The Sunspire A claim on the mountain
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#1
@Rannoch :D Backdated a few days

Valette was on her way home. As usual, she took Northstar Vale as the route back to her pack. She would usually rest there at night and leave in the morning again. The female left in the morning. However, when she wanted to climb the mountain she came past new scents. On her way home, she went through Sleepy Hollow, so this scent, not in Northstar Vale but the mountain next to it was interesting.

It didn't smell like a complete pack claim yet though there were some scent marks of different wolves. Valette sniffed one of them out of curiosity. She didn't know the scent. This would mean they would have a pack somewhat close by. A mountain pack, how interesting. She howled for a presence, perhaps there was someone who would be able to tell her more about this new claim. And if they still allowed travelers to go through Northstar Vale which was a neighboring territory.
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#2

perhaps she was not best suited to answer the call. but she'd been near, after all, and the summons where not exactly specific to a leader. still, she was hesitant in her approach; yet when she rounded a rock fall it seemed the stranger was closer than she'd thought.

she chuffed her greeting, moving nearer to the woman now that she was in sight. there was no slinking back the way she'd come, now, and she did her best to appear like greeting wolves at the border was a thing she did; not that she had much experience doing this at all. "hello,"  moss-green gaze scanned over the woman once, tail shifting carefully at her haunches to convey her friendliness in this situation.
That is not dead which can eternal lie. 
And with strange aeons even death may die.

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Valette was met by another wolf. She kept her demeanor friendly. She wondered if this wolf could tell her more about the group she was with. 'Hello," she greeted the female. Valette glanced curiously at the mountain. "I am a scout and traveling on my way home to Rising Sun," she explained first. "I haven't scented your group before. Are you settling here?," she asked. It would be good to know for her pack and if they could use the same path to travel over the mountains.

@Rannoch still welcome xD
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the woman introduced herself, not by name but by trade, as the scout from Rising Sun. it seemed a valid reason for being on the borders, and in this situation, it seemed she might be somewhat useful. dipping her head a fraction in agreement, she began.  "this is the sunspire. we're settling here, lead by rannoch - I can call for him." she did so promptly, letting her call rent the stillness of the chilled morning, waiting until the final notes had faded before addressing the woman again. 

she paused once before speaking, but it seemed fair to offer an exchange of information. "you're from the Valley - where is your pack?" the question was made curiously, lightly, though the star-speckled girl was more curious than she let on. for surely if she'd taken the time to come to their borders, her pack must be near; she doubted that the woman would care much about the fledgling mountain pack if it existed far from wherever she was from.
 
That is not dead which can eternal lie. 
And with strange aeons even death may die.

Ghost
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#5
Thanks for starting, Mar! Sorry this took a few days.

Rannoch had been on the opposite side of the territory when Valette's call had sounded. Excitement coursed through the Alpha at the implication that there was a guest at the borders, and Rannoch forgot to reply. His legs churned quickly, and he navigated through his territory with one goal in mind: reach Valette as promptly as possible. 

Thankfully, Cassiopeia had beat him to the borders. At the sound of her beckoning, Rannoch halted and felt a flush settle over the bridge of his nose; he couldn't believe he had forgotten to let the visitor know that he was on the way. Hastily, Rannoch responded with a howl of his own, letting the two women know that he was on the way, and apologized to Valette for his tardiness. Once the message was dispatched, Rannoch set off once more and quickened his pace.

Rannoch's posture had straightened before he arrived at Cassiopeia's side. Once he settled alongside his guardian, Rannoch set his attention on their guest and offered a smile. "I apologize for taking so long," he offered their guest, his sides still heaving from the effort he had put into arriving. "Thank you, Cassiopeia, for being so vigilant," he glanced at his subordinate with appreciation; he was pleased with the work that she had done so far. 

"How may I help you?" he asked.
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
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#6
Valette nodded when the female asked to howl for him. She wouldn't mind speaking to the leader of these grounds. She wanted to know if they were okay with them traveling so close to their territory and that they knew the vale could be a resting place in the mountains. Then a howl sounded that the alpha was on his way. Valette felt this pack would be a friendly one otherwise the alpha wouldn't apologize. It reminded her when she started out as an alpha, also always apologizing. She stopped with that now. But perhaps this alpha was new to leading a pack?

"Yes. My pack is called Easthollow. If you arrived at the other side cross the river in eastern direction and you will find my pack. We are located at Stone Circle, though that will probably not tell you anything since we claimed the Stone Circle as the heart of our territory," she explained. If she had wolves looking for the standing stones they might wander into their territory and she didn't want that. Then the alpha arrived. Valette dipped her head in greeting. "I was just telling Cassiopeia that I am a scout from the Easthollow pack... Or well, I am a scout but also the leader there. Nice to meet you. I'm Valette," she spoke in a friendly tone, she assumed the other was friendly as well since he apologized for being late.

