Moonspear daughter knows best

There was one wolf in this world that Fox trusted just as much as she trusted Peregrine. Sure, she wasn't as old and wise, and sure, she had left Redhawk Caldera, but she was family. A Redhawk. And she was probably the wolf that know both Peregrine and Fox the best, despite her obvious bias toward the both of them. But perhaps it was that bias that would point her down the right path.

@Wildfire was their daughter, and while it maybe definitely wasn't fair to involve her in this, Fox didn't know who else to turn to. She knew without asking what Nightjar would say (he had chased out his own sister), and Raven was no longer around to give such advice. It was times like these when Fox yearned for Njal or Amon to be around, those older, wiser wolves who seemed to have a steady head and be objective about such situations. Even if they had been, Fox wasn't sure she would be able to take their advice.

She stood at the edge of Moonspear, pausing only a moment before calling her lookalike daughter.

Tagging because I power-played your toon quite a bit, Kim. Punch me if you mind. :)

She was in the middle of a hunt with @Floki when her mother's call rang out in the air, catching Wildfire totally by surprise and causing her to bump right into the Beta's backside, her muzzle unfortunately stabbing him right in the family jewels. "Oh, boo, I'm sorry!" she gasped distractedly, fussing over her favorite boy in the world even as she frantically wondered why her mother was here, calling her urgently.

"Something must have happened," she said, giving the pained Floki a stricken glance. He eked out a single word—"Go"—and she nodded silently. She cast him an apologetic grimace and mouthed, "I'm sorry," even as she turned and made a beeline for the borders. The entire way there, her mind went over all the possible things that might have gone wrong to prompt Fox calling for her like this.

"Mom!" the Delta shouted when she emerged near the borderline. "What is it? What's happened? Is it the puppies?" Wildfire couldn't help but barrage her mother with questions even as she screeched to a halt in front of her dam, gently touching noses with her.

Dhole burst through the foliage, and Fox felt a strange sense of relief in seeing her. Whole, unbroken, Wildfire Redhawk. It brought a sad smile to her face, if only because Fox worried that her next litter could not possibly turn out as good as the first. How could it? They only had one parent, their mother, who was whole. Peregrine was, for lack of a better word, broken.

"They're fine," for now, as far as we know. "It's Dud," she said, burying her face in Dhole's coat for a moment. That was more comforting than anything right now. Even if her second litter was born dead, at least she had this. At least she had Wildfire and Nightjar. "He can't smell anymore. He still can't see out of his one eye. He wants to stop leading Redhawk Caldera, and I always thought I'd go with him, but... he wants me to keep leading them." These weren't thoughts she should be sharing with her child, but Fox had nowhere left to go. "Without him, I don't think the puppies will get enough to eat." And what then? They would, at best, be stunted. At worst, they would starve.

She didn't expect wisdom—or even advice—from the young Redhawk. In fact, just hearing herself out loud made things more real, more solid.

Wildfire felt relief wash over her, though it was short-lived. Fox quickly broke the bad news: something was wrong with Peregrine. He had lost his sense of smell. The young she-wolf blinked. How could something like that happen? He was still partially blind too. The knowledge that Peregrine intended to step down as Alpha slammed into Wildfire like a car into a brick wall. Her amber eyes began to bug slightly when Fox mentioned stepping down with him. Everything had been so hunky dory during their last visit just a few short weeks ago. How could everything have gone so terribly, horribly wrong?

"Mom, I..." she began, eyes pitying as she looked her dam dead in the face. "I'm sorry all of this is happening to you." Slowly, it began to dawn on her that Fox had come here seeking advice. Wildfire was at once deeply, deeply flattered... and overwhelmed. She had no idea what to tell her, though she desperately wanted to reassure her mother that everything would be okay.

"If he wants to step down, if he thinks that's best, then I guess..." she began uncertainly, then shifted slightly to add, "But I don't think you should step down! You're still—" Wildfire's voice broke off abruptly as she searched for the right word. "There's no reason you can't still be an Alpha, right? And Aunt Flea and Uncle El, they're hunters. They'll make sure nobody goes hungry. Mom, it'll be okay..."

And then, in a moment of impulsiveness incredibly out of character for her, Wildfire suddenly blurted a thought even as it occurred to her, "I'm a hunter now. I can come back and help if you need me. I'll even step up as Alpha male if it helps you guys!" Of course, that was a ridiculous notion but it was the sentiment that mattered. If they needed her, Wildfire... she would go to them.

jeebus what have i done

It wouldn't matter how much Elwood, Finley, Wildfire, and the rest of the pack could hunt. A wolf who could not pull his own weight was no wolf. That was no life to be lived. It felt more merciful to put Peregrine out of his misery than to bring him food every day. Fox could scarcely hunt for herself... she had always relied heavily on others to do it for her, but she still had a nose. She could avoid larger predators, track down scavenged meat. Peregrine wouldn't even be able to find stored caches of meat. Not without a nose to guide him.

But even still, Fox could not request that Dhole come back with her. It wasn't fair to do so, and she suddenly found herself second-guessing her trip out here. But what else was she to do? Hand the pack over to Elwood and Finley? They were certainly a more fit couple, but their home was not called Blackthorn Caldera. It was Redhawk Caldera for a reason. It was their home.

After a moment, Fox shook her head with a smile on her face. "I won't pull you from the life you are trying to build here," she assured her lookalike. Still, Fox did not have a solution to this unsolveable problem. Well, she had solutions, but they did not sit well with her. Fox had always imagined aging gracefully with Peregrine right up until their (respective) dying days.

No answers would magically come to her today.

She meant them, even though the instant the words sprang from her lips, her mind and heart both screamed, Floki! Wildfire's lower lip quivered but she stiffened the upper one to compensate and gazed steadily at Fox, making it clear her offer was genuine. But her mother quickly reassured her that she would not, could not, pull her daughter from the life she had built here.

