In the days that would follow his intimate encounter with the silver-furred woman, Bronco was left drifting, occasionally recalling with a fondness that made his belly ache, occasionally succumbing to the plague of shame. The whiplash of those emotions troubled him. The shame and guilt made him dig and wallow in the mud from the dormant swamps, and then bathe himself in cool, clear waters. But the longing made him wish he could recall even just a hint of her scent in his fur...But it was too late for that now. He'd recycled the scents of his pelt so that he now simply smelled like the wilderness; less like other wolves than he had in quite some time. It reminded him that he needed to check in on the Caldera, to see how his relatives were doing. 

He drifted up the slope of the Caldera, wondering who he would see first- Towhee or Niamh. Towhee had been very pregnant when he'd last seen her, and Niamh had apparently had a broken leg. He wasn't sure he had the bandwidth to get in the middle of the two of them, and simply hoped they'd resolved their differences. Regardless, having been told that the Caldera was so short on warm bodies, with the exception of those who slumbered still in their mothers' stomachs, he felt it was prudent that he check in and see how the remainder of Redhawks were doing.

Despite the birth of her new siblings and the excitement that brought, Fennec had found herself itching with a growing sense of irritability over the past stretch of days.  A part of her knew it was irrational and that part drove her to avoid putting her paw in her mouth too often, but she was definitely snappy and made little effort to hide it from anyone who might notice.  Then, at other times, the irritation would fade, and the abrupt transfer would lead to either a restless energy or an aching loneliness.  The second part she hated and generally came when she thought about a number of things.  Things her mind couldn't seem to leave alone this week.

Fortunately for Bronco, current Fennec was on an upswing and patrolling the borders to get rid of the spare tension in her legs.  She'd chased off a (fortunately) lone coyote earlier that day with little regard or caution and was still riding the high of it.  There was something about declaring this place 'theirs' that felt extra great and helped coax the beast her emotions had become.

She heard him before she scented him and let out a single sharp warning bark.  Another intruder?  She was almost giddy with the thought of chasing someone else off, though she did hold back.  He pinged enough familiarity to merit a closer check so long as he didn't try anything too quick.

He'd been walking with his head down, and sniffing at the scents that wove their way through the packlands when an authoritative voice barked loudly at him, causing him to shy a few steps sideways. At first, he didn't recognize the tone as he'd been so surprised to be greeted in such a way, and because the tone was obscured by what was obviously a defense tactic. But he recognized it, soon enough, and cast his glance around. Wondering if he might have the same effect on Fennec- who was still out of sight- he waited silently for a few moments, and then returned the gesture. 

He pulled in a deep breath, and in as offensive a tone as he could manage, he barked back, a hint of a growl curling along the final edges of the sound he made though...He had to squeeze the sound short as he had for hold his breath to keep himself from laughing out loud. He never made noises like that- nothing so harsh and abrasive, so that it sounded absolutely, completely ridiculous to think of someone like him making a noise like that. After a few seconds, it was impossible for him to hold his breath any longer, and he began to snicker and snort with laughter.

Fennec wasn't close enough yet to sort out who it was, but she was definitely close enough to catch the bark. The voice went without recognition and instead threw her immediately into defense mode. Someone needed a lesson in respecting a claim and she was more than happy to deliver that right now. Fennec's lips peeled back into a warning snarl and she let a deep growl rumble up in her chest as she stalked forward.

She wouldn't be able to get a run on them and take them off guard, but presenting an intimidating force was the next best thing. Her posture was thrusting and low-slung, tail stiff behind her, and she was clearly ready for a fight. She was well within sight before she actually parsed the sound she followed to the source for what it was; quiet laughter.

Her growl cut off and she stopped. Her ears pressed forward, not one hundred percent on the identity, but getting the slight sense that someone was having a laugh at making fake threats.

His quiet chuckle trickled off into silence as he strode forward, ears swiveling to catch the harshness of her growl, which still amused him- but made him feel a bit guilty too. He wove his way through a couple of blue spruce, and could see Fennec- but faltered instinctively in his tracks when he saw the way that she moved. 

Either she hadn't recognized his voice- which was plausible, considering the fact they rarely uttered such tones to one another- or she knew it was him but had a grudge that he'd earned somehow. The intention behind her stiff gait was visibly one of a wolf keen to keep the borders safe. He felt something stir in his gut; while he wondered if he had done something wrong, he couldn't help himself from noticing just how hot she looked like that. 

