Noctisardor Bypass Caboose, I don't think anybody likes you

Spook wandered through the northern part of the territory along the mountainous wall that sprouted there.  He was carrying a flat, relatively circular rock, feeling a little bit foolish but that was mostly because he hadn't planned ahead.  There should be some sort of den or cave or something dug into the side of it somewhere, right?  It sounded like the kind of place. 

At the very least, his close examination of it might provide a better place to stash his stuff -- this stone could be part one!  Like some sort of symbolic first piece or something, he was still working out the details.  Either way, the snow wasn't helping.  He did find that a few of the promising-looking divots were that way because his mother had looked there first.  So, not so promising.  He looked up.  Maybe if he climbed to a ledge or something there'd be something up there?  Not too high.  The area he was at was too steep to climb, so he'd just have to keep walking.

It had been a long while since Gannet had seen Terence's and Treason's children, and they'd grown just as much as Ashlar had. The pale wolf watched Spook suss out some unknown calculation for a moment before he approached.

Want help? he asked, looking from the rock to Spook curiously. He was still very much himself in that he didn't think to introduce himself; he was more curious what the younger wolf intended with his prize.

So, where was he gonna have to go? Farther along? Maybe. He looked away from the hillside and spotted Gannet standing there looking at him. He was actually a little taken aback. Not because Gannet was here -- he'd certainly heard that he and Ashlar were back from his parents -- but that Gannet was smaller than he remembered. This had happened a few times, but he was pretty sure that last he saw Gannet, Spook was looking up at him. Huh. It was weird having that realization. It was like the world shrank.  How big was Ashlar? He'd have to go find him later.

Anyway, with a wag of his tail, Spook dropped the rock into the snow, and it disappeared from view, leaving a shallow oblong hole.  He'd have to dig it out after, but at least it wasn't gonna go anywhere. And also then Spook could, y'know, talk. Oh hey! Um. Welcome back and stuff. And yeah. I wanna find a place to stash the stuff I've found. The snow is making it hard. He really needed to get to know the territory better.

Gannet blinked a bit at the reception, then smiled. Thank you. He was still curious, though. Stash, hide? Are you worried they'll be stolen? It didn't make sense to hide anything within pack boundaries, no one would steal from a packmate. Unless it was a game?

Either way, he was open to helping. You could bury it. It was the most obvious of answers.

Well, for some people it was a game -- certain siblings, in fact.  Yep -- Pike and Brou think it's funny to mess with my stuff, which he obviously wasn't too stoked about, that was for sure. Them being twerps was pretty much an every day thing from Spook's point of view.  Still, he needed a better suggestion.

He nodded at the suggestion. Burying stuff worked in some cases, but there had to be another option. Yeah, I tried that before we moved.. It made feathers all gross when it got wet out, and I think I lost a few things too.  He frowned. Really in the past he'd wondered if he'd just forgotten where he'd buried things, but there were a few now long-lost treasures hidden away in the forest.  There was a tree I found that I could kinda hide stuff in, but it's not big enough for the metal thing mom wanted me to take care of. That old piece of helicopter that Arbiter had hauled halfway across the planet at this point.  How do you find caves and stuff when they're covered by snow?  A cave would be big enough, and then he could stay out of the worst of the weather, too.  But even a small one would work if he just wanted to dump some things for safekeeping.

Siblings. Gannet didn't remember his well outside of Whip, but he smiled at the insinuation. The boy made good points about burying it, and Gannet considered for a moment.

Tracks, but usually those are taken. Shadows too. In the snow it could sometimes be easier to find large caves, ones not completely concealed. Have you looked much in the rocks? Gannet hadn't explored much of the bypass but the place was walled by fairly impressive stone halls. That would be a good place to start, perhaps.

Spook nodded.  The way the light glinted off the snow didn't help.  It had faked him out a few times already so far on this quest -- false hope and that kind of thing.  Maybe there was some better way of analyzing the clues. Hm.  No, was just about to start.  I think I maybe see a little path there? he pointed with his nose.  At least, the snow looked like it flattened off there, maybe a way up the slopes.  Then again, snow could hide stuff pretty well and he wasn't too keen on falling.  It was harder to see the slopes from this angle.

Then, sort of as an aside, Mom's been trying to find a big den and stuff too. If there's something really good, I should probably tell her, huh? After all, it was probably better to know right off the bat if he wasn't going to keep the place he found. Not only did alphas get dibs, but certainly his mother was perfectly able to shove him around on top of that. He took the path of less resistance.

