The Sunspire If i'm to lead I need to learn

@Nishu Inte

Jace woke with a start and determination seeping into his head. He was on a mission today. Today he was going to meet as many of the new wolves as he could. He would earn his position back, yes he had stepped down, but he still had to earn his place if he wanted it back. The words that Summer had spit at him, they rankled. It had hurt him too, he would never tell anyone that, but Summer had really hurt what was already vulnerable.

Shaking his black head he trotted towards the borders and then perhaps a hunt was in order. A hunt ot clear his cluttered mind. He wondered at some of the names that Amekaze had thrown out at him, but he could think of none really. How terrible was that, granted he wasn't very good with names until he could put faces to them.

Dipping his muzzle to the ground he went in search of any weak points in the borders. Then he would go hunting, perhaps catch some large game give to both his sister and Amekaze the two most important wolves in his life. Ame because she was his friend and his leader and Vienna because she was his sister and he loved her.

Nishu hesitated on either seeking out wolves he didn't meet yet or if he should take the time to train a bit before returning to Rain. He thought that it would just be better to walk along the borders and pick a path that would do a bit of work out. It would be best to get used to the rough terrain as soon as possible. Mainly so he could get around faster. It would be bad to waste time being slow.

On the cliff's edge he gazed down at the snowy forest below. Perhaps taking a look of what was down there would be enough for the morning's work. He looked at his surroundings, He wasn't sure but it felt like this was the place where he got to talk with the alphess. The scene did look different at night, The eyes were pulled towards the skys than the forest.

He searched for a more challenging way down than to just walk down. He thought about jumping from edge to edge until he was in to forest itself. If he took his time it would be easy but he wanted to see how fast he could get down this way. He selected a jumping path. The height must be three or two meters high between each mini cliff to the next. Nothing he couldn't handle.

As Jace ran he was lost in his own thoughts and his own world. Had it really been almost a month since he had stepped down. He almost couldn't believe it himself. It was strange really, but he felt no different. Still felt the same, though he was more at peace with himself and he came to the conclusion that much of what Summer said had some merit and a small grain of truth. He was not a bad leader, he had merely made mistakes and he supposed he couldn't be perfect.

He came to a stop as he watched another wolf very near him studying the cliff side strangely. What was this wolf going to do? Should he call out a warning that though it looked close it was still rather steep and he needed to be careful. He decided to just sit and simply watch for now. So chuffing he sat down to his haunches and tilted his head as he watched waiting and hoping the other soared correctly. He would jump to his aid if need be, but he hoped it wasn't needed.

It was time to concentrate. Today's exercise was paw positioning. With the choosen path selected he decided to start on his first jump. It was simple and easy, all there was was jumping straight down. Without wasting any time he leapt for the next rock sticking out of the mountain. The difference here was that he need close the distance before he could land on it. As he jumped to the side and attempted to land correctly he discovered that there was some ice on the rock. It was too late to avoid it and was forced to slip off the rock on his side.

He managed to get his footing back before landing on the steep rocks but he had to continue moving quickly if he didn't want to lose his balance and fall. He was moving faster and faster heading down nearly triping over himself a couple of times. There was no way to slow down until he reached the bottom. Getting injured here was not part of the plan. If he got hurt he wouldn't be able to continue his duties to Rain. He was determined to not fail here.

Suddenly a rock out of place caused him to do a front filp. It was bound to hurt now, except he landed into a pile of snow. He got to the bottom just before making a real miss step. He was alive with no injuries. Yeah It was all planned, kind of. He felt relieved. That was one exercise that had his blood rushing. He looked at the forest ahead of him. Atleast the hard part was over.

Jace watched in mild mannered amusement as the other began to get ready to be an idiot. The rocks were icy and it was not smart to be jumping on them. But surely if this wolf was part of the sunspire, he knew that right? It was colder up here than down below.

Jace rushed to his feet as the other slid and began to run fast and unsteadily down the toepath. He wanted to rush after him, but knew it would be foolhardy within it's own self. He visibly grimaced and winced as the other hit a rock and went flying through the air. He simultaneously let his breath out in a gasp as the other managed to land in a snow bank. Wow that was some interesting foot work there.

Jace walked carefully down the mountainside determination on his face and in his walk. Are you okay? He tilted his head when he got within talking distance. He didn't want to yell for fear of the snow that covered the mountainside come barreling down.

Nishu was a bit surprised of himself. That could have gone really bad, if he didn't have luck on his side. It was noted that it was a bad idea to do these kinds of exercise during winter. Even if there was snow to break his fall the ice made it way too dangerous. Maybe he'll try again when it's warmer, surely at that time he would be risking less.

His ears twitched as something approached him. Looking at the direction it was coming from he spotted a wolf coming towards him. When the wolf asked if he was ok he couldn't help but grin. Nishu was fine, it was a piece of cake, nothing he couldn't handle on his own. Atleast a new face appeared out of no where. He didn't count on meeting anyone but now that the male wolf was here, might as well greet him.

"I'm perfectly fine, it was nothing I couldn't handle. I had everything under control" He said, showing off a bit. Then curious about why the male was at the borders he asked "Did you come to check out the forest too?" He stretched a bit before taking a few steps towards him. And as usual he kept a watchful eye on the wolf's blue eyes.

It was an understatement to say the wolf in front of the dark boy was lucky. Had he fallen wrong he could have broken his neck or his leg, both death warrants in the wild. He hoped the male would learn from it, learn to not take such risks when he was providing for a pack. Every lost pack member meant lower help for the rest.

Jace shook his head at the reckless grin that stole across the other's face. He did offer a grin back though in return and shook his head. M'names Jace.He grew quiet and shifted, finally settling near the wolf before him. I was running actually, I enjoy it most mornings. What do you wish to see in the forest? Or just see it?

