Sun Mote Copse The power of love of power.

She probably should have done this ages ago—not just to locate @Tegan but also to visit for the sake of it. Towhee hadn't spoken to @Niamh since her departure and she knew Wildfire and @Eljay had recently welcomed a litter. Plus, she wouldn't mind seeing @Finley, @Elwood or any of the gang, really. She still hated that they lived here and not with her at the plateau, though time had done its job to dull her negative emotions about it all.

When she approached the copse's edge, she stopped and deliberated the merits of howling or simply waiting patiently. In the end, she decided it wasn't urgent enough to summon anyone directly. Towhee folded her haunches and waited for someone to happen across her. While she waited, she reached up a hind leg to rub at an itchy spot behind one of her ears, then proceeded to nibble at her toenails.

DUDE. I was JUST going to send Niamh to the plateau to see Towhee. Great minds-

This was garbage. Though Niamh could happily assume her symptoms were from being pregnant, she was still a miserable patient, and did not handle the nausea well. Wounds she could deal with, but sickness turned her into a baby. She felt bad for herself while simultaneously feeling pretty damn excited about the whole thing- which made her head spin and just made things worse. Fortunately, her symptoms got a bit better as the day went on, so after she had a bit of water to drink and ate the breakfast Colt had provided for her, she went off on a patrol, moving at a slightly slower pace than normal just so she didn't tempt the spins again. 

She lifted her head when she caught sight of a dark form in the distance and her ears pricked. She recognized the dark form as Towhee immediately, and contemplated sneaking up on her friend and tackling her as a joke- but were they still friends, and wasn't that dangerous if she was pregnant? Niamh had no idea how this whole thing worked. She was so early in her pregnancy that she still looked as trim as always, though slightly more tired. She'd certainly worn Colt out a few weeks ago, ensuring that she was able to get pregnant, and it just felt like she hadn't spelt a wink since then- despite the fact that she'd begun sleeping more than normal. Regardless, she decided not to surprise (intentionally, anyway) Towhee, and approached, tail swinging from side to side. Just the sight of Towhee cheered Niamh up, and she couldn't help but smile wryly as she approached, knowing best to go directly in Towhee's line of view- even though she'd had her head down. 

She scuffed a small pawful of snow toward Towhee. "Yum, toejam for breakfast," She said, but the word 'toejam' made her own stomach turn. Not the best idea. "So a while back, this dude came up to me and threw a bird at me. Like, in my face." She said. "Said it was from you- both the bird and the delivery." She said with a grin.

She dropped her foot when she caught movement out of the corner of her eye, face carefully neutral as Niamh approached. Towhee wasn't sure how to feel toward her, nor did she know what her (former?) friend would make of her presence. Niamh didn't leave her wondering though. She was smiling and playful.

Trying to ignore the bittersweet heaviness in her chest, Towhee managed a wan smile. "Dunno what you're talking about," she answered in a way that said she totally knew what Niamh was talking about. She drew in a breath, then said, "Hey, I'd like to catch up, but I have a question first: have you seen Tegan, by any chance?"

She wasn't sure entirely what that look from Towhee meant. As flat as Towhee's vocal tones were, it didn't necessarily make her more expressive, necessarily, with her face either- though Niamh had thought that she'd gotten relatively decent at reading her friend's facial expressions. She could tell that the smile wasn't entirely genuine, though her sarcasm did a little to convince Niamh that things weren't too tense between the two of them. Quickly, though, Towhee made it fairly clear that there was something else on her mind, and Niamh's hackles bristled lightly when Towhee asked her about Tegan. 

"No," She said, ears turning back. She had a bad feeling already. "I caught his scent along the borders probably...Nine days ago or so. Kiwi and Wildfire greeted him, but I just caught his tracks when I patrolled later on that day." She said. "Why? Did he not go home after that?" She asked, concern pulling the corners of her lips tight.

Fin didn't usually spend time at the borders, but Elwood often was and today, she was on a mate hunt. Within an hour of starting the hunt, she had forgotten just why it was she needed him. Seeing as she liked him a whole lot, though, she went ahead and kept looking. And it was fortunate she did because it brought her to just the right spot at just the right moment to hear her son's name, spoken by her daughter's voice.

