Horizon Ridge searching.

[size=x-small]ooc: @Ragnar :)[/size]

Once Pump had accepted him into Horizon Ridge and had led him across their borders, she introduced to him some basics about the pack, including some important names of other wolves and of places. She eventually left him in an area where she recommended would be a good place to choose a den.

Indecisive as he was, Surra had spent the morning and most of the afternoon investigating this place and that, looking here and there, finding pros and cons to each spot he found. He scented others around but had yet to come across anyone since his new Alpha had left him, and so spent his first few hours in his new home alone. It may have been for the better - it gave him time to come to terms with the reality of it. Had he come across the whole pack at once, he might have been overwhelmed, introvert as he was.

Eventually, his indecisiveness was beginning to try even his own patience, and he knew he could not make the decision this day. At once, he pushed that task aside, and returned to a place where he had found a boulder sticking up from the ground. In the midday sun, he climbed it, his youthful muscle carrying him easily upward. He reached the peak of it and paused for a moment, level with the leaves of the trees around him. The wind shifted and rustled the leaves and his gray-brown fur, a welcoming relief from the heat of the approaching summer. It was good that he had chosen a place near the sea, he thought to himself - with the thickness of the mane down the back of his neck, Surra was easily overheated, and the breezes off the water would keep him cooler than a place without them.

His mind was racing, he noticed suddenly. So he took a deep breath, tilting his face towards the sun, softly closing his blue eyes. As he let out the breath he imagined all of the craziness spiraling around his skull flowing out with it, and being carried away in the wind. After a moment, he thought again, more focused now. So, the finding-a-den task would have to wait. What else need he do? 'Pump mentioned she had a second-in-command,' Surra thought. 'Ragnar, wasn't it? Maybe I can try to look for him.'

The steadfast young wolf opened his eyes, scenting the air. He wasn't exactly sure of Ragnar's scent - but if he was in a leadership position as well, and the highest male, he had an idea of it from the scents of other wolves that had been lingering on Pump. He picked up one that he believed to be right, leaped down from his perch, and began to move towards it without further hesitation - even if he followed the wrong one, what was the worst that could happen? He would need to meet all of his packmates eventually.

I assumed that Pump and Ragnar exchanged information on the members they had accepted to each other because the welcoming howls sent out IC would be to all of the pack, lol.

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Ragnar had intended to be the one to greet the newest batch of new members at the borders, but had found himself caught up with Julooke and Verrine when the other: Surra, he remembered Pump telling him the second new male’s name was, had sent up his call and it seemed that Pump had taken care of it. Of course it wasn’t entirely unexpected there wasn’t a chance that she would let all the potential joiners to him alone. She was still the ultimate leader in the Ridge, he was just her Second in Command, her enforcer. It was a role that Ragnar fit well, admittedly, just so long as he could keep his ambition in check. It was measurably easier to keep himself from doing something …what no doubt his wife would call stupid with the birth of his sons so nearly upon them. Thistle had a day or two now, not long at all. Hours, even. Ragnar had no intentions of shirking his duties as both Head Warden and Beta but the birth of his sons would be placed first on his priority list and he waited for Thistle’s summoning howl with a sharp bubble of anticipation that seemed to frequently lodge itself into the Viking’s throat.

Ragnar’s limp adopted as his flesh and muscle sewed itself back together — as Thistle had warned it would need to do — slowed him down. Not enough to make him anywhere near accepting of ‘denrest’. The simple truth was that even if he was on his death bed he would probably be doing something not just sitting around waiting to cough and hack his last breath of life. He wasn’t designed to be idle, and had not been raised to let things as insignificant as wounds (despite how severe they sometimes were) keep him down. It was like lying on your stomach, exposing your entrails and throat and accepting defeat by saying ‘Go ahead, Kill me’. His wife worried and fussed over him and the incorrigibly stubborn Viking brushed it off and continued on his way. He had grown up in a much harsher environment where a healer was not always in the pack lands to attend to wounds. Many of his wounds (namely from spars) had been left to heal on their own without medicinal help.

