Northstar Vale steady as a beating drum

Though an official claim on the territory had yet to be made, Rannoch was beginning to feel more at home with each passing day. With his previous fears of being trapped out of the picture, Rannoch had come to appreciate both the coziness and the protection that the looming peaks provided. With the comfort in the familiarity in the territory, Rannoch felt as though it was time to hunker down their bearings. 

The area in which the pack had settled was nice, but Rannoch felt that there might be better opportunities further within the territory for them to settle. But even with that potential on the horizon, Rannoch wanted to get a cache in the general vicinity until they made a decision on where they would sleep. Having a wolf in mind for this job, Rannoch approached @Tryp with a wag of his tail. "Hey, Tryp," he greeted, cutting right to the chase, "I have something you could help me with." Though Rannoch was sure the sand-colored wolf would agree, he left it up to him whether or not he accepted before progressing on elaborating on what they would be doing.

[table width=80%][tr][td]Tryp had not shown his face much on their slow move to the mountains; he had been too scared to truly befriend anyone in fear of losing them. He loved Pyro and his brother had scattered off again to a place he did not know; oh, if Pyro just knew how much his big brother worried about him. And then there was their group that held a peculiar raven girl that he was head-over-heels for; not to mention the group of well-respected "men" that had led them all so close together. The brute felt torn in half and he wished not to know what side he would later lean to if his brother did not decide to come back to them.

He had hunted for them on their travels; not very much, but enough for a snack every now and then and surely that was more than most did. And so, it surprised him when Rannoch himself came to him for help. Tryp had only showed his skills in hunting but he was fairly useless (in his eyes) with anything else. Still, with a respectful nod did he indicate that he was listening and up for the task - giving his tail a wave in curiosity and slight pride.[/tr][/td][/table]

With the other's agreement in the task, Rannoch mirrored the other's smile. "I want to start a cache in this area," informed Rannoch, his happiness evident in his voice. "I think that you'd be perfect to help me out, as you're one of the best hunters here." Rannoch was never shy to praise others as he felt recognition was prominent in building the foundation of one's confidence in a skill. 

"I think we should focus on small game for now, but, you'd know best," he elaborated, allowing Tryp to take some ownership and voice his opinion.

[table width=80%][tr][td]A cache... did that mean they were settling here? Tryp sure hoped so - he could barely wait for them to become a real force to be reckoned with. He had grown attached to his fellow young men and women, even though he had not had the chance to bond with many of them. He lowered his ears bashfully at the praise, truly flattered that Rannoch thought him to be a good hunter. Of course I'll help - the sooner we have something in our bellies, the sooner we are strong enough to form. He said in a hushed, dreamy voice. Mother would've never thought of her big boy as a bashful, hunting teen but here he was.

Since I assume it's just you and me, it would be safer to stick to small game, yes... He agreed quietly, ears finally perking up. He like Rannoch - not just because he was their leader, but because he was a great guy to spend time with.[/tr][/td][/table]

Tryp was quick to not only agree to hunt but to also confirm what kind of game they would be tracking. Nodding to all of this, Rannoch beckoned for the other to stand as the excitement of the prospect of their hunt settled within his wide-set chest. "When I was scouting yesterday, I think I smelled a wren not too far from the river," he said, recalling the distinct smell.  "Should we check out there?" Hopefully, this is where their hunt would begin, but, if Tryp had any other suggestions, Rannoch was more than willing to see what other places might be plentiful in small game.

[table width=80%][tr][td]Tryp's chest puffed out a bit as adrenaline rushed through his veins at last - especially at the opportunity that he had not had before. A wren... That was a bird if he was not mistaken, and he had yet to successfully catch one. Sounds nice - though I have to admit that I am not yet so good at catching flying things. He giggled softly, eventually lowering his head again. But I'm sure the river attracts all kinds of prey... We can always try something else if it doesn't work out... He suggested softly.[/tr][/td][/table]

Tryp made a good point about the river, one that the Alpha hadn't considered. The river would be the best place to attract all sorts of lifeforms as water was vital to everybody's survival. With his eyes gleaming that the prospect of starting the very foundation of the pack, Rannoch felt ready to go. "I'm sure there will be rabbits," he said, knowing their scent to be very pungent around the bank. "And who knows? We might find things we never considered!" The Vale was still very mysterious, and all of its mysteries had yet to be unveiled. 

With the agreement in place, and the sun climbing to its apex, Rannoch thought that this would be the perfect time to go, so, he suggested after a pause: "Let's go?" 

[table width=80%][tr][td]Rabbits, birds, fish, mice... There were a lot of possibilities for the pair and it added to Tryp's silent excitement. He nodded with a warm smile on his face - his sunny eyes matching the actual star they orbited around. Today would be a good day, he could feel it.

He nodded once again, this time with a soft-spoken; Yes. After, he would simply follow his father's lookalike to the river and they could figure things out whenever they got there.[/tr][/td][/table]

If Tryp had remarked on his innermost feelings in regards to how the day would go, Rannoch would have quickly agreed with him. Tryp was a wolf that the Alpha had respected since their first interaction, and he was more than glad to have him among the ranks. He was valuable, and the wolves of the Vale were lucky to have him. 

