Moonspear Awaken from a child's dream

The mountainous region the pack decided to live felt similar to the Sunspire, except it didn't feel as harsh. Perhaps that was only because he didn't go too high yet. Nishu still had hesitations on weither he should stay here or not. He forced himself to resign his own Knighthood. He was a failure and couldn't meet the expectations he wanted. It was hard to admit to himself that being a Knight (although it's what he trained so hard to be.) isn't for him.

Without the title of a Knight, what was he? He was still a failure, that was something that will stay forever. Waking up from a childhood dream isn't as simple as it seems. Acting like a Knight was easy but anything else would feel unnatural. Saying he isn't good enough to be a Knight makes him believe he shouldn't act like one. So what was he suppose to do?

Nishu was looking at his reflection in the steady flowing river water. He would think after watching other wolves he could act as they do but nothing came to mind. "What is it like to not act like a Knight." He said in a deep but soft tone. If only answers would just fall from the sky but that would never be the case.

Floki could say with confidence that his life had improved since moving to Moonspear. Not only did he feel whole, knowing that this pack was comprised of more than three other wolves, but he also found that he had a purpose. He had earned the outrider trade right after the mountain was officially claimed, and in addition, he had spent a lot of time helping to mark the borders and establish the pack's boundaries.

Above all, though, he was happy to be able to call Wildfire a packmate. He was thinking about her more and more, now that he knew that she was always nearby; and what had started out as just a friendship was blossoming into more of a crush, at least on Floki's behalf. In fact, she had just crossed his mind as he meandered along the bank of a river that sliced through Moonspear's rocky terrain. He smiled, then stopped short when he heard a voice, blue eyes snapping into focus.

Ahead, he spotted a silver male. He didn't recognize him, and assumed that this was one of Amekaze's wolves. Floki's interest was piqued by what he had heard -- "What is it like to not act like a knight?" -- and curiosity was evident on his face as he approached. "Are you from the Sunspire?" he asked.

While in thought a question rose to mind. 'are you from the Sunspire?' Which suddenly confused him. Why would he asked himself that? That answer is a clear no even if he spent a few seasons there. Nishu acted as  a member in order to serve his purpose and promise to the one he was bound to by contract. A vow that today still exist. But knowing that maybe he shouldn't be a knight made him wonder if it was ok to break the vow or if it was void.

The question was odd until he realized that it didn't come from him but from a pup instead. Nishu simply turned to face him straight on. He presented his usual stand tall and proud with his head held high. Considering that Nishu is large, trained, and fit it would be understandable that one could get intimidated. He looked down at the pup and gave an honest answer, "No."

Just that moment he recalled that the pack did merge with another, in which he forgot the name. There was a feint scent that he recognized but couldn't put a name on the pack that scent came from. The detail was unimportant and he didn't bother digging into it. Still he felt as if it was necessary to explain why he said no but simply didn't feel like it.

"But I will say I'm their ally. You and I are not enemies." He said in case of a misunderstanding.

There was a pause before the larger wolf answered Floki's question. He turned to face him, and Floki found that there was something regal about him. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but before he could contemplate it too much, he was given an answer. "No," the wolf said, and the young Lodbrok frowned with confusion. If he wasn't from the Sunspire or Stavanger Bay, then he must have been a new recruit, he decided, like Dash or Jura.

The male then went on to explain that he was an ally of the Sunspire, and that Floki could be assured that he wasn't an enemy. This only bemused the boy further. Of course an enemy would not be found so deep within the packlands, but he wasn't sure why the grey wolf referred to himself that way.

With a gentle shake of his head, Floki said, "Okay. Well, I'm Floki, Charon's brother. I guess I'm an ally too." He was an avid supporter of Moonspear, and had no qualms about the former Sunspire wolves, so he supposed that he fit that definition as well.

Nishu wasn't that great with names, but at least he could remember those who directly give theirs. So this young wolf was named Floki. After a few moments of judging by looks, he figured that Floki likely had an easy life. He started to wonder if wolves here even train to prepare themselves. Most wolves Nishu see don't try to get stronger every day. Knowing how dangerous the world can be it was always better to be prepared. He felt like trying to encourage the idea.