The Viking paused when he became aware of the sound of approaching footfalls against the earth, ears thrusting forth atop his skull to pick up the direction of the sound and the Viking peeked over his scarred shoulder to see the form of the earthen toned male — one that he decidedly did not recognize — seem to melt from the copse and shadows of the trees. Ragnar turned so they were facing one another, scenting lone wolf but over that the scent of Pump. “You must be Surra,” The Viking greeted the other man, voice soft despite his size and heavily, thickly accented. Unless, of course, Pump had accepted another new male and that information had yet to circulate through a howl as the others had.

[size=x-small]ooc: I apologize for the delay! I'm moving out of my dorm and such over the next couple of days.[/size]

Fortunately, the scent Surra followed did not lead him too far before it became clear that the source was near. As this became clear, so did the faint scent of dried blood. Surra's ears fell back in concern and a touch of fear - as soon as he became aware of his body language, he force his ears back up into a neutral position. Regardless of the situation he came upon it would do no good for him to show even the slightest fear.

A moment later his eyes caught silver fur, and then he came through the trees to the back of another male - a large and very imposing one at that. Immediately Surra dropped his head and tail to a respectful level, looking up at the other as he turned to face him. Surra, inwardly, was astounded and almost intimidated by the male. There was almost no question that this was Ragnar, at least in his mind. The way the male held himself, so proudly and strongly, along with the scars that littered his face and shoulders, and - there was the source of the dried blood smell, too. Surra doubted this male could be anything but a leader.

"You must be Surra," The male said in a voice softer than Surra expected. The thick accent and depth did not surprise him, however. Surra dipped his head in acknowledgement of his name and in respect. "I am," Surra's voice was level. "I was accepted into Horizon Ridge by Pump not long ago." At the last minute he decided not to follow his gut in assuming who this other wolf was. Better to be safe than cause an awkward situation. "May I ask your name?"

It's ok, I understand! <3

Eyes of Caribbean ice observed the man before him in assessment, as Ragnar assessed any new wolf, looking for signs that they were healthy, strong, capable. This male seemed to be all of the three, though Ragnar knew that Pump would not have accepted him if that was not the case. In that respect, the platinum silver Viking knew his hybrid leader too well, if only because she was eerily similar to him in those sort of regards. Ragnar watched with satisfaction when the male, who confirmed that he was, indeed, Surra dipped his head in respect. It was acknowledged with a stiff nod of Ragnar’s own head. It was followed by an explanation that he had recently been accepted into Horizon Ridge by Pump, redundant but useful in that it was the second thing he said in the case that Ragnar was wondering. Which he had not been but it was nice to be told, regardless. “I know,” The Viking said with his trademark smirk tugging at the edges of his lips. Ragnar liked to be on top of the going-ons in the pack including the acceptance of any and all new members. Especially so given that he was the Head Warden. “I am Ragnar, the Ridge’s Beta and Head Warden.” He hoped to add a few more titles to that as time went on but for now he was dually contented with just being ‘Head Warden’. It was enough on his plate, being the lead Warden, Beta, and a soon-to-be newly father once more.

For a moment a silence stole over Ragnar, something he was comforted in not usually being extremely talkative — he had his moments but they were mostly when informing new recruits about the important things upon their joining into the pack. Otherwise, he tended to favor quiet. It created an enigma, and allowed those that would become his enemy to make assumptions and underestimate him. Ragnar had found that sometimes not talking much often led to the assumption that he wasn’t clever which was a grave mistake to make, as a few of the packs around Odinn’s Cove had learned the hard way. He didn’t bargain, he didn’t negotiate. He took things, used situations to his advantage and when he exacted punishment when he was “screwed over” showing that he was truly no fool. He was a dangerous man and Ragnar knew that sometimes it took extreme measures to make that understood. “I know that Pump has already spoken to you of skills but I am curious about yours,” Ragnar invited after a few minutes, reclining — carefully — upon his haunches.

"I know," The other male said with the slightest smirk when Surra told him of his acceptance. One of Surra's ears flicked back, unsure if the smirk was good-natured or not. For the time being he assumed the best. “I am Ragnar, the Ridge’s Beta and Head Warden.” 'I was right', Surra thought, dipping his head again to the other male, slightly lower this time in a respectful acknowledgement of his rank. A slight smile crossed his face as he responded. "Ragnar - I was hoping to cross paths with you."