And he immediately tried to suppress the memories of his afternoon with Praimfaya- but the animalistic side of him couldn't help but wonder if Fennec had ever thought of him that way, or wanted him in that way. Needless to say, his emotions were conflicted, but attraction still won him over. Still drunk off the high he'd felt days ago, he observed Fennec for a moment as she paused, before he uttered the soft, deep crooning note he'd used when communicating with the pale woman who had bewitched him in the forest. He watched, carefully mindful of her reaction, as he began to stride toward her once more.

As he drew closer she recognized him, but she remained still. The promise of a fight, yanked away, and the conflicting feelings that arose just with it being him had turned her mood on a pretty abrupt corner. He hadn't been alone in her thoughts these past few days; he, Penn, and even screaming boy had featured more often than she'd ever admit. But where before she'd been nothing but understanding, now was different. Every time she thought of any of them all she could dwell on was that all of them seemed to have so many other more important places to be.

That wasn't only their choice but instinct was a bitch (and she was real testy right now). His call struck a definite note in her, though. Her breath caught, she tensed, and her mind went down a route that we can't really follow here. She wanted it, badly, and for a minute she might have given in. Except... he was still trespassing. Which meant he wasn't hers, and if he wasn't hers then he couldn't have it.

There was a brief falter but then she stiffened again, the snarl gone but her tone still harsher than he deserved. What are you doing here? Almost accusatory. A few days ago she'd pondered asking him to join; now the thought didn't even cross her mind. She was the one to be chased - not him.

His advances weren't received well, and he faltered for a moment. She recognized him, but for some reason, the open-borders policy between the Glen and the Caldera now seemed somewhat closed. He waited, willing for her to break. This was possibly just her still holding the tough guy attitude, he realized- as there was no way he'd be an unwelcome visitor. Not the way he'd helped Towhee home not so long ago, and had sent Meerkat to take care of her mother. He was still doing what he could for this pack, the Glen, and now Moonglow as well. 

But she didn't break from her standoffish guard, and when she spoke her tone was just harsh enough to make him pause for a moment and think that perhaps this was a serious question...But something else told him not to pay any mind to that- and to continue as he was. His heart beat like a caged fledgling against his chest. "I'm here for you," He challenged back, in a voice that was low, authoritative and strung with a possessive note- to see if that might get her to play along again. He wanted to see the fur along the back of her neck rise, and wanted to comb his teeth through it. "Fennec." He said her name, but this time with a gentleness to his tone.

Fennec didn't know what to do with that answer. A part of her did, the part that heard the way he said her name and was immediately won over. The authority in his tone did make her fur prickle and a conflicted chill rippled down her spine. He had no right to act like that, but she didn't want him to leave. She didn't want him going anywhere.

She came closer. It was a mistake, she knew, but she couldn't help it. Her pelt brushed his and her own pulse picked up as well, part nerves, part expectation. Why now? She asked, turning. She wasn't sure the answer would even matter at this point, but some part of her still needed to ask. The part that wasn't sure it believed him.

He didn't hesitate when she came close enough for him to reach out and touch her. And while she asked him a question, and while there were plenty of other questions floating around in the back of his mind, his instinct was to ignore it and make her forget all about whatever doubts she might have had. He knew it could be done- and he longed for the experience that might quiet all the roaring voices in the back of his mind. She had questions that were eating away at her conscious thought too, and he wanted to give her at least a sample of what peace of mind he could offer, now that he knew how. 

"Because it's what I want." He rumbled quietly. Bronco had been living in limbo, caught between morals and obligations for so long- something about making a decision for himself, now, felt like it had been long overdue. He moved closer, so that he might be able to reach out and pull her toward him. "And I think it's what you want too." He said, his voice feathering he fur by her ear.

Normally Fennec would have pressed. She'd have dug into what he meant by that, questioned it. He was here, covered in the scent of other wolves, because it was what he wanted right now.

It was what she wanted right now too. At the moment Fennec didn't care about the repercussions, the potential consequences, or any of it. He was an outsider, and that set her hackles on edge, but he was also familiar. Familiar, warm, and someone she'd wanted for a while but was too proud to chase. She wasn't near responsible enough to drive him off now.

Alright. She growled again, this time softer, agreement and something else written in the tone. A soft flutter of nerves went off in her stomach and joined the pound of her heartbeat. She ran her muzzle along his side, up to the shoulder, then fitted herself alongside, her head finding the space beneath his and cheek pressing, briefly, to his chest. Okay.

