Sun Mote Copse Three make a coven

@Towhee @Niamh 

It was few days after Wraen's conversation with Towhee and the idea of inviting the other two old gal's to have time off from duties, children and the rest of the pack still felt like something that needed to be done. How long had it been since her last breakaway? Weeks, months? She did not know exactly, all she realized was that the need for an escapade was far greater than she had previously realized. It did not ask, it demanded.

So, on a day, which was a good one from all sides - square meals, uneventful routines and generally peaceful vibe - Wraen found each of the hags and briefly informed of a very important and super-secret plan that they needed to carry out on their own. Whether either of them caught the conspirational wink and amused glint in Sovereign's eyes is yet to be discovered. But at this moment - as the sun began to set, Wraen waited the two at a place, where the Sun Mote Copse met Cricket Creek Bog.

Towhee looked forward to a break, especially after a busy morning patrolling, then taking Meerkat by for a visit with Niamh and co. She took her child back to the rendezvous site and left her in the capable care of @Phox and @Figment. She dropped an almost apologetic kiss to Meerkat's forehead before leaving. She was such a good kid, though between her and the three chiblings, both she and Niamh could use this time off for the rest of the evening.

It wasn't hard to track down the Sovereign near the territory's edge. The Regent eyed the bog over Wraen's shoulder as she approached, then looked around for any sign of Niamh. By now, the boys had probably taken Meerkat to the den site to relieve her of her duties for the next few hours, Towhee assumed. She looked forward to her friend's arrival. They saw one another every day, yet hadn't had a chance to sit and talk in a while, not without the kids running amok in the fore- and background.

While they waited, Towhee walked right up to Wraen and batted playfully at her shoulder. Maybe it was just a greeting... or, if the Sovereign was in the mood (and her shoulder wasn't bothering her), they could spar until Niamh showed up.

Towhee may or may not realize it, but she was blessed to have just one, reasonably well-behaved kid, instead of three teething, biting, yelling chaos-makers that Niamh and Phox tried to herd. The last time Wraen had properly met her Honoree, she had looked far from the beautiful, sly and feminine self that she usually was. Ragged and very exhausted - somebody, who definitely needed a decent hours of rest away from her offspring. Wraen felt sorry for her Sergeant-at-arms and at the same time felt less sorry for herself of not being able to have any kids at all. 

Regent was the first to come and, Wraen shot her a questioning glance of, where the heck the third hag was hiding, but since they were in no hurry either, she did not mind waiting for a while. Even if they did not manage to go far away from Sun Mote Copse for their outing, even the remoter areas of their pack territory would do. To fill the time, Wraen was invited for a game and she did not decline. She snapped playfully at Towhee, bent down in a play bow and waited for her friend's next move.

After prying herself away from the kids- which took more effort than she'd previously managed as Bronco showed up just in time to rile the kids up after they seemed somewhat settled- Niamh finally began making her way toward the bog where she'd been instructed to go and meet Towhee and Wraen. Bleary-eyed and tired, Niamh hadn't exactly caught the mischievous twinkle in Wraen's eyes, and simply assumed that this was a meeting of leaders, excluding Eljay who was still quite sullen (and understandably so) after the death of his parents. So she was more prepared for a business meeting than anything else, but wasn't surprised to see her friends jousting playfully when she finally caught up with them. 

Had she not been so short on energy, she might've bullied her way into the playful match between the two and made quite a fray of it- but instead, she clicked her tongue, eyeing the two with a skeptical but amused smile. "C'mon, really?" She asked. "Watch yer form, both of ya," She chided playfully, stepping naturally into her role as the Sergeant-at-arms to offer a bit of unnecessary criticism. She temporarily mimicked a pose- her posture well-grounded and feet squared, before she relaxed, and plonked her hindquarters down unceremoniously. She yawned; content to watch the two continue sparring, but secretly hoping that whatever they were meeting about, they could get it over sooner rather than later, so she could return to her husband and brats and go back to sleep.

