Broken Antler Fen adventure time

Reyes was practically a stranger to Sphyra at this point. Sapsucker was the one who had been dramatic about finding him several times, but Sphyra had stayed home, figuring that he would come home sooner or later. But he didn't. She'd sort of forgotten about his existence, honestly, until @Ruenna mentioned visiting Brecheliant for a visit to one of their leaders, and that was when Sphyra decided that she would come to see him. She didn't tell Ruenna that she was going to visit her father; she said that she would help protect Ruenna if she needed it.

Once they reached Brecheliant and Ruenna went about her own business with Brecheliant's leaders, Sphyrapicus lingered at the borders. She didn't call for @Reyes herself, but she sniffed out the borders. All of the new scents were exciting to Sphyra, and her tail wagged at the smell of adventure. She already forgot that she was here to visit her father; if she saw someone else new, that'd be just as exciting!

for Reyes if you have time <3

One of the downsides of the whole part-time-parent situation for Reyes, aside from feeling like an outsider to his own family, was the lack of communication. He knew they had organized a system for visits to Brecheliant - at least that the kids wouldn't show up unannounced and unaccompanied (except that one time with Caracal), but he had no idea when those moments were to happen. It wasn't too hard to listen for a howl and be present for an arrival, but it was inconvenient. Reyes was the kind of guy that liked to stay busy and his skills were focused around the defense of his home or the upkeep of the food chain; hunting had fallen by the wayside of his priorities as a result, as he had to be more mindful of the borders and more present, rather than off chasing the herds. It was a change he wasn't so keen on.

As a result he had become a homebody. Always making the extra effort to patrol, always mindful of the scents around the fen, or the sounds, and monitoring the location of the adults; it was a little bit stalker-y and not something Reyes wanted to be doing, but he was on-edge, unsure of when the first official visit would transpire. There was always the chance Towhee would find out about Caracal's impromptu visit and revoke all of his parental rights or something - maybe arrive with a party of her most devoted ass-kissers to tear him a new hole. Anyway, Reyes was a little manic as he worked.

When a call did come, it wasn't the sound of Ruenna's voice or any other adult that he knew; it wasn't even the youthful sound of Caracal. It called for him directly though, and came from the side of the fen closest to the caldera. Reyes dropped what he was doing (surprise, a patrol) and moved on an intercept course with whoever had called. When he spotted the ruddy red-black shape of one of the twins, he called out with a bark.

Tierr-- Sphyra? He wasn't sure which one this was; upon calling for them, their names became a jumble. It was so odd coming face-to-face with one of his children (especially looking so much like himself or his mother, the way they did); he almost felt like he was looking in to the past.

Uh, welcome to Brecheliant! Its good to see you.

It had been such a long time since Sphyra had seen her father. She was so lost in her tracking of the new scents, too, that she didn't instantly realise that he was there. When she heard his voice stumble over the two names (a telltale sign that he hadn't been there for them growing up, since she and Tierra were so different) she looked up. Not until she laid eyes on him did Sphyrapicus realise that it was her father headed her way, and she realised with a start that she was here to visit him, of course.

Father, she said in his direction, suppressing the urge to indignantly say 'I'm not Sapsucker!' (that would be such a Sapsucker thing to do, after all). She couldn't hide a mildly nervous quiver to her voice. It'd been so long, after all. She didn't really remember much about him. But looking at him made it clear enough that he was her father. He welcomed her to Brecheliant and Sphyra nodded and said, Thank you, father. She was clearly a bit out of her depth, and filled her nervousness with a mas of formality because she had no idea how she was supposed to act; and this was the only way that she could try to not let it show too much. How is your health? she asked, still not really grasping why Reyes had left in the first place, and holding on to what her mother had said back when, a vague memory that had planted itself in her head: He was unwell at the time.