Sunbeam Lair talking out loud

neon's travels have been decent thus far, making what she thinks are friends along the way. though, she had left behind the grove and the other places she's meandered through in order to reach her current location. the sunbeam lair, teeming with life in both plant and animal terms. neon had bounded after a few small rodents that scattered when they heard her lofty steps entering the lair. though, she wasn't starving quite yet and decided that she could wait to eat.

instead, the woman was sunbathing. her stark white fur was pressed against the cold stone floor, absorbing the sunlight greedily as it poured through one of the collapsed holes of the cave. neon had a firm belief that getting enough positive sunlight was important to her health and wellbeing, as it reminded her of being swallowed up in a warm hug by her mother. it brought the young woman peace whenever she did it and thus it became part of her morning ritual.

as one could imagine, seasonal depression was very much so real to the noble. and with winter drawing in soon once fall is over, neon will be left without her sunlight. she intends to store it away the best she can and greedily snatch up the rays when the day allows for it. soft snores could be heard from her coal black lips.

This time when Fennec left she went north, somehow finding her way up and into the neighboring mountains. It wasn't a smart move but when it came to exploration, she didn't have much of a choice. She was fresh out of babysitters and traveling companions. She missed Fig.

The last time she'd gone to the Bramblepoint, she'd found the feathers and decided this time would be the last time. She'd left them where they were - it was too obvious, and taking them felt too much like forgiving. She couldn't.

She was fine on her own. Fennec moved slowly, testing the way forward before placing her weight on each step, but she hadn't walked off any ledges yet. She weaved her way along a surprisingly well-suited path instead, one probably used by a number of creatures over the years.

The snores were what turned her attention. Fennec froze, then turned her head, trying to determine what the noise was and where it was coming from. She was tensed, but there wouldn't be any running for her here. She didn't sense danger to it but the unfamiliar settings had her on edge. It was an increasingly familiar sensation.

lighter footsteps approaching cause a flicker of the ear and a loud yawn from the noble, leaning up from her nap to look around with a lifted head. she tries to figure out where the noise came from. bright pink eyes fall upon milky whites of the other, covered in a sandy pelt and a cautious nature.

now, neon is not one to make assumptions about others, but she had a feeling those eyes didn't see very well. however, she would be sure to keep this comment to herself. instead, a rumbling chuff leaves her lips and invites the other to come forward.

"it seems someone has found my new favorite place to sleep" her voice, a little raspy from the nap but certainly spoken with a soft and inviting tone. "come here often?" she asks lightly with a smile curling itself on the edges of her lips.

They were a wolf, or at least something close enough not to matter.  She could tell as she came closer from scent as well as the way they moved when they rose.  She relaxed a bit, but not completely, as she listened and caught their congenial tone.

Daily.  Sometimes twice, but only on special occasions.  She answered with a dead-pan.  If it was actually her favorite place she'd catch the joking lie, otherwise it was up to her if she took it seriously.

Stunning views, rock hard seating, and the opportunity for certain death if you take the wrong step.  What's not to love?  She was here for distraction.  Might as well fuck with a stranger instead of being a depressed waste of time.  You seem to get it.

her tone catches the noble off guard, and the girl offers a small giggle. thankfully, she was able to understand sarcasm (to a much higher degree than H2O) and proceeded to rest back once more. whoever this milky-eyed lady was, she might find it difficult to get a rise out of neon.

"a hard rock can be good for the back," she returns, "but i like softer beds, preferably not where i risk rolling off the side of a mountain." she stretches her limbs out while on the floor, splaying out each paw and flexing each little toe she has. it felt good to release the built-up tension from her unsuspecting joints.

"you sound like a whole party in 1, do i get to know your name today?" neon's tone is as generous as it could be, mostly because she never really lied to others. it was fun to see others who were cut from a different cloth. "or do we have to become besties first?"

Idk that it fits her personality XD but every time I see her I get this stuck in my head - https://youtu.be/PhCJa2Vf6mo

I love it!

A whole party in one. Fennec's smile grew a bit despite herself. Fennec. She didn't bother giving her last name. It didn't mean the same things here that it had when they'd run the Caldera.

I was going to see if you were looking for a pack to join, but if you like beds, you wouldn't like mine. Fennec breathed out a small laugh. Just from her voice it was hard to imagine this woman was a soldier type. Sometimes that could be deceiving but Fennec was pretty confident in her ability to pick out a tone. Probably a little hard, being 'besties' with someone when there's literal mountains dividing it. Red flag, right out the gate.

