Redtail Rise Comeback kid

Junior's heart was beating wildly in her chest when she found herself at the foot of an unfamiliar ridge. She wasn't worried about the fact that she had just joined a pack spontaneously, sight unseen, within days of walking out on her former life. Saena was the leader here! Nothing else mattered. Smiling foolishly, the black she-wolf collapsed right there on the borders. Her tongue lolled clownishly from her mouth as she tried to recapture her wind. As soon as she could breathe, she intended to call for her sister.

After a few minutes, she rolled into a seated position and sent up a short howl for @Saena. Junior then blinked, drinking in the view of her brand new home for the very first time. She had lived on a plateau, next to a bay, beneath a waterfall and at least temporarily resided in half a dozen other landscapes. Now it seemed she would be taking residence upon a mountain. Cool, she thought with a faint smirk.

However distant, Junior's answering howl hadn't gone unnoticed by the new Alpha. As soon as she dropped her muzzle from the sky and the last of the Redtail Rise wolves' voices had died off, she'd run east along the ridge. Her sister's distant call did very little to help Saena pinpoint her, but the pale wolf was sure it came from that direction. So she stood on the edge of the ridge, high enough to see over the tops of the trees to the valley below, and waited for any sign of a dark-haired wolf moving toward her.

She'd misjudged Junior's direction a little, however, for a short while later, another howl rose into the ridge's airspace, this time much closer. Saena turned quickly and broke into a run, practically barreling down the slope and stumbling once or twice on the still new terrain before finally finding Junior seated at the base.

Just like when the swarthy Blacktail had visited the plateau, Saena didn't slow until she'd run right into her sibling, a happy ball of wagging stump and hastily placed licks. "Junior! You came!" she exclaimed as she finally backed off her sister, and only then did realization begin to dawn. "Where's Swordfish?" she asked, looking around as if expecting him to appear at any moment. Surely Junior wouldn't have left her mate and Beta position both behind just to come here... right?

It wasn't long before an exuberant Saena entered the scene, rushing to close the space between them. Junior grimaced playfully as her sister affectionately attacked her. She returned as many licks as she could, of course, though she was distracted by Saena's tail. "That's right. I forgot you're a half-ass now." Briefly, the yearling wondered what this meant for the new Alpha's ability to demonstrate her rank. She quickly decided Saena would have no trouble conveying her new status.

"I did!" she agreed, chuckling. "And you did it. Like really did it," she added in an admiring voice, her two-toned eyes sweeping her surroundings again before finding their way back to Saena's face. "What do you call it?" Junior was amused that she didn't yet know the name of the lands that were now her home and allegiance. The details didn't really matter much to her, though.

She swallowed at Saena's innocent question. "He's not here. He's not coming. I... kind of broke it off with him." Junior had no idea how her sister would react to the news, though her ears flattened sheepishly and she dropped her gaze. "Ever since my last trip here, I've been considering things a lot. I decided that I didn't belong with Swordfish or as Beta of Thief River Falls. I, well... I've come to the realization that I'm kind of a flake," she admitted with a noise that was half laugh, half cough.

"I'll do my best not to flake out on you, though," she hastily continued after a deep, steadying breath. "Just, uh... maybe don't make me a leader. And don't be surprised if I wander off or something." Junior smiled lopsidedly at her sister, hoping Saena wouldn't be unhappy with any of the above. She was just being completely honest with herself and her new leader.

"Yep!" Saena said proudly, wiggling her stubby tail even faster as if to show it off. Given a choice between keeping it long and having it short, though, the female would've preferred the former. Still, it hadn't hindered her yet. She still wielded it the same way she had when it was long, even if now it was sort of moot. Other wolves probably couldn't see it, but it was habit and instinct to bristle it upward when assertiveness was needed, and likewise to flatten it against her hindquarters when deference was in order.

