Round Stone Crest make that call

@Cessair
Kydnt/Lugh has given permission to assume Gent is now alpha.

It was time to replace Inali. Gent, as well as others in the pack, had been playing the part of jack-of-all-trades, picking up and taking upon himself anything and everything that was left to be done. However, now that he was in a position of power, it was time to delegate. Their transition period was, in Gent's eyes, over. They were well established within the timbers, their cache was keeping up with their stomachs and their borders were secured. However, they had lost several members, two of which had held vital roles to the pack and now was the time to take those who remained, who had proven loyalty, and elevate them into specialized roles.

Given that they had allies in the east, and plenty of news to be told, most pressing on his mind was the empty role of scout. His mind had gone over the options available to him, and only saw one option amongst the current ranks. After having discussed this possible choice with @Minka, the joint decision led him now on a search for the current second amongst the limited female ranks; Cessair.

He knew a little more about the woman now, having spent some quality time hunting wily foxes with her not too long ago. She was small, lithe, and had proved a considerable reserve of speed and stamina. What needed to be tested, was her knack for oration and memorization, as well as her willingness to traverse the expanse swiftly and on a moment's notice. His hopes were high; after all, he wasn't left with many other choices. He had other plans for Astraeus, Lugh was of course a non-option, Firefly had frozen herself at the position of lowest, and while he had not discussed the thought with Minka nor Kova, he himself did not want the boy being sent from home by himself on scattered missions. If Cessair proved unable, he would have to rely on a new recruitment, which would be an unfortunate circumstance.

Pinpointing her location by scent, Gent let out a curt bark or two to request she meet with him as he maneuvered through the thick-bodied trees in her direction. He wasn't quite sure how he would react if she wasn't even willing to try, but judging on what he'd seen of her so far, he was sure she would take on the responsibility so long as it was needed by the pack.

(This post was last modified: Jun 08, 2015, 11:47 PM by Gent.)

Cessair wasn't hungry. This was nothing new any more, but every once in a while, the weathered woman couldn't resist pausing to reflect. For most of her life, she had been alone and hungry. Now she was here, stalking prey while her stomach was full. Why? Because now she had a home and a sort of family. She found personal fulfillment in fulfilling her duties, and even if she wasn't exactly needed, at least not yet, Cessair was pleased to be wanted. Her gratitude for her station in life and in the pack could hardly find adequate expression. Diligent work was the best she could do.

A marten lived near Cessair's favorite vantage point, and she observed its habits whenever she passed by. Never before had she been able to catch a marten, for while the agile woman was quick in pursuit, she could never follow her prey up a tree. But her hunting skills were better than ever, and today Cessair would master stealth and deny the marten its chance to flee. Senses on high alert, she circled downwind of her quarry, stalked forward, and crouched for a pounce. A nearby jay cried a warning note, alerting the marten to danger. It froze, unsure where to flee, and Cessair leapt to action before she was discovered. In another moment, the jay was swooping back and forth overhead, scolding the victor as she carried her prize to the nearest empty cache.

The carcass safely deposited, Cessair trotted a few paces away and sat down. She began replaying the hunt in her mind, assessing her own performance so she could remember what she did right and remedy what she did wrong. A minute or so passed in this way, the mountainside still but for the conifers quivering in the breeze that smoothed down Cessair's mottled coat. Then, a bark. Her concentration broken, the tranquil woman rose and followed the cues to meet her summoner. The towering form of her new king rose into view. Cessair lowered her posture respectfully to acknowledge Gent's dominance, something she did not have to do at their previous tête-à-tête, as she fumbled for a proper name by which to address him. She didn't dare assume enough familiarity to call her alpha by his first name alone. "Hello, Sir Gent."  A little awkward, Cessair felt, but that would have to suffice. "What can I do for you?"

Her easy transition into submission was not just noticed by the man, but also deeply appreciated. So far, Gent's crowning had been met with mixed reception, and this vexed him to no end. He couldn't quite understand what more was expected of him to prove that he deserved to hold the title of alpha, as he had done nothing but work to improve the pack from the start. To know that even someone who did not know him so well was willing to extend some trust into him went a long ways in moving Cessair further into his favor.

