Sun Mote Copse he chortled in his joy

I don't know the outcome of this thread yet but I wanted to go ahead and get this started!

Sun Mote Copse wasn't far, as the crow flies, and in theory it should've been a pretty straightforward trek up and over the mountain pass. It turned out to be quite an arduous climb, forcing her to detour further north and aim for the switchback between Alpine Lake and Ghost Lion Crag. Before she reached it, she slipped on some loose scree and went down hard, her left foreleg taking the brunt of impact and twisting beneath her weight. It twinged when she resumed all fours, though not too badly, so she decided to proceed.

By the time she swam the lake's runoff and spied the copse's northern corner in the distance, it officially hurt. Sugar limped the rest of the way before slumping onto her haunches right before she would've breached the Firebirds' borders. She panted from the exertion of the journey as well as the throbbing ache in her twisted ankle. She took some moments to simply catch her breath and rest her leg before finally howling for @Eljay.

She had only meant to come catch up with her older brother, since she'd promised him she would keep in touch. But now Sugar needed something else from Eljay: his help.

Title from "Jabberwocky" by Lewis Carroll.

*Cameo*

Bronco stiffened, one paw dangling in the air when he heard Sugar Glider's voice. He was patrolling, though from the sound of it, he was likely a good forty five minutes away at least, and he noted- with the acrid string of regret and jealousy- that she wasn't calling for him. She was calling for Eljay. He huffed and stomped his foot- silently grimacing and springing back as he realized he'd just stomped on a thorn. This was just adding injury to insult. 

Bristling slightly, he hunched his shoulders, turned his ears back, and headed in the opposite direction with a moody swagger.

Eljay was a little late on the uptake. He was lazing around in the sun when the howl sounded and didn't realise that it was for him until he awoke. At first, as he smacked his lips and woke up slowly, Eljay thought to himself that maybe he had dreamt about Sugar visiting and that it wasn't real. But then as he contemplated while waking up, he thought that maybe she had called — and on the off chance that she had, he didn't want to leave her hanging and he decided to make his way to the borders. Y'know, just in case.

It was a little surprising that Sugar was actually waiting at the borders. Ears perked forward and Eljay smiled when she came into view. Hey Sugar, he said softly and his tail wagged lightly as he nuzzled her cheek upon reaching her, glad that she had actually come to visit, and glad to see that she was healthy despite her travels.

By the time her elder brother appeared, the aching had subsided significantly and Sugar had almost thought better of mentioning it to him. She really could use some tips on how to treat it, though what if it just worried him unnecessarily? She knew he didn't like her traveling on her own already, there was no reason to feed his anxiety. She sighed, deciding she wouldn't bring it up right away but sort of read the room first.

She smiled and returned his nuzzle, nipping gently at his poky whiskers. "It's good to see you, Eljay," she said genuinely, drawing back to look into his eyes. "How're things here? How're you?"

It was good to see Sugar again, he had to admit, as it staved his anxiety that she might get hurt out there at least for just a moment. He smiled when she said that it was good to see him, though when she asked how he was, he looked away, not really sure what to say. He supposed that every day was a little better than the one before, but some days were just really tough and he was crying all the time and forgot to take care of himself. It wasn't that he didn't want to, but if he didn't have Weejay to remind him to drink and eat honestly Eljay might forget it more than he would remember to.

It's... he trailed off, not really sure what to say. He shook his head, then said, Not much news, here. How are your travels? Did you do a lot of healing? Since she was travelling to be a medic to whoever needed it, after all.

He avoided answering her question, something Sugar noted but didn't pursue for the moment. He reported no news otherwise, then inquired about her recent goings-on. She took a seat, minding her sore ankle, and thought back on all that had transpired since their last rendezvous.

"Well, I still haven't caught up with Penn and Fen," she reported, "but I've definitely had some adventures of my own. I stumbled across a she-wolf having a difficult birth and was able to render aid. I stayed with her and her pups a while and eventually escorted her home to her pack. There were two, I called them Elwood and Finley," Sugar shared in a soft voice. "After that, I checked in with a friend of mine, Opalia, at Moonspear who's also looking for someone. We haven't found her yet either."

Here she paused, wondering if she'd missed anything she should tell him. Well, she supposed there was the obvious: "I almost joined Moonspear on a whim. But the leaders were too busy to come to the borders. In hindsight, I'm glad it worked out that way. I don't know what I was thinking. Opalia's nice but I barely know her or anything about the pack. I think I was just feeling lonely that day," Sugar admitted with a sheepish look down at her white toes.

Eljay was grateful that Sugar didn't push the subject. He would rather talk about something else -- and Sugar's caretaker endeavours were the perfect subject. She mentioned that she hadn't caught up with Penn and Fen but that she had some adventures on the way. Eljay's eyes widened when she mentioned stumbling upon a wolf giving birth -- what were the odds of that?! and why hadn't she been with her pack at the time? -- but he was glad that she had had Sugar to take care of her, at least. Wow, he said under his breath as Sugar wrapped up that story, amazed and relieved and very proud of his baby sister all at once. That's crazy - I'm so proud of you, Sugar. You're becoming quite the caretaker. Eljay's eyes shone with a reflection of his pride.