He didn't stop to wonder if this was something as new to her as it had been to him only days ago, but simply accepted the fact that finally, after so much longing and thinly veiled courting, they were drawn together again. He felt the fur along the ridge of his spine fly up when her touch ruffled the fur along his side, and the tone she uttered resonated in their closeness, stirring him to croon and preen the fur along the nape of her neck. 

He as no artist of the trade- but years of fondness and familiarity, stirred by sudden longing and newfound lust made him gentle and attuned to her signals. He knew that to rush would mean he might stumble, as he was unpracticed the last thing he wanted was for his inexperience to be blatantly obvious. Some trace of nervousness he did have might have been instead read as anticipation and yearning which would fade away into something that felt completely natural, rising to an overwhelming conclusion. Words whispered in ardor that he hoped might reach her ears to both soothe and spark, until he could utter little but gasps. 

After, he felt as though he glowed, through his somewhat bewildered exhaustion. Even side by side still, he could hardly believe that it had happened, and that she had embraced him in such an intimate way. Not knowing exactly what to say afterwards, he simply reached out to kiss her cheek and rest his temple against her jawline, a faint smile lingering so comfortably on his lips he felt it might become as permanent as the scars on his face.

She was nervous up until the point when it began, but as instinct took over and she gave herself to it completely, that disappeared.  There was no shyness or hesitation in her.  Fennec was always at her most comfortable in the realm of touch and this brand of contact, far closer than she'd ever experienced with anyone, suited her.  It also helped that, despite her initial reluctance, she trusted Bronco implicitly.

It was still like nothing she'd ever experienced.  Afterward she rested lazily against him, lips curling up in a small smile too as she felt him touch her cheek lightly.  She was too warm and too satisfied to worry they might be caught like this or to think about the implications.

Nice to see you too, she said, still a little breathless.  Her smile was teasing and she turned, lightly nosing the fur at his neck affectionately.  The joke of the phrase wasn't lost on her.

She didn't want to think about tomorrow right now, or the next day, or any of the hard and terrible things life had thrown at them lately.  All she wanted to do was be here.

He laughed softly, a sound that hinted strongly at relief. He wasn't sure what he would have done had she had any immediate regrets, or if she'd seemed as though she wasn't alright. He was still struck dumb with disbelief as she stayed near him, nosing into the fur of his chest and leaning against him; it wasn't something he'd really ever imagined for the two of them- as natural as it had felt to do. He rested his chin on the top of her head, and exhaled a shaky breath. "Nice doesn't even begin to describe it," He responded. "You...Liked, it, right? Like...You're alright?" He asked, pulling back slightly so he might read her expression.

If she was a cat she'd have been purring. Lucky her she wasn't, but there was a definite satisfied purl to the sound as she confirmed, and a hint of a laugh. He sounded nervous. Which she actually enjoyed quite a bit at the moment, and she felt that same sensation return again, curling in her stomach and warming her up with a restless energy. Maybe she could make him even more skittish.

Mhmm. She pressed her nose to his neck again, but this time, began to nibble at it, teeth tracing a pattern down towards the hollow of his throat. She had no idea what drove her to do this. It was like someone else was driving and she was more than happy to give them the controls and sit back enjoying the show.

She growled, a low thrumming, and paused only long enough to ask the question. It wasn't one she'd wanted to ask but before she even realized, it was hanging in the air between them. What next?

If anything, Fennec was handling this all much better than he was, as his mind was still a whirl with disbelief. A string of questions raced through his mind but they were so personal that they made his stomach feel uncomfortable. He felt exhilarated that they'd just experienced that together, but he couldn't help but also feel ashamed that she was not the first wolf that he had been with. He wondered if she knew, or suspected, that it hadn't been his first time- though he was also keenly aware of the fact that his nervousness likely made him look like some sort of super-virgin who had finally gotten laid. He was almost grateful for that, simply because he didn't want her to suspect otherwise. 

He swooned and melted when she combed her teeth through the beige fur of his neck, and his mouth opened in a soft, almost goofy grin when he felt the vibrations of her growl through the space between them. He still couldn't be entirely certain this wasn't just some hyper-realistic, too-good-to-be-true dream. He uttered a soft chuckle at her question. "I mean, gimme a few minutes to catch my breath an' we could do that again," He said, "And again," Wait, was he coming off as some sex-maniac now? That thought made him clench his jaw slightly. "I mean, only if like, you'd ever want, to, again, but like..." He said, and he tried to shrug, reaching out so as to keep her close. Why was this so difficult? Because it was so new. "I like this....I like us."

