Sun Mote Copse forgetting you in the cabaret

He'd made it back in good time, and the grouse between his teeth hadn't leeched anything toxic in to his system, which was a good sign. He had half a mind to eat it himself and get something fresh for this, uh, Neef person, whoever they were. However, he'd given his word and had to complete the task - it's just the way things worked with Tulimaq.

Once the familiar scent of the Firebird borders hit his nose he began to seek out the familiar shape of Wildfire or her daughter Kiwi; they'd most likely know what he was looking for. As he went, Tulimaq thought he saw a glimmering gold between the trees. It reminded him of warm summer light, and he was briefly distracted.

His course took him towards that warm tone, and as he approached - he realized it was moving. He'd probably have recognized the scent that @Niamh gave off as wolf scent if he hadn't been carrying this dead bird around.

Now that she had been given a new beginning and given guidelines to follow, Niamh held her head up and patrolled the borders with a more airy step than usual. She didn’t have to automatically get ruffled or offensive as soon as a stranger showed up- this place was meant to be more peaceful. She might have to put her coyote vendetta to rest, and that would take effort- but the rest she could do. 

She wasn’t a machine anymore, and it would take her time to get out of that mindset. She still focused in too hard on her job as a border guardian, and she knew her first instinct was to get abrasive as soon as she saw a stranger- but she hoped time would change that. 

She stiffened slightly when she caught sight of someone trailing along behind her, but her sense of smell told her that he belonged here. He was carrying a pretty bedraggled bird in his mouth, so she assumed he’d been out hunting. ”Caught yourself some lunch eh?” She asked, as she turned to correct her path and greet him. ”I’m Niamh...I’m kind of new here.” Being friendly wasn’t so hard, then, was it?

He didn't know if he was lucky or what, but the woman he trailed turned out to be the exact wolf he needed to find. Weird how that happens (almost like it was meant to be). His mind went back to the conversation with Wildfire about fate just as the woman introduced herself, and after that he focused upon her. Did he want to follow through with the plan and throw the pheasant right at her? Not really. It wouldn't hurt to be more civil. He dropped the bird in the dirt by his paws and, licking the dry sensation of feathers off his snout, proceeded with his instructions.

I've been lookin' for you actually, which didn't sound weird or creepy in his mind but somehow, once spoken, was bothersome. He quickly followed it up: My name is Tulimaq, I've been living in the area for a while and happened to cross Wildfire's path recently, and stuck around. But, my point — the dumb possibly-poisoned bird, which he shoved lightly towards her. Its flaccid neck flopped about with a few clicks of broken vertebrae. —I popped by the Redhawks and a woman asked I bring this to you. Said she was sorry for something. But the reasons weren't his business. He was content to be the messenger and to have completed a task, though.

Looking for her? Her ears turned back. This gruff guy- did he know Artaax? Or had she somehow already managed to do something wrong? Fortunately, he explained himself though she still continued to stare at him, caught off guard and bristling at the thought of being sought after. She nodded as he cut his introduction short and shoved the bird in her direction.

It only took a moment- but Niamh immediately assumed that it was a gift from Colt. Her features brightened for the briefest moment- before her expression fell. The bird was inevitably from Towhee. She moved forward to sniff it and sure as heck, it still smelled remotely like her despite being carried by Tulimaq. She looked up at him warily.

”Towhee?” She asked. Her lips trembled but her expression still likely would have been read as being full of suspicion. ”Was Towhee her name?”

In the long run, she likely would’ve believed him more quickly had he thrown it at her and beat her silly with it. That was a much more Towhee way of doing things.

He watched her for a reaction and wasn't really that surprised when her behavior remained rigid and nervous. Well, maybe not nervous exactly — skeptical, sure. Concerned, maybe. Tulimaq was still concerned in his own regard that the bird was carrying some kind of poison or sickness. The woman who had given it to him was very odd. He didn't want any issues to arise between the packs though, thus the delivery.

Towhee? Niamh asked — and he nodded even before she repeated herself. I think that was it. Mostly dark coat, has an odd accent, a little slow in the head? Ah, he hadn't meant to blurt that last bit but, there you go. She'd been distracted by something during their conversation and Tulimaq had attributed that to some malformation within her brain; it wasn't like he'd have reacted any better upon learning the truth, that she was deaf. Such impairments weren't welcome within Tartok and he couldn't help himself.

From what she could gather, her gift was either from someone who wanted to remain anonymous, or who hadn’t given Tulimaq their name. Either way, he described the only wolf that could have been Towhee. She nodded when he described her coat, and squinted slightly when he mentioned her “accent” but her eyes themselves narrowed when he concluded that she was slow in the head. Niamh’s ears pricked, offended that he would so blatantly describe someone that way. 

Be nice, Niamh. You’re not a machine, she told herself.

”She’s deaf,” She advised, coldly. Apparently this guy was judgemental and unafraid to say offensive things behind another wolf’s back. ”She’s not slow.” She said quietly, but with a sort of loyal defiance that had a tone to it that might hint that she’d pummel anyone into the ground if they insisted that Towhee wasn’t smart. She took a breath and tried to calm her nerves. ”Did she say anything else?” She asked, curious as to why Towhee chose to send it to her without giving her name. Simply sending a meal didn’t seem like Towhee’s sort of thing.

