Firefly Glen everything about you is so overwhelming

@Rannoch!

Rose was pleased with the move the group had decided to make. The thick vegetation in the glen offered her an abundance of herbs to deal with and she was looking forward to testing out the plants Liri had told her about. Now all she had to do was find them. Normally she would ask the birds to help her out in exchange for some berries, but since she was unfamiliar with the territory, it appeared she would be forced to located them on her own. With a spring in her step, Rose set off to explore the new land.

The peaceful streams and relaxing atmosphere made for a comfortable walk in the field and she had even been fortunate enough to come across some herbs. She plucked a few from the ground and then moved on to get a drink at a small creek. She knew this wasn't where they planned to settle down, but the flame would have no objections if the leading group changed their minds. It was beautiful here after all, she assumed anyone would love to stay.

Ever since the pack had dispersed from their initial settling, Rannoch had found himself straying towards the Heartwood in an attempt to keep the daunting treeline of Neverwinter out of his preferential view. Though Rannoch had thought that he had veered the group far enough away, he often found himself catching the sight of the nearby borders and feeling discomfort rise within him. He was able to shake off the sensation easily, but, despite this, the turquoise-eyed leader found himself growing more uncomfortable by the day. He wanted nothing more than to uproot the pack from their current settling, but, it appeared as though a majority of the group was feeling quite differently about the territory. Though he was certain that they would not settle here permanatley, Rannoch knew it was providing for the members of his pack and despite how he felt, he would suck it up until they deemed there was nowhere in the area where they could claim. 

On this particular day, Rannoch had found himself parched from his scouting and had sought the creek. As he neared, he caught sight of the familar form of Rose and he smiled. "Rose," he greeted once he was close enough, not wanting to scare her as he was approaching the stream from behind her. Pulling alongside her with a smile and a wag of his tail, he looked to her. "How are things?" He asked, curious to know how she felt about the territory.

Her ears swiveled atop her head at the grayscale male's approach, and she found her tail gently swaying in response to his own. "Hey" she called out casually, not feeling the need to greet him as the leader but rather as a companion. She had not known him for long but even Rose could see the difference in his attitude and posture after the youthful group had started growing. Before he seemed relaxed and comfortable, especially around his brothers, but now he appeared assertive and perhaps a bit stressed. 

"Good, exhausting but good." She was worn out both physically and mentally. Her body didn't have the masculine strength like many of the other youth and she had never had to memorize so many names and faces all at once. It was all very tiring. "You picked a nice spot to rest through," she reassured with a faint smile, doing her best to try and let him know that she enjoyed it here.

Nothing was pressing about Rose in regards to her stance; she seemed casual and more importantly comfortable, so Rannoch did not press. Instead, he focused on her words, nodding as he followed.  "Make sure you're also taking the time to rest," he advised in response to exhaustion, not wanting her to burn out. Rannoch cared deeply for all of the members of the band and could not live with one of his members falling because of overexertion. 

Smiling to her next sentiment, Rannoch sat with a gentle smile. "I'm glad you like it," he began, his voice kind despite his inner turmoil. "I don't think we'll claim these lands, but, you're right, it is nice." If she were curious about just why they wouldn't stay Rannoch would be honest about it, but, if she didn't, he was more than willing to carry on to the next part of their conversation.

Rest -- Rose couldn't remember the last time she had actually gotten some decent shut-eye. She had been sleep deprived long before she met Rannoch and his siblings, in fact, her insomnia might have even trailed back to her days at the republic. "I know" she answered quickly, not wanting him to be concerned over her well-being when he had more important things to worry about.

She let out a disappointed sigh when he confirmed that they wouldn't be setting here, but it was a speculation she had been expecting. "Too many packs close by?" she questioned while sitting, remembering Cypress mention how there were quite a few in the area.

Rannoch took her reassurance to heart, believing that she would take his advice. If he found himself with a zombified-Rose, one which was ticking on by with mere minutes of sleep at her disposal, he'd address her again. But, until that moment of fiction became non-fiction, he'd drop the topic altogether. 

Feeling something in his chest drop at her frustrated sigh, Rannoch met Rose's feedback with a soft nod of his head. "Yes, we'd like to distance ourselves a little more from them," he informed her as his eyes tracing the delicate features of her face. Though with this, Rannoch figured that he could get some information about what she was looking for. 

"What do you like about it here?" The question came after a beat, and he picked up his posture as he looked to her. "Maybe we can use what you like in our search of the other lands and it'll help us all make a decision?" At least, they could try and find something that accommodated all of them. Rannoch knew that he wouldn't be able to satisfy everybody completely, but, at least he could pull from all of their own feedback and attempt to find something that could correlate.

