Overture Downs why because you dance like a wounded giraffe.

Liffey was by no means a guardian. She'd never truly done a border patrol in her entire life, and it was likely better that way considering she had no skill at all at defending herself. Even so, she found herself meandering along the invisible borderline between the Northern outskirts of the Hollow and Overture Downs. It was early in the morning, with dawn having barely broken over the horizon. Her eyes were skyward, as usual, and there was a faint chill in the air that warned her snow was coming.

The young naturalist paused to stare off into the distance at the fields that stretched ahead of her. There was a light breeze blowing, causing the grass to sway and dance in waves. It was somehow relaxing and peaceful. Liffey glanced behind her at the Hollow, her mind trailing back to Rannoch and attempting to fret over whether or not he would be okay without her for a longer while than usual today. But the meadow ahead was calling her, urging her to stop worrying. So, she smiled secretly to herself, turned, and cantered forward into the sweeping hills.

ooooooh hello thar

After meeting Terance and the younger kid, Gannet had decided to linger a bit. He wasn't sold on staying anywhere yet, not until he'd gone to check in with Hydra, but curiosity won out. Curiosity that was rewarded sooner than later.

He was on his way to the river when he spotted Liffey, and he immediately recognized her. Despite some of the hurt feelings that still lingered, even know, his stomach did a happy skip seeing her familiar face. Liffey! he called out, surprisingly loud for someone normally so soft spoken. She was on the move, and he jogged after, luckily managing the hills easily after so long on the road ranging with Whip.

Liffey honestly hadn't lended much thought to Gannet in a long time. She'd worried over him right after leaving Moonspear, of course, and for a while settled on Sunspire. But then she'd gotten pregnant, and her whole world had shifted. He only came and went in her mind after that, but always did she think on him with affection and hope that his life at Moonspear had turned out to be what he believed it would be. She'd never been able to come up with that much faith in the Ostregas. It was why she'd left, in the end.

The Frostfur had been wandering for only quarter of an hour before she heard her name. She stopped immediately and turned. Her heart recognized the voice instantly and heavy wave of nostalgia flooded her emotions, but it wasn't until her eyes fell upon him that she realized fully who it was.

Gannet.

Her jaw dropped in shock at the sight of him. When she'd left him, he'd been injured and essentially enslaved (at least, that's how she'd seen it). But here he was, so far from Moonspear and running. It was like seeing a ghost - one she was so very, very happy to see alive and well.

"Oh my gosh.. Gannet!" she cried as her shock dissipated into glee and she trotted forward to meet him and spill into him in a wolfish embrace, "Is it really you??"

He could tell she was definitely surprised, and happily, not disappointed to see him. A part of him had worried. Yeah, he responded cheerfully, embracing back and giving a big ol nuzzle. I saw Terance and now you! It was good they were still together, and he supposed Rannoch too likely, though he hadn't known the male much.

How are you? he asked, eager to hear some of what was going on with her. Gannet had never been much of a conversationalist before, and still wasn't the best at relaying facts of his own life. But he never got tired of listening to others talk about themselves, and he imagined Liffey had a lot to catch him up on. If she wanted of course, which... she might not. That'd be fine too.

Liffey smushed herself affectionately into her friend and was instantly transported back. That was the magic of old friends - you could go a lifetime without seeing them and the moment you do, you're suddenly right back where you started with them. Gannet's presence took her back to the Caldera and to her childhood, playing with him in the snow before they'd ever grown up and started filling their lives with drama.

Her tail was still waving as she stepped back again, her head tilting at his comment. "You saw Terance? That jerk didn't say a word to me," Liffey said, the smile on her face making it clear she didn't actually hold any resentment. To his question, her mind flashed to a thousand different things, but the only thing she blurted out was, "I have kids!" She paused, feeling suddenly strange that she had kids. She was a puppy again because Gannet was here, and she had kids? So weird, but only briefly and she was grinning again and waiting to see his reaction.

He ignored the Terance part, partially because he could tell she was joking and partially because the next part was so surprising!! Kids? he askdd, and his eyes lit up for her. That was so great, he was happy for her!! Who? He knew with Rannoch, the question really was what are their names, but old habits die hard and he was too excited to make his questions more specific.