She laughed and turned to look up the ridge's side, then gestured to the sky above. "See those little specks flying up there? They're hawks. There's loads of them here, so we called it Redtail Rise." Junior would probably catch on to the fact that it also matched Saena perfectly, but she hadn't named it vainly after herself, even though Luke's suggestion had partly inspired it. "It's all because of you," she told Junior, "if you hadn't inspired me to do it, I'd still be at the plateau." Probably suffocating, she mentally added. She loved her former family there, but she knew now that she'd made the right decision for herself.

She turned back to face Junior as her sister revealed that Swordfish and she were over. Saena's contact with Swordfish was limited to a single visit, but even so, her ears wilted a little. "Sorry to hear that, Junior," she said, nudging her sister's cheek comfortingly. The dark-haired former Beta didn't seem terribly upset about it on the surface, though, so Saena let the subject go for now. There would be time for details later, surely.

"You're not a flake," Saena tried to reassure her. The truth was that Junior was sort of flaky, but probably not willfully. "You're... an adventurer. Adventurers can't stay in one place forever, you know." She smiled, though it was hard not to keep sadness from twitching the corners of her lips downward instead. That Junior would leave one day was probably inevitable, but Saena wasn't looking forward to it. "I was going to ask if you'd be Beta, actually," she admitted, "but if you're sure you don't want it... I won't push it on you. Just promise if you do decide to go elsewhere, you say goodbye first. I won't hold it against you."

Saena called Junior's attention to the little specks circling in the sky overhead. She mouthed the word, Ah, and nodded. It was flattering, being credited with inspiring Saena's ambition, but Junior shook her head. "All you," she said simply. "I think you are right where you belong," she added thoughtfully. "And now... so am I."

She shrugged in response to her sister's condolences. "Feel bad for him, if anyone. I really hurt him. I didn't mean to," Junior said, chewing on her lip. "He probably knew something was wrong because I'd been acting funny ever since coming back from my trip. But he didn't see this coming, I don't think. He never really knew my history, how much I moved around and stuff." She cleared her throat, scuffing a paw idly in the dirt underfoot.

Licking her lips, she caught Saena's gaze when she protested against the label flake and insisted on calling Junior an adventurer instead. "You give me too much credit," she replied, nudging one of the rusty red patches beneath the other yearling's eyes. "Yes, of course. I made sure I said goodbye to everyone at Thief River Falls before I left," she assured.

She had purposely skirted around the leadership question for a moment, though only because she wanted to save it for last. "I remember you mentioning that last time I saw you," she murmured. "On one hand, it would be an incredible honor. On the other, I'm not sure I'm cut out for leadership. I'm not... dependable enough. I'd like to think it would be different because it's you but... I dunno, I just don't want to make any promises I can't keep."

Saena pursed her lips thoughtfully, trying to imagine what Swordfish would be like if he was sad. When he visited the plateau at the beginning of winter, he was a picture of happiness. He was newly settled into his pack and, now that she looked back on it, he was clearly excited that Junior was in Thief River Falls as well. Having only met him once in a cheerful context, it was difficult to imagine lines of sorrow on his face. Even with the knowledge that his mate had left him, Saena couldn't picture him as anything but smiling.

"Maybe it just wasn't meant to be," Saena said softly. "I'm sure he gets it, or he will eventually." She didn't know anything about Swordfish, though, and Junior knew it. It was more realistic to believe that he didn't get it, that Junior's mercurial nature was something most wolves couldn't understand, certainly not one's mate. Truthfully, she hardly understood it herself.

To the red-patched female's relief, Junior confirmed that she had said goodbye in the Falls and would do so here if ever she chose to move on. It didn't console Saena much, but it was definitely something. She would hate to see her sister leave again, but didn't want to tie her down, either. In that spirit, Saena said, "okay, no Beta then. But if you change your mind, it's open to you... until someone else decides they want it and deserve it, that is. You kind of have the most experience and I trust you a hell of a lot more than anyone else right now." She had no doubt that she would have Betas, but it would be some time before she selected them. Saena would secretly hope that by then, Junior would know what she wanted.

