Sun Mote Copse the shrike to your glorious thorn

Maybe @Kiwi or @Wildfire --- open!!

Tulimaq had filled his belly with something-or-other and now, thinking of his mountain and of all the nooks and crannies he still had to explore, he was heading back. He passed along a ridge of leaning pines with their lower branches missing, like something had gusted through and cleaved away the weaknesses as the spires grew, and then over some erratic slopes until another segment of forest opened up around him — this one dense, much more dense than the rest of the hinterlands from his estimation. Had he chosen a different route then maybe his path would've been quick, but instead he was faced with various walls of woodland and dense shrubbery, leading him to grow a little frustrated despite the natural beauty of the area. He got turned around a few times; a fact he would not happily admit to. Then, as he was just starting to gather his bearings, Tulimaq came to a gap in the trees where the thin winter light glimmered on fresh snow, some of which floated in the air like motes of dust, glittering faintly; his frustrated melted away in that instant.

Following her talk with her godparents, Wildfire went in search of Kiwi and/or Sequoia. She couldn't find them on the plateau and she couldn't help but wonder: maybe they were spending time at the copse? She struck out from Redhawks territory, loping east at a steady clip, and reached the forest in under an hour. She made note of that, her heart doing a few fluttery thumps in her chest as she hit the trees and began to search for the girls' scents.

Instead, she found a stranger roaming the wood. Her plans were just that right now: plans. Wildfire did feel a slight covetousness of the copse as she woofed to announce her presence, though there was nothing territorial or even unfriendly about her demeanor as she made her approach. Just the opposite: there was a small smile on her face and a looseness about her carriage as she came to a stop a small distance away.

"Hello there." She considered asking if he'd seen the likes of Kiwi or Sequoia, yet she held her tongue and said instead, "They're pretty, aren't they?" Her golden eyes lifted to the surrounding trees for just a beat before they dropped back to his face.

He was not often struck by the beauty of his surroundings - in fact, he made a point to ignore any fanciful notions that passed through his mind. Unless those thoughts gave him aid in battle (thoughts on the terrain or tactical knowledge for instance) he did not like to cloud his mind. But he found his frustration ebbing away as he watched the specks of ice drifting in the light.

Then, a voice. He turned his ears first, then caught the contrasting glow of fox-red fur with his dark eyes. She was bigger than any fox he had ever seen, but similar in composition. On the smaller side - probably quite swift. Bit of a maze though, he drawls his counter-argument, but does not disagree.

By stark contrast, Wildfire found the woods open and airy, easy to navigate. She shrugged her shoulders and smiled, saying nothing in direct response to his remark. Her golden eyes studied him for a moment, his large—he was about twice her size—and rugged build, his copper eyes. He looked like he might be around the same age as her eldest children, a thought which sent a mild pang through her.

"I'm Wildfire Redhawk," she introduced. The surname probably indicated her allegiance loud and clear, though she did think to add, "I live with the Redhawks on the plateau west of here. How about you?"

He watched the light play through the specks of ice for only a few more moments, and when the stranger introduced herself his interest was quickly drawn away from the scenery. Redhawks — like Bat, then? His gaze lit with a curious glow as he looked her over again. Bat had been quite young, and he wondered if it was this girl's sibling; assuming because of Wildfire's size that she was quite young.

I'm living in the mountains east of here, at a place called Boartusk Heights. He spoke the name with some pride but did not elucidate - he could share that he claimed it, but without further backing he did not think it mattered. My name is Tulimaq. I've heard of your plateau - a smoke-faced girl told me about it. He watched for a reaction, and before Wifi could say anything to agree with (or refute) his statement he said, —your sister I assume.

He was equally forthcoming with his introduction, though it elicited a blink. Wildfire automatically glanced off in that direction, then turned back to him. Was there a pack there? He didn't carry the scent of many other wolves. Perhaps he was a loner then.

Before she could ask, he mentioned his familiarity with the plateau. He said something about a "smoke-faced girl" and before Wildfire could fully process that, he guessed it was her sister. "Raven?" she said with some surprise. She didn't think her sister got out much or spent time with strangers, though maybe they'd bumped into one another near the plateau.

