The Sunspire i didn't expect the moon quite so soon

*maybe hopes to summon some loners? neighbors? outriders?* but anyone is most certainly welcome too ^^

Cold and craggy, she walked stiff-legged over well-worn paths of the mountain's base. Judging by the sun's steady descent, she was approaching the end of the daytime. She huffed quietly, nimby maneuvering a steep stretch of path, then lowered her head for a long sniff when the ground leveled again.

All seemed normal here.. just as it had been in the hours before sunrise when the dark female had passed by last. Which was good.. considering the recent incident with a moron that had barged in on Jace the other day. That and this stretch of mountain always made her remember the albino cougar. She and Aleera had run it off not too far from here. Her hackles were stiffened subtly.

She vaguely considered tracking out abroad -- it was hard to yield to the distinct pulls of two opposing forces, one that kept her glued to the mountain as its overseer and one that tickled her paws with the urge to wander (even just some) and take it all in out there. She couldn't remember the last time the Spire was out of her sight. Yet, with her gone, they would be incomplete.. and there was so much for her to think about here: their need for a meeting, her mending members, the looming cougar threat, their neighbors, keeping caches stocked for winter, finding the best places to hunt, so on and so forth.

Lashing her tail in the frustration she couldn't shake, she lurked on and squinted sourly in the direction of the Wilds.  

this looked lonely! Not a loner but a neighbor :) I've always kinda wanted them to have a thread!

Dante had traveled far in his search for prey today, not finding signs until he was quite a ways into the plains, far from the Plateau's shadow. Following the trail, he only stopped when the scent of another pack thickened on the air and he knew to go further would be to trespass. Exhaling in annoyance, he sat, gazing at the mountain before him. The day was nearly gone, and he would not make it home until midday tomorrow most like. Might as well find someplace out here to stay.

With one last regretful glance at the spire and the herd that had likely skirted it to move on, he turned to continue in the direction he had come. He would not be able to pick up where they exited the territory easily, not without tracking the trail through, and he did not have the time to waste. With small ones in their care even wandering this far made him nervous.

ooOOO

Eventually she moved on and for a while, she was slow and thorough in her approach across the terrain. She only steered her path a bit astray when she smelled something. Someone, rather, and they were unfamiliar. So she jogged closer, nose up in the air and ears pricked as she hopefully could catch a short glimpse.

It was silver that caught her eye first. He was all dressed in it, and not in a manner of agouti that spoke of familiarity to her. She stalked closer, now having settled lowered her head just some and exchanged it for a raised ridge of hackles, and when her nose ghosted over his trail, she realized the Plateau on him so prominently. That and the subtle hint of game.

So she kicked forward with a lengthened gait to close the last bit of distance -- a motion she did in silence. Although the upward arc of her tail suggested why she was investigating him at length and what questions she may have, while a sharp stare affirmed the point.

He looked to be leaving the vicinity, and likely hadn't stayed long, so outright aggression did not feel warranted here. His proximity did inspire her to...  pester him just a little bit, and likely slow up whatever he was doing. This was the gray area just at the edge of her mountain, and therefore, her business. But at least she was not on bad terms with the Plateau. This may have been different had this been, say, a Creek or Ankyra wolf. 

Being so close to a border, he would have been surprised not to have someone call him out for it, though a part of him had hoped to be away before meeting anyone. Dante wasn't antisocial, but nor did he particularly enjoy meeting strangers. He left that to the pack outriders, all of whom were far more capable at it than he.

However, he could do nothing but stop and meet the challenge given, for he did not wish to fight with this spire wolf. He did not submit but he did defer by lowering his head in a nod, stance completely nonagressive, as he was the one in the wrong here. "Greetings. I apologize for coming so close to your lands. I was tracking a herd, but they seem to have passed onto claimed lands, so I had to give up the chase." Her posture obviously requested an explanation.

Usually, she did not find others here. During the wintertime, the mountainside and its immediate surroundings were apparently rather quiet. Sure, they had their occasional visitor (or worse, like Jace's invader) but these were certainly not regular occurrences. Ame wondered if perhaps the mountain itself shooed the average wolf away.

