Hideaway Strath Taco time

Surprisingly not forward- or back-dated!

Phox was still digesting the news, but it appeared that the remaining Redhawks, Liffey, her mate, and their children had all moved to the glade. It meant that the distance between them and Asterism Grove was smaller, but that was more of a positive than anything. It meant that they would be even easier to visit. Truth be told, the glade had been one of the more favorable spots to Phox, but now he was glad he hadn't chosen it. It was better that the Redhawks had been able to settle there. Moving four wolves (even with two of them being puppies) was easier than moving however many they had.

It was late now, the moon a waxing gibbous, and Phox was up well past his usual bedtime, but he arrived back at the grove in a good mood. He was glad to have found the Redhawks and to have informed them of where they were. Hopefully in the next few days, he could do the same for the Firebirds. He had no idea who had come into power since Wildfire had passed away, but he figured it would be a good gesture either way. Even without Wifi, there was still Finley, Elwood, and he guessed Eljay, too.

hope this is okay :^)

She had been turned around one too many times and unbeknownst to her, she had found herself in some group's area. What she did know was there were scents around (she didn't connect dots very well, did she?) which meant she might be able to find a friendly face or two. Yet it was late and the idea of possibly accidentally waking someone had her drifting about aimlessly with silence. Her dainty form did its best to not disrupt the area.

There was someone up ahead though that she almost missed. Their mostly dark colors shielded them in the night. Psssst. The sound escaped her softly. Hey, uh, you awake? She regretted asking it the moment it left her mouth. They were probably awake unless the stranger had a case of sleep walking.

Quite okay!

Instead of the voices of Towhee, Leen, Dingo, Ruenna, or one of his two children came a very dainty soft voice of a stranger. Phox paused, then turned to see the bright white of her coat against the dark of the forest. Her markings were strange, but no stranger than anything else Phox had seen in his time on this earth, so he didn't make a fuss over it. Maybe he should have considered her a threat, but it was well past his bedtime, so that thought didn't even occur to him.

I think so, he replied with a furrowed brow. How would he know if he were dreaming? Typically, he couldn't hear the wolves in his dreams. They didn't make words. Are you awake? he asked.

Oh, uh, Was she? She had not expected the question to be turned back to her. Yes...? There was a hint of confusion at the edge of her answer. His question had made her think far too hard for what should have been given a simple answer. This didn't seem like her normal dreams though so she stood by her not-totally-solid-answer.

Do you live here? It was probably too late to start a game of twenty-one questions but Nebula didn't really understand that. And in her mind, anytime was a good time to start asking questions.

Well, that was settled. They weren't dreaming. At least as far as he could tell. He certainly didn't remember falling asleep. But would he remember if he had? Boy, these were some tough, puzzling questions that he really didn't have the time to dive into right now. He blinked his dark brown eyes in the darkness, glad that at least the moon was out to help out a bit. Phox wondered if Fennec would grow up to have an advantage during the night hours, considering she wouldn't have to rely on her sight. There were way too many philosophical questions for such a brief amount of time.

I do. So do my children and my sister. Are you... lost? he asked. Unlike the other wolves he had spoken to, she seemed rather confused wandering out here in the black of night. Maybe she'd just gotten turned around and needed to be pointed in the right direction.

Oh! So apparently a whole family lived here. Well that explained all the scents she had so kindly thought nothing of up until now. His question brought a soft hum out of her though. I don't really have anywhere to go so I don't think I'm lost per se. She admitted with a sheepish grin following her words for a few seconds after. It faded soon after though as she attempted to not look so embarrassed by her own admission.

I mean, I don't have a clue where I'm at though. It was an odd situation she found herself in. Maybe she was dreaming.

That was a bit worrisome. Phox couldn't remember the last time he'd met a wolf who didn't have a place to go. Oh wait, yes he did. Camilla. Oof. This is not the time for feelings, Phox. Focus! But seriously, the last thing he needed was another lost and confused wolf with a crazed murderous bastard after her. The Redhawk tried not to jump to those conclusions, and he took a deep breath to try and calm his mind. Something about these late night hours got him in a weird mood. The lack of sleep probably wasn't helping, either.

This is Asterism Grove, he replied, knowing that probably wouldn't ring a bell, since he and Towhee had named it. Do you want to stay here? he asked before immediately backtracking, worried she might think he was being forward. What I mean is... you can rest here for the night if you'd like. Had he been a better recruiter, he might have taken this opportunity to suggest she stay for good. Unfortunately, that wasn't something Phox excelled at.

She definitely did not recognize the name but it was a nice name. Better than something like "Spooky Swamp" or "Haunted Forest" as the name of a place. She looked around briefly but the darkness didn't show her much. Nor did she figure she'd understand the name of this place just by looking.

Her gaze returned to him as he made a generous offer. Oh yes please! She answered perhaps far too quick and far too eager, her tail even wiggling behind her small frame. If it's not an intrusion and you have the space I mean... She poorly attempted to reel back her excitement as she moved a few steps closer to the sort-of-stranger.

Nebula was obviously never taught the concept of stranger danger. Accepting an offer to spend the night with a stranger in a new place seemed to break all the rules of the whole concept. Oh well.

Would it be an intrusion? The wheels in Phox's head were slowly starting to spin, and he realized that she might actually be a candidate to stay here longer than one night. It was like one of those fluorescent lights that flickers a few times, then takes another minute to warm up to its full potential. Something about her asking if there was space for her probably did it.

Will you be heading out in the morning? he asked, trying to find out for certain what her intentions were. Maybe his tired brain wasn't terribly smart, or maybe he wasn't terribly smart, but this seemed like a good way to get to the bottom of the mystery of what she was planning on doing. Besides, it was a good question to ask even if she planned on leaving. Depending on her answer, he could escort her to one place or another for a good night's sleep.

She pauses for a few moments, seeming to give some genuine thought to his question. Her gaze finds the floor as she lets silence settle. It's an odd thing given how nosy and chatty she can be but she needs to think about how to word her answer. Do...do I have to? She awkwardly asked as she shifted her weight on her small paws. Nebula had already explained she had nowhere to go so if they weren't going to kick her out come morning well that was splendid by her books.

She really was the most indecisive of all the wolves that had shown up here. Perhaps the most timid, too... save for Fennec, but she was a child, not to mention *Phox's* child, so she got a free pass. That depends, the Kilonova replied. Freeloaders aren't welcome, but if you can provide something, we can use another body in our ranks. What's your name? He was exhausted and this probably wasn't the best time to being doing this, but it would have to do.

Her face grew warm at the term freeloader and she suddenly had an anxious feeling in the pit of her stomach. Nebula. She replied softly as her tail seemed to slightly slip between her legs. And I wouldn't be a freeloader I promise. I know some stuff about plants and I can hunt smaller things pretty well. Was it the most convincing pitch ever? No, not really but it could have been worse.

Last one from me, I think!

She seemed to genuinely want to help, and that was really all Phox had asked for in those he had recruited so far. If they didn't live up to his standards, he could always send them packing. He certainly meant to do that if it ended up being the case. The Kilonova didn't want his children to suffer because of the laziness or ineptitude of others.

My name is Phox. My sister Towhee, and my two kids—Figment and Fennec—sleep at the rendezvous site. I'll take you there, and you can meet the other recruits: Leen, Dingo, and Ruenna after you get some rest. Speaking of rest, Phox was fading fast. Let's go before I fall asleep on my feet.

archiving!

It was a lot of names to grasp onto but she nodded her head in agreement with meeting them all. Okay. She answered softly, settling for not being nosy for once. It was getting too late to keep poking and prodding. Not to mention she seemed to be staying for good which would provide plenty of time for her to be nosy later. For now, she would rest.