Greatwater Lake Before we ever learned the fear of being bold

before I forget <3 maybe a @Figment ?

Fennec was making her best effort to hunt but it was not going well. She wished her raven friends (if you could call them that) had chosen to follow her, but it seems they'd stayed behind. She was on her own and fuck... she sucked at this.

She listened to the fading flutter of wings as she shook out her soaked forlegs, one at a time. She'd heard the geese and decided to try her luck, but she hadn't realized the lake was so close until she had unexpectedly fallen partially in. There probably wasn't a thing left in this pond for her to hunt after that. At least, nothing that wasn't wise to what she was doing there.

Fennec sat down with a quiet huff and began to clean the lake water and mud from her fur as best she could. When she'd buried her furs and all in the Bramblepoint for temporary safekeeping, she should have called for them, but she hadn't. Half the time they didn't answer anyway and she'd figured this was a good time to prove what she was made of solo. Instead it seemed it was just kind of time to go back empty handed. Maybe @Bronco was having more luck.

As she combed her teeth through the fur of her shoulder, Fennec kept a careful ear on the water. She was still semi-hopeful something would be stupid enough to come back and give her a second shot. At least this time she could judge where the bank was.

Any sign of where his family had gone seemed to have long since disappeared , leaving Figment with no real direction as he traversed the Wilds. He thought it logical that they might have dispersed to one of their allies, but it had been so long, he didn't know who those allies were. Moonspear was gone, as was the Glen. He couldn't remember who else there had been. So, he wandered.

So, it really was simple coincidence when he just happened to cross paths with his sister. He knew her immediately when he spotted her sitting on the banks. Relief and unbridled excitement flooded him to see her alive and well, and he couldn't help but rush to her side, even knowing her inability to see him would likely make it a somewhat alarming experience for Fennec.

"Fenn!" he called as he rushed her, plowing unceremoniously into her side and smashing his face into her fur in a wolfy hug.

Fennec definitely wasn't expecting company and Figment's rush registered on something of a delay. As soon as it clicked something is coming - fast Fennec whirled with a surprised snarl, defensively showing her fangs before her name hit her ears. Wait. Fig!?

Her look went from snarl to shocked in an instant as he plowed into her and for the first time probably ever, Fennec found herself stunned into silence. Then a grin stole across her muzzle as she finally caught up.

Damn it, Fig!! Where the fuck did you come from!??!? She crowed, clearly thrilled despite the word choice. Her heart was still thudding from the scare but she didn't care at all. She'd just been thinking about Fig recently, missing him like mad, and here he was! Holy shit, how long had it been?

I almost took your face off. You're lucky I'm so chill in a crisis. She added with a little shove, then moved right back in with a hug of her own. It was so fucking good to (not) see him.

Fig was rather surprised when he didn't suffer any injuries for his surprise attack, but was also gratified for it. It was nice to know that after all this time, she could recognize him so quickly. He smiled at her shouted words, his tail wagging like mad as he smushed himself into her, nosing and sniffing at her fur in that way puppies do, gleaning whatever he could about her life and her health from the scents she carried on her.

"Yes, if there's one thing I know will never change, it's how chill you are," he laughed as he finally peeled himself away and looked at her face, smiling fondly. "You seem good. Are you good?" he asked, looking her over for the hundredth time, "I went by the Caldera and no one was there. What happened? Is everyone alright?" He had a few dozen more questions he could have peppered her with, but he bit them back for now.

Oh yeah, he better say that. She was definitely being facetious but it was really, really good to hear him laugh. When he started inspecting her she took it in stride and nosed him a few times too for good measure, seeing what she could glean as well. Seemed like he hadn't really found anyone yet, but that made sense, depending on when he'd left the Frosthawks. He must have missed the news.

Actually, what news did he have? I'm good. Really good, actually. Pack news first, maybe. Mom decided there weren't enough of us for the winter, so we kind of split to do our own thing. I'm not sure where she went, but she's fine. Me and Bronco are trying to do our own thing. We're mates now.

She dropped it casually as she could, though she wondered if that was news he'd gotten. There were still a few insecurities she dealt with regarding that, but there was no denying that the last few days had been immeasurably better than the weeks preceding them. And you, dear, sweet brother, have missed a lot. You're "Uncle Fig" now. She was teasing, but there was a sparkle of happiness in her clouded eyes that was unmistakeable. Killdeer would never not invoke that even if she did already miss him like crazy.

