Heron Lake Plateau gamify your life

Elwood and Finley were leaving. But that wasn't all. It seemed Niamh had defected to the Firebirds as well. Phox knew they wouldn't be far away, but he didn't understand why Niamh was leaving. For Elwood and Finley, it made a bit more sense. They were incredibly close to Wildfire, and Eljay was already there. But Niamh? It didn't make a lick of sense. She, like Phox, had promised to stay here no matter what, and now she was turning her back on them?

Figuring @Towhee might have some insight, Phox tracked her down. He spotted her up ahead, and he trundled toward her with an inquisitive, curious, and—let's face it—confused look. -Why did Niamh leave?- he asked, getting straight to the point.

Following the family meeting, Towhee immediately returned to seclusion, even avoiding Phox. Her insides were, in a word, stormy. All the recent upset was literally giving her heartburn. She could go to Rave—and she probably would, eventually—but for now, she needed to be alone.

Of course, her brother came looking for her. When he asked about Niamh, Towhee's jaw clenched so hard the muscle jumped. She was trying to accept all the departures and embrace the alliance. But recent events were making it so damn difficult. And here was a chance to vent. Maybe letting off some steam would help?

-She went back to that fuck ass,- she fumed silently, -and apparently that meant she needed to take a giant shit on us and leave.-

Phox was certain he steam rolling right out of her ears, but when he blinked, it was gone. She explained that Niamh had gone "back to that fuck ass" and had "taken a giant shit" on them before leaving. He was going to go out on a limb and say that Towhee was none-too-pleased with her Person's departure. -She went there for Colt?- he said, aghast. Any mild, subtle, flirtations that had transpired between him and Niamh now felt downright icky.

That left Towhee and Phox the outcasts up against Quixote. They no longer had the upper-hand, and he wasn't sure how he felt about it. With Camilla back, he had hoped things would return to semi-normalcy, but everything (in true Redhawk/Firebird fashion) seemed to go even more topsy-turvy. -I'm staying right here,- he confirmed, in case Towhee thought he would do anything else at all.

Towhee nodded, her anger reawakening. Of course, she still felt bad about yelling such nasty things at Niamh—and she truly planned to make an effort to find some chill about the entire Firebirds thing—but she still felt betrayed and furious for it.

-Yeah, she just walked out on us for that DICK,- Towhee signed, her motions jerky. Probably literally. -I yelled at her. I feel bad but... how could she? How could she do that to me? Us? I don't...- She trailed off momentarily. That's when he spoke and her orange eyes caught his sharply.

-Did you know, she said that to me, right before she said she was leaving? Yeah, 'I'll always be here for you.'- Towhee spat viciously. -I'm going to apologize for shouting at her. But things will never be the same between us. She's not my Person anymore. Only you are.-

Phox didn't understand why Towhee would feel bad for yelling. -She did the exact thing you asked us not to,- he reminded her, -I think your yelling was more than warranted.- Phox knew he would make an effort to avoid the Firebirds now. Before, he almost felt like it could have worked. He liked Wildfire, Elwood, Finley, and plenty of the other wolves there, but seeing Niamh hurt his sister like this was too much. The Redhawk didn't want to face her, mostly for fear that he would fly off the handle and rip her a new one.

-Only you are- sent a surge of warmth through his heart that made it feel like summertime for a moment. He sighed, shaking his head at the whole situation. Every time one piece of his life seemed to mend itself, another threw him for a loop and shattered things all over again.

Quixote still hadn't sought Phox out, so the Redhawk felt that he was further neglecting his leadership duties. Not only that, but the Firebirds might very well splinter the Redhawks to a point beyond repair. That worried Phox the most, even though he didn't believe Wildfire meant for it to happen (now or ever). It was so easy to blame everything on Quixote.

It really meant a lot when Phox took her side; she felt validated. They had both counted on Niamh to keep her word and she'd chosen Colt instead. That was as hurtful as it was infuriating. Towhee suddenly (and viciously) hoped that the two of them had another horrible breakup. She wouldn't be there for Niamh this time, not even if she came crawling back to the plateau.

She caught her thoughts spiraling and took a breath. She didn't actually hate Niamh, nor wish her ill. It was just her anger talking inwardly. But Towhee wanted to redirect nonetheless. She almost brought up her worries about the Redhawks in general, then decided to skip it. She really needed something else, something more positive, to shift her focus.

-Anyway, whatever. Do you think Raven will have more kids this year? Quixote's still an overdone steak but he and Rave and their kids have some sense of goddamn loyalty, at least.- Wow, okay, she was only half-succeeding at this. -Plus, pups just make everything better.- Sure, she didn't aspire to have any of her own but Towhee really did love her some miniature Redhawks.

He knew that he would always, always, always side with Towhee, no matter what. Whether or not she'd do the same... well... thankfully they hadn't needed to test that decision. Phox hoped they never would. She asked about Raven and Quixote having more kids, and he shrugged. -Beats me.- He hadn't really been around for Raven's first litter, but he would be around for this one, if it came to fruition.

-You gonna shack up with anybody?- he asked, shooting her a teasing grin. Towhee, as far as he knew, had never been remotely interested in anybody. If anything, he had guessed she might have had some feelings for Niamh, but he had never brought it up or thought much of it.

His thoughts then drifted toward Camilla... and he wondered if she would want that. Or if she had any desire to... do anything at all. Her history would cause him to be extra careful about navigating things, and that was assuming she initiated in some way. Phox sure as hell wasn't going to push her to do anything against her will. She'd had a lifetime of that.

He didn't seem that interested. Towhee suddenly remembered that he hadn't been around for the birth of Raven's litter. Her lips pursed. Before her thoughts could go in a negative direction again, he distracted her with a question.

-Like who?- she shot back, then shook her head. -I don't think romance is in the cards for me, pups either. I'm fine with that,- Towhee added before Phox could attempt to refute. She would've laughed (in disgust) if he'd mentioned his thoughts about Niamh. -I mean, can you imagine me as a wife? And mother? Fuck outta here...-

But... -What about you?-

He laughed at the thought of Towhee being a mother to pups. She wasn't exactly the most level-headed wolf in the pack, let alone the world. Still, she seemed to enjoy having puppies around... so maybe she would change her mind as time wore on. (I cringed as I wrote that.)

She turned the question back on him, and Phox had been mentally preparing himself for it. He hadn't talked to Camilla about any of this (unless their current thread goes that direction), but he had given it plenty of thought. Phox knew Towhee didn't exactly... approve of Camilla, but at least she wasn't a total dick like Colt and Quixote.

-I guess I'll defer to whoever the other party is,- he replied honestly. If his mate wanted kids, she'd be doing all the hardest parts of child-bearing. -It does scare me, though. That's how mom died.- Phox frowned at that thought, wishing even now that he could have met both Peregrine and Fox. -Would you like even more nieces and nephews?- he asked, letting his eyes meet hers and stay there. If pups made everything better, more pups would make everything even more better!

-'The other party'?- Towhee repeated with an incredulous smirk. -You can call her by her actual name or at least call her...- "Waifu," she said out loud, having no sign for it. -Sure, bring on all the nieces and nephews. I just hope they don't come out, like, neurotic or retarded or anything...- True to form, Towhee was only half-joking.

He should have known that Towhee would tease him, yet again, for Camilla, and he rolled his eyes at her. So much that he missed all but "waifu" and her "neurotic or retarded" comments. -Well we certainly turned out perfectly fine.- He exaggerated this statement as much as he could, implying that no, they had not turned out fine. Phox had run away at the first thought of something scary, and Towhee had screamed at her friend for following her heart. If that wasn't neurotic and retarded, Phox didn't know what was. Not to mention Titmouse, who had apparently tried to have sex with his sister/surrogate mother.

Yep, their bloodlines were totally pure and untainted.

-Do you think Quixote would let Camilla and me have kids?- he pondered "aloud." He wasn't sure how much Towhee would get a say in it, but maybe she had more insight into his stupid brain. Heck, maybe Phox would approach him directly and ask him outright if Towhee couldn't give him a definitive answer. -I don't even know if she wants kids,- he added, not wishing to speak on her behalf.

She did have some genuine misgivings about his choice of baby mama, though Phox's next question sidelined them, at least momentarily. -He's not the only one who gets a say in that. I'm not letting some random outsider try to stop the Redhawks legacy,- Towhee signed rapidly. -I know Rave's not in charge right now but her opinion matters too. Surely you'll have her blessing.- The Beta wasn't actually entirely sure what their elder sister would think, though Towhee couldn't imagine her simply denying Phox's wishes.

-Dude, though, you should probably figure that shit out before you stick your dick in crazy,- Towhee added after a beat, addressing his uncertainty about Camilla's desires. -Having kids is a pretty big deal.-

That was a good point. Quixote wasn't the only one who would get to decide, and he'd probably (hopefully) consult both Raven and Towhee about it. Phox hoped that, if Camilla wanted them, they'd be allowed.

-I haven't stuck my dick in anything!- he protested. He never had been good with Towhee's teasing, since he wasn't much of a teaser himself. Was having kids a big deal? It seemed like everybody did it eventually. That was what they were supposed to do, right?

-This is gonna sound weird, but... what if Camilla moved in with us? I know you said no last time, but she sorta claimed me. And I didn't say no this time, so I think we're mates now.- There was a lot of uncertainty in his signing. Phox just had this sneaking suspicion that he was going about this in all the wrong ways. But he wasn't really going about it... Camilla was.

-And please stop calling her my "waifu,"- he begged. There was something about that word that was terribly unsettling.

Towhee gaped at her brother when he dumped a load of (too much) information on her. The first bit didn't really surprise her, though naturally she wanted to make some jokes. But the second part definitely did... and suddenly the first exclamation didn't even make sense.

-Hold up. You're already fuckin' married to Crazy Camilla?- Well, it wasn't "waifu," was it? -And you didn't fuckin' tell me? What the fuck, dude?- That earned him a sisterly bonk upside the head. -Also, if you're mates, why are you still a fuckin' virgin?!-

-It just happened yesterday!- he said when she slapped him upside the head. He hadn't seen Towhee—at least not awake—since then, considering their sleeping schedules were so wildly different. -You're actually the first to know, so hah!- As to the last question, if it could even be called that, he didn't answer.

-So does that mean she can move in? She's family now, yeah? You have to be nice to her.- Not that Phox could or would do anything if Towhee refused to be nice.

-Sure, she can move in,- Towhee said cavalierly, -but I'm moving out. I don't want to hear you two fucking all the time.- Of course, she wouldn't, even if she was right underneath them (thatsthejoke.jpg).

-And fuck all that,- she said dismissively to his appeal, making a pbbbbbt noise for extra effect. -I'm not nice to anyone, least of all family. Look,- she added, growing suddenly more serious, -I'm happy for you. I guess. But I'm not going to be a third wheel. And if you two really do have pups, you'll need a space to yourselves.-

Truthfully, it did upset her a little. She'd grown used to sharing a space with Phox. But she was trying not to be a bitch lately and Towhee thought she was handling this pretty well.

She said yes, then she said she was moving out, which put a frown on Phox's face. He liked Towhee. In fact, they probably had a somewhat unhealthy obsession with one another. Her moving out had not really been part of his plan, but considering his life was basically run by the decisions of the women around him, he didn't really have a say in the matter. -Alright, but you keep the thicket. You found it, and we can make something else for the two of us. We might need something bigger later, anyway.-

-I'm pretty sure you've made it clear that Camilla is the third wheel, so you won't have to worry about that,- he added with a wry grin. -The news will spread around quick, even though everybody decided we'd shacked up together as soon as I brought her here in the first place.- Funny how the perception of others eventually shaped reality.

-Oh, and if we do have pups, I'll make you watch them sometimes so Camilla and I can sneak off and fuck to our hearts' content.- Phox gave Towhee a smug smile then. He had a feeling it wouldn't be "fucking" exactly. More like... very awkward gentle loving.

Was he rambling?

He countered her, insisting she take the thicket. Towhee shrugged. Her ears splayed at his rebuttal to her third wheel comment, though she was smirking a moment later, seeing that he'd taken it lightly.

-Can you blame us? You two are an especially gross example of the fairy tale where the white knight saves the damsel in distress,- she said. -And of fucking course I'm going to watch them. Not just when you two boink either. I pride myself on being the raddest aunt alive.- She actually laughed out loud at that. She really did treasure all her nieces and nephews, though she wasn't winning any Aunt of the Year awards anytime soon.

Phox shrugged with a dopey "what can you do?" grin. Somehow, talking it all out with Towhee made it feel more real and maybe... better somehow. -Well I'm certainly not going to be 'raddest dad alive,' so at least we've got one cool guardian figure around.- He smiled then, feeling much more at peace with the whole thing now that Towhee was in the loop. -Maybe one day you'll find your damsel in distress, too!- Expecting her to swipe at him again, he jumped back, did a one-eighty, then scampered off.

He would need to track down Camilla and let her know that he'd broken the news. Then they could start looking for a place to sleep. Maybe he could take over Niamh's old den and fill it with happier memories.

Towhee pulled a face of utter disgust. It was melodramatic but absolutely genuine. Although she had some questionable parts—and she suddenly realized she'd never told Phox about that—she absolutely identified as female. And the idea of ending up with someone of the same sex absolutely repulsed her. Her face scrunched and she stuck out her tongue as she took that swing at her brother.

But she missed and he went scampering away like a tool. Towhee shook her head, smiling fondly now despite herself, and then realized she was alone again. And when she went home tonight, she'd have the thicket to herself. Now her solitude was more circumstantial than self-imposed. Her chest pinched with a subtle ache. She sighed, accepting her fate, and wandered off to find X.