Blacktail Deer Plateau no nuns. no nuns, none!

making some assumptions about what will happen in this thread. still assuming that until there's a thread w/ @Phox that says otherwise, ves is remaining close to @Maegi and @Mou.

she had remained close to father and mother— she still thought of them that way, and thought she always would— though vesper had drawn into herself. the hints of stoicism that been growing before all of this had taken over the child. she was more reserved than she had ever been, but no less dedicated to the family that had adopted her as their own.

the darkling had needed to mature rapidly in the face of her entire understanding of the world changing; now, her body had grown to match. she was still tiny, smallest of her siblings, but vesper was more proportioned now with the exception of her ears. her milk teeth had fallen out, giving way to adult molars. except for a small, lingering speck of blue in her left eye, they were now almost fully transitioned to the dark orange. the same color as phox's. her real father's.

vesper wanted nothing to do with him, unlike @Peregrine. she rarely ventured out from the den site, and went out of her way to avoid the dark stranger and @Meerkat. mother had indicated they would likely want to leave and take her with them, but she would rather die. the adults all quietly agreed to give her space and time to process; the juvenile perhaps played up her melancholy to buy more of it.

but mother, father, and @Blueberry had gone for a stroll together; vesper was invited, of course, but she refused. not wanting to risk having to speak with phox. an hour went by, with her alone in the den, and she sighed— bored, now. she moved to the entrance and poked her head out, searching the area with sullen eyes for any sign of the unwanted stranger. when she felt confident that the coast was clear, vesper stepped out into the late-afternoon sun for a stroll of her own.

jawahir lingered in the periphery of the wolf-scent, keenly aware of it; equally so, knowledgable on how to traverse across it without detection. there were weak points to be exploited.
it was a fine place to build a home, they thought. a typical haven to the mighty wolf. they were here to investigate the area and ascertain if there were men to build a deal with (or women, if there were such appetites to feed). instead, the wandering jewel found something else.

a hovel; well hidden and yet, not well enough. inside was the spice-scent of the wolf, the sweetness of milk and meat. jawahir paused among the darkwood's flora, watching.
a nose poked out in to the light. soon after, a shape — not quite big enough to be a threat on their own, but small enough to make jawahir nervous; a bubbling of excited energies.

they would make themselves smaller. lay on their belly and shuffle closer, only to stop and watch the darkling child.
hello there, little one.

behind jawahir the tuft of their tail wriggled, settling across the dirt. they kept their chin upon their crossed paws, as if they had been sleeping there for some time, but large dark eyes kept watch.
did you enjoy your sleep?

Had he ever known a coyote before? Phox couldn’t recall. He certainly hadn’t been friends with one ever in his life, and when he spotted one dangerously close to the den that Mou and Maegi shared, the dark phother wasted no time prickling the hair along his back to make him appear more menacing as he too approached.

You aren’t welcome here, he said, lashing his tail. Vesper he acknowledged only with the briefest glance to her and then the den. A silent plea to get to safety.

Leave. I won’t ask twice. Though Vesper may not accept him as her father, Phox would protect her as he would any of his children.

she had barely exited the den before she was greeted by what she thought was a strange looking wolf— young, perhaps sick? it was thin and reedy, much less substantial in form than vesper's parents even as they thinned from less regular meals. the darkling eyed the creature warily, but she couldn't help but feel curious. she had never met someone before that her parents did not already know or introduce her to.

vesper sat, a small thump of her tail behind her betraying some excitement at this prospect. but as she opened her mouth to speak, phox's voice was there instead: "you aren't welcome here. leave. i won't ask twice." he looked at her then and she met his gaze, catching his silent order to get back in the den.

she huffed, flicking an ear in annoyance. the audacity. she refused to accept him as her father— that was mou's role in her life, not his. how dare he attempt to insert himself, now, attempting to exert parental control over her when he didn't know her. mou and maegi, her true parents, trusted her to care for herself. she had proven herself to be loyal to them and wherever they chose to call home. they trusted she would be safe and could keep herself safe, otherwise they would not have left her alone.

for all he knew, this stranger could be one of her friends.

vesper stood then, pointedly ignoring phox, to move to step around him. i slept fine, she told the coyote, doing her best to sound as if they were on familiar terms. did you? she queried politely after.

the child knew nothing of the world, that was how new they were. jawahir had little patience for children of their own kin; it was rare for them to come across any children in their line of work, save for those that were ferried between places in secret. not stolen, but saved. this one looked much healthier than those wayward souls that jawahir had at one time or another smuggled through the shadow places.

the flick of an ear redirected jawahir's gaze to an approaching figure; swarthy like the child, larger, and with a masculine musk. the man commanded than the coyote leave and with a slip, jawahir readied a reversal. their posture remained low and sulking, as the courtesan knew how much wolves relied upon overt displays; but it was the girl child that spoke up next, refusing the guise of protection that the adult offered.

oh, i have not slept yet, jawahir called back to the child cheekily, with a cautious eye towards the man.
soon i will find a soft place to nap. maybe i will dream of your pretty little face! although that felt less likely, given that jawahir rarely dreamt to begin with. as they moved back a safe distance those dark eyes traced the tension between both father and daughter.

Vesper ignored him, and if the coyote had not been here, Phox would have brushed it off and given her the space. But this was not a matter of playing nice or letting her get her way. It was a matter of safety, and Phox would have none of it. The "pretty little face" comment only solidified Phox's leeriness of the interloper.

The Redhawk watched as the coyote retreated, keeping his gaze on them until Phox was certain he was out of earshot.

Your mother and father expect me to keep you safe, Vesper. I intend to do just that. I don't know that coyote or what their intentions are, but I do know that well-meaning folks don't usually waltz up to strange children and strike up conversations with them. Especially on claimed territory.

True, the plateau was not entirely theirs, but they had been here for some time, and Phox was not about to ignore that. Surely Vesper knew better than this. Then again, he was aware enough to know she was merely trying to needle him.

coyote, then: not a sick wolf. vesper was fascinated by the creature, hungry to know more about it. but it backed away as phox drew nearer, and her ears flattened at the coyote's words. they were... strange, and the darkling didn't know what to make of it. she felt uncomfortable in her gut, realizing now that what she thought had been a strange wolf maybe didn't have the best of intentions.

but she was still furious at phox's intervention, and she turned burning eyes on him as he scolded her— confirming the feeling that was growing in her gut. at least he recognized that he was not her parent. she remained silent for a moment, then heaved a heavy teenage sigh (accompanied with a roll of her eyes), as she turned to retreat behind him.

She retreated, and Phox was glad that she had not gone after the coyote, who appeared to be gone for good. Phox stayed where he was, glancing between the two retreating figures. For good measure, he left a urine marker where the coyote had been loitering about. He would not lose the children again if he could help it.