Where the shit were they? When Nellie had returned home, to the bright and joyful copse where she'd been born, all she found were the remnants of memories and her father's grave. She sat there a while, just letting the minutes pass her by. She'd forgotten all the details about him - his smile, the way he walked, the texture of his fur... She'd trade anything for another moment with him to hold onto. Hey dad. She told him, starved of contact and severely disappointed by the lack of packmates 'round these parts. I know I haven't given you any reason up there to be proud of me, huh? She chuckled sadly. Still, I'm happy. I'm sure that counts for something, hm? Where's that pesky brother of mine - you got any clue where everyone went? Casually chatting, her smile faded. This was pointless, yet it felt less lonely. She picked herself up and went to gather some wildflowers. She left the bundle at his grave, smiling through the mist of forming tears. I better head out. It was cool seeing you again. Keep it real, yo...

After that, she wandered the wilderness again. She crossed the coast, traversed the flatlands, bathed in the wildest rivers until - eventually - she came across some woods. In the distance, something piqued her interest. It was something akin to a mountain, but no shape she'd ever seen before. She wanted to go there, for adventure's sake, not knowing it was where she needed to be.

A small voice called out - the word was somewhat akin to her mother's name, too close for coincidence. Nellie's interest was piqued yet again as her ears swiveled to find the source of the voice, her head soon following. She scoffed, then laughed boisterously. You wish. She commented, finally spotting a small, sandy girl between the foliage. Nellie didn't recognize her, but if the girl knew her mother, then maybe she was Firebirds spawn. It'd mean her family was nearby. Or eaten by a bear. Or both.

Before she could question the girl about it though, another figure approached - unkept and shaggy and smelling like wet dog. She looked a little closer, admiring his calming eyes of green when she realized... This wasn't just any wet, homeless guy; THIS WAS HER WET, HOMELESS GUY. Geez, what happened to him? She watched him stumble over his words awkwardly, a little smirk forming on her maw as her eyes wandered to the spike on his head. She tried her very best not to laugh at him for it. You try'nna poke someone's eye out with that? She quipped with a soft chuckle. Sure, it was great to see him again and she'd missed him, but telling him that wasn't nearly as much fun as teasing him.

Oh gee, looked like people still remembered her - even those she hadn't met before. She wondered just what had been said about her for Meerkat to be so enthusiastic about meeting her. Her expression grew a little warmer. Brother? Oh boy, as if one wasn't enough. She replied, letting her eyes roll back in fake exhaustion with a heavy sigh. She was quick to just laugh it off, stepping closer to ruffle the fur on Meerkat's head with her paw if she was allowed. Nah, you're alright, squirt. Welcome to the mess.

She turned to Figment then as he seemed embarrassed. He'd grown, hadn't he? He looked way more manly now - funny how so much changed in such a short amount of time. It felt as though they'd be grandparents in just a year or two at this pace. Well - caught anything? She asked, just genuinely curious at this point. Her smile grew tighter, more forced, at the mention of her mother. It was painful to recall their parting words, the way they'd treated each other - and Phox. Blergh. She felt her lunch bubble up, so she decided to ignore that little tidbit of the explanation as to how exactly this sibling fit into their messy family tree. She hadn't quite made the connection that, with Phox being her "step-dad" and all, it also meant Figment and she were siblings. Maybe she didn't make that connection because she'd sworn to never see Phox as a father, or even a caretaker. He was just the loser of the year, who knew when he'd be replaced again. Just Towhee? She asked instead when there was no mention of a father.

She noticed another out of place tuft of fur at Fig's side - she chuckled as she reached out with a soft; Oh hey, you got a little something over here still, lemme get that for ya. She'd nuzzle the fur into place if allowed, not one to respect someone else's personal space.

'Guess we got that in common then. She commented with a chuckle about the whole Fig is bad at fishing part. She wasn't very good at anything in particular really - sometimes she believed she was simply the family's jester. It meant no one expected anything of her though, which felt awesome and at the same time kind of offending.

She smirked, teeth showing in a near-snarl-like manner it but was meant to show amusement. Meerkat seemed fun, if only because Nellie didn't have to teach her words like butt. In a way, she was a little proud. She stuck her nose out to dramatically sniff around her "little brother", pulling up her nose with a smile. Ah - so that's why you smell like ass. She stuck out her tongue, clearly joking - the only one not joining in on the fun was Figment for some reason. He seemed awfully serious for the occasion. surely it wasn't Nellie's fault, it had to be something else bugging him.

She shrugged at the question about heading to the Caldera. She had no idea where it was (it seemed too convenient for it to be the thing she was heading towards already), though if the whole gang was there, perhaps she'd stop by to say hi to Bronco. No one else. 'Didn't get the memo y'all moved. When no one was back at the Copse, I just kinda started wandering. She explained. Maybe Fig here can be a gentleman and escort this pretty lady there? She suggested with a wink.

It was kind of weird to know her mom and brother weren't living together in the same pack anymore. Did they have a falling out? Not that it was her business, but it didn't make her less curious. If she was going to ask about it, she'd probably ask Bronco sooner than her mother. She wasn't looking forward to seeing her again, but hey, she wouldn't stick around for long. She never really did.

Might as well - he's not the one I got beef with. She laughed confidently. She remembered Bronco, how close they'd been once. At least he'd made something of himself, she couldn't say the same about her. Should she visit? Would that be like, weird or kinda sweet? She toed the line anyway already.

She smiled a smile that always tugged more so on the right side of her face, when it appeared she'd found herself an escort. 'less the stranger is hot! She called after Figment. Yeah, no, she wasn't going to be a good influence. Meerkat seemed more than capable of figuring it all out on her own though, there really wasn't a need to mother a girl already so confident. She'd wave Meerkat goodbye before turning to Figment all smugly. So, where to, faithful escort?

She raised a curious eyebrow at Figment. Isn't she about that age? She asked, wondering if Meerkat just looked quite mature for her actual age. Not that she cared much if it was an inappropriate comment; all pups grew up, they were all gonna know this stuff anyway and there was very little innocence left in the world. She'd only care if it got her in trouble with Meerkat's parent - be it the front end that could cuss her out or the other end from which Meerkat apparently came.

You mean that hunk of rock in the distance? I thought it was some kind of misshapen, unfortunate mountain. It looked like the place had kyphosis or something. She shrugged regardless of the answer. She didn't want to start a fuss about it, honestly, but she very much preferred the place she'd been born. It looked... claustrophobic from this distance. She cleared her throat as she trotted after Figment, lining her shoulder up with his. So, how've you been?

She smirked knowingly. Fig was almost acting like a dad, and that was kind of amusing. She couldn't really picture him with a bunch of pups trailing after him - a woman at his side, starting a family, and all that... Or maybe she just couldn't picture it for herself.

Hhmmm, my favourite activity. She hummed sarcastically. Still, the thought of a new forest did bring a wag to her tail and a glint to her eyes. Here she though they were living in grottos like cave people. Yuck. She'd definitely not have stayed if that had been the case.

Just alright? Come ooonn, I haven't seen you in moons, what's the tea? She giggled. She shrugged then. Same old, same old. Adventure gets tiring after a while, and it's getting cold. Rather have my butt somewhere cozy for the winter moons. She explained casually. The time had flown by while she was alone. She barely remembered if it had really happened or not. And now she was back... What did she hope to get out of this?