Wolf RPG

It had been a while since she'd been to stop in and see her new siblings.  Kiwi wasn't exactly sure what to make of them yet, to be honest.  They were cute enough?  But she felt a weird sort of disconnect with regards to them - they were mom's, but they were Eljay's, and it was weird to think about.  So she tried not to.

She skirted the place she knew @Wildfire and @Eljay kept @Elfie and @Weejay, but only in passing, with a beaver clutched tight.  The prey was a gift for her mom, and she'd leave it where she usually did, but she did cast a glance to see if they were out.  Maybe by now they were old enough to start learning.

Wildfire had just returned from a patrol about fifteen minutes prior when she sensed Kiwi nearby. She looked up from where the tykes were cavorting in the little dooryard outside the blasted tree den, tipping her smudged snoot into the wind to catch the yearling's scent. Her lips curled into a smile when she realized the Regent came bearing gifts.

Woofing to encourage Kiwi to come closer, the Sovereign bent down to bump Elfie and Weejay. "Can you say 'hi' to your older sister?" she coaxed. They were just about at the stage where their adorable babbling would pave the way to first words and, before she knew it, they would be talking in complete sentences. As always, the seasoned mother told herself to savor each of these milestones. They would grow up fast and she officially had more litters behind her than ahead of her these days.

It had taken a long time to muster up the courage to tell both Wildfire and Kiwi her plan, but now that Wildfire's kids were getting older, it felt even more appropriate. There was still so much of the world to see, and she could always come back whenever she wanted. The Firebirds did not operate the way Drageda had, in that sense.

The Honoree took a deep breath in, a deep breath out, and approached Wildfire's den to see that Kiwi was already there. It was almost too convenient. Hey, she said, flashing both Wildfire and Kiwi a genuine smile.

Wildfire was out, and as soon as she spotted her, Kiwi went to give her an affectionate greeting and dropped the present off.  Hey!  Wildfire immediately directed her attention to her younger siblings, but before she got the chance, Sequoia showed up.

That was more than okay with Kiwi.  Hey, Sequoia.  Her tail waved happily, glad for the welcome distraction.  Not that she didn't want to meet her siblings, but talking to her best friend definitely rated higher.

The little ones babbled and whether or not any actual words were mixed in with the gobbledygook, nobody could be certain. Weejay made a beeline for Kiwi, while Elfie approached more leisurely. He really did remind Wildfire of Bat. That thought made her miss the girl, although she understood all too well the urge to travel. She knew Sequoia intended to join Bat at some point, though the two of them hadn't actually spoken about it yet.

Well, speak of the devil, the Sovereign thought when Sequioia appeared and approached the group. "Heya, Seq," Wildfire greeted her warmly. "Thanks for the gift, Kiwi," she added, shifting her focus back to the brown-furred girl a moment. "You guys hungry?" she queried of the pups, though they were much too busy now sniffing and jumping at their elder sisters.

For a second, she thought Wildfire was talking to them, and the Honoree shot her a quizzical look, considering it looked like Kiwi had just brought her food, rather than the other way around. She quickly realized her mistake, had a soft chuckle to herself, then got back to business. She could feel the nervous jitters getting the better of her, and if she delayed any longer, she wasn't sure she'd ever be able to spill the beans.

I actually came to talk about... about leaving for awhile. Not forever, but I just feel like there's so much more out in the world that I want to see. Now that the kids are a little bit older, and Kiwi's stepped up, I think it's the best chance I'll get. She was mainly focused on Kiwi now, worried that her friend might react poorly.

They did come up to greet her, and were far more mobile now than before! Maybe it was about time.  She'd been so busy keeping up with other things she'd forgotten how long ago her mom had them.  A month?

She was watching them when Sequoia spoke, but she froze silently as her friend said what was on her mind without much intro.  She couldn't leave.  Why would she want to leave?

Not forever.  That kept her quiet, at least, but she still felt a weird constriction in her throat at the idea.  Sequoia had come with them from Drageda... she'd never not been around.  She was her best friend.

