Sun Mote Copse The more I see, the less I know

Made a few assumptions -- hope all is okay! If not, just nudge me and I can edit! :)

So, @Finley and Elwood had missed Wildfire's original call a few days before. And, let's be honest -- it was because they were kerflomping on the other side of the plateau. (Hey, they were old, but they weren't dead yet!)

But today, they happened to be taking a morning stroll along the territory's eastern edge when they heard their goddaughter's voice. Elwood stopped in his tracks and looked in that direction, ears standing tall. Luckily, neither he nor Finley seemed to be losing their hearing yet, so they both deciphered the message quickly and shared a glance. They didn't even need to discuss it; they began to pick their way carefully down from the plateau and into unclaimed land.

The journey wasn't particularly far, but it still took them a good few hours at a leisurely pace to accommodate Finley's bum hip. Luckily, it was a straight shot and an easy trek across the snowy landscape. As they neared the gathering of tall trees, they paused and Elwood noted that there was already evidence of Wildfire's claim here. Atta girl, he thought, and then, with a smile, he howled to let @Wildfire know they had arrived.

The trip from the Plateau to the Copse hadn't been nearly as bad as Finley had feared. She'd begun performing physial therapy sessions with @Raven under the medic's (kinda strict yeesh) recommendation. She hadn't believed it would help at all, and probably still didn't. But she had managed this little sojourn, so maybe there really was some hope. But probably not. Anyway.

Fin let her mate do the summoning as she began to pick her way along the freshly marked borders, peeking, sniffing, and prodding here and there as she went. She had Elwood hadn't fully discussed their own plans yet - too much hinged on what others would do for them to make any final determination - but still, the Blackthorn paused eventually and turned to her mate with a bit of a puppy dog look and admitted, "I already like this place better than the Plateau." Which didn't mean they should go, but it did mean she'd have some envy to get over if they stayed.

Her godparents had never shown up the other day and Wildfire hadn't gotten around to badgering someone else to try; she had been quite busy hunting, patrolling and recruiting a surprising number of new folks. Firebirds was off to a promising start for sure, which put an extra pep in Wildfire's step despite how badly she could use a nap right about now. But what was better than sleep to refresh her? The sound of her uncle's voice calling from the copse's western border.

Promptly abandoning her hunt, she loped through the woods, kicking up a shower of sparkling snow as she went. When the trees thinned and she saw those familiar gray faces looking (admiringly, she liked to think) toward the copse, she grinned. She slowed as she closed the distance, offering first Finley and then Elwood a lick and a nudge.

"Welcome to Sun Mote Copse! I'm glad you two made it here. How's your hip?" Wildfire said, chestnut eyes drifting to Finley.

As they waited for Wildfire's arrival, Elwood watched as Finley checked out what she could see and smell of the new territory. He stayed put, although his eyes roved appreciatively over the landscape. It was pretty, especially encrusted in snow, and he nodded when Finley admitted that she already preferred its aesthetic to that of the plateau. He wasn't sure how he would compare the two just yet; in classic Elwood fashion, he would take all things into consideration before making a decision.

The soon-to-be Alpha of the copse greeted them only a few moments later, and the pride she felt was evident in her expression. Elwood smiled as she gave them both a verbal and nonverbal welcome, then asked after Finley's hip during their journey. "She did good," he replied, then quieted to allow his mate to answer for herself.

Elwood didn't respond to her comment, which was all well and good because Wildfire was soon arriving to greet them. She didn't really want to get anyone's hopes up yet, nor did she want to preemptively disappoint. They hadn't exactly been invited to join their goddaughter in this new pack of hers, but that wasn't going to stop Fin from inviting herself if it suited her. The issues Wildfire had raised about too many remaining at the Plateau were valid. And on a more instinctive level, Fin didn't much like the idea of remaining in a pack with so many other breeding pairs, both official and potential. Quixote was right - Spring was going to be a damn mess, and she kind of liked the idea of separating herself from it, much as she loved all of her little sexually active hooligans.

Fin trotted back to Elwood's side as Wildfire came up, returning her greeting with an affection nip. She cast a wry smirk at her mate as he answered for her, then turned to her niece. "Well, it hasn't fallen off yet, so I call that a win," Fin answered with a smile. Not wanting to linger on the topic of her handicap, she peered over Wiffle's shoulder at the glowing woods. "How goes peein' everywhere?" she asked.