Then came the next story of someone from a pack called Moonspear, Opalia. It seemed that everyone was looking for someone these days; Elfie still hadn't been found either. We haven't found Elfie yet, either. To be honest, Eljay wasn't sure they ever would. But if he stopped mentioning it when travelling relatives visited, well, that meant that he had to admit to himself that Elfie was probably dead or lost forever. And Eljay wasn't quite ready to admit that just yet.

Sugar mentioned almost joining Moonspear. Eljay was pretty sure the pack was fairly nearby as he had heard others speak of it before, and he was a bit sad that Sugar hadn't joined it; that would've kept her closer by. In the end he said: That makes sense - the feeling lonely. It's quite something to travel alone for so much, even if you help others on the way. So where are your travelling medic powers needed next? Are you going to keep looking for Penn and Fen?

It wasn't often that Sugar heard her older brother speak with any sort of enthusiasm, even understated, so his praise meant quite a lot to her. She smiled at him, her own eyes shining like pools of wet ink. "Thanks, Eljay, that means a lot coming from you," she replied.

He mentioned Elfie and her breath caught in her throat. She had never gotten along with him, yet of course she couldn't help but say, "I'll keep an eye and an ear out while I'm traveling." It was the least she could do, especially since she was already searching for Fennec, Penn and Praimfaya. "Aye, and Opalia's friend, Praimfaya too," she tacked on in response to his subsequent question.

Sugar pondered where she might be headed, since Eljay wanted to know and the idea of someone who cared about her knowing her basic itinerary was strangely comforting. "I think I might head to the coast next. Eventually I'd like to follow up with Raleska and her pups. That's Elwood's and Finley's mom," she explained. "At some point, I also need to go back to Triquetra, which is where I lived last winter. That's Bat's and Tegan's pack." She didn't explicitly state why—she needed to tell them about their parents' deaths—because neither one of them wanted to think about that right now, she was certain.

She should also head back to Moonspear to clarify her intentions, once she figured them out for herself, but that wasn't really worth mentioning. But after another brief, contemplative pause, she did say, "And I'll want to swing by here and Frosthawks fairly regularly to visit with family. I can't say I get along with Crow particularly well but I adore spending time with Avery. And I'd really like to pick Raven's brain, at long last."

Sugar gave her head a little shake. She never usually talked so much, though she supposed it was because she rarely had the chance. Offering her brother a sheepish smile, she wondered, "What's Weejay up to these days?"

Eljay nodded as she mentioned Praimfaya. That was quite a lot of wolves she was looking out for, but Eljay supposed that there was no one better than a caretaker to look out for other wolves like that, anyway.

To the coast... Eljay had only been there once, though his stay there was extended by the fact he'd lived in Drageda for some time. It all seemed a lifetime ago now. He had never enjoyed the coast himself, he preferred the mainland. The Copse was just perfect for him.

And Triquetra... Bat and Tegan's pack. Is Triqu-- uh, Bat and Tegan's pack far? He stumbled over the pack's name, finding it hard to pronounce and deciding to go to 'Bat and Tegan's pack' instead.

At the news that she would want to visit here and the Frosthawks regularly, Eljay's tail swung. Though still worrying that she was travelling so much alone and fearing that she might get lost or worse, he was happy that at least he'd get to see her every once in a while. I'm glad to hear you'll visit, he said with a soft smile. Please say hi to Raven and the rest out there. Is... Does Owen live there, too? If he does and if you see him, please say hi. He smiled as he thought fondly of Owen -- in some way, the first wolf to ever feel like a son to him -- and hoped that he was doing well. Oh, how he missed all those wolves in his life. He longed to see them again some day.

About Weejay - She has a garden with all sorts of flowers and herbs, and she's been learning a lot about nature. He smiled fondly as he spoke of his daughter; she was his ray of sunshine and what was keeping him going despite all the hardships they'd had.

Would you like to fade this for us?

He asked about Triquetra and Sugar shook her head. "I don't know if you're familiar with the flat lands," she said, unaware of their proximity to the historic Redhawk Caldera, "but it's just south of there, not far from Serpent Lake. It would only take a few days to get there from here." She wondered if he would ever be interested in going for a visit, though she did not suggest it. She knew he was a homebody.

Next, he asked some specifics about the Frosthawks, including a couple requests. Sugar smiled at him, her sore ankle entirely forgotten as she told him everything he could possibly want to know about their extended family living just outside the Teekon Wilds. And then, of course, happily discussing Weejay and the rest of the gang here in the copse. There was much she needed to do, yet Sugar was happy to linger there as long as Eljay would have her, just chatting away with her older brother.

yes, thanks for the thread! <3

Ah, I see. I'm glad it's not very far, said Eljay as he thought to himself whether he could visit. However, the idea was soon shot down because he knew he wouldn't be able to find his way there; let alone find his way back to the Copse afterwards.

They talked for another while -- about things and wolves in the Frosthawks and about things and wolves in the Firebirds -- and Eljay showed Sugar Weejay's garden before eventually Sugar had to be on her way again. Eljay knew he'd miss her, but he also knew that he couldn't keep her locked down here if going other places was where she preferred to be; so he reluctantly let her go, hoping that they'd cross paths again some day soon.