this is good a place to fall as any

Morning dawned cold but bright, and Belenus woke free of the nightmares that normally categorized his sleep. He thanked whatever gods were listening to him the night before, surprised someone had actually listened. Then, he’d hauled himself to his feet, and stretched, catlike. Perhaps the thing he was most pleased about, though, was his forelimb, which didn’t ache when he put weight on it. After a brisk shake and a general comb of his teeth through his fur to make sure the tangles weren’t too out of control, Belenus settled against the ground and took the time to watch the horizon again.

Nothing had changed overnight, though. Nothing approached them besides the wind, no distant clatter of armor. They were seemingly alone. But he was rested, so he could take watch until Ries woke. And, he could enjoy a nice sunrise, perhaps the only natural phenomenon he had been able to enjoy in his time on earth. He extended his nose up, and let the sun blaze over him.

Once his companion did wake, though, they were quick to pack up and head out. Belenus was happy to let Ries lead the way, following along at his shoulder and contributing to the conversation when he felt he needed to. Which was, perhaps, not as often as a more emotionally energetic fellow would, but he did his best.

The mountain loomed over him before long. Belenus stopped at its base to stare up at the peaks, squinting to try and catch their very tops. But the clouds swallowed them whole, and he found himself more than a little queasy as they continued to climb into the foothills. The fact there could be anything up above them, and he wouldn’t know it. There could be a thousand fantastical things above the cloud ceiling, and each one made him jittery.

“Big thing, isn’t it?” He asked lamely, ears falling back when he looked up again. It made him feel almost jittery, but he persevered.

---

@Ries

the staff team luvs u

Ries hadn't slept so well in a long time. He slept long into the mid morning, only stirring when the sun was well above the horizon. It was only minutes after he'd woken that they were off again, heading back toward the mountain.

Fortunately, it wasn't as awkward as Ries had imagined, after their impromptu cuddling session. He filled the silence with chatter and Belenus responded here and there, but it wasn't enough to keep him going, and it did not take them long to reach Vanderfell's territory.

It loomed like a fortress, impenetrable and imposing. Ries looked up at the peaks and immediately thought of his father, and then banished it. Runar was up there, and his mother, and Katja. Though not everyone still lived on this mountain, the wolves who Ries' heart belonged to remained, and so his loyalty would lie with them as well.

He was so used to the mammoth size of the summit that he forgot how intimidating it could be for newcomers. A smile crossed his face, which he hoped was reassuring. "Yeah. It's like it touches the sky," he said, eyes soft. "It isn't so bad once you get up there, though." It took some getting used to, but didn't everything? Ries tilted his head to the side, a little nervousness building in his chest. Tentatively, he asked: "You don't like it?"

the staff team luvs u

Something in him squirmed unpleasantly, both at the seemingly never ending peak above his head, and that tentative voice asking him if he didn’t like it. Belenus held in the want to turn tail and flee back down the way he’d come. After all of the kindness he didn’t deserve, he could give Ries this. Perhaps as well, he could find purpose in these peaks. With no army to join, no commander, no orders handed down, he was effectively stranded. Purpose, routine, maybe it would do him good.

Didn’t help him not feel squeamish, though. He licked his lips in nerves, staring up at the peak even still, before he forcefully tore his eyes back down to Ries.

“Never seen anything like it. It continues above the clouds?” He was a man used to fjords, sweeping highlands and hills. The tight patches of trees clinging to the mountainside, at least, were familiar in the way of the tiny groves of trees on the taiga, but little else was familiar to him. The idea that it continued further, where he couldn’t see, made his stomach swoop in a way he didn’t quite like, and he had to force himself to stop shooting the mountain a side glare. It wasn’t like the thing was about to up and crush him like a bug, no matter how much his mind screamed that it was just waiting for that opportunity.

the staff team luvs u

He was given a sort of non-answer to his question, but that was fine. How could Belenus be expected to know if he liked it or not from down at the very foot of it? Seeing and experiencing were two very different things, after all, but Ries found himself hoping that, if he did find his way up the peaks, he might enjoy it more.