'Well, as I don't travel that much anymore because I am needed at my pack, I now came past your claim. I just howled to find out more about you. I assume you are starting a pack here?," she asked the leader. "I also wonder if you are alright with us traveling through the vale, a neighboring territory. It is usually our main highway if we need to visit other packs. If you weren't friendly or okay with it we would have to look for other routes," she explained. There was another way over the mountains but that was too close to Blackfeather for her liking.

This thread was before the formation! Hence why Val thinks they are just a group of wolves and not a pack!!
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#7
I was given permission to skip!

"Valette, it's a pleasure to meet you," Rannoch greeted with a nod, "And thank you for calling my attention to this, it's very appreciated." Valette had been kind enough to ask for Rannoch's preferences, and he relished it; Rannoch had never been approached in such a manner about his perimeters of the territory. 

"I see no problem with you and your wolves taking the Vale as a route for travel," he answered, "Especially if they're as courteous as you are." Rannoch smiled.

When asked for more information, he obliged. "I'm Rannoch, Alpha of this group, and this is Sunspire," he motioned towards the looming peak, "Me and my packmates scouting the area currently to see if it'll be suitable for us to settle on." Thus far, there had been no complaints about the territory.
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
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Valette dipped her head briefly, it was more like a courtesy that it was likewise to meet this alpha. She was unaware that this male had a pack in the vale but at that time she was not traveling as much as she did before. "I'm glad," she spoke with a radiant smile. These were her travel routes at least, so she couldn't speak for the whole of the pack. "Oh, I do hope they are! I just know from my own experience as a leader how I would like my lands to be approached. So I try to do the same with others," she admitted. Valette didn't think it was such a big deal.

"Well, I do think you are the only pack in these mountains so that might be a plus," she offered. She couldn't speak for the whole mountain range but at least the eastern part she was pretty sure there were no packs there. "In my experience, it is good to know where packs are and what level of hostility they carry out. I would like to warn you for the Blackfeather pack to the south-east of here. They were looking for trouble earlier, more than trouble. There was a war between them and other packs as far as I heard," she spoke with some worry. Though, she wouldn't want to scare this new pack away. "Not that such things should discourage you. They never go over the mountain range as far as my knowledge goes!!," she quickly spoke to make up her error.
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#9
Rannoch appreciated Valette's disclaimer about Blackfeather Woods. "I've heard of the trouble they've been causing," he remarked, "And I've had experience with their leader, Vaati." Rannoch craned his neck to allow for Valette to see the knotted flesh that laid upon his throat. "He attacked me out of nowhere last Fall, and I nearly died because of it— you have to be careful with him."

When Valette attempted to correct what she had said, Rannoch shook his head and smiled; he valued that she was caring enough to warn him. "It's a relief to know they don't travel this far." 
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
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#10
Valette could imagine he heard about the trouble they were causing. Usually, a topic like a war was a hot topic and quickly spread amongst wolves it seemed. Valette didn't know their leader was named Vaati. She wasn't familiar with the name. She was just glad that the leader's name wasn't Kove. Not that she would ever identify Kove as her father. She already disowned him as her father a long time ago.

Valette winced slightly at the sight of the scar tissue. "That looks painful," she spoke. "Honestly, I never want to be linked to that pack ever," she huffed and shook her head. She understood that they might want to protect their own but she would never attack without intention. "They never visited us," she confirmed. Though, she didn't realize she had met Vaati and that her father had been on their borders but that was something personal, not out of malice.
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"It hurt a lot while it was healing," he admitted, "But, thankfully, it doesn't bother me anymore." 

Rannoch agreed with Valette on her desire to not be affiliated with Blackfeather Woods. "Yeah, me either," he replied; nothing was appealing to Rannoch about the manner in which Blackfeather Woods conducted themselves. "I just can't get behind them causing so much trouble. It just seems like they do everything just for their sick sense of entertainment."
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
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Valette nodded. "It must have been some time for it to heal. Terrible. I'm glad it feels better now," she spoke. She glanced at the scarring again and then thought it healed so nicely. "Do you have a good healer?," she then wondered. Perhaps the healer of this pack could come visit and learn her wolves about healing. They needed their own healer badly.

"It seems so. I hope the war will calm them down a bit but you never know," she spoke and shook her head. "Anyhow, I gave Cassiopeia the directions of my pack. You are welcome to visit sometime,' she offered as an invitation. She already tried to explain in detail where their lands were.
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"Thank you," Rannoch acknowledged with a smile. To her inquiry, Rannoch shook his head. "Unfortunately, we don't," he replied once he had considered the talents of his subordinates— none of them specialized in medicine. "We have a midwife, though," he acknowledged; Olive had said that she had been studying plants in her time as a vagabond. "Do you?" he asked. 

