Emberflame Ridge Every face, every song.

Set sometime next week because I have no chill. Tags for reference. :)

After waiting for @Kukutux's heat to cease and letting @Shikoba know her plans, Towhee set out to check on her daughter. A patienter, wiser wolf would've gone around the mountains. She decided to go up and over, crossing Whitefish River and cutting through Northstar Vale, unaware of how close she came to @Ruenna's new home a few miles downrange.

By the time she reached the base of Emberflame Ridge, she couldn't decide if she was more exhausted or hungry. While she tried to decide, she flopped to the ground and promptly fell asleep. She woke sometime later to a grumbling stomach, feeling extremely disoriented as she stood and tried to get her bearings.

I realize now that its emberflame ridge, not emberwood. You can assume Rye cut up north once he hit mount apikuni.

He wanted out. Out of the den, out of the heat zone, out of the territory. As far away from the impending swamp land that was to become the glacier due to the sheer amount of excess body warmth following the breeding season. He couldn't ignore the lie that it wasn't getting to him either. The man felt dirty, adulterous even for subtly enjoying the new scents blanketing the glacier. Rye knew it was nature but he craved Imaq, no other woman was going to take her place, perhaps now was the appropriate time to slip away to search for them once again. Sure that his alphas would be too occupied with courting to notice his absence, Rye didn't mention to anyone of his intentions to leave, not even @Lane. Packing what little supplies he managed to preserve over the winter into his medkit, Rye parted from the glacier; an anxious knot settling into his gut.
He headed south west, past the Qeya river, across the Phoenix Maplewoods and finally into the swamp. Admittedly, that was a mistake. The first few steps into the wetlands of Otatso covered Ryes paws in a frozen mud, he shivered from the abrupt shock of it, his skin pricking into goosebumps; but stubbornly he carried on. Eventually the man found himself in a rhythm of dodging and weaving, bits of the wetland was frozen and sturdy enough to walk on, all it took was a sharp eye.
Finally, after an embarrassingly long time, Rye made it past the wetlands and woods, that's when he saw a familiar orange. She was a pleasant sight, the man found the corners of his mouth tugging themselves towards his ears. Rye shook out his fur and rubbed himself against a tree to remove the dirt, for a moment he was confused, unsure why he put that much effort into seeing an old friend. However, just like the dirt, he shook the thought away and called to her, a few times actually before remembering she was deaf. He rolled his eyes at himself and hustled towards her line of sight. "Uh, hey." He started rather awkwardly once he got close enough.     

That's my bad! I changed the location slightly as I saw there might be a pack settling in Emberwood and didn't want to accidentally mess with anyone's timelines, lol.

She squinted her eyes and slowly rotated 360° to ascertain her surroundings. If she wanted to expedite her mission, she should continue northeast. Towhee could even see the top of the glacier from where she stood, with so little elevation between here and there. It was tempting to simply proceed. She couldn't explain why but it felt urgent to see Meerkat and make sure she was doing okay.

But her rumbling stomach reminded her she needed to fuel up for the rest of the journey. Grumbling under her breath, she tested the air, then dropped her nose and sniffed the cold earth. She struck a scent and began to wend southward, aware that her odds of catching what smelled like a rabbit were pretty damn slim. They tended to be pretty quick. She should find a groundhog or something else fatter and slower.

She didn't hear Rye calling for her but she did notice when he put himself in her sights and closed the distance. "Rye!" she said in surprise, raising her head from where she'd been sniffing along the ground. Towhee grinned, her tail twitching. It was good to see him. "I was just heading to your neck of the woods to check on Meerkat. What're you doing out this way?"

Rye kindly smirked, sharing Towhees thoughts, it was a fair day for a chat with a friend. Although her question was less than favorable, he didn't wish to dive back into his situation. The day had started off gloomy but he wanted to give Towhee something to show for her kind words and patience during his breakdown. "I'm uh—" He paused, mulling around a few ideas, tawny eyes rolling around as his thinking progressed. "What's the word?" He bluffed. "Patrolling." A bad choice to pick, Rye realized patrolling didn't make a whole lot of sense considering the great distance between his home and the woods. "Just surveying what's around us, I decided instead of letting myself wallow in pity another day I would do something productive." Hoping to solidify his lie, he put on an ear to ear smile, his tail lightly swaying. There was truth in the lie, having every intention to thoroughly pick apart the land, like any pack wolf might do patrolling their border, with aims to find a clue missed in the whereabouts of his family; so the man did not completely feel bashful for his deceitful words. Pulling his agouti tail to rest by his haunches once he sat, Rye posed his own question. "How is Meerkat doing? Last me and her left off she seemed bothered but she wouldn't tell me why. At the time I didn't express it but I was concerned." Of course the man left out he was a bit of a pompous ass towards her because Towhee was a momma bear and Rye was very aware of that. 

Nw!

The smirk caught her by surprise. He seemed to be in much better spirits now than during their last rendezvous. Once she overcame her surprise, Towhee felt happy for her friend. Time had begun to heal his wounds. He explained that he was out surveying, mentioning he would rather patrol the surrounding territories than spend any more time wallowing. Her tail waved approvingly.

