Northstar Vale so the hollow's low on grapefruits.
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Ooc — Stevie
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#1
All Welcome 
All welcome! But maybe a wild @Titmouse ?? :D

By late afternoon, Liffey had decided she really needed to get to work on project #2. Her priority since arriving at the Vale had been exploring every inch of the territory. Now that she had (at least mostly), she realized that she had been remiss in one very important prerogative - finding herself a stargazing perch. The days and nights had been often overcast, but as the clouds that morning had cleared to reveal a bright, shining sun, it occurred to Liffey that she might have an equally clear view of the stars that night.

So, the young Blackthorn abandoned her pursuit of one trade for that of another. The budding astronomer took to the cliffs that lined the edges of their new home to wander along the lower ledges in search of that perfect perch. It had been one of the main things on her wishlist and as such, she was incredibly picky about it. She had scouted about four locations thus far that did not meet her standards and now was weaving through the trees towards another she had spotted in the distance from failed perch #4.
if I knew where I was going, I'd lose my way.
~•~
1,293 Posts
Ooc — Talamasca
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#2
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Titmouse was dealing with things as best he could, but nothing could stop the rise of his PTSD since the bear event. He slept for long hours. Even though they had all gone through so much to reach the vale, Titmouse was often asleep among the trees or sequestered somewhere by the lotus spring; he did his best to stay alert when he was awake, but his method of coping seemed to be sleep - pure and simple sleep. This meant he was awake at odd hours too, leaving him to his thoughts, his doubts, his fears, and with nobody to comfort him except the evening patrols. Or in this case, his cousin.

He spotted her while trying to find a place to relieve himself. Titmouse had been woken from his sleep by a strange bird screaming from deep among the forests of the vale, and while it was a bright and shining day Titty did not look like he fit among the idyllic scene. The sun was shining, the sky was blue, bright, and cloudless, and then here he was - a silver blob with dark circles under his eyes, glaring at the trees.

Liffey bounded by him along the ridge. Maybe he was seeking comfort, or maybe he just missed having someone around because of how infrequent everything had become - but he followed after her, his small-but-long body showcasing some athletic prowess that could be further distilled over time. Each time Liffey stopped, so did Titmouse. He loitered out of reach and thought he was being stealthy, only to follow after her some more when she'd take off again. By the fourth ridge he was huffing and puffing, tail low and posture slack, having worn himself out during the pointless little game he'd started playing.
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783 Posts
Ooc — Stevie
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It took Liffey a while to notice she was being followed. When eventually Titmouse grew too tired to be discrete, the girl was quick to turn and spy him almost dragging himself along behind her. She stopped and frowned at him, wondering what he was so out of breath for. He hadn't been himself since the bear attack and this whole actually being worn out thing was another of those new quirks. As much as she hated Titmouse's former obnoxious personality, this new one was just plain wrong.

"Hey Screech," Liffey called to him, "You exploring the new place too?" She had no idea he'd been following her for a while now, otherwise she might've understood a little better what had exhausted him.
if I knew where I was going, I'd lose my way.
~•~
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Ooc — Talamasca
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Still huffing and puffing, the boy hadn't settled when Liffey took notice of him and spoke. Had he been older, or maybe more perceptive, he might've heard sarcasm and derision within the tone of her voice. Regardless, he flicked an ear and took a second to gather his energy, to shake off the nerves which had settled across him; then, with his conversation with Rian still fresh in his mind, he said, Backup. In case of bears. He said this earnestly, even though speaking of the giant monsters reminded him of the event and the ensuing flight, and his legs quaked a little. Upon realizing he really only had Liffey in his life - rather than a plethora of siblings - he knew he had to keep her safe.
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Liffey's brows furrowed gently as she took in his response. It was odd how the bear attack had changed the pair of them so drastically. He had become everything she'd ever wanted him to be - quiet, collected, unobstrusive. And she in turn had grown inexplicably attached to him, and would have been even if he hadn't suffered his own change of character. Funny how that worked, and also how unaware of it the young Blackthorn really was as she took a few steps towards her cousin.

"That thing really freaked you out, didn't it," Liffey commented gently, watching him, "It freaked me out too." And it had. When she'd turned to lead the rest of the pack away to safety, she'd nearly lost her self-control to panic thinking that she would never again see any of those she'd left behind. It had taken everything in her to give her control to the faith she had in the three brothers and take what was left to focus on the order she'd been given. It was the only way she could have driven herself to leave her family, and the thought continued to make her sick in those rare moments she allowed herself to think of it.
if I knew where I was going, I'd lose my way.
~•~
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Ooc — Talamasca
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#6
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It was well known by now that Titmouse was small, stupid, and weak (or so he perceived); and ever since the bear attack he had noticed a change in everyone's tone when they spoke to him. They pandered to him, talking low and quiet as if he were a volcano and they were afraid of the potential caldera from his eruption. He could hear it now in Liffey's voice and it made him withdraw from the conversation somewhat, like a snail in to a shell. His ears flattened. You weren't there, he commented cooly, not remembering exactly who had helped to save him at this point - it had been so fast - but he decided he hadn't noticed her at all. Moving on: Y-you shouldn't be by ya-self though.
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Liffey didn't anticipate the response she received. It was hard and touched with indignance. A single brow quirked at this and very quickly she found her prior sympathy evaporating to irritation. She was trying to be nice and make him feel better, and he was being a little twerp about it.

