Moonspear i'll be good

It was hard being in a pack that wasn't his own and watching the pain that went through the core of it. Nikai knew that he would get used to this pack and make it his own in due time, but for now he faced the pain they saw and it only made him feel more distanced. Perhaps his time would come when the pups were a bit older and he could help and teach them; for not, Nikai mostly just really missed Easthollow. The grief didn't make it any better. And it made him miss Keoni extra, too.

Deciding he may as well make himself useful and his three legs wracked with muscle ache from climbing a lot the day before, the dark three-legged wolf decided to go patrolling that day considering that would keep him on flatter territory. A warrior's family must be able to appreciate such things -- he hoped they would. Absent-minded Nikai walked along the scent markers that Hydra left there, lost in thought and eyes trained outwards in case there were any visitors or intruders.

Jarilo was out meandering his own route on patrol when he started to notice Nikai's trail.. which he was curious enough of to pause and ponder. Most of his own doings were probably close to being wrapped up and he had been considering his next move anyway--which meant wondering about the puppies honestly without any real need yet. So, that kind of left him at a place motivated enough to awkwardly approach the other wolf and attempt to be halfway sociable; lately, he hadn't been in much of a place to do so, and accordingly, he knew very little else about the first wolf to coax a part of the cerberus into mateship. 

He wasn't feeling much for his rusty social graces apparently, and would just have to dive right in or he was going to make it even worse--or not at all. Hi, he said as he came striding up alongside him to share the path he had been on. All the while, his eyes were keen and trying to decide how to act. For now it came with a cool confidence--or his best attempt at it, using it to cover his uncertainty and uneasiness until he had time to settle in. Busy out here...? he asked with a tilt to his head towards the other fellow, while attempting to match stride somehow.

Nikai followed the path along the borders, but nothing much was happening. So when someone drew up alongside him and greeted him, he was quite happy for the company. He judged this to be another of Alya's siblings, a brother this time, but he couldn't think of the name right then. Not much going on, actually, Nikai admitted as he looked out across the borders while he kept on walking. So I'm keen on some company. I'm Nikai. But then, you probably already know that. He was the odd one out, after all, the three-legged one that Alya had brought home with her. Made sense they all knew his name, and though Alya had surely introduced all at one point and mentioned their names at another, Nikai couldn't quite remember -- there were so many, after all.

He did his part to follow the other wolf's stare, and nodded softly. Well I guess quiet is good sometimes, he supposed, while it didn't make for a very good distraction that way. But I can be company for a while. Also, I'm Jarilo, he offered lightly since he knew they had kind of mingled together in far too many somber family situations lately but not ever had a good one-on-one. He was infinitely curious about his new "brother", though.. but unsure how to go about getting to know him the best way. Especially when he was still re-learning so much of himself, post-grief and all..

Alya must be with the pups then, the Ostrega guessed. How are you and the Spear getting along? he asked, because he wasn't the most graceful at dancing around the lighter subjects, he definitely made a glance for Nikai's lack of leg--but honestly, he really did seem to get along well enough at a walk without it--better than Jarilo had expected him to since he had never taken the time to see it up close like this before.

Not until Jarilo implied that it might be nice to have quiet time did Nikai realise that he may have implied he wouldn't like company by saying things were quiet. He didn't mean that, of course; he just meant to say that the borders were quiet right now. Nikai smiled as Jarilo offered both company and his name in return. I'd like that, he responded to the former.

As for Alya and her whereabouts, Nikai shrugged and said: Possibly. While he loved spending time with Alya, Nikai and she weren't the kind of couple who would stay together everywhere all the time and knew what the other were doing. She was free, and he'd always seen and respected that in her. Just like he was free, in much the same way.

Jarilo's glance at his leg wasn't missed, but Nikai was used to it by now. He was often faced with these kind of looks and questions, so they didn't surprise him anymore. I had been practising my climbing for a bit on the nearby mountain ridge before the move. Didn't expect to need the practise so soon. It's... Nikai hesitated a moment, as if he was searching for words. Alright. Not as easy to get around as it was in my old home, but I'll manage.

Then he curiously asked: Could you maybe tell me something interesting about Moonspear? I'd love to learn more about my new home.

He didn't spend much time considering where else Alya may be, for he trusted her after all and her roams were not always really his business, as it had always been. Much more present of a matter was Nikai, anyway, although Jarilo was trying to find the right balance of this interaction still. So far, he seemed really easy-going--which helped ease the Ostrega along too, even if it felt minor enough, the relief was undeniable. Anyway, to the reply that handled nosy guy curiosities well and with grace, Jarilo nodded his head right along. Well, seems like the practice paid off,. he said, encouragingly enough for him, though meanwhile he carefully filed the piece about a mountain nearby his prior home. Before he could really ask about it more, Nikai beat him to it.