Smiling, she quickened her pace to reach Towhee. But by the time she got there, her smile had faded into a concerned frown that she directed from Towhee to Legs and back again. "Hey kid. What about my son?" she asked, feeling slightly queasy either from her pregnancy or foreboding.

Although the initial "no" made her heart sink, Niamh offered some extremely crucial details. "He was here? They saw him?" Towhee pressed, orange gaze skirting sideways as Finley joined them. She managed a tight smile and a wave of her tail before continuing. "That was nine days ago? That's..." That wasn't good.

Sucking in a breath, Towhee did some quick mental math, then addressed both other women as she said, "Tegan and Bat went on a trip a few weeks ago, to Lost Creek Hollow. She mentioned that she might stay there for a little bit, repay her debt. I expected Tegan back days ago. But I haven't seen him. It's particularly weird because he just became Beta not long before they left."

She paused there, biting her lip. If Tegan had been here but not at the plateau, what on earth did that even mean? She supposed the only way to find some answers was to call for the Sovereign and/or Regent. "Could we call Wildfire or Kiwi here?"

Niamh nodded, but shrugged one shoulder as well, glancing sideways and giving Finley a nod as she caught sight of her approaching packmate and sort-of-sister-in-law. "Well, I could see his tracks, an' from what I could tell on patrol, he met with Wildfire and Kiwi, so yep. 'Bout 9 days ago? Maybe less," She said, somewhat hopefully. Finley greeted Towhee, and then asked for more details about Tegan, which Niamh too was keen to hear. 

She pricked her ears at the mention of Bat's name. She'd found out through the woodwork that Bat had actually survived her drowning ordeal, and though she didn't know the details, she'd been glad to hear of it. But apparently the two had gone to visit some other pack that Niamh wasn't familiar with, and now Tegan, expected back days earlier, was still not showing up. Niamh gritted her teeth slightly. It seemed like Tegan had a trouble-magnet attached to his ass, as it seemed to follow him everywhere. She was reminded again of what it felt like to live in a pack that had so much drama...And had taken the peace and serenity of the Copse for granted. 

She nodded at Towhee's suggestion but paused for a moment. "Sure. I think Wildfire just had her litter though- but Kiwi's usually somewhere near the borders." She said. She tilted her head back and called out for @Kiwi then, hoping that she might have more details on what Tegan had come to say, and when exactly he'd passed by. Once she finished, she looked back at Towhee. "Beta though, eh?"

Kiwi was extremely close actually when the call came.  She'd been snuffing on the trail of that same fox, and noted that it seemed to depart the borders (but did it stay there? She'd need to check) when her head shot up at the summons.

She walked over immediately, arriving within two minutes and looking Towhee over skeptically.  What's going on? She asked Niamh.  She'd been the one who brought news of Bat, she suddenly remembered.  So why was she here? Probably not to join.

Fin was silent as she listened to Towhee's story and then Niamh's. She knew something of the stories each of them told. She knew a little more, in fact, than Niamh did about the encounter (I'm assuming), but she kept that to herself as her sister-in-law went ahead and summoned Kiwi. She wanted to say something while they waited - add to Niamh's comment about Tegan's promotion with a you sure that was wise? joke, or something along those lines. But she couldn't find the words to speak. Another of her sons was missing.

Her gaze had slid to her paws as Kiwi arrived and asked the obvious question. "We're hoping you can tell us what happened when Tegan came to the borders," she said, finding her voice, "He apparently never made it back to the Plateau. Did he say anything about going out on another trip instead of going home?" Fin knew Kiwi didn't like her. It usually amused her, but she very much hoped it wouldn't stand in the way of helping them understand better what had happened.

Right. Towhee should probably ask about how mother and pups were doing, inquire about how Eljay was handling fatherhood. Just like she should catch up with Niamh. And address the elephant in the room: Tegan's promotion. But now wasn't the time. She was here to get to the bottom of something first.

Niamh threw back her head and though Towhee heard nothing of the howl, she knew what it meant. Kiwi didn't leave them hanging long at all. As soon as her niece appeared, the visiting Beta nodded to her and opened her mouth to answer. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Finley saying something. She clapped her maw shut and looked over to her godmother, bobbing her head at Finley's succinct summary.

