Redtail Rise they really think it can't get any worse

with ghost flying recon, though the juvenile peregrine falcon does not stray too far from towhee jr, she sets out in the task njord had set for her, not one for prolonged goodbyes.

she thinks of those she had met in the lowlands during her first true excursion outside of moonspear, but avoids the lowlands for now. they were not on her path; not yet.

she and ghost follow the directions her brother-in-law had given her, so as the scent of a pack tickles her nose as she makes her way thru the dawnlark plains that it must be redtail rise.

but admittedly, she has no way to know for sure.

her steps slow but she does not approach the borders; unable to call for anyone. the struggle is real inside towhee as she studies ghost for a moment. he touches down upon the junction between her shoulders; tentative, sharp talons piercing her skin for a moment before he takes flight again.

she contemplates her next steps.

she backtracks a bit, chasing down a rabbit to bring to what she hopes is the rise wolves. it's scrawny, young. ghost lights upon the top of her head, thinking it is food for them. she snaps at him once; teeth clicking together: not for us.

he settles on a tree branch nearby, pouting, she assumes as she approaches the borders again; though she is careful to leave plenty of distance between the actual scent marker and herself.

When restlessness ate away at him, patrolling always seemed to quell it. 

Today, he’d found nothing significant along his route. That was, until he detected the faintest scents of blood and wolf which tumbled in the air. 

Without hesitation, he begun to track in hopes of finding the source. And surely enough, he eventually locates it.

Upon catching sight of the stranger he stops in his tracks. Statue-like, he observes her for a minute. He hopes he hasn’t been spotted just yet.

There, she idles, keeping well clear of the border. He can see she carries with her a carcass, and wonders if it is an offering or something she’d stolen from them.

Then, boldly, he announces his presence with a harsh woof and marches from the brush with tail lifted high. He stops a yard or two away.

Who’hhe you?

a stranger approaches from within the borders. she does not hear the woof he makes, but she can see the action and the high rise of his tail over his back. she is the outsider here. the stranger at their borders who did not — could not announce herself beyond the scent of the kill and, if he felt so inclined, the cry of ghost.

though ghost was her feathered shadow, their symbiotic relationship was still little more than that.

as the pack wolf draws nearer, she lowers her posture, slipping into one that flirted between neutral and submissive.

this was his turf.

she thinks his lips are moving and fights back the rising tide of distraught and frustration that threatens to rise up within her. an unwelcome reminder that she was behind the curve ball in forms of reading lips, unaware that his speech was garbled and that she likely wouldn't be successful either way.

her paws itch to sign in ptero, but for the moment she refrains, instead making a breathy huff and nosed the kill towards him a few inches before taking a few steps back: for you and yours, is what she attempts to communicate with the gesture.

The younger generation had begun to grow and prove themselves with leaps and bounds. She saw them hunting, and found their scents along the borders- eager to continue the claim that had been established, and hone their skills so that they too could be a part of the Rise's legacy. She had few concerns, and felt fairly secure when she considered what the next year would bring. She felt confident she would be able to rely on this year's children to help out, by the time that new children would be born the following Spring. 

She hadn't been following Mulherin, but when she caught the scent of another wolf and the faint scent of blood, she was drawn toward the same part of the borders as he. She arrived to quietly watch the dark wolf present Mulherin with an offering- a very small, weak-looking rabbit but she couldn't complain- the wolf showing the respectful gesture looked to be somewhere handy to Mulherin's age herself. 

Lilia remained within earshot, watching calmly- but willing Mulherin to make his own judgements.

His question goes unanswered. Growing up with Augur and New Snow has heightened his nonverbal communication, and he seems to understand that words would not suffice in this situation.

Wordlessly, the wolf nudges forth an offering. He acknowledges it with a nod, his tail wagging now. 

Realizing she poses no threat, he moves to close the gap between them. He is uninterested in the rabbit. His focus remains steadily on her.

Gently, he reaches and sniffs at her form—marveled by the new scents she carries with her. The ease in his posture invites her to do the same. This was the clearest way to share their stories.

ghost settles back upon the junction betwixt her shoulders, talons prickling into the sensitive flesh there from previous perches. she ignores the pain, finding comfort in it now.

a brush of his beak against her ear, forces towhee's gaze to move from the pack wolf closest to her, to the one standing aways a bit. her heart falls a bit when she notes, immediately, that it is not the red woman that njord had described.

and she wonders if she has found the right pack despite that she'd followed njord's directions.

had redtail rise maybe relocated?

still, she has started her search here regardless and would see this meeting through at the very least, if they were not the redtail pack.

she watches, perhaps wearily, as he moves closer to her, closing the distance, not appearing to be concerned with her gift. though his posture is at ease and slowly, she relaxes her own, allowing him to take in her scent, as if he has realizes that speaking will get him no where.

it eases her own general frustration at meetings with strangers, and she inclines her own head to draw in his own scents: none of them familiar, but telling her basics about the pack.