Something interesting about Moonspear? He considered only briefly if that was meant to be of the people or the place, essentially. He just needed a place to start. Hm, interesting about the mountain itself, or its history? Or the rest of us that have been here? Jarilo kind of tried to smirk. There was a lot of mountain here, and had been for longer than him after all. Plus what do you know already? I don't want to be too redundant with whatever my sisters have shared before, of course. he said, stepping lightly with a soft sway of his tail and another long ponderous look at Nikai--although this time not specifically his absence of leg or the associated gait, at least.

Jarilo seemed eager enough to share something about Moonspear, but didn't want to share anything that might already have been said. Nikai considered a moment what he already knew -- pretty much just what Alya had told him, and of course that the alphas were dead -- and Nikai eventually said: I know it's a strong family pack, made by its former Alphas. Nikai said this last bit a bit carefully, knowing well that he was talking about Jarilo's deceased parents. It was a tricky subject to navigate, especially because grief showed in so many different ways in different wolves.

Other than that, hmm.. Nikai thought a moment. A lot of strong warriors, it seems. I don't mind if it's about the mountain or the wolves who live here -- anything is interesting. He might not be the right wolf to keep track of Moonspear's history since he didn't originate from it, but that wouldn't stop Nikai from gathering stories about his new home.

Indeed, he had that right, but soon gave Jarilo the chance to take it anywhere, essentially. So he gave a soft nod back of his own to start with. Yeah, true. Most who aren't family don't last too long--though there are exceptions obviously, Jarilo flashed a brief grin, because despite what he said, he didn't mean for it to come off in an ominous way--just fact, because it was to him. Nikai did well (though Jarilo did his best to consider him as family now), and Moriko had stayed with them, loyal and good company so far that he really enjoyed. He did not suspect they had any who would betray them these days--not after the era he had grown up in, times rife with it.

Anyway, he gave a thoughtful bunch to his expression, then relaxed a touch once he seemed to have something in mind. If Nikai was fine to hear a very general sense of anything interesting, then he wouldn't concern himself deeply. Warriors, scouts, hunters.. a few good naturalists here too, he added with a small smirk to mean himself, though he had felt that shift away from focus somewhat with the loss of both his parents--two of the most experienced naturalists he could go to with his questions, or just to hear their observations over the time they'd been at it here on earth. Our claim has been here almost four years, though I've only seen about half that, I suppose. Middle sibling, and all, but Jarilo spoke on delicately enough for himself. My parents chose here when the previous packs they led needed a new direction, and this was the place closest to the stars in this stretch of wilds, he recited, having picked it up from somewhere. Dad came from a bay at the coast, born and raised with the vikings there, he swung his muzzle towards the horizon where the sea lie, where Charon had shown them where Ragnar and Thistle had nurtured his early upbringings. Mom from a mountain--the Sunspire, then another before that far away where she originated. His gesture turned in the opposite direction, more east of here. He only knew before that, his mother had come from inland, and a mountain near a forest--all far too vague for him to conceptualize properly, so he had to measure back the scrunch to his brow that started to come back; it may as well be myth.

But he smoothed into a focus and wouldn't leave Nikai there for now, though let him soak that much up so far, and gauge how interested he was in hearing.. whatever else random the dark Ostrega could ramble on about. For his home and his family, he could certainly find more; essentially, they were everything that meant anything to him.

Nikai didn't take Jarilo's words very ominously at all. He fully considered himself family to this pack, just like Alya had been family back at Easthollow. They were mates, after all, and that meant something. Nikai wasn't sure this would've been the pack for him to stay very long at if it weren't for Alya, anyway. He could see why outsiders might not stick around much.

Jarilo explained what they had here. Warriors were the big number one thing, that much was clear to Nikai too. Then there were scouts and hunters; didn't surprise him either. He'd been one himself, too, and Alya was a scout as well.

Four years was a long time. Jarilo'd been born here, lived here all his life it sounded like. Quite a feat. Jarilo went on to explain that his father came from a bay to the north and his mother came from another mountain. The sunspire. I've heard of it, Nikai said with a nod. Quite a magnificent mountain on its own, too. Though Nikai could see how the grim atmosphere of the Moonspear might appeal more to the warrior culture that these wolves were from. Viking ancestors... It explained a thing or two about Moonspear and the Ostrega family's tendencies.

Very different from Easthollow, Nikai admitted without shame or worry. Different wasn't bad, but neither was it good. It just was, and he could live in either culture, with either family. That's what it was like to become partners with someone like he had with Alya, after all. They'd be alright wherever, really.