It wasn't a bad answer, but it wasn't what she was hoping for. It would be easier if she'd just tell him what she wanted to hear but of course she couldn't do that. After a few days of resentful pining, she was prepared to accept one of a few options, but none of these were forthcoming. And as much as she liked what he was laying down, the vagueness brought a spark of that same resentment forward.

She'd known when she asked the chances of him answering satisfactorily were low. So why had she asked?

Fennec's desire to stay close and enjoy more of this warred with her need to hear him claim her, unequivocally. Her expression sharpened. Right. Us. She didn't pull away, but she did gain a slight chill behind her voice. She knew she'd trapped him, that this was unreasonable and that he didn't deserve it, but everything about her was driven by impulse.

Don't do me any favors. I know you have a lot to handle back home. Now she did start to pull away. That was needlessly harsh; he and all of them had been through a lot. Still, she could have helped. He just.... fuck. Now she was hitting sad again.

She hadn't responded terribly well to his suggestion that they continue cavorting about as they had- and she even pulled away. He could feel her becoming frustrated, and when she pulled away, something sour slipped into her voice. Whatever it was that she'd wanted, or expected to hear him say in response, she hadn't gotten it- and now, she was shutting him out. He hadn't wanted to beg promises of her, to say something too much, or to ask for something that was too big of a commitment as he thought that it might frighten her off. But when she practically told him to shove off and go home, he thought, perhaps, that he'd underestimated the situation. 

So he reached out and as gently as he could, he tried to nab her by the thick fur of her neck to pull her back toward him, with a possessive growl. He didn't want her to pull away from him like that. "Yeah, I guess I do have a lot to handle at home," He said, "If this is gonna be my home, an' if you're gonna be this damn slippery," He said, reaching out to nip at her ear.

She was fully prepared to work herself into a wallow and chase him off, a habit she was working on but right now wasn't in much of a state to self-reflect with. His statement hit her unexpectedly and she definitely didn't hide it. He was staying? That didn't make any sense. Nothing had changed. She was here because they'd said they needed her here and that wasn't something she was willing to assume of anywhere else, no matter how much she wanted it to be true.

He said he was here for her and that was the thing that had done it. But there was still no need behind that, only want, and want could be there one day and gone the next. Normally the future was something she read, not something she worried about, but her blood sang to her right now that what she wanted this week she could only have from someone who'd stay. Apparently she wasn't her mother's daughter after all.

What about the Glen? She really couldn't just let a good thing be a good thing.

His jaw clenched slightly when she mentioned the pack that he had helped found; but with the crumbling of Moonspear, he felt their fate, too, had been decided. It was inevitable, he felt, for the small band to fall apart, and to be absorbed into another pack. He got the feeling that when the others settled at Ouroboros Spine, they would eventually choose to stay there. There were still some Glen wolves unaccounted for- and if they did not show up soon, there would be so few of them left that they couldn't possibly go back to their home. The borders had gone for weeks now, without being patrolled. 

"The Glen is...Done," He said softly. "And even if it wasn't...The Glen wouldn't be my home again. It's not where you are, an'...I wanna be where you are. Wherever that is."

That did the trick. Whatever hurt had materialized over the past week around his failure to ask her to stay (something she'd prompted, understood, and completely been okay with at the time) evaporated. He was chasing her this time, staying here, and she let herself be silently glad for the Glen's demise. If it hadn't been done, would he have shown up here? Would he have asked her to come?

More tests but thankfully she was done, for the moment, grilling him. He said he was here for her, to stay, and she was ready to snap it up at face value. It felt a little traitorous, taking happiness from another pack's hardship, but it was all in her head anyway.

I guess I can handle that, Fennec replied, trying to smother the smile brought on by the warmth that spread through her and only half succeeding.

It seemed that commitment was what she wanted. And while he felt he was still a bit indecisive about the whole matter, it did feel good to have finally made a decision about where he would live. He couldn't thrive- none of them could- while the remaining members of the Glen simply remained as temporary guests at Moonglow. They'd let their claim go, and had so few left...The waiting had gone on for long enough, and he felt it was time to move on. The next natural step, of course, was to go where he was comfortable- and where he knew he was wanted. 

So Redhawk Caldera it would be. He wasn't entirely sure where this put the two of them- in terms of labels, but he figure that might be a discussion left for another day. For now, he felt it was probably best just to show her that he was there, prove to her that he would stay, and shower her with as much attention as she could possibly handle so that she came to the understanding that there was no other wolf on the planet that he would rather spend his life with.