 His ears ticked forward when she addressed him as sir, something he couldn't recollect ever being addressed as before. A soft smile adorned his muzzled as he assured her, "Just Gent is fine, though I appreciate your deference."

 Feeling at ease, Gent was comfortable enough to recline, lowering his muscle-thickened flanks to the ground atop his hind legs. His blue-black banner wrapped round to cover his forepaws while he blue eyes remained fixed on the woman before him. If she responded positively, this business could easily become more of a conversation. After all, there was quite a few details to go over concerning what needed to be done, both in the immediate mission Gent had planned within his head and in general to prove worthiness of the position.

 "The pack needs a scout, to explore the land around us and to communicate with our allies. How would you feel about working toward the role yourself?" 

Cessair nodded in response to Gent's dismissal of her formal greeting. Her leader gave her a smile and was obviously at ease, so the smaller wolf relaxed her own posture a little in turn. The two had hunted together recently but had otherwise interacted very little, so why Gent had summoned her, Cessair could only guess. By his manner, though, she could tell it was no cause for distress. She sat, listening to her alpha as she enjoyed the sensation of dappled sunlight shimmering on the mottled fur of her back. It was a nice day for a chat, or discussion, or whatever this was.

Though Cessair wasn't surprised that her king had come to discuss a matter of business, the object of that business did surprise her a little. Gent wanted her to become the Crest scout? It was a conscious effort to restrain her enthusiasm and resist leaping back to her paws. Her tail had a mind of its own, however, and gave a few pleased wags before she silenced it. Ever since Inali's departure, the idea of taking over as scout had slowly crept into Cessair's mind. To be useful to her pack and to simultaneously satisfy her itch to wander-- it was a pleasant thought, indeed! The well-traveled woman had assumed she would have to request the role, and for nervousness she had put off asking. But here was one of her leaders asking her!

A quick tally of her packmates explained why Gent had elected to ask her to become a scout rather than any of the others, but Cessair felt honored nonetheless. This was no command, either; the blue-black giant asked if she wanted to train to be a scout. Of course I'm willing! she wanted to shout. She did her best to quell her excitement before opening her maw to speak, but her voice came out a little breathless despite herself. "I would be honored."

It was clear to see that this news excited the woman. From the lighting of her eyes to the energy expressed through her tail, it seemed Cessair was the proper choice after all. For testing, anyways, as she was certainly a willing student but whether or not she had the mind or body for it was another question all together. Still, Gent had hope for the woman before him. True he did not know her well, but given the dwindling state of his pack if he did not place faith in those he had the man might as well call it quits now. And never would Gent be a quitter.

"Excellent," he exclaimed, a small smirk taking up residence on his maw the second he had recognized Cessair's enthusiasm. "Then we have quite a bit to discuss today. First, have you any prior experience as a scout? Don't be modest."

If she already had a taste for it, he would take whatever knowledge she claimed to know and test it thoroughly, ensuring not only that the skills she did possess were up to par but that she was being completely honest with him. A wolf who embellished would make a very poor scout; he needed someone who told things exactly as they are.

There is a family of deer nearby. Hunt Opportunity

Gent's next question immediately quelled Cessair's bubbling enthusiasm. It seemed that she had already passed the test to be accepted as a student, but she somehow had the idea anyway that her lack of previous experience would lessen the chance of her eventually earning the role. "Don't be modest," her king said, but Cessair could hardly imagine being anything but. Even if giving a false impression were the Crest second's goal, how could one enhance what was nothing to begin with?

But she must give an answer, and anything short of the truth simply would not do. "I'm afraid I don't really have any experience at all. This -- or I should say Black Thorn Downs -- is the fist pack I've ever been in, so I've never been trained in any sort of role..." Then an idea dawned on Cessair. Those wandering years were not a total waste, after all.

