The Sunspire new rules
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#1
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Rannoch and @Wraen had yet to discuss Seabreeze and Olive's unexpected departure, and he was sure that she had some choice words to say about the matter. In time, they would rope @Terance into the conversation, too. 

With ambition fueling his every step, Rannoch followed Wraen's scent. The trail led him away from Sunspire's common area and towards the eastern-most portion of the mountain, and Rannoch could only assume that she was heading out to hunt—hopefully, he'd catch her in 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
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#2
As it often happened, Wraen was not present, when important events took place in Sunspire. She had missed the near-decapitation of Redshank, she had not been there, when lynx had attacked Ibis, and maybe there ha been more inside drama that she had simply missed. Like the recent departure of the two matrons and their children, that she heard about only, when she had returned from a strenuous hunting trip that had lasted for two or three days.

First there had been shock and disbelief - why would they choose to do such a thing, when the pack had done a lot to keep them and their kids comfortable? Yes, now things had become more difficult, but the kids had always been a priority and - at least Wraen - had always fulfilled her share of the bargain. And - perhaps - she had been the only naive one to expect some sort of gratitude from the two. 

Then came anger and hurt, because, though from a purely rational standpoint - them leaving - had been lessened the burden on the pack members, who had provided for the six of them and chances of survival had increased. But she still thought of their actions as a betrayal - especially now, when they needed every member to help out and work to keep the pack going. The fact that Wraen felt used by them and then discarded, when she was not necessary anymore, did not help either. 

She also did not understand, why Terance had not either followed or prevented Seabreeze from going. After all - by making this decision she had not only broken his heart, but stolen his family away. Wraen did not know, what her brother had to say in the matter and she had decided to give him space and approach him only, when he was ready to speak about it. And all in all - while she could maybe forgive Seabreeze for the sake of her brother, the good opinion of Olive was lost forever. 

Experience had taught her that talking, when her emotions were in turmoil, never led to anything good, therefore she had taken her anger out up in the mountains. Saying everything that was on her mind to the rocks, to the wind and the occasional mountain goat, that had given her odd looks and fled. And after a day she felt different and definitely better. Her mind reverted to dealing with practical matters, she resumed her daily routine and was relatively happy again.

Now - all that was left - was discussing this with Rannoch, because, though the pair's actions did not hurt as much as they had earlier, she felt that they as pack leaders should not leave things as they had been. Some retributions had to be taken. Therefore it was a welcome surprise to see that alpha had sought her out himself and it took place at the old cache that she had instilled for the two moms, when they had still lived in the vicinity. Smell told her that there was still some meat left and she had begun to dig it out. She figured that she might as well eat it herself - after all it had been hers to begin with.

"Hey!" she greeted him, taking a break from her work. "I guess I know, why you are here... so - what do you think about all of this?" she went straight to the business.
Ghost
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#3
Rannoch felt unprepared for the question that Wraen asked, despite the time he had taken to mentally prepare himself for the conversation. "I'm hurt," Rannoch decided with apparent hesitation. "I'm hurt that they'd leave us when we needed them the most, that Terance is separated from his children..." he trailed, unable to hide the grief he felt for his dearest friend. "But, there is another part of me that feels like I cannot judge them too harshly," his ears fell, and he glanced away. "We left Moonspire like they left us. I would have to be a fool to ignore that fact." 

Rannoch delayed his next thought with a soft sigh. 

"Maybe it's a somehow a blessing in disguise. Maybe their absence will allow for the pack to re-stock our caches and rebuild. Or, this could be our tell-tale sign that we are not meant to live on Sunspire..." He smiled to himself and shook his head slowly. "Obviously, I'm torn," he mused, "What are your thoughts?"
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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#4
So, they were on the same page. Good to know. It hurt, it sucked, but there was nothing more they could do about it. 