She sensed Rye didn't want to talk about it any further than that, even before he questioned her about Meerkat. His query earned a sharp look from her, wondering what he meant by "bothered." Before Towhee answered, she reflected on her various and brief meetings with her daughter. How much of Meerkat's personal business should she share? He was a trusted friend and Meerkat's own pack mate, though it didn't seem like it was Towhee's place.

"She's about to turn two," she replied, "so you know what that means." She gave Rye a lecherous look, then laughed. "I warned her what it might be like, though I'm hoping she doesn't take after me in that regard. I'm sure I don't need to remind you..." Towhee huffed another laugh, thinking back. "Shit, Rye, I think you were my first, weren't you?" The first of many, including—if memory served—the one she'd boinked right in front of Rye's face. Towhee cringed a little at her past self.

"Anyway," she said after clearing her throat, "before I head to the glacier, I was going to grab a snack. Can I borrow you for a little bit?" Towhee didn't actually wait for an answer, she moved past him, nudging him to get him to come along and continuing the conversation by saying, "You know, I was actually thinking of you the other day..."

Sorry for the wait, I got covid. Been pretty out of it lately.

It started to make sense, why Meerkat wasn't willing to talk about herself. Rye felt a pang of embarrassment for her and himself but quickly soothed it by reminding himself he meant no harm. There was sympathies felt for the yearling, Rye could still recall his own changes and how they would whirl him around in a typhoon of confusion and anger, he definitely did not envy his packmate. Towhee laughed and Rye played along, until she mentioned he was her first. His laugh choked up into a cough as he inhaled some of his saliva, the ensuing sheeping feeling encroached up his neck and to his face. "Damn, yeah, I completely forgot we did that.." He admitted. Much like Towhee, Rye cringed at himself too for his past lack of self composure. He hoped Meerkat didn't know of their fling, surely, he thought, Towhee kept that secret.

Moving on the orange streaked woman asked for his assistance in hunting, being more than happy to help Rye nodded. "Lead the way!" He chimed. The man followed beside his former packmate, keeping his snout to the air but occasionally dipping it low to the ground. He kept his silence going until Towhee opened things up to further conversation. She mentioned she had thought about him, that struck Ryes curiosity and he gave her an interested glance. "Oh?" He hummed. "Good or bad?" He jested.

I hope you’re feeling better. No apologies needed!

She gave him the side eye when he asked, “Good or bad?” Had she ever thought a bad thought about him in her life? Towhee blew a raspberry in his direction.

Before I tell you, let me first throw out a disclaimer. Don’t feel obligated, it wasn’t a super serious thought. That said, I think you should give it some serious thought. She let that cliffhanger dangle for a few steps before telling him, I was wondering if you’d maybe like to come to Moonglow and get a fresh start. The wolves there are nice, but it’d be nice to have someone I consider a good longtime friend with me.

Her tail flicked and she glanced at him, trying to read his expression. Towhee realized he might think there was some kind of romantic implication in there. There wasn’t. She assumed it would be some time before he’d even consider looking for another partner, so soon after losing his wife and son, so there shouldn’t be any danger of a misunderstanding here. Because Towhee certainly wasn’t intending to ever partner up again. She should probably clarify, just in case.

She gazed at the side of his face and instead said nothing, waiting to see what Rye would make of it, what he might say.

<3

[size=small]The aura around Towhee changed, from blowing raspberries to issuing a disclaimer. The shift put him on edge, his own demeanor settled into businesslike. Although Towhee reassured him it wasn't entirely serious, that didn't stop his brain from wondering what she was about to lay onto him. She told him to consider what she had to say, with that statement Ryes anticipation upscaled. 

Moonglow, a pack not too far from his current residence, that was what Towhee offered. A place to start anew, she said, and a place they could enjoy each others company. Rye opened his mouth to speak, preparing to sharply reject her offer. The perceived connotations of abandoning his family bittered him, how could he up and leave his home? However, he kept his silence close to chest. His expression contorted, brows stitching together and his jaw tightening as he gave genuine consideration to his friends offer. He thought about what it meant to start new, what it would entail. Would he be admiting defeat that his family will not return by leaving the pack in which his wife and him founded? Would he be abandoning his pack in a time of need? Rye hadn't stayed in the loop much but he knew the pack was cosidering moving due to the disease in the herds.

His face softened, he breathed deep and sighed. "Starting new," He began, nearly a whisper. "I still have hope my family will return. I feel if I leave I am betraying them, giving up on them too soon." He admitted reluctantly. Being around Towhee didn't sound like a bad idea, she had given him company in his time of need. Their friendship had lasted nearly a year of separation and Rye knew it was time they catch up. The man did miss her company lately anyhow but he feared what moving on might mean. Rye looked to Towhee for guidance, moving wasn't completely out of the realm of possibility but it would take some convincing; though the man would not explicitly say it.[/size]

It was actually mildly entertaining, watching the different expressions floating across Rye’s face. As she stared at him, another thought hit her, totally unbidden. Could Rye be the exception? They’d known one another so long and remained friends through the ups and downs of life. If they lived in the same place again for the first time in years, could that develop into something more? It might even be worth the risk, knowing what she knew about Rye. She couldn’t imagine anything he might do to jeopardize the relationship.

