Firefly Glen new day
Ghost
he came and stole the wild
1,808 Posts
Ooc — Chan
Master Coach
Master Historian
Offline
#1
Pack Activity 
Welcome to Firefly Glen, brat pack! As a reminder, this thread is not mandatory, nor will there be a posting order. @Cypress @Rian @Rose @Kaori @Tryp @Pyro @Redshank @Liffey @Mato @Tulip
 

With his brothers flanking him and his pack behind them, the makeshift pack had left the protective canopy of the fruit trees for new lands. Though Rannoch had grown accustomed to both navigating the territory and the tugging of the bramble thorns, he was also glad that they were leaving it behind. Personally, Rannoch craved the open after being in the forest. He craved rolling winds, the sunny skies, exposure to those who trode too close to his blossoming family; all of these aspects had been absent in their jaunt in the woods. 

Without much thought to it, his paws lead the wayward group to a territory that he had been all too familiar with. It was only when his eyes touched the treeline of Neverwinter forest that the eldest Frostfur sibling realized where he had led the group. It was this realization that Rannoch shot a quick look to both of his siblings, as if assuring them he knew what he was doing, even though he didn't. Turning suddenly, the wide-set man veered the pack off of the path they had been treading and in the direction of the unknown. 

The sun was lowering on their second day of travel as Rannoch, and the rest of the pack found themselves alongside a creek. He had been slowing their pace since diverting, and it was with the water source Rannoch felt as though this would be a good place to settle. "I think that we should settle here for a little bit," he informed Rian and Cypress quietly once he had pulled them aside. "It seems as though prey is plentiful and we have water." His eyes trailed their faces, curious to see what they had to say about the matter. When the plan was agreed upon, Rannoch gave a firm nod in confirmation before turning towards the others with a smile. 

"We will settle here for now," he began, his eyes sweeping the wolves as he attempted to gauge their thoughts on the matter. "There seems to be prey here, and water, all of which we'll benefit from," Rannoch paused then, his eyes in the midst of the bodies, though regarding no one wolf in general. "I want us to scout these lands and the surrounding territories in the coming days to see if anywhere near here would be ideal for claiming for us. If not, we'll move on." With the news given, Rannoch waited for whatever the others had to say on the matter. "Any objections?" There was a sense of authority of how held himself as he opened up the floor for conversation, his body poised proudly as he looked upon the crowd.
a crime so old as the sky and bone
he came untied, solid as a stone
all is almost lost and it starts to show
288 Posts
Ooc — KJ
Offline
#2
It was Cypress’ turn to be unhappy with Rannoch’s decisions, but he buttoned his lips over his objections as the argent male turned to the rest of the pack with a characteristically sunny smile and called the shots. They were too close to Neverwinter Forest. They were too close to Moonspear. They were too close to the caldera pack for which Cypress had no name. Rannoch had led them to the veritable epicenter of the Great Bear Wilderness, fundamentally equidistant from three established packs — and the abundance of prey and good, clean water screamed trouble to the wild-furred guardian. They’d already brushed far too close to the evergreens, and Cypress hackles were in a constant state of disarray, eldritch quills that stood on end as he listened to the galvanizing speech and inwardly found retorts for every point.

When Rannoch opened the floor to commentary, the typically taciturn raven was quick to make his concerns known. Nobody should venture out alone,” he murmured in a guttural, unusually assertive tone. “There are packs to the north, south, and west; all of us need to keep our distance from their borders. The whole group could suffer from one wolf’s dumb mistake.” He stated it, but he looked to Rannoch and Rian to enforce it, his sulphureous eyes pleading but carefully evasive. He was feeling incredibly anxious about settling here, even temporarily, but anxiousness for Cypress tended to manifest itself in an intense stare and a sinister frown. To those who did not know him well, he might have appeared simply disgruntled — but his brothers would see the worry in the taut line of his mouth and the deep furrow of his brow. It went without saying that Cypress did not believe a suitable home could be found here.
the oath
207 Posts
Ooc — Siro
Offline
#3
Rian wasn't entirely uncomfortable with the idea of being so close to Neverwinter—he couldn't imagine Ondine chasing them off should they run into trouble with any of the other packs, and though his goal was to be entirely self-sufficient, they were young and it wasn't clear what, exactly, lay in the unknown. To have somewhere to fall back on wasn't the worst of their options, but the fact they were smack dab in the middle of three packs was not comforting to the young O'Malley. He kept mum on it for now—he wasn't exactly jonsing for another blow-out with Rannoch so soon after the last. 

