Sun Mote Copse my talismans and charms

the days grow warmer, indicative that spring is on a speeding train towards summer and while jr had been young, more interested in discovering everything she could last summer, she remembers fondly the warmth of the mornings and evenings; the season of the bountiful.

she helps where she can: tending borders and helping to fill food caches.

a plump groundhog hangs limp betwixt her jaws: a catch successful courtesy of ghost who lazily glides along with the wind from above.

he looks bigger, she noticed the other day. a little more fuller in his chest, with longer wing feathers. perhaps it is just her imagination, or because her gaze never lingers on him long because she is used to seeing him. she is not sure how old he was when she 'rescued' him, or what was indicative of knowing a falcon's age.

a soft snort leaves her as she tucks the groundhog away in a food cache, the scent of freshly upturned soil strong even as she re-covers the cache, patting down the earth so as to not attract unwitting thieves.

despite her acknowledgement that she needed to socialize more, she has spectacularly managed to isolate herself since she last spoke with meerkat. making friends is not her forte, and whether that was a product of her disabilities or her prickly nature in general, jr couldn't really say.

Referring to this thread

Njord enjoyed an uneventful life: growing children, a thriving pack. Family life suited him and, to be honest, the man would have been happy if they stayed as they were forever. However, change was inevitable.

The Hinterlands, as Njord knew them, had always been a quiet region. Few wolves ever passed through due to the topography. The range of mountains to the East acted as a natural fortification.

He had detected an increase in traffic along their Southern border. Wolves came and went across the bog, to the falls, and then continued Southerly. Suspicious, Njord had increased his patrols. Had @Kigipigak encountered these travelers as well? Was a new pack settling nearby? It was strange they would thread the needle between two established territories. For this the Laird became uneasy.

As her ruminated on this, he spied Towhee Jr burying a cache. A young wolf who, someday, wished to lead.

Njord silently approached her and slipped into her peripheral so as to not sneak up. -Hello, Towhee Jr,- Njord signed. Ever since Towhee and her daughter had returned to their ranks, Njord’s ptero neared fluency.

njord's approach is caught from the corner of her eye as she packs the earth, head lifting to greet her brother in law with a soft smile and dip of her head; gaze focused on his paws as he signs in ptero.

-hey njord,- she greets in return. ghost settles at his favored spot at the junction between her shoulders. -what's up?- jr signs, jovial. unaware of the potential brewing storms troubling her brother-in-law.

The small falcon flew down and assumed its perch upon Towhee Jr’s shoulder. It entertained Njord and made him smile, impressed the yearling had garnered a cooperative relationship with such a fascinating creature. Towhee Jr may not have spoke the common tongue, but it was clear she understood effective communication and relationships.

-I’ve picked up the scent of wolves passing South of the Copse, through the Bog towards the Falls,- he explained. -Would you go on patrol with me? I'd like to take a closer look,- he asked. Njord’s practiced temperament helped him remain neutral. There was no point in jumping to conclusions.

at njord's signed words, towhee feels her jovial mood souring, a frown replacing the smile she'd previously adopted. she thinks of otter and skipjack and her guard hairs are bristling with the urge to protect her newest niece and nephew. -why're they moving so close?- technically, it was neutral ground. free territory. but it fills her with an instinctive hostility. she doesn't expect njord to have an answer: if he had, she doubted he'd be wanting to investigate further.

-of course!- jr is quick to sign. he hadn't even needed to ask!

Towhee Jr was a keen yearling, and by the change in her expression, Njord saw she understood the potential gravity of the situation.

He appreciated her protective nature. -I don’t know,- he signed with a serious look. -It’s unusual,- the Laird pointed out, unaware of the arrangement between Cedar Sweep and the Strath.

With a nod, Njord set off at a brisk lope with his sister-in-law until they arrived at a place where the Copse, the Bog, and the Falls met. There, a handful of tracks could be detected leading toward the Strath.

Tagging @Reyna for vis. Please let me know if any of my assumptions are incorrect!

you get my 200th post with jr! <3

it is unusual, njord signs to her.

from her experience, though not nearly as much as njord or someone else older than her, she agrees all the same. lone or other pack wolves tended to give a berth to pack borders rather than just traipsing right thru them like it was a brief pit stop on their destination. trespassing, in some packs, could be a death sentence.

jr herself wasn't so sure she wouldn't attack to kill if someone trespassed in the copse. mercy wasn't something she had a lot of ( ghost aside, apparently ) and wasn't keen on offering it to wolves who made a stupid decision.

she harrumphs her displeasure; a raw, breathy noise as she moves slightly behind njord, deferring to his rank.

she studies the tracks, perplexity turning quiet rage as she notes it is more than one track. one leading several? a sour taste fills her mouth. a poor leader, she paints the stranger as immediately. she draws in the scents ( faint though they may be ) that clings to the tracks, memorizing them like a bloodhound memorizing the scent of its prey.

Last from me!

Like Towhee Jr, Njord’s nose was magnetized to the ground but he never took one eye off his dark accomplice. She was intense in her appraisal as she studied the tracks – and Njord was thankful to have such a vigilant guardian in their ranks. Towhee Jr was so much like her namesake… in both looks and demeanor.

It was evident the travelers numbered a handful and their path was distinct, without deviation.

-Let’s follow the trail a bit past the falls and then let’s head back to report what we found to the others,- he suggested. Then, Njord led the way to see if the trail junction was at any point.