Moonspear the nu kid in town

Weather: 20°F, Foggy. Winter storm warning!
Come one, come all, come talk to a brick wall!
No posting order in case this thread gets bigly.

Dune had spent the night roaming his nu (I can't help myself) home. He had not yet bothered to track down each of his new pack mates and get acquainted with them, but considering he'd already met a few, he figured that wouldn't be a big deal. Now, refreshed after a long nap, Dune decided it would be easiest to give a ring to everybody in the pack and see who showed up.

Without further adieu, he let out a joyful, welcoming howl to his new comrades, inviting them to come meet the newest addition to their pack. Integrating with them was now at the top of his priority list, and he definitely intended to get as much time with everybody as he possibly could. The closer they were, the better they would know one another, and the better they could work together.

Gannet was ambling near the stream when a call resounded, summoning with an unfamiliar voice. Initially he brushed it off; surely it wasn't for him. Then he remembered. Technically, now, it was. Ears pricked in renewed interest, Gannet considered a second longer, then began to lope at a slow, awkward gait towards the sound.

As he ran, he stumbled a few times, unused to the way his hind leg no longer matched his body's rhythm. It didn't respond well, being stiffer and offset, and every few strides it would simply skip, forcing the other legs to overcompensate. He fell once or twice, but as he forced himself out, he was slowly beginning to grow accustomed to this new development.

When he arrived, he stopped a few feet away, gazing at the stranger curiously. His tail gave a friendly wag, but he remained back, not recognizing him from those he knew on the mountain.

the howl came from nearby-- luckily, otherwise terance probably would've ignored it. instead, the yearling noted it stiffly and stood, nose twitching, for a few heartbeats before he decided he could go meet the newbie. he set off, in a particular mood that he couldn't place, ears pinned to his skull. perhaps terance was just feeling a bit of teenage angst. who knows.

first, terance made a note of gannet, his ears lifting slightly with recognition. and then, the stranger, to which he straightened up a bit-- though his mood remained the same, whatever it was. "hey," he barked in a friendly greeting, tail waving as he forced himself to be amicable, "i'm terance."

Others are welcome to join AT ANY TIME. Just made the most logical sense for Dune to start greeting those who arrived. Yay, party thread!

Dune was approached first by what he could only describe as a lame wolf. Not lame in the sense that he was dull or boring, but lame in the sense that he did not seem to have the full use of one of his legs. This was concerning, but Dune knew he needed to gain the trust of the wolves who already lived here if he ever hoped to fit in. He took a tentative step forward, then greeted the black-footed wolf with a friendly muzzle-to-muzzle nudge, exchanging scents and smells quickly.

A voice turned Dune's attention behind him, and he found himself looking at a dark wolf. For a split second, he had expected it to be the female who had greeted him once to hunt and another at the border. Alas, it was somebody else entirely. Dune repeated the muzzle-to-muzzle ritual with the green-eyed wolf, showing proper respect as he did so. Backing away, he glanced to the light one, then the dark. "Dune," he said, introducing himself with only a single word.

The other wolf approached and exchanged a friendly muzzle touch that Gannet enthusiastically returned. He fell into an easier smile then, liking the fellow more for his open manner. He remained quiet as Terrance appeared, letting the pack wolf who was established do the initial talking.

After Dune gave his name, though, Gannet looked at Terance, then back at Dune. Presumably, neither of them knew his name either (though he thought likely Terance had heard of him). "Gannet".

It had not been very long since it had happened but the cut on the bridge of his nose had scabbed up nicely already, but he wasn't about to forget about what had earned him that. In turn, the juvenile was preoccupying himself laying low, underneath the radar of his mother most of all, although he was still deathly curious about what was up. Being pulled in two very contrasting ways bugged him and he was not enjoying it any. But, such a chipper sort of howl from a stranger's voice wasn't about to get ignored. Jarilo set to prowl as soon as he had half a heading on the location, then took off that way. He didn't rest until he spotted the others mingling, gathering in a loose little group.

When the omicron joined them, he defaulted to placing himself near Terance by nature of him being the most familiar guy here, and wagged his tail as he eyed the newcomer. Even Gannet got a bit of a look from the green-eyed boy, but he was vaguely aware of that whole story too--just not used to actually seeing him. The brand new white wolf was definitely the most interesting right here and now, though, so Jarilo didn't linger on the omega very long to fall in step with other introductions. "Hey hi," he whuffed back towards the fresh wolf. "I'm Jarilo."

terance out? he was just here for a split second lmao

dune. terance found it to be an interesting name, thinking only of the sand dunes on the beaches he'd travelled to. this guy did kind of reminded him of a sand dune... but paler, maybe. he return to muzzle touch with a soft grunt and then glanced to gannet, and after to jarilo, who appeared after. still feeling antsy, terance decided he wasn't fully in the mood for any sort of pleasantries, and offered jarilo a soft shoulder touch before announcing, "i train in mercenary and astronomy... if you wanna talk about those lemme know, welcome to moonspear, dune." 

and then, with a soft dip of his head, terance turned and left. maybe he'd take amekaze's advice from the previous day... go find something to shred.

