The Sunspire settle down, it'll all be clear

Set on 02/27/18. 
Weather: 20°F, cloudy.
Tags: @Liffey, @Terance, @Olive, @Seabreeze, @Cassiopeia, @Arrakis, @Nara, and @Treason.

The highlands were a mystery to Rannoch, and he was intrigued; something within the pit of his gut urged him to explore them, and he obliged. As he and his friends traveled, Rannoch kept his eyes on the range that stretched out before them. New details emerged with every mile they drew closer, and by the time that the band navigated through Panther Park, Rannoch was confident that he wanted to explore The Sunspire. A lush paradise had been situated right next door to his former claim, and Rannoch questioned how he had missed it before.

Rannoch paused alongside the river that fed into Greatwater Lake and turned to face the group of wolves that surrounded him. The waterfall roared behind him and caused Rannoch to articulate louder than he was used to.

"I would like to explore this mountain behind us to see if it's somewhere we can settle," he informed the group, "It looks habitable towards the bottom." Rannoch's eyes scanned the group as the elaborated, "And even though I can't smell a border or anything, I want us to approach with caution. We have no idea what's living up there."

"We will travel together for this final stretch but, I would feel more comfortable having somebody scout ahead." Rannoch wished that Wraen was with them— she would have been perfect for the task. He wasn't entirely comfortable with Liffey being the one to venture into the unknown, but he would not deny her if she wished to go.

"Any volunteers?" He asked.

retagging everyone just in case ;p @Liffey @Olive @Seabreeze @Cassiopeia @Arrakis @Nara @Treason

already, terance knew. this was where he wanted to stay. it was beautiful... and it was like moonspear, which he would never admit. but it felt homely, and though they didn't know what lived here just yet, terance felt bold enough to say that they lived here. or at least, they would, very soon. 

"i'll scout ahead," he offered with a wave of his tail, nudging rannoch as he passed by him, "i'll call if i find anything-- anyone can come with me." the last part was added with no one in mind, but his gaze lingered on a certain pale wolf for a second longer than he meant to before it fell back on rannoch.

Liffey had been quiet for much of their journey away from Moonspear. Guilt trailed her steps, and she couldn't seem to outrun it. Not guilt for anyone she'd left behind at Moonspear - she had seen and now heard of the way they had reacted and she'd never been more confident in her decision. Her guilt was for Terance and for Rannoch who had lost friends in this venture, friends that they seemed to mourn still. She had not spoken up for herself when she and Rannoch had reunited with Wraen and Terance after leaving the mountain. She'd been in shock still from her altercation with Charon. Or at least, that was the excuse she had clung to for the past few days.

At the sight of Sunspire, Liffey's spirits began to lift. They were almost home, and something very small in her apparently still believed that there might be a happy ending for her and her friends. She stepped forward as they paused, peering with some eagerness at the peak in the near distance, then looking at Rannoch as he began to address the crowd.

Terance was quick to volunteer, and Liffey turned to look at him. She hesitated to volunteer to go with him, knowing he was likely still resentful of her. But if Moonspear had taught her anything, it was to not let tension fester. "I'll come," she said, smiling and then wincing as the expression caused a twinge of pain to shoot across the still healing wound across her muzzle.

@Zada and i have come to an understanding ooc, and i'll put up a backdated thread that has seabreeze finding her blood trail! <3

she had not been traveling with rannoch and his varied band of wolves for very long, but she had been waiting for them for what felt like an eternity.  when they finally got moving she was relieved, and the change of pace and constant variation in scenery allowed her to take her mind off of the dark girl's fleeting presence in her life.

her heart hurt for the girl and her fate; she'd come across a trail of blood and fur that undoubtedly belonged to zada, and since then seabreeze had withdrawn into herself more than usual.  if it weren't for her, seabreeze wouldn't be here — in sunspire, or maybe at all.

as they drew towards the mountain she focused her mind on the sunspire and its beauty.  she pined to share it with one dark-pelted girl.. but perhaps another shadow shrouded wolf would sate her urges.

rannoch comes to a stop and bids someone to scout ahead.  true to his story of taking danger head-on, terance steps forward without any qualm, eager to please their alpha.  her flews quirk upwards in the ghost of a smile, and she watches liffey offer, too.

perhaps this would be a bonding experience for the three of them. i'll come, she says before she knows what she's saying, and despite her inexperience she hopes that she'll be of use to the two scouts.

Perhaps ever the bold adventurer, Treason had no idea why Rannoch was being so cautious.  With no border defined, surely their group had numbers on whoever might reside there.  Why be patient? Why not just sweep the place in a line and chase out anything they didn't like as if they were a fire?  Is this one of those things where everyone volunteers? she quipped.  So far it had only been positive responses, and Treason herself was willing to go do whatever.  She took a couple of steps forward, then scanned the horizon,  Do we need a second group?  Three scouts seemed like a lot in one place already, and she wasn't sure that they needed another added to that roster.  Wouldn't that be half of the folks gathered already?

Regardless of the response, she veered away from the group to investigate a nearby tree several yards away that seemed like a fair enough size that it'd end up being a scent billboard of sorts.