How's life on the lam? God, it had been forever. She probably could have visited him a time or two, but that part of the family had never really interested her all that much, no matter how often mom brought them up.

Fig was gratified to hear his hope had not been foolish. The pack had disbanded, which was unfortunate, but it was by choice. If it was best for the safety of his family, then he was glad they'd been able to make the decision instead of having it made for them by some tragedy. Fenn seemed confident that Towhee was fine, though Fig found it a little difficult to stave off some concern. As far as he knew, his mother had never lived as a lone wolf before. He knew her to be quite capable, but still. She had her disability. She and Fenn both did, and while he'd never tell them so (he valued his life too much), there was always some part of him that couldn't help but worry for them.

Fortunately for us all, Fig wasn't given too much time to dwell on it before Fenn slapped him in the face with a couple more fun facts. His brows lifted in surprise and, not for the first time, he was glad she couldn't see his expression. His had mixed feelings about Bronco ever since their run-in with Penn at the Glen. Everything had turned out fine, but he hadn't entirely forgiven his friend's hot-headed behavior and what they could have lost were it not for his foolish pride.

He wondered if Fenn knew about the incident, but dropped it a moment later. She wouldn't care. She was fine, and she'd probably just applaud Bronco for not putting up with Penn's shit. They had been weird friends. But anyway.

"What? No, no no," Fig said finally, brushing off her question, "You are not going to just drop an 'Uncle Fig' on my head and move the conversation along. Are you kidding me?" He gaped at her for a moment, shocked, but tail wagging like damn. "Uncle Fig to who? Or what? You adopt another badger?" he asked, beginning to smile.

Fennec wasn't too tuned into Figment's reaction to the news, mostly because she wasn't all that interested in his opinion on it. Her fun was moreso in dropping bombs like this and getting the sense that he knew absolutely nothing. Fucking great.

A whole horde of badgers, actually. I hope you're ready because I told them Uncle Fig was a top-notch hunter. And they can eat. She grinned at him a little wickedly, then laughed it off with a quick huff.

Just one. His name's Killdeer, but he's with his uncle. One of our little brothers. Caracal wasn't who Fennec might have chosen, but he was who Killer had chosen and that was what counted. After Bronco and I find a spot, we're going to track them down and let them know. Casual, easy. If she let herself worry about this shit she'd be both useless and annoying. Fuck that.

You must've really been off the radar, if that news missed you. What had he been up to, anyway?

Fig chuckled at her response, but was quiet to let her continue with the truth. He wouldn't put it past her to actually have a horde of hungry badgers at her beck and call, but there was no mistaking that look on her face as she'd shared the news. He'd seen it before--a mother speaking of her children. Not just anything could make a parent light up the way their kids could.

"There are little brothers too?" he repeated, shaking his head. He had missed a lot, hadn't he? He felt a pang of longing, regret for not being there when so much had happened in his family's lives. "Yeah, I have actually," Fig confessed, shaking his head briefly to clear it, "I left the Frosthawks a while ago and have been on my own for a few months. Thought I'd steal a page from your book and see what I'm made of."

He paused, coming to a quick conclusion that made him laugh softly once again. "I have a feeling I'm made of the same thing I always have been, though. I can't believe I've missed so much in your guys's lives," he said with a shake of his head.

It didn't surprise her one bit to hear that from him. I could have told you that, Figgy. You've got homebody written all over you. Even I can see it. She cackled, but then nudged up to him affectionately. She really had missed him like hell.

You really didn't miss much good though, if that helps. Outside of the kids, life had pretty much been a disaster for everyone it seemed until recently. He'd probably picked the perfect time to show back up, if you didn't count the Caldera kinda being toast. One brother, Caracal, and two sisters. Sapsucker went to the Frosthawks forever ago, probably because mom named her that. Fennec snorted at her own joke quietly. And Sphyra's... around? I guess. Bronco and I decided not to tell anyone we were doing our own thing. No offense to mom but with her around, it wouldn't have felt like ours.

It felt like a little bit of offense, even saying it, but she refused to feel guilty. Hopefully Fig would get it. She really didn't need him finding Towhee and blabbing about any of this. If possible, Fennec really wanted to be the one to drop the news.

Fig's ears slid back as she called him a homebody, but he smiled still. It was true. He'd always known it, in spite of his recent attempts at living as a loner. He was pleased with himself for succeeding in that venture, but found he was quite eager to let that be in his past. Fennec hadn't quite been clear in what she meant by "doing our own thing", but Fig understood her anyway. If she and Bronco were planning to form their own pack, then he was definitely along for the ride, assuming they'd have him. He didn't want to be left behind again like when they'd gone to the Glen, and he had no other commitments this time holding him back from joining them.