Her orange eyes then immediately tracked back to Kiwi, awaiting details with bated breath.

hope it's ok to post out of order! Lemme know if not

As she heard why they were there, her disdain grew.  She knew she was right that he sucked as an ambassador, he hadn't even bothered to report back to his pack.  Even more justification behind the rudeness he'd already presented.

No.  He just came and told us Bat left, then got super rude.  He left without even talking to my mom.  You should probably find someone better to carry messages, especially if he didn't go home after.  She said this matter-of-factly, her green eyes traveling from Towhee to Finley.  Is that it?

If it was, she had things to do.  She didn't know where he was or why he went there, and he didn't care.  If Redhawk news was going to regularly interrupt her day, she wasn't sure she liked this whole sister pack thing.

Two of ye can skip as much as you want, as far as I'm concerned.

Fortunately, as soon as Kiwi showed up, Finley was quick to supply the information that Towhee sought. Niamh, like Towhee and Finley, was worried about Tegan- she'd known him to disappear before, but he hadn't been in good condition when he'd returned. It was just another reason why Niamh had never been incredibly sure that Tegan made for a fit ambassador; Niamh didn't think he could hold his own in a fight, not that a really good ambassador would need to do so...But regardless of the fact that Niamh didn't necessarily trust his abilities, she did like Tegan. He was a good hang, and was incredibly true to himself. 

Kiwi, on the other hand, seemed to bristle at the mention of her altercation with him, and the tone of her voice seemed to go both flat and sharp at the same time. Though Niamh liked Tegan, she did find Kiwi's confession to be somewhat amusing, and she could totally picture him being rude. She held back a snort, though, knowing that she'd be best off not jumping on the diss train while Tegan's mom was present. 

"D'you remember which direction he headed in?" She asked, as a means of being somewhat helpful. Maybe if he'd headed in any direction other than in the way back to the Redhawks, Towhee might get an idea as to where he'd gone.

Fin was nonplussed by Kiwi’s flippant retelling of the tale. She’s accepted by now that this was just the girl’s way. And the thought of Tegan being rude—well, let’s just say there were far more surprising things in this world, like trees growing bark. 

What did bother her was that there seemed to answer to her son’s whereabouts in the tale that had been told. Her ear twitched as Niamh posed a follow up question, but she remained silent and thoughtful as she listened for Kiwi’s answer.

None of Kiwi's report really surprised her, so to speak. Tegan could be really crass, although what had compelled him to mouth off to their sister pack's Regent? Was he bent out of shape by Bat's decision? Judging by how he'd reacted to her death, Towhee could see it. It didn't excuse it, of course, but she decided to take Kiwi's take at face value.

She couldn't detect tone, though Kiwi's unsolicited advice and "Is that it?" rubbed her the wrong way a bit. Maybe both allied packs' Betas sucked at their jobs. But Towhee couldn't care about that right now. She didn't see Niamh move to speak, so Towhee not only talked over her but essentially posed the same question as she said, "No, that's not it. Did you happen to notice which way he went?"

Kiwi's ears flicked in annoyance as they talked over one another to ask the same dumb question. It didn't matter - he didn't go back to them, so who cared?  Of course, the concept that they were packmates and of course they'd be worried didn't occur to her simply because he wasn't her packmate.  Harsher judgements for outsiders? Kinda a thing still.

I don't really remember.  I think that way?  She answered without a whole lot of conviction, indicating the direction she thought but wasn't sure.  It was hard to remember what had happened outside of him insulting her and Wildfire showing up.

Sorry to skip but this one's been sittin' a while so I figured I'd wrap it for us!

A crappy lead was still better than no lead. The instant Kiwi gave her some sort of direction, Towhee nodded decisively. She couldn't go on a wild goose chase through the wilderness, though she would have some information for the hawk.

"Wish I could hang out and catch up," she directed to both Niamh and Finley, "but now I have to track down X and let him know." Towhee's gaze swept over all three women as she dipped her head. "I'll come by another time, after we've safely located Tegan."

With that, she swiveled and began loping back toward the plateau. X had only just returned last night after his first fruitless foray. By now, he would be rested and she would be sure to get him some food before she sent him out again.