Her lips parted to argue, to insist... but she thought of poor Floki and his bruised balls and there was part of her that was relieved to be let off the hook. "The offer's still there, even if I just stop by every once in a while with a gift basket," she murmured weakly. It would take away her time from her pack—especially Floki, whose schedule was already tight—but it was definitely a sacrifice she was willing to make for her blood.

Her amber eyes plumbed her mother's silver ones. "I really think everything will be okay, mom. Even if dad has to step down, he's still your mate and he's still our dad." She motioned loosely in the direction of her mother's middle, indicating the little lives growing in her womb. "It's crazy to think of him as anything other than an Alpha," she admitted, "but I think it'll work out."

Of course, she knew nothing of Fox's innermost thoughts, in which she was convinced Peregrine was no longer a wolf and that he would surely die. So her optimism shone through in the moment as she stepped forward and comfortingly licked the Alpha female's nose. "There's Nightjar and Raven too," she reminded her mother in a low murmur, "and Eljay and the others. Everyone will help. That's what a pack—what a family—is all about, right? 'It takes a village'...?"

"Everything is hopeless; let's just kill the weak!"

Dark thoughts swirled in Fox's mind then, contemplating ways to make Peregrine's demise swift and painless, rather than having it drag on for weeks or months. The thought of that sent her stomach turning, a less than pleasant sensation coupled with the nausea of her pregnancy. Perhaps she could lure a bear toward him, unsuspecting in his sleep. Or maybe she could simply pull him underwater long enough for his lungs to give out. Would that not be a better death than starvation?

Raven's name was the next thing she heard, and Fox's ear twitched. "Raven left us," she stated plainly, as if it were the most casual news in the world. To be fair, Raven had been distant at best since the Junior incident, and it was no real surprise that the aspiring healer had dispersed from her home when she had come of age. Saying that aloud only made it more real, more solid.

Fox was losing the family she had worked so hard for, one-by-one.

I love that Fox is plotting Perry's death... and that Wifi keeps digging the hole deeper, lol. >:)

Another blow came, this time the news of Raven's departure. This was just as absurd and upsetting (and absurdly upsetting) as the notion of her parents relinquishing their Alpha ranks. Seriously, what had happened between their first visit and this one? Wildfire's heart went out to Fox, as did her nose yet again, touching now beneath the other female's left eye. She wondered where her sister could have gone and what had prompted her to leave.

It was tempting to renew her offer. It was clear her family could use her support right now. But Floki... she thought, her heart throbbing in her chest. She loved him, no doubt about it. Could she leave him, just like that? Would he come with her? If not, could she return someday so they could be together? Thinking about it tied her heart into agonizing knots. Wildfire felt like she couldn't breathe.

Realizing she hadn't said anything for several moments, she blurted, "I'm so sorry, mom. I wish there was more I could say and do to help..." Now she fully hugged against Fox, their petite shoulders meeting and their chests pressing together so she could feel her mother's heartbeat against hers. "Everyone back home will take care of you guys..."

And then another thought hit her, like a sunbeam breaking through the clouds. "What about Papa Pan?" She felt guilty and dimwitted for not thinking of him specifically sooner, though abruptly there was a sense of relief. "He'd love to step up and help. I know it." In fact, it might even be sort of a blessing in disguise for him, even if Wildfire knew Pan would be as affected by Peregrine's dilemma as everybody else.

I need so much sleep, lol.

Fox furrowed her brow, trying to remember the last time she'd seen the strange, meek Pan. Even if he had still been around, seeing him as an alpha was laughable at best. "He left us, too," she admitted after a pause. Just like Raven, he had merely vanished one day and not returned. She liked to believe that both of them had simply found something better than Redhawk that had piqued their respective interests, or perhaps they were even together somewhere... but she knew better than to think such optimistic thoughts, especially after the events that had unfolded throughout her own life.

The red spitfire was a fighter, though, and she knew she could not go back home with nothing new. She had to think of something before she returned, even if it was unpleasant. The smart thing to do would be to consult Elwood and Finley... and although Fox was not the smartest tool in the shed (Ryan's brother actually said that, lol), the thought did occur to her. "I'll go back home," she decided, pulling gently away from her daughter. "I'll talk to Elwood and Finley." They likely wouldn't know what to do, but they might offer ideas (that Fox would probably shoot down).

"Thank you, Wildfire," she said then, licking the girl's cheek. "You are proof of some ideal that I've always had." Not that her other children were less... it was just that Dhole had always been so much more. Fox gave her daughter enough time to say her goodbyes, and then she would depart as quickly as she had arrived.

Pan was gone too. Wildfire was effectively rendered speechless. Their family was falling apart. No wonder her typically stoic mother was here, desperate for some guidance. The young adult still felt deeply honored that her mother would turn to her—before even consulting with her own Beta pair—and wished she could have done more to help put Fox's mind at ease. She didn't feel like she had done a very good job at all to comfort the ailing Alpha, though.

She mentioned talking to Elwood and Finley and Wildfire bobbed her head. "That's a good idea. That's what Betas are for," she gently reminded her dam. They were there to back up, support and help the Alphas make crucial decisions. "It'll be okay in the end, mom. If it's not okay, then it's not the end," Wildfire added, still feeling unhelpful. All she had left were her words.

The Delta met her mother's words with a thin smile. "I'll come by soon," she promised in way of response, returning Fox's lick and then standing there, feeling a little helpless and overwhelmed, as her mother turned to go. Even after she was gone, Wildfire stood there a long time, fighting an urge to run after her, before finally unfreezing her limbs and distractedly walking back into the territory to find her beau.