He frowned and quirked a brow at the name Sapsucker, but held his tongue as she continued, her words breaking the expression into a smile. He didn't judge her for her feelings about including Towhee, either, but he sensed something in it that compelled him to speak. "I won't say a word, if I even happen to run into her," he replied, "I felt the same when I left Frosthawks. A couple of friends offered to come with me, but I turned them down. It just felt like something I needed to do on my own, so I get it."

Fig paused then, deciding how to phrase the next. "You, uh... you set on doing something just the two of you?" he asked, a little sheepish now, "Or are you looking for some lost souls to tag along?"

Friends? Any particular ones? She couldn't help needling him a little, poking to see what kinds of things he'd really been up to. Sans details, of course. Please god, sans details.

She'd been planning to ask him but the conversation had kind of gotten away from her, first talking about Killdeer, then making sure he knew to keep it shut around their parents. Honestly, she'd just kind of assumed. So when he asked, it took her a surprised moment to register that of course it wasn't a given that he'd be joining. He had been doing other shit for like a year now.

Weird how easy it was to slip back into old habits.

I don't know. What kind of audition were you thinking? She asked, completely straight. If he wasn't outright inviting himself along then she was free to have a little fun with this. She... well, she did make the rules now, didn't she?

Fig rolled his eyes a little at her fishing. There wasn't really anything all that interesting for him to tell. He'd only ever had a crush on just one wolf--a crush that might've lead to some interesting familial ties now that Fennec was married to his crush's brother. Otherwise, he'd never been one to spend much time considering romance. He knew he wanted a mate and children one day, but he had never really sought those things before. It would just be nice if they happened to... happen. I guess.

"Just some of Liffey and Rannoch's kids," he answered simply, not providing any detail because it wouldn't have interested her anyway. No one had wanted to follow him out of romantic adoration for him (that he knew of, anyway--he was wrong). They probably just hadn't wanted him to be alone.

"Uhh... I hadn't been thinking of an audition," Fig answered, going along with the game, "I was thinking something more along the lines of a deeply moving heartfelt speech full of honest confessions and detailed descriptions of feelings and matters of the heart." He smiled--All of Fenn's favorite things.

Nothing interesting there so she let the subject drop. She'd never been to the Frosthawks, never really met any of the wolves there. For a while when she was younger missing out had bothered her but at this point in her life she didn't give much of a shit. Especially with the bone she had to pick with the entire healer thing. It'd be nice to be away from them too.

Ew, ugh. This is you trying to sell yourself? Unless you're about to spill how absolutely awesome I am, I'll pass. She replied, but she reached out and nipped at him affectionately. (Probably missed completely, but the gesture was more symbolic anyway.)

You're in though. Obviously. What kind of sister would I be if I let my own brother wander off alone? There was a while when Fig had talked about leading his own pack, but she didn't think he'd argue for it here. And hell... lowkey, maybe it'd be nice to have a backup just in case she hated the entire thing. I am thinking about making everyone who joins sign over their immortal soul, but we can chat about that later.

Fig smiled at her response. It was exactly what he'd been after, but he kept that bit to himself. He moved without thinking when he saw her reach, positioning his muzzle to where it needed to be for her nip to land. Even after all this time, it was second nature to him to compensate for her blindness. He smiled at the gesture and nudged her back.

"I thought I already gave you that for our first birthday, didn't I?" Fig quipped back, pretending to try and remember, "Or was it my firstborn's soul... I can't remember."

Then I guess you'll just have to hand over both. Breaking a deal with a witch is a pretty bad idea. She said laughingly. It had been so long since anyone wordlessly accommodated her like that, she did vaguely notice it. And it made her all the more grateful that he'd come back and would be sticking around. She'd missed this.

C'mon. We should find Bronco. He'd want to know that Fig was back too and then they could decide what area they wanted to try out next.

Fig smiled at her response and nodded in agreement, though he knew she couldn’t see. Her warning was an unnecessary one—he’d been around a “witch” long enough to know they weren’t to be trifled with. ”I wouldn’t dream of it,” he answered, bumping his shoulder against hers.

”Lead the way, Fenny,” he said with a grin. He suddenly felt like they were kids again, her charging ahead while he trailed at her shoulder, trying to keep up, gently adjusting her steps so she would stay safe though she was ultimately the one forging their path.