Though Surra made a point of showing respect to Ragnar, his ears held a generally neutral position rather than submissively lying back. Something the young adult had struggled with as a juvenile was separating his belief in respect for hierarchy and strength from being shy and submissive. Through traveling alone, and coming across others who were his equals in status if not always in strength, he had learned the difference. And it was something he made a point to act upon.

Then there was a moment of quiet between the two males. Surra let it sit, comfortable in silence. He studied the male a bit more, realizing that though the other was slightly larger than him, it wasn't by much. Ragnar just held an air of size about him, both physically and more spiritually.

“I know that Pump has already spoken to you of skills but I am curious about yours,” Ragnar finally spoke, carefully sitting. Surra watched the wound on his Beta's leg from the corner of his eye, but it didn't appear to tear open or pain the other male excessively. Surra also found himself settling back onto his haunches as he chose is words in response. "I have no one skill that I pursue more actively than others at the moment," Surra spoke honestly. "I know how to fight and how to hunt. The only thing I don't know much about is healing. I am interested in choosing something one day to master, but in the meantime I just want to learn and fill whatever role I am needed in."

Surprise rose the Viking’s eyebrows when the other male admitted that he had been hoping to cross paths with him — it was not often wolves made it a point to find him; usually for good reason. He tended to …intimidate even if, most of the time, it really wasn’t intentional on the platinum silver Viking’s part. It tended to just happen, though Ragnar was far from finding it insulting. “That is unusual,” Ragnar observed. Of course he was the pack’s Beta but Pump would be the one they would wish to go too if they needed some sort of ultimate decision made. It had been understood by Ragnar for accepting her Second in Command position after vying for it for so long that while he had an opinion he did not have the weight to pull when it came to decision making (except for accepting new members). Aside from that all he was allowed to do was to council and hope that Pump agreed with him, or at least considered his point of view on whatever matter the situation brought to them. It was a gentle kick in the teeth as a reminder that they were not equal partners and though Ragnar did not like submissiveness he conceded because he had a family to think of; because it was a way to keep what he wanted — which at the moment he was satisfied with.

The only other reason Ragnar could potentially fathom anyone seeking him out was if they wished to, too, be a warden. He was the Head Warden of the Ridge and with that fell into the task of coordinating and generally keeping his eye on them, occasionally training if necessary. One day, his children would join him on patrols and he would teach them the things they would need to know in order to protect their home, family, and pack mates. This, it would seem, from Surra’s words, was not the case, either. It occurred to Ragnar then that perhaps this man had just sought him out to familiarize himself with the ‘muscle’ of the leadership, because while he was not an equal partner Ragnar was still a leader and was as equally as important as Pump. It might be Ragnar’s influence, one day, that saved someone or whatever. It was hypothetical but it was the only thing Ragnar could conclude too since Surra spoke about not having any skill that he pursued actively. He spoke of hunting and fighting — both of which were useful — but then spoke that he did not know much of healing. Of course, he left a wide variety of Trades they had available out, though Ragnar played with the consideration that Surra might not have been aware of them.

“If you seek to learn the art of healing I can direct you to my wife but it will be a while before she is available to teach,” Ragnar warned, eyes holding his severity on the manner. He would not have her running ragged when her first priority should be their newborn children. “She is to give birth at any time, now. Until they can begin to eat meat and are not so dependant on her alone she is out of commission.” He would fight the entire pack on it, if need be. “Once she is available to begin teaching I am sure she will be happy to teach anyone who is willing to learn.’ Ragnar was confident enough on that to speak for his wife. He could not see her turning away any wolf eager to learn her Trade; she was not that kind of woman. “There are many trades, skills, than just hunting, fighting and healing,” Ragnar had finally learned them all and supposed that all of them were supposed to be useful (though his mind was made up on if he found ’Naturalist’ to be useful or insulting given his beliefs).