Anyway, his neutrality was well met and she took in the sight of him eagerly while he explained. He was a sizable wolf, all dressed in gray-scale with a look of strength about him, and scented in the Plateau no less. This, too, was an interesting tidbit. "A wise choice," she quipped with a vaguely satisfied look about her, having softened the ridge of fur on her neck by then since he had admitted to being mindful of her boundaries. But as always, she was ever watchful in the meantime until she got a better sense of who he was. "But nevertheless, greetings to you as well. I assume it is only the hunt to bring you out this way?" Or had there been other motives? The Plateau, while closer than some, was still a decent little jaunt away.     

Aware of the wisdom of his choice, he simply nodded to acknowledge the words. He wasn't so rude or troubleseeking as to try to cross into another pack's lands period. To do so and take down prey while within was an insult that would surely earn him enemies of the pack. Her stare was formidable, and he returned it, assessing but ensuring that he maintained an unchallenging gaze. He did not wish for conflict, ever the diplomat that he was.

"I confess the hunt was more an excuse than a reason, though it is true that in winter I could hardly pass up such a trail. I do not get away often, so it is nice when a chance arises." He did not often have desire to leave his kingdom, but when he did, he enjoyed the opportunity to do so. With everything stable and no enemies (to his knowledge), he had felt the moment appropriate. Besides, the mountains were not a far travel when compared to others he had taken. "I am to assume these are your packlands?" He could figure out as much, but wished to verify all the same.

*awkwardly tries to get back into the swing of writing omg D:*

As needed, pack wolves were handled with more scrutiny. He was no exception, although if any pack were perhaps a few steps ahead in general favor, the Plateau was one of them. This combined with his sensibilities did appeal to her enough that curiosity came out the winner.

When he questioned her, she nodded first. There was no hiding this fact and she gestured towards the peak, littered in telltale signs of her scent. Hers. "They are," she replied simply. Now, closer to him, she could smell the Plateau so plainly. This suddenly made her think of Summer, and if his travels had panned out appropriately so far. He hadn't been gone that long yet, though.

She wondered who he was, exactly. There were traits of his scent that were similar to Lasher -- ones besides just the pack similarity. If she had visited the Plateau itself recently, she would understand more clearly the connection she was making, but the pack had changed dramatically since she had been close to them at all. Perhaps, for the better. Even if she did miss when Ariston was one of theirs. "How fares the Plateau?" she quipped, prying gently where she could.

An interesting choice of settlement, setting up a home on a mountain. Yet the rugged terrain wasn't completely inhospitable, and the terrain had held a certain charm when he had last broached it. This had been before a pack had existed, when he and Helena still traveled together. A lifetime ago.

He recalled suddenly the man he had met, one who had offered him a home should he choose to stay and try to settle. He had turned the offer down, but enjoyed their conversation. He elected to inquire, after answering her questions of course.

"The plateau fares well. The winter has been kind so far, though we will see if luck holds." He hoped it would. "Yours is faring well also?" He was curious if the mountains felt more of the brunt than his own lands, for they rested in the shadow of the slopes.

"I've been through these mountains before, a beautiful place. I actually met someone who spoke of starting a pack, I assume the one you yourself belong to. I do not recall his name, however. A large dark fellow, pleasant to converse with. Do you know of him?" Dante wasn't the sort to keep strong ties to those he met by chance, but when opportunity came to find out, he enjoyed hearing that their lives had gone well.

He answered readily enough for her to respond accordingly. Since he provided, she could do the same. "It is, and has been peaceful. The winter proved to be much more mild than I anticipated, so things are well on our end.." she said, fighting off a small frown that might have briefly betrayed her words; nature had either misled her at one point, or she had read the signs incorrectly. The cool, rainy summer had evidently not lent itself to a bad winter here. Little did she know that the same could not be said for elsewhere, in places far, far away from her ever knowing about them.

Even though it was their first winter on the mountain, all had been well. Despite some issues with cougars early on, and the occasional little issue now and then, on the whole, the pack was peaceful. The mountain gave them a fortress of a home that seemingly kept them out of trouble.