At this point, Gannet was a little more learned in certain things. He smiled a little as Warlock revealed his mother was seeking a den. It didn't occur to him that making the assumption might not always be the best thing, however... different wolves reacted differently to such news. We can look. Perhaps. Gannet began to walk the direction he indicated. Do you enjoy having siblings? he asked, seemingly from nowhere.

Help was much appreciated, and he wagged his tail. He hadn't though too much as to why Arbiter would find a den, he wasn't the sort to ask questions, so he just accepted it as a thing his mother needed to have, the end. Yeah, but they're pretty bossy I guess. It's better when they're bugging each other.  He took a few steps after Gannet, then came to a screeching halt, spun around, and headed back to get his rock. It wasn't far, just maybe a little silly that he had to bring it with him. A few inches down, there it was, and he bounded back over and up the slope, looking ahead for a good shadow that might be a target -- there had been a couple, but how many were optical illusion kind of things? There was also the fact that him carrying the dang rock meant he wouldn't speak particularly clearly but he hadn't thought that far ahead.

Gannet didn't chime in any more with regards to siblings. Instead he followed for a moment, then took the lead, seeking out any likely caves. There was a promising looking one that he investigated, but it was simply a depression:

The second was a small den, but the trail was obvious. Not this one, he said complacently, then looked at Warlock. Why? He was near Ashlar's age so it was easy for the father to treat him similarly.,

They stopped, and Spook leaned forward, sniffing. Yeah, it might have been a nice den for his use, but... He set the rock down, more gently this time so he didn't have to go fishing for it. In fact, he didn't raise his head back up too far, ready to scoop it back up again, Someone else's. I'm not gonna fight someone for it. He didn't care if it was another wolf or like.. A fox or something. Totally not worth it to him. He wasn't that desperate. Do you think there are a lot along here?  He reached back down to preemptively scoop up his walk so they could keep looking.

i let these ones goooo

Wise. Gannet smiled, then continued on. If there is no need to, best to let them keep their home.At times other creatures could cause problems, but in this instance, there was no reason for a fight.

Seems like it. There was another not far away, hopefully more promising. He'd allow Warlock to spot it.

Spook lingered behind before realizing that Gannet was hanging back a bit for a reason. Rock in mouth, Spook moved forward, snooping around for what might be up ahead. It was probably pretty obvious then to Gannet that Spook's issue was he was checking out everything. He stopped short at what was more of a natural divot than an actual den, scraping around there and finding nothing before stopping and shaking his head towards Gannet. He hadn't even bothered to set the rock down this time. Maybe Spook was just so nonconfrontational he just really didn't want to deal with some other creature even thinking of being in the same zip code.

So he backed up and looked ahead and went to the next thing that looked promising, which was actually a little den. Probably not entirely big enough for the leggy youth unless he really crouched down a lot. He sat his rock down and scooted forward with caution, looking inside as if he was wary of something leaping out and biting him. There hadn't been tracks, but, well, he was cautious. Pause, and he looked back at Gannet, full of uncertainty of just about everything, I dunno... What did he want? Even he wasn't too sure. Permission or acknowledgement or something maybe?

[

removing him soon to pare down <3

Spook seemed hesitant, which was good. It wouldn't do to rudely barge in on another's home. Gannet came forward too and took a scent.

If there is no trail, then no one is here, he said, quietly. A home would smell of whoever had it. If a creature lived here, chances are they would leave and enter frequently. Such movement left signs and scent behind.

I don't smell anything, he added, but moved aside to welcome a second opinion.

Gotcha! Wrapping!

Spook nodded, then scooted a bit closer, checking again. It did seem to be pretty abandoned. Hm. He looked back and nodded. It might even be out of the way enough that his sister would find it to be too much trouble for now. You don't think whoever made it will ever come back? I think it might work... It'd be safe for me to make it bigger so I could fit, right? Look, Brou was the one who seemed to enjoy digging holes to the World Beneath or something, Spook was more concerned it'd somehow mess up and collapse. That fact never seemed to be on his sister's mind at all.

If so, he'd have to dig it out more, then move everything over and hopefully not lose anything in the process. It'd keep him busy, that's for sure! Thanks for helping. I think it should work. And he bidded Gannet farewell. Work to do.