Sea Lion Shores with arms wide open

set at the eastern edge of the Sentinels, near SB. all welcome, maybe @Floki ? :D

The journey home had been difficult. The ugly scabs across his back and shoulder didn't help, irritating his every movement, and his muscles were still sore and stiff from the fight and the subsequent rest he had taken. Charon was weary and eager to rest, but he didn't allow himself such luxury as of yet: he would rest when the pack was informed, both of his well-being and of his other plans. He wondered if they'd been looking for him. How had they been at all? Had Levi returned from wherever he'd gone in the couple of days before Charon had left? How was Thistle doing, and how would she take his plans? He had so many questions and couldn't wait for them to be answered.

Charon had crossed the open plains after descending through the granite gates. It made for the easiest manner of travel and strained his aching muscles as little as possible all in all. Ears were pressed forward, for despite his injured looks Charon felt confident and positive. Once the foresty edges of Stavanger Bay came into view a pang of nostalgia hit the young Beta, upon realising he was intending to leave this all behind. Charon lifted his nose and called, hoping that someone would come and meet him. He longed to see the familiar faces of the pack he loved.

Floki had taken to wandering as of late. His ventures beyond the borders of Stavanger Bay had initially begun with the sole intention of finding Charon, but when that had proven to be near impossible, he had allowed that task to fall by the wayside. Of course, if he came across his older brother's scent, he would have jumped for joy -- but that just hadn't happened. So instead, he enjoyed leisurely walks along the beach, usually heading north. He often kept an eye out for his friend Hiraku, but hadn't seen the fox since their initial encounter.

On this particular day, he had traveled south. The five month old was steadily nearing the size and musculature of an adult, allowing his endurance to increase as well as his confidence. Today, he ambled through a wooded area, forgoing his typically sandy path near the ocean for a change of scenery. He moved slowly, nostrils flaring as he inhaled a variety of different scents. Suddenly, a howl rose up in the air around him, freezing Floki in his tracks.

It was Charon's voice that reached him, and he immediately threw back his own head and called out in return. His voice cracked due to his excitement as well as his youthful inexperience, but the message was still clear: "Charon! I'm here!"

Charon's ears perked up when the call was returned. Though he hadn't heard the pups howl often, he thought to recognise Flóki's voice, and a warm feeling flooded him at the thought of seeing his younger sibling again. Charon quickened his pace, winced as it was disappointing that his limbs were still too stiff for much speed increase, and started to make his way in his brother's direction. Charon had grown used to being injured and didn't even consider that the patches of missing fur and fresh scabs, as well as the larger healing wounds across his right shoulder and back, might startle any of his pack mates.

"Flóks!" Charon said with a broad smile on his face as his brother came into view eventually. He approached with a brisk trot, though there was stiffness in his every movement as his muscles were still recovering.

Floki took a few tentative steps, waiting for Charon to respond or to emerge from the underbrush. The tip of his tail quivered nervously and his ears stood tall on his head, still a bit oversized in comparison to his skull. Soon enough, his gaze lit on Charon, and while the first emotion to rush through his body was relief, it was quickly replaced by shock and worry.

Charon moved stiffly, as though he was in pain, and Floki's eyes instantly strayed to the wounds on his shoulders. He whined and padded towards Charon, concern written across his expressive face. "What -- what happened?" he asked, nostrils flaring as he inhaled Charon's familiar and yet changed scent. He smelled of other wolves -- more accurately, one other wolf -- and the aroma of the sea had been replaced by something else that he couldn't quite put a paw on.

Charon couldn't believe how much Flóki had grown in his absence. Only when he noticed the startled expression on his brother's face did Charon realise he had yet to tell any of them about the fight, and that they might be shocked by how he looked. Charon nosed Flóki's cheek, inhaling the comforting scent of Stavanger Bay, while he said, "Look at how tall you're getting." It was pretty amazing. When he had grown up himself, Charon thought it was a slow and tedious process and he had barely been able to wait until he was old enough to make his own decisions and 'til he was all grown up, but seeing it in his siblings made Charon realise how fast it truly went by.