He then spoke on towards a curious topic -- a large, dark fellow did ring familiar, and if he had mentioned the forming pack here, it would be one of only three wolves. "Ah, perhaps. Dark and blue-eyed?" she asked to confirm; already he had said dark and large. Ame was fond of Jace.. far more than most wolves, and she did have to agree -- she did find him pleasant to converse with as well, although knew not everyone felt that way about him. He had his quirks that not all could handle. Our founders were few.. but he has remained, just as I have." 

Having little naturalist tendencies himself, he couldn't say the same, though he agreed that the winter had been mild.  It had been his first winter passed in these parts, so he hadn't known what to expect exactly.  Not one who was fond of the cold, he couldn't complain about the turnout.  It had been nice to be able to get out without worrying about freezing or shortages, for the most part at least.

"Sounds like him.  I'm glad to hear he's doing well."  He'd been the first wolf Dante had bumped into, and it was wierd to think about.  Helena had still been with him then... a pang at the thought, though it quickly passed.  "I doubt he'd remember who I was, but if you can, tell him I said hello, and thanks for the tips that day."  Because of that conversation he had been able to navigate the area a bit better, without fear of encroaching on a pack who did not wish for the intrusion. 

"So you founded this pack, then.  That must have been a job and a half."  He looked at the impressive mountain before them, wondering what sort of creatures they might have had to deal with in it's claiming.  Not only wolves were territorial about their holdings.

The silvered male gave her a glimpse into his meeting with Jace, and she nodded. It sounded like a typical exchange, and while it was true Jace may not remember, she could always make mention of it. "I will pass it on," she said. Encountering Jace sometime soon was inevitable, so it was just something to keep in mind, and she was curious to see if the dark beta would remember.

She then shifted, somewhat, unable to take full credit for the mountain's founding. "Mm, I was only support... in the beginning," she noted, having realized she had eased into his company enough to almost be conversational. "But I knew mountains from my homeland. Others may have needed to adjust more than I." There was a certain fondness no matter how much she aimed to hide it.. the decision to follow Ferdie's cause had guided her to here, and had unquestionably changed her life.

Before he had vanished to the four winds, and just when she had been growing even closer to Ferdie, it had led her to (perhaps selfishly) wonder how much of this had been.. for her in some abstract way. Something he would do or say sometimes would make her wonder -- then at other times and occasionally in the very same breath, quite the opposite. But that had been the way of him. The suggestion of a mountain, towering proudly towards the skies with its own private ecosystem, was ideal to many.. but had she inspired the choice? Maybe, but she would never know. "On the whole, it was not the mountain that gave us major difficulties," a soft grin, she glanced towards the peak. It had been a hospitable place, and their earliest months were mostly marred by bad blood with the Creek, not anything the mountain had caused.

"Thank you."  He appreciated that greatly.  Whether or not he remembered, the dark male had been one of his first sights in these lands, and one of many kind souls who had convinced him this was a place worth settling in.  Though Peregrine truly held the credit for keeping him here (a sad fact, seeing how far their friendship seemed to have soured), Jace's respect and helpful nature had shown him wolves round these parts weren't like those from where he came. 

"Quite a rise," he said thoughtfully, inwardly noting that they were much the same in that.  Dante hadn't helped to found the Plateau, not nearly, but he had been content as support for a long time.  He was suddenly curious.  "Did you wish for it?  Or was it a matter of circumstance?"  Was he odd, for not wanting what he'd been given?  Or did she too think leadership a burden before she'd taken up the mantle?

He was surprised to hear that the terrain was not much of an issue, though he supposed to dwell on it for so long they would have to get used to it.  He'd never stopped long or traveled far in such a place, for he was more suited to forests and plains than cliffs and crags.  His size and lack of grace would only serve to hinder him on such ground.  She had much more the look, her frame leaning more towards sinuous than stone.  Her words suggested there was more to the story, though.  "If I may ask, though you need not answer, what did?"

Her lips twitched thoughtfully as she listened. Truly, quite a rise indeed. An unexpected one, too. Then his question was one none had ever posed to her before -- well, expect for herself. And even when she had asked, the answer hadn't come quite as easily as she might have liked. "Circumstance." This much was certain, but had she wished for it? Maybe in the smallest of ways, or at a later time, or maybe just not quite like that. Much of her own doubt in rising had been that she was too young, too unproven, but the mantle of Sunspire's leadership had fit her well, once she stopped shifting anxiously beneath its weight.

