Golden Glade the fold up

Tagging @Rannoch but anyone from RW/FH welcome!

They had been in this new place for a while now after moving not once but twice in the span of a week or two, and while Deshyr was doing her damnedest to prove to the world how miserable she was, she couldn't help but become utterly enchanted by the glade. It had a whimsical air to it, inviting and warm and mysterious all at once.

Weaving through the trees, Deshyr made for the edges of the territory to fulfil her border marking duties for the day. Their claim was getting stronger and stronger; soon it would be known to all in the vicinity that this forest belonged to them. She guessed. Every time the Frostfur caught herself getting excited about any aspect of this move, she quickly quashed it. No, she was mad about this. She was miserable and angry and it wasn't right that her mother and father uprooted them all like that.

Hmph.

Rannoch had been frequenting the borders since the Frosthawks had relocated from the plateau, and this afternoon was no exception. He usually started earlier in the morning, drinking as much water as he could stand before heading to the outer limits of the territory. Rannoch had cleared a sizeable stretch before he caught wind of Deshyr, and once he realized she was near, he paused his patrol as he anticipated her arrival. 

The minutes ticked by, and she didn't arrive. When he realized how much time had passed since he had scented her, Rannoch called out to her, curious to know how close she was. 

"Deshyr? You there?"

The faint call of her father caused Deshyr to pause, ears pricking. She had an almost pavlov-like response to his voice; it elicited a sense of happiness and joy, but she just as quickly crushed the feelings stubbornly as she twisted her features into a pout. No, he wasn't allowed to have the satisfaction yet of seeing his daughter actually enjoying herself here. Because she really did. Damnit.

In a very Sionnach move, DJ completely ignored Rannoch, thrusting her nose and tail into the air and striding forwards with a quicker stride and renewed sense of purpose. No, I do not have time to chit-chat today, daddy, I have very IMPORTANT things to do, don't cha'know.

Rannoch received no reply from Deshyr, and he frowned with irrefutable disappointment; he could sense her approach, and surmised that she had to have had to hear him. Rannoch hadn't become accustomed to his children's disrespect, and he hated seeing them act out. He just wanted them to all get along and enjoy their time in the glade. 

Deshyr strolled from the shelter of the woods shortly after Rannoch had come to his conclusion. She walked with purpose, her nose pointed towards the sky and her attention elsewhere. Rannoch's frown deepened, and he stole a step towards her. 

"Deshyr?" he pressed again, his voice harder.

Deshyr? She peaked one eye open, seeing his dark form come into view as their paths crossed. The inquiring, somewhat confused tone of that single word almost broke her, but the girl remained steadfast in her commitment to show Rannoch just how butthurt she was. Still, she supposed she could engage in some light conversation, if only because her heart couldn't take her outright ignoring her father.

"What?" she shot back with a hint of haughtiness, regarding Rannoch with a narrowed gaze, her movements suggesting she was eager to continue to the borders and did not want to engage in small talk. Or big talk. Or any sort of talk. Especially not this talk.

"What" Deshyr shot back with a hint of aloofness, and Rannoch frown deepened. He sighed then, willing whatever patience remained within him—Rannoch had a feeling that he'd need every ounce that he could muster. 

"I called for you, and you didn't answer me," he replied, showing his concern through his tone. "What's up?" Rannoch prompted then, hoping he could get some sort of explanation out of Deshyr.

She felt the sharp pang of guilt shoot right through her heart at his words, the concern laced within them begging her just to forgive her parents and to accept and be okay with this change. Stubbornness however, won out once more and she glared at her feet, refusing to meet his gaze.

"Nothing," she replied through gritted teeth, making to brush past Rannoch as hot, angry tears threatened to spill from the corners of her eyes.

Deshyr's reply was strained, and Rannoch noticed the tears that threatened to fall from her eyes. His frown deepened, and his heart panged; she was hurt, and he wanted nothing more to take her paint away. Rannoch turned to follow Deshyr as she brushed past him, and his ears fell to cup the back of his head. 

"Sweetie," Rannoch called after, trotting after her as she moved away. "Stay here—let's talk," he suggested. He knew that shutting him out wouldn't do her any good.

Okay. She couldn't stay mad. Well, maybe she could but she couldn't hold the unperturbed facade up any longer, nor could she simply brush Rannoch off anymore. His pleading for her to stay opened the floodgates, and Deshyr whirled around and rushed to bury her head deep into his shoulder.

