Ravensblood Forest My life ain't filled with worries

Another!  I'm caught up with the other guys (for the most part) :D  all welcome!

The fight with Koda had been an unfortunate occurance, for sure, but it had held one happy side effect.  Like dust in the rain, Dante had felt his anxieties about his leadership in the Plateau fade away in the aftermath of the conversations that had followed, the fear of failure that had plagued him since he began the journey finally in the past.  At times it took him a long while to come to realizations, especially when it came to his own flaws, but this one had been groundshaking.  He had done both himself and his packmates a disservice in his thoughts ever since he took up the mantle of alpha.  His fear of them turning on him for every little mistake, every little happening... it not only questioned their loyalty, but also their friendship to him.  If his intentions were good, and his heart true, then they would see that.  To think anything else was to assume they were not smart enough to choose for themselves, and many of them had already done that.  No one had stopped those who were there from following Peregrine that day, but still they had remained.  They had accepted him.  He needed to trust that decision.  If it proved to be wrong, well, he would have tried his best.  But worrying would get him nowhere and did not serve anyone.

This was not to say he would remain idle.  His defeat at Koda's paws had revealed a true flaw in his lifestyle... he had grown complacent with peace.  As a subordinate, and a warden, this was fine.  But as an alpha, a warrior's skills were a must, for challenges could come in many guises.  This was why he stood where he did, and why his eyes were locked with that of a large bull moose, who returned the stare from a mere twenty feet away.  Once he had berated Finley for this very exercise, but her jaunty challenge had been a merry game.  This was no game.  A low growl was released as the moose lowered it's head, tossing it's antlers in clear warning.  Holding his ground, he took a step foward, the rumble in his throat growing louder.  He cut it off, though, as abruptly the moose charged, massive antlers aimed directly for Dante.

Leaping to the side and rolling, he managed to avoid the toss of the rack towards his fleeing form, though barely.  This was an exercise in agility, something he was severely lacking.  It had always been a harder point for him to get the hang of, as he did not tend naturally towards it, but never had he been this slow.  The growl resumed as the moose slowed, turning to face it's agressor once more.  He wasn't sure if it would make another pass, but if so, he would attempt a snap at it's leg.  He was not hunting just now, so would do no damage.  Just a dance that would instill not only reflex, but control as well.

A few days after receiving the bad news from Gunnar, Junior decided to head out in the direction of Stavanger Bay to catch up with her foster mother and offer some condolences. As she trekked along the coast, enjoying the bracing ocean air, she thought of her mentor, Ragnar. He had trained her up to be a fierce Shield Maiden. Without him, she would not hold her title of Warrior today. Her heart throbbed painfully when she found she couldn't recall the last time she'd seen him, or her last words to him. He had been more of a father to her than Peregrine had been in some ways.

She passed beneath the shadow of Horizon Ridge and was about to cross the river when she heard scuffling sounds coming from the forest off to her left. That was the forest where Ragnar and Thistle had found her half-drowned and taken her into their home. Swallowing, Junior ventured forward into the trees. Over the treetops, she spotted Gyrfalcon's Keep and remembered her adventure there with Thistle. Then more noises up ahead drew her attention. She slunk forward, emerging at the edge of a small clearing.

She arrived just in time to watch as the bull moose rushed a silver wolf, who rolled just in time to avoid being obliterated by the ungulate's fearsome rack of antlers. The yearling winced, then sucked in a breath through her teeth when the wolf rose and snapped at the moose's leg. Dante! she realized with a shock. She nearly called out his name but managed to bite her tongue at the last possible second. Who knew what might happen if she made a sound? She could get him killed.

yay, thanks for jumping in!!!

It had indeed charged again, and ducking sideways, Dante's jaws snapped a foot away from the moose's hocks.  Instead of continuing to follow, though, he let the beast rush by unimpeded, and instead danced back a few steps, locking his eyes once more on the majestic challenger before him.  Were the opposer a stag, it was likely he would not have made it this far unscathed.  But like him, the moose was large, it's frame made more for the defensive stand than anything else.  Watching the flick of it's ear, the irritated heaving of breath, the alpha suddenly relaxed, tail lowering and fur flattening.  Without looking away, he backed up even more paces, putting more distance between himself and the irritated moose.

Faced now with the decision to flee or fight, and given the space to make either a reality, the moose appeared to consider a moment.  Finally, with a last toss of it's antlers, it chose the former, leaving Dante for more peaceful groves.  It was lucky Junior held her silence, or it might have made a different call on the matter.

Finished, Dante sat where he was, finally scratching an itch on his side that had grown irritating the past minute.  Thinking himself alone, he looked over to see Junior, who had presumably been.. Watching?  How long had she been there?  "Junior!? What are you doing here!?" Tail waving, he got to his feet to greet her properly, glad to see her and not expecting to have so soon after their previous meeting.  Wasn't she shacked up somewhere else now?

