Mount Apikuni someday

@Rannoch :D

Nikai'd gone out to explore some more, but so far he hadn't found anyone that wanted to join Easthollow. He felt disappointed in his own abilities, and was torn between feeling bad or wanting to try even harder. It was lucky that wolves from some other pack had come and joined Easthollow not long ago, so that his efforts weren't quite as needed, and he also admittedly felt the tug of the wilds more now that Valette was safe, her sister was here too and overall things were looking good within the pack.

He wandered just below the mountain, finding his curiosity growing for Northstar Vale, where they'd met other wolves not long ago, he and Keoni. He knew that she must long to be somewhere else too, to have wanted to visit this place. Nikai felt almost sure she wished to go here, while he, well, he wasn't too picky. Just anywhere else was fine, anywhere his paws would carry him.

SO sorry for the wait. <3

 

Like Nikai, Rannoch had felt the yearning to get out and explore. The rounds that he had done earlier in the day had done little to satisfy his need to move about, and as a result, the Alpha found himself leaving the Vale for the afternoon to scout out the territory that surrounded the packlands. Though he had sought these lands previously, Rannoch wanted to know if anything had changed in the perfume of the range. He wondered if any new prey had come to claim this area of their own or if the scent was as it had been when he had traveled here previously. 

For the most part, it was as it had been before. The local creatures provided their aroma to the area, indicating to Rannoch that nothing had drastically changed in the days since his last expedition. The only exception to this was the familiar tang of somebody he'd met before: Nikai. Curious to know what his friend was doing all the way over here, Rannoch sought him by following the trail his scent had left. 

It did not take him long to clear the distance between them, and when the other came into sight, Rannoch paused at a distance. "Nikai?" he asked despite his certainty in that fact that it was Keeni's brother.

When he saw Rannoch, Nikai was excited at first — a wolf that might wish to join Easthollow! — then disappointed — it was Rannoch, who already had a pack — and then excited again — because it was Rannoch! The rollercoaster of emotion didn't show much, since he was still far away at the time, but Nikai approached Rannoch with a cheerful wave of his tail.

"Hi Rannoch! Are you out exploring too?" he asked with a soft smile. He couldn't help but feel a little like he was already half part of Northstar Vale, even though he and Keoni were also still very much a part of Easthollow. There was just something welcoming about Rannoch and his band of wolves.

"I am!" Rannoch replied fondly, sizing up his friend with a sweep of his turquoise eyes. Though it had not been long since they had last seen each other, Rannoch felt that something was different about his freckled companion. But, despite this inkling, Rannoch could not figure out exactly what was different. He paused for a moment in thought, contemplating on what was different until he couldn't pinpoint anything. 

"And you?" he asked in turn, cocking a brow as he looked to the other wolf. "What are you doing so far from home?" And so close to the Vale? 

can we say this is after he finds out Valette is pregnant so he can share the news? :D

Of course he was exploring; but a little closer to home. Different places, different purposes, Nikai thought to himself. Nikai was out looking for recruits and checking out the lay of the lands, while Rannoch was probably searching good hunting grounds in the area of his pack.

To answer the question: "Yep! I mean, yep, I'm also out exploring. My mother asked me to look for more recruits a while ago. We've had some extra wolves joining since then, but I figured it wouldn't hurt to look some more. So I'm really just checking out territories and exploring so I can get a better view of the lands here." He smiled, clearly happy with being able to explore. It was in his heart.

Of course! :)

"Yeah," Rannoch agreed with a wave of his tail, "more members never hurt." At least, this is what the Alpha had come to assume. The fear of the impending Winter was already creeping into his psyche, and he couldn't help but not start to plan for it. In this planning, Rannoch considered his numbers and knew that there was room for growth.

Gradually, Rannoch's attention momentarily strayed from his company and towards the breathtaking view that their perspective could only provide and soon his eyes settled on the distant horizon. "It's quite a view, isn't it?" he asked with a satisfied sigh.

Of course, as an Alpha, Rannoch could relate to his mother's desire for more recruits, Nikai thought. More wasn't always better, but it was nice to have a buffer and with the pups on the way it was nice to know they had enough wolves to care for the pups.

As Rannoch drew his attention to the view, Nikai nodded. "Yeah. We don't have views like these at Easthollow. It's very pretty." He smiled softly as he looked over the territories. Easthollow was beautiful in its own way, but it didn't offer these kind of panoramas. "Is that why you picked the mountains?" Nikai could imagine; he would've picked such a central place with a lot of overview too if he could pick a place to live.

Despite their less than ideal origin, the Vale had become a place that given the pack a bounty of blessings. From the protection that the Vale provided to the abundant prey, they had been given a territory that fulfilled all of their needs. Along with these necessities, they had been given aspects that were not essential for their survival. This view was one of the bonus. 

"It isn't, actually," he replied, drawing his full attention from their surrounding and upon his company. "We were settled in the plains before the mountain and were attacked by a bear. Thankfully nobody got injured too badly. But, we kept running until we came across the Vale."  

Nikai frowned sadly as he heard the news that they were attacked by a bear. He had never faced one himself but he had learned that they were dangerous and one must stay away from them. "Oh, wow," he mumbled. "I hope no one got hurt?" It sounded like they hadn't lost anyone, at least. Nikai hesitated a moment if it was appropriate to continue talking about other stuff and then said, "It seems like a nice and central place to live."

"Yeah, no body got too hurt," he reassured his company with a smile. When it was deemed appropriate to continue, Nikai followed his concern with a remark and the Alpha agreed. Though his travel eastward had been limited, Rannoch knew that there was more territory beyond where they had settled. Curious, Rannoch poised his own question: "How far east have you been?" As Nikai's adventurous nature was evident, he wondered how far he'd gone in his travels.

Nikai was glad to hear that nobody'd gotten hurt. Rannoch asked him how far east he'd gone, and Nikai took some time to look around him, gauging his surroundings and trying to remember what direction east was. Then he answered, "I haven't been very far east, actually, but I've been pretty far west. I went all the way to the big mountain to the west. Not the one in this mountain ridge, but the one beyond there." He hoped that what he said would make sense. He'd also been to the shores, but he wasn't too sure if it interested Rannoch much to know that, as it was closer to Rannoch's home than the western mountains Nikai'd visited.

Though confused at first at what Nikai had said, Rannoch worked out the other wolf's words in his head until it made sense. His memory of the territory to the west was fuzzy, as it had been quite some time since he had returned to the Teekon, but eventually, he was able to piece it together. 

"Ah, yes," he remarked as his thoughtful expression grew lively again. "It's been quite some time, but, I've been past that mountain." Rannoch wondered if Nikai would want to know what he had seen.

"Past the mountains in the west?" he asked with wide eyes, surprised that Rannoch'd been that far even though he, too, was yet young. "What's there?" Nikai loved exploration and he loved checking out new places, so he found himself instantly curious to what Rannoch'd seen there. Maybe it would save him a trip if it were nothing special, or maybe it'd be worth checking it out himself sometime soon.

The information that Rannoch disclosed to took a good amount of time to explain. Despite him not knowing of Nikai's intentions of becoming a scout, he described everything that he could recall in great detail; as if he had been there just the day prior. Their conversation evolved from there as Rannoch shared his wisdom about the territory beyond the Teekons, giving the Easthollow everything he needed should he ever venture off in that direction. 

Their conversation spanned a good amount of time. When they both were satisfied with what had been shared, the two men parted ways; both of them knowing a little more than they did previously.