Sun Mote Copse 'Cause I know a place where the sun is always shinin'

They'd all been so busy getting Firebirds off the ground, Wildfire hadn't seen as much of her daughters as she would've liked. She wanted to check on Kiwi, see how her face was doing, but first she wanted to hunt down @Sequoia. Although she wasn't actually the girl's mother, she didn't really differentiate between the two, nor treat them differently. Although Kiwi could claim more of a birthright, Wildfire wanted to extend the same offer to Sequoia as she had done to her biological child. They could even rule together someday, if that's what they wanted; that idea certainly put a smile on her face.

Using all of her hunter's skills to strike Sequoia's trail and then track it, she found herself coming close to the river at the eastern edge of the copse. "Seq?" she called, slowing down as she reached the water's edge, chestnut eyes looking up and down the riverbank.

It hadn't been terribly long since Buckshot had left, and Sequoia was starting to feel a little better about it. The spring had returned to her step, and she spent her time focusing on exploring the copse and seeing every inch that it had to offer. She'd done most of the exploring on her own, preferring to work on her own rather than having to defer to anybody else. The piebald girl had been hard at work, and she had stopped to take a drink of water.

Stopping when she heard Wildfire's voice, Sequoia squinted until she spotted the red wolf a ways down the river. Over here! she said, wagging her tail and trotting toward her mentor.

She finally spotted her upriver, her pale coat blending into the backdrop of snowy forest quite effectively. Wildfire kicked up her heels and loped in her direction, intending to brake to a stop a few yards from Sequoia. Instead, she slipped on some slush and blew out her right leg, causing her to pitch forward and land hard on her shoulder blade with a loud, "Oof!"

It was more jarring than painful. Wildfire sucked in a breath through her teeth, then gingerly rearranged her limbs and rose, shooting the youth a sheepish smile. "It's been a while since I took a spill like that," she said, arching her neck to groom some frost and a smear of mud from her red fur before facing Sequoia again.

"I wanted to ask you something. Instead of having commanders or Alphas, we're going to have Sovereigns. Well, just one to start: me. Then there'll be two Regent positions—second-in-commands—and then four Honoree spots meant for retired leaders or leaders-in-training." She paused to take a breath and let Sequoia digest that before getting to the point. "I've offered Kiwi one of the Honoree ranks and I'd like to offer one to you as well. When you're at least a year, you'll be in the running for a Regent spot for sure, as long as you keep doing what you're doing... especially if you keep working on your ambassadorship."

Sequoia bounced back (purely an instinctual response) when Wildfire slipped forward, but just as quickly she took a rushed step forward to sniff at Wildfire's shoulder. It seemed okay, but the worried look on her face remained until her mentor cleaned the muck off her chest. Relieved that it had been nothing more than a simple fall, Sequoia's ears perked forward and she listened to what the red wolf had to say.

It was a lot to take in all at once, but Sequoia's listening skills were pretty dang good for her age. She could feel the skin on her face get hot when Wildfire offered her the title of Honoree. Sequoia had always been determined and (she thought) the best at everything, but she was still surprised to hear it coming from somebody else. How proud Momma Portia and Daddy Dio would have been!

Oh my gosh, of course! I would be honored! Pun definitely intended.

She chuckled warmly when Sequoia accepted with enthusiasm that reminded her of Kiwi's. "Did you just sass me?" she quipped, throwing a loose elbow Sequoia's way. It hurt a little from the fall. "I'm glad. I plan to be around a while, though you and Kiwi are the future of Firebirds."

With that settled, Wildfire cast about for another topic of conversation. "Have you met any of the newcomers? Finbar or Corinna? There's Wraen too and possibly her sister Maia, though they're not living here yet."

Sequoia gave Wildfire a cheesy grin. It was nice to know that she had a place here with the Firebirds, especially considering it was an ~important~ place! The next topic of discussion was the others who had joined them, and Seq nodded her head to Finbar's name. When Wifi mentioned Wraen, however... Sequoia's tail immediately came to life, spazzing out behind her as she could barely believe her ears.

Wraen's here?! she exclaimed. Sequoia was pretty sure she had mentioned Wraen at one point or another, but that didn't matter. She was downright thrilled to have her friend along for the ride. It was Wraen, after all, who had explained to her about all the world had to offer when it came to packs, and she was the first wolf who had said that leaving a pack wasn't all bad.

Sequoia reacted to one of the names with wild enthusiasm. Wildfire blinked and smiled. "You know her?" If the girl had mentioned her by name, it escaped her memory. "Not yet, though hopefully she will be in a few days. Judging by your reaction," she continued, feeling even better about welcoming her relatives to roost with her flock, "you're a fan of hers?"

Yeah! Sequoia half-squealed, answering all of Wildfire's questions at once. We only met once, but... she taught me a lot. Like how it's not fair to be mad at others for leaving. I didn't really understand why anybody would want to leave home like she was talking about, but it was a big part of the reason I felt capable of leaving Drageda. Perhaps if she had never met Wraen, she would have been furious at Kiwi and Wildfire for leaving her while she stayed behind. Instead, Sequoia had decided to join them.

How did she find us? Did you know her before? Seq asked. Selfishly, she wanted to be the reason that Wraen had come to live with the Firebirds, but she had a feeling that was unlikely since her friend didn't appear to have mentioned her when talking to Wildfire.

Although Sequoia's answer stirred some bitter emotions within Wildfire, she gave no indication of it. Sequoia might be young, yet the Sovereign valued her opinion (obviously, or she wouldn't have offered to make her an Honoree), so it meant a lot that she thought so highly of their latest recruit.

"No, we hadn't met before, although she and Maia are actually relatives of mine. We met by chance when Wraen came here to invade one of our caches," Wildfire continued, eyes gleaming, "and instead of trying to chase her away or kill her, I decided to offer her food. She looked like she'd had some hard times lately. In exchange, I got to recruit not one but two very skilled wolves." She paused. "That's the way I'd like Firebirds to be. And I know that you, more than anyone else, will be the one to uphold those values."

Wildfire explained that she hadn't met Wraen (or Maia? who was that?) before they had come to the copse. Sequoia wasn't terribly surprised, considering the last time she'd seen Wraen was way up north. That seems like a smart move, she concurred. Giving them a bit of food in exchange for their help with the pack made sense. And now that she knew Wraen was here, Sequoia was certain she'd run into her sooner or later, and that would only further solidify the bond between Wifi's distant relative and the Firebirds.

Who is Maia? Seq asked, forgetting entirely that she and Wraen had talked about her sister the time they had met.

"Wraen's sister," Wildfire answered smilingly. Sure, she'd already mentioned that a moment ago but that little tidbit of information was probably forgotten in the excitement over Wraen herself. "I haven't met her yet, though I'm sure she'll be a great addition. I'm sure I don't have to bother asking you to introduce yourself when she arrives," the Sovereign said with a chuckle. Sequoia was charismatic and both easy- and outgoing. She was a natural-born ambassador, for sure.

"They should be here soon. In the meantime, would you like to have some lunch with me, to celebrate your new role?" the Sovereign proposed in the next breath, making a let's walk? gesture with her foreleg.

Wanna fade? :)

Sequoia continued to wag her tail, eager to meet Wraen's sister and see Wraen again. Wildfire suggested they grab some food, and the newly-donned honoree agreed with a smile. That sounds great! Sequoia had never been a particularly good hunter, but she could work well on a team when needed. Perhaps she and Wildfire could find something decent after all.