Sun Mote Copse Stamp on the ground.

Despite everything—her promises to Meerkat, her responsibility to Bushtit—Towhee wished she could attend the great hunt. She felt guilty, particularly because she found herself fantasizing about using the gathering as a segue back into her nomadic lifestyle. She hadn’t realized just how much she’d missed it until now. She pined for it.

The morning had given them glimpses of blue sky, though now the clouds moved in and cast everything in a gray pall. Towhee sat just outside The Taigh, staring speculatively at her son as he played in the dirt. He was about a month old now, well on his way to weaning and certainly capable of accompanying her on short forays away from the den. He was still clumsy—he tripped as if on cue—with short legs, though. More than that, he was lazy.

-“Hey,”- she said suddenly, lifting onto all fours. -“Hey, you, with the face! What do you think about going for a ride in…”- Towhee stepped into the den, fetched a particularly soft, worn skin and plopped it at her son’s feet. -“This? Here, stand here. No, here. Yeah, just like that. Stay still.”-

With Bushtit positioned in the center of the skin, Towhee did her best to bundle him. She managed to wrap the fur quite securely, though when she went to lift it, her neck felt like it might snap. She let go, letting the entire thing unfold at their feet. She should not have been surprised, as he’d recently become too heavy to carry around by the scruff.

-“Well, fuck. Never mind. It would’ve been cool to Babybjörn you to the feast. I’m sure @Kukutux would’ve loved to see you,”- Towhee mused, sighing. -“We can’t just leave, anyway. I told your older sister I’d look after this place. But how cool would it be, to go traveling together, Titty McGee?”-

It didn’t take an expert to read the, “COOOOOL!” from the baby’s lips.

-“For now, we can travel to the borders. Mama needs to relieve Jr,”- she said, motioning for Bushtit to come along.

She didn’t intend to take such a wee one on patrol with her. Towhee kept an eye on the sky, using Ghost’s tiny silhouette to lead her to @Towhee Jr’s position. Bushtit adored his sister, going with her without fuss when she headed back toward The Taigh. That left the senior Towhee on her own to pick up the border patrol.

Her son still missing, Viskani had let herself wander to the border of another in her search. Nose tilted she searched for the familiar scent of Chae.

Her heart hurt for the boy - she wanted nothing more than for him to return to her. She was unsure of how far behind he had been left, or if the scent of his older brother had been lost. Now she could only hope that if she did not find him, he would find her.

By now she was growing desperate, willing to seek the help of other's. It was necessary, she felt. If someone else had seen her son that would tell her that he was alive, at the very least.

She looked to her left (south), then to her right (north), pondering which way to head first. Before Towhee arrived at a decision, she spotted movement about a hundred yards outside the borders, due west. She squinted at the figure of a she-wolf, broad of shoulder but otherwise slim. The colors in her pelt made Towhee think of strata.

The stranger approached the borders directly. Towhee pulled up her own shoulders, head erect and tail slowly rising over her back. Her orange eyes followed the woman’s every movement as she came closer. Her expression looked a little strained.

Can I help you? Towhee questioned once the other wolf was within earshot.

A voice called out, and she looked to the source. Another woman, older than her yet certainly not weak. She felt a sense of relief.

"I hope I haven't intruded." She called out in return. Manners first, of course. "I'm searching for my son - he did not return with his brother as planned."

She hoped that the other may feel some sympathy for her situation - enough to stop and listen to her at least.

She couldn't ask for much more than that.

Towhee made no reply about intrusions, trusting that the border markings and her stature were answer enough. Besides, the she-wolf said something far more interesting in the very next breath.

I haven’t seen anyone, she said. How long has he been missing? Where did you last see him? How old is he and what does he look like?

That was quite a few questions to fire off at once, though somehow Towhee didn’t think the strange would mind. She only asked so she could be of some help, though even without a description or a time frame, she knew full well there hadn’t been any strangers lurking about the copse.

I’m Towhee, by the way, and this is Sun Mote Copse.

