Moonspear when was the last time one of these dicks killed a motherfucking mythical beast

Mostly just exposition while I try to explain my OOC slowness in IC terms. Would love @Njord or @Chakliux, but someone Ray has never threaded with would be cool too! Just one other, please.

Stingray was a nobody.

The thought came to him gradually over the weeks between fleeing Sapphique and now. There was no thunderclap revelation, only the creeping sensation that he had no purpose in his life. His parents were integrated and his little sisters were beloved by the members of the pack, including him, and sure, he could always hang out with them, but he was starting to feel pretty pathetic always hanging out with his mom and dad.

He had no friends. There was no one his own age in Moonspear with whom he felt he could bond. The closest was some newly arrived relative of his, and even he was an entire year older than Stingray. He had thought leaving Sapphique would be a new start for him. He had thought being a founding member of the pack would mean something important and spur him to greater heights. Instead, Ray slipped into obscurity.

He had been a nobody in his birthplace and he had come to realize he was still a nobody here, too. Maybe he would always be a nobody. Maybe that was all he was destined for. Without knowing the word for it, Stingray slipped deep into a quiet depression that had begun with Swordfish's disappearance. He was not marked by evident sadness. He could still muster a smile and be silly for his sisters and parents. He could still be boisterous and energetic when he needed to be. Only his parents might recognize the listlessness in his eyes, the lack of direction and ambition that drew him further and further into irrelevance. Into a cycle that reinforced his feelings and made him powerless to change anything by himself, and thus did he become a fringe member of the pack at the bottom of the ranks with the newcomers.

Today, he did as he always had done: he hunted for his mother in the morning, spent a little time reinforcing the borders near where his parents and sisters slept, and by the time afternoon came, he was wandering the mountainside with the flat, lifeless expression and lack of enthusiasm that had become customary whenever he was alone.

Had she been able to read his mind, Sialuk would have bled her heart to him of the time when she felt much the same way as he did right now. As she could not, the woman only tried to reach out to those she had not spoken with in quite some time. Stingray was on of them, and when she came upon him, he appeared in good health.

Sialuk had been on the hunt for some fresh spring herbs to bring into her supply, but since it was Stingray she found instead, she changed her plan accordingly.

This woman greets you, she said, dipping her head. Where does your path take you today, Stingray?

You need to do something with your life, said his brother's voice in his head. Stingray waved it away. It was always the same, always an accusation of having abandoned his brother or a reminder that he was insignificant. If not for it wearing Swordfish's eyes and voice, Ray might be able to ignore it outright.

What could Stingray even do that was worth anything? He liked to travel and see new places, but aside from his brief trip to Moonglow, the boy had been glued to Moonspear for fear of hurting his parents. Suppose the bear was still out there and he never came home? Besides, that didn't really benefit the pack any, and in his present funk, even traveling had lost all appeal.

He was an okay hunter, but it wasn't something he was passionate about. Healing and stargazing were well beyond his capabilities. He was hardly confident enough to think he could be any sort of advisor or counselor. Stories? He could tell silly ones to his sisters, but he lacked the silver tongue to make storytelling an actual role for himself. He supposed he was good at looking after his siblings and might be good at caring for other pups, too, but who would trust some nobody with their kids besides his parents?

Yep, there was simply nothing worthwhile that he felt he could do.

He was drawn out of his thoughts by Sialuk, who dipped her head to him as if he was not, in fact, some nobody. She was the pack leader. Surely had better things to do with her time? Feeling self-conscious about the truth, Stingray came to a slow stop with his head appropriately lowered and rolled his shoulders in a shrug. Um, exploring, I guess. By now he had been up and down the mountain half a dozen times and knew its surface almost as well as he had known Dragoncrest. There was nothing left to explore but the many caves.

He couldn't very well admit to doing nothing, though. Not to his leader, even if he knew that she knew better.

Stingray had aspired to be an ambassador, and since @Njord had already shared his plans to bring his son to Moontide, Sialuk wished to give him a special task while he was there to visit. Your taatax̂—father—wishes to take you on a trip to village Moontide, where my sister leads. While there, might you check in on my friend Marina? she asked. I have not made it to see her, and it would bring me peace to know she settles well there.

In addition, this duty would give Stingray a purpose outside of his father. A boy was now a man, and he would need responsibilities of his own in order to come into that role.

While he was busy wallowing in a sense of purposelessness, Sialuk was busy coming up with a task for him. Her suggestion took Ray quite by surprise, perhaps because he hadn’t thought of the trip as an opportunity before that very moment.

His demeanour changed at once, a sort of brightening to both his stance and his eyes as he was given something to do. Something meaningful! Something that might elevate him in his leader’s eyes! Yeah, okay, I can do that! Marina, you said? He would commit the name to memory and make sure to ask after her in Moontide.

You can count on me! he chirped, feeling better already about things. So much so that he was able to chat for a little while longer with Sialuk before he had to get ready to meet his father and Alaric about the gifts to bring.