've You got a special someone in your life? asked Nikai, curious to figure out if he and Dirge were the only ones on the mountain that were with an Ostrega, or if there were more -- now or future.

When a piece of his particulars pinged as familiar for Nikai, Jarilo gave a little nod next. Have you ever been up it? I’ve never visited its slopes exactly, but been by, so I only know it through others I guess, he said, supposing he had nothing to go on as for how magnificent the mountain was, or not. He simply took his mother’s word for it, and now Nikai’s to match well enough for him. My mother had said no one lived there anymore after she left, and the packs that she heard of tried and failed so far, he mentioned, too. It had always stuck with him and maybe one day he ought to go visit it for himself just to see the places he had heard about during his mom’s first foray into leading a peak like that, and if it was such a splendid mountain, why did no one’s claims seem fit to last?

As for Easthollow, he was not surprised to hear it was different. So what’s Easthollow like, then? What would you say makes it very different? I know Easthollow best in a general sense, of course he asked, curious. He assumed it all centered around a family structure, as that seemed typical, but all packs had different vibes to them--that he did know just from talking with others over the moons he'd seen. Easthollow was not one he had invested much time in getting to know; for him, they were awfully far away, and best handled through Alya and Nikai anyway--his business there did not go far.

Anyway, he tried not to somber too obviously but he shook his head a soft 'no' after his brother-in-law asked. No, I don't.. not like that, he added, and clicked shut his lips before further justification poured forth that could only make it worse for him. He really didn't ache about it much, anyway. It was difficult to miss what he didn't have, or know intimately, and on the outside looking in, mateship was.. a delicate, fearsome thing that he wasn't sure if he was ever meant to be entirely ready for himself.

Jarilo asked if he had been up there, and Nikai shook his head. Not all the way up, if such a thing's possible. Just the lower slopes. Before the hunting incident, and before he had lost his leg. It had been easier to explore the mountains, then. There'd been other packs there, apparently, though Nikai had met none of the wolves who'd lived there, as far as he knew. Have you? he wondered in return.

Jarilo then proceeded to ask about Easthollow. It was never hard to figure out what to answer to those kind of questions; the stones were a unique enough feature so it was always first to come up. At Easthollow, we have a circle of large stones. It's the central part of the pack. There's various stones with different meanings, and there are some deceased who meant much to us that are buried there. Keoni was, too. It was one of the reasons he missed home a lot; he missed sitting by the stone talking to her. He'd missed it on the road, and he missed it now.

It seemed that Jarilo wasn't seeing anyone like he was seeing Alya. Nikai didn't think to ask if Jarilo preferred it that way; mostly because before he had met Alya, Nikai hadn't really missed it in any way himself. It was just when he met her that he knew they were meant to be and that was what he wanted.

Not yet, but maybe one day, he said.. for even he had never seen the very peak of any spire for himself. Moonspear's felt untouchable. There were still some impressive heights to climb to here and he couldn't begin to fathom what it was like at the top of the Sunspire besides a lot like here. Maybe brighter? Who knew if they both actually adhered to their naming themes?

As for Easthollow, he envisioned large boulders naturally enough.. though the ones he was used to seeing weren't necessarily arranged in a circle. That was curious on its own, on top of them being a central part of the pack. Interesting.. how do you think the rocks got there in a circle? Or have they just.. always been maybe? he queried aloud, just pondering it because it was something he liked to consider--he knew well that nature worked in mysterious, but fascinating ways. But, that is a really good way to honor them, I think, he mentioned too after a beat, also maybe a touch sentimental now that he knew what it was like to handle loved ones after their ends so closely.

Nikai nodded. Maybe one day. He did not have such high hopes for himself, but he would love to hear the stories if Jarilo ever got there. I'm looking forward to hear your adventuring stories, Nikai said with a smile.

Then, about the stones. Nikai had to admit that he had never wondered how the stones got there. He saw it as natural a thing as any stone being anywhere, as any part of nature being around them. How such a more unique feature of nature got there, well... He'd never really thought much about it, he supposed. Hm. That's a good question. I never thought very much about it. How do any rocks get here? Nikai could sense a good story somewhere in there, and his eyes were alight as he thought about it. Then, distracted by Jarilo's comment on the fallen, he nodded solemnly, feeling a pang of pain as he thought about what life might've been like if Keoni had still been right here beside him right now.

I'll see what I can come up with, then, he chuffed a bit, knowing Nikai would at least have some sort of interest in hearing about it. With the right sorts of prompting and a comfortable environment, he could see a good spot to vent some rambling ways. Even better if it could have a willing audience.