Mulherin's friendly nature isn't something that Lilia interpreted as being problematic. The young wolf who had come to their borders looked to be from the same year- fresh, young, but clearly learning how to hunt and how to approach another pack correctly. Had there been anything off, the hawkish Berserkr would have been to Mulherin's side in an instant. 

In seeing the truce struck between the two, Lilia moved forward, hackles still raised but posture relatively relaxed. The young one couldn't possibly pose much of a threat, anyway- not to her, and not likely to Mulherin either. She sniffed the offering, which was a slender creature but the fact that the white-throated wolf was hunting for herself while travelling was impressive enough. She licked her lips appreciatively, before she swung her head toward the other, wetting her lips so she might too trade scents with the stranger, and find any trace of a story in her scent.

The beat of wings caught his attention. When the falcon ultimately landed upon the traveler he stopped and stared, both amazed and equally confused. His gaze flickers between the both of them.

Why was she allowing this? Why did the bird choose to land on her, of all places? Why is it still here..?

He wondered this and glanced to Lilia, who had chosen to join him. She was always quick to the scene if anything was amiss around the Rise. Her presence was anticipated.

A low grumble rises from his throat as he turns again and watches; a test of courage for the bird.

the woman, too, draws nearer and towhee watches her movements, letting the older woman discern what she could from towhee's scents; as the boy before her had.

perhaps there is still the faint traces of moonspear upon her pelage, faded from the places she traversed to get here. perhaps the scents of the strangers she came across linger or perhaps they, not as founded as the scent of moonspear, faded away quicker.

as she is a bit noseblind to herself, she cannot tell.

the boy's gaze appears to be focused upon ghost, towhee thinks. she imagines it is probably a strange sight: a girl and her falcon. she wonders if it's a bit arrogant to assume that ghost is hers, especially that she's aware that their relationship is symbiotic and his gratitude would've extended to anyone who had freed him and not eaten him.

it just so happened to have been her.

when the test of bravado is given between boy and ghost, towhee is unaware that he'd attempted to scare off the young falcon. unfazed, perhaps bolstered by the safety of her shoulders, ghost blinks, tightens the grip of his good talon but does not take to the skies.

Her gaze lifted to the falcon perched on the young woman's shoulders when Mulherin looked to her. He grumbled, and the bird did not budge. Towhee Jr smelled to Lilia of wilderness; of many forests travelled, a hint of something dry and arid, and the fresh scent of maritime air. She carried with her the essence of the Teekon Wilds, though she was quite young to be doing this on her own. 

Perhaps, not on her own- it seemed she had a companion in the bird. 

That didn't mean it wasn't completely absurd, however, for a bird to be clinging to a wolf's shoulders. Still, she didn't think the young woman was a danger, or unstable. If anything, she knew secrets that Lilia did not, especially when it came to interspecies communications. She could respect her for that much. "I'm Lilia, thith ith Mulherin," She said, gesturing to him with a fondness in her features. "Thith," with a wave of her tail, "Ith Redtail Rithe. Why you here?" She asked, flicking her ears forward.

The bird showed little reaction. He suppressed the urge to poke at it further—in an odd way, he felt the connection between the stranger and the bird; the peculiarity was dissuading enough.

In the meantime, Lilia filled the silence with an introduction. He nodded at the mention of his name. However, based on the lack of reply to his own question, he assumed the girl was much like Augur—nonverbal.

He held his tongue and did not communicate this inkling to Lilia just yet. Orange eyes studied the face of the other now, searching for a flicker of understanding.

to her credit, towhee tries to read the woman's lips as she speaks.

but she fails miserably.

because she is trying to jump right into lip reading without much prior experience at it.

she hesitates, brain rapid-firing as she tries to think of a way to communicate that she can't hear without signing it in ptero, which is her default.

she reaches up to paw at her ear and then shake her head in the universal sign of 'no': i do not hear she communicates; as tumbleweed had done when first trying to communicate with her.

A bare glance from Mulherin and the keen speculation of the stranger were enough to indicate to Lilia that verbal communication weren't useful. The gesture, however, indicates not that the stranger is non-verbal, but that she can't hear, either. While she was a chatty wolf by most standards, she had never found it difficult to communicate needs and questions with those in the pack who did not speak. With this one, she thought things would be no different, however the only drawback would be that the wolf would be hard to summon for a hunt if she could not hear a howl. 

The bird, however, could. She pondered for a moment if the bird might be a help in such ways, though she was still too baffled by their friendship to wonder too much about their mutually beneficial situation. 