Umm.  She could feel her eyes on her but didn't want to look up.  Are you sure?  Say no, you aren't.  Leaving is dumb, nowhere is as good as this, and no one is better than the ones here.  She wanted to yell it, but instead she tried to keep her expression straight as she looked at Sequoia finally.  Wildfire and her siblings were here.

The pups' antics were pretty distracting, though Wildfire did her best to pay her full attention to Sequoia. The news did not come as a surprise—after all, Bat had mentioned this possibility prior to her own departure—but her heart still sank a little. Before she said anything, her gaze slid sideways to Kiwi. Judging by the look on her face, this was news to her. The Sovereign's insides pinched, sensing the possibility of an unpleasant confrontation between the yearlings.

But Kiwi sounded more sad than angry. Before Sequoia could answer the question posed to her, Wildfire said simply, "I understand. I hope you'll come back sooner than later." She offered Sequoia what she hoped was an understanding smile, then shifted most of her attention back to the little ones to let Sequoia and Kiwi hash it out.

Not really, but that's why I need to do it. I need to see what's out there. I thought it might go away, but it hasn't. There was so much out there that Sequoia wanted to learn about, to learn from, to bring back. She wanted to soak up as much information as she possibly could and bring it back and share it with everybody. That was what she wanted.

The Drakru could feel herself getting emotional about this good-bye, and she had known it would happen, but it didn't dampen things in the slightest. I plan on leaving in a few days. I want to say my goodbyes to everybody here before I leave. She pressed her forehead against Kiwi's chest. I'm going to miss you the most. But she would never ask Kiwi to leave. She was leading here now; she had found her place. Sequoia just wasn't sure she was done wandering.

A few days, and then she'd be gone.  For the first time since they'd left Drageda, Kiwi felt something like panic.  Only worse, because this was both terrifying and sad.  She would still have Niamh, and Clover, and her mom.  But Sequoia was her sister now, and soon she'd be gone too.  Just like all the others.

She remembered how she'd said it would be fine as long as Sequoia told her first, abruptly.  It was as if her memory knew she needed the reminder.  That had been a lie, though, because this wasn't okay.  She and Sequoia might not always get along perfect, but she was the one wolf Kiwi knew she could rely on no matter what.  Where was she going to go now?

I don't want you to go, she said quietly as Sequoia pressed in with an embrace.  Her voice was right with withheld feeling, because crying right now would definitely be a bad thing.  How long?

"How long?" That was a difficult question for Sequoia to answer. There were so many unknowns, and yet she wanted to give Kiwi some kind of response other than, "I don't know." Maybe she could make a compromise. I'll come back before winter. That would give her the rest of spring, plus all summer and fall to soak up as much information as she possibly could. Even if she didn't end up staying then, she could at least check-in on the Firebirds, on Kiwi, and definitely stay the winter in the comfort of home.

Sequoia took a step back, blinking out the stinging in her eyes. There were others she needed to say goodbye to, of course, but she fully intended on spending most of her time before her departure with Kiwi.

Before winter wasn't super long, but it did mean an entire summer without her.  Like usual, Kiwi's need to show she was totally fine on her own battled with her need to tell Sequoia how dumb she thought this plan was, and how stupid it was she was leaving, and like usual the former won.  Some things wouldn't change.  Usually Sequoia was the one wolf she could talk about stuff like this with, but not this time.

Okay.  She braced herself inwardly, swallowing the sadness and doing out of habit exactly what Artaax had taught her.  Hiding.

A few days.  It wasn't a lot of time, and in that span she'd spend a good deal of it with her.  But she wouldn't bring up the leaving unless Sequoia did; it hurt less that way.

Sequoia smiled a sad smile. It was the second time she was leaving a family, but at least this one seemed to understand more than the previous one had. Not only that, but she fully intended to return on the timeline she had set out. She knew that Kiwi wouldn't forgive her if she failed to do so.

The next couple of days would be rushing around saying her goodbyes to all the wolves of the Firebirds, but whenever she wasn't doing that, she would be spending time with Wildfire, Kiwi, and the kiddos.