Redhawk Caldera Into valleys, into waters

@Fox :0 work post!

Things weren't ok.  The perceptive youth could feel it, though his own life had only improved since Ferret's leaving, so he wasn't positive why.  He missed his brother in a sense; but the two had been oil and water.

Whip was an enigma to his brother.  As a wolf who craved contact and closeness, his brother's withdrawn sullenness was off putting and worrying in equal parts.  He tried, but he wouldn't push where he wasn't welcome.  So he'd taken to spending more time outside the family, playing with the Blackthorns and ignoring the growing unease in his gut.

Today was harder than most, though, because he could find no one to play with.  Seemed everyone was busy.  With a slight unease he gave up, returning to their own rendezvous and half-hoping none of his family would be there.  He loved them, and he would be happy to see them.  But lately there'd been this uncomfortable pallor, and his empathetic self had a hard time handling it so young.

No matter how Fox and Peregrine ended up dealing with Whip's stupid decisions, Fox was bound and determined to have one functioning child come out of this litter. It seemed that Gannet was their last hope, and she sought him out today with the intention of having a good chat with him. How was he doing? What did he want to do with his life? Was there anything that she and Peregrine hadn't picked up on?

Luckily, Gannet was easy to find. He was chilling out at the rendezvous site, and Fox chuffed in his direction as she approached him. She put on her happiest face, trotted toward him, then flopped onto the ground and onto her back. "Hey, buddy. How ya doin'?"

Gannet rose to his paws when Fox came into view, tail starting to go when she obviously was seeking out his own company.  Spending time with others was practically his favorite (except the rare times he might be in a mood), so he didn't bother hiding his pleasure.  In his mind that answered her question to completion.  He was happy to see her of course!

After the proper greetings, though, his face fell a bit as he plopped down next to her and leaned in.  "Something's wrong," he said finally, not sure how to sum it up better than that.  Everyone was on edge, unhappy.  Multiple somethings, probably, but Gannet wasn't present enough or privy to details of what they were.

Way to point out the obvious, Gannet! "I know, kiddo. But I think things are starting to look up, don't you?" Ferret was gone, which meant that neither of his brothers were the target of attacks and pesterings. Fox felt like she was legitimately coming out of her long funk. She couldn't remember the last time she'd felt this optimistic about things. At least Gannet had the smarts to talk to her about it rather than act out like Whip had done.

Fox stretched a paw out toward her son, touching him gently on his ribcage. Hopefully there was something akin to empathy and understanding in her eyes when she did so. Out of all the things in this world, her family was the most important to her. Keeping them safe and happy had been her number one priority ever since her very first child had come into the world.

Did he? He wasn't sure.  After all, he wasn't the one who was particularly upset about anything.  So he'd take her word for it, an easy thing to do since she'd never lied yet.

"Good.  I don't like it," he stated, wrinkling his nose.  When everyone was sad they weren't any fun to be around, and it seemed they were around less than usual.  

He was quiet for a minute, then abruptly his own train of thought switched.  If Fox had responded in any way, it didn't register yet.  By coincidence it seemed to follow Fox's own, though the path was a little different.  

"Did a bad wolf try to get Whip too?" He'd been thinking about that also - how it seemed with both Peter and Lucy even home wasn't quite safe anymore.  If there was danger around he wanted to be ready; he wasn't about to let Whip disappear too.  Or the other pups.

Oh jeez, Fox hadn't considered the possibility that she would have to explain Whip's actions to his own brother. This wasn't going to be an entirely comfortable conversation, but it wasn't like she could lie about what had happened. For one, Fox was a terrible liar. Also, she didn't think it was quite right to hide the truth from her own children, painful and awkward as it might be. "Well," she began, trying to put the right words together. "You know how you've noticed everybody's been feeling sad? Whip was feeling sad, too. He thought we were ignoring him. So he decided to hurt himself." Fox paused, trying to determine what sort of expression was on Gannet's face.

"That's not the right way to go about getting that attention, though. All you and your brother ever have to do is let us know when something's wrong, okay?" she asked, wanting to make sure that at least one of her kids wasn't completely off his rocker. Then again, her first litter had always seemed relatively stable.

That didn't make any sense to Gannet.  His brow furrowed, and there was real confusion when he spoke. "But Whip doesn't wanna do anything," he said, sitting down and frowning.  If Whip wanted to play then why didn't he?  Gannet had been going to Lagan and Liffey for fun, but he missed his own brothers' affection.

He didn't ask, but her next thing also confused him.  If he was sad, it probably wouldn't be her or dad's fault, so what could they do?

"Now that's just not true," Fox replied with a conniving grin. "In fact, I've been meaning to ask if you wanted to come along, too. I'm going to visit your sister, Wildfire, in the north. Whip already said he'd go." The mother put on a hopeful look, finding it hard to believe that Gannet would refuse such an offer. It would be a glorious trip to the great ~outside~, so why wouldn't he want to come along? Not only that, but both Whip and Gannet needed to know the basics about handling other pack territories and whatnot.

A trip!  And not only a trip, but one where he'd get to spend time with both she and Whip??  Oh hell yeah, he couldn't think of anything better!  Except maybe if dad was going too, but of course someone had to stay to keep an eye on things.  

The boy nodded emphatically, obviously enthused at the idea of a trip out to see more of the world outside of the Caldera.  He'd begun to get more and more curious as he grew, and the experience he sensed would be both valuable and exciting to gain.  To back up the answer, he jumped forward to shower her chin and neck with happy licks, childish enthusiasm still his to claim for a while yet.

We could fade here if you'd like! :D

Gannet not only seemed open to the idea, he seemed downright enthusiastic about it, and Fox's own tail wagged with delight. She laughed that oh-so-motherly laugh when he bounded toward her to lick and nuzzle her chin, and she returned the gesture with a playful growl, gnawing on the top of Gannet's muzzle gently.

"What do you say we go dig up a cache and have ourselves some lunch?" Fox suggested, her stomach already rumbling at the idea of food. Nothing was better than a fresh kill, but Fox was a shit hunter, and she couldn't imagine Gannet being a great one at his age, so a cache seemed like the best option for a quick bite.

sounds good!

Mom returned the happy affirmation, cementing that they would, indeed take the trip and furthermore - it would indeed be one of the greatest things!

Mention of lunch was met with another nod - he was hungry - and he followed her lead away.  For the first time in a while, his unease with the feel around the Caldera completely disappated with the new distraction.  A trip! Away!