I approve of (and encourage!) the quick cameo. ;)

Gannet returned his greeting, and then another arrived on the scene, seeming closer to Terance than the other. He introduced himself as Jarilo, and the white wolf repeated his name. "Dune," he said, giving Jarilo a similar muzzle-to-muzzle show of affection. The four of them all seemed to be young males, and Dune was happy to have plenty of wolves his own age around. Not that he would have run off if they'd all been older, but perhaps they could bond more easily due to that one small thing in common.

Terance excused himself, though not after inviting Dune to talk to him about something and... something. They were both rather large words that Dune did not understand, but before he had a chance to ask for clarification, the dark wolf was out of earshot. He turned to the others who were still standing nearby, trying to pronounce the words to the best of his ability. "Mer-sery? Stron-me?" he asked, hoping for some kind of explanation.

This was also the first time he had heard what the place was called (Moon-pear), which he supposed would be useful if he ever got lost and needed directions.

Jarilo caught on quick. The mood here was pretty light, a nice relief from the nasty cold weather and cold reception he was getting from some of his family these days. He readily bumped back for a greeting when it was his turn for one and his tail kept at a happy sway, although slowed a notch when Terance said his piece then took his leave. A little less bolstered lacking one familiar face and higher-ranking presence, he took a second to regroup. Dune's roughly pronounced question kept this swift though as he jumped at the chance to spread some details. For once, he wasn't the one coming up with the questions, and these were actually answers he had thanks to the company he kept with his own work towards similar goals--and of course because Terance was already branded as Cool and Strong in Jarilo's book.

It didn't particularly occur to him that Gannet might have something to interject in the meantime because he opened his mouth and let it start running right away (rude or not to the new omega): "Oh he guards a lot and fights--warrior stuff. He's good at it," the juvenile nodded, knowing that to him, Terance looked the part so these details would obviously match. "Astronomy is.. stars. Skywatching. Couple others here are good at that too," he explained, a little more roughly. As he did, and just after, he eyed Dune to see if this sunk in since he did not know where the misunderstanding came from exactly yet.

went ahead and posted since 'rilo is a Mouth and would totally not give gannet a chance lmao :D

Gannet's ears tilted back as Terrance left in a huff, but he didn't take the slight personally. He hadn't yet managed to introduce himself to the other man, but eventually would like to. If only to learn where he himself stood with him, and if there was another potential friend to be gained there. He thought he remembered Hydra speaking well of him.

Jarilo caught on and gave explanations, something Gannet was very glad not to have to do. He simply watched. He hadn't met Jarilo either, but knew that he was one of Charon's... the alpha's were the only children on the spear, after all. Dune was the only one that was a complete mystery, both in connection and name; a stranger, like Gannet, he supposed, here by chance more than anything else. Good. It was nice to have another in those shoes. "You're new." he said, stating it as a fact, but with a curious tilt to accompany. Where was he from, and why was he here? Was he a prisoner like Gannet, or had he joined by choice?

Jarilo explained (with many words) what the two things meant. "Skywatching" immediately got Dune's attention, if only because he was often checking in on the weather patterns. It was a skill that he had been taught young. The last place one wanted to be in the north was caught in a snowstorm, so Dune's pack had often taught that early on. The guarding and fighting was pretty standard, though Dune had never heard that particular word used for it.

Gannet simply stated a good ol' fact. (Yes, Dune was new.) And the white yearling nodded in response. "From North. Come here so pups eat." Food was scarce there, and Dune knew he had a good shot at making it on his own. He had gone with his family's encouragement, and he was glad that he had done so.

He glanced at the leg the black-footed wolf had been limping on, wonder what had happened to it. Perhaps the easiest way to figure that out would be to ask. "Hurt?" Dune knew nothing of healing, but he was curious about how it had happened. Perhaps so he could avoid the same fate.

When Dune spoke, it was with minimal flair, and the cadence to it was honestly comforting. Sometimes the explanations others gave were exhausting in their length, and to have someone get to the point in the same amount of syllables he normally employed was nice. Gannet smiled wider, nodding. He hadn't left for the same reason, of course, but he could relate; make room for the next generation.

Dune indicated his injury, and his expression lessened once more. He glanced at the leg out of habit, then nodded. "Getting better." He explained, somewhat quicker; not defensive, per say, but he wasn't eager to have his weakness so soon pointed out, obvious though it was.

Indeed, Dune was new, and Jarilo's tail waved a slow thoughtful beat as he listened to the very simple exchange between the two. Noted, though, and he thought that maybe, he too understood a little bit better as he listened. Gannet's injury was something the boy had just accepted as normal. As long as he had known him, he'd had it -- his sisters had been keeping him on the mend like they once had Rannoch.. so thinking this was just another one of those cases, he was thinking it could be a while before he was back to not-hurt status. How it had happened, exactly, didn't concern him so he added nothing about it...