You jumped into mine, I jumped into yours! ;)

Without realizing it, Junior held her breath as Dante continued his dangerous dance with the moose. It ended almost as swiftly as it had started, though, and the bull charged away into the woods. She stared after it, only for her eyes to flick suddenly to Dante when he evidently noticed her and shouted her name.

Slipping forward from her spot in the brush, Junior quipped, "Uh, watching you play tag with a bull moose." She cocked her head, then smiled at him. "Seriously, though, what the hell was that about?" she asked, admiration in her tone. It was possible Dante was more of a bad-ass than she had realized...

"Ah, yeah.."  Playing tag.  Actually not too bad a description.  "Sparring partners are a little short in the Plateau at the moment, and I figured I could use the practice.  So he was nice enough to oblige."  Dante looked off in the direction the moose had gone, amused.  Lasher might have entertained him, but he hadn't wanted to ask the busy father to do so.  Osprey as well, but he had felt she might still be recovering, and Mordecai and Harlyn were still away.  And Blue Willow?  That would have just felt strange... and she was in pretty much the same boat as Lasher.  Nah, better to pick on unsuspecting fauna instead.

A little hesitantly, he added a bit more explanation.  "I might have gotten my ass handed to me a couple of weeks ago.  Can't afford to be rusty any more."  Were it anyone but Junior, he wouldn't have brought this up.  But he hoped she wouldn't judge him too harshly outside of the normal teasing for it, seeing as she no longer fell under his leadership.  And he knew she wouldn't use the information against him... well, at least he thought he knew.  It was a crazy image thinking of her going so far as to do that.  The jabs for it, though, would be well-deserved.

"And I don't mean here here... but away from the new digs.  Aren't you Beta somewhere now?"  He imagined she would still travel, of course, but it really felt as though she'd just been here.  "Not that I'm complaining! It's good to see you again."  And it was.  As much as he rolled with the comings and goings of people in his life, he didn't like the idea of them disappearing for good.  And he was glad she wasn't of that variety, though for a long time he had thought her such.

Junior opened her mouth to offer herself as a sparring partner, yet before she could, Dante admitted to the fact that he'd had his ass handed to him recently. The yearling blinked. On one hand, it was difficult to imagine anyone getting the better of the rock-steady Alpha. On the other, Junior had always found the plateau's leadership a bit soft. That was why she had taken matters into her own hands with Finley. Of course, she didn't mention any of that now.

While she was still processing that, he clarified his question. Junior bit her lip. Dante would likely not be surprised by her fickleness. Remember, you're supposed to be owning it, an inner voice whispered in her head. You're not fickle, you're adventurous, it added in Saena's voice, causing her lips to twitch into a sheepish smile.

"Things didn't work out," Junior said simply, "so I came back here to support Saena. I'm living with her pack at Redtail Rise." Not only did she want to deflect the attention off her capricious nature, she truly wanted to revisit the reasons behind Dante's daring face-off with the moose, so she added, "But what's this about having your ass handed to you? What happened? I can help you shake off that rust," she offered.

He could see her surprise, and that hardly surprised him.  He knew from past experience, all too well, that like Saena Junior had a heavy view of leadership.  It shouldn't come as a surprise, with both of them having been raised in a pack with Peregrine at the helm.  Dante doubted his belief that it was not always the strongest who led would have set well with the other alpha either, but he was seeing things a bit more clearly now.  If Junior judged him, so be it, but he was done kicking himself for something that had already come and gone.

In the early days he had seen himself as a wall between the Plateau and danger, guardian to these lands and those within.  Now he knew that view was skewed.  He was merely a stone in the wall, and if he intended to deal with all threats alone, he might as well take up the loner mantle once more.  He had a pack for a reason, just as they had him.  It was entirely possible that any one of them could win his crown from him... All were likely formidable fighters.  But they did not.  His task was delegation, protector yes, and advisor.  Making calls to ensure they ran smoothly.  Strength of body had less to do with that.

Not to say it wasn't important.  Kinda the idea behind him being where he was at that moment.

Just as she accepted his revelation without too much comment, he did hers as well.  His first instinct was indeed to wonder how long this one would last, but he knew that to be uncharitable.  He really didn't see anything wrong with the way she explored her options, and she and Saena were birds of a feather, so to speak.  But were he Saena, he would wonder all the same.

"I'm sure she is thrilled to have you there," was all he gave, but it was genuine.  He would have taken her back in a heartbeat as well, despite her track record.  A loyal member was never a burden, even if you didn't know how long they would stick around.

