Moonspear Trial

@Charon

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Rouge had spent the last couple weeks retracing her step and going back to the places she had once been. She was trying to find things that others in the area may not know about. The reason why was because she had meet someone from this pack. One that went by Charon. He had said to her to find three things that he wouldn't know about. She wasn't sure what this male would or would not know, so she had more then three things on her mind, just in case. She went over the things she could say in her head. 

A part of her was nervious. This was the first pack she had tried to join since her last pack. But another part of her also thought that even if this didn't work out she could still find another pack that could use her skills. She climbed the beginning of the mountain until she reached the border of the pack. She made sure to take a few steps back, to make sure she was a good distance away from the border. She lifted her head and let out a howl to call for someone.

He headed the call although he did not recognise the voice. He'd actually pretty much forgotten about meeting the wolf out by Lake Rodney and giving her a challenge. A big part of him had expected her to never return and that was probably why he forgot all about her, but when he arrived at the borders he was positively surprised to see the wolf there.

Walking up to her Charon realised he either had never gotten her name, or he'd forgotten it. Well, whatever. He chuffed as he approached, his body language much more dominant than that time by the lake; tail raised, head carried proudly, his body posture demanding a certain submission as he approached her by the borders.

Charon approched the border with a dominant stance and his tail held high. Before on neutral territory both of them had been sort of equals, but not when Rouge stood at his door step. She kept her tail low and lowered her head to nod to him as well as to show some sort of submission. Even in her last pack she wasn't really sure the different levels of submission other then the extremes of both submission and dominance. She hoped her display was satisfactory and waited for him to say something. 

When he didn't she decided that a simple greeting wouldn't be of any harm, so she proceeded to say, "Hello Charon. I've come to take you up on your challenge." she said not in a threatening way, but in reference to their last meeting.

Charon waited when he arrived at the borders, pleased that she picked up on the hints and showed proper submission; or enough to keep him satisfied, anyway. He smirked when she said she was here to take him up on the challenge. "Well then, mystery wolf," he said, hinting at the fact he didn't know her name yet, "What things can you tell me that I didn't already know?" And he waited, hoping they'd be anything good.

He refered to her as mystery wolf and that made Rouge realize that she hadn't given him a name in the past. She would have given it to him then but he asked her to state what she had found. She took a deep breath and proceeded to say, "The Northern most point of Sequoia Coast, and the most North Western point of the Teekon Wilds lies Dragoncrest Cliffs. There resides a pack that formed just over 7 months ago." she included as much information as she could, as though she were reporting back from a mission. She thought that the more information she included the more likely that this wolf wouldn't know everything that she mentioned. If he knew about the pack, he may not know exactly when they formed for example. At least that was the hope. The place she spoke of was also quite a ways away from there the two stood now. She waited for his responce wondering if she would need to add anything in.

She explained about a pack at Dragoncrest Cliffs that had been formed seven months ago. Charon didn't recall the place dragoncrest cliffs, but it had to be beyond Ankyra Sound even. He didn't know the Coast stretched on for that long. "Good, I didn't know that yet. What else?" He'd heard two things he didn't know so far, although they were related and so he was hoping for at least two more facts. Charon waited patiently for what more information she had for him.

It seemed as though Rouge was on the right path. She had successfully thought of something she knew that this wolf did not. Her last piece of information had been about the coast, a place some ways away from there they were now. She thought that this strategy was paying off and so she stated. "Also on the Sequoia Coast, near the middle is a bay known as Stavanger Bay. Beneath that is a wooded area known as The Sentinels. Roughly 6 months ago a fire in The Sentinels caused the disbanding of the former pack of Donnelaith." She brought up Stavanger Bay due to relativity, as she knew that spot better then the one underneath it. Rouge felt a little bad knowing that most of what she knew about the area was from so long ago. She hadn't been doing much ever since she became a lone wolf again. She waited for this males response hoping that even though the information was outdated. It would show that she could gather information, report it back, and remember it over a long period of time.

Stavanger Bay wasn't very far away from Moonspear, but that wasn't why Charon knew it so well. He'd lived there many years, had grown up there, so there was little that could be told about it that he didn't already know. Having a good vantage point from the mountain it had also not gone unnoticed to him that the Sentinels'd burned. He'd never really connected the dots on how Donnelaith had also disbanded then, but maybe that was because he'd stopped caring about the pack once Osprey'd left.

"I knew those things." He spoke neutrally and dismissively, though nog unkindly. "What else?" He wasn't sure she'd have much else since she had shared probably round three facts by now, but if she was smart she would have back-up info.

It seemed that her strategy involving the coast wasn't flawless and that this wolf had infact been around that area. He responded to her so straight forward and gave no hints what so ever. This truly was going to be a challenge. She took a moment to think over all the places that she had been. Some places were simply plane and had no significants, while others had a more grand landscape and the wolves she meet there had been more entertaining then other. It made her think back to her prior lone wolf days before she had joined any pack. She spoke about packs with such distaste back then and now, the things she had seen then would possibly help her to get into one.

