dust turns to gold

*Ragnar* · October 02, 2014, 07:47 AM

It had been quite some time since Ragnar had stepped out of Stavanger Bay's territory to go out on an official Outrider mission. As it stood, he couldn't remember when the last time was that he'd went on an outrider mission, let alone one that he'd given himself. The trail of Julooke's attacker was cold — as cold as the crisp, autumn morning was — but Ragnar wasn't so easily deterred by such things. He'd gotten a clean scent of a pack off of the scene of the crime and he intended to pursue it until it's end even if it had happened months ago. Unfortunately, he had not been bestowed the ability to jump right out of his pack lands to investigate it. He was their Jarl and things had to be set into motion on the off chance that something were to go awry. Odinn had promised Ragnar a long and fulfilling life and Ragnar was a man just hitting his golden ages, but even so the favor of the Gods was a fickle thing, he knew, and Ragnar was no Seer. He did not have the ability to accurately predict such things, nor did he harbor the ability to see what the Fates had in store for him.

The trip to the Spine was a long one, and Ragnar was in no rush. He had things to return to yes, and this wasn't a casual stroll around the Teekon Wilds, but it was also a delicate mission; it required his patience. The days were chilly and the nights colder still. He had to watch out for his own health, as well. The scarred Scandinavian was built for frigid temperatures, had lived through the worst of them in the Cove but even so he knew to be careful. There was a newer pack hanging around these parts, he discovered as he passed it on his way to the Firestone Hot Springs. It did not smell like a very big pack and idly, Ragnar wondered how it would fare in the coming months. Of course, Stavanger Bay had thinned out a bit, itself. It was a fairly common trend at this time of the year, and though it worried Ragnar he did not let that worry consume him. He would see them through the hardships that came their way. It was his job, after all.

A soft shiver rippled down his spine as the steam that came off of the hot springs invited him near them, soaking up their warmth. Ragnar did not step into the water, instead laying down on the bank of one, letting the muggy warmth surround him, deciding that a break might be worth the wasted time.

TABLE CODE BY JOHN

*Vienna IA* · October 02, 2014, 09:47 PM

She'd come back again to explore the hot springs, nosing around for a cave of some sort that would lead her to the raging inferno she imagined below. So far her search had turned up nothing, not that she expected it to. She kept thinking back to her conversation with Amelie, her mention of the dubious nature of the water. When she had come, it had not seemed that dangerous. She wanted another look.

Cautiously she approached one of the edge pools, the oppressive heat of the place not exactly unpleasant. After a while, though, she knew it would get old and she would need to depart for the cooler air further off. For now it felt nice, loosening her up and relaxing her tense muscles. She had always been tightly wound, jumping from place to place with the energy (and grace) of a crazed rabbit. Even the sedating steam could only do so much.

Thus, when she saw that she was not alone here, her ears perked up and her tail began to fan wildly with enthusiasm. "Hello!" The male's rough appearance and impressive size did nothing to curb her greeting, though she did not approach too quickly for fear of alarming him. She had crossed that bridge with the last outsider she met and still felt badly for startling them.

*Ragnar* · October 03, 2014, 10:47 AM

Thanks for joining! <3 Also, bleh crap post is crap.

Company wasn't something that Ragnar had anticipated as he decided upon Firestone Hot Springs as his place of respite on his journey. Her scent had been masked by the warm, spicy earth as, enriched by the constant dampness that lingered in this place, and he had not seen her because he had not been looking. Of course, it was when her greeting reached out to him that he realized his mistake and the scarred Scandinavian rose, cautious. It was friendly enough, her greeting, and as eyes of caribbean ice eyes touched her form in the distance that yawned between them the Viking relaxed only slightly. She did not seem to pose any sort of immediate threat to him, Ragnar assumed, and did not feel the need to be hostile himself, thus far. Hello, Ragnar parroted her greeting, lifting his muzzle slightly in attempts to identify her scent. She smelled like The Sunspire, a scent he knew well enough. He had visited them once, and it was a scent that had clung to Nerian for a little bit after her little trip. I did not expect company, Ragnar admitted with softened honesty, canting his head ever so slightly to the side in a bird like manner. Though it is not unwelcome. The Jarl offered her with a small, charming grin.

TABLE CODE BY JOHN

*Vienna IA* · October 07, 2014, 10:15 PM

sorry! Vienna is way behind, she was way on the backburner these past few days XD

She was about ready to move on, somewhat disheartened when he said he hadn't expected company but not too put out. After all, wolves needed their space sometimes! It was no personal statement towards her if he was enjoying a moment of solitude.

Her enthusiasm returned, though, when he invited her to stay (in a sense). He seemed super nice and honestly reminded her a bit of her brother with his mellow tone of voice. Serious, but not unfriendly.