"I ended up giving Koda the boot.  Guy ended up being a real piece of work.  He didn't take too kindly to being asked to leave, and I got the worse end of it.  He hightailed it out, though, so here I am. Antagonizing moose." He wondered if she would question his remaining position, as he had when it occurred.  "I wouldn't pass up some real practice, if you are offering."

"Yeah, she's pretty happy. She tried to make me Beta, actually, but I told her I'm way too unreliable for that," Junior said, owning her flaws even while making fun of them. "Ah, Koda," she added, face twisting into a scowl. Naturally, Saena had told her all about that particular douche bag. Junior connected the dots, realizing Koda had defeated Dante. But he obviously hadn't claimed the Alpha's title, which was surprising but a relief.

"Good riddance," she said simply on the matter, then smiled again and said, "It's a genuine offer. Hey, weren't you sort of instrumental in my early Warrior teachings?" Junior asked suddenly. "I have this really vague memory of us play fighting when I was little. You called me a gladiator. Do you remember...?"

Though no longer ashamed for what had happened, he did feel relief when she let the subject fall at that, as he had just found peace with himself again and wasn't keen on having to try to explain or validate to others. His pack had accepted it, and that was what mattered. He had completely forgotten at this point that Mordecai and Harlyn had yet to weigh in, an oversight that would soon be coming back to bite him.

"I do." In fact, when she'd offered it was the first thing he had thought of. It had been early in his time on the plateau, and he had been terrified of hurting her. Still the idea of sparring was a nerve-wracking one, but his fight with Koda had shown he had some level of control. It was enough to give him the desire to try.

"The name still stands. I would love to see what else you've picked up, as I'm sure you've improved since then." He smiled back, dropping into the posture she would likely know well by now, the universal signal that he was open to some play. As he did he watched her carefully, seeking a clue as to what her first move might be and how he might return.

do we wanna dice spar? :) or just roll for results and write it out? I am good with either!

I like Option B. :)

The conversation suddenly reminded of her why she was out this way: she was supposed to be visiting Thistle after learning of Ragnar's murder. She still couldn't believe that someone had struck down her foster father. Junior swallowed. Maybe she wasn't even ready to face the reality yet. Dante had been thrown into her path today for a reason. She would forego the bay today, though not indefinitely. It occurred to her that she should ask Gunnar to accompany her too. She would do it the right way next time.

Focusing back on the present, Junior replied, "I like to think I have, even though I'm much more of an Outrider than a Warrior these days." She almost mentioned how Ragnar had also been instrumental in her teaching—she was Dante's gladiator and Ragnar's Shield Maiden—but the sudden lump in her throat prevented her from delving into that. Instead, she added, "But bring it on."

When her opponent bowed playfully before her, Junior immediately revealed her fighting style: she "cheated" by foregoing any sort of preliminaries and diving straight into action. She sprang at him with a playful growl, her narrow black snout angling to bite his left foreleg.

OK! My roll (1d8) 1

Highest wins?

He might have pegged her for a scrapper just from knowing her, had he the time to analyze her possible strategies. This was hardly the case, though, for she proved to be just that, darting in for the first hit without pausing even an instant. He reared back, feeling her teeth graze his foreleg, and extended the other in an attempt to give her a blow to the shoulder, hoping to overbalance her.

If it did not work, he would leave his side open for an instant, but he strove not to miss. He wasn't sure how quick Junior was nowadays, and his previous fighting styles, highly aggressive, didn't put much merit on defensive fighting. One of the areas he was attempting to focus on and could use some improvement in.

Roll: 6

You get post #800, which is going to be Junior's final post count milestone. :')

Many wolves simply yanked their leg out of the way, yet Dante did much more than that; he reared, removing his entire anterior from the range of her teeth. Well, mostly. Her fangs grazed against his leg, though not with enough force to break the skin. But that was never the intention in the first place, of course, as this was a friendly spar and no one was out for blood.

From his higher vantage point, he kicked out a leg and struck her square in one of her bony shoulder blades. Dante was a large wolf and there was a lot of force behind the shove. Junior began to lose her balance, though she tucked into the roll, flipping over and regaining her feet much like a cat. She was speedier than she was strong and she whirled to snap at his leg all over again.

She was much quicker than he, and after knocking her, he was a second too slow in getting moving again.  When his paws hit the ground she was there, jaws successfully wrapping around his leg this time.

Knowing that she could overbalance him like this, he instead moved to grab her scruff, hoping to pull and take her with him should she use her advantage.   The fact that this was a spar for practice made him approach it with a bit more serious air than a friendly tussle, but he still was enjoying himself immensely in the process.  A smile danced on his expression despite the playful growls that were released every so often.