"Well, we left Moonspear to be better than them," Wraen summed up, what Rannoch had told her in so many words. "And though few days ago I really, really wanted to set a Treason after them, had pretty murderous ideas and wanted to burn bridges etc., etc.... I realized that it is already bad enough that we have one pack here that we are not on talking terms," she said. 

"This does not change the fact that I feel just as screwed over as you, maybe Terance too, but we can make this work for us. In time - we could find out, where they have settled down and perhaps make them our allies," as she said this, her tone was a bit strained. It was the right thing to do, though it did not feel nice at all. 

"I mean... as much as I would never want to see their sorry faces here again, we have to keep in mind that Seabreeze is Terance's Ex and mother of his children, and Olive is Cassiopeia's mom. All the bad things we say about them, all the harsh decisions we make in regards of them, will reflect badly on the other two. And we don't need that, do we?" she asked rhethorically. 

"And yet I don't want people misuse my hard work and good intentions ever again. I stand by, what I said before - I won't tolerate any accidental pregnancies and illegitimate litters in the future. The wolves, guilty of this, will have to go," she said. "And I kind of don't feel like giving moms long holidays at expense of everyone else anymore either."
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#5
Rannoch was right—they had left Moonspear to be better. "You have a point there," he agreed thoughtfully. "We didn't just up and leave while in the middle of a famine." Rannoch could only nod sympathetically when Wraen mentioned her hateful thoughts—at times, he had felt similarly.

The mention of an alliance caused Rannoch to straighten; he had been considering the same approach if they happened to cross paths with Olive and Seabreeze again. "Absolutely," he agreed. Especially for Cassiopeia and Terance's sake—the two wolves who had shown their loyalty despite everything. "We will focus on establishing that relationship whenever we find out where they've settled." 

"Illegitimate litters will be a thing of the past," Rannoch agreed, "Potential couples will have to ask all three of us for permission before anything happens." 

In regards to the mother's "vacation", Rannoch hesitated. "Motherhood is no walk in the park," he replied. "But three moons is far too long for them to not contribute. Will you meet me in the middle at one moon? So both mother and children can recover from the ordeal of birth? And so the mothers can ensure that their children are well?"
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
"Right now I don't favour anyone having puppies, aside from you and Liffey," Wraen grumbled under her breath, but once again she reminded herself not to make decisions that were based on emotion. Who knew, where would they be in a year? And by then all of the recent events would seem like a small and insignificant matters. There was this vulgar expression, characterizing this nicely - don't worry, there will be other shit and you will forget about this one. 

"I did not mean kicking them out in the wilds right after childbirth," Wraen now laughed. Anything could happen - like the sickness Seabreeze had had after giving birth. "Be it one month for the toddlers, but after that we can do shifts like we did now. Let the mother have time off, while someone else stays on guard, and increase this off-time gradually as the pups grow. I imagine that with all the pointy teeth attacking the milk tanks, some would be very glad to have a break from their bunch of pikes," she replied. Osprey's holy-martyr expression and the inflamed, sore skin on her milk-filled teats, when Maia and her kin had been two months old, was still vivid in her memory. She could even imagine the pain. 

"That settles this. Now, while I do not like to admit that Seabreeze and Olive were right in their decision to leave, I think that after a while we will need to do the same," she went on to the next subject. "Not only to let this place recover, but also I imagine that herds will be on the move during autumn and a different location might be more suitable for us. What do you think?"
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"I agree with that," Rannoch replied; due to how low she spoke, he wasn't sure if her statement had been meant to be heard. "Hopefully, we'll find ourselves in a much better situation next year, having learned from this mess of a season," he mused darkly. Life was full of lessons, and this was that hardest one he'd faced. 

Wraen then went on to elaborate on her idea, and Rannoch agreed with what she clarified. He laughed. "Okay, good," he replied, "I think that is definitely doable. I know Liffey would appreciate the breaks—she's been restless, for sure.' In regards to the hurtful feedings, Rannoch chuckled. "Yes, I'm very lucky that I am unable to produce milk. Liffey has told me all about how much teeth hurt." 