It didn't seem to be bothering her and that gladdened Wildfire. Maybe that meant her godparents would be able to visit on a regular basis. She liked that idea. Of course, they could stay here too. She didn't want to be greedy, though, and she knew there were lots of factors that would weigh into that decision. She would make sure they knew they were welcome here, anytime, temporarily or on a more permanent basis.

For now, she flashed Finley a smile. "It's going super well. It turns out my scent is like a siren's song. I've had several wolves show up here and pledge to join us: Fluke, Corinna, Wraen and maybe her sister, Maia. We did lose Buckshot but I think we're in really good shape." Her black tail fanned the cold January air as she looked between Finley and Elwood. She knew they'd been uncertain about her numbers, so hopefully this news reassured them.

"So, are you ready for a tour? Just beware: once you see the copse, you'll never want to leave." Wildfire winked, then couldn't resist adding. "Which would be absolutely fine with me."

The topic naturally turned to the whole reason they were there: Wildfire's new pack. Elwood was pleased to hear that she had already gathered a few potential recruits from outside the Redhawks, and even found that he recognized one of the names Wildfire mentioned. "Wraen from the Sunspire?" he asked. He wondered briefly about what circumstances had caused her to leave Rannoch and Liffey's pack, but it seemed almost like fate since she was a relative of Wildfire through Peregrine's sister Osprey.

He chuckled when Wildfire invited them into her new home and suggested that they wouldn't ever want to depart. He glanced at Finley and then nodded. "We're ready," he said, taking a few steps towards the copse.

Finley smirked at Wildfire's answer. The concept of her niece's pee being alluring made her giggle, but she tried to do the mature thing and keep it to herself. She listened to the list of names for anything she recognized and wasn't surprised to come up empty-handed. Not even Buckshot rang a bell, though she did suspect that it should have considering the way Wildfire spoke of him or her or whoever.

Apparently Elwood did not have the same lack of recognition. She shot him a glance as he commented on Wraen and furrowed her brow. She supposed they'd met her when they'd gone to visit their grandkids, but she was drawing a blank. There had been that one girl, but her name hadn't been Wraen. It had been Maggie (it hadn't). When did he run off to rendezvous with some bitch named Wraen?

Fin nodded mechanically at the invitation to tour the woods, smiling just as mechanically when Elwood met her gaze and accepted. After a moment of looking at his face, it occurred to her that she was being a dumb ass. Her smile softened and she looked at her goddaughter again. "Yeah! And maybe some of your new packmates will be around and we can say hi to them too," she added, unable to help herself.

Elwood seemed to know one of the names. "Um, I'm not sure," Wildfire answered, wracking her brain. She couldn't remember any mentions of Sunspire, though it was entirely possible she'd simply forgotten. "But probably. Wraen and Maia are actually my cousins on my dad's side; their mom is my Aunt Osprey. Did you know her? I only met her once, though I knew her mate—their dad—pretty well: my Uncle Dante." Finley probably knew him, from way back in the Blacktail Deer Plateau days.

Regarding the tour, the Sovereign didn't bother pointing out any particular landmarks. For one, the copse spoke for itself. There was no itinerary here, she just wanted her godparents to enjoy the place at their own pace. Also, Wildfire hadn't really gotten around to memorizing too many of its specific features, much less naming them. All of that would come in time.

"Fluke's real name is Finbar," Wildfire casually mentioned to her godmother, "so if we run into him, you may have to duke it out over who's the real Fin."

"Come to think of it, Maia sounds familiar too. I think we met her when we visited Liffey," Elwood mused aloud, although it didn't really matter all that much. What was important was that Wildfire liked them and that they would potentially help her make the sister pack a reality. In response to Wifi's question, he said, "I met Wraen back at the caldera right before we moved. She was just gathering some information about her family and wanted to know about Peregrine and Fox."

With that discussion likely settled, he focused his attention on their surroundings as they began to move through the territory. It certainly was pretty; even in winter, the trees overhead caused the sunlight to filter through hazily, dappling the ground and forest features around them. At the mention of Fluke's real name, Elwood chortled and glanced at Finley. "Uh oh," he said playfully.