"I got into a fight with someone who hurt my friend from another pack," Charon explained to Flóki, using a simpler version of what had happened for his brother. "He made her go away, and I called him out on it, and then he attacked me. I was out in the mountain range so I couldn't get right back home to you guys. I'm so sorry if I worried you." Charon smiled as he looked at Flóki, clearly glad to be home. He hoped that he hadn't startled his siblings too badly. They had had to endure enough departures; they didn't need another.

The lanky boy leaned into his brother as Charon pressed his nose against his cheek. He was so happy that Charon was back -- and that he had been the one to find him! Sure, Charon had howled first and had alerted Floki to his whereabouts, but he would be the one at the Beta's side when they returned to Stavanger Bay. Floki's chest swelled with pride.

He took a step back, leveling his older sibling with his fierce blue gaze as Charon explained what had happened. His brow creased as the story came out: he had been attacked by some other wolf. Instinctively, his hackles bristled. He was surprised to feel anger rising within him; he felt defensive and protective of Charon, and it upset him to find out that he had been hurt.

"Who was it?" Floki asked, as though ready to go fight Charon's assailant himself. He had endured enough tragedy in his short life -- he couldn't help but feel vengeful towards the individual who had brought more pain to his family.

Floki is so adorable <333

It was odd to recognise the urge to fight in Flóki. Charon himself had not long ago set off to find Ragnar's killer -- without result -- and he had often been the vengevul type when it came to his relatives and friends getting hurt. That's what had gotten him in this situation in the first place. "Blacktail Deer Plateau's Alpha. But promise you will stay away from there, Flóki. It was something between him and me, and he got his share of scars to prove it." Charon smiled, though in hindsight he realised that maybe he should have kept Flóki in the dark about the identity of the wolf he'd fought with. Oh well. With a proud tone in his voice he added: "I ripped off one of his ears." Maybe boasting about fighting wasn't very pedagogically correct, but since Charon was still young and proud himself and this was his first real fight, he couldn't help but boast to his younger sibling. All he wanted was for his siblings to look up to him and this heroic war story would help in that. He wasn't a victim; he was a warrior.

"I'll be okay, promise." Charon smiled to emphasise his point, feeling and looking more upbeat than he had in recent times, even before his fight with Dante. "I met someone who helped me rest up at this really cool mountain, which is why I was gone for a little bit 'til I was healthy enough to travel. Her name's Amekaze." There was glee in Charon's voice, for the thought of sitting atop his own throne was one that allured to him much. However, before he was going to tell Flóki the full extent of his plans, he wanted to make Amekaze look like some sort of hero, so that Flóki would like the thought of being a part of her pack before realising he was going to be.

:D

Floki calmed somewhat when Charon reassured him. The ridge of fur along his spine flattened once more, though his tail lashed to and fro behind him like the ticking of a clock. He nodded his head as Charon revealed the identity of his attacker, silently agreeing with the promise not to go after him. He wouldn't -- not now, anyway. He knew that the other wolf was likely much larger than he was, but he stored the information away for the future.

He was pleased to hear that Charon had at least gotten his punches in, and had torn off one of the Alpha's ears. "Wow," he said, his eyes growing round at the thought of doing so much damage to someone else. One day, he would be a fighter like Charon -- he just knew it. The Beta then smiled and became noticeably more cheerful as he mentioned a mountain and a wolf named Amekaze. There was even a touch of excitement in his voice. Immediately, Floki made a positive association with Amekaze, and he returned Charon's smile.

"I'm glad she took care of you. How far away is her mountain?" he asked.

Flóki calmed down a bit as Charon explained that the fight had been mutual. He conveniently left out that Dante had technically won, since Charon didn't like to admit defeat and so he pretty much never did, even when defeated. Lying was better than losing. Charon felt proud when Flóki's eyes widened as he said that he had taken one of Dante's ears. Though he was not, Charon liked to think himself a ferocious fighter after this one (mutual) fight he had been in.