She seemed confused and called out a name he did not know, which he corrected in the next beat, No, a girl called Bat. They were similar in build and size, maybe the other wolf was a touch larger at this point but Tulimaq wasn't able to recall her that well, their meeting having been brief. It made him wonder if the Redhawks were really as prolific as the girl had said, as he had been loitering in the forests and exploring the hinterlands for a while now but not many of them had come away from their plateau in that time. He had no knowledge of the many twists and turns in the life of the Redhawks either — he might've thought them worth avoiding had he been aware of all the tumult in their home.

She came scouting through the 'Strath, and told me about the area. A very helpful girl, I must say. And this place - it seems so popular. I hope there is room enough for me. He is musing to a stranger and doesn't notice until after, which brings a small smirk to his rugged face and as he chuckles at himself (likely relaxed by the setting, ice sparkling like constellations across the earth and in the light) he says, What brings you away from your plateau?

"Oh!" Wildfire said when he corrected her with a name. "Bat's my daughter," she made a correction of her own. It pleased her when he spoke highly of the youngster. Bat didn't much like her these days but Wildfire loved her dearly. It delighted her that Bad had taken after her exploratory ways and she just hoped they could one day explore together.

"I've heard rumors about a few packs, though as far as I know, Redhawks is the only one with a formal claim," the ambassador shared. She wondered if it would be appropriate to bring up her tentative plans, before she'd really told anyone of import. Did Tulimaq really need to know? He did want to know what brought her here.

She chewed the inside of her cheek for a long moment, then stated, "I was looking for my other daughters, actually." Sometimes it was easier to lump Sequoia in there and, especially with a nearly total stranger, there was no reason to make the distinction. Wildfire paused for another moment before revealing a partial truth: "The Redhawks pack has grown so large, there's a possibility it may branch off into a second pack. We're tentatively considering the copse."

Somehow, saying it out loud to someone outside the scope of all things Redhawk made it feel more real. Her heart skipped a beat and she wondered if she'd said too much. It did feel a little like jumping the gun. But it acknowledged the small part of her that already felt attached to the place. Though she had hardly gotten the process underway yet, it really was starting to feel less like a probability and more like a reality.

He was stunned for a moment when she revealed the truth. That she was the mother of Bat, not the sister-of, did not mesh in his mind at first. He almost made a comment on it - but realizing it might sound too forthcoming, perhaps even like a pick-up line, he held back. Her subsequent news caught in his ears and got him for invested.

The copse — oh, here, He turned and looked around, having ignored all the signs that would've made this a good place to claim until this point. It had been difficult for him to navigate but that didn't mean much, he was used to deep snow and the irregularity of the mountains rather than flat earth and endless trees. With the Heights, the forests were plentiful but he could rise above them.

Being so near an ally would be beneficial too. He wondered how close they would get to his mountain or if it mattered — there was also the Strath, and the boggy plateau to the west of the Strath ringed by mountains. Plenty of space. It is a beautiful choice, he admits. I've been told there is another pack to the west called Rosings, and a group trying to station themselves due-west from the plateau, in the dark forest. Do you know much about them?

"Yes, here," Wildfire confirmed with a dip of her smudged muzzle, a sparkle in her eye. "I think so too," she agreed, trying to stave off any urge to gush about just how much she'd started to fall in love with the copse. She'd already said a little too much. And she knew she didn't want to get ahead of herself. The copse was patently not hers, at least not yet.

But Tulimaq offered some information in exchange, which made Wildfire feel a lot better about exposing her own plans. "I met a she-wolf named Phex from Shadewood. We talked about getting our leaders together to discuss arrangements for hunting grounds. As for Rosings," she continued, shaking her head, "I don't think I know much. Bat might. We're both scouts but she's been living in the area longer."

She took a moment to chew on this information. Wildfire decided it didn't impact her own plans much, if at all. There were no packs in the immediate vicinity and she wasn't too worried about competition regardless. Her lips twitched when the word "empire" whispered through her mind again. It sounded so... mighty. Of course, the Redhawks weren't really trying to take over anything, much less wage wars or conquer peoples, but it would be a lie to say Wildfire hadn't considered the ramifications of power-annexing their corner of the hinterlands.