Their conversation evolved, and relocation was brought up. "Yes," he agreed, much more seriously than he had been minute prior. "I'm starting to feel that Sunspire is unable to support us and our growing numbers," he paused and contemplated their options briefly before he continued. "We'll scout east, and see if there is a more suitable territory for us." 

"We'll talk to Terance, and then call the pack for a meeting to discuss this," he decided; of course, the declaration was not final without Wraen's approval.
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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"I hope so too," Wraen nodded, still feeling the nasty edge of the situation, but a few weeks later she would have forgotten all about it and not pine over it anymore. And then even her views on the future were going to seem brighter than they were now. 

"You watch out, Rannoch, or next year you will be the one to be carrying babies around," Wraen teased him in good-natured humour, amused by the very idea of him going through the whole pregnancy drama. 

"East is a big place - I am sure we will find something suitable," she nodded. There were few packs there, but unlike this area it was not bordered off by mountain ranges. "West would be a good option too, but I somehow don't think that Moonspear would ever be far enough," she said. 

"Definitely," she agreed on having a pack meeting in order to convey the news and in regards of Terance there was a more personal stuff to discuss. "Rannoch... I have been wondering - why did not Terance go with Seabreeze? I mean they are his family and I doubt that anyone in the pack would blame him for going with them," she said. "Has he spoken to you about this?"
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#9
Rannoch cackled; Wraen's warning had elicited a humorous image in his mind. "I'm not tough enough to carry babies around inside of me for months," he admitted with merriment in his eyes, "Liffey would probably leave me because I'd be complaining all the time." 

In regards to Sunspire's relocation, Rannoch agreed with Wraen. "Charon wouldn't allow us to settle anywhere west of Sunspire," he agreed. "It'd be both a lack of time and effort." 

The mention of Terance provoked a frown; Rannoch had been worried about his friend. "He hasn't told me why," he revealed. "I've been really worried about him. Have you seen him lately?" From what Rannoch could tell, Terance had been keeping to himself and patrolling more frequently.
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
"No, not really - I keep an eye on him, but I give him space," Wraen felt guilty about not being more support for her brother, but then again their relationship had been so fragile during the past six months that she did not want to break it by making a wrong step. "I mean - we have made our peace, but I still feel that I am walking on a very thin ice, when dealing with him," she looked up at Rannoch for understanding. He knew everything about the siblings' rocky history.

"And I am afraid that I won't approach him the right way about this, therefore I was hoping - maybe you can? You are like a brother to him after all. A better friend than I ever was to him," she finished. "I just worry that after this he will go into his depression again. And this time, I fear, it could be worse than before."
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Rannoch could understand where Wraen's concern was deriving from; the Redleaf-DiSarinno siblings often disagreed with each other. Rannoch often acted as the middle ground between the both of them. 

"And you are like a sister to me," he acknowledged fondly. "I've been meaning to help out. I'll scout him down after this and—hopefully—report back to you by the next sun-up." Rannoch expected that his and Terance's heart-to-heart would extend well into the night.
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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"Do talk with him," Wraen was relieved that Rannoch so readily agreed to help out. She would not have expected anything less of him. And yet it did not feel entirely right that it should be him to approach Terance first, maybe because her sense of duty and responsibility for her brother told that she should at least give a try. 

"And tell him that, if he needs me or Maia - we are here for him," she added so that it would not seem she did not care at all. "And that, whatever he decides to do, we... I will fully support him," she said, implying that, in case later Terance had a change of mind and decided to join his family instead of staying with them.

I think that this will be my last post - you can wrap up in the next. Thanks!
Ghost
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#13
"Will do, Wraen," Rannoch replied, "I'll talk to you soon." 

Without another word, the Alpha turned from the Beta and took his leave so that he could solicit Terance for the information they wanted—the conversation would be conducted with love, of course.
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