"Yeah," he said again, looking up at where it disappeared into the clouds. "It's more impressive the further up you go. You can see everything for miles. Just gotta watch your step."

Ries had taken a tumble or two in his day. Would likely take more before his days were done, actually, though he had a tendency of withdrawing into his mind and forgetting about the world surrounding him.

Standing at the bottom like this made Ries feel very, very small.

"Everyone is nice, here," he said, wondering if that was the cause of Belenus' apprehension, or if apprehension was what he was feeling at all. None of Ries' family would be cruel to a newcomer - Runar especially was very warm, and he had no doubt would greet him with a hearty welcome.

the staff team luvs u

Seeing everything for miles. He imagined it, standing so high above he could see the world sprawl beneath. Armies couldn’t hide their march, unless they split up so heavily their forces were too weak to even do anything. Through the unease, Belenus looked at the mountain with a new sense of appreciation. He hadn’t been entirely sold on the idea of staying here before, part of him preferring running forever like a deserter than staying in wait for his debts to catch up to him.

But a fortress like this? He could work with that. Belenus found himself nodding, eyes trying to catch vantage points up to where the peaks vanished into the clouds. His smile twitched on his lips as he looked to Ries again.

“I remember you telling me. I’m used to looking for holes, might take a bit to get used to a mountain.” Perhaps the longest he’d spoken since they met, he was practically blabbering himself. He returned to looking at the mountain, turning his head different ways to see how the light caught. Which ledges seemed to catch the most sun, the most shadow. Where he could hide and observe for hours if necessary.

“If they’re anything like you, I believe you.” Belenus said absently, focusing more on staring at the mountain from every angle he could possibly conceive of. Perhaps up there, to the left? It seemed swallowed by shadows enough that he wouldn’t be noticed, maybe if he rolled in mud first? So many nooks and crannies, so little time.

the staff team luvs u

Ries was unaware of the fact he'd just added fuel to the fire of Belenus' hypervigilance. His version of seeing for miles included pretending he was on top of the world, observing the ground far below and feeling untouchable. Not looking for armies on the rise and preparing for battle.

Still, whatever Ries had said, it seemed to be the correct thing. Belenus had a hint of a smile on his face when he turned his attention from the mountain back to him, and in turn, Ries felt a smile tug his own lips.

If they're anything like you, I believe you.

A tiny prickle of heat crossed Ries' cheeks, and he cleared his throat, mentally chasing it away. "Runar is the most like me, I think," he explained, looking back up the slope. "You'll probably like him. He's a lot bigger, though." More a paladin's build than a scout, like Ries had.

He tilted his head to the side and glanced back at Belenus, smile still steady on his maw. "You want me to call him down?"

the staff team luvs u

Runar. The name was new, as was the descriptor. A lot bigger, Ries said, and Belenus squinted in thought. Pad some muscle on the shoulder, lengthen the limbs, did this Runar appear more like his build? Was he more lion? Bear? Workhorse, like Belenus himself? Did he walk with the practiced swagger of a boxer? Or did he stride like the tiger? His face twitched as he thought, using Ries as a base, what this mysterious brother of his looked like. He chased the thought away with a brusque shake of his head and coat, which he was quite certain looked like absolute hell.

He’d never been the type to be vain, but he abruptly thought he should have taken a bath before he showed up here. He raised a leg to his mouth to hide an embarrassed cough.

“Sure, if you want to.” Hopefully, this Runar wouldn’t look at him and think scruffy ruffian. He moved to comb down an errant ruff of fur as if the thought had just occurred to him to do so. Now that he looked at it, he really did look like he’d taken a years long nap. Belenus couldn’t do much about that, though, so he just hunched his shoulders some.

the staff team luvs u

Ries couldn't help but be excited to see his little brother again. Not so little anymore, actually, but little in Ries' eyes. Whoever thought it was a funny joke to allow little siblings to grow larger than their older ones was cruel.