"Great! I love company myself, though you never know if anyone you meet feels the same!" She came closer to him and plopped herself down. Some might have found his scars and size intimidating, but growing up with a father who had been an assassin by trade for a long while, Vienna was completely used to such things. After all, she had a couple of sizable scars herself. As she came closer, she caught the scent of salt on his fur, and her eyes widened. "You come from the coast?! Ohh, is it lovely there? I so want to visit, but it's quite a ways from the Spire." Even just the brief whiff was enough to bring back memories of home, nostalgia burning through her with bittersweet intensity.

*Ragnar* · October 09, 2014, 06:00 AM

The Sunspire woman seemed to be joyful that he hadn't asked her to leave. Ragnar was a lot of things and unless provoked otherwise he usually didn't mind company. Though he'd had quite a chance of alone time in Stavanger Bay as of recently the truth of the matter was he was hardly ever alone. Something usually always needed his immediate attention, or he had a fight to sort out between his children, or he had to drag one of them out of the seclusion of the den, or he was fighting with Thistle, or something. And, as far as Ragnar was aware his standing with The Sunspire wolves wasn't awful. Ragnar didn't believe in alliances and the closest thing that he had was with Blacktail Deer Plateau that was out of nothing more than sheer coincidence. When he and Thistle had taken in a lost and hurt Junior they hadn't known who it was she belonged to. The nameless Sunspire female drew nearer to him, Ragnar watched as her eyes widened slightly, ears lowering slightly before they cupped forth to pick up on the words she was speaking to him. Or rather what it was she was asking him. I do, yes, Ragnar responded after she had finished speaking. He had always lived by the coast and couldn't imagine life anywhere else. I think so, but I have lived by the coast my entire life. To live anywhere else would feel wrong, Even Horizon Ridge had been near enough to the ocean for him to never miss it. The only time the ocean had not been a constant in Ragnar's life had been when he had been making the trek to the Teekon Wilds though that was only because he did not sport gills nor the ability to travel via the water.

I am Ragnar, He introduced having debated, for a split second, if he wanted to give his moniker or not, deciding in the next second that giving his real name was no huge deal. The Jarl, He paused with a wolfish little grin tugging at the edges of his lips. More commonly known as Alpha of Stavanger Bay.

TABLE CODE BY JOHN

*Vienna IA* · October 16, 2014, 07:11 PM

Vienna nodded when he finished. "I lived by one most of my life, at least nearby. But recently relocated to the Sunspire. My brother helped found the pack there. The mountain is different, but beautiful as well." It did not feel wrong to her, though it was not likely he found as much joy in the small pleasures of a location as she. Vienna was a bit of an odd bird in that.

"Jarl," she tried out the word herself, it was strange but kind of fun to say. "It's nice to meet you, Jarl Ragnar! My name is Vienna." So he was an Alpha... that was cool! It was always nice to meet leaders who could treat wolves not of their own pack with respect. Some were territorial even on neutral ground. "Stavanger Bay, huh? I don't think I've ever met anyone from there, though since it's so far away I guess that isn't surprising." She wracked her brain.... nope, no one from there.

*Ragnar* · October 23, 2014, 07:00 AM

Ragnar nodded when his companion explained that she had lived near the coast as well, but went on to explain that living on a mountain was different but that to her it did not feel wrong. Ragnar had no desire to ever live on a mount but he thought that he understood. “I've seen it a few times,” Ragnar didn't believe in alliances but he had visited The Sunspire, under the guise of Heimdall, though the last time he had payed them a visit it had been to warn them to stay away from Wheeling Gull Isle back when they'd been an annoyance of a problem. In the end, natural selection had taken care of the intruders upon the coast for him, giving him not much to do on the front of them. A soft smirk began to tug at the edges of Ragnar's lips when Vienna repeated the title of “Jarl”, the word sounding different to him without the accent that spilled forth easily from his lips, despite all these months. One would think that he'd been used to it by now but it still struck him as funny, even so — but to go by anything less than Jarl felt strange to Ragnar and he simply could not do it. It was the title he had chosen for himself upon defeating Bjorn in honor of his father, disliking the Norse word for King thinking that as a title it sounded far too flamboyant for Ragnar's personal taste. “We keep to ourselves mostly. I don't believe in alliances so I have no reason to go to other packs unless I deem it absolutely necessary.” There were a few rare occasions, such as the occasion that had begun this outrider trip.

*Vienna IA* · October 26, 2014, 07:09 PM

"I guess that makes sense, if you like it that way." She said, though her tone spoke that she really didn't understand it. To Vienna, sticking to one's own pack and never reaching out to those beyond seemed incredibly dull. She loved her packmates, but to only interact with the same 10ish wolves all the time? So much wasted opportunity!

"So is a Jarl the same as an Alpha? Or is there more to it?" She was curious as to his accent, the strange title, and the culture that both spoke of. Obviously it was foreign to her own knowledge. She wasn't sure how into sharing he was, but it had never hurt before to ask. If he hailed from lands far beyond these, as his way of speaking would suggest, then perhaps sometime she could hear about them. The chronicler in her yearned for some good heritage to explain the intriguing accent.