Taking the lead, Rannoch wandered off towards the river with the large male at his side. It was an ideal day to be out and about, and the man did not foresee the weather interrupting their expedition. Taking no more than ten minutes, they arrived on the shore and with the flowing water to the Alpha's left, Rannoch turned towards Tryp with a nod and a wag of his tail while inhaling the fresh scents that were present around them. 

The one that stuck out to Rannoch the most prominent was of vole, but, after a moment of attempting to place a claim on one of the many scents, Rannoch looked to the other curiously, seeing what scents he could pick out.

[table width=80%][tr][td]While the other may have been more used to land prey, Tryp had grown up with fresh fish at his side and he was more interested in the water than anything else. He lingered near it, eyeing the small waves with squinted eyes as the sun bounced off them. What he spotted made him as happy as a pup and he smiled softly, turning his head to eye his companion for the day. Mother had shown him the best way to fish, and she had learned from his father - this was all basically in his blood! And so, he carefully waded into the water, scaring only a few fish away.

He was too concentrated to pay attention to see what Rannoch was thinking of all this and his head shot like a snake into the water - fangs penetrating the soft body of a fish and it splashed about as Tryp threw it on the shore. He was quick to pull his big build out the water and he pounced on it until it stopped moving.[/tr][/td][/table]

It was in the midst of his searching that Tryp had taken it upon himself to stalk towards the river's edge to see what bounty laid beneath the water. Though Rannoch had once lived off a diet of water-based prey, the only introduction that he had to hunt said game was by Szymon. Besides that short lesson, Rannoch knew very little about hunting in the water. 

As his water-like eyes fell upon his hunting companion, Rannoch was met with a scene that he had not expected. Tryp had effortlessly slain a trout, and for a pause, Rannoch looked on admirably. "That was incredible, Tryp," complimented the Alpha, pulling himself closer to where the fish had been brought down. Adding quickly, as he wanted to be of assistance, he added: "I don't know much about fishing, but I would love to learn." Hopefully, Tryp would accept his help and teach him a thing of two about the water-based sport.

[table width=80%][tr][td]While it might have looked easy and good in the untrained eye, Tryp had made a few errors that he was not exactly proud about. He had not waited long enough and had gotten too eager to catch something - something that often proved fruitless. He had lucked out this time, but he'd perfect the skill sooner or later... Wait, what was that now?

His tongue had lolled out of his mouth and he was quite overwhelmed with the praise for his flawed work that his ears moved down. He let out a soft Eh. Before he shoved it a bit farther away from the water for if it was just playing dead. My mum and dad were great at this... I-I still have a lot to learn, but I can teach you what I know... He told, quite excited to share the gift of fishing. Perhaps, if fish were really as easy to catch around here as it seemed, the whole pack could learn it and they'd have even more food![/tr][/td][/table]

Rannoch quickly caught on to Tryp's inner-critique, wondering what in his success that he could be unhappy with. This was soon elaborated on and to this, Rannoch nodded, understand the ideal that he had ways to go. Rannoch, still new to leadership, also had a while to go and he could relate to this feeling. 

"I know very little," he forewarned, his voice light. Though he was inexperienced in hunting, Rannoch was confident that Tryp would be able to teach him the basics. So, with that expressed, he added: "It'll be a good amount for me to learn, but, I'm ready!" Never ashamed of what he was inexperienced in, he was always up to learn something new, and this was no exception.

[table width=80%][tr][td]Tryp was worried that he wasn't a good teacher and that he would just end up wasting the entire day with his "lesson", but he had lucked out on many other things. He was ready to take a shot, even if his ears were pressed down and his eyes sought the floor every now and then. He picked up his catch and placed it neatly near a tree that was the perfect landmark before returning with a soft smile on his ochre-accented face.

If the water is low you need to step in, but you have ways to catch it from shore whenever it is passed a storm or heavy rainfall... He explained as he experienced a flashback to the time his mother sung a lullaby for him and Pyro on the day Arthendal was hit with a dangerous storm. You have to be really slow and careful when you get in if you want to catch something fast - too much movement will scare the fish away... It was obvious but necessary to explain. And so, with that out of the way, Tryp let his body sink into the river again ever so carefully, waiting for Rannoch to follow.[/tr][/td][/table]

Rannoch's lesson begun and his attention was solely on the docked individual, taking in every word her shared. Like land hunting, the approach seemed to be the first thing that had to be learned. Not acting until everything that had been shared, Rannoch soon found his eyes trailing to the water, knowing that he soon would be in the water. Tryp lead by example, slithering into the water effortlessly and once the other was in place, Rannoch knew that it was his turn. 

Stepping forward in light paws, Rannoch tip-toed until he was right before the water. Hesitating, Rannoch took a gentle step into the water, attempting not to disrupt the flow of the water. With one paw in, Rannoch looked up to his teacher to see if his first effort had been successful.

