabbits.

He was a little hesitant, but then again, if she knew Brou at all, it would be obvious why. Um. I dunno. Some stuff just like.. Calls to me I guess. Pause. Then slightly more chipper, I got a bird skull I found when we were back at the forest? And like.. rocks and stuff. Okay, perkiness faded by there. Rocks didn't sound too exciting, but they were nice. He liked them for whatever reason. I don't know what I'll do with them. But I keep them. He felt like he should, at least. It was a weird sort of thing. Maybe it was superstition.

Yeah.. that's a good plan, she replied through a soft dip of her head. It was good he was thinking about his mom like that, especially now, and seemingly capable enough to help provide for the matter while she was likely doing less hunting on her own--and that would only increase, once pups arrived and she went denbound. They're an okay catch for something you can do alone, at least. If you can time it right to spot the things, she added about the moles. Kind of dirty work, though. Literally. She wasn't always game for that much digging around after them, though as she said, it was a meal and often, on the road, it was a good snack to get by--especially if luck let it be a nice fat one.

Then, it seemed like he either didn't want to say too much, or didn't know quite how to answer it. Jomyo was a neutral set of ears about it though, maintaining her look of no judgements here if he might be able to pick up on it. She had seen way worse things to be interested in, even if this really just boiled down to rocks and bones calling to him. Interesting. Not a bad thing, even if it's just keeping a collection to admire, or whatever else. I'm not sure what else to do with rocks and bones anyway, though there might be something.. she supposed with a thoughtful tilt. At least he wasn't collecting the skulls of his fallen enemies, or something to that effect. She didn't see anything harm in it. So do you ever go looking for things that call to you or do you just happen across them, and know then and there to keep it? she asked, wondering how intentional this was, or if it might only be a little quirk he picked up from somewhere.

He nodded, Yeah. It's at least different than like rabbits and stuff though. Some times I just have really bad luck with them... It was a little more of an emotion than before -- a bit of a 'yeah wow, them rabbits' kind of thing. He was still pretty much the ultimate personification of meek, but maybe there was a personality underneath there somewhere.

Well, she certainly seemed a bunch more reasonable than Brou. Uhm. I mean I went looking to find a bird wing if that counts? I couldn't catch a small one, so I had to keep looking until I found one. Stuff had to die sometime, after all, it was just a matter of beating someone else to the snack and taking what he wanted. I think I'll figure out why at some point why. But um. Not yet I suppose. Some day. He'd had some thoughts, but they weren't developed enough yet to be anything.

It was just a bit, but she seemed to get a touch more out of him with that--which she considered a good thing, even if it was small. She understood how it was, though, not being the most open of sorts either. Well rabbits can be surprisingly slippery, with speed like theirs... and they don't exactly give the best warnings when they do change the course, she sympathized, remarking on what she had always thought to be blank expressions from the things that would just dart into a completely unexpected direction given the chance. But, as the years had taught her, that was part of their survival tactics. The predators couldn't win 'em all.

Anyway, she listened on, interested in whatever he may share and it did turn out to be a greater insight into his collecting. I think it does count, she smirked, subtly. But I think that makes sense. You're young yet, you'll figure it out, I'm sure, she added, pairing with another nod. He had a lot of time to do so, if she had to guess. I do tend to scout around a lot--though less lately with the new pups to think about and all that, so if I come across anything too interesting, I might pass the word on. Or if you ever feel like searching something out, I'm usually keen to wander a bit, she offered, too, in case the yearling might be interested. Of course, she kept it all pretty light--not wanting to obligate, or press herself into his little hobby in any way.  Just an offer, though.

So maybe he wasn't quite a failure at hunting either -- her reply earned another smile from the yearling. As long as he didn't go tumbling head over heels on his next hunt too, he'd be making progress. Helping the pack, getting better, all that jazz. It sounded good.

He nodded, Okay. That might be kinda cool. At least he felt less likely Jomyo would do anything as jerkish as his sister would. So that was good. If things clarified themselves over time, maybe he'd find a direction -- and name -- eventually. It was a nice thought. I went back to where we used to live with Pheiros. We talked about going on some adventure thing again later. I dunno where we'd go though. Getting my stuff was like the only thing I thought of. Though there were other issues too, huh? His ears pitched back again, But like going and doing stuff like that means then I'm way farther away from home... Like what happens if peoplea re needed back when they're away then? Nobody was going to mistake Spook for an optimist.

She nodded a soft hint of a nod when it seemed her offer was at least taken favorably enough. Then, he mentioned Pheiros, and their past endeavor back to the creek, a plan to do more--pieces she liked to hear, honestly. Yeah? Sometimes I don't set out with a precise destination in mind, exactly. Or I just keep it general--like, head west, or towards the mountains because I haven't been there in a while, or whatever. Things change, and being adaptable is useful, she rolled her shoulders as she imparted the knowledge that may help them flesh out their plans to travel around, see some sights--whatever nature may offer out there.