The place that came to mind wasn't too far away and she though that surely he would have already been there, but she threw it out there anyway. "A little ways North East of here is a gorge known as Whitewater Gorge. The gorge is quite large and varies in width. While walking above, you can see what a long drop it would be before falling into rushing water. Somewhat of a dangerious place." she was no longer reporting information she had gathered while being a scout. Now she was simply recalling the things she had noticed when she had been a loner and had time to marvel at her surroundings.

She came forward with more information and it wasn't even really the information she shared that impressed him; it was the fact that she would continue after falling on her face without skipping a beat. Just a moment of thought was what she needed and he nodded with the approval showing on his face as she told him about a gorge to the north east.

"Very well. You've tried to gather information and you've told me a few things I didn't already know." It was good to have a scout with some experience in the pack, and truthfully he'd never even expected her to return at all after their conversation. So he decided, "Welcome to Moonspear. You've earned it. What's your name, anyway?" He didn't recall receiving it, though it was possible he'd simply forgotten. "Do you want to rest first, explore some on your own or have a quick tour of the lands?" He'd only show some of the highlights, looking forward to getting back to his pups soon. Realising he might not've told her about the pups, he added, "We have young pups in the pack, a little over two moon cycles old. It goes without saying you should care to protect them now that you're part of this pack.

At first with the way he stated it, made her think that she hadn't beaten his challenge. A few things maynot have been the enought to satisfy his needs to accept her into the pack. But his next words caused her to be releaved. Her skills had shown her worthyness. Her names was once again brought up and this time she had time to respond. "My name is Rouge." When offered if she would like to rest or be given a tour she decided that, "I should like a tour very much, thank you."

Getting a tour would allow her to be introduced to other by the leader or the pack. Assuming they say any while on this tour. Otherwise, it would be a good idea to know the ins and outs of the territory it self. The mention of pups made Rouge smile. She always had a soft spot for them, a feeling of connection. "There should be no problem with that."

She decided on a tour after giving her name and Charon nodded. "A tour it is," he said and he started leading the way into Moonspear territory. He could see from her face that she was happy to hear that there were pups at all; and Charon smiled, being a recent and proud father he was happy that the latest addition to the pack would hopefully also be good with pups.

"This is where the pups stay," he said when they passed the den in the forests at the lower slopes of the mountain. "There's forests down here but not so many trees on the higher reaches of the mountain." He wasn't too sure if Rouge was a forest wolf or not, but figured he'd find out as they progressed.

Charon began his tour of the territory and Rouge took in the sights. Seeing what scurried past on the ground, to places to rest. She followed closely behind him listening to his descriptions of the land. They passed the den where his pups stayed which surprised Rouge. She wan't a bad wolf but Charon didn't really know that.

The first thing that he had shown her was where his offspring was which was very trusting. It made her think of how risky that was and how it must put the pups at some level of danger, but then again. Looking Charon over more closely she would see faded scratches or other past fighting marks. He must be very confident in his ability to protect them if he was willing to expose where they were. 

He then went on to spread of the forested area, which Rouge thought she would spend most of her time while she was here. "Well if you ever need me. You will probably find me there then."

She followed in silence as he showed her where the pups stayed — though they were moving to the rendezvous site soon — and she mentioned he'd find her 'there' most of the time. "Where's 'there'? The forest or the mountains?" he asked, since he had mentioned both of those terrains.

They came out of the forested area after that and moved onto the middle of the mountain, where there weren't so many trees. "The rendezvous site starts here, that's where the pups'll move soon. They will be the pack's responsibility, then. I'll leave you to explore the rest of the mountain yourself, as there's too much to show in a day, really." He wasn't sure what else to show. Sure, he could show her a hundred more things but really, he'd already seen all of those things and it took the fun out of exploring if he'd show all the good sights now.

To clarify she stated "The more forested areas." realizing that her statement could have been a response to both regions. To her it would have been common sense, for a wolf to like a more wooded area rather then a dry baren landscape. But obviously others wouldn't always share her same opinions.

He then informed her about the how the pups would be moving to this new site soon. She thought in her mind about how old they much have been. He reiterated how they could become the packs responsability. To made Rouge think back to when she was a pup and how that rule wasn't at all stressed. It made her like the pack that she was going into. 

Once he said she could explore the rest for herself she nodded to him and said "Thanks, I should be able to find everything else a bit more easilty now."

Not all wolves were mountain wolves; he hadn't been much of a mountain wolf himself originally, to be truthful. He'd loved living by the ocean and he missed it sometimes, but he had compromised for the sake of Amekaze and he didn't regret it one bit now. He'd grown to love the mountains. The thing he liked most was he could indicate his territory in the nearby territories to show he owned the largest mountain in the area, a thing he was not-so-secretly proud of.

"Alright, see you later," Charon said with a nod and he started to make his way back into the forests and towards the pup den to make sure everything was alright there. Passing the rendezvous site again on the way back was a sore reminder that he really needed to get things in order and move them soon.