Outside of not soldier, Fennec had a hard time putting a pin on this girl. She sounded genuine, but that wasn't something she was at all used to.

recruitment was something that neon often did not think about, though with the slow march towards winter, the girl would eventually have to look for a place to call home. although neon often struggled to contort herself to serve those from a higher place of power, if it meant getting through life with as little trouble as possible, then she would make do.

however, she wondered if the rest of the wolves are a bit dry like this fennec is. thankfully, neon is pretty transient with others and can simply slip by with a nod of the head and a small smile. so she might just have to do a little more prodding first. "neon, it's nice to meet you, fennec."

"a pack sounds nice, but it's only as nice as its group. what would you say home is like?" an invitation to either gossip or remain professional, either decision would be gladly heard by the noble. "it's hard trying to find a place when you're not too talented in many things." 

the practice of course made perfect, though neon was always doubtful in herself. she could hunt and fish like any other functioning wolf, though fighting and tracking and other important life talents always remained out of reach for her. maybe listening was her talent or something along the lines of just trying to make friends with the world...

Fennec was at least aware that most of her issues with Mereo stemmed from her own refusal to engage with the pack. She was having a harder time than she had thought and couldn't begin to put the words to why - so she settled for giving Neon the part of the truth she could best talk about.

It's alright. My family is there, and my son loves the place. She didn't try to hide her pride, saying that. But it's more of an army than a pack. They train constantly, and anyone who isn't a soldier ends up feeling a bit like baggage. Or perhaps it was just her who felt that way.

If you like canyons, want to learn how to fight, or don't care about rank, then maybe you'd like it. Otherwise I'd probably look somewhere else. See, mom? This is why no pack I started would ever get anywhere. Lying to strangers is only fun when they aren't around long enough to catch you out. Fortunately Fennec mostly fit in that third category - but it was the mostly that left a somewhat rudderless sensation within her. She had her gardens, but little more than that to look forward to.

hearing the mention of a son makes neon curious. However, she decides not to interrupt by asking about him. and as the noble hear more explanations, it doesn't really sound like fennec is blossoming in this group of wolves who are on some unknown conquest that requires constant training. neon offers her an unseen smile.

"your son must have a lot of drive, then. that's always a good thing to be born with, rather than having to learn that later in life." neon can be hopeful that she would provide some sort of talent, soldiers need healing and therapy, too, right? though, she wouldn't probably survive a day of training without coming off as some sort of body fraud. despite her larger size, the girl has little knowledge of how to use it as an advantage except for maybe moving big things out of her way, or reaching things too high for others.

"your offer is tempting, but I don't have much to offer that is useful. the whole 'fulfilling a prophecy of being really good at things' often skips me over. a lot." a short laugh from her with a shake of the head. "I think a fighting group would find me more useful as a punching bag than a recruit." 

That's probably true. And it wasn't exactly an offer, more like a heads up. I don't think invites are a thing I can give. Not that she really minded. Recruiting had always been her least favorite part of leadership.

I think, if it weren't for Killdeer, I'd already be gone. He doesn't seem to mind the rules but I've never been one for them. Something he might have gotten from Bronco, there. Mereo wasn't too far removed from Firefly Glen in the way its leadership spoke - Germanicus was just older and therefore infinitely less fun to fuck with.

Or maybe she just hadn't been in the mood thus far to try it.

now, neon was not always the brightest when it came to picking up on social cues. but from the words that she can hear, it doesn't sound like fennec was really all that happy at this place. and this is something that the noble feels bad for. she knows what it means to feel a little... out of place at times, especially with those that you're meant to be close with.

"you're a good mom to sacrifice your happiness for your son." she would tell her, in hopes of trying to provide any form of comfort to the woman. she was not sure how old the son was, perhaps old enough to be on his own. perhaps too young to be without his mother's guidance. either way, neon oped that whatever happens after this would only benefit the milky-eyed woman.

"I've never been that good in strict places either, there has to be at least a few of us to balance out the rule followers, right?"

If I was actually a good mom, I wouldn't have to. If she were better then she would be happy, regardless, just because the two of them were in the same place. Unfortunately she'd never got the hang of the whole mom thing. She'd raised a kick-ass kid, and she deserved a lot of credit for it, but that didn't mean she wasn't screwing up right now.

Luckily they let me do what I want. I told them what I could do, but I'm pretty sure they don't buy it. Why expect a blind wolf to do much? She snorted bitterly, then shrugged. That's why I wouldn't say it'll be the same for you. They might immediately make you do training, or whatever. Probably better off finding someplace with less of a complex. She really was the best at recruitment.

Then she huffed a laugh. Didn't mean to put a downer on your spot. I can leave you to it. She hadn't really had much of a purpose for coming out here anyway. There wouldn't be much to find in this rocky of a spot, and sightseeing? A little out of the question.