"What is the North like?" he asked at Dune when he thought that maybe they covered what they needed to about Gannet's situation.

Gannet didn't elaborate, and Dune decided it was better not to pry. Perhaps the story was an embarrassing one, although if he had known the true nature of Gannet's injury, he likely would have had some kind of adverse (or at least wary) reaction. Instead, the Nu simply nodded to the lame pack mate, sliding easily into the next topic of discussion, set by Jarilo. Dune didn't think that his home was some magical place, but it had been what he had grown up with.

"Colder," he replied, "Flat." Those were the two major differences. He had come from the vast, flat tundra. The mountains here were new to him, although he did not mind them one bit. In fact, he found that the landscapes were more pleasing and interesting to the eyes than where he had come from, which seemed to go on forever in every direction.

feel free to skip him a couple rounds if you like! Unless he's addressed he'll be lurking and listening

Cold and flat. Gannet had never been north; only south. It had been cold and flat there as well, though only because it was winter at the time. He tried to imagine the place Dune spoke of, but could not. Some things were always lost in the stilted language he and the other wolf seemed to favor. He didn't mind.

Jarilo seemed keen on asking questions, and Gannet was curious to know more, so he remained, watching the newcomer curiously. He had a carefree attitude that Gannet felt a liking and immediate kinship to; some wolves seemed to carry weight, and those sometimes made him uncomfortable with their oppressive sorrows. Dune was light to be around, and it had been a while since anyone had been that way for Gannet. Hydra was probably the closest, and even she he sensed had hidden depths. He felt himself relaxing despite himself, and he smiled as he listened.

He was hungry to hear more and shined his eyes brightly at Dune. Of the trio of them, he'd been the least places so really had the least scope to base this off. He knew cold; didn't like it too much. He knew flat; it was okay.. in small doses. "Oh. Kind of cool though, right? All flat would be weird.. to me.." he started to say but remembered the more words he used, the less this guy seemed to understand, so he cut himself short. Really keen on actually fitting in with other dudes who weren't his dad, Jarilo was trying to go with this flow best he could for such an awkward newbie. He had always been here and to him, all flat was.. just bizarre.

Eager to not be a total blatant dweeb, he tried to pick up some slack Gannet willingly let him have whether he intended or not. He stood a little taller. "I've just always been here." Obviously where it was not flat. "Do you like it so far?" he asked.

Dune shrugged with a "dunno" grin on his face. He supposed it was pretty cool, but he had not known anything else growing up. They were two very different landscapes, and although it was still cold here, he had grown up in much harsher temperatures. He imagined life would be easier here than it had been there, even though he was starting from what was essentially nothing. Back home, he had a trusted support system. Here, he was going to have to prove himself as trustworthy (and the pack would have to prove that right back to him). Hopefully, both would be satisfied, and Moonpear would become his forever home.

Jarilo asked if he liked it, and Dune gave another shrug. He'd only been here a night so far, and all he'd done was wander around and try to get a feel for the best paths to take. Most of them were well-traveled, which made finding the easiest paths... well, easy. "Yes," he replied, "More time decide." He glanced at Gannet, wondering if he was new, too. He wasn't asking any questions, but Jarilo seemed happy to take that wheel, and Dune turned his attention back to him, tail wagging in anticipation for the next drill.

Without really a lot to work with, Jarilo nodded anyway and decided that was fair. It was an answer and didn't really urge Dune into too many more pestering questions about where he had come from. Without any plans to go north himself, it was difficult to get too invested in the thought at all. "Yeah.. well I hope it does." he nodded, since he kind of wanted to extend the sentiment to both of them (since Gannet still was fresh to him).

All the while, he was trying to keep to some type of flow here but his ears swung around to a distant howl from one of his sisters. "I can show you both some cool spots here sometime too, if you'd wanna.." he offered, despite not really having anything that good in mind except some creepy caves or certain little meadows he just liked because of whatever reasons struck him that day.

But thankfully his sister's howl gave him a good opportunity to buy time on that notion. He'd think on it, gather his best attempt and hopefully reconvene with them at some point later on. He finished up with an awkward 'gotta go' sort of farewell, and took off in the opposite direction he had come from.

his last :D

Dune hoped so, too! He wagged his tail, then his ears perked up when he heard the howl. Jarilo then sped off, though Dune was not perturbed in any way. They would have plenty of opportunities to get to know one another. Gannet was the only one left, but seeing as he wasn't exactly capable of hunting or exploring in his current condition, Dune gave him an awkward look, wondering what they should do. "Go hunt," he decided (meaning himself, not Gannet). He gave his pack mate a final look of goodbye, and departed the scene.