It was good that Flóki already seemed to take to Amekaze; he'd have to, if she would be his Alpha soon too. "It's probably a bit far to travel now, but in not too long you'll be able to go there too." Charon remembered travelling all the way to Duskfire Glacier when he was about Flóki's age. It had been way too far, which was why he thought that the Sunspire was a bit far to travel for Flóki as of yet. "Actually though, you might not have to. The Sunspire is a pretty small pack. Since Ame is such a cool wolf, I asked her if she wanted to start a pack together, since her pack's small and our territory is pretty beat up from that storm. So we'd like for everyone in both our packs to move somewhere else together. D'you think you'd like that?" It was an unfair question, of course: Flóki had never met Amekaze, or anyone of the Sunspire probably, and now Charon was asking him if he wanted to move away from his home to be with them. Still, it was Charon's intent to bring every last of the Bay's wolves, and that meant they all needed to be on board. Charon nonchalantly thought they would all accept without putting up a fight, even Thistle and Atreyu -- perhaps because of his own enthusiasm which made it hard to imagine anyone else not feeling the same, or because of his lack of empathical strength.

Floki regarded Charon with curiosity as he spoke. He said that Amekaze's mountain was some distance away, but then segued into another topic entirely. The young Beta suggested that their family could join with Amekaze's pack, and move to a new territory altogether. Floki's brows raised in surprise, but he refrained from speaking for a moment as he turned over the idea in his mind.

He was fairly attached to the beach itself, but Charon was right -- much of Stavanger Bay had been wrecked in the storm, and there were areas through which the wolves could no longer traverse. Despite his preference for the sand and surf, Floki did not feel particularly sad about the thought of leaving the old land behind. After all, nothing but tragedy seemed to happen there.

Perhaps even surprising himself, he nodded slowly. "Yeah, I think that would be a good idea." He was only five months old, but even he could recognize that the size of their pack would not bode well for winter. They needed more able bodied wolves to help hunt, cache, and protect the borders. "Where will we go? And when?" he asked. It helped that his brother seemed so eager to facilitate the merge; had Charon approached the topic with a sour tone, Floki likely wouldn't have taken to it so easily.

It was surprising how mature Flóki approached the subject. Perhaps because he was once a tantrum-throwing child himself Charon had expected at least a little bit of pedalling back from, if anyone, his younger siblings. He did not realise how wrong he was to think that Flóki would've been the only wolf to possibly object, and it only strengthened Charon's self-confidence that he was doing the right thing to see his five months old brother agree. "Amekaze is going to tell her wolves about our plan and she'll come see us here at the Bay. Maybe she'll bring her wolves, too, so we can all get to know each other. We're going to look for a new place to live afterwards. Amekaze really likes mountains, and they provide a great view, so I want to check out the mountains south of the Bay first." Charon really hated leaving behind the oceanside, but then again, in his time at the Sunspire he'd noticed that mountains had their perks, too.

With a smile on his face Charon suggested: "You could come explore, too! Then you can have a say in where we're gonna live, too." If anyone needed to absolutely love their new home, it was Flóki, in Charon's mind. He'd endured so much, and he deserved the world as far as Charon was concerned. Charon wondered if Levi had returned to the Bay in Charon's absence, but he didn't yet ask; perhaps because he was too afraid of the answer. Levi had always been the constant in his life, and he wasn't sure he was ready to lose him permanently.

The more Charon spoke, the more it seemed that he and Amekaze had devised quite a plan. It wasn't just a flippant suggestion; it sounded as though they had discussed it in detail. Had Floki been older, he might have had more misgivings -- but as it were, he was still young and fairly trusting, especially of Charon. The idea of living on a mountain both thrilled and worried Floki, though excitement was the predominant emotion.

"Yeah, I want to help explore," he agreed as soon as the words were out of Charon's mouth. His tail waved behind him. Although there would be a lot of change and upheaval in his future, it was hard to be doubtful when Charon was so positive. "Should we go home and tell Mama?" he asked, glancing over his shoulder in the direction of the Bay. Thistle Cloud would be happy to see Charon, and Floki hoped that she would like his idea, too.

"Great!" Charon said when Flóki agreed to help explore with Charon. He smiled at his brother and nuzzled his shoulder again, so glad to be home. When Flóki suggested telling Thistle, Charon nodded. "Yeah, let's do that!" Although he didn't really intend to call only his mother. He'd been making the decisions for some time, and in his own mind, Charon felt that he should therefore make this decision. He would tell the pack in the same way that he had Flóki, sort of, and they'd probably pick up on his energy and positivity and realise that he was a genius and that they should go along with his plan. Perhaps if he had been older himself, Charon would've thought better, longer and harder about the plan that he had come up with, but as things were, he was an impatient yearling who couldn't wait to start the next chapter of his life.