Well I don't know about for all.. since they probably don't always follow any rules, the naturalist in him didn't need much coaxing out, but rocks didn't exactly feel like an agreeable sort to him. Some get moved by water.. past or present, and sometimes they're moved from earthquakes.. and other landslides too, where they fragment off other rocks and move on.. he went on with. Others appear because erosion works all the other softer earth away, but can't always act as quickly on rocks.. so there's got to be a lot of possibilities there, he supposed with a little grin. Especially if they've been there a very long time. Who knows. He wanted to imagine that was it to help deepen the mystery of Easthollow's stones.

At Nikai's somewhat playful remark about rocks, Jarilo told a whole bunch of useful things about how they came to be places. It was interesting, and Nikai chuckled as he was told about erosion and how water and landslides moved rocks. Nikai'd seen a landslide once or twice near the mountains -- luckily far away ones -- but he didn't know much about practicalities. He further wondered how rocks came to be -- y'know, before they were moved, they had to come into existence -- but was pulled back to the real world as Jarilo finished his story.

Wow, I didn't know there was so much to learn about the transportation of rocks, he said with a grin. I wonder where rocks come from to begin with. There seemed to be a story somewhere in there that he was determined to figure out some day, but for now it was just a rough rock that needed polishing.

He was thankful for a listening ear, even considering the topic that not everyone had the knack to even pretend to appreciate. Jarilo went on concern free thanks to the easy nature he sensed of the other guy. I bet there's even more to it, if you really know it.. because so much can effect things that big, I'd guess? he hypothesized aloud, though he grinned softly to mirror Nikai's a bit.

Wherever rocks came from seemed like such a simple question but he knew that the answer was very, painfully complicated--and he didn't actually have one for this case, not knowing how rocks got here, exactly. Hmm, not sure. I'd guess the ground.. or broken off mountains or volcanoes somewhere somehow, but how do they get there, wherever there is? Earth itself has to do.. or have.. ?? Who knows, I can't say, he eventually concluded with before the theories could run rampant, encompassing all the different sorts of terrains he could fathom in his little scope of the world. The point what: he didn't know but that was a mystery he was fine with, considering how big it actually was. This didn't feel like an answer he could just go out and find easily anyway. I do wonder how you would begin to find out that. Rocks aren't.. very telling, as well as I know anyway. he chuffed a short laugh, and his best mentors for the biggest matters in life were gone from his now. He didn't really have a good resource to say.

Nikai's experience was very little things affected really big things. Just look at Moonspear in all its grandeur; it seemed that nothing could touch this mountain in any significant way. Nothing could destroy it. Nikai looked thoughtful and nodded at Jarilo's comment, and decided to let it sit for a bit, to think it over so that he could consider it more thoroughly.

The ground, or mountains or volcanoes; it seemed to make sense, and that lead Nikai to thoughts about how the world in general came into existence. How did all other nature come to exist? It wasn't just rocks... While Nikai overthought all of this Jarilo mentioned how one would figure it out considering rocks don't tell. The trick is to find someone who's got stories about it, Nikai decided then. Passed down through generations from wolves who have seen them be created. His eyes shimmered as he thought about that, as it combined his wanderlust with his storytelling capabilities to think of finding wolves who knew more about this stuff.

Interested enough in the possibility of there being someone with the right story to tell, Nikai's suggestion made him wonder in a whole new direction now. That is actually a pretty good idea.. if there's someone like that out to be found, he supposed. Let me know if you happen to run across anyone with that kind of hook--I could probably pick their brains on some other old  nature stuff, he smirked. If they had history spanning back that far, who knew what other sorts of natural phenomenon they might potentially know about as well.

His mom had once been his best source on old information like that, but nothing about the origin of rocks themselves had ever come up. He wondered who else may even have such generational insights.. especially considering that he didn't run across too many exceedingly experienced wolves; Dirge was probably his most worldly sort, and his sisters of course, but... It didn't seem too common that old, ancient information would be kept alive for that long out with common knowledge, especially since you really had to know where to look for it when you wanted to find out. Hopefully, the source was out there somewhere--he wanted to believe it was, hidden with some exceptionally introverted sort most likely.

Jarilo seemed rather interested in the thought of meeting someone who'd known someone who had first-hand knowledge, and Nikai smiled at the man's enthusiasm at gather more knowledge. He seemed very specifically interested in the nature hook and Nikai wondered, What interests you about nature? Are you a naturalist of some sort?

