Sun Mote Copse Tiny moving parts

Wildfire stood peering at The Nest, unwilling to step inside despite its inviting coziness. It was a little too similar to a cave for her comfort. Even with the winter chill sinking deep into her bones, she preferred the open air. Besides, there were plenty of little niches in the tangle of exposed roots where she could find a place to rest. In fact, she sought one now, slipping only once as she navigated among the snarled roots.

There was a space right at the foot of the tree where the twisted branches formed an enclosed shallow. It was easily big enough for two or three wolves. She stood in it, circling a few times, sniffing at the dirt. When she glanced upward, she saw that the boughs overhead provided some shelter. This would make the perfect whelping den, Wildfire thought before she could catch herself.

She swallowed thickly, chest suddenly aching. She stepped out of the little space and exhaled loudly. When Aunt Flea gets here, I'll show her, Wildfire decided forcefully. Her godparents hadn't arrived yet but already she knew she would happily welcome the litter they surely planned, just like she knew she would reserve her two remaining Honoree ranks for them if they wanted.

The Sovereign paced away from The Nest altogether, then stopped and slowly turned back toward it. Pushing thoughts of pups aside, she lifted her muzzle into the air to request the company of anyone nearby. She had already showed it to Colt, now she wanted to introduce it to the rest of the pack.

Tulimaq was returning from a morning run of the borders; he'd woken up at first light and gotten to work, as was his way. By the time he heard the howling voice of the Sovereign he was partway through a second round through the forest. He deviated his path and came towards the source with his senses on high alert (despite the lack of urgency in the voice he'd heard), and drifted through the copse until he spotted Wildfire. She was standing outside of a hollow in the earth wrought with tree roots; it looked like it could've been a badger's set or some sort of den, but certainly wasn't suited for any wolf. Then again, he was comparing the size of the opening to his beefy self. When the scent of Wildfire proved to be more pungent than any vermin however, Tulimaq realized it wasn't a small animal den after all — but why did she call, if not to hunt?

The first to come was the pack's newest recruit. Wildfire waved her black tail in welcome, watching as Tulimaq assessed their surroundings before looking questioningly in her direction. She stepped closer to the mouth again, pointing her nose inside but refusing to set foot in there. She motioned for him to join her.

"It looks small but it's actually huge inside," she said. "Check it out!"

The opening might've been big enough for someone like Wildfire, certainly enough for someone like Kiwi to slip through or any of the other more lean wolves of the copse, but Tulimaq moved in to investigate it and almost blocked the entire entry-point with his shoulders. He shared a similar view about dens and hollows though, finding them to be too confining. He wasn't afraid of caves or anything like that (and if he was, he'd push beyond it as an added bonus when trying to prove his strengths to himself), but he didn't see the value of burying oneself in the dirt. Tulimaq looked around a little bit but eventually sank back.

Is it your den? Which was an honest mistake. He knew what his people had taught him about children and offspring was somewhat limited, but remembered that women often liked to stash their children underground. Himself, he preferred being out in the open. It occurred to him that Wildfire was probably thinking about the future — and maybe she was making a den for that purpose. In the very back of his mind there was the possibility that she was showing him this for some other reason too, but he didn't want to entertain something too far off-base (such as the possibility she'd decided he'd be the father, or something).

He tried to enter, though he seemed too big to fit through the doorway. Wildfire chuckled at the sight, then shook her head at his question. "No. Well, I was thinking it could be a pack den. I think everyone would fit inside, in case of bad weather or something. Otherwise, it could just be a cozy space where people could hang out and rest whenever they like." She shrugged. The wolves of Drageda had always seemed fond of Hougeda, though maybe the concept only worked conditionally.

Wildfire herself didn't intend to use it at all. "I'm not a fan of enclosed spaces, though there's some cozy spots up here among the roots," she said, clambering (a little gracelessly) up onto one of the aforementioned knots and pointing at the pockets of varying sizes. "I was thinking this one might make a good place for a mother and pups," she admitted, pointing out the one she'd handpicked earlier for that purpose.

A pack den. That brought to mind images of women with children sharing spaces, but in that scene playing out in his head, Tulimaq couldn't place any men within the confines of the dirt. It sounded strange to him, but he'd always been made to sleep above-ground and his views were limited but not absolute. He nods as she explains, but draws away from the opening.

I've never slept in a den, he remarked, but then corrected himself, Not since I was a babe, anyway. I'm happy to guard this once its being used though — from outside. He smirks, and ducks his head to glance at the opening again; his face might have fit in that narrow window but that didn't mean the rest of him ever would.

It was good to see that she was thinking of the future; whatever sadness had gripped her before seemed to have lessened (but not entirely), and she appeared quite focused on the future. Were you planning on kids? He asked point-blank, and watches her for clues. It made sense to him. She was small but spirited, a woman with experience in such things.

She expected the question which came. Wildfire shook her head and answered, "No, I don't plan on having any more." There was her age old fear of defects, of course, as well as her heartache over some of her children disowning her, not to mention Bat's death. There was also her lack of a mate. But there was also the fact that the Sovereign was content with what she already had, notably Kiwi and Sequoia.

"But my godparents are coming here to live soon and I'm sure they're planning another litter this year," Wildfire continued after a short, thoughtful pause. "It might be one of their last," she mused, black tail twitching thoughtfully. She didn't consider Finley and Elwood old but they were two years her senior (and she was nearly four!), plus they were retirement age. The thought made her chest feel tight.