Filled with excitement, Charon came into motion as he started to make his way north through the forest. "I bet mama will be thrilled to see me, and happy that we've come up with a plan to survive the winter." Charon barely considered the option Thistle might not be so happy about his plan, or unwilling to give up her position as Alpha. In his mind, it would do her well to take it easy for a little while. When she had crowned him Beta three months ago she said that he was not yet ready... And now he knew that he was ready.

Although Thistle Cloud had been distant for nearly the entirety of Floki's life, he still looked up to her both as his mother and his leader. Perhaps as he continued to grow, he would shift his sights more towards Charon -- and already, he held his brother in highest regard -- but now it didn't even cross his mind that Thistle would be disapproving of Charon's idea. He nipped at Charon's ear as his brother pressed his nose against his shoulder, then eagerly fell into step alongside him.

"She's been really worried about you," Floki replied, and though he didn't explicitly say it, he implied that he had hardly seen their mother as of late. He didn't hold it against her; it was simply the way that things were, and he was more independent for it. Naturally, he couldn't completely sustain himself -- his hunting skills were still sub-par and needed more work -- but Floki spent a lot of time alone. That would likely be reflected in his personality as he aged.

"Tell me more about mountains," he said after they had walked a short distance in silence.

There was a certain sadness in Flóki's words when he said that Thistle had been worried about Charon. Charon could understand: growing up, he'd been alone a lot too. He had started exploring at a young age, because Levi was all he had -- and Levi'd been sad a lot -- and Thistle and Ragnar were busy Alphas who'd already been planning the litter from Charon's young age. Gunnar was the only sibling Charon had from the previous litter, and he'd been pretty alright; all of the Loðbrok family had been good to him, but when he was tiny never a filler for his own missing relatives. He wondered if it was the same for Flóki.

"I'd never leave you," he said as he looked at Flóki with a cheerful smile. "See? This stupid asshat wolf tried to get me down, but he couldn't keep me away from you." He considered telling Flóki about Drake, his imaginary troll friend, but Flóki was already looking so grown in appearance and Charon figured he might already fancy himself too old for replacement friends.

Flóki asked Charon to tell him about the mountains, and with a cheerful expression on his face Charon began to explain: "They're pretty amazing. They often have got lots of hidden caves and other places, so it's very adventurous to be on one. And if you find the right spot, you can see all the way across the valley. The view can be amazing -- you'll see when we're exploring." Sitting on one of the Sunspire's best viewspots had made Charon feel like a Jarl, a King; and he had been a mere visitor to the pack. He couldn't wait to sit on his very own throne.

Want to wrap this one up soon and have an exploring thread or two after the pack meeting? :)

Floki cast a sidelong glance at Charon, smiling as his brother promised that he would never intentionally leave him. He believed Charon; he had learned in his short life that wolves tended to come and go, and that life was fleeting and could be taken away without a moment's notice. But Charon had been a constant, and even when he left Stavanger Bay, he always came back.

The mention of the "asshat" wolf made Floki's blood boil again. Blacktail Deer Plateau Alpha, he remembered, though he concealed his anger from Charon. Instead, he focused on the freckled youth's words as he described the mountains in great detail. He made them sound just as awesome as Floki imagined them. The boy could already picture himself standing at the peak, gazing out over the Teekon Wilds sprawled beneath him. Their pack would certainly be better off; there was just something strong about a mountain.

"I can't wait!" he exclaimed, his tail swinging in a loop behind him. They were getting close to home -- he could smell the sea spray on the breeze, and the trees were becoming more sparse. He felt a pang of homesickness, knowing that he would soon be leaving behind the familiar scents and tastes that he had grown up with, but he steeled his resolve. He would be as brave as Charon.

yessir! i'll fade this :D

Charon was glad that his enthusiasm was infectuous. His brother already wanted to go and explore the mountains that Charon had in mind for their new pack. However, they needed to be patient. First they needed to tell the rest of the pack about the news, and then they could start looking for a new place. However, if all of them would be as enthusiastic as Flóki, then surely things'd end up just fine.

With a broad smile on his face the young Beta followed his brother home, ready to tell his pack what their future held in store for them.