And, his concerns were valuable ones. Not ones she had a very optimistic answer for, because time and experience taught her it was just luck of the draw sometimes. That's always a concern, especially since you can never plan for everything, no matter how hard you try. It's why I've traveled less lately while the claim is still fresh and pups are young--I don't want to take an able body away from this, she swung her muzzle in a generalizing gesture. Her priorities were on other things than rambling around for now. It's also why sometimes, it's good to keep things short if home tends to be needy--unless the need to travel outweighs it, of course. Or try to aim for peaceful times, but again, sometimes it's just a luck of the draw type of deal and you just have to wing it, she explained frankly. There was no perfect route and believe her, she had looked before. Shit happens, and you don't always know when.

It did make him think he should corner Pheiros soon and see when they were gonna do stuff. It'd probably be a fun time. And what she said beyond that pretty much was why Spook had never gone more than a day's trip away, he nodded. At the end of the day, he was home again. I know I'm not able to do everything my mom can. It's good she gets to stay, she can probably make sure stuff stays right more than I can. I've tried to go and find new recruits and stuff from people that have walked by too, like even not that far away. But I guess I'm just not so good for like.. impressing people. He tried. And he met random people. But how many actually came back with him? Not a lot. It had to be him.

He shrugged a little, I dunno if that's something I can change much though. Spook wasn't a particularly fussy dude. He was easy to push around, and there were quite a few things he was happy to just leave to someone else. Like being mean and nasty? Arbiter could do that. Kaertok could do that. Anyone not named Spook could do that. Spook was... Well, still trying to find himself, really.

On that, she did have to agree with a slow exhale and nod to go with it. She felt best that Arbiter got to stay. Never had she needed any reason to doubt the matriarch of their family. Part of her liked when Kaertok was around too, trusting him, but knowing his interests fanned out like hers sometimes too. But, on meeting the right folks? She could relate.. since she knew there were good times and bad. Evidently his run of it had bugged him enough to have him bring it up now. She hadn't had much progress on the matter lately, either.. It isn't easy, I know.. she shook her head. To go as far as impress folks could be a tall  order. She tended to shoot a little lower to start, but she also knew how to read the scene and play it carefully. Hitting it off with strangers doesn't always work out--there are some weird ones out there. Plus, sometimes.. it's just luck, or a bad day. she tried to be relatively encouraging in the real look at it, though.

I think... too, that practice helps, like anything. You'll find out what works for you better that way--get a better feel for it, too, she added as gently as she was going to get it from her. It probably wasn't profound advice, but tried and true in her eyes. And trust me, I have not found many worth bringing around either lately, she said, hoping it would help him not feel so bad about it, or try to shoulder too much blame for not feeling like he was that impressive to the random sorts he met. What was more important to her was that they not let a couple flops get them down. They'd just try again another time.

Could wrap this soon and grab something more current with either of my chars if you wanted? :D

He nodded. Yeah I've definitely met a weird person or two. And there were to be even weirder ones later in the timeline. But right now, he didn't know. Had he done the right thing when talking to them? There were just so many questions...

It made him feel at least a little better. But it would take a lot of that to get him on the level of just about everyone else who existed. Thanks. I'll have to try. And.. Practice somehow I guess. He had no idea how to do that. Pretty much everyone who met him would probably be quick to say he wasn't good at talking to people. That he didn't put forward a confident show. Would he ever? Maybe. If she had a suggestion to make the whole thing maybe go faster he'd take it, but... He didn't want to be a pest.

sounds good, i can probably make this be my last here tbh!

No surprise there that he had met his share too, for there were sometimes when she felt like she met more oddballs than worthy candidates, she nodded just a bit. Anyway, she supposed she should take from this that her words seemed to help a little. It wasn't all that easy to tell with him, but even if he didn't know it now, she just hoped he'd reflect on the notions she put forward. Yeah, you're welcome. Time helps. And sticking to it, if you care to, she offered as one last bit and a roll to her shoulders, though knew how little it sounded like, at face value like that. You can tag along with me sometime, if you want to. Doesn't always have to be far, she added, too, but didn't linger like she needed an answer now. He could think about it and save it for later. She almost wanted him to prioritize roaming a bit with Pheiros first (he'd probably enjoy that company more, and he seemed like a dude who could use that), though didn't say any of this.

Jomyo was no perfect judge of it, after all. Maybe some further exposure would help get his confidence up--he was young yet, as far as she was concerned. She wondered if he just needed to experience things and survive it to get that ball rolling. Hard to say for sure.

Anyway, she was feeling like picking up the pace and moseying onward, letting it head towards a less-conversational sort of way too. Well--I'm going to track on a bit, see what else I can find further out.. she mentioned with a gesture that pointed mostly south, since she had no particular pull to her current options. Come if you want, if not, I'm sure I'll see you around.. she potentially parted with. He was free to take it or leave it, she didn't mind either way, so soon, she would jog off that way and see what was in store for her for the rest of the afternoon.