Swiftcurrent Creek summertime blues

This is for anybody who hasn't had a one-on-one thread with Fox recently (or ever!). I'm also happy to bump it up to present-day. ^__^

Fox tore through a rabbit, shredding it to pieces as she devoured the small, long-dead creature. As always, it made a total mess. The smell of blood was thick upon her when she finished, and the sight of it, too. All around her muzzle were the remnants of the hare, and the yearling licked her chops to rid her red and white muzzle of the debris. It didn't clean it completely, although it did wash away some of the stain. Feeling quite satisfied, Fox leapt upon a rock and sat there for a moment.

She contemplated the current state of things, and realized that she was missing out on some possible team-building between herself and some of her newer packmates. Ever since she had promoted Bazi and Njal into leadership, she had slacked on getting to know the newbies. Now that they were there to vet the joiners, not everybody went through Fox before being allowed to join her ranks. Lifting her still-stained muzzle to the sky, she called out for company, hoping for one of those she had yet to really interact with to join her.

@Fox I have another thread where I'm first meeting you. I'm not sure whether to assume I know you yet or not.

Star had been sitting at the edge of Duck Lake. The ducks had always seemed really stupid to her. Swimming around in circles and quacking endlessly. She watching four ducklings following their mother as she swam. Star's ears perked. A loud wolf howl had echoed through the meadow. Star wove through the tall grass to find the sorce. A wolf howl, she could tell it wasn't any other canine. She had met this wolf. She recognized the howl as Fox, the alpha. She stopped and howled to tell Fox she was coming. Star rushed through the grass to greet Fox again.

Thanks for joining this! I was worried it would never get a reply. :)

A short, small howl returned her own after a brief interlude, and Fox's ears perked up. It wasn't one she immediately recognized, but after some time the tiny Star came bounding into view. Fox still couldn't get over how incredibly miniscule the wolf was, nor could she quite believe that Star was full-grown. And yet, she spoke and acted as an adult, so it was the only conclusion Fox could make.

“Hey, tiny Star,” Fox greeted, her tail swaying gently behind her. “You getting settled in okay?” While the yearling wasn't usually much for smalltalk, she did know it was important that her pack-mates felt welcome. And if they had any issues... well, Fox could direct them to somebody else, because she sure wasn't the right wolf to talk anybody through anything.

Fox greeted her and asked how she was doing. "Fine, I guess. Besides the fact everyone thinks a rabbit joined their pack." Star muttered. "I guess I'll have to get used to it." Star had always hoped to fight and protect, but a puppy-ish girl like her couldn't fight off a wolf like Jinx or Lecter or Ferdie or Jace. How she was to become respected, she did not know. She did not come to the packs to be looked down upon.

Fox frowned, unhappy to hear that Star thought she was being mocked. Of course, Fo was part of the problem, even if she would never admit it. She did not pity others like some did, nor would she allow others to go about their lives feeling sorry for themselves.

"You need only get used to the things you want to. If you don't like to be looked at in one way or another, shout it to the world. Don't complain about it behind their backs." Fox's tone was stern, though she didn't wish to be too harsh on the girl, knowing such things would only cause more problems.

"But what difference would it make? Will anyone really care what I say? And if they did, they would still think it." Star said, narrowing her eyes. Too small. Why wasn't she born taller, or more muscular? Or least not looking like a puppy? Ugh. She had never wished for this. She must of done something pretty stupid or bad in her past life to look like this.

Fox huffed, already knowing that she was going to get frustrated far sooner than most would have. The yearling leader was impatient, and hearing self-pity was one way to wear on her patience rather quickly. “Look,” she began, “If you keep on worrying about what everybody else thinks, you’re never going to be able to focus on what you want.” Fox knew what she wanted, and she had taken it at every opportunity.

“If you act like an adult, the others will treat you like one. If you act like a whimpering pup, well...” Fox trailed off, insinuating that they would treat her like that. The Alpha was proof that even small wolves could make their way to the top. Fox had found that many others lacked the confidence to step forward and make their lives better. “There’s a wolf here,” she said, remembering a certain someone's joining day, “Serengeti is her name. Maybe you could talk to her? She’s probably a lot better at explaining this kind of stuff.”

"Are you saying I act like a pup? I've been respectful. You never see me playing with moths or butterflies. I try to be an adult, but all anyone sees is my outward appearance! And yeah, I know pitying myself is terrible. Sorry. But I'm just so frustrated!" Star said. Her fur bristled. "Serengeti? Alright. I'll see if I can. Should I just howl to her later or what? I have no idea where she is or if she'll respond."

haha is there any point in bolding what she says?

Probably not! I find it makes it easier to read, though.

Fox gave a sigh when Star began to explain that she was no pup. “Listen,” she said, “There’s more to being an adult than refraining from chasing butterflies or whatever. You have to stand up for yourself. Worry less about what others think of you.” Fox felt like she was repeating herself, but she couldn't help it. To her, it was obvious that Star was in some kind of victim loop where her problems were caused by everybody else around her and she felt she had zero control over the situation.

“I’ll seek out Serengeti and send her to you,” replied Fox. Somehow, what was supposed to be a light-hearted conversation had turned into something way deeper than Fox had ever wanted to go, and she was eager to escape the situation as soon as possible. This was her own flaw, of course, and had little to do with Star.

"Alright." Star muttered. She wasn't to eager to talk to some counseller wolf. But supposed this Serengeti would help her with her problem, and she mostly trusted Fox's judgement. So she would meet with this Serengeti.
"When? Today?" Star asked. They seemed to howl to call each other a lot in this pack. At least Star would be meeting another one of her several pack mates. She had heard that this was a large pack. It seemed exhausting to have to meet everyone.

“Whenever I happen to run into her next,” Fox replied, being vague on purpose. She and Serengeti weren't exactly besties, but she could seek her out and send her to Star the next time they crossed paths. It likely wouldn't be today, but Star didn't need to know that.

“I’m going to scoot out of here,” she said, feeling as though their conversation wasn't going to go much further. “You have a good day, and remember not to think too hard.” Fox bumped Star's shoulder lightly with her nose as a sign of friendliness, and then headed past her and toward Blackfoot Forest. She felt like she needed a break from wolves and some quality time with her lookalike animals.

"Oh, uh, okay." Star said. She didn't feel much better though. She stared at her paws. Star stepped into the tall grass as Fox walked away.
Star headed toward her favorite place so far to just sit: Duck Lake. She watched them swim around. Stupid ducks. They never teased each other. They just quacked mindlessly. Lucky ducks.

I'm gonna finish this if that's ok. Can you archive it? I don't know how to.