Redtail Rise tonight we make the trojans pay

Vaguely backdated a bit, Watcher/Roamer would have returned home after 2-3 weeks of wandering about. All welcome, preferably just one other!

The metaphorical dust had settled over the Rise once again, yet as Watcher's paws churned through the snow in pursuit of a distant porcupine, her mind churned as well. She was a picture of focused intent on the outside, but on the inside, she was all scattered uncertainty.

If she had learned anything in the past three months, it was that stability within the Redtail Rise pack was fleeting. It was a past commodity she could no longer take for granted. Scratch that; her whole life had been one upheaval after another, only she had been too young to recognize them sooner. The latest incident between Masquerade and New Snow was only another chink in the Rise's battered armor.

Watcher didn't realize how distracted she was by these considerations until she came to the edge of a stream and lifted her head, surprised. Not only was she unsure how she came here, but the scent of the porcupine was nowhere to be found. She gave a snort and lowered her head to lap at the water where the ice had been broken, frowning to herself and whisking her tail uneasily behind her.

It had been refreshing to roam, but could she call herself a Watcher if she would rather be there than here? Was she more of a Roamer than she once thought?

Masquerade hadn’t returned.  Redd would have been worried if Riley had been present, but that the pair had vanished together spoke of intent.  Neither had communicated with her, but nor had the others as they came and gone.  She knew she lacked their trust.

Masquerade was only different because of her promises.  It cut deeper into her feelings than she would admit, far deeper than maybe it should have.  Redd resigned herself, and the Rise, to their fate.  She could disperse as well and allow Augur the claim, but even without the security of position, she knew no other home.  Perhaps the pair would return.  Perhaps others would follow them.

Redd watched Roamer’s progress and rose to meet her at the stream, silently stepping forward to discover where she’d been.  There was no aggression to her, but there was a firm insistence.  She would not fight the roaming, but she would know of what transpired and who walked her rise.

From the trees came Redd, the Wealda's mere presence commanding Watcher to lift her head and lap stray droplets from her lips and whiskers. While there was nothing in her elder sister's stance or expression to suggest disapproval, a sort of authority was drawn in every line of her. Watcher had no choice but to let her come close and sample the scents on her pelt, not that she would have minded anyway.

She tucked her own head lower and angled her snout up to bump Redd's chin in a show of respect and deference. Her tail gave a low wag. She still believed Redd was the right wolf for Avicus' former rank, but that didn't mean she felt any less conflicted about Masquerade. She had always felt a strong sense of loyalty to the Caru and that had been shaken when Masquerade became the source of the Rise's continued instability, but she felt guilty for it. It felt like a betrayal to support Redd. Even now, she did not know how to feel about the Wealda.

She wasn't one to bandy words, especially amongst her similar-minded kin, so her explanation did not come in the form of her voice. Instead, it was a low whine eked out between her lips and the backward fold of her ears, the slight dip of her body toward the earth. The signs of a wolf who was nervous. I needed time. I am uncomfortable. It has been so tense.

She had wandered long enough that the pack scents had faded, but no new alliances lay upon her.  There was no trace of danger, no sign of injury or ill health.  Satisfied, Redd allowed her space again, rumbling a soft note of welcome.

Her stance was apologetic, the message she conveyed easy to read.  Redd watched her for a moment, completely still.  She understood.  It was where they all were, and as Wealda, this was her job to fix.  Yet she saw no path to resolution.

She had stepped into the role only because Masquerade asked her to, and she still felt that to immediately give the position back would have caused upheaval and telegraphed weakness.  Not her own; the rise as a whole would suffer for it.  To drive her sister from the pack would invite animosity from the others, and beside that, she knew she couldn’t.  Not unless she was pressed into having no alternative.

For the first time, Redd allowed her mask of composure fall.  Her posture relaxed, and the look she returned to Roamer was tinged with both sorrow and regret.  She was sorry she was not firmer.  Wiser.  More capable.  More trusted.

She did not blame them.  Only herself.

