Penn winced a little as he trekked along the slopes of Moonspear. It wasn't too often anymore his old injury from his unexpected cliff-diving adventure troubled him anymore, but his most recent jaunt into the Wilds had left him aching. He'd been happy to come home a few days or more-ish ago (vague ftw) and get some rest, but now he was back to being his usual restless self.
After a couple of failed hunts, Penn had given up in frustration and annoyance. He felt like an old man and it wasn't a feeling that sat well with him. His belly groaning with hunger, he had made his way to a cache he'd placed just before his trip. He stood over it now, glaring down at the disturbed earth. His kills were there still, so it wasn't that he was faced with the prospect of not having dinner. He was simply annoyed to have leftovers because he was too old and decrepit to hunt himself down a fresh meal.
It was probably about time to have a mid-life crisis. How, oh how, to let that one manifest itself...
Fennec was still in a mood and that meant the “messing with others” dial was cranked up a little higher today than usual. She’d actually managed to bring down a fairly large duck (in a very awkward, but thankfully solo, lakeside struggle) and kept it back for whenever Penn got back. Did she wish she’d been invited? Sure. Was she going to make a big deal out of it? Hopefully not. Maybe he’d needed a break from her too. Wasn’t his fault the timing sucked.
A normal wolf would have just given it to him, but Fennec waited until she caught wind of him and then tracked him down. When she pinpointed about where he was, she gave a muffled Heads up!
and then flung the bird in his direction.
Had to keep him on his toes. Besides that, it had gotten her more than a few times with its beak. Giving it one last chance to harass a wolf before being eaten almost felt respectful to the thing.
Penn's sour mood kept him distracted from the fact that his paramour was on the approach. He didn't notice her until he was suddenly hearing her call, at which point he turned his head just in time to get slapped in the face with a dead duck.
"Aghhh why," Penn whined as he stumbled to the side a couple of steps from the force of the blow. He heard the duck land with a plop at his feet and opened his eyes to peer at it for a moment before looking at Fenn with awe and respect.
"Your aim is pretty on point sometimes for not being able to see," he commented, a small smile slipping across his face in spite of himself, "I'm starting to wonder if you've just been fucking with us this whole time."
The satisfaction from a clear direct hit was short lived but extremely welcome. You’ll never know.
She replied somewhat smugly, sitting down where she was. If anyone could pull off a lie like that it was absolutely her.
How was the trip?
It would be weird if she didn’t ask, but she made sure it was neutral. The mantra of ‘you are not going to be a bitch about this’ was on repeat in her head. Point a - he was allowed to have a fucking life outside of her. Point b - it, again, wasn’t his fault his timing was shit. Should he have known better than to leave the exact day Fig did? Absolutely. Was he Penn and, therefore, an idiot? Also correct.
See? She could be objective.
Next time she was asking to come, but for now she’d take the stories of whatever shit he’d encountered in the meantime. Anything to get her mind off of how fucking weird and wrong everything seemed to feel since they’d left.
”Uneventful,” Penn answered honestly. He’d wandered some, hunted some, and basically just gallivanted for a bit. But it had been one of his more boring jaunts out into the wilds. And he’d honestly spent most of the time wishing he was back home.
”Did I miss anything interesting?” Penn asked ask he leaned down to pluck a few feathers from the bird.
Ah.
Well that was disappointing. Unexpected, but apparently the draw of a good story was higher right now than any fomo she might feel over not being there to take part in it.
The chaotic urge that lived in her wanted to make something up but she was actually drawing a blank. The fuck was wrong with her? Bullshitting usually came easy.
Not a thing,
she finally said, disappointment clearly showing. Definitely not the answer she wanted to give but fuck it. Turns out pack life can be boring as hell.
When you aren’t fucking with leadership, literally was the silent rejoinder. She (wisely) kept that bit to herself.