It was really, really good to see her again.

Liffey's announcement was obviously a welcome and exciting one for her friend. She grinned broadly at him, her tail wagging furiously. She loved talking about her little ones. She took such fierce pride in them all, but especially in Breccan - her little prince and heir to the Frostfur name. Whatever that actually meant.

"Yeah, Rannoch and I," she answered of her own volition, not exactly responding to Gannet's question, "I have four - three girls and a boy. Remi, Deshyr, Wisp and Breccan. They're just about six months old now."

Four, all six months old. Gannet knew Liffey was younger than him, but the idea of her having kids and he not having them being strange didn't even cross his mind. He'd honestly never really considered fatherhood.

I was traveling with Whip, he said, in case she was wondering why he was here. But he went to keep going somewhere else. Gannet looked around and gave a small wave of his tail. I missed this place. Teekon as a whole, that is. Maybe he should swing down by the Caldera, the thought occurred. No one was there anymore, but it would still be nice to see it again.

Gannet didn't comment on her kids, but instead went on to speak of his own string of recent events. For a moment, she pouted a little over not getting to elaborate more on how incredible her babies were, but she let it go quickly enough. A thought occurred to her that was distracting enough.

"How did you get to do that?" she asked, unable to help herself, "I thought that.. Well, I mean.. Moonspear..." Oof, she got awkward quickly. She paused, reminding herself that this was Gannet. She was allowed to speak her mind to him now without worrying the Ostregas were going to swoop down on her and kill her for her insolence. "I didn't think they would let you leave, ever," she said carefully, simply because old habits died hard.

If any of Liffey's disappointment showed, Gannet didn't notice, which was probably a good thing because he would have zero clue what it was about. He liked kids, but parenthood was eons away from his mind, and he couldn't begin to imagine what Liffey felt about hers

He knew Liffey had had problems with Moonspear, but had no clue how deep those problems went. When they'd left, his main focus had been her leaving (and, honestly, his own lack of invitation). The why behind it hasn't occurred... he'd just assumed she didn't want to be around the rest of them anymore. I told Hydra I wanted to. He said, easily enough. She said I could. She hadn't been thrilled, but of course not, he hadn't been overjoyed to leave her either. But he had felt like he needed to and she seemed to understand, which was all you could really ask of a friend.

His answer wasn't enough to help it makes any sense to her. With a bite of that awful feeling she'd always had in her stomach back at Moonspear, she remembered that moment she'd asked Hydra if Gannet would be allowed to leave if he wanted to, and she'd said to ask Charon. It wasn't up to her. None of this made sense. None of what had happened at Moonspear made any sense at all. The ugly scar across her muzzle that Charon had given her twinged in agreement.

"Well, I'm glad for you anyway," Liffey said, shaking her head, "Are you going back to them now?" She almost didn't ask, mostly because she didn't want to know the answer. She loved her friend desperately, but on this one point only was she unable to understand him at all.

For the first time, a flicker of uneasy indecision showed clearly, and he shifted his stance, considering it. I don't know, he replied honestly, his ears flicking back. I miss Hydra, but she was always nice to me. But I don't want to live somewhere that doesn't want me. And I don't think the rest of them do. Except maybe the younger, but the older were the core of the pack.

I want to say hi though. He would find Hydra and at least tell her he was back, though he guessed she wouldn't be happy to know he wasn't coming back. He got the feeling that Liffey wasn't enjoying this part of the conversation much, and that made him even more uncomfortable with it.

Liffey felt her stomach twist uncomfortably at his words. She didn't understand his relationship with Hydra, who was all about breaking his legs but also about being BFFs. She swallowed that away though, focusing instead on the fact that he felt unwelcome at Moonspear now. Hope sparked in her heart.

"Do you want to be part of our pack?" Liffey asked, that hope flooding her voice, "We live here. Well, not here.. Over there, Lost Creek Hollow." She gestured behind herself at the shaded woods beyond the grassy slopes to the South. "Rannoch is there, and Terance. We would love to have you, and.." she paused, suddenly feeling a little sheepish and emotional, "It would be so nice... I would love to have family - you -  around."

