Dragoncrest Cliffs up all night to get lucky

Absolutely no need to match post length, LOL. I hope I didn't get any of Wifi's history wrong! All welcome, although I tagged Tux. ;)

Bored with routine, Sequoia decided that today, she was going to visit @Wildfire. The young Drageda wolf admittedly did not know much about her, except that she was Thur's mate and had a bunch of kids. She used to be a scout, but it didn't seem like she got out much anymore. Not since half the pack had taken off on whatever adventure it was awhile back. Sequoia couldn't even remember who all had left now, and that seemed like ancient history to the Goufa. Funny how time worked like that... she was already forgetting things from her childhood. Of course, she was not a child now. No sir! She was an adult. Or so she liked to believe and tell anybody who asked.

Wildfire appeared to be tracking something down to eat, and Sequoia yipped at her. When the red wolf turned around, she seemed mildly annoyed that her hunt had been interrupted, but otherwise welcome to the company. Hey, Wildfire! she beamed, sidling up to the older wolf. I was wondering if you could tell me more about scouting and being an ambassador. I think that's one of the things I want to focus on now that I've had some practice with it. Already, she had recruited Buckshot, made another attempt with Wraen, gotten herself into trouble with Dingo, and once used Thur as a test subject for her skills. Thur had certainly been useful, but Sequoia knew it would be important to talk to others, too. She couldn't assume that Thur was the source of all truth, after all.

Wildfire asked what she wanted to know, and Sequoia's first instinct was to say, "Everything!" but she knew that wasn't a real answer. Maybe she should try to be more specific. Um... she trailed off, buying herself a bit more time to think on it. She already knew she wasn't supposed to give away certain details about the pack, and she had since learned that it was a good idea to ask about what skills a wolf had before bringing them back. Asking their name was important, too... as she had learned when trying to recruit her old leader. Wildfire looked like she was getting a bit impatient, so Sequoia blurted out something as quickly as she could.

What if they say they have a skill, but it's obvious they don't? she asked. Wildfire hemmed and hawed, eventually giving her a decent answer: make them do a little test trial to prove it. Maybe ask some follow-up questions so that it was clear they really knew their stuff. Sequoia thought that was pretty good advice, and she would keep it in mind if one of her potential recruits seemed a bit unsure about their abilities. It seemed like a good way to deduce whether or not they actually knew what they were doing.

What other packs do you know about besides Drageda? I met a wolf named Wraen who said she'd been part of, like, twelve different packs. Did you do that, too? Wildfire omitted the part about Blackfeather Woods, probably not wanting to traumatize Sequoia with what had happened to her there, but she did explain that she was born in a place called Redhawk Caldera and lived at Moonspear for a time. Oh! That's one of the ones Wraen mentioned! Did you become public enemy number one when you left? She said that happened to her.

Apparently, Wildfire's departure either hadn't been so dramatic, or her friends there had not been as mean and cruel as Wraen's friends. Maybe they had been there at different times. That would explain why Wildfire leaving wasn't that bad. Maybe Wildfire leaving was what had caused all the defensiveness in the first place! Sequoia didn't think that was terribly likely, but it could be true, couldn't it? Maybe they were so upset when she left, they decided nobody should leave ever again. She was just that cool or something. That was left up to the young Goufa's imagination, which promptly ran wild with all sorts of insane ideas.

Have you ever heard of that group called Sirens? she asked, referencing yet another pack Wraen had spoken of. They sing songs and drown other wolves. Wildfire seemed puzzled by this and shook her head, apparently either not remembering or not wishing to reveal that she knew about them. But after a moment, she did seem to finally recall them in some vague sense of the word. Either she had heard about them in passing, or she had interacted with one or two of their members at some point.

Sequoia continued asking follow-up questions about the different packs that Wildfire had encountered during her more active ambassador days. It seemed there was still much to learn, and she soaked it up as well as she could. Eventually, the conversation dwindled, and Wildfire excused herself to continue the hunt she had been on. Satisfied with what she had learned, Sequoia waved her tail and bumped her new self-selected mentor with her nose. Okay, good luck! she called after the fox-looking wolf, then turned to find something else to do.

Maybe she could track down a pack member to test her recruiting skills on. @Tux was a scout, wasn't he? Or maybe he was just training to be one. Either way, maybe they could practice on each other and figure something out. Mallaidh was also a scout, but Sequoia wasn't quite sure about her just yet. The Gona seemed to think she was still a child who wanted to play children's games... something that Sequoia was definitely not interested.