Given the go ahead, he tilted his head back and howled for the current king of the mountain, voice warm and betraying his excitement, both to see Runar and to introduce Belenus.

He stood close to the other man, silently offering support. He didn't think Runar would have a bad reaction to him bringing someone in, but he didn't want Belenus to be nervous, either.

@Runar

the staff team luvs u

A howl caressed the mountain peaks, inviting and familiar as Runar made his way down the winding paths. He knew that voice anywhere, even if Ries had a nasty habit of wandering away from home for long periods. A song of his own joined the choir, much closer now as he rushed through the sparsely covered underbrush. Ries may be familiar with his brother's form of greeting, but for Belenus, the only thing he'd see is a hulk of a man colored like the very mountain that made him charge Ries.

Runar stopped short of his brother, reeling back for unneeded height to grapple the older sibling with thick arms. “Brother! You have come home!” His paws patted the nape of his neck, until he had the conscious to look up and take note of their company. “And with guest—! How nice you make friends.” Runar pulled back, releasing Ries from his bear-ly grasp to sit, “And who might you be?”

the staff team luvs u

Bear. The answer to his question had been bear. The man that charged from the tree line was huge in every way, hulking muscle and body fat that only proved the man could throw down with the best of them. He looked an avatar of the mountain, a vessel of its very will, and his arms slung around Ries’s neck and dragged him close. Part of Belenus fought off a wave of jealousy, but the rest of him was more resigned.

He waited until he was noticed, giving the brothers their space while he stared hawkish at the mountain again. His gaze found that same crevasse from before and grimaced, because from this angle it was bathed in sun. He noted that down, eyes flicking between vantage points until the conversation turned to him. He froze, briefly put on the spot and unable to conceive of what to say.

“Belenus.” He finally said, offering the large man a quick bob of his head, more awkward than anything.

the staff team luvs u

Yeah, whoever made it possible for younger siblings to outgrow their older ones was a cruel being, indeed. Had Runar gotten even bigger in the days since Ries had wandered off? He hadn't been gone that long.

He was ready for his brother's greeting, grin wide on his face and tail whipping back and forth, feeling suddenly very small under Runar's weight.

"It's so good to see you!" he declared, briefly pressing his muzzle into Runar's fur before they parted. Then, he bounced over toward Belenus, eager to introduce the two of them. His traveling companion had introduced himself - albeit a bit awkwardly, but it was a start! "Yes! Belenus has never seen a mountain before. I was hoping it would be alright to show him the Summit?" And maybe to stay, he wanted to say, but refrained, though with how he fluttered around Belenus it might have been more obvious than he thought.

the staff team luvs u

“Never seen mountain?” Runar couldn't fathom such a thing. Sure, he had been born on one, but even their neighbors to the north and south had tall peaks. There was no direction Runar had wandered without a guiding hand raised to the sky as a marker to his strides. Then again, he hadn't traveled nearly as far as some of his siblings.

“You must be soft paw. I trust my brother; Runar doesn't mind visit, but mind your step.” His words are broken with a heavy chuckle, that is perhaps, too telling, “The mountain is cold and bites at paw pads this time of year. Brother, you know rule, if you take from cache, fill cache. Ah, and for you, Belenus, if you have question my brother can not answer, Runar is happy to provide.

Ah, how long is visit?”

the staff team luvs u

“I’m used to more..” He lifted a paw, shaking it back and forth in a straight line.

“Flat.” It was where battles were best waged, according to his betters. He had never been of a mind to question them why, though Belenus often secretly thought they just wanted to forget it was happening. Out of sight and mind while still protecting what they thought of as theirs.

