Grouse Thicket king of the road

He really didn't like the situation he had gotten locked in to, but he would have to make the best of it. After his encounter with Bruges (which never failed to leave him feeling resentful and buzzing with a low adrenaline rush) he had headed south to where the scent of his sister was stronger. He didn't want to go too far since he wasn't clear on where she lived exactly, but when he finally stopped for a rest he was in a thicket ripe with signs of life.

There were abandoned nests in the underbrush, some with feathers worked in to them, others with spoiled little eggs that were splattered with color. He'd found a few of these abandoned eggs and thought he could get a bite to eat before embarking on this stupid bet — but with some investigation Ambrose discovered why they had been discarded. Most didn't hatch because they were too small, others were cracked open and had cooked in their shell thanks to the season. None of them were edible, so he passed them by.

Ambrose took his time to formulate a plan, or try to, but as he came to the edge of the thicket on the southern side he realized he'd been wasting time. He had no idea how to go about charming any ladies — that was Bruges for you, giving him this ridiculous task. First things first, he muttered to himself as he strode along an expanse of exposed grass, I should find @Niamh and see if there's room.

So, he did that: he cast his head back and called for his sister. His deep voice carried across the rolling expanse and across the distant plateau. The game, as they say, had begun.

entered with permission

Well, she wasn't Niamh, but hopefully she would do.  It was weird to hear a call so close to the Redhawks that she didn't recognize... especially since it wasn't on the border.  But she happened to be in Grouse Thicket because hey, isn't she always?

She approached with her typical casual, charismatic demeanor, chest puffed out as she assessed him.  Maybe he was familiar and maybe he wasn't; she really couldn't say... but well, while she was here he could at least answer some questions.

Wahey.  'Sup, dude?

His summoning did the trick, sort of. The sound of his voice had faded on the wind, and he was left waiting for a couple of minutes when a figure stepped out of the criss-crossing shadows. As soon as the summerlight touched upon the stranger he was reminded of Niamh — but he was also expecting her and didn't consider that this person was red and not exclusively gold.

His face lit up and he greeted them, Hey what's up! But then it clicked. Without missing a beat he stepped closer to her with an inquisitive once-over with his clear blue eyes, and noticed that this girl carried his sister's scent (among others).

I'm looking for family, Ambrose mentioned without trying to sound cryptic or anything, but whoops, he probably did. The boy was a bit distracted by the look of the girl — she seemed almost familiar but that made absolutely no sense. Maybe he was just homesick. Maybe he was trying too hard not to see this girl as a potential target for his stupid bet with Bruges. Oh well.

Whiff.  It pretty much went right over her head, because she's more or less clueless.  She'd kind of stopped paying attention to what strangers thought of her after Raven and Sunny.  Well uh, that doesn't give me much to go off there, does it bud?  She teased with an easy snort.  He sure didn't look like he could be related to anyone here... but hey, he'd called for Niamh, hadn't he?  Hmm.  She might.  Better.  Go.

Uh, I'm related to like, ninety percent of the pack but it looks like you called for the one I'm not.  She laughed nervously, took a step back.  Hey wait, are you the brother that got all fucked up on mushrooms?

She caught on to his vagueness quickly and he couldn't help the smirk that spread easily across his face; she was right, of course. But then things took quite a turn — the pack he'd found was composed mostly of her family, whoever she was. That surprised him only because Ambrose couldn't picture his rambunctious sister sitting still for long, let alone surrounding herself with a bunch of strangers the way he'd done months ago. Then again, maybe she did find a place for herself here — and that meant Ambrose would have to protect her (and whatever she'd cultivated) all the more.

—Are you the brother that got all fucked up on mushrooms? Wait, what? That didn't sound like him. It sounded very much like a stupid choice made by his older brother, but then again, Ambrose couldn't help thinking of the guys at Red Rock and their stupid pranks; he had lost time while he was staying with them.

Best to trust his gut on this one.

I don't think so, that didn't sound confident enough. He let out a light chuckle as he explained, I'm Ambrose, the uh, responsible one, I guess you could say. This conversation was making him wonder if he should really be here at all. It seemed like Niamh had made some friends (maybe replaced her whole family with another one), but then he remembered the bet.