He bobbed his muzzle right into a nod to answer Nikai's question. Guess he had forgotten to outline that piece specifically as to why he cared at all about rocks, or thought he could even speak halfway intelligently on them like this. He had grown right into a natural interest in such. I am, he confirmed. I guess.. it's hard to put to words too easily, but because the mystery of it is a big part I think.. he supposed. And how it can shift constantly if it has to yet still be so steadfast, how everything seems to be piece of some bigger picture.. Jarilo wasn't going to unravel much more than that, and wondered if this was an actual answer.

Both of my parents were naturalists, so that interest just seemed to happen.. My dad especially loved the stars, my mom a weather-watcher too, he tacked on for more further relevance, if it may help cite where he came from with this.

Nikai listened with interest what it was that interested Jarilo so about naturalism. Mystery. Nikai understood that bit, for that was what he had loved so much about being a scout. Being able to get out there, travelling through the world and seeing new lands. He could see the appeal to naturalism, even though it wasn't necessarily his own thing. Not as much as some of the other interests he had anyway.

That's cool that your parents were naturalists too, Nikai said. Do you think that's because they were interested in it a lot? Or maybe it's something that you inherited from them? It made him wonder if such things were decided through genes or because wolves around you growing up showed such interests. He wasn't too sure which it was. Was hard to compare in his own case, because he had never known -- well, not that he remembered, anyway -- his biological parents.

He agreed with another nod, not taking long to think about it either. He was in a good groove and comfortable, so as such, he wasn't feeling too shy about saying what came to mind as it did. I know some of it was because they were interested in it, yeah. I learned anything at all in the first place by being nosy about what they were doing, or willing to tell me about, he explained. And if it wasn't training, it was often.. that. From them, anyway, and growing up, it had always been his main source, with his older siblings a close second. Various other pack mates came and went, so their influence was felt a little less in the long run.

But maybe some of it is inherited, too. I know my sisters got my parents' ferocity, and some of them more plainly so. Jarilo supposed aloud. He didn't know what it felt like to posses some magic genetic influence for naturalist's inclination. Maybe he did and didn't realize it. No matter. Wonder if any further generations may see it too..? he smirked. Guess they'd find out one way or another given long enough.

It made sense that one would get interested in the interests of one's parents. It made Nikai wonder however Keoni'd gotten into scouting, because that and the itch in his own paws was what had lead him towards becoming a scout. The storytelling was probably a bit closer to home and he was pretty sure that being a coach and mediator was something he had seen in his mother, too, for she was always kind and making sure the pack was well and at peace.

It did seem a mix, considering Nikai's own interests were not as close to home as Jarilo's were. I guess that skipped you..? Nikai wondered when Jarilo mentioned the ferocity thing. Or have I just not seen your ferocious side yet?

Nikai did wonder about the future generations, too. He hadn't socialised much with Hydra and Dirge's pups yet but he supposed that may yet come. I think I've learned some from my mother, and some might be inherited. I'm not entirely sure, because I don't remember much about my birth mother. It was no painful fact for Nikai, but one that he sometimes thought about. He wondered at times if the memories he had of her death and before, of the way she looked, of the way she smelled -- if they were truly memories or just things he had made up himself in lack of real memories.

For Nikai's note on his ferocity, he snickered toothily. Maybe it hadn't got to him in full, but he liked to think he didn't lack entirely. It was hard to measure up to some of the wolves in his life. It might've skipped me a little, but I don't think you've seen it yet, he laughed lightly, but knew he paled compared to his sisters. He revered their priority. Thankfully, I do not have to bring out my ferocious side often--not with my sisters for the front line. They sort of spoke for themselves, and now the young ones were raising up to be quite the crew too.

As for the rest, he was listening, despite realizing some misplaced concern after Nikai admitting that he did not remember his birth mother well. He didn't seem an ounce of bothered about it, but Jarilo felt a creeping distress at even thinking that could ever be him if something went wrong; his memories were too important, too developed--he had been lucky to know both of his parents as long as he had. He had to hold fast to them. Makes sense that it could just be a little of both, even if we don't always know it. Nature likes to work in mysterious ways, after all, he determined eventually, and slowed himself to a thoughtful pause. Hey, have you had lunch yet? he asked, after a glance skyward that sprung back down to Nikai after. He had also decided that whatever the hour actually was, he could eat, and they could go rustle up something somehow.

;o; fade? i'll gladly have more of them soon though

Nikai supposed it was easy enough to not be as ferocious when you had your family taking up that role in the pack. He hoped it would never be necessary; at least Nikai himself would unlikely ever be good at that role. Maybe it'd change when he became a father. If he became a father.

As Jarilo suggested lunch, Nikai nodded. Lunch? Great idea, he said and joined his new friend to go find a bite to eat together.

yes! thanks for the thread <3