But then he spoke and she focused her eyes on his lips. Her heart sank a little and Towhee found herself swallowing an unprecedented amount of disappointment. But she told him, I get it, truthfully enough, playing it casual. Like I said, there’s no obligation. I just wanted to throw it out there, y’know? She smiled softly at him. It was stupid to have even entertained that train of thought anyway, she knew.

So, maybe a rabbit? she said in the next minute. If she’d possessed the ability to convey tone, willingly or otherwise, she might’ve sounded a little brittle.

Towhee reassured Rye again there was no obligation, he felt none but was still gratful for the reassurance. "Don't get me wrong Towhee, your offer is something worth taking but I know I need time." He told truthfully. "Thank you for offering." The man smiled, nudging his companions shoulder with his muzzle. Rye knew little about Moonglow, only the general area they resided in but in his opinion, if Towhee was staying there then it was a fine place to start new.

With hunting becoming the main focus Rye had a strong appetite for something bigger than a rabbit. His soot nose lifted in the air, smoke bellowing from his nostrils and curling like the tendrils of an octopus. A soft breeze delivered what he hoped for, a cervidae. "Are you willing to hunt something bigger? There is a disease going around with the herds but we may be far enough away from the main herd that this one on the wind may be okay." He suggested. Rye wanted a fresh kill to stuff into his medkit and a deer would offer lots of good meat to dry and preserve.

[size=small]

Should we roll this hunt? Depending on Towhees reaction I think we can at least let this deer be sick free. Lmk!

[/size]

Rye thanked her again, saying he needed time. Towhee nodded her understanding, then pushed the entire subject from her mind. Of course, she couldn’t entirely master her emotions, something about the exchanging leaving her feeling queerly hollow.

She could see his mouth moving out of the corner of her eye and turned, refocusing on the task at hand. Oh, uh… Towhee considered it a moment, thinking of the caribou that had come stomping into Moonglow’s temporary camp. She shook her head. I don’t want to take that sort of risk. On a scale of one to ten, I’m maybe a three on the skills scale. Besides, she wanted to grab something quickly and be on her way to see Meerkat.

But if rabbits weren’t enough for Rye, maybe there was a compromise in here somewhere? I’ve seen some goats around, she mused aloud, thinking of their horns, and we could always— Towhee’s voice cut off abruptly as the two of them stumbled across the picked-over remains of a caribou just sitting there at the foot of the ridge, as if it had fallen from a great height.

There wasn’t much left to the carcass, but perhaps there were enough scraps to satisfy a pair of wolves. Towhee stopped and looked over at Rye, her eyebrows raised.

Hope this works! :P

I know Towhee explained her recent life to Rye but I would like to know the depth of her explanation FFR, if you could pm me with details that would be awesome!

 

He understood, having no qualms with taking the extra time to hunt down a few small mammals. The man nodded and kept his pace, his nose open to all scents that crossed their paths. Towhee mentioned goats, an acceptable alternative for him Rye started to hum in agreement until they stumbled across a caribou carcass. What luck. It was down to its bones but meat still clung to its hips and ribs, entrails strung between its ribs as well. About the same time Towhee looked at Rye, he looked at her, his own brows raised in asking of a similar unspoken question. He chuckled through his nose at their synced thoughts and motioned for Towhee to have first pickings. "Eat your fill first, you probably need get going to see Meerkat, I'm sure she'll be happy to see you." He sat himself besides the carcass, inspecting its innards and formulating a barebones plan on what to do with it.  

I slid into your DMs. :)

Dude, Towhee countered, there’s plenty here for both of us, if we aren’t afraid of a little work. I’ll take the ass end, you take the head. Go on, scoot, she urged, flapping a paw in the face of any protest Rye might want to raise.

She settled down beside what remained of the caribou’s hindquarters, gnawing at the strips of meat clinging to the bones. It did take some time to extricate a meal’s worth, yet by the time an hour passed, Towhee felt like she’d filled the tank well enough.

I do need to get going, though I want you to think about what we talked about. Even if you don’t want to come live there—which I get, that’s totally fine—you’re more than welcome to drop by and visit me if you’re ever, y’know, bored or whatever.

"Okay, okay." He laughed, brushing Towhees paw away from his face. One of her greatest features, in Rye's eyes, was her mastery in humor. It was an ability he wished he could master, to spark laughter no matter where he went, under any circumstances. Rye gazed at the caribous rump out of the corner of his eye, a little jealous Towhee got the ass meat but rather than asking to switch he simply gnawed on the shoulder meat resting on the scapula. 

"Fret not, I promise to give it some more serious thought. I'll be sure to let you know the minute I make my decision," He paused. "Well maybe not the minute but same day delivery." He huffed out a half laugh. "See you around Towhee." He waved her goodbye as she went on her way, looking back to the left overs to see if he could scrounge up any useful meat or hide.