Crap.

Who um, are you? A friend of Niamh? Where was she? Hopefully she'd be along soon. Unless he misjudged the path again, and maybe she wasn't living here at all...?

After having a quick chat with Bruges on her way to find Ambrose, Niamh practically bolted through the thicket, tail waving high above her haunches. She didn't pay much attention to any other scent in the area once she caught his tracks, and beat a direct path along his trail. It was almost too good- first her older brother- even though he could be a bit of a stick in the mud, she still loved him- and now her littermate. And while Bruges had never been fond of rough-housing, she knew she wouldn't have to hold back with Ambrose, or worry about him stepping out of the way with the same, wicked-fast movement that Bruges had. 

She made a fair racket as she ran, leaping over some bushes but ploughing through a fair amount of the other ones, getting her blonde fur all covered in small sticks and burrs as she went, but she knew she was close. She caught Ceara's scent but didn't pay her any mind- and didn't even slow her pace when she saw the two together in the distance. If nothing else, Niamh lowered her head and put on an extra burst of speed, making a beeline toward her brother. 

She was still a good few paces from him when, in a manner most unprofessional when it came to greeting another wolf, she bellowed. Aaaaaaaamm-BRO!" She said, extending the first syllable of his name until the moment she hurled herself at him, losing the last couple of letters of his name in boisterous, raucous laughter. She knew the impact would hurt, but she didn't care- they'd never held back before, so she certainly wasn't going to hold back now.

still not sure what to reference here re: red rock, so i'll just go ahead and pull her so i'm not holdin' yall up!

She wasn't sure if she should be relieved or disappointed; Ceara wasn't the most responsible girl in the world (despite valuing her duties over anything else).  Oh, she said with a polite dip of her head, before something very loud started to tear through the trees behind her.

Um.  Something.  Like that. Not really.  SHe cast a glance behind her to see a blur of gold smack into him, and she took the opportunity to see herself out.  See ya!

He got a short answer from the girl, and watched as his chances to complete a good portion of the bet evaporated; they both startled to the sound of thundering feet and the boisterous voice of Niamh, and while Ambrose turned to meet the oncoming force that was his sister, the red-coated girl took her chance to flee. He did not see her go, and likely wouldn't think about her vanishing until later.

Niamh came careening out of nowhere, and slammed right in to him. She wasn't subtle in her approach, but the way she launched herself still took him by surprise, most of which erupted as laughter from his inky face. He was grinning from ear to ear and trying not to fall right on his ass as she tackled him, but there was nothing he could do—Ambrose went down, and he playfully grappled for his sister as he did it.

Niamh noticed Ceara's swift departure out of the corner of her eye but given the fact she was hurtling at her brother, there was not really much she could do to stop her packmate from being fickle and running off at the mere sight of her. She hadn't seen much of Ceara since she'd been promoted to leadership- which, of course, she attributed to the fiery female's jealousy. But she didn't care- it didn't make her a great packmate, if she was so caught up in her own immature emotions that she couldn't simply forget her jealousy and move forward in the pack. 

She collided roughly with her brother, knocking him over and erupting into laughter as she too snapped harmlessly at his legs and ears as he did the same to her, until eventually she rolled off him, kicked a few pawfuls of dirt at him for good measure and shook her own pelt out. "How ya been, brosef?" She asked,  before she quipped "Missed you!"

He wasn't down for long, and when he was back on his feet his tail was swatting through the air as he rounded after her. He was still laughing, but eventually sighed and responded, Oh you know, kicking ass and takin' names. Had to leave the dudes eventually —

Not that he wanted to get in to that. It was hard not to divulge everything right then and there now that he had his best friend back, but he held back. Explaining what happened at Red Rock would mean talking about Bruges and then, possibly, losing that bet. Ambrose refused to let that happen even if it was just a stupid game — it was Bruges. He couldn't let him win.