She nodded, and gave a wave of her tail; understanding and reassurance. It'd be rude, she thought, to speak with Mulherin right in front of the other when she could not hear, so she relied on non-verbal cues. She looked to Mulherin, and to the rabbit, and then back to the young, aspiring guardian. A light tilt of her head was given to him before she regarded the tricoloured stranger once more, ears flicking forward though she expected no audible response. 

Was she seeking acceptance with the gift she had offered, and did Mulherin think her worthy?

Her gesturing elicits a furrow of his brow. 

No.. ear? Wh- Oh. No hearing. He thinks with a look of realization.

In response, he offers a nod to signal his understanding. 

Then arose the question of how they’d communicate. This would be a challenge—the nonverbal members of their pack were at least able to understand speech.

He exchanges a glance with Lilia as they figure out what to do. 

Ya hhink hhe wanna join? He asks Lilia, gaze flicking between her and the girl—at a loss for a way to ask the question without speech.

they converse among themselves ... or at least, this is what towhee jr is left to assume. she can see their lips moving but any attempt to discern what they are saying are lost. though this simply bolsters her resolve to learn lip reading ( and learn it as fast as she can ), she has yet to entirely overcome her reliance of ptero and simplistic body language to communicate.

though part of her wants to selfishly cloister it to herself, it wasn't hers, not really. and if it could aid in her further dealings then perhaps it was worth trying to teach, if they desired to learn.

though she doesn't realize that they are trying to discern whether she means to join their ranks, jr's left to simply go with the flow. to let the chips of circumstance fall where they may, even if joining the rise wolves ( though she still isn't sure that's where she is though from njord's description it looks like it matches ) wasn't necessarily in her brother-in-law's instruction.

so, she waits, watching their body language(s), and their lips to see if she could pick out any words.

Lilia found Towhee Jr's body language a bit hard to read. She'd anticipated that the young wolf might take a step forward, to declare her intentions, though instead she seemed more curious, questioning. The wolves of the Rise had grown up together, however, and there existed amongst them a language that was nuanced with micromovements, breath, and posture. She couldn't expect an outside to be completely fluent. 

Mulherin spoke, and she watched for Towhee Jr's reaction. Her eyes glistened, like a match striking a rough surface. Lilia was silent for a moment, before her expression gentled. It didn't seem fair to talk in front of someone who couldn't hear, not when the conversation was about them, but she reassured herself that as long as she wasn't saying anything bad or hurtful, it wouldn't be like she was taking advantage of the situation. 

"Maybe," She said. She decided then that it might be easier to proverbially throw Towhee Jr to the wolves, and see if she simply acclimatized. Her earlier attempt at asking what the youth wanted hadn't really given her an answer. "We can give huh a trial. Give huh thome time, an' thee if she thtartth to pick on on how thingth work aroun' here. If she wanderth off, no loth to uth. You help keep an eye on her?" She asked. 

She wouldn't have the time to break Towhee Jr in, but she suspected Mulherin was more than capable for the role.

A trial for the girl.

He had no qualms with the idea. Lilia was right—there’d be no loss if she wandered away. Though, she would be under his watch; a new responsibility.

Yeah. True, He agrees with a nod once more, glancing back at the newcomer. I can do hhat. Lehh brin’ her in.

Gently, he reaches for the rabbit she’s brung and takes it in his jaws. He turns away then, taking a few steps toward the hearth of the Rise before pausing, casting a backward glance over his shoulder; an invitation for her to follow. His tail wags amiably.

towhee doesn't know where this path will lead her, if it was what njord had meant but she is on it and she is far too stubborn and even more too proud to turn around now.

in a way, she had wanted this ... even if she hadn't necessarily meant to trade one pack for another.

she watches, hawkish, as the boy takes the rabbit, walks away a few steps and then peers over his shoulder at her, his tail wagging.

she draws in a small breath and steps forward, feeling the lift of weight as ghost takes to the skies above her; following the two wolves into their borders: accepting the unspoken offer.

last for me <3 Welcome to RR!

When they moved, the young wolf followed. Their pack grew, and even though the stranger seemed young, Lilia knew it would only be a matter of time before she started showing her true potential. It felt right to give her a bit of a grace period, allow her to get settled in, and then start working with her to see what path she might choose. 

For now, Mulherin would watch over her, and she doubted that the quiet girl would give him much trouble.

I’ll start a new one for us! feel free to archive here or tack on one more

She follows. He leads.

Though Lilia’s approval seemed sufficient, he sought to bring the newcomer to Augur. Moreso, a part of him felt the silent man might know of a way to communicate with the girl. 

Questions still brew in his mind about her story.

The trio wordlessly would make the trek inland.