Still, it seemed Cypress shared his unease because when they finally reached the place that Rannoch deemed a suitable campground, his shadowy brother cut in with a suggestion that sounded more like a command. Pride swelled in his breast for his silver-kissed companion, and Rian could not help but shoot the boy a look of approval. "Let others know where you're going and how long you'll be gone, so we're all aware and can come find you if something happens." He added. "Not that it should," he swept his gaze over the gathered with look that plainly said: or else.
As ruthless as it all may seem the wild cares not for the weaker beings.
783 Posts
Ooc — Stevie
Master Ranger
Offline
#4
*party crashes*

She had found them. Finally. Liffey had caught their trail over an hour prior and her heart had been pounding ever since. She'd been surprised to discover how many of them there were - Rannoch had only mentioned his brothers. She supposed she had never known exactly how many brothers there really were, but in any event, there was no mistaking his scent amongst them. Rannoch.

When the faint sound of voices touched her ears, Liffey began to run. She felt as though her heart were about to burst from her excitement. She'd been so miserable and lonely since leaving the Caldera, but now it felt like her misery was about to end. In a matter of seconds, she would be turning the page on her unhappy life at the Caldera and starting a new chapter with kindred souls - friends, a new family, a new life that she had only ever dreamed of.

When Liffey came upon them, she slowed considerably. The sight of the crowd was sobering, and she was suddenly very aware that she didn't know about 99% of them. With a shake of her coat, she attempted to settle her nerves before stepping tentatively into view a few yeards away. Her posture was lacking any threat and her head bowed demurely as she searched across the gathered wolves.

When she found Rannoch, her head lifted slightly and she gazed at him, embers smouldering in her eyes. She didn't know exactly what to do or how to do this. He had told her already he had a place for her, but did these other wolves know that? How would they react to her? Should she say anything? She felt something powerful in her chest compelling her to walk straight amongst them to greet the cobalt prince. But that wasn't really her place... At least, she didn't think so. But then, why did it feel like it might be?

Her mind raced as instinct and logic battled, but Liffey remained still, her gaze never wavering from Rannoch.
if I knew where I was going, I'd lose my way.
~•~
Ghost
he came and stole the wild
1,808 Posts
Ooc — Chan
Master Coach
Master Historian
Offline
#5
400th post 4 u guys!

For a majority of what followed Rannoch's initial speaking, he kept his eyes to his brothers, lending them his support as they spoke. He agreed in their motions in traveling in numbers, and he nodded to each of the men as they elaborated. Once they had both fallen silent, Rannoch's gaze regarded the group as a whole, and he nodded. "We are not here to cause trouble with the neighboring packs. We are here to scout around for possible territories and supplies, and if we don't find the former, we'll be on our way." From his position, Rannoch did not realize how closely they had settled to Neverwinter, but the coming days would make him realize this mistake and move the pack along and as far away from the forest as possible. 

With his words finalized, a sudden movement from the midst of the crowd caught his attention, and quickly he froze as he realized just who was moving. Liffey. Feeling his breath catch in his throat at the sight of her, Rannoch attempted to rebound as he scrambled to form a comprehensive sentence. "Everybody, this is Liffey," he announced after a slight beat, rallying up his confidence as the leader of the group to push through the sudden rush of bashfulness that he felt. "She is the naturalist I spoke of, Rian and Cy," he added as an afterthought quietly for the company that flanked him, his eyes sweeping to his siblings in an attempt to get them up to speed. After recruiting Mato, Rannoch had gone ahead and let them know that another Naturalist would be joining their ranks. 