Fin set off with her companions readily, her gaze moving all about to take in the sights the woods had to offer. She liked what she saw. She'd always been more partial to wide, open spaces, which the copse somehow accomplished in spite of all the trees. The Plateau could boast the same, but there was something about the canopy overhead that made Fin feel protected, much like the walls of the Caldera had. Plus, she liked all the little glowy things, whatever they were. The Caldera hadn't even had glowy things.

Her attention had definitely wandered from the conversation, but it snapped back when she heard the name Dante. "Dante? Oh man, he was--" she paused as her gaze moved to Elwood and she amended her comment mid-sentence, "--such a nice dude. We lived at Blacktail Deer Plateau together before I left with your dad for the Caldera. I always wondered what happened to him." She looked at her mate and smiled innocently, letting the plus he was damn good-looking comment stay right where it belonged in her head.

At the comment about some dude named Finbar, Finley just smirked. "He can suck it - we all know he ain't got nothin' on Aunt Flea," she said as she looked away at their surroundings again. It hadn't been the first time she'd met someone else named Fin. Actually, Finn had been smokin' hot too. How odd that this conversation was bringing up all the sexy bastards from her past, and with her current and most favoritest sexy bastard like right there.

She snickered quietly at Elwood's warning, then Finley's colorful reply. She might be getting older and wiser, yet Wildfire hoped her godmother would always be able to trash talk like a teenager. It was charming, somehow. Although Wildfire wasn't one for swearing much, she certainly appreciated a well-placed epithet and quietly enjoyed others' foul mouths (as long as any curses weren't sent her way, of course).

"Fortunately—for him, I mean—he seems to go by his nickname." She chuckled again, rolling to a stop as they reached the clearing. "I hope we bump into him. I think you'd like him. Anyway, this is more or less the heart of the copse. It might make a good rendezvous site," Wildfire observed casually, giving her godparents a moment before resuming the walk, quickly reaching the far edge of the little glade and leading into more trees.

"The rear of the territory is probably my favorite," she shared as they strolled along. "There's a river, right below the mountain. It's really pretty, plus it makes a pretty great borderline." A smirk played on her lips. "I think there might be some caves up in the rocks, though with all the ice, I haven't dared explore that possibility yet."

It was really too bad that Elwood and Finley couldn't read each other's minds, since Finley had just mentally accused him of "rendezvousing" with Wraen and was now secretly fantasizing about Dante and Finn. Luckily, though, Elwood never knew exactly what was going on in that head of hers and didn't pick up on the slight hiccup in her sentence structure as she talked about Dante.

He glanced at Fin and said, "Are we sure this Finbar-Fluke guy isn't secretly a Blackthorn? If he goes by his nickname, he could be some long lost relative of yours." He was teasing, but really, there was some truth to the comment; there were a buttload of Blackthorns out there in the world. When they paused in what Wildfire said was the heart of the territory, Elwood took a moment to drink it all in with his senses, and then moved on with his companions toward the backside of the territory.

"It sounds like there's a little bit of everything here," he said, and couldn't help thinking of what the plateau was lacking. There was nothing wrong with the plateau, but he wondered if it would ever measure up to the impossible comparison of the caldera -- and now this copse.

Fin's thoughts were actually wandering along the same lines as Elwood's when he verbalized it for the both of them. "Could be," she mused with a smile, "Mom is quite the reproduction machine. I probably have tons more siblings I'm not aware of. Hell, maybe they've become reproduction machines too and I actually have a million nieces and nephews I've never met too. We Blackthorns are accomplished breeders." Herself included. "He doesn't happen to have a black stripe down his spine, does he?"

Her gaze shifted across the terrain as she asked the question and her mind wandered away. She liked that there was a mountain at their back - it was very Caldera-y. Caves in the rocks were Caldera-y as well. She wondered if she might manage to find a ballroom like the one she had fallen in love with Elwood in so long ago. It didn't seem likely, but damn would that have been cool.

As Elwood commented on the Copse and continued the conversation, Fin began to meander about - sniffing, poking, exploring, and musing jealously about how much better this place was than the Plateau she currently had to call home.