And I missed you, so it was a win-win. Just didn't really know where the heck you went! That was fixed now, obviously. When I came across your scent I had to find you. So, sis, whaddup? He pranced around her until he said this, and then leaned in conspiratorally and waggled his eyebrows — he wanted details.

Niamh nodded. None of those yearlings had made much of an impression on her- none of them had any skills that had wowed her, but at least Ambrose had gotten his kicks in steering them this way and that. She'd thought they were sort of losers- but was proud of her brother for stepping in and taking charge, even if they'd been pretty rough around the edges. Needless to say, she was glad that he'd left that sort of situation in search of bigger fish to fry. 

He asked what she'd been up to, and she shrugged- though her tail waving from side to side, curled over her back. Not as a show of dominance- but in a playful sort of manner. She and Ambrose had always beat up on each other, but there had never really been a power struggle. She'd always seen him as her equal, through thick and thin. "Well, I joined a pack, not far from here- same one Ceara there is in." She said, nodding her head in the direction that Ceara took off in. "Been there a few months; I'm the gamma now, a leader," She said, with a tinge of bashfulness to her voice. She'd never exactly had the ambition of being a leader, until she'd joined the Redhawks. "Got myself a man and everything. I guess...Guess you could say I've kind of settled down?" She said apprehensively- not quite sure how her brother would take that.

He positioned himself next to her as she talked and bumped shoulder-to-shoulder, playfully herding her in to a walk.

Gamma! Shit, he was impressed. Lowkey overwhelmed at the prospect of trying to reach that tier of respect in a freaking month, as per the rules of the bet, but he played off his shock as if it were genuine surprise she could've gotten so far — and it played in to his actual shock when she mentioned having a boyfriend.

This was Niamh — not shy, but certainly not interested in that kind of stuff. Driven to excell the same way he was, wanting to be the very best. She seemed more relaxed than usual though, even with his sudden appearance. Had this pack changed her that much? Ambrose was curious but didn't voice his thoughts, and soon redirected his energy to something more important (er, important to him anyways): I guess you're in charge of recruiting?

There it was, the big cheesy grin. Looked good on him, but it was his usual crocodile smile and he was really playing it up. Mind if I crash the party?

Niamh moved alongside her brother, falling into step with him. Their shoulders matched in height, but her brother had definitely filled out much more than she had- or ever would. She nodded in response to his question, but gave him a slightly puzzled look when he asked about recruiting. She felt slightly conflicted- and even more so when he alluded to the pack being a party. She shook her head, and did her best to lessen the blow. 

"It's not all party time, man." She said, her tone darkening. Though she loved the wolves in the pack- they had certainly been through more than she would have anticipated when she'd first joined. And had she been forewarned about what would inevitably happen, she wasn't sure she would have gone through with it. "It's actually been kind of nuts. Had to go on a manhunt for a packmate who attacked our alpha, had to fend off a cougar," She said, turning the left side of her face toward him to indicate the clawmarks across her brow and cheek, and lifted her lip to reveal as well where her upper left canine had been torn out. "Lost that too," She said. "So it's...It's a lot of hard work," She said. "Not that I don't think you could do it....I just...I want you to know what you might be getting yourself into."

At first it sounded like she was saying no, and he hesitated a step. The more he listened the more it sounded like Niamh was trying to talk him out of it. Was this what Bruges expected? Had he been keeping tabs for a while, then, and assumed Ambrose couldn't even make it in the front door? The boy's spinal fur prickled in a wave as he considered this, coinciding with a feeling of irritation.

It's a lot of hard work, Niamh drawled.
He raised his brows at that.
Of course it is, but we've always been good at the hard stuff.

He wasn't going to be told off, or made to run for the hills, and she knew it. Ambrose wasn't going to accept anything aside from a warm welcome. I'll do whatever it takes. Red Rock didn't work out for me — those idiots were too young, too stupid, and all about the party. That isn't me, not really. And you know that. It made him feel weird having to convince his own sister, his best friend, that it would be worth a shot.