With her nose to the ground, Sequoia tried to locate the other scout in training.

The hopeful rauna had begun to flourish beneath @Helix's tutelage.  He was beginning to spend more days away from home, though he always returned by night to be close to the stars.  For some reason he could not place, they always felt more tangible on the cliffs than they did in the lowlands, as if he reached high enough, one day he could touch them.  

He did not spend much time with the other pups but it was not out of any particular disdain (although he was incredibly jealous of both Dacio and Kiwi for becoming Drakru — maybe that was a little intentional).  Rather, his hobbies and duties were easy to enjoy alone.  

Therefore when he heard Sequioia's approach he did not spurn her.  His mind recalled when she'd embarrassed him in front of that pretty girl and his cheeks flushed with anger, but he bit it back, instead keeping his face impassive as he regarded her approach.

*time-travels to old Seq headspace*

She came upon Tux, and considering she had gone with him on his latest little scouting trip, he seemed like the perfect candidate. Surely he had some experience with ambassadorship and recruiting, so Sequoia thought he was a great target for her test. Hey Tux! she greeted, wagging her tail with a smile on her face. Can you do me a favor? I wanna work on my recruiting skills. Think you could help? she asked.

Her head tilted to one side. If Tux didn't help her, she figured she could find somebody else to test her skills on. If you're trying to be an ambassador, I could be your test subject, too! she offered, hoping that might sweeten the deal for him. And if not... well, she could figure something out.

oooh yeah tux has gone through a big personality shift too hahaha

There is something infuriating about Sequoia that he can't quite place.  His first thought is, of course she'd be interested in the same thing I am, and he wonders why the thought makes him bristle so much.  He has the same iron will as she does, even though he's quieter about it.  But if anyone were to snatch bandrona from him when they were older, it'd be Sequoia.  

The second reason, although he was entirely unaware, was that what he felt for Sequoia when they weren't butting heads was about the closest thing to a crush as he had come.  She was pretty, and she was smart, and she could run with him.  It was enough to impress him.

When it didn't piss him off.  Okay, he says, with a shrug of his broad shoulders, You go first.  That way he'd know how to best her, when it was his turn.  I'm a lone wolf.  I just howled for you.

Oops, Sequoia hadn't been ready that quick, and she was momentarily flustered as she tried to get her wits about her. Ummm, okay, she said, trying to think about what she'd do. How did you find Drageda? she asked. It wasn't one of the top questions, but she did think it was an interesting one to ask. What exactly had brought this loner to their doorstep, and why were they looking for a home here? She distinctly recalled two wolves getting sent away because they hadn't been up to par with Daddy Dio's standards. Maybe Tux was one of those wolves.

She tried to line up other questions in her head in the meantime and prepare herself for anything that he might ask. What would a loner want to know, really? All the ones she had talked to had been answering the questions, rather than the other way around.

He was a little smug, since he had caught her off guard, though he tried his best not to let it come over his features.  I smelled your borders, he says casually, you smell strong.  He'd never been on the other side of this interaction and thus far had gotten to watch precious few members during their recruitment.  It was hard for him to place himself on this side of things, since he was certain he'd never leave Drageda, and he was certain that she would also never leave Drageda, so she would also probably not know.  Um, I know I know nothing of your pack, but I am strong, too.  I would be willing to learn more, and we can go from there.  

... Was that how this worked?

Sequoia tried to keep it together when he said she smelled strong. What kind of odor was she putting off, anyway. She hoped the strong smell was a good one, and not a stinky one. Stifling a goofy smile, she managed to regain her composure, listening as Tux made a weak attempt to "join" Drageda. Can you fight? she asked, tilting her head to one side, Hunt? Are you good at exploring? Maybe you're like Mo—er, one of our members, who can heal others with plants. Can you do any of that? she asked, finally feeling like she was in control of the situation.

It was pretty satisfying to be on this side of the interrogation table, so to speak. Usually, the conversations were much more friendly, as they were on neutral ground, and Sequoia was simply striking up a conversation with a stranger. With the scenario that Tux had come up with, she found herself being a lot more skeptical of the "stranger's" skills and what he was actually good for.

The two continued to suss out their skills and role-play what it might be like to try and recruit an actual stranger.