[size=x-small]ooc: so sorry again :| busy week. not my best reply but I figured better than nothing at this point. Things should start to calm down soon :)[/size]

Surra saw the surprise in the other male in response to his comment of having been looking for him. "That is unusual," Ragnar said, and Surra merely shrugged in response. He had no shame in admitting what he had. He wanted to know his packmates - specifically, those who would be his leaders, and he had already met the Alpha. And since Ragnar did not ask anything further of him on the subject, Surra did not feel the need to explain himself - mostly because he thought it was obvious, and was himself a little surprised at the other male's surprise.

“If you seek to learn the art of healing I can direct you to my wife but it will be a while before she is available to teach," Surra dipped his head in a slight nod. He wasn't really interested in healing, of all things. No that he could give a real reason why - he enjoyed helping others, and believed in the healing power of nature. He would become a healer if he was needed, but if the pack already had one, it was not a skill he found himself very interested in pursuing, though he would not admit it aloud. “She is to give birth at any time, now. Until they can begin to eat meat and are not so dependant on her alone she is out of commission. Once she is available to begin teaching I am sure she will be happy to teach anyone who is willing to learn." Surra's ears pricked up at the news of pups. It was a sign of strength in the pack to be able to have pups - and a sign of strength in the parents, at least as far as Surra was concerned. "Of course. Congratulations to you both, in advance." Surra's words were sincere, and his calm blue eyes looked directly at Ragnar's icy ones. He hoped to one day meet those pups.

“There are many trades, skills, than just hunting, fighting and healing,” A slight smile crossed Surra's face, and he shook his head. "Forgive me," he said good-naturedly. "I was born into a very small pack. Nomadic group, more like. We did not have much else." Surra paused for a moment before continuing. "If you may, would you elaborate on the skills - trades - you recognize at Horizon Ridge?"

It's alright! There's no rush! <3

It was a good thing, Ragnar decided, that he was being sought out because he was of some importance but even so it remained a strange thing to Ragnar. From the Viking’s general experience of wolves who were not apart of the Cove he had came to learn that wolves either hated him and avoided him or were intimidated him and avoided him because of that. Of course, this male Surra Ragnar had to remind himself again, had never met him before this moment. It had been one of the few joinings he had not been present for and it made sense to want to seek out the leaders and so Ragnar concluded that was it and let it go. There was no sense in lingering on how strange it was to him any longer. Merely, it was something he would need to be used too.

The congratulations did not go unacknowledged by the silver Viking, however, he offered no words of ‘thanks’ (Tokio is pretty sure it was not even in his vocabulary) but instead dipped his head to silently communicate that he appreciated it. Ragnar knew they were not yet clear of the perils of childbirth and would not be until the children were out of Thistle’s womb and alive and well. Even then, it was a gamble of life. They could be weak and die, or they could die during the process of being born. Perhaps Ragnar was a pessimist but the risks were not near to being over yet and after watching his previous wife’s body abort the babes she had carried he was not all that eager to follow blind hope. “There are the Gamekeepers: the hunters. They organize hunts and keep the caches filled; there are the Warriors: they are the offensive and on their flip side is the Wardens: the defense we are in charge of guarding the borders; there is the Chronicler: they are in charge of keeping the pack’s history; the Counselor: is in charge of keeping inner pack and personal relations between pack-mates smooth; Caretaker is essentially your pup sitter; the Healers, of course, and the Outriders are the scouts, the ambassadors and explorers.” It was quite a list and probably a lot of information at one time though Ragnar had attempted to keep his explanations of each trade as simple as he could.

He did not mention ‘Naturalist’ for the simple fact that he didn’t really believe in what they did, but if Surra decided to pursue it after hearing about it from someone else, Ragnar would not stop him. Merely, Ragnar wouldn’t listen to any Naturalist in the pack because in a way it worked against his beliefs and besides there was no real proof that what they did actually worked.

Surra noted that he was not verbally thanked for is congratulations, but they were acknowledged by Ragnar's slight dip of the head. The young male did not expect much else - he understood that not all births went perfectly. Rarely, in fact, did they go perfectly, even in a strong pack setting. And it seemed that his Beta knew the same. But he hoped that the first birth in the pack since his arrival would be an exception.