Liffey bit her lip. Rannoch and Terance and her kids were family, of course, but there was something different about having Gannet there. He was a piece of her childhood - of a past she'd intentionally left behind, but had never stopped missing. He was her brother, just as much as Lagan and Eljay, and the idea of getting to call him a packmate again was giving her some real feels.

Gannet had come a long way confidence wise in the last year, but he still had a long way to go too. And Liffey's question brought it all back; he didn't hear the hope in her tone. All he heard was an offer he hadn't expected to come genuinely from her because he was so convinced of his own idea of what had happened back when they left.

You don't have to. he said, and while his tone was honest, some of his unsureness showed. I know you guys left, and I don't mind. You don't have to feel bad. I'm ok.

They'd left the Moonspear and only asked those they wanted to go with them, and Gannet had assumed his own lack of invitation was because, like Hydra and the rest, he was a part of Liffey's life she'd rather have left behind. He didn't need to follow. He could find a home for himself somewhere where he could be happy, he imagined, and right now he was just happy knowing that she was happy. And that he could at least still say hi.

Hurt flooded Liffey at Gannet's rejection, but after a moment, she realized it wasn't really a rejection. It was... something else. She frowned, swallowing her hurt and focusing on what he'd actually said instead of how it made her feel. She's totally maturing like that.

"Gannet, I didn't ask because I feel bad," Liffey said, trying to take care with her words even though she had no idea what the issue here was, "I asked because I want you to join us. Unless, you don't want to." She frowned, catching Gannet's uncertainty like a contagion. When they had left Moonspear, it had never occurred to her to ask Gannet to come. She hadn't thought that was a possibility, nor that he would've even wanted to. Mostly though, she'd been absolutely certain that Charon and his daughters would never have allowed him to leave, and she'd had no desire to get him in any deeper trouble with the Ostregas than he was already.

She doubled down, and he finally looked at her for any sign that she was just lying to make him feel better. He saw none, just confusion? His tail waved, but he still hesitated for a minute. He didn't want to wake up a month later to find them leaving again, and make friends again just to watch them go. These past few months had been great, but they'd been great because when he'd left, it had been on his terms, and the friends he'd made he hadn't put expectations on. This was expectations, big time.

I can stay, and you'll stay too? He asked, smiling as he let himself hope a second. He thought to Hydra for a moment, but he didn't feel any guilt for not going back. In his mind, they could remain friends, even as he traveled a different path. Her family would be happier without him there, and he had a feeling she would be too.

Liffey still was confused over Gannet's previous statement, which was not made any clearer by his next. However, she had no time to dwell on that seeing as it was so quickly replaced by excitement.

"Of course! You'll stay? Really?" Liffey asked, smiling brightly.

This post is terrible sorry.

LMAO

Gannet was oblivious as always to his inability to communicate a thought clearly - mainly because he frequently forgot others were not in his head with him. Fortunately for him (and the rest of the world) he was also fairly unbothered when questions he asked were not completely addressed. Her 'of course' was taken at face value, completely and totally valid.

I'll stay. He said, and he grinned as he pushed forward to give her a hug, because he was elated to be getting this chance to be a part of her family again. It had been a long time... even at Moonspear, there'd been a constant tension, and she'd left not long after. Maybe he couldn't ever get home back again, but for now, Liffey was as close as it got.

Confirmed! Liffey grinned broadly as she smushed herself into her friend for another hug. After so many bad things that had happened - Moonspear, the famine, Wisp, the cougar - here she was, finally a good thing. She couldn't wait to tell Rannoch, knowing he needed something to smile about just as much as she had.

"Come on, why don't we head to the Hollow and find @Rannoch and @Terance?" she suggested as she stepped back. She didn't know what Gannet's relationship with Terance had ever been, but she knew that Rannoch would be happy to see him.

Gannet didn't vocalize a response, just nodded and bounded after. Terance had already offered a spot, but he'd turned it down in favor of more time. Ideally he'd wanted to visit Hydra before doing anything, but when Liffey asked, he hadn't been able to turn her down as well. This felt right, and if he'd learned anything with Whip, it was that he should do things that felt right. Even if it meant not everyone was happy about it.

He couldn't wait to see the place that they called home, and it would definitely feel good to be surrounded by a pack again!