Wraen demonstrated her willingness to play by snapping her teeth in Towhee's direction. The Regent raised her brows in challenge, smirking when the Sovereign dipped forward into a bow. Just as the mercenary was squaring up to pounce, a flash of gold at the corner of her eye caused her to glance in that direction, just in time to watch a careworn Niamh stride onto the scene.

Towhee shot Wraen a quick look, then swiveled to face her fellow mother. Niamh looked as though she'd have been happy to spectate while the other two sparred. Certainly she didn't look in any way prepared to join them. Towhee arched a brow and laughed quietly when she saw her friend's yawn. Towhee knew firsthand how much of a challenge her trio could be and empathized with her sister-in-law's obvious exhaustion.

-"So, what's the plan?"- she asked, swinging her attention back to Wraen, who'd spearheaded this little get-together. They could keep sparring or just sit around and talk; she would be fine with either. Or maybe the Sovereign had in mind something else altogether.

Their Sergeant-at-arms arrived soon after the game had begun, and Wraen cut it short to have a good look at Niamh. Not for the first time she was glad that the "bliss of motherhood" had bypassed her, because the once beautiful and elegant she-wolf looked worn, tired and had suffered attacks from multiple little jaws with sharp, pointy teeth. She pitied the lass, then casted a quick glance over at Towhee, then back at Niamh.

"No plan, just plain fun," she explained. "Away from crying children and leadership duties, some witching around - you know, the usual," she grinned and beckoned in the direction of the Cricket Creek bog. "Our Mother Hero could have her beauty sleep in peace and quiet, if she so prefers," she suggested.

Nimah blinked when Towhee voiced her unspoken question, and looked to Wraen with a raised eyebrow when it was confessed that there was no plan. This wasn't a meeting afer all; it was just supposed to be fun. She wondered vaguely if Wraen really understood what it was like to have three kids hanging off her, draining energy from her with their toothy little mouths- because her idea of 'fun' was definitely not exactly what Niamh would've chosen to do. For starters- there was no food. Why was there no food?! How was this supposed to be any fun if Niamh didn't get something to eat?!

Nevertheless, Niamh assumed they would be eating at some point, and was willing to follow Wraen in the hopes that wherever they were headed, it would at least end with a hunt. She'd even be content if they dug something up from a cache, but she felt she deserved better than day-old dirt-covered hare. The comment about 'mother hero' nearly went straight over her head- as she was still musing to herself about menu items- and she snorted in confusion at the ridiculous title. "Mother Hero?" She asked, voice thick with skepticism but- after a moment of consideration...Sure, the title was ridiculous, but...She wasn't one to turn down a fancy title. "Yeah, I could dig that." Sergeant-at-Arms and Mother Hero. Flattery was a quick way to earn Niamh's participation- and even without the promise of a meal, Wraen had managed to bargain for and acheive a bit more interest and participation from the tired mother. She turned to Towhee with a grin. -See that? We're 'Mother Heroes' now,- She boasted. After all- if she was a 'Mother Hero,' then Towhee was too. 

"So..." She said. Dog-with-a-bone, she was. -Does 'witching around' mean we get to eat something?-

Wraen explained that she merely meant to give her sub- and co-leaders a break from their various duties. Towhee glanced at Niamh at the same time the towheaded she-wolf signed at her. -"That's all you,"- she insisted with a grin. Sure, they were raising their children as a unit, though Towhee had only given birth to one and a nigh angel at that. Niamh had undertaken quite a bit more by her estimation, so she deserved a respite more than anyone else.

-"Got me,"- she added after a beat, fiery gaze swinging back to the Sovereign, brow arched in amusement. -"Did you mean witching or bitching?"- she quipped. -"I'm sure we can procure some grub. Better yet, we should make the rest of the pack bring us some. We deserve as much, don't we?"- Towhee was mostly joking, though her orange eyes glimmered at the thought.

Wraen was about to add that "Mother Hero" entailed having more children than just one, but then she thought about Towhee and her insecurity on the matter of motherhood. The joke - while not the worst - would probably be tactless and fall flat. Therefore she just smiled, because raising even one kid to be a decent citizen and human being was hard. Anyone, who took up the challenge, were heroes on some level.