"I'd love to accept that offer," Rannoch replied with a wave of his tail. "Perhaps Cassiopeia and I can come in the Spring when the weather is better, and the pack has settled?" He glanced at Cassiopeia then and hoped that she would be willing to join him.
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
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Valette scrunched up her nose. That was too bad. She wished to help her subordinates to achieve their trades. It was easier to learn from someone after all. "We don't. My daughter Keoni... Well, she was our healer but she passed away," Valette spoke with a sad tone. "Some members have offered to pick up the trade but I just wish I could help them better," she admitted. She didn't want to think too much about Keoni's death.

Valette dipped her head once more. "Sounds good. Whenever you guys have the time," she spoke. She didn't know if Rannoch was planning on having children or if he had a mate, but then spring might be a busy time for him to leave. Valette would just wait and see. "If you decide on another territory after all then you can let me know as well," she added.
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Rannoch's breath hitched in his throat at the mention of Keoni's death, and with a sense of hesitation he asked, "Did Keoni have a brother named Nikai?" Suddenly, he shook his head and averted his gaze to the snow underfoot. He hoped that it was merely a coincidence that they both knew a wolf by the name of Keoni. "I only ask because I knew a Keoni. My former pack, Northstar Vale, healed her when she was mutilated by another wolf; she wasn't able to speak because her tongue had been removed. I only learned her name when she and her brother visited us after she had returned to her pack." He shook his head and remembered how injured she had been. 

In regards to their visit, Rannoch nodded. "We will be sure to let you know where we've settled," he replied.
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
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Valette blinked when Rannoch seemed to know Keoni. The mother felt a lump grow in her throat and looked at the grey male with amazement. "That is my daughter," she whispered. "Keoni and Nikai are mine," she confirmed. Though technically they weren't hers but she saw them as her own. She cared for them since they were close to newborns. Valette nodded and looked saddened. "She passed away," she confirmed once more to Rannoch.

Valette never knew what happened to her, and why she lost her tongue. She never asked her daughter. But now she knew it was another wolf that did this to her. No wonder she went from this excitable young female to a calm and collected mute. "I never knew. I never asked what happened. Other wolves can be so cruel. I don't understand," she let out, slightly angry, though of course, it was not directed at Rannoch himself. "Then my offer for you to come visit stands even more. I must repay you for helping and healing my daughter."
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Although Rannoch was skilled in masking his emotions, the news of Keoni's untimely demise had caught him off guard. His heart felt suddenly heavy as Valette settled his suspicion, and tears rimmed his eyes. Although it had been some time since Rannoch had seen Kenoi, he had always been fond of her. 

"I'm very sorry for your loss," Rannoch acknowledged, his voice subdued by his grief. "She was always kind, despite what had happened." Valette's anger was expected, and Rannoch had felt similarly when he Rose had deducted what had happened to Keoni. 

Rannoch smiled faintly and met Valette's gaze. "Payback is not necessary," Rannoch assured the woman as he shook his head. "We were all happy to help." 
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
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when vaati was mentioned, the girl shifted a fraction, gaze averted somewhat for the rest of the time the two discussed blackfeather. her gaze settled a moment on his prominent scar before returning to Valette when her name was spoken. at rannoch's question, she was quick to agree with a dip of her head; she'd like to see more of the wilds when the snows began their melt. 

when they began discussing a dead girl did she fall silent, gaze lingering on the woman a beat. she was content to linger in the background of the leaders' conversation, doing little more than watching and learning as they spoke (and attempting to push back her own guilt and curious thoughts).
That is not dead which can eternal lie. 
And with strange aeons even death may die.

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Valette nodded in agreement. Keoni had always been kind even though terrible things happened to her. The female sighed softly. She missed her daughter but she would never get her back. She knew Steady would take good care of her in the after world. She was certain of it. "I insist though," she spoke rather determinedly. She would make sure that her pack would know about the Sunspire wolves and they would be welcomed with kindness.

"Well, I will be heading home. But thank you for meeting me. I look forward to seeing you again. Both of you," she spoke politely. Valette didn't want to linger for too long as she was eager to see her own family again. "Until next time." With that said she dipped her head in greeting and moved away from their borders.

Last post for me!! <3
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Rannoch appreciated Valette's kindness, and he did not protest further in regards to her payback. Instead, he nodded and agreed silently with a smile. 

"Travel safe," Rannoch replied once she had announced her intention to leave. He would have like to have offered something for her to eat but, it seemed as though she was eager to get back to her family. "Until next time," he agreed with a smile. 

Once Valette was out of sight, Rannoch turned to Cassiopeia with a wave of his tail. "Good job," he praised with a wag of his tail; Rannoch was proud with how she had conducted herself. "Wanna continue?" he asked and motioned towards the borders. When she agreed, the two wolves began their patrol and did so for quite some time.
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