How long was he staying? Past the softpaw comment, which caused his ear to twitch but no outward expression changing. He looked towards that peak again, that half hidden cavity. He had nowhere else to go, and he couldn’t outrun what he owed forever. He could run, and run, and run until his feet caught aflame and he went straight into the sea. But he’d never outrun it. Perhaps it would be best to just stay in one place, gather those he could around him, and wait for the storm to come.

“Would you mind if I stayed?” Belenus asked when his eyes left that cavity, back to Runar. Back to Ries, the first one who’d looked at him and been kind in a very young time. He took a deep breath.

“I’m a soldier. I can fight, I can track, and I know how to survive. I can offer those skills in exchange for staying.” And he could batten his own hatches, watch the horizon, and dig in his heels when his debts came calling.

the staff team luvs u

Never seen mountain?

That was Ries' first reaction - it seemed almost unfathomable to him. Runar went on to explain the rule, which Ries would do well to abide by, and came to the inevitable question of how long Belenus was planning on sticking around.

Ries was used to wolves coming and going. This was a fact of life for him - he'd made friends, over time, but they were fellow wanderers who were far better at wandering than he, and they never stopped. Ries always looped back to the mountain, always came home in the end, half of his heart belonging to these slopes and the wolves in them. So he'd become accustomed to wolves sticking by him for a few days, ephemeral friends that ghosted their way out of his life.

So Belenus' response had him blinking a few times, owlish, as he tried to comprehend it.

He might have looked at Belenus for a moment too long, a bit too much like he'd hung the moon, a strange excitement thrumming in his chest, before he turned his attention toward Runar, hopeful.

the staff team luvs u

Runar would keep his opinions to himself, but to live where the land was only flat sounded...quite boring! Belenus's next question came as a surprise. “You want to live here despite not knowing what lies above? No closer look?” Maybe Ries had filled him in about their mighty home, but the mountains were not for everyone.

Now, if his mind did change, Runar wouldn't be particularly hurt, but there was the aspect of losing a number that never settled well. The wolves here were not just faces or resources to use and deploy. They were family. And amid winter, an extra paw to hold the borders and fill the caches could make the difference between each member surviving or another grave to dig.

Mother always liked the soldier types.

Runar glanced to Ries again, who seemed just as surprised by the question but hopeful for the future Belenus had requested. “Well, as I said. I trust my brother. If he sees you fit for Vanderfell, then I have no qualms. You may stay.”

the staff team luvs u

Just like that, his name bore a new weight. He wasn’t Belenus of nowhere, of no name. He was Belenus of Vanderfell Woods, something that would hopefully mean something one day. A name to hopefully wrap around him like armor, keep him safe. For now, it was ill fitting, new, and familiar. He’d bend it to fit him, let his skin know the new shape.

He breathed out a little sigh of relief, mouth twitching into the faintest impression of a smile.

“Seems right. In here.” He folded his paw until he could tap his chest with it. He dipped his head low, trying to make the quick bow appear respectful without making it overtly long, as he would do if he’d offended the large man in front of him.

“My many thanks.” And his many apologies, but he held those to his chest and refused to let them escape. An apology before its time was just an empty sentiment and an explanation he didn’t need to have right now. He’d save them for when his world crumpled like paper.

the staff team luvs u

The process was quick and easy, with no real bells or whistles, but Ries wouldn't have expected any less. He would move to bump his head against Runar's shoulder in thanks, heart swelling with affection behind his ribs, and turned back to Belenus.

It seemed right to Ries, too, but he'd always viewed the world through rose-colored glasses.

"Can I show you around?" he asked, bouncing a bit on his paws, unable to sit still. Not only had he made a friend, but it seemed he'd made a friend to keep. It made the bleakness that had settled over the mountain like a fog lift just a touch.

Maybe things wouldn't be so hard with Belenus around. Maybe Ries could remain on the Summit without feeling as though his heart was lying in pieces in his chest. It felt wrong to use someone in such a way, to put that much weight on a friendship, but it lifted the haze of grief, even if just a touch.

the staff team luvs u