Saena promised to hold the position open in case Junior reconsidered, though she warned her sister that it wouldn't remain on the table definitely. "Whether it's me or somebody else," the black yearling replied to that, "I'm sure you'll find yourself a great backup bitch." She grinned and moved forward to nip at her sister's chin, which was not only a sign of affection but also one of submission. Despite their childhood—which had been earmarked by Junior's bullying of Saena—she easily accepted her place below the pale Alpha female.

"Who else have you recruited? Is it mostly yearlings? I heard your howl but I honestly didn't listen for responses," Junior admitted, her two-toned eyes fixing curiously on Saena's face. Her line of vision hovered on the rusty red patches beneath her sister's indigo eyes, to avoid inferring any kind of challenge. It was just another sign of how easily Junior accepted her younger sister's leadership.

Saena grinned at Junior's title for Beta. It was hard to imagine anyone other than her sibling being trustworthy enough to fill that position, but someone would present themselves in time. For now, she could enjoy it alone and shoulder all the responsibility and stress of it. She was certainly young enough to handle it.

Motioning for Junior to accompany her, Saena began to make her way back up the ridge, but her pace was slow and leisurely. She had no desire to reach the heights immediately. They could dwell in the forest and talk awhile, or at least until Junior's exhaustion caught up with her. "Gunnar is here," Saena said with a grin, knowing Junior would probably be happy to hear it if she remembered her foster family in the Bay, "and a few other wolves, but I think they're all older than a year. They seem like decent folks though." Lacinia was questionable, but she hadn't given Saena much reason to suspect her of anything aside from being a little bit weird to talk to, so for now, she was as welcome as the others. "About five or six of us total," she concluded.

When Saena mentioned the name of her foster brother, Junior exclaimed, "Really! That's awesome. I'll have to catch up with him. How is he?" she wondered, trying to picture his face. It had been a long time since she'd seen any of her family in Stavanger Bay—and they still held that title in her heart and mind, despite the ties cut with her natal family—and she hoped they were all doing well. It sort of surprised her that Gunnar would leave the bay, though it really wasn't unusual for yearlings to strike out on their own.

"That's pretty impressive. We'll just get bigger and stronger with time. Hey, part of my responsibility as Outrider is to recruit, right? I'll do my best when I'm out a-wandering," she promised, winking her purpler eye. "Although, I suppose you wouldn't want it to get too big. We had maybe ten wolves at the falls. How many would be a good size for you, Ms. Alpha?"

"Not so good. Some stuff went down in the Bay," Saena answered in a tone that rang of finality, as though she didn't want to say exactly what was bothering Gunnar. It was sort of his news to give, not hers, and she hoped Junior would understand when she finally learned. "You should go see him soon, I think he'd like it." She and Gunnar originally met over Junior's whereabouts, so she had no doubt that the viking male would be happy to see his childhood sisterfriend again, whatever the circumstances may be.

She smiled when Junior promised to keep an eye out during her Outriding missions. "Don't forget, I'm an Outrider too," Saena said with a wink, "though I might give it up. Warden is probably more fitting, though I need to work on it." Junior was a Warrior, therefore an obvious candidate for teaching Saena a thing or two about defending herself and the borders, but the Alpha didn't want to outright ask for help until her sister had a chance to rest from her journey. She was also uncertain whether she even wanted to be a Warden or was fit for the job—she could turn out to be entirely lousy at it.

"Ten sounds about right," Saena said, feeling Thief River Falls was a good model for her own pack despite having almost no information about it aside from what little Junior had previously revealed. "I think the plateau had about that many, too. Seems just right."

The news about the bay disquieted her, though Junior sensed that Saena would rather let Gunnar tell her himself. Despite her suddenly burning curiosity, she let the topic drop. She pressed her lips together and nodded when Saena coaxed her to seek out her foster brother. She would put that at the top of her to-do list for the coming days.

"What?" Junior blurted when Saena said she might be giving up her Outrider badge. She let her sister finish, then said, "It makes sense, I guess. But you've gotta come exploring with me from time to time. So we'll have to make sure there are other Wardens around too." The field didn't interest the black yearling herself. She was not a homebody, so staying in one place and wearing circles in the dirt actually gave her a flash of cabin fever.