[table width=80%][tr][td]Tryp watched Rannoch make a delicate dance toward the water - something that looked quite silly to him. Was that really what he looked like, too? His docked tail was pressed to his left flank in embarrassment and his ears were fanned to the sides of his head as Rannoch dipped in just one paw. D-don't be shy - we can just wait for them to return if you scare them... He tried to encourage the other, which was quite ironic given his own shy-like nature. We have the whole day...[/tr][/td][/table]

Tryp's reassurance indication to Rannoch that he had not caused a ruckus and as such, he took another step forward and took as much care doing so as he had with his previous step. Feeling confident in his second move forward, Rannoch then took the time to clear the distance before them. "Okay," began Rannoch, setting himself before Tryp with a smile. "Now what?" He asked, his voice lowered as if they were hunting on land, not sure if his voice had any bearing on the fish below.

[table width=80%][tr][td]Tryp was relatively sure their voices didn't make much of a difference as long as they weren't yelling or anything, but it sure added something to the experience to whisper. He looked at the fish that had slightly moved out of their way and ultimately out of their reach for now, even if they had entered so carefully. They were like new rocks in the river and the fish probably didn't want to rush into things - wisely so! Let them explore your legs a bit - stay as still as possible... He explained, watching brave fish try out how close they could swim to them - each one topping the next. When you're ready to grab one, do it as quickly as possible and make sure to close your eyes so their tails don't hurt you... He let out a steady breath, preparing for his own lunge. On the count of three? he asked at last. [/tr][/td][/table]

Doing as the golden man said, Rannoch stayed as still as possible as an occasional fish weaved between their legs. The sensation that this caused was tickling, but, biting his bottom lip, Rannoch attempted to disregard the situation. What would come next brought many questions to Rannoch's mind, but, he stayed silent, nodding as his eyes remained on the prey. Exhaling sharply, Rannoch readied himself for the plunge. 

"Count of three," he agreed, allowing Tryp to be the official indicator of this hunt.

[table width=80%][tr][td]Leathery nostrils flared as he took long breaths, also readying himself for the cold water that would, again, splash in his face this time. One... He began counting, sunny eyes scattering from fish to fish as he picked one out. Two... He continued, now fixated on one peculiar fish that was positioned under his shoulder. Three! As the word left his lips, he plunged his head into the water - miraculously biting into a fish that had not been his first pick. He had no time to wonder about where his first pick went and instead pulled his head back and flung it at the shore again. Perhaps he was getting good at it, or the odds were in his favour for now.[/tr][/td][/table]

When the sea had blessed him, Rannoch had had no experience with being underwater. But with this experience, Rannoch knew how to ready himself for being under the water's surface. Steadying his breathing, Rannoch prepared himself to strike. At the count of three, the Alpha propelled himself towards the nearest fish. With his mouth open, Rannoch could feel the fish within his fangs, but with his hesitation in closing in on the kill, the fish evaded. 

Feeling this loss, Rannoch returned to the surface with a frown, turning towards the mentor to see whether or not his companion had been successful or not.

[table width=80%][tr][td]As swiftly as before (and double as wet) did he slither out of the cold waters to pounce his kill to death. It was strange how he could handle the death of a fish yet not the death of a deer or any other graceful animal for that matter. He was very neutral about killing; as long as it was with meaning, it was alright with him. He flung his new catch to the three, not so accurately but close enough, and turned to Rannoch to see if his first attempt had been fruitful. Seeing that no struggling fish was in-between his jaws, Tryp assumed something had gone wrong. He waddled towards his companion, feeling guilty that he had caught something; now they had nothing to laugh about together. D-don't feel bad... I wasn't  that good in the beginning either - I'm sure you'll be great if you keep practising... He tried to comfort in a hushed voice. N-not that you're not great now! You're very great - the best! yeah... He was about as smooth as the back of someone with acne right now.[/tr][/td][/table]

Rannoch's failure was met with reassurance, and at this, the young Alpha cracked a smile. He was amused by the last bit of Tryp's statement, and his tail wagged. "Some practice will do me well," he agreed, feeling better in his attempt. "And at last we won't go hungry," he added, not wanting to dimish the other's victory. 

"Want to try again?" After all, Rannoch needed the practice, and he saw no reason not to try again.

[table width=80%][tr][td]Ready to shake off the awkward feeling, he shook out his wet pelt with little care for where it would all go. Rannoch was right, as usual, and very chill about the whole situation. When he offered to go again, The little Rochester smiled and nodded eagerly. He was many things, but he wasn't a quitter - even though his luck had been spent. He slipped for a third time in the cold waters, already getting tired of the tugging sensation that weight of the water was causing and he made a deal with himself; since he had been so active and useful today, tomorrow he was allowed an afternoon in the sun.

He looked to the other, wondering if he needed to count down again.[/tr][/td][/table]

With an agreement in place, Rannoch focused towards the water, deciding that he would be the one to count them down this time. "Three..." he began, inhaling heavily as he steadied himself to the chill of the plunge. "Two..." he exhaled then, knowing that it was almost time, and with that, Rannoch added with a sharp inhale: "One!" 

With a fish in prime position, Rannoch ceased the opportunity and snapped down, trapping the trout in its wake. Feeling his heart lurch in his victory, and the fish fell still, Rannoch returned to above the shore again, turning with a smile to Tryp as the trout lay limp in his hold.