She laughed quietly at Finley's question, which struck her as rhetorical, so she didn't bother answering. Wildfire led them to the river's edge, then paused and turned to watch them as they took in all the copse had to offer. It pleased her that they seemed to admire the place she'd chosen as a home (with a little nudge from Kiwi).

"Why don't you two sit and rest here while I find something to eat," Wildfire suggested. Once the pack was more established, she probably wouldn't leave any guests unattended, though for now, she felt it was fine to leave them on their own for a few minutes. "There's a cache near here, so I'll be right back."

She was gone no more than ten minutes. When she returned, she set two small, frozen rabbits at her godparents' feet. "So what do you think of the place?" Wildfire asked as she settled on her haunches.

After a little more walking and admiring, they reached the aforementioned river and all came to a halt. Wildfire suggested that Elwood and Finley take a break while she fetched them a snack. Elwood nodded and strolled up the bank a ways as Wildfire departed, his paws pressing into the soft, damp earth. After going a short distance, he turned and traced his own footprints back to find a place to recline.

"What do you think?" he murmured softly to Finley in Wildfire's absence; whatever her response, he hummed thoughtfully under his breath and bobbed his head. When Wildfire returned with two rabbits, he smiled his thanks as he placed a paw on one cold, stiff carcass.

"It'll make a great place to call home," he replied to her question, and he meant it; she had picked a pristine location with plenty of positive attributes.

Fin definitely liked the sound of resting, and she liked the idea of being fed. Smiling, she dropped to her haunches, though continued to look around as Wildfire left. "I like it," she answered when Elwood prompted her, giving him her finest puppy dog eyes, "Will you buy me one?" Her tail wagged as she smiled hopefully.

"Thanks," Fin murmured as Wildfire returned and dropped a tasty little bunny at her paws. She slid onto her belly to settle in for the feast, though paused to answer her goddaughter's question with a nod of agreement to her mate's sentiment before she dug in. "What are all the glowy things?" she asked as she nudged the rabbit in search of a good first bite.

They accepted her gifts. While they began to eat, Wildfire folded herself into a seated position nearby, angled to face the river. She could only imagine how beautiful this spot would be come summertime. She smiled to herself, getting momentarily lost in a daydream before Finley's question drew her attention back.

She wasn't sure what her aunt meant. Her brow furrowed and she looked around, the realization dawning on her after a moment. "In the air, you mean?" she questioned. It was probably just dust, though that didn't sound very pretty. "They're sun motes, of course." Wildfire grinned. She had no idea what sun motes even were but what did that matter?

Fin's reply was the first real indication that she wanted to leave the plateau and move here with Wildfire. Elwood tucked it into the back of his mind, and later, when she broached the subject with him in the middle of the night, he would not be surprised. He took a bite of the food that Wildfire had brought them, and chewed thoughtfully as he looked around at the "glowy things" Finley mentioned.

The sun motes had been dancing around them pretty much this whole time, but he hadn't really noticed them. As the ladies talked, though, his gaze followed them, and he had to admit they added a magical quality to this place.

Fin dug into her rabbit eagerly, not realizing until it was sitting in front of her just how hungry she was. She supposed the trip had likely taken more out of her than she'd realized, which worried her a little as she did have to go back home at some point. Looking around at the woods, she kind of wished that she didn't. Maybe she could just tell Elwood right there that she wanted to stay and then send him home to deal with the kids. It somehow didn't seem fair. But... Oh damnit, she hated that she'd somehow grown kinder in her old age. Empathy was such a dick.

"Ah! Makes sense," Fin replied, laughing at Wildfire's explanation for the glowy bits, "I was thinking they were firefly bits, just floating around all over. Sun motes, though, I get that." She also didn't know what exactly sun motes were, but she was happy to accept it as an explanation. Hell if she actually knew, anyway.

Wildfire pulled a strange face at Finley's comment. "You thought there were bits and pieces of dead bugs just floating everywhere?" she teased, punctuating the query with a chuckle and a fond shake of her head.

"You guys are welcome to stay as long as you like," she said a moment later, stretching out on the cold ground, which quickly warmed beneath her. She would be entirely content just hanging out here with them, shooting the shit, for a few hours.

Figured we could wrap up here! :D