"Packs nearby can sometimes be a good thing" she thought aloud, turning to see his reaction. "Alliances and all that." They were all young, and should a wandering pack of adults decide to come knocking on their doorstep, well Rose doubted they'd have a good chance of fending them off. Besides, she assumed this was the first time Rannoch had taken on such a burden of leading others, and she thought he might want to consult with an experienced leader on ways to keep peace. Trial and error would only get him so far before somebody else decided they were better fit to lead and challenged him for his rank.

As for his question regarding the territory, "It provides the necessities we need to survive while also sheltering us from the elements." An open field would not support them against snow or rain and would not protect them from the sun's violent rays in the upcoming summer. "It also has plenty of vegetation for me to use," she said while glancing up at the thick cover above them. "I wouldn't have to travel so far to get the herbs I need." She understood this was selfish of her, but she was determined to answer his question with honesty.

Rannoch was appreciative of Rose's transparency towards the subject matter, yet, given the scenario, he couldn't completely agree with her. "I agree with you, but, we will never align ourselves with Neverwinter." There was authority in Rannoch's tone as he looked towards her, his ears pressing forward and his shoulders squaring. "Cypress and I were the children of the Forest's Alphas until they died a few months back. The current leadership there is something we don't agree with. We will be as far away from the forest as possible." His words were followed by a sharp exhale, as he dismissed the subject altogether in that final puff of breath. 

His body seemed to relax noticably as the went on to explain what she was looking for in a territory. "I'll make sure we settle where there is vegetation," Rannoch assured her, smiling. "You and your skills are important to us and I wouldn't want you to travel far." Rose's skillset was curcial to their survival and Rannoch knew that he would have to find somewhere that worked for her and her herbs.

The first few sentences the male spoke caused a whole new amount of questions to fill the girl's head. What the heck was Neverwinter? Why were only Rannoch and Cypress the alpha's children...what about Rian? The way he described everything couldn't help but make her curious about his past, especially since it sound so similar to what happened with her. Parents gone, new leadership, not agreeing with the new alphas, his situation sounded so alike her own, Rose actually wondered if this kind of thing was common. She parted her lips to question him but quickly clamped her jaws shut when he made it clear he had no interest in further speaking on the matter. Perhaps another time then...

Her mind was still distracted with the last subject, but Rose did her best to try and focus on the current conversation. "I'm glad I can be of use...or well I guess I'm actually glad I'm important," she revealed without thinking about her words. The flame had never felt that she was ever needed before now. However with this group she felt a certain significance and Rose was afraid to let that go now that she had gotten a taste of it.

The distraction of Rose's company was slowly beginning to soothe the alpha, and soon enough Rannoch's expression settled characteristically with kindness, as he was usually not without his sunny spirit for too long. Though the topic of Neverwinter wasn't wholly forgotten, Rannoch felt more comfortable now that the pair had moved on. With his eyes upon the fire-furred woman, Rannoch smiled at her confession, nothing once again the honesty that she spoke with. 

"You're vital to the group," he confirmed with a sweep of his tail. As she would gain more experience, Rannoch hoped she would grow into her role and realize just how paramount her craft was to their survival. Without a medic, the turquoise-eyed man knew that much could go wrong. 

"Do you think you could help me learn the basics as we go?" Though this thought had been with him since she had joined them, he hadn't found the right opportunity to bring it up and now just felt right to him. "That way when I'm scouting I can look out for the proper vegetation for you," he elaborated as if justifying his need to learn.

She smiled sweetly when he reassured her she was vital to the youthful group. It felt good to be needed, to be necessary. She leaned back to tip her head to the sky, her eyes full of wonder as she watch the cloud through the thick canopy. It was only when the grayscale male spoke again did she lower her head.

At first she was confused. Did she hear him correctly? He elaborated on his previous question while simultaneously confirming her own. "You don't have to go through all that trouble," she quickly rushed out. She assumed he already had his paws full with leading the group and keeping everyone in check, she certainly didn't want him to wear himself out. "But, I can still teach you if you'd like." It was always beneficial to have knowledge about herbs, no matter what the reason.

When thinking of his leadership skills, Rannoch often looked to the memories he had of his father, Scimitar. Scimitar had been a great leader to Neverwinter Forest and had upheld both peace and prosperity in his ruling. Rannoch, much like his late father, wished the same for his pack. He saw opportunities, where he could help lessen the burden of large responsibilities upon some wolves in his pack and Rose and her medical abilities, was something that he looked to help with and perhaps get some of their pack members to learn from as well. 

Appreciating her concerns, Rannoch's head bobbed in regards to her first sentiment. Though he knew that they didn't have to, Rannoch knew that it was something that was important to him. "I want us to be prepared," assured Rannoch, not entirely answering her concerns. To her second comment, he smiled as he replied: "Yes whenever you have some spare time I'd like to learn." Like Rose, Rannoch was concerned for Rose and her burnout, and he wanted to ensure that she did not feel overwhelmed with the scope of her responsibilities.