When he turned his attention back to the woman from the Caldera, Rannoch's posture had squared, and he heightened himself to appear taller, as he had to before his packmates. "Are you here to join our ranks?" Though he could only assume this was why she had made it this far, Rannoch still felt the need to ask before jumping to any conclusions. His eyes lingered on her for a moment, feeling all the emotions of that moment roll over him at once. This feeling was something akin to what lovesickness felt like; his insides were mush and heat rose along his cheeks, and it was driven by the pounding of his heart; a sensation that he had not felt in any other's company. Watching her, he shook himself in an attempt to ward off whatever had overcome him while trying to calm his nerves as he hoped that she was joining them.
a crime so old as the sky and bone
he came untied, solid as a stone
all is almost lost and it starts to show
288 Posts
Ooc — KJ
Offline
#6
With the group in agreement and his suggestions taken seriously, Cypress could afford to lay some of his disgruntlement to rest. He appreciated Rian and Rannoch enforcing his words and some of the tension went out of his long-limbed, broad-shouldered frame — but it renewed itself at the approach of a wolf he didn’t know. His expression remained stoic but his sulphureous eyes were undeniably suspicious as he rose to all fours. He was watchful and protective of their band, but he stowed his interrogation as Rannoch seemed to have some familiarity with her — and Cypress hadn’t missed each miniscule flicker of the turquoise-eyed leader’s expression, though he wouldn’t be inclined to inquire about it either. Whatever this female was to Rannoch, the younger Frostfur hadn’t seen fit to share it yet, and Cypress wasn’t the type to pry. He had a significant secret of his own — a dark-furred, blue-eyed one — that he wasn’t ready to talk about, after all.

He did his best to make the female feel welcome. Working the rightmost corner of his mouth into an easy half-grin, “Hey, Liffey,” quietly came his low, even baritenor. “We’ve met, briefly. Welcome.” They had met before, but the circumstance had been far from ideal: wolverine, blood, teeth, all the bad things.
the oath
207 Posts
Ooc — Siro
Offline
#7
A girl approached the gathering and the reaction was both instantanious and palatable. Rian watched her with a weather eye as she came to rest before them, but the note of familiarity in Rannoch's voice (and the slightly strained urgency to it) was comforting in a queer way. Once more Rannoch had succeeded in winning over yet another wayward youth, and Rian now counted eight to their original three. He shot a glance to Cypress, who seemed just as baffled as he was about their brother's connection to the newcomer, but decided not to question it for now, especially when the swarthy boy remarked on their own previous meeting. Rian was the odd one out, but he wouldn't let that rankle him. 

Instead he nodded at her, and offered his own smile. "Welcome, glad to have you."
As ruthless as it all may seem the wild cares not for the weaker beings.
783 Posts
Ooc — Stevie
Master Ranger
Offline
#8
Liffey's heart was hammering as she waited for his reaction. Even when Rannoch gave it, she felt as though it might soon beat right out of her chest. Doubts clouded her mind in he seconds he spoke to the other gathered wolves and who she assumed were his brothers. Maybe he'd changed his mind. Maybe he didn't have room for her anymore. Maybe he'd found someone else to look at the stars with and he didn't want her anymore. What would she do? She had no home to return to...

"If you'll have me still," she answered, her voice small but strong after a second's hesitation. She watched him for his answer, but movement distracted her briefly. She noticed Cypress then and realized she had met him before. Her head canted with surprise, but her tail began to wag to show her pleasure. The other assumed brother spoke next and she gave him one of her shy, demure little smiles as well. There would be a time to better acquaint herself with both, and to shower the former with gratitude for saving her from the wolverine. For now, though, her eyes moved back to Rannoch.
if I knew where I was going, I'd lose my way.
~•~
Ghost
he came and stole the wild
1,808 Posts
Ooc — Chan
Master Coach
Master Historian
Offline
#9
Liffey's accepted into the pack had always been contingent on whether or not she wanted to join. Rannoch had no reason to reject her and knew that she would be a great asset to their ranks. It also did hurt that Rannoch was infatuated with her, even though he wasn't acutely aware of it. With Liffey in their ranks, the wolves would gain another member and Rannoch would gain somebody that he might grow closer to in time. 

So when her hesitance rose above the crowd, Rannoch felt his heart catch in his throat as he feared she was contemplating whether or not she wanted to join them. But when she spoke, all of his fears melted away. Not shying from his pleasure in his reply, the large male nodded. "Of course, we'd love to have you," he rumbled with a wave of his tail, a smile tracing his words as he watched her. It was as if the rest of the pack had melted away for a moment, leaving only he and Liffey, and selfishly he enjoyed this moment, taking her in as the realization that she was a part of the pack struck. 