"First off, I was there," she informed him shortly, "Secondly, I was trying to be nice and see if I could help you feel better, but fine. If you want to mope about it by yourself, go right ahead." Liffey shrugged and turned away from him, intent on continuing along her way.

Liffey glanced back at him when he insisted she shouldn't be alone and rolled her eyes. "Fine," she said, genuinely not bothered if he came along or if he stayed behind. She didn't worry for her safety, but if it made him feel better.. Hm, apparently she did still want to help him feel better. This new sister-ly feeling she had towards him was odd.
if I knew where I was going, I'd lose my way.
~•~
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Ooc — Talamasca
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Stop him if you want! He could be a butt and exit here, or not.
He wasn't anticipating the vitriolic response from her. The tone of her voice was no longer light or forgiving, and the correction she gave only made Titmouse realize how wrong he was. His face darkened in the manner of a wrong child (because, duh, that's what he was), and then he averted his gaze, swallowing any apology as Liffey continued to speak. She rebuffed him and seemed intent on going off without him, and that made the boy's already aching heart hurt even more. Rather than make up for his error though, Titmouse went the way of the coward - immaturely parroting Liffey's Fine, before turning and slinking back in the direction he had come from. Let her get eaten by a bear then! He thought hastily, and in anger. Probably couldn't help her anyway.
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#9
*nudges this to continue just one more round so you can use it for warrior :D*

Liffey hadn't gone more than a couple paces before Titmouse returned her grumpy articulation with one of his own. She spun to look at him as he turned to go, finding herself fuming over his abandonment. She had always been a sweet, kind-hearted girl as a pup. As an adult, it seemed she had lost of some of her childhood patience. At least, she had when it came to snot-nosed brats and their attitudes.

Another wolf would have seen the little boy's response as a cry for love and attention. He was an innocent child that had been forced to experience something terrible at way too young an age. That was a fact that extended beyond this most recent incident with the bear. Liffey - had she stopped to consider it - would have been unable to imagine a life without ever knowing her parents, as much as she was at odds with her mother at that point. And still, there was no sympathy in her heart as she turned to bark at her little brother.

"What kind of warrior just walks away from a challenge?" she asked sternly. In that moment, she couldn't say that she actually wanted his company at all. Honestly, a liesurely walk by herself along the lower cliffs sounded amazing just about then. But something just bugged her about how willing he was to walk away from her right now, just because he didn't like what she was saying to him.

"Guardians protect their family, no matter what. Cowards walk away," she added with a frown. The Redhawks had allowed this kid to grow up dumb and weak. If he was going to be in Liffey's care, he was going to shape up, "So what are you?"
if I knew where I was going, I'd lose my way.
~•~
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His irritability could've been a side-effect of the event with the bear, or maybe just growing pains since he was nearly at an age where such would be common; either way, Titmouse was prepared to abandon Liffey in a huff and let her deal with any issues that may arise from his absence - his tail thrashed behind him, his ears were pinned, and he nearly missed her next series of comments. Thankfully he heard something about being a coward; he didn't know what a coward meant, but the intonation she made, the insinuation that it was a bad thing, made him whip around and bare his teeth as if she had just insulted his ancestors or something.

I'm not a coward! He rasped, bristling all over. I followed you all the way out here, didn't I? He could've abandoned her at any point given how difficult the trail had been, and all the strange high-up places she had ventured to. The fact he'd kept up this far was a feat worthy of some recognition, and yet she was calling him out for turning back now? It wasn't fair. 

Maybe if you were really my family you'd be worth protecting! With that he turned and took some bold, hasty, clumsy steps away from her - intent on leaving before the full power of those words set in. He hadn't been thinking; he just rattled off the first thing that came to mind whether it made sense or not. Like a typical kid, Titmouse wasn't going to hang around if someone was going to call him out on his shit. In this moment he'd prove himself to Liffey: he was a coward, deep down to his core.
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Ooc — Stevie
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God he was annoying. All kids were annoying. Liffey was very ready to do a complete 180 on her newfound appreciation for her adopted brother as he spun and snarled at her, barking back retorts with just as irritated a tone as she'd used on him. His commentary didn't illicit a verbal response from her - only a dramatic roll of her eyes as she too turned and walked off in the opposite direction. The comment about her not being really family rolled right off of her. She'd never considered him that before, so it didn't much bother her to hear him call it out. All it did was annoy her further because of how kind she'd felt towards him before this altercation. And now he was throwing it in her face...

Huh... Maybe she did care...

Liffey shook her head, brushing the incident from her mind as she continued exploring the territory. She could psycho-analyze her feelings later and deal with the guilt and regret then.
if I knew where I was going, I'd lose my way.
~•~