"Snacks are definitely included. The bog is full of frogs," she pointed out to the loud chorus of all those horny frog dudes that were competing with each other this mating season. "So is dancing in the moonlight and having no filters," she added.

Niamh snorted in incredulity when Towhee implied that Wraen had meant only to call Niamh a hero of sorts. She felt with every fibre of her heart that her Person was every bit of a hero that she was, if not more. And Towhee had been a mother just as long as Niamh had- Figment and Fennec were proof of Towhee's maternal capabilities, and that was not to be overlooked. 

She made an ugly sound at Towhee's joke, finding something particularly tickling about the idea of 'witching and bitching.' It was a laugh- but came from her lips so suddenly and without thought that it caused her voice to crack. Only Wraen would've been subject to its ugliness, but it was more or less an unbidden laugh- and Towhee would surely catch sight of Niamh's wry, unapologetic grin. She had a way with saying things that would catch Niamh by such surprise that she couldn't help how gracelessly she responded. She preferred Towhee's idea, of having the pack bring them food, rather than hunting down frogs in a bog. Wraen's intentions were wonderful- but Niamh was too tired to invest her energy in dancing for no reason and frogs were...Well, in a bog, and small. Niamh craved venison. -I could prolly give Bronco a call and get him to deliver us something- she suggested. Niamh's bias was fairly clear- she preferred Towhee's suggestions- but she was still glad that Wraen had called them out for some time off together. -I kinda like how soft my fur feels after a bit of a mud bath, though- She admitted, in an effort to show that in the very least, she was fine with going to the bog and getting a bit muddy.

The Regent couldn't help but grin wryly when Wraen proposed catching frogs and dancing in the moonlight, only for Niamh to counter with fast food and mud baths. She realized she would get to sway the vote and glanced between the other two with a speculative look in her orange eyes and a smile still playing about her mouth.

-"I vote we hire Bronco for the food, then you and I will dance,"- she decided, meeting Wraen's gaze, -"while Niamh takes a mud bath. We can join her when we're done. It'll be glorious."- It really did sound like a good time, mostly because of the company.

Without waiting for the Sovereign to take the lead, Towhee began to move, her eyes peeled for the perfect site for their witching. She did pause to let her two companions catch up before nosing deeper into the bog neighboring the copse.

"That would be excellent, except no men are allowed. Hags only," Wraen replied, following Towhee, who had taken the lead and was taking them further and further away in the bog. The familiar scents and sounds of the pack and the forest they inhabited dwindled away and soon it was only them three, soft sound of footfalls against moss, occasional splashing through the pools and chorus of frogs in the background. 

At some point Wraen veered to the side, pounced and a second later tossed up a frog in the air, caught it and gobbled it down, hardly chewing it. "Slimy, yet satisfying," she told Niamh, who had been the most vocal in regards of the food they were supposed to eat. "Though on the second thought, I should have tried to kiss it first to see if it turned into a prince. Now I might never find out," she mused humorously.

"Towhee, seeing you as the only other spinster here - I say, you give a hefty lick to the next frog you find and only then eat," she grinned.

Boulstered by the fact that Towhee'd also taken  her suggestion about getting Bronco to deliver food to them, Niamh had smiled and nodded, licking her lips when it seemed like a conclusion had been reached...Only to be completely tossed aside when Wraen again insisted that they would be eating frogs, and than they couldn't call on Phox or Bronco because males weren't allowed. She was discouraged, and followed her Sovereign now put into somewhat of a dour mood- especially when she'd gone from being called a 'hero' and now deemed a 'hag.' This didn't sound very fun at all. She didn't even really want a mud bath- she was just trying to make peace with Wraen's odd suggestion for female bonding night. 

She kept her trap shut, though, and meandered after Towhee, wondering if her friend picked up on the subtle looks she'd been giving her, just to see if Towhee too felt that this was all a little bit odd. She wanted food- real food- and she didn't want to dance around in the mud. She didn't like being called 'hag,' and was now more or less just putting up with this because she felt obligated to do so. She watched with a somewhat pouty frown as Wraen caught and swallowed down a frog in the shallows. It smelled here. Worse than what she'd remembered; this mud bath would leave her needing a proper bath afterwards. But she'd suffer it, because Wraen truly seemed to be enjoying herself. 