Looking lovestruck for no more than a few instances, Rannoch rebounded instantly and shook himself to rid the remnants of her hold. "You are all dismissed," he said, addressing all the packmates as he tore his gaze away from the girl from the Caldera. "Please, familiarize yourself with the area and make Liffey feel welcome," he shot her a glance, smiling gaily before regarding the wolves who flanked him before adding, "We'll be around, too, if you need anything." And with that, the pack was dismissed.
a crime so old as the sky and bone
he came untied, solid as a stone
all is almost lost and it starts to show
288 Posts
Ooc — KJ
Offline
#10
It was easy for Cypress to see that Rannoch had things he wanted to say to the enchanting, fiery-eyed female in private, and the raven had no qualms about making himself scarce. Scarce was kind of the way he liked things anyway. He didn’t necessarily like the way he was dismissed for Liffey’s company, though. “You are all dismissed,” Rannoch had said, and there was part of the eidolon that rankled at such a bald statement. It protested, “I was born first!” and, “Who do you think you are — paw?” but he shut it down fast. Rannoch wouldn’t replace him. Rian wouldn’t replace him. They were brothers. He reasoned that if Alya had walked up to the group he might have reacted with his own variation of seeking privacy. Fair enough.

Nosing warmly and respectfully at Rian and Rannoch’s chins and cheeks, Cypress threaded his way through the throng to patrol the area. On his way past Liffey, he offered an amicable chuff and, if she did not flinch away, made to brush his shoulder and hip against hers as he passed, exchanging scents. “Don’t worry,” he quipped lowly, responding to her with as much compassion as he could muster. “We have a strict ‘No Wolverine’ policy here.” He was looking forward to getting to know her beyond that incident, but as it was their only memory to draw on, he called upon it in a frail attempt to make her laugh.

With that, he moved off, disappearing into the shadows at the edge of the clearing.
the oath
207 Posts
Ooc — Siro
Offline
#11
Similarly, Rian wasn't fond of the way Rannoch dismissed them, but he didn't have the energy to make mention of it. They were all still feeling one another out, especially Rian and Rannoch, regardless of the mutual understanding they'd reached since their dominance dispute. Everything about this was new to them all, and one way or another, things would settle into place and lessons would be learned. The young O'Malley wasn't about to chastize their defacto leader in front of the entire pack, either. It would only serve to make him look like a jerk, and embarass the Frostfur male.

So when Cypress nudged him and slunk off past Liffey, Rian followed suit. He passed by Liffey after Cypress did, and lent her a small smile of reassurance. Any friend of Rannoch's was welcome here, it seemed to say, but he didn't put words to his thoughts. Not until he had a better feel for her, and her connection to his brother. The yearling then passed the gathering and headed off to find a drink, and mark the borders of their campsite.
As ruthless as it all may seem the wild cares not for the weaker beings.
783 Posts
Ooc — Stevie
Master Ranger
Offline
#12
Liffey felt herself holding her breath after her reply as she awaited Rannoch's. When it came, she relaxed visibly and smiled brightly at him. He dismissed the pack then and she felt even more relieved. As much as she wanted to meet the rest of her new packmates, she had realized the moment she saw him how terribly she'd missed him. I'd like to say she wasn't sure why she'd felt that way, but the truth is, she knew perfectly well - she was just in self-protective denial.

Her eyes fell on Cypress first as he accepted his dismissal amiably. Liffey canted her head as he spoke to her, then laughed lightly at his comment. She returned Rian's smile as he left as well, overwhelmed with joy at how good it felt to be so easily and happily accepted by wolves who were so completely unfamiliar with her. She'd not realized how nervous she'd been at meeting the others in this pack she'd devoted herself to. She'd come from being the sole daughter of alphas - it had never been a question before of someone liking her. They'd had to, or at least they'd had to act like it, and Liffey had never questioned one way or the other. This was a completely new world for her - one where her position and popularity were not guaranteed. As easy as this had been, Liffey was not naive enough to think it always would be.

But, in any event, Liffey soon found herself alone with Rannoch. In spite of her desire to hang out with him, she suddenly felt overwhelmed with shyness. With a smile and a mumble of gratitude, she too turned to slip away into the woods to find some solitude where she could work on calming her nerves.
if I knew where I was going, I'd lose my way.
~•~