She landed her hit, her teeth grappling Dante's foreleg. She was careful not to break the skin, though the sharp points of her teeth pressed into his flesh. Nearly the instant she took hold, the male grabbed her scruff. He was stronger, so he broke her grip with relative ease. She teetered sideways and lost her balance, falling onto her left hip with a loud thump. It smarted a bit, though she quickly jumped to her feet and backpedaled to gauge her next move.

"My foster father was the one to teach me about feinting," she blurted between slight pants. Despite this distraction, Ragnar wasn't far from her mind. "I was really little when he first introduced the concept. I thought he meant fainting, like passing out." She chuckled breathlessly, then felt a sudden stitch in her chest. Without warning, a wave of grief washed over her.

Dropping her muzzle, Junior blurted something else, voice softer. "He was murdered. I just found out a few days ago." Her two-toned eyes lifted from her paws, momentarily catching Dante's familiar, friendly gaze. "He shaped me into a Warrior, a Shield Maiden. I want to do his memory honor and really bring my skills back up to par." As she spoke, she swiped a paw over her muzzle, as her eyes and nose had begun leaking a little.

"Sorry," she muttered, feeling a little embarrassed by the abrupt emotional display. "I was actually heading to the bay to talk to his widow, my foster mother, when I ran into you," Junior explained.

She fell, and as she backed up, he remained where he was, breath coming in shorter as well as he watched for her next move. Instead she began to speak of Ragnar and her time on the coast. He chuckled breathlessly too at her innocent mistake, imagining it. His own father had been the one to teach them of it. He sobered though when she delivered the news that follows.

The bay had done so much for them, to hear Ragnar was gone was truly sorrowful. He had not met the alpha, so his depth of feeling could be nowhere near Junior's, but he ached for her. "I'm sorry. He taught you well." Anyone could see that. "I think he would definitely feel honored to hear you say that." It was a high compliment, that she trained and excelled in his name. A testament that his legacy had not ended with his death, but would be carried out through children both born and adopted.

He wondered if he perhaps shouldn't visit her, to see if they needed anything. Repay some of the kindess they had given so freely. "I don't want to keep you from that," he replied uncertainly. "I bet she could use a visit more than I need a sparring lesson." He was enjoying this immensely, but didn't want her to remain here if she needed to see her foster mother.

She nodded, heartened by Dante's compliments but unable to speak momentarily. Only when he mentioned keeping her from the bay did Junior find her voice. She sniffed again, then shook her head rapidly at him before wiping her nose again.

"You're not. I actually decided it would make more sense to take Gunnar with me. He's their true son," she explained. "He was the one who told me the news. He's living with us at Redtail Rise. But, yeah, I was thinking I should go another day, when he can come with me. We'll head there soon," she added a bit guiltily, following Dante's latest comment.

"I didn't mean to throw off our spar," the yearling said ruefully after taking a steadying breath. "Especially since I know you're pretty serious about getting back into shape." Her brow furrowed as she recollected the sight of him squaring off with the moose. "Rain-check, maybe?" she offered, tail twitching. "I can make Ragnar proud by turning you into a real Berserker." Junior smiled a watery smile.

"I'd like nothing better."  He replied when she finished, returning the smile.  From what he had heard, Ragnar was an imposing figure, and learning some of what he imparted to Junior would be an honor and a privelidge.  Dante had been raised many things, but one of the huge positives imparted to him was a healthy respect for the talents and strengths of opponents.

"Hey, though, tell Saena I said hi.  And that I do intend to stop in sometime soon, check out the place, if the invite is still open."  It wasn't something he wished to do often, but he did want to set eyes on it, see what sort of home she'd found.  Sort of a closure, though he hoped their relationship wouldn't end there, or a proper sendoff at least. 

Dante seemed to like the idea, which made Junior happy. Their relationship had had its ups and downs and she was glad they had somehow ended up here: friends and, evidently, sparring partners. She looked forward to helping whip him back into shape and delving deeper into the trade herself again. It would be good for both of them. And though she could be a fierce opponent, the pewter Alpha was much better off picking fights with her than with bull moose.

"I'm sure it is. I'll pass your message along. Whenever you do come by, let's get together for our rematch," the yearling suggested. "I'll see you around, Dante," were her final words to him. She sniffed, managing a small smile for him. Her two-toned eyes lingered on his face a moment, then Junior turned and began trotting away, back toward Redtail Rise.

"Looking forward to it. See you Junior, and good luck." He watched as she left, then continued for a while after, before turning towards home with a small smile. He was glad that she was back, and that Saena would have her support. Knowing the two of them were together set him at ease and made him happier than he'd have expected.

They'd come a long ways in the past year or so, and he also was glad they had leveled to a place of friendship.