"Good to hear. My name is Nishu, A Knight of Sunspire." He said by reflex. This was false in his mind and quickly decided to correct. "Well, actually I shouldn't be a Knight anymore so just call me Nishu. Just Nishu.." It sounded so uninteresting, unimportant without adding the knight to his name. It didn't really put him a good mood to realize he was going back in time in a sense.

Well he needed to start acting like others do instead of being a Knight. Maybe Floki could help with that. "What's it like to be a usual wolf?" He said without thinking about what effects his words might have.

The wolf followed suit, introducing himself as Nishu. There was an addition to his title, however, that drew Floki's attention. A knight? He only knew what that was from Charon's overactive imagination; he had spoken often of knights and dragons and other whimsical things. Floki wasn't as creative as Charon, and his first assumption was that Nishu was of the same mind as his brother. But he spoke in a serious tone that indicated that it wasn't a joke or pretense.

Nishu quickly corrected himself, withdrawing his statement about knighthood. A question flew to Floki's lips, but before he could answer it, Nishu was making a query of his own. "What's it like to be a usual wolf?" he asked, and Floki blinked. What an odd question -- but it was surprisingly difficult to formulate a response.

"Um, well...I dunno. We just do wolf things -- hunting and marking the borders and taking care of each other," he replied with a shrug. "I'm an outrider, so that's my job...what's it like being a knight? Or what was it like?" he asked. He really wanted to find out why Nishu was no longer a knight, but held his tongue for the time being.

The answer he was looking for wasn't that clear. Based on what was understood, classic wolves seem to be a family of hunters who claim their own grounds. Compared to knights and leaders that Nishu knows there is a clearly difference. Of course he did have his own idea of 'normal' wolves. To him they were just wolves doing the minimum to survive and often lack training in many arts but one or two.

Nishu sat down, this was bound to take some time to get all the words out. "An outrider huh, Rain is one as well."

"I'll tell you what a Knight is to help you see the differences. First of all a Knight must be able to survive harsh conditions alone or else it was best not to choose that path. Second, a Knight must be able to serve and protect their master without question. These masters are normally the Alphas, a powerful and wise someone who can make decisions and take responsibly for it." That was the big idea, but there was still much to say like the rules that must be followed and the true job of a Knight. It's much more than just serving a leader.

Nishu mentioned a wolf named Rain, but it wasn't someone that Floki had met yet. He wondered briefly if he or she was a member of Moonspear; he supposed he would find out soon enough. He listened attentively as Nishu described the traits of a knight, speaking with confidence. It was obvious that he was experienced, even if he no longer wished to hold the title.

As an outrider, Floki thought that he could learn to fulfill the first requirement that Nishu mentioned -- surviving alone in harsh conditions. And he already followed the leadership of both Charon and Amekaze without questioning them; in fact, he had been one of Charon's only supporters when it came time to merge the two packs. So what set a knight apart from a regular wolf?

"What else?" he asked, sensing that there was more information that Nishu hadn't yet delved into.

Seems the young wolf wasn't completely satisfied with all the info Nishu gave. Maybe he needed to work on explaining a little better. "Hmm well, a Knight's rank is determined by the amount of trades they mastered. More mastery the better because a Knight must be able to fulfill all request." He said, evading the true purpose. "Is that enough to see the differences?"

Of course a knight should be able to do everything a wolf can do but they have to go beyond that. It's not to be better but instead the goal was to be powerful enough to influence others. Influencing others may be considered as part of the hidden tasks of Knights. At least everything Knight do are done with good intentions, most of the time.

"That makes sense," Floki replied. A knight couldn't just be skilled in one area; he needed to be well-rounded and have the ability to face any obstacle in his path. It was sounding more and more enticing to the youth, until he realized one very important fact: Nishu no longer wanted to be a knight. If it was such a noble profession, why had he given it up?

He tilted his head, hesitating before he asked his question. He didn't want to offend his new packmate. But he finally just came out and said it. "Why aren't you a knight anymore?"

Nishu couldn't see what he would need to do to be normal. What are the things a Knight does but a normal wolf doesn't. He was hoping Floki would give an answer but he has yet to do so. Instead he asked the question that tickled a wound. Nishu wasn't exactly comfortable in sharing the reasons. He wanted to quit being a Knight but there was this feeling that it wouldn't be that easy. "It's more like I shouldn't be a Knight anymore, but.. as much as I want to, one can not simply run from failure." But Nishu didn't feel like explaining why.