Surra listened intently as Ragnar briefly explained the trades of the pack. Each of them pricked some level of interest in the male, though some more than others. Chronicler and Counselor specifically - they were not something he had encountered before, and did not seem to be based off of any physical skill. But they did seem to be important. For an older, strong pack, Chronicler would be an interesting job to have, to be sure. But Counselor, Surra thought, was especially relevant to any pack on the larger side.

"Thank you," He said when Ragnar had finished. He chewed his words over in his mind for a moment, before speaking again. He wanted to get an idea of how popular each trade was. "If I may ask another question of you... Who is involved in which trades? For instance, I know that you are Head Warden - are there many that work under you?"

Giving the rundown about the Trades was not Ragnar’s most favorite thing to do, mostly because it constituted a lot of talking — though Ragnar had tried to keep it as simple and straight forward as he could. Ragnar had his moments where he was exceptionally verbose but they did not come often. Leadership, the Viking knew, demanded that words be spoken. It was his job to inform, to cajole and encourage; thankfully this was not his first time as being a leader and he already knew what was expected of him from his time as Jarl in Odinn’s Cove. He pulled much of his applied experience from that and from when he led the Berserkers (before he was Jarl). Still, he did not enjoy speaking of the Trades despite that he understood that not many would know what all they were. The lack of desire to speak a lot often stemmed from the hindering of his accent in the common tongue, as well, because despite that he knew it fluently, despite that he had known it for years he still struggled. It wasn’t, always, a seamless transaction.

Spontaneously, it made Ragnar miss Dagrun, miss being able to communicate freely in their native tongue with a longing that was reminiscent of a caged bird yearning to be able to take to the sky once more.

Thanks were given, calling Ragnar back to the present from the brief wandering of his thoughts, and Ragnar gave a stiff nod of acceptance of it. “I am the only one in the pack so far that holds the official trade title but yes, I consider any that are aspiring wardens as wardens. Gavriil patrols the borders with Pump and myself. My wife, Thistle, is the pack’s only Healer though she, also, does not hold the official title yet.” Sadly, that was it. There were a few who showed particular interest in certain Trades but so far Ragnar was the only one to hold any sort of official title. The titles did not matter, truly. It was that they continued to contribute that really mattered. "One of the other new members expressed an interest in patrolling so I assume he, too, will work under me." Ragnar added as the thought occurred to him but then fell silent once more.

Surra nodded as Ragnar discussed who was involved with each trade. The list was much shorter than the young male expected - he knew there were more wolves than that in this pack, he could smell them - and yet so few seemed to be actively pursuing a trade. 'Maybe many of them are like me,' he thought. 'Still learning, figuring out what they want to do.'

He let quiet sit between the two of them for a moment. Surra noted that this interaction with the other male had been a strange mix of chatting and moments of silence. Not that Surra minded the quiet at all. He got the feeling this other male didn't mind it either. And yet, despite that similarity between the two, Surra did not yet feel as if he had an opinion on his Beta. He was obviously a strong leader, that much was certain, and Surra was sure he would soon get to know the other male.

After a moment, Surra stood. "Thank you for answering my questions, Ragnar," he spoke. He did not feel like he had anything more to speak to Ragnar about at the moment, and did not want to uselessly use up his time. "I will let you be, now." Surra said plainly as he began to turn away, before stopping and dipping his head once more to the Head Warden. "It was a pleasure to meet you. I'm sure we will meet again, soon. Let me know if you have any need of me."

The meeting between Ragnar and Surra had went how most of them tended to go with Ragnar; simple. He saw no need to be redundant by telling Surre things that he was sure Pump had already spoken to him of. Speaking of Trades was a tedious task to the Warden who had obliged only because it was apart of his duties as a leader but wondered why Pump couldn’t have covered it upon the man’s acceptance. Probably, Ragnar mused though he did not know for sure, because Pump felt the same way speaking about Trades as he did; though it made sense for Ragnar to speak of them to those who did not know because he, currently, was the only one to hold the official title of one in the pack this far. The warden offered Surra a nod and then spoke, “And if you need me let me know.” It was not often that the wolves of the Ridge needed a leader but Ragnar liked to put it out there that he would be there, no matter what time of day or night, if his presence was needed. The Viking stretched then and parted from his newest subordinate heading to the birthing den to check upon his wife.