”Until I joined Black Thorn Downs, I had been a wanderer, searching for years for a brother whom I lost when we were hardly yearlings. I never did find him, but I've gotten quite good at navigating, and I can travel quickly for days at a time without growing exhausted.” Cessair paused to assess her own account before continuing. "I know traveling is only part of the requirements of a good scout, and while I believe I've developed a good visual memory, I can't really say that my memory for messages has been tested yet." The little woman glanced back up at the giant with a faint smile, hoping that her statement had told him what he needed.

As she spoke, it was clear that Gent was neither bothered nor phased by what she had to say, even if her resume was extremely lacking. Instead, what he liked was how she answered his question, with absolute honesty but also not without leaving herself completely high and dry. She had a good grasp on what would be required of her, and how her indirect experiences would still tie in with and bolster her efforts as a scout of the Crest. All in all, it satisfied the leviathan greatly.

When she threw her small, tentative smile up at him he received it with a reassuring one of his own.

"Experience traveling would be the hardest to give to you, so I'm glad you've already gotten that under your belt," he began. A more compassionate creature might have chosen to acknowledge the information given about her brother at this moment, perhaps offering an apology. Gent, while of course storing the knowledge in his mind, did not think of such things, for his nature simply did not find such matters of the past to be important or even pertinent.

"Your memory will be much easier to test and develop, so no worries about that. I'm not expecting perfection from you," he assured her, "at least not at first."

"Have you never held a role before, then?" he then inquired, changing tracks. With a decent knowledge base of Cessair's experiences concerning scouting, he wanted to focus on the rest of her life, so as to better get to know her as well as perhaps figure out what else she might be well suited for.

Sorry for my immoderate tardiness; this thread sort of fell off my priority list for a while...

Gent received Cessair's statement with a smile and the dwarfish woman felt herself exhale in relief. Her king certainly couldn't have been impressed with what she gave as her experience, but he did seem satisfied with her answer nonetheless. It didn't particularly trouble Cessair that Gent did not acknowledge the tale of her missing brother; their interaction was a matter of business and she had only shared that information as a way of explaining her years of wandering. Still, Cessair would have appreciated knowing that the king to whom she pledged her loyalty was capable of at least a spark of compassion.

"No, never." But maybe compassion wasn't truly necessary for good leadership anyway. Time would tell as Gent established and settled into his role. In the meantime, Cessair didn't deem it worth troubling her concern. Besides, it looked like she'd be focusing on learning a role through the coming months. ”But I do like to have a purpose, and while I enjoy generally helping where I can, I think I will be of greater service to the pack if I'm serving a role.”

Cessair wasn't as certain as Gent was that her memory would be in any manner easy to develop, but little would have induced her to make that comment aloud. She didn't at all remember the process of developing her visual memory, for she had been very young and the skill had come so gradually. Surely she must have found herself wandering in circles and covering the same ground over and over again in the early months of her search. And surely the development of her memory for messages would occur at least as gradually and lead her in as many frustrating circles. Cessair could hardly even remember her mother and brother's last conversations with her! But perhaps, thought she, there was no need to make herself so nervous. Learning to be a scout was what she wanted most at the moment anyway, and this time she would have the benefit of teachers as she learned.

It's perfectly fine <3 Feel free to fade & archive with your next post, if you want? c:

Her response was a negative, but the rest of her words caused the beast to smile. That was exactly what they needed, and he was happy to hear aloud that Cessair held such a mindset. He knew her to be loyal as well, given her time within the pack, and if she could truly master this role of scout, she would be quite the perfect subordinate. The king nodded to himself, rolling back his shoulders and tossing his gaze upward to gauge the time via the sun's position within the sky. It had already traveled so far, and there was so much to do. Perhaps Cessair could join him as he continued his duties, effectively striking two birds with one stone.

"That's wonderful to here," he informed her as his glacial gaze slid toward her once more, smile remaining upon his features. "I'm looking forward to getting to know you better, Cessair. I like your honesty."

"Care to join me on patrol?" he then offered, taking a few leading steps forward. He wasn't expecting a no, but then perhaps Cessair had other business she needed to attend to. Therefor, he attempted to make it clear that this was a friendly gesture rather than any sort of expectation to be met with "we can chat about less serious things."