Then she let out a reassuring huff, hoping to communicate this.  Redd could not force things to calm.  All she could do was wait and try to prove her own place.  She was not the Wealda Avicus had been, nor did she want to be. How this turned out remained to be seen.

Redd was brief and direct in her investigation, which calmed Roamer's nerves. There was no indication the Wealda disapproved of her time away from the pack. In turn, she felt further trust bloom for her elder sibling's judgment. A strong pack was one that stuck together, but there were times when even pack would wander. Holding it against them did little to deter it; in fact, it sowed further discord to push others further away.

Roamer dared to lift her eyes to the Wealda's face in time to see the change in expression, the softening at the corners of her pale eyes, the slant of her brows that spoke of sadness. Roamer's own gaze flitted anxiously over Redd's before landing somewhere in the region of her nose. She understood, and yet there was no possible way she could. The weight of this role now was Redd's to bear. It was not something she could relate to, but seeing her sister's stance falter, she wondered if this was how Ulfhedinn had felt all this time.

Much had changed and would continue to change. That was the nature of Redtail Rise. They had not seen much true stability in Roamer's lifetime, and for that, Redd could not be blamed. She was not present for most of it, but she was here now, doing what she could. To convey this, Roamer gave her body a quick shake, dispelling her lingering tension and inviting a more casual atmosphere, before nudging the Wealda's chin with the tip of her snout. You are here, she said. That is enough.

She gave her whiskers a twitch, distracted momentarily by the scent of a passing squirrel. Then she licked her chops. I will stay close now. She still felt she was more of a Roamer than a Watcher at present, with an interest in casting a wider net over the resident prey, but she could keep her roaming close to home. There was no reason not to remain within earshot of the Rise, not now knowing she could trust Redd to prioritize stability.

The words did not settle Redd completely but they did mean something to her.  She did not have to lose everything with Masquerade’s drifting away.  Here was a sister who seemed to understand.

The pack needs your strength.  And your eyes.  Redd replied, the words more sure now that they were addressing another.  She did not need to choose one or the other.  It was fine that she roam; so long as she returned.  So long as she did not drift so far as to leave them without.

Herds needed tracked, something she had done often with Masquerade.  The surrounding lands needed watched for threats as well as new claims.  She did not seek to question these things, but it would be important to know.

Redd watched her encouragingly, wondering if she had anything from this trip to share.  If not then perhaps the next - and sometimes no news was the best to receive.

As they continued, she would begin to make her way further into the Rise’s claim, knowing Roamer would follow if she did not wish to cut this encounter short.

In the not so distant future, Roamer would fail to keep this promise. She would go further and further, never with the intention to leave for real, only with the intention to find those who had gone. The not knowing would be a barb in her heart that dug in deeper and deeper until one day she did not return to the Rise, but wandered further still in search of answers, and away in the wrong direction.

For now, Redd could count upon her to do her duty. She accepted it with a whiplash of her tail and a downward flick of her snout, falling willingly into step with the Wealda. As Ulfr, it was her job to monitor the herds and creatures of the Rise, but to this she could easily add vigilance.

Sensing in Redd's gaze that she ought to say something of her time away, Roamer gathered her thoughts. There are packs in the valley, she shared, but none close. I did not get near enough to learn anything, but I see no threat in them. The one wolf had straight up abandoned her in tracking deer, clearly disinterested in the possibility of a meal, and the other would have drowned in the snow if not for her. Having assumed these wolves belonged to the valley packs, her conclusion was that those packs housed wolves of a particularly unintelligent sort.

No threat to Redtail Rise from wolves too stupid to value their own survival.

wrapping this!! Sorry it sat for so long, hope she makes a return at some point <3

The news was appreciated.  Redd nipped lightly at the fur of her shoulder in thanks, combing it, before turning to look to the borders.  With no threats perhaps the pack would thrive after all.

With a small encouraging sound, Redd flicked her tail, then picked up her pace.  She had interrupted a hunt, but together the two could finish this pursuit.  The creature could not have gotten far.

When the time came, Roamer would leave with Wealda’s blessing.  Worry would set in upon her failure to return, but these were the truths they lived.  Those who would stray from the pack sometimes did not return.