Her offense was well placed, but he didn't feel remorse for saying what he believed to be true. Tulimaq wasn't saying it to be vicious and didn't consider that it was a mean thing, which probably made it worse. His involvement with the stranger had been brief and, yes, slow. But he knew not to bring it up again. Learning that this Towhee was deaf rather than dumb hardly fixed the issue; but it was interesting to him that Niamh would defend her. Perhaps they were friends.

She said that she was sorry. I think there was a mention about coming to visit, but I'm not sure now - maybe he'd been too quick to accept the task; he clearly hadn't paid that much attention to the woman when she was giving her instructions. It was more likely that Tulimaq lacked the patience to deal with the cadence of Towhee's odd speech. Oh well. I could bring a message back to her, if you want?

After a second he added — Actually, she told me I should throw it at you, but that seemed a little weird.

If Towhee meant to visit then she must’ve had some kind of a revelation. It still seemed a bit too far-fetched for Niamh, who wondered if Phox might have been behind this all- sending Niamh a bird to eat maybe that Towhee had caught and stashed- and sending the message that she was sorry. It was somewhat possible that Phox would do that- but at the same time, he would likely take Towhee’s side in it all and feel some of her spite toward Niamh. 

He nevertheless offered to bring a message back for her and she shook her head- she’d go herself, to see if Towhee really was sorry- and if mending things was even a possibility. And she was still full of doubt until he revealed the truth. He hadn’t been told to give the bird to her- he’d been told to throw it at her. 

Was Towhee sending the birdgram as a euphemism? Probably not.

But that definitely sounded more like Towhee, and Niamh’s face softened considerably, revealing a touched smile. ”That actually sounds more like her.” She said, and raised one eyebrow at Tulimaq. ”If she finds out you didn’t actually throw it at me though, she’ll be pissed.”

Something in the woman softened when she learned of the intended violence; that was an odd quirk, something he didn't anticipate, again. It seemed like these Redhawks and Firebirds were a confusing bunch for the stoic. He thought about how gross it would've been to have a fresh bird splattering across his face. Not that he was typically squeamish - that wouldn't be manly or bad ass - but it didn't sound like the ideal gift between friends.

The mention of the deaf woman being pissed was made in jest, but he still snorted and responded gruffly, Good thing we're not livin' over on that plateau then. Besides, she didn't look so tough. Maybe he'd go back just for shits and giggles and see if he could get her to fight him — but that'd be like picking a fight with a child, and Tulimaq wasn't that much of an asshole.

His goal had been achieved, so he was done with the bird. He drew back a half-step and murmured, Well, if you need me for anything, I'll be around — and with a nod, bid the situation resolved. He began to pull away from his company and head back to patrol.

Niamh nodded, though the thought of not living on the plateau still made her heart ache a bit. That had been her first home here- and she’d left it. Still, she was close, and still related in terms of the relationships of their packs. Whether his comment was made because he didn’t like pointless violence or because he didn’t want Towhee to thump his ass, she couldn’t tell- but nevertheless she half-heartedly agreed with him.

He didn’t seem to want to stick around, but she needed to integrate herself into the pack better. ”Hold up a sec,” She said, hastily digging a hole and depositing the bird there before she squatted and marked the place. ”I’ll join you. I’m a guardian, but you probably know the ins and outs of this place better than me. Could you give me a tour?” She asked. There, that wasn’t so bad- she could spend quality time with someone who wasn’t Towhee...It felt forced, but not the worst thing in the world either.

He didn't get far before she was scratching at the dirt, calling for him to wait — and so he did, pausing and starting to turn back just in time to see her squat and urinate, so he averted his eyes with a slight lift of his thick brows. It was natural, it was common, heck he'd been pissin' on things all day every day for like a week, but her hasty reaction caught him by surprise.

She was asking for a tour-guide over his shoulder, and his ears slanted back to listen. Tulimaq hadn't really regretted this entire situation until just that moment, having expected that he'd be on his way back to work once he got the pheasant from point a to point b. Apparently not. Ah well, he'd already given up on being the king of the mountain, he may as well adapt to being social too.

I can do that, he drawled with a slight turn of his head, cautious to look over his shoulder at her in case she was still busy. Tulimaq decided not to wait, and began to stride off again - but at a slower pace so that she could catch up.

Once the bird was stowed away, she bounded forward to his side, keeping a bit of distance between them- hey, she was taken and she'd be damned if she let anyone come between her and Colt- but she pressed forward once she reached him, hoping to strike out at a good pace so that they could cover more ground. She followed his lead and his pace, of course, but she wasn't going to let him think for one moment that she wasn't fit enough to keep pace with him. 

"So how do you know Wildfire? Did you just meet her and decide to join the pack, or did you know her before?" She asked. She wanted to know how he fit in with the pack, so she could better gauge where she too ranked. She was aware that Wildfire's daughters were ranked higher, which was fine as they were related to her. She was, however, surprised when she'd found out that Eljay- meek, weak, fumbling Eljay had found himself a comfortable place within the ranks as well. He'd been the odd one out with the Redhawks...But then again, this was meant to be a pack that sought out a more peaceful life- so maybe Eljay was finally in his element here.

Though they mostly kept to small talk, they patrolled the borders side by side and though he wasn’t a creature of many words, Niamh felt he was pleasant enlugh and would consider sending him back with a bird to throw back at Towhee in the future.