Great Bear Wilderness don't want anybody else but you

Set at Bramblepoint.

Pantaleimon was scared to leave Redhawk Caldera again, but as gamekeeper felt that it was his duty to at least have an overview of the lands surrounding Redhawk Caldera and the prey they offered. Besides, so long as he didn't eat anything weird, it should be okay, right? He was feeling better at least, the last remnants of poison driven from his body. In a physical fight, Pantaleimon was generally alright; not so much the fighting part, but mostly the avoiding part. He was large and broad, and those who did not know about his softness and lack of experience in a fight were easily fooled into believing he was a dangerous beast, in Pan's experience.

It was a gray day when Pantaleimon set out towards bramblepoint. Rain pattered down on the foliage above as Pan trotted through the forest. He padded along a narrow path surrounded by brambles on both sides and large trees that covered Pan's head from the rain up above. Pan sniffed around, trying to find out what sort of prey animals, if any, inhabited the area. His mind wasn't all there -- it was still sleeping by Peregrine's side back at the rendezvous site at Redhawk Caldera -- but he knew that now that he felt better, he should make himself useful for Redhawk Caldera again.

Perhaps it was bad, but Fox legitimately forgot that Pan was a part of Peregrine's life more often than not. Whenever she saw the guy—girl, whatever—it would usually take her a while to remember that Perry and Pan had a thing going. Pan continued to be one of the top wolves among their ranks, especially now that Sebastian had departed.

She had not been specifically seeking Pan out when she'd departed from Redhawk Caldera today, but when Fox had come across his scent, she couldn't help but follow it to track him down. His bright white coat was easy to see, even on a grey day like this, and Fox picked up her pace until she had gained on him enough to be within shouting distance.

"Pan, wait up!" she called out.

Pantaleimon tested the air when he suddenly heard a shout. He looked over his shoulder and for a second he thought that Wildfire was coming his way, only to realise that it was in fact Fox. They didn't interact overly much, and there was always something uncomfortable between them, for Pantaleimon. She reminded him of his past, being the strong female Alpha she was, and reminded him of everything that he was obviously not.

"Oh, uh, hey!" Pantaleimon said, forcing a smile onto his face. "Out exploring..?" Pan sounded uncertain, not sure if Fox did much exploring. Most Redhawk wolves were homebodies, as was Pantaleimon himself. Maybe she was just guarding the lands that surrounded the Caldera, checking out prey like he, or maybe she was enjoying her freedom before she was filled up with puppies again.

If there was uneasiness between them, Fox failed to recognize it. Perhaps she shielded herself from it unconsciously, or perhaps it had simply never been there for her at all. Or maybe she was just downright oblivious to the struggles of her pack-mates. Even the closest ones, such as Pantaleimon. Not that she would consider them particularly close. But he was emotionally (if not physically) involved with her mate, which made them closer than some of her other pack-mates.

"Something like that," she replied, pausing to catch her breath. "How’ve you been?" Truth be told, Fox hadn't been particularly good at keeping up with the going-ons of Redhawk Caldera lately. But she wanted to turn that around, get back into the ol' groove. She had a feeling that if she lost touch, she couldn't really be a leader. And that was something she had clung to for validation and support.

'Something like that' wasn't exactly an answer to his question, though Pan didn't press it further. It brought him little answers. She asked how he'd been, and Pan offered neutrally, "Oh, y'know, pretty good." Pan looked about bramblepoint for a moment, as if admiring nature, although he mostly was searching for words while giving Fox a moment to catch her breath.

"So, uh, working on plans for the pups?" he asked with a soft smile, the thought of puppies bringing positive feelings and thoughts to Pantaleimon. He wasn't sure about the logistics of it all yet and where he fit in, but that was okay. Pups around the pack at all were a good thing.

She didn't exactly believe that he was "good," but Fox wasn't the type to call him out on it. Instead, she let it rest. She wouldn't pry or ask more questions. Maybe she would have if it had been somebody other than Pan. Conversation with him (her?) had never been particularly smooth, but Fox felt like she had to make an effort considering Pan's relationship with Peregrine.

"Plans?" she asked, not quite sure what Pan was trying to get at. "All three of ‘em are old enough to start doing their own thing, I guess." Wildfire was the most outgoing and driven of the three, though Nightjar certainly had his shining moments. He was definitely the most physical of the group. Raven was quiet, but she did her part as well.

i like the mega awkward and miscommunication all over the place that Fox and Pan bring, lol.

Pantaleimon frowned when Fox asked about the 'plans', looking surprised, but soon realised that she thought he was talking about the previous batch of pups. "Oh!" Pantaleimon brought out and he grinned awkwardly. "I mean, uhm... Because they're almost all grown up, I thought you guys might, you know, have more..?" The sentence was finished with a questioning lilt, as if getting too much time to think that caught up on Pantaleimon and made him realise that maybe the topic was too personal and he was encroaching on Fox' mental personal bubble.

Fox shifted, and she did not have to wait long for Pan to explain what he was talking about. That made a lot more sense, and Fox chuckled slightly when she realized the breakdown in communication. "We’ll definitely be having more," she replied, a wistful smile pulling on her mouth. "There probably won’t be much in the way of plans. Our first litter has been nothing short of awesome, so we’ll likely do the same kinds of things. I plan on reusing the same den we used last year." The location was perfect, it wasn't too crowded, and there hadn't been anything wrong with it.

It was hard to believe how old and grown-up her pups had gotten in such a short amount of time, but Fox had expected that on some level. Time whirred by them in an instant, especially lately. Something about the change in weather always made her feel like time was moving even more quickly than usual. "I’d love for you to help out with them again this year. You did a great job with the first round of Firebirds."

Pantaleimon smiled when Fox mentioned there would be more pups. He was looking forward to meeting the next batch of pups, though it also raised some questions for Pan, like where he would fit in in the picture.

Fox asked if he could help, waving away some of those worries, and Pan smiled appreciatively. "I'd love to help again," he said, and he wondered about the future pups already. The firebirds were a lot like children to Pan, almost as if they were his own, and he wondered if it'd feel the same with this next batch of them. "Did you think of any names yet, or is it too early yet?" Pan didn't know if Fox and Perry had made up the previous pups' names on the spot (though their names suggested so, which made Pan feel a little silly for his question) and if they intended the same for the next batch of pups.

This time around, Fox planned to take more time for herself in the beginning. The first few weeks with the Firebirds had been utter hell for her in a lot of ways, and she didn't wish to repeat that. The loss of her smallest had been hard on everybody involved, and the last thing she wanted was another life-ending mistake like that. The mere thought of the sandy boy brought that sickening feeling right back into her heart.

"Too early," Fox replied with a half-hearted smile, "Where I’m from, we don’t name the kids until they’ve made it through one turn of the moon." The deceased sandy child was one of the main reasons for that. Her birth culture assumed that at least some of the children would die in their first weeks, and it was easier when they weren't named. Not easy, but definitely easier.

The rain had started to let up, and Fox looked upward to see the sky beginning to lighten. "Say, you want to find something a little more cheery to explore?" she asked. Surely there were dozens of happier places than this dreadful soggy wet place.

"Oh," Pan said, feeling a little dumb, and he grinned sheepishly at Fox. Then she suggested exploring somewhere else. While Pan hadn't disliked Bramblepoint much, he nodded in agreement. "Sure, I'd love to." Pantaleimon waited for Fox, allowing her to lead the way to wherever next they would go.

sorry for short. seems like a good place to fade? :)