"Oh, daddy, why'd we have to go?" she hiccuped after a good half minute of quiet sobbing into his thick fur. She knew why they had to move, and understood her parents' reasons, but her emotions and rationality weren't exactly seeing eye-to-eye at the moment. To her teenage brain this was Big Bad Change and it was different and foreign and so sudden so she hated it.

"Lost Creek was home. I liked it there," she snivelled, before adding quietly, "we all did."

Rannoch's heart broke as Deshyr's sob transpired. He welcomed her embrace and gently held his chin on her the crown of her head as she cried openly.  "It's alright, sweetie," Rannoch crooned. "Let it all out, my girl," 

When Deshyr remarked about Lost Creek Hollow being home, and Rannoch frowned. "Yes, we all did," he agreed, his voice a little softer. "But we had to come and help our family. They needed our help, and you know that we never turn our backs on our blood—especially when they need us."

He agreed, and Deshyr almost wanted to argue, to shout then why did we have to leave but her constricted throat was so wracked by sobs she was rendered voiceless. She snivelled a little more, wiping a snotty nose on his shoulder before taking in a shuddery breath, trying to compose herself.

Our family. This was for them. Even if Deshyr didn't know them personally, it was as her father said — they were still blood. Bottom lip trembling, the girl gave a small, meek nod of acceptance. It still didn't sit entirely right with her, but she saw her parents' reasons; this was for the good of their family.

"I know," she said, her voice barely a whisper before she pressed her head back into Rannoch, thinking of Terance and Treason and their pups. "I'll miss them."

Deshyr's lamentations wavered into subdued acceptance, and Rannoch nodded to her sentiment. "I'll miss them, too," he agreed, knowing that he could never return to the portion of their lives; the bridge had been burned. 

Rannoch redirected their conversation then, wanting to focus on something more pleasant. "You know, we could work on making this our new home," he suggested, pulling his head back so that he could get a better look at his daughter. "Sionnach and I already found a new, special place within the territory that makes her feel more at home, and maybe we can do the same for you?" The fallen maple tree had been a blessing, and he hoped that he could find a place that made Deshyr as happy as he had made Sionnach.

He echoed her sentiments with a sombre note before they both fell quiet, Deshyr still leaning against her father with the occasional snivel. The silence hung in the air for a brief moment before finally Rannoch spoke again, changing the subject. She looked up at him curiously as he pulled back, before she turned to survey their surroundings.

"It is pretty," she commented softly, taking to his suggestion positively. A new home. She was pleased to hear Sionnach had found some happiness here, at least. It gave her hope she would find the same. "Really?" she said, looking back to her father with a sniff, already feeling a little better.

She didn't give him a chance to answer, already on her feet and beginning to move towards the trees. A place just for her. The idea caused her heart to flutter in excitement. "Where should we look first?"

"Really," Rannoch confirmed; if Sionnach had found peace, he was confident that Deshyr could, too. 

Before he could speak again, his daughter was on her feet and making a beeline for the forest. Rannoch quickly got to his feet and followed after Deshyr, feeling a sense of satisfaction seeing her happy again. "Let's head towards the mountain to the south," he suggested once he fell into place at her side. "I haven't had the chance to explore there much, and I think it'd be a good place to start."

"Okay!" she chirped back to Rannoch's suggestion, directing her path southward as he came up beside her. With a bounce already returning to her step, Deshyr led the way towards the mountain.

---

Some time — and many border-marking breaks — later, they finally reached the summit's side. While the mountain was spectacular, immense, and staggeringly high, it was instead the glade below it that had snagged Deshyr's attention. A flash of colour caught her eye, and the girl let out a bark of excitement before racing ahead of Rannoch, coming to a skidding halt as she reached the edge of the tree line to simply stare in awe.

Wild flowers. So many of them! They blanketed the earth, turning the dull, brown dirt into a lush throw of purple and green. "Look!" Deshyr exclaimed, turning back to her father as her tail began to wave furiously. Okay, she had had her doubts, but damn this place really was something else.

Rannoch and Deshyr skirted along the territory's borders, refining their claim as they traveled. Although he focused primarily on fortifying their presence, he would occasionally glance towards the forest to keep an eye out for a place that Deshyr could call her own. 

Deshyr had detected the field of lavender before Rannoch had, and curiously, he followed after her. Quickly, as they ran, he discovered it for himself, and he found himself enchanted by what laid out before him. A plush carpet of flowers had sprouted from the ground, decorating the territory with the loveliest color that Rannoch had ever seen. 

"I think that we found your place," he remarked, once he stood at her side