Ocean's Breath Plateau Innerbloom

No post order, going to make this one post each for simplicity. If people want a 1:1 thread with Njord during this visit, just start a thread and tag me :)

Njord and @Stingray’s Westward travel took them longer than Njord had budgeted for, although the time spent with his son was precious to the man. It felt good to go on this expedition together. They traveled, explored, and used the sun and stars to guide them. They watched a doe and her new fawn cross a meadow, heard songbirds with their chicks in the trees, and saw tadpoles in the shallow mountain brooks. Spring was a time of rebirth and joy, and Njord cherished every minute.

The hair on Njord’s spine tingled when he smelled the salty brine of ocean air. So many emotions stirred in his spirit, but most of all he felt comfort to be by the sea once again.

Then, they found Moontide’s borders on the plateau and howled for @Rodyn and @Samani. They brought a cured rabbit skin filled with herbs from the foothills (mint, chamomile, raspberry leaf, and valerian root) and minerals from Moonspear’s peak (labradorite with iridescent streaks of blue and green). Additionally, Njord and Stingray both carried meat from their morning hunt to bring and feast with the pack.

When they met the budding pack and its ambassadors, Njord would greet them warmly and share stories of Moonspear and their growing families. They would feast together and enjoy the intrinsic bond that came from being sister packs.

Then, when the merriment concluded, Njord would say his goodbyes and assure Moontide that if they ever needed anything, Moonspear would answer the call. He was sorry to lose sight of the ocean and her endless horizon, but the call to return to Meerkat and Moonspear was strong.

Heph arrived in her own time to greet whoever had come calling at their borders. She shared in their warm greetings and was excited to see faces from Moonspear, and hear tales of their pack and their families. It sounded like a place full of new life and the news was good which only added to the revelry of the feast that they had brought. Given the opportunity she added her voice to the chorus of information about how Moontide fared, and similar assurances that should Moonspear need anything they need only ask. When they left she bid them safe travels and would resolve to herself to visit the sister pack eventually. The wolves seemed friendly in their dealings and she felt it likely that she would be welcome on their borders to perhaps join in on a hunt and meet more of them.

Rodyn arrived and made his rounds with Njord and Stingray. Being sure to spend time with the older male specifically who he had a soft spot for. He gave many thanks in return and he'd make sure they had seafood to take back with them. Crabs and fish and clams. It wouldn't keep as well as the other food as quickly, but it should be alright to get them home.

He agreed they should have a hunt soon and he'd spend the day reveling in stories and friends and feasting. It would be wonderful.

Being away from Moonspear was a breath of fresh air for Stingray.

He had never noticed before how stifled he felt on the mountain, surrounded by so many bodies with more purpose in a single toe than Ray felt he had in his whole body. Being out here where the land was open and wild and there were no wolves for miles was freeing. It allowed him to slip back into familiar habits, such as exploring every inch of a nearby woodland or discovering a patch of newly grown mushrooms in the shade of a log, and brought back some of his joy for exploration.

He was shocked to find that Moontide was a far smaller pack than Moonspear. Moonglow had felt like a large pack, too, or perhaps it was their longevity in the area, or the strong scent of puppies he had encountered within their territory. Comparatively, Moontide was only a handful of adults with not a single pup in sight.

Stingray asked around about Marina, like Sialuk had asked, and discovered she was heavily pregnant but well. Moontide would have puppies soon, then, so the pack wasn't necessarily struggling for its smaller size... But he had expected another empire like Moonspear. At home, you could hardly go two miles without bumping into another member of the pack. Moontide was so little he wondered if they were able to hunt effectively, but all the wolves seemed happy and healthy, so they must be doing well despite it.

This remained in the back of his mind throughout the feast, throughout the mingling, and all of their time at the ocean. The time spent in Moontide was a balm to Stingray's recent uncertainty about his purpose in life. Unbeknownst to Stingray, he was rapidly approaching the time when a young male wolf felt compelled to disperse and seek his own fortune elsewhere — for him, it felt like being smothered beneath a great shadow, and when they headed home, he was surprised and guilty to find that he dreaded it.