She suggested that Towhee give the next frog she caught a kiss, which made Niamh snort with laughter. She shook her head with incredulity- now Towhee was a 'spinster?' She figured that was some reference to the fact that Towhee was still single- but she certainly wasn't old. Wraen was an odd duck. Her idea of fun was very strange, and her use of nicknames stranger still- but Niamh could get involved and even have a bit of fun- as long as Towhee did. She looked down, and caught sight of a fat bullfrog just below the murky water's surface- and with a cackle, she gave it a smack with one of her front paws. It skipped over the surface a couple times, tumbling through the air, before it landed near Towhee. -Pucker up- She teased.

Towhee actually missed it when Wraen nixed her idea about having food delivered. By the time her gaze swung back to the Sovereign, she was in the middle of munching a frog after a brief but spectacular aerial display. The Regent's lips parted on a laugh as she watched, wondering how it tasted. "Slimy yet satisfying," was the official report.

No sooner had Wraen suggested she start kissing frogs than Niamh punted one directly at her. Towhee couldn't help herself; she instinctively deflected, swinging out a foreleg and sending the poor frog careening in a random direction. Which just so happened to coincide with Wraen's face.

I am so sorry this has dragged out for so long! If you wish to finish it, you may fade out in your next posts. I don't mind keeping it going either.

Wraen caught the frog by the leg mid-air and after holding it for a brief moment, looking from Towhee to Niamh, wondering, whom she should toss it to next, but decided against "marring" any of those pretty mugs and let it fall to the round. She watched it hop away and in a pretend-morose expression said: "Here goes my prince Charming..."

"So, Niamh, you looked as if you had swallowed a stinky fish on the way here," she turned to the blonde beast (beauty, of course). "I guess that you are "covenning" for the first time and this is probably not the kind of fun you expected?" she asked, teasing her comrades. "The Coven of Three: Maiden, Mother and Crone. That's the sacred three."

"Hah!" Niamh exclaimed, when Towhee batted the frog into the air, only to be caught a moment later by Wraen. -"You're out"- Niamh laughed, sending her gaze to Towhee, even though Niamh had no concept of baseball or what it meant when a hit was caught before it could hit the ground. She hauled in a breath and began looking around to try and find another frog to see if they could pull off the same trick again before she was addressed. 

Wraen's humour caught her a bit off guard, and the proud blonde stuck out her tongue playfully at the comment about her facial expression. She wanted to rebuke Wraen for even thinking that she could ever look so sour when she was asked about the experience as a whole. "Which one of us is the crone?" She asked with a grin, but the question was rhetorical. "Honestly- I thought there'd be more like...Chanting and sacrifices," She said, looking down as a little bubble in the water signalled that a frog lay below the surface. She swiftly plunged her muzzle into the water, grabbing not only the frog but a few long pieces of marsh grass as well- but didn't seem to mind ingesting all of it in one ugly gulp. "But I'm pretty okay with this...It's nice to get out."

I wanna keep this going forever but I really need to pare down my thread load a bit. I really hope we can all thread again someday.

When Wraen casually caught the frog, just as easy as you please, and Niamh called her out, Towhee let out a loud bark of laughter, which soon turned into quite a fit. She was still in paroxysms when Wraen set "Prince Charming" free and, in fact, missed much of what she said. She only caught the last little bit: "The Coven of Three: Maiden, Mother and Crone. That's the sacred three."

She idly wiped a tear from the corner of her eye as Niamh asked the very question on her mind. -"Nobody here is a friggin' maiden,"- she observed with another bubble of laughter. She had to swipe at her face again. In that brief moment where her foreleg blocked her vision, Niamh somehow procured a frog on a string, which sent Towhee falling to the ground, now rolling with laughter.

It would be a while before she stopped. And it certainly wasn't the last laugh of the evening; far from it. Like Niamh said, it was good to get out and spend some time with her two good friends. Afterward, she would insist they do this more often. And though Wraen would come to leave them in the near future, breaking up their little coven and making that impossible, Towhee would never, ever forget this special night.