"Ten does work pretty well," Junior confirmed right before a mighty yawn split her jaws apart. "Excuse me," she apologized, then gave her ruff a quick shake. "I'm pretty worn out after that trip. Mind if I crash at your place?" she asked, winking one eye. Technically, all of the rise belonged to Saena, though her darker sister wonder if she kept a den or anything of that sort.

"Naturally," Saena said laughingly, "I'm pretty sure it's going to get boring really fast. I'll have to get out every now and again, so I'm counting on you to bring me places!" Saena would've preferred to keep her Outrider trade, but it wasn't very helpful for an Alpha, at least as far as she was concerned. There was a problem if the pack Alpha was spending the majority of their time elsewhere.

Junior promptly yawned, and Saena giggled before saying, "good to see you've got good dental hygiene, sis." True, she didn't know the first thing about dental hygiene, but she doubted any wolves did. It's not like they had toothbrushes.

She sobered a bit when Junior asked if she could crash at her place. There wasn't really a "place" to crash. "I don't really have a den, sorry," Saena said, worrying her bottom lip with her top teeth, "but there's lots of shade in the forest, so maybe I can help you find a place to rest there." It would mean doubling back a little bit, but half the ridge was covered in rich forest. Finding something would be easy once they got there.

"I don't need anything fancy," Junior reassured Saena, who seemed flustered about not having a den. "Just somewhere where I can flop, you know?" She gently jabbed at her sister with her elbow, then fell into step behind the Alpha female as she began to lead her deeper into the territory. Evidently, there was some woodland that would provide shelter.

The young Outrider truly had no qualms sleeping on nothing more than a bed of grass. She and Swordfish had not kept a den at Thief River Falls. Junior wasn't exactly the type to ground herself at a home base. She liked to stay on the move, camping out wherever she wanted when sleep called her name. She figured she would spend most nights on the rise, though many out on the road as well. Even though she had grown used to having someone at her side, Junior didn't even think she would have trouble sleeping alone either.

"I'm really excited about all this," she blurted sleepily as they walked. "There's nothing quite like starting over from scratch." Junior smiled, then fell quiet as she continued in Saena the bobtail's wake.

The pair moved at a fast clip across the sloped landscape. Saena pitched her ears back to listen to her sister's sleepy words. She dwelled on them, but chose not to comment until they reached the shade of the trees. Birch seemed to prevail here, Saena noted as she streaked past their papery trunks. A few other types, all unfamiliar, stood among the ghostly white, but all were the minority.

"I never would've thought I'd agree," she admitted as she selected a lone, wide beech tree to rest under. Her intention originally wasn't to remain here with Junior, but she settled down in the crook of the large tree's roots and suddenly felt exhausted. "I don't think Dante would've ever made me a leader, though, so I'm glad I decided to take your advice."

She yawned, mimicking her sister's early interruption, then grinned at Junior. "Mind if I take a nap here with you? I didn't realize how beat I was 'til I laid down."

As soon as Saena slowed and stopped, Junior tossed herself to the ground beneath the birch and began making herself comfortable. Meanwhile, she listened to her sister's words. She wondered what might have prevented Dante from allowing the young star to rise. Perhaps he had hoped to save the Alpha female rank for someone special, though that hardly seemed fair. Junior vaguely recollected talking to him about this very topic long ago, though she couldn't actually remember any of his answers on the matter.

"I'm glad you did too. Everything happens for a reason. It's normal for yearlings to strike out on their own. It's the whole 'this neighborhood ain't big enough for the both of us' mentality or whatever," the dark yearling drawled, voice getting even sleepier. "Of course not," she added, snorting and shaking her head at the Alpha's ridiculous question.

In fact, Junior scooted forward, essentially trapping Saena by laying her chin across the young Alpha's paws. She then began dozing right away, her mind untroubled and her sleep undisturbed despite all the havoc she had likely wrought by uprooting and coming here to Redtail Rise.