Normally- and had Niamh not been a part of the leadership- she would have put her own reputation on the line, without hesitation, for Ambrose. But given the fact they'd been separated for some time now, and she'd been promoted to leadership, things were different. Ambrose had taken on Red Rock simply because he knew he could do it- because those wolves would have followed anyone with charm and the ability to make decisions. Ambrose was as diplomatic as any wolf could ever be- and he'd actually had the drive to lead, whereas Niamh hadn't. If their positions had been switched, she could only imagine how well Ambrose would have done in her stead with the Redhawks. She'd never wanted to lead- but like him, had always been keen to do hard work with a smile. 

In the end, she knew he could do it- so long as he knew he'd have to pull his weight. She felt slightly guilty, and hoped that the others would respect her decision should she allow him to join the pack- she'd known Ambrose inside and out at one point- and would have trusted him with her life. All she could do was hope that he was the same wolf. "I know," She said, finally. Was she taking advantage of her position by allowing her brother to join the pack? She reflected on it for a moment- and then remembered that the majority of the pack had been allowed to join because they were family. This was Niamh's little corner of the pack growing, if only by one wolf. And really, Screech had been added to the pack likely because of his family ties, and look where he'd ended up- but neither Towhee nor Niamh had been crucified because of how he'd ended up. Nothing could be worse than that, right?

"Alright. But you gotta hold your weight. And we don't like deserters," She said, trailing off slightly. "I'm actually kind of a mercenary; I'm trained to hunt down deserters." She said. Naturally, she couldn't exactly make any excuses for her brother- not that she expected she'd need to. "Just don't make me have to hunt down and boot your ass into next Tuesday," She threatened playfully.

Everything was coming up aces for Ambrose — it didn't take much convincing after all, and he watched as her mind worked over everything that had been said. As she spoke he felt a weight lift off his shoulders and as a result, his head lifted and he took on his usual swagger. Dude! I won't ditch. I know, we got all split up before — but that was you leaving, not me. I couldn't exactly — y'know, leave Red Rock, it was everything I've ever wanted. But he trailed off there a bit, glancing away from Niamh as he gathered his thoughts; now was not the time to get so passionate. He muttered, Sorry. It just... Didn't work out. This will.

All thoughts of the bet were thrown from his mind for the time being, and he regarded Niamh with the steely conviction he'd always carried. Every time they went adventuring together, or made plans, and all those promises they'd passed between one another as kids — he looked at her now and swore a silent promise in that expression. But just for clarity he said, You can trust me Niamh, we're family.

He smirked then, relaxing in the moment, Besides — we've always been an even match.

It felt for a second like Ambrose might have been criticizing her for leaving Red Rock- but his confession turned to be more one of committiment, then anything. He'd wanted a pack- and she'd wanted to wander along with no responsibility. He'd always been the one who'd been more cut out for pack life, out of the two of them, but things had changed once Niamh had found a pack that could actually appeal to her. So if she could find a pack that could do that for her, it would be easy enough for Ambrose. She'd just have to believe that he wouldn't quit on her.

She snickered when he mentioned that they'd been equals, and she nodded, but thumped her shoulder against his. "We have been. Unfortunately, ya gotta kinda start at the bottom, pal. I can't like...Y'know, abuse all this magnificent power I've been given and stick you in right next to me in the ranks," She said. "But if I know you- and I'm purdy sure I do- you'll be sittin' pretty in no time." She said.

It worked.

He wasn't surprised that it worked. Things tended to work out for Ambrose, and that was the reason he took the failing of Red Rock so hard; but as soon as Niamh started giving him lip about his rank he knew he'd won her over.

Gimme a week or two, we'll see where I stand, he jested and playfully nipped at Niamh's cheek as a sign of affection. Who knows, maybe by the end of the month I'll have taken over the place. Then we can really party! He was laughing as they walked together, with Niamh leading him back towards the pack — his new home.

Time to get to work.

Niamh rolled her eyes, and nipped back at Ambrose. He seemed pretty intent on having the pack become a party- but maybe that was what the pack needed- a bright, optimistic and friendly guy to help make things a bit less serious and dreary. "Whatever, Am-Bro," She said, but couldn't help the smile on her face. "Good to have you back," She said, and led her brother toward his new home- one they could finally party in share.