Her leading had probably been inevitable. There had been a real chance of doing so alongside Ferdie in some way. Or, even a pack of her own design elsewhere if that was what the future dictated. Leadership ran in her blood, and her upbringing had hoping to inspire it in her.. even in its subtle way. But at the time, there had simply been a need, so she had satisfied it. "I was not anticipating it and neither was it a particular ambition of mine, but for the Spire, I do what is needed," she breathed.

On his next question, she was faster to respond and perhaps a bit more forward. "Unsavory neighbors, some questionable decisions, a bit of baggage from our founding, and eventually cougars.. we had enough to keep things.. interesting." Of course much of it related to the Creek in a way, but not all. It seemed that just when that had begun to settle, Ferdie had suddenly gone missing, and she had found herself wanting a dull moment for once then.

He nodded and suddenly had cause to wonder if perhaps his situation was not so rare after all. Maybe it was often that one who wasn't necessarily seeking leadership was made to step up into the place. He hadn't assumed such before, but hearing that she had done much of the same brought the thought.

It was admirable, her acceptance of it. For the Spire, I do what is needed. He felt the same, but it had been a long time before he had seen his role as more than a burden. Longer than he would ever wish to admit to his pack.

She shared rather freely, but he was glad for it. Some guarded their words so well, yet he had no trace of intention to pry for any reason other than friendly conversation. "Cougars would be a hazard here, wouldn't they? Luckily few find their way into our part, thankfully. Sounds like more excitement than I would ask for, for sure.". He thought on it. "We've seen our share of bears, but for the most part, the creatures on our land are more the prey variety than predator. Must keep you on your toes though." He surely would hesitate to intrude on such a formidable place, not only because of the forboding harshness of the terrain, but because any who called it home would have adapted to such a challenge.

She nodded readily. "Indeed. For a while, they practically seemed attracted to the mountain," she frowned, knowing a few had come to stalk on their mountain goats specifically -- coming here like moths to a flame. When she had seen the albino one bringing a goat down effortlessly not far from their borderlands had made the reality painfully clear to her. Certainly, any passing cats that got a whiff of the prey here couldn't pass up the opportunity to investigate further.

"I cannot say we have had many bears over here," she chuffed softly. In fact, seeing one was rather rare she realized. "Maybe since you have bears, it keeps the cougars away.. and vice versa," she mused aloud, considering the chances of this. Her understanding of the predator interactions was not extensive, as all her information was wolf-centric. Perhaps bears and cougars did not co-exist well. She definitely preferred to not exist alongside cougars, so couldn't blame bears if they kept away from them.

"Anyway. I will not keep you any longer, you do have a small walk home.." she smirked, then took a few steps back before her retreat became fully-fledged. She lingered for any further words, and wondered when their paths may cross again. He was an interesting fellow, so she was not opposed to it happening should fate see it fit.

they may need to bump into each other again! ^^

He could see why the predators would be drawn to such a place... as far as mountains went, it was a magnificent specimen.  He wasn't sorry about that, though.  What his father may have seen as a ready and welcome challenge he saw as danger to the family he loved, and it was likely if they had the same problem he would have contemplated moving on.  Especially with small pups.  A piece of ground was not worth the lives within, though when fighting was possible, sometimes the best course was to stand.  He did not envy her the decisions she had likely had to make.

"Could be." He hadn't given much thought to the effect other predators might have on one another, though now that he thought about it, perhaps he should. It was something that could possibly be leveraged in the future.  Maybe the mere appearance that bears were in the area would also serve a warning then?  It wouldn't be easy to spoof, but he wondered if it would be possible, and if that would keep scavengers away.  

He may need to ask a naturalist about that, someone more knowledgeable than he at least.

He dipped his head when she gave him leave, and a glance to the sky told he had stayed about as long as he should.  "It was good meeting you.  I wish you and your pack luck. If you find that herd, there were a couple that showed promise."  He'd tracked them this far, someone might as well get some good out of it. Hopefully they would not need the well wishes he offered, but they were given regardless.  With a gesture of farewell he set off also for home, and it wasn't until he was halfway there that he realized he had never gotten a name, nor given his own.  It was a little funny that neither of them had thought to do so.