She gave a nod. Viskani was known to be permanently cloaked in a calm demeanor, but with the response of the stranger, Towhee, she was able to open herself - revealing nothing more than a worried mother.

This was not the mountain - she had nobody she had to appear strong for.

"I am Viskani, myself and my family are settling in the mountains." She returned the introduction, head lowering. "My son is barely a year old - Chae is his name."

"He's gray all over, white underneath."

She felt a lot less concerned when the woman, Viskani, mentioned her son was a yearling. Was it possible he’d simply dispersed? Young wolves sometimes wanted to explore the world a bit. Towhee knew that painful fact of life quite well.

How long has he been missing? Where did you last see him? she repeated patiently. And I have to ask, considering his age: is it possible he just dispersed? What was your last conversation with him like?

She considered the woman's words momentarily, but shook her head. "Our yearlings do not leave. I last saw him in the summer when I chose him to follow me here. Our pack was overcrowded, so my mother chose me to establish a new branch of it."

"He was excited to go. Myself and my son Chesley went ahead, Chae and my eldest following." The brief mention of her eldest held some annoyance. Letting out a breath, she continued. "Chaudry showed up without him, saying he was not far behind but he had grown impatient. It's been a few weeks and I'm worried he's lost."

Better loss than dead. Viskani was afraid she would go mad with grief if the boy did not return to her.

Towhee arched a brow at Viskani’s insistence that yearlings simply didn’t leave. That was a very naive take, not that she would voice her opinion. She would stick to the facts for this exchange.

New names entered the pool, their similarities nearly confusing the Redhawk matriarch. Chae is the missing one, she reminded herself. Dick move, she thought when Viskani explained that Chae’s older brother had left him behind out of impatience. Towhee detected agreement on the woman’s face.

So your older kid left Chae to find his way all by himself? she clarified, giving her head a little shake. That’s not okay, although there’s no reason to believe Chae couldn’t take care of himself if he’s a year old. Hopefully he just got lost, like you said, maybe even ran into some friendly faces who took him in. Unfortunately, that isn’t here though.

And she wasn’t in any position to join a search or really make any effort, much as she wished she could help. All Towhee could do was keep an eye out, then send word if she happened to cross paths with Viskani’s waylaid son.

Where exactly are you settling? Just in case I see or hear anything, I’ll know where to direct any news.

The other expressed similar opinions, and she was glad for it. "Trust me, I wanted to rip an ear off when he told me." Shaking her head, she let out a breath. More of a huff, really.

"I hope you're right. I'd rather that he isn't on his own above all else." In her eyes Chae was still too weak and much to unskilled to survive on his own. He was still her baby.

"We've settled in a vale in the mountains, calling ourselves Montagne de Ciguë. If you do catch wind of my boy I would be grateful for it if the news was sent that way."

The name of her pack must’ve been in some foreign language, because Towhee didn’t catch it. She supposed it didn’t matter much. Viskani said the word “vale,” which made the Redhawk’s head rear back. She asked for specifics, including directions, and realized it was definitely that vale.

She made a mental note to mention this to @Reyson and @Meadow just for gossip’s sake, and to @Towhee Jr just because she knew the yearling liked keeping tabs on local packs. This one was pretty far away, though, which meant Viskani had come quite the distance in her search.

And that reminded her of something else, which Towhee mentioned now, There’s a big hunt happening just on the other side of these mountains, hosted by the Moon villages. I think they’re camping out in Firefly Glen. You should make a point to pass by there on your way home. Even if Chae’s not there, you can spread the word to dozens of wolves at once.

Her ears perked at the suggestion. Yes, that would be perfect for more than just searching for Chae. "Yes, yes I'll keep that in mind. Thank you." 

Turning tail to leave she looked back to offer a smile. "It was a pleasure to meet you Towhee, thank you again."

And then she was off, back the way she came. She would see if she could find this hunt on her way back. If there was time she would return to the vale to see if anyone wished to come along.