Sun Mote Copse time makes you bolder

There was one wolf, aside from her brother, who she had to tell.  She'd tell Wraen too, because the woman had been a mentor to her, but first... @Bronco.

Fennec went looking for him near where she knew his mom was staying, figuring she'd find him there at some point.  This one she wasn't too nervous about.  She figured he'd be happy to hear she was getting out of there (hahahahaha) and getting to explore some.

Bronco! You around?  She asked after a time, not quite resorting to yelling.  She wasn't actually sure exactly how close to the den she was and didn't need an angry Niamh coming at her in a baby-fueled exhaustion rage.

Having spent some time with the next generation of the pack, Bronco felt fairly worn out. Meerkat was a busy little girl, but she was fun- and his three other siblings weren't quite as physically tiring, but he did fret over them quite a bit. Infants were much more difficult to deal with because there was so little he could do for them. They cried and yowled more than they did anything else- and that stressed him out, but they were some adorable when they were all snuggled up and asleep. It was pretty much the only time visiting them was stress-free. 

He'd begun to improve his own man-cave, which was not far from the river where he'd managed to find a little knoll where some boulders from an ancient landslide had come to rest, half-buried in the earth, leaning against one another but leaving just enough space near their bases for him to dig the dirt out, and make himself a den. Like his mother, he liked to be snug and safe, and oddly enough, underground while he slept. He'd decided, recently, that it wasn't big enough. He hoped he would, naturally, have company some day and in the meantime- at least it'd give him a place to host should he be asked to take one of the kids for a couple hours. His den was also in the same neck of the woods that his mother's den was in, so that he wouldn't be too far away. 

He'd just finished kicking some more dirt out of the den when he heard his name. He shook out his pelt and lifted his head, picking Fennec's pale form out of the green backdrop easily. "Yo!" He called out, and trotted off in her direction. "Hey Fenn, what's up?" He asked, as he slid to a stop. It was nice, having her around- without having to worry about Penn. Why she saw something in him was beyond Bronco's comprehension- so needless to say, he felt a lot less pressure now that Penn had gone off on his own.

Luckily he was in earshot, so she took a minute to applaud herself that her guess had been correct!   She stopped, then turned to face him as she listened to his steps grow closer.  Hey!  Not a whole lot, she answered casually, Just planning a huge trip.  Me and Penn are going to check some places out.

Her point was to get a reaction, so she played it down despite it being pretty big news.  That was the funny part.  She kept her excitement down for now, buzzing beneath the surface.  If Penn caught wind that she was too eager, she'd never hear the end of it!

Vaguely, Bronco found himself wondering what Penn might think if she could actually see him. Of course, he was fairly dirty, having been digging to improve his bachelor pad, but he wondered if she might find him handsome- and if that might change things. While he hadn't inherited all of his mother's vanity, he was still fairly certain that by most standards, he was a good-looking guy. And while he knew the whole adage about personality being more important than looks- he couldn't help but wonder if maybe, if Fennec could see him...Maybe she would think more highly about him. It was harder to woo when looks were completely out of the equation. 

When she mentioned going on a trip, his ears perked. For a milisecond, he thought she was going to ask him to go with her. After all, he had escorted Sugar Glider when she'd gone to live with the Frosthawks, and he felt it was fairly common knowledge that of the yearlings, he was probably the strongest. He opened his mouth to answer her quickly- but snapped it shut, barely missing the tip of his own tongue, when she said she was going with-

"Penn?!" He blurted. "You're going on a trip with Penn?" He said, this time his voice ending with a bit of a whine. He was insulted. He was angry. What was it that that simple, scrawny idiot had that he didn't? Penn was rude and arrogant. Could Penn hunt as well as he could? Could he protect her if someone attacked her? He hissed a sour breath through his teeth. "He's gonna get you killed." He murmured. "Did...Did he ask you, or...?" He asked, dreading the answer. If Fenec had gone out of her way to choose Penn over him...That was the end of it.

Ohhhh she didn't like that response.  She understood the ire over Penn... so far everyone's opinions tracked, and yeah, her friend was an idiot. But that didn't mean he wasn't her friend, or that she couldn't handle herself.  She could handle that voice from her own head, but not from him, straight out like that.  Yeah, he asked me.  And he isn't going to 'get me' anything.  She shot back.  It isn't like I don't leave nowadays.  You just never see it because you never bothered to want to.  

That was... rude.  But Fennec hadn't been expecting him to be upset and definitely hadn't thought he'd be worried.  Where did he come off, being protective all the sudden?  God, he really did sound like Fig.

Bronco rolled his eyes, and rudely interjected "He will, with that smart mouth of his." He was worried about Fennec being on her own- but being with a hothead like Penn just seemed to make it all the more likely that she'd end up doing something reckless. If they bumped into a loner, or a wolf from another pack and if Penn mouthed off, it could get them both in trouble. He felt protective of Fennec the same way he hadn't liked when Sugar Glider had palled around with Elfie. There were just certain wolves he didn't trust; Penn was one of them. 