"Anyway I can't stop being a Knight unless figure out how to be something else. I was hoping you could help me with that, Floki." His aim was to pull away from the failure subject. He wanted to forget but the more he thought of it the more unforgettable it was.

Nishu gave a rather vague response, though Floki did his best to interpret it. The mention of the word "failure" made him think that something had happened -- specifically, that something had gone wrong. Whatever it was, it was enough to convince Nishu that he wasn't worthy of knighthood. It didn't sound as though anyone had stripped him of the title, but that it was Nishu himself that was dissatisfied.

Floki was at least perceptive enough to realize that this was a touchy subject and likely something that Nishu did not want to linger on for much longer. The older wolf mentioned again that he needed to be "something else," so Floki hummed thoughtfully as he considered his options. "You mean earn a trade?" he asked, tilting his head to one side. "That's one way you can be a 'normal wolf' but still have a specific job. I'm an outrider, and my brother is a naturalist," he said.

Trades? Like a job? Nishu wondered what exactly that was. Being a Knight was a trade as well if it was taken in that sense. But based on the example he learned that being a Knight wasn't a job alone. In fact it was a whole series of trades. The best Knights are able to do everything. Nishu wasn't the best, no matter how he looks at it. The best choices would be to step down and aim for A trade.

"Being a Knight comes with the work of many trades. I guess taking a step down to a single job would be better for me." He said while still thinking about it. If he did step down then what job would he go for. Warrior, Gamekeeper, outrider.. there are so many jobs. There was no way to focus on one, he would always want to do more. It felt like making a choice here was hopeless. "Each trade I can think of has a link to the job of a Knight. I'm starting to think I can't avoid my job no matter how much I think I should." 

Suddenly Nishu realized a little twist in being a Knight. It's job and duty is well done that once you become one it will be impossible to go back. He was against the idea of quitting before but now that it changed he discovered that he was actually  locked in and there is no escape.

Floki nodded supportively as Nishu mused over his options aloud. He came to the realization that many trades had similarities to requirements of knighthood, and while he seemed to think that he couldn't escape the title, Floki saw it in a different light.

"Isn't that a good thing? If you have lots of experience as a knight, then it should be easy for you to earn a trade. You already know how to hunt, defend the borders, spar with other wolves, take care of damsels in distress..." he said, his lips twitching into a lopsided grin at his last comment. "We're lucky to have a former knight in our pack -- I think you would be great at any job you decided to commit to." Floki himself hadn't decided what his next task would be, but it occurred to him that perhaps Nishu could help him.

"I'm an outrider, like I said, but I need to start working on earning a second trade. Maybe we can train together?" he suggested.

Thanks for the threads, lets have another one after Nishu solves his inner struggle :P

Yes Nishu could hunt with ease and is strong enough to battle and protect. These are actually minimum requirements of a Knight. But Floki did lose him a bit at the damsels in distress part. A Knight would never ignore them and help the best way they could but only if there was real trouble, otherwise it wasn't worth the effort.

Being a Knight was the only job Nishu wanted. He had already vowed and committed so much that doing anything else just wouldn't have the same feeling to it. As a Knight Nishu felt important but it also came with lots of responsibility. "The duties I grew up with as I became a Knight will stick with me forever, I doubt I could commit to just any other job." It's for sure that he couldn't undo his Knighthood, couldn't run away. Maybe he should go see Rain and return to completing all his duties.

"If you wish to train in the art of combat or simply train your body then I'd join you but right now I must return to Rain, It's been a while since I.. faced her.." He said as his voice fated at the end. He got up and started the walk to her cave. As he moved he said his goodbye. "Until next time."

Definitely! :)

It sounded like it would simply take time for Nishu to adjust to his new role in life. No matter what Floki said, the former knight seemed to doubt himself. He did, however, offer to train Floki should he want to practice fighting, and the boy would keep that in mind going forward.

"Thanks, Nishu, I'll let you know," he said with a wave of his tail as the older male excused himself. Floki wondered again about the identity of this "Rain" wolf that Nishu mentioned, but sensed that it wasn't the time to ask. If she was a member of Moonspear, he would meet her sooner or later. "Bye," he said, watching as Nishu departed and then turning to continue marking the borders.