Redtail Rise probability

Moon Runner, gaunt as a twig of paper birch, stood on the precipice of the Rise’s Northern border. Here, the pawmarks of Wealda and Tall Shadow traveled toward the indomitable Nova Peak. They had been gone for some time and so Moon Runner watched the distant scrim with a protective gaze, though she worried and wondered why.

Mother, Father, Vulture, and Moon Runner’s youngest siblings were left to fend for their territory. Though weak, the young she-wolf set off on a border patrol in the absence of their Beserker and Fengtooth.

mb stayed! but no need to edit, ill do a pro gamer move :D

he had hunted in the trail of blood star and night eye some time after they had gone, wanting to bring meat but using it also as a pretense to see if the younger wolves had doubled back.

he arrived a half-day later to move the pups again, anxieties forming into an instinctual direction.

and now he came toward moon runner, bearing a good part of a rabbit. the rest had been snatched by her hungry young siblings. flame stalker; he sniffed for her too, but offered the hunting to his ailing oldest, a low sound in his throat.

D’oh! Thanks Ebony!! <3

Moon Runner was on edge. Before she detected Father’s scent, she spied his mammoth silhouette. The girl’s posture became stiff as she let out an alert boof, only to recognize the Ulfhedinn a moment later.

Her figure bowed in apology and she closed the gap between them. As her body fought the illness, Moon Runner’s appetite had returned, and so she eagerly accepted the offering of rabbit. Without the care and support of her kin and clan, Moon Runner would have certainly perished. Once again, she was reminded of the importance of pack.

She set upon the carcass and, like a magician, made it quickly disappear. Moon Runner licked her chops in gratitude before her amber eyes searched Father’s expression for a story. What was the latest adversity their pack faced?

no prob!! <3

his yellow eyes showed that the man was pleased with the recovery of his daughter. tail swaying, he nudged her and then faced stiffly in the direction of the plains.

he would lead her slowly from the rise into the sea of grass, and there find the place of earth still torn by claws, where two wolves had grappled. blood had dried dark in the dirt, that of the stranger and of thorn caller.

and while the foam had long dried, the sour bite to that life of the one they knew would proclaim a dark sickness.

a sonorous rumble pointed in the direction thorn caller had gone, where wealda and berserkr had went to follow.

Moon Runner loped after Father until they arrived where the Earth and its flora had been churned. Evidence of a fight. Moon Runner felt her pale hackles lift along her spine as her nose gingerly extracted scents from the scene.

Blood Spot and a stranger had engaged in blows. Dried blood was on the grass. The strange, repulsive spittle made the young wolf’s lips curl. This hadn’t been a normal altercation.

The weight of Father’s voice meant volumes. Moon Runner studied Nova Peak’s shape carefully – the place Wealda and Tall Shadow had gone.

Though Blood Spot had dispersed, her family ties with Wealda and Tall Shadow had not been severed. If she was injured, they went to her aide.

Why? the spirit reflected. The pale girl’s wild way did not understand.

Yet, Moon Runner had become loyal to their golden-eyed Wealda. Their leader had kept the Rise together when it threatened to crumble. She, alone, had brought peace to their ranks. We are pack, she had once said… and the sentiment carried beyond words.

If Wealda chose this path for the Rise, then Moon Runner felt compelled to follow. To help.

She took a step forward and whined, conflicted by her place in it all.

Following the encounter on Two Rivers Isle, Cambria made his way back toward the shoreline and continued his northeastern trek. He came across other packs but gave them a wide berth without any attempt to rendezvous. He stopped only to feed himself or rest, though the sight of an offshore island gave him considerable pause. The familiarity called to him, though he eventually shook his head and moved on past the river, eager to discover new things.

Just past the chevron of a narrow harbor, he arrived at an impasse: a pack residing among the sea cliffs. He ignored his momentary intrigue and cut inland for the first time since his venture into the hinterlands, his pale tail twitching with every soft step. He crossed another river and headed toward a thick tangle of trees in the shadow of a mount, hoping to find someplace to sleep away these hottest hours of midday.

His mismatched eyes found a pair of ivory figures standing in sharp relief against the crag beyond. Cambria halted, body falling into neutral lines as he studied them from a distance. His white muzzle thrust forward to sniff out whatever clues he could snatch from the air, planning to turn away and leave them to it after satisfying his curiosity.

his own step was beside that of moon runner, but his sound was not the same.

he glanced back to the signs of sickness, and lifted his chin to where her new siblings grew swiftly.

wealda was pack. pups were pack. sickness could not be allowed to touch the next generation, nor moon runner, who still recovered.

he touched her shoulder. this was not a command, but a choice for his daughter to make.

the watcher elicited a sensing flick of his ears, but no more.

Father was wise and Moon Runner was not.

The naivety of youth bade the young wolf to valiantly follow Wealda and their Berserker to Nova Peak, against the reality of her circumstance.

Though her spirit was strong, Moon Runner lacked the physical condition to help. She was recovering. Weak. A bag of bones. Plus, the pack had entrusted her with the role of Trēow. It was her duty to watch over and mentor the young… to keep their territory secure and the next generation safe from threats, physical or viral.

Her Ulfhedinn shared these perspectives without command. Moon Runner paced to and fro, undecided. She almost took a step toward the peak – when!

They were being watched. Moon Runner noticed the pale wolf but reacted without the same composure as her Father. The cream-colored ridge of hair along her spine stood on end. Her mouth closed, jaw stiff. Posture, tense.

The stranger’s presence provided the lesson Moon Runner needed.

Stay aware. Keep the bigger picture in mind, her young spirit learned. We will stay at the Rise, it decided.

Was this the wolf with whom Blood Spot had trifled? His calm demeanor said no, but Moon Runner jumped to conclusions.

She snorted like a wild mare and shifted her weight in the stranger’s direction.

Who’re you? her spirited demanded.