Nara had been traveling with the group for only a short time when they reached the mountains. The leader stopped and turned to the the group. The light that reflected on the waterfall behind him gave Rannoch an almost divine look. Like a messiah leading his followers into the mountains of a promised land. In a way, this felt true to Nara.
Rannoch asked for a scouting patrol. He had cleaned her wound quite well and it already started to heal faster and hurt less. She looked up at the mountain before her. As much as she would like to come with Terance and the others, it seemed like a better idea to stay safe until her wound had healed properly. She would be needing it in perfect working condition when they climbed the mountain. Though she felt a bit guilty for not carrying her weight in this and even more guilty when Treason expected everyone to go. 
If you need any more help, I will come too... but I'd rather like to stay because of my leg, she said hesitantly, not sure how to group would react. She already felt worse for sounding like a wimp. That damned leg.

Olive moved easily with the group, happily falling to the background and allowing the decisions of others to guide her. It was nice, not needing to really think and just going with the flow. When she originally joined Rannoch and Liffey’s harlequin band, it had been for lack of anything better to do and a general sense of aloneness that took hold after her several encounters with Dakarai. Now, she understood why the gods had but Rannoch in her path that day — the lives that stirred in her stomach, so vulnerable in a world so volatile, would need their support.

So, until she addressed this development with her leadership, Olive was all too happy to sit back quietly and not cause any problems, deigning helping out in any way she could. It felt nice to contribute to a communal cause once more, as she generally got along well with others and desired greatly their well-being.

The place they were prompted to stop was beautiful, and in a way that was more than the grand waterfall and the expansiveness of the plain. It was the fecundity of the land that drew her, and the power of the heights that drew upwards, over their heads and reached towards the heavens. Olive was struck immediately — so when a scouting party began to form, Olive had to bite her tongue in order not to volunteer her services. Lithe, nimble and featherlight, the sylph was especially attuned to conquering such great heights. Mountain climbing had always been her favorite past-time, from Gyrfalcon’s Keep of her Teaghlaigh days, or the mountains that served as the backdrop to her brief stint with Moonspear. Though her current leadership seemed keen on inhabiting the base, the proximity of such opportunities simply delighted her. 

Still, for the sake of her delicate state, Olive held back and said nothing to the group. Briefly, she glanced around for @Cassiopeia, and once found, trotted over and brushed her muzzle against hers. “You should go,” the mother suggested sweetly, for her daughter was young and full of energy — and might find the same pleasures in scouting as Olive so often had.        

The decision to band with Terance and his buddies had been good for Arrakis, even though he didn't really want to admit it. It was an opportunity to begin anew, to make new connections among his own species and truly, finally leave his lost chance at love in the past. The time would pass quickly and he hoped that, soon, the day would come when the young Imperii-d'Erom could acknowledge that there was so much more to live for. Kayi was meant to be part of his journey, but not all of it.

Their numbers had increased as the group ventured East toward the mountains, and he'd enjoyed their company. They'd mostly distracted him and kept him in good spirits, despite the pull to slip away and feel sorry for himself. As they stopped to rest alongside a river by the lake, Arrakis' attention turned to Rannoch with a hopeful glimmer in his bright eyes. The two-toned leader addressed the pack, asking for volunteers to explore, and several piped up to offer their willingness to go on ahead.

Arry smiled to himself. He wanted to tag along with the scouting party, but there had more than enough assistance that surely all could not go. Instead, he opted to remain: "I'll stay. Maybe some of us could hunt for when the scouts return?"

---

her gaze swept the mountain appraisingly, only half-listening to the words of rannoch and terance. there was something that called to her about mountains; the sun-kissed rock, the spears of rock that sought to pierce the sky and clouds. her gaze danced over the waterfall, the steady roar coupling with the sparkling torrent to create the perfect backdrop to rannoch, who's words she finally latched onto as he finished his speech. 

a few others offered themselves for the scouting party, and her mother's words had her raise her own voice after a moment, pausing once after the speckled boy spoke. while she dearly wished to set foot on the mountainside, she'd merely feel useless adding her voice to the many others. "I'll do whatever's needed." hopefully, that would mean joining the scouts (or a different party, like one girl suggests) but she supposed there'd be plenty of chances to explore the mountains.

---

Rannoch couldn't help but grunt-lightheartedly at Treason's remark. It seemed as though a good amount of wolves were participating, and he was thankful that they had all bee so willing to step up. 

When asked about a second group, Rannoch turned to Treason and shook his head. "We'll stay put until we get the word that we're in the clear." As his subordinate veered away from the group, Rannoch regarded the rest of the group. "Liffey, Terance, Seabreeze, and Cassiopeia will scout ahead," he dipped his head towards the volunteers, "Arrakis, myself, Treason, Nara, Bernard, and Olive will remain here. We'll see if we can gather anything for dinner." Rannoch turned to the freckled man, "I'd like you to lead our hunt if you're willing." 

With the orders given, the group departed to do as they had been told. Although confident in the group, there was a nervousness that consumed Rannoch for the duration of their separation. He did his best to keep himself occupied. 

As the sun began to set, a call sounded from a distance. Rannoch's head swung to face the looming mountainside, and his ears stood erect as he listened to the broadcast— the coast was clear. With a fire lighting in the pit of his belly, Rannoch gathered the remaining wolves and led them so that the group could reunite. Once the group was whole once more, they pressed farther into the territory to investigate.