"I only wish to see what dwells there. It's always best to know what's moving around out there, right?" He said as his eyes continued to scan the forest. He wondered if there were any cougars around there. Maybe traces of them were around. Either way he was going to check out the surrounding lands around Sunspire no matter what dangers lurk in them.

He looked at Jace before giving out his own name. "My Name is Nishu Inte and I'm currently Rain's Knight." He said with a nod. Then he hesitated on moving on or staying for a little chat. Well a little chat would be alright. Perhaps Jace had useful information about the forest, it would make his little scouting trip go a little faster. Still, he wasn't quite sure what to ask about. He remained in place, thinking about it.

Jace turned his gaze towards the forest. Probably foxes, and other such creatures. Be warned though there is a cougar out there attacking wolves. It has taken our first alpha Ferdie and it has wounded my sister Vienna pretty badly. Jace looked towards the blackfoot forest and his heart seized as he realized that was where he had first met leaf, in all her fainting firebrand glory.

Her Knight? Did you save her? he was curious if the other had saved her. Or if they had come here together. That was a strange thing, were they mates or merely friends. He hadn't met Rain yet either, he would need to remedy that.

Again the word cougar had appeared. It was clear that it was still somewhere among the mountains or atleast around it's base. To learn that it has already taken the life of a wolf made him re-estimate the strength of the creature. It's now a real known danger that has to be dealt with. Even if it managed to defeat a couple wolves Nishu still had the will to challenge it to a deathmatch. If more lives were lost to it starting now then it would be him the failure for not putting a stop to it.

"That cougar sounds like a real problem, I would like to find it and put an end to it before more get hurt by it. Afterwards the whole mountain could rest at ease." He said as he became more and more determined to find this cougar.

But Jace managed to pull him away from that when he asked if Nishu had saved Rain. "Well Rain got cought up in a mess that involved me. She risked her life to assist me but we both ended up tossed off a cliff into the sea during the battle against the Ankyra. We were defeated but we managed to survive together. Since Rain has a sister she is looking for I offered to assist in finding her and during that time I offered my services as a Knight to her." He said calmly. It was a battle like that that could reveal who real allies are. Rain is a strong wolf and he enjoyed being with her, but there are duties to take care of. He can't always stay at her side.

Jace had vowed to kill the cougar when he had seen his sister hurt and beaten. And he still felt that way, but he had been thinking while he was on hiatus. And he realized it was foolhardy to attempt to go after it himself, just as Leaf had told him once. It was selfish to want to save everyone, if all they wanted was him to be alive. So he realized if he wanted to kill that thing, he would need help. As would the wolf in front of him, if he had designs to go after it himself.

It is a problem, and we should get a hunting part after it. But I do not think that one wolf should go after it. That is a bit foolhardy. Jace meant what he said, perhaps he was finally growing up, learning to think a little clearer and more thoroughly. He was certain that his anger would get the best of him at the worst of times, but other times he could work on it.

that was admirable of you. If you need some help sometimes I am willing to help her find her sister. It's awful to be separated from your siblings. he knew this personally, he had missed Vienna like an ache while he had been gone.

Thinking about one of this missions he took on with others at Ankyra Sound. Nishu continued to believe he could take on any cat. Sure they were sneaky but in combat it was the wolves who had the upper paw. "I've already fought with some cats before, one shouldn't be a problem for me. If I find it out there I intend to get rid of it for the safety of other wolves." He said, still confident in himself. He still pictured a cougar to be slight bigger than the cats he faced but smaller than him.

Then the matter about Rain's sister. "If you have any information about Ryuu's location that would help us. Besides that all there is to do is search. I'm sure we will find her one day. It's just too bad we don't have any information." He said as he stretched a bit then sat down. He doubted that Jace had information but having an extra eye to search could be helpful.

"I don't really know what it's like to have brothers or sisters. or maybe it's because I never called them that, We were more like comrades until missions began to seperate us. But I'm sure they are fine, they grow up the same way I did so they are pretty strong." He said as he thought about those he trained with. Those were the good old fun days.

Jace shook his head, it was foolhardy to go it alone, but who was he to talk him out of it. Jace stared at him for a moment, You do what you want, but if it is on pack land you will call for one of us I hope. He meant it too, he would not stand idly by while one of his pack members, went on a suicide mission. He may think he could beat the cat, and maybe he could, but he would get injured, it was not a small animal. It was about the same size as a wolf, sometimes bigger if it were a little bit of a freak of nature.

Jace nodded I will keep an ear open and and eye too. he would not search for a wolf unless it was a pack member, take care of your own. He would at least listen for her whereabouts.

Jace stared at him, he couldn't imagine not caring where is sister was or what she was doing. He would want to know where she was and if she was safe, and he would never assume she was just fine just because of training. But he supposed he was different than most. Vienna is my only sibling. I could never imagine life without her to be honest.

Calling help against an ambusher doesn't sound easy. If the creature was going to stay for a fight then maybe but if it runs he wasn't sure if he could call for the others. The other wolves would have to be nearby if they ever wanted in on it. Nishu didn't think he would be defeated by it. He wasn't sure if he would ever call really, it was just one cat and they would take the chance to escape.

He looked at jace after he said that he couldn't imagine living without his sister around. Nishu thought it about for a moment. It's true that being alone isn't great for a Knight either. When he was lost without a single master to protect and obey he felt pretty empty with no objective or purpose. Connections would make someone stronger so he understood why Jace may not want to lose any connections with his sister.

"Connections would make one stronger, just be sure to be strong enough to hold those connections so you could protect them with ease. I can't imagine failing to protect Rain." He as he took a step forward. "Chatting here won't help protect them. I'm going to go head check out the forest for myself. Maybe I'll find clues on the cougar's location."