At least he'd been the one to ask her- which did nothing to improve Bronco's opinion of him. Of course he'd do that- wander off, bail out on the pack and shirk his responsibilities and then come back, and take Fennec off on some wayward journey with him. Jealousy made his cheeks flush warm and he glared, but he was taken aback when she accused him, then, of not caring to know what she'd been doing. He fumbled for words for a moment. "I know you leave," Bronco said, defending himself as well as he could, once he regained his composure. The truth was- her words had stung.

"I patrol the borders, Fennec. I know when anyone comes an' goes. If I was ever worried about you goin' out, I'd've said or done something. Not that you'd listen, 'cause I know I couldn't stop you. An' I don't need to- you always come back. So you shouldn't assume I don't notice- and you damn well shouldn't assume that I don't care." He said, a low, frustrated growl seeping into his voice. He was quiet for a moment, to let that sink in.

The fact that he knew she left and gave her the credit to handle herself made her feel both better and worse at the same time.  I didn't say you don't care.  She answered, tail giving a sharp flick behind her as she tried to work through her agitated mind.  I'm just saying that's a lot of talk for someone who's never offered. Of course I'm going to go with Penn.  What other chance am I going to get?  No one ever leaves and asks me to come.  Her ears were pressed forward, intently, focused fully.  She was mad, irritated, but he was her friend too.  She'd just wanted him to be happy for her.

She was blaming him for having never offered to take her somewhere. He found it a bit inconsiderate that she now judged him for not doing something that she'd never really asked about before, and he shook his head. This wasn't fair. She was blaming him- and apparently, because Penn had actually asked her, she was going to shit on everyone in her life for not doing so earlier. 

"I don't even go out for adventures, Fennec. There's been too much need for me to like...Patrol, or guard, or hunt- that I haven't gone on trips for 'fun' 'cause I'm just tryna help the pack." He said. "I'd love to go on an adventure with you, I just..." Four pups meant four mouths to feed- and these little one could neither go on hunts nor be left unsupervised. He felt that he was needed. He was quiet for a moment. "I promise you, I swear, once the kids are just a bit older...I'll take you, just- just don't go with Penn, please." He begged softly.

I can't just sit around waiting until it's convenient, she replied, not really even needing to consider.  Her mind was made up, and he wasn't going to change it.  You're right, you have responsibilities all that and that's fine.  Whatever.  But I'm tired of just staying here and everyone else always taking care of me.  I need to go.

With Penn, she'd have the barest of safety nets.  If he left her, she'd be in tough shit, but she knew he wouldn't. Bronco couldn't get it, but his explanation just made it that much clearer.  He was needed here; she and Penn weren't.

He frowned. She wasn't willing to wait, and she really wasn't willing to listen to him about not going with Penn. He felt that Figment, too, likely felt an obligation to his younger sister- and he was disappointed to see that Fennec was fine with going off and leaving for who knows how long. He didn't want to ask- because he felt it might hurt to much to know. He was reminded, then, of the day he'd offered her some of his elk meat kill...When Meerkat had wanted to tickle her- and she'd discouraged her. Maybe Fennec just wasn't as family-oriented as he was; and he found that oddly unattractive. 

Quietly, he mused about Penn, the runaway- and he sighed. "You know he's just running away from his pain, right?" Bronco asked. His voice was soft, gentle, empathetic. "I know what that's like. But I didn't run." His sister had, and it had torn a rift in the family that had not healed, since. "You can't trust someone who turns their back an' runs away every time things get hard. Just....Remember that." He said.

As was per usual with Fennec, soft words just served to make her angrier.  Anger, on the other hand, tended to make her laugh.  So while Bronco might have thought he was being reasonable (he was), Fennec heard only condescension.  And it got her back up something fierce again.

Yeah, well.  Just because someone doesn't think or act like you do doesn't make them wrong either.  So maybe think about that, too. She responded.  Maybe Penn had run initially, but now that he was back, there was no way he'd leave her in the dust after inviting her along.  He wasn't that big of a dick.

Right?

That note of doubt took quite a bit of the excitement from her, and she hated it.  So she whirled, without another word, and left the way she came.  He could call after her if he wanted, but she was done here.

Bronco was wounded deeply by Fennec's words. He shook his head, and clenched his teeth together once he realized that he was dangerously close to trembling. He wasn't sure why this bothered him so much- but grief was something known to come in waves, and he felt the hurt and loss bubble up and settle into a burning lump of coal in his throat. Did she really have no idea how much it had hurt to realize that Nellie had run away, after Colt had died? Was she not aware of the fact that even after her return, Nellie had still caused a rift in what was left of their family?

He opened his mouth to speak but Fennec whirled, and was off. He took a few hasty steps after her- but stumbled. He coughed, trying to free up the knot that had settled into his through, and found himself wrecked under a new surge of grief, which caught him completely off guard. Not wanting anyone to see or hear whatever way the renewed damage fought its way to the surface, Bronco tucked his tail, and scurried back to his den, where he hid himself away, overwhelmed, and fretted until he finally passed out.