Heron Lake Plateau No distance left to run

Phox was peering at Fenn's eyes. There was something... strange about them, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. He figured it was just part of the growing process, so he let it rest and turned his attention back to @Towhee. They were lazing about just outside the mouth of the den, which was where he spent the majority of his waking hours now. -I've been having this weird dream,- he said, out of nowhere. He wondered if she could hear in her dreams, but he didn't ask.

-This red wolf with one eye is trying to tell me something, but I can't really make out what she's saying. Either that or I forget what she's saying by the time I wake up.- The first occurrence hadn't seemed odd. Dreams were often strange and didn't make any sense. He couldn't think of a time where a dream had repeated itself, though. -You ever have recurring dreams?-

The sun felt warm on Towhee's back as she relaxed in front of the den, intermittently tipping her head back and closing her eyes and reopening them to check on the pups. They were full of all sorts of shenanigans as they grew, yet were being relatively well-behaved today. Perhaps they were happy to simply soak in the sunshine too.

When her brother signed at her, Towhee blinked at him. -I don't dream. Or if I do, I almost never remember them,- she replied. -I wouldn't think too much of it. Dreams are whack, man,- she added, wondering if Phox had brought it up because he thought there was some sort of strange explanation behind them.

But she didn't want to be dismissive and, besides, it was a thought-provoking topic. -Do we even know any one-eyed wolves?- she mused, before suggesting, -If you can't hear her, teach her some ptero.- Towhee smirked, thinking she was clever and hilarious.

He couldn't shake the feeling that it was more than just a dream, even know he knew that was bonkers. Phox had never been superstitious, but something about this dream felt different. He laughed when she mentioned that he should try and teach this dream-wolf some ptero, but actually... maybe that wouldn't be such a bad idea. If he could talk to this one-eyed weirdo, maybe he could get her to stop coming around.

-I don't know any one-eyed wolves, and the only red one I can think of is Wildfire. She's got both her eyes, as of yesterday.- He hoped it wasn't some foreshadowing. Niamh might pass as red under the right light, but dream-wolf had been a lot uglier than the former Redhawk.

-Your whackass brain probably just made her up,- Towhee pointed out (borrowing one of her favorite @Tegan-isms). -Been hangin' with big sis, huh? What's up with the Firebirds these days? I meant to go back and visit once we sorted out Tegan but,- she continued, shrugging a shoulder, -I just haven't made the time yet.-

She paused for a second to watch as Fig tried to eat his own foot, lost in thought for a few beats. She then continued by saying, -Niamh seemed happy to see me then. I still don't know how I feel about that whole thing though. I mean, I don't hate her, but things could never be the same again.- Her eyes locked with her brother's. She would've said he was her one and only Person these days, but that would be a lie: although not yet out of their tiny neanderthal stage yet, Fig and Fen were totally her People now too.

He shrugged it off (for now), although it wasn't like he was going to let it slip his mind completely. The dream would end up returning to him again, he had no doubt. Towhee changed the direction of their conversation to the Firebirds, which was a natural swerve to their conversation. -Wildfire seemed fine. She's had kids, and sounds like Finley and Niamh will have theirs soon. I've never actually gone over there. With all that's happened, I don't see myself visiting anytime soon. Wifi did say she wanted to bring all the kids together later this summer.-

When she mentioned Niamh, he shrugged. Perhaps if she had stayed, Phox would have become better friends with her and they would have formed a greater bond. Instead, she'd gone off to chase dick. Phox still didn't approve of that, and he still didn't feel like he was on good terms with Quixote. Their relationship felt like slow smoldering coals, and not in a sexy heated way.

Phox peered around, as if to make sure the alpha wasn't nearby to "overhear" them. -I don't know that I want to live under Quixote's rule forever. And now that Raven's back, there'd be a Redhawk to take your place... but I wouldn't leave without you, and definitely not without the kids. I've just never felt welcomed by him.- It was a longer-term plan, but with Niamh and the Blackthorns gone, Camilla dead, and Raven at the helm, it seemed like it might be the time when summer came to a close. He let that information settle between them, waiting for Towhee's reaction.

He didn't even know where they'd go.

She frowned lightly when he mentioned Finley's and Niamh's litters. She supposed she should go visit them and, truth be told, Towhee wouldn't mind meeting her godparents' latest bunch. But what about her former Person's? They basically embodied their mother's abandonment of the plateau and her loved ones there. Plus, they were Colt's. Towhee wasn't really sure how she felt about meeting them. And that made her feel some kind of way, considering that Niamh had once asked Towhee to be their godmother.

Next, Phox said something so bewildering that Towhee's thoughts screeched to a halt. She blinked at the total non sequitur, a strange feeling tightening in her gut. Even when he reassured her that he would never leave without her, it didn't loosen. Sure, she could totally understand his sentiment, yet where on earth had this come from? They hadn't discussed anything like this in a while. Camilla and then the kids, they'd changed everything.

And that apparently included Towhee's heart and mind. Rather than toss out an instant rebuttal against the idea of ever leaving, she signed slowly (for emphasis), -I will not be separated from any of you.- Her orange eyes bored into his, even as her mind whirred.

Once upon a time, she would've rejected the notion outright. But now that she had this makeshift family unit with Phox—and now that nearly every single wolf she'd felt close to had bailed on her in one way or another—she didn't know that she felt as connected to the plateau as before. Her loyalty now lay with her brother and his offspring. Maybe kids really did change everything.

She said nothing else for a long moment, then added, -Did something happen between you two? Something recent, I mean? Where's this coming from?-

-Of course,- he assured her immediately. He had seen the pain that Niamh had caused Towhee, that he had caused Towhee once upon a time. -I wouldn't leave unless you and the kids were all-in.- he double-clarified. Phox had abandoned his life once before, and he had no intentions of repeating that mistake. The silence settled (well, it was usually silent when they were ptero-ing) and he watched the kids frolic some more. They seemed rather pleased with there newfound freedom.

His eyes shifted back when he saw Towhee motioning again, and he sighed. -It's nothing new or recent. We just don't see eye-to-eye on anything. He seems... I don't know, kinda stupid?- Maybe that was being harsh, but the only times Phox had really talked to him, it felt like he was talking to a (very rambling) brick wall. Maybe being farther away from Quixote would reduce whatever mistrust and tension was there. -He doesn't seem like a leader.- Phox wasn't really sure what a leader was supposed to seem like, but Quixote just wasn't cutting it for him.

Phox explained himself and Towhee watched his motions carefully, dipping her snout slightly to acknowledge his words. She might not have used that particular descriptor—hers was probably still "milquetoast"—but she understood her brother's sentiment. She knew they'd both had misgivings for quite a while now. With Raven back in leadership, it resolved some of Towhee's elitist angst, though it also cemented Quixote as Alpha too.

-What're you suggesting, exactly?- Towhee asked, her motions almost clumsy, betraying her hesitation at even discussing the matter. It felt treasonous somehow, not to the Redhawks but to her own basic values. -You said the word 'leave,' so I'm guessing you're not thinking of usurping him,- she pointed out with a bit of a wry smile.

Phox shrugged. -I haven't really thought it through,- he replied. Phox had never really been one to plan for things like this, so it was a massive upgrade to his usual impulsive self. Maybe this time he would try and do things the right way... however that was meant to be done. For now, there wasn't much to be done. Fig and Fennec were still much too young to go anywhere. Phox wasn't in any huge rush, he just didn't want to live this way forever.

-Maybe we could find somewhere else.- He couldn't deny that he missed the caldera from time to time. It had been his childhood home, and although he knew their reasons for leaving, he thought it possible to go back without causing a riot with the other pack that was so close. He wasn't sure how, but maybe they could make it work. -Plenty of time to think about it.-

When he mentioned leaving verbatim, Towhee felt her innards tense again. She wanted to shake her head and tell him no, no way, she would never leave. She had been part of this pack since the day she was born, even if it had changed so much since then that it was barely recognizable. Her lips even parted as if she was going to say something out loud, though they pressed together a breath later. She nodded, a simple acknowledgement that said, I'll think about it.

But none of it mattered right now, as there was no way they were going anywhere with these tykes. When Fen abruptly bumbled into her, Towhee arched her neck and nibbled at the tip of the pup's ear. She then touched her nose to the girl's pale cheek. Her eyes were even paler, something which the Beta had observed but saw no reason to worry over. She simply thought Fen had uniquely colored eyes.

Nudging the sandy pup back toward her brother, Towhee looked to Phox again. -In the meantime, when exactly do we move them to a rendezvous site?-

She gave her silent acknowledgment. For now, it was nothing more than a pipe dream. It might not even happen when the pups were still pups. Phox just knew he couldn't live with Quixote forever unless something drastically good happened between them, and he didn't feel like it was his responsibility to make that leap. Wasn't it the leader's duty to make sure his underlings were happy and content with their rule?

Fennec played ping-pong between the two parents. And really, that's what he and Towhee were, weren't they? In a way, he felt he had lost Camilla that day she had given birth to Figment and Fenton. She hadn't been the same since then, and he frowned at the thought. Their birth had been her demise, but he couldn't really blame it on them (or even himself now that some time had passed).

Towhee signed again, and his ears perked up. -At least another month,- he said. That was the advice Raven had given him, anyway. They would be a bit stronger, a bit older, and a bit steadier on their feet by then.

Figured I'd wrap!

"Huh," was Towhee's only reply. That was longer than she'd thought. She'd watched several brothers and sisters grow up in her time, yet she hadn't been paying much attention to those sorts of details. She wondered if their father would instinctively know when it was time or if someone else, like Raven, would have to give him a nudge.

Abruptly, the mercenary was pushing herself upright, then rising onto all fours. "Gotta take a..." -S-H-I-T,- she spelled, as if the pups could understand any of that. "Be right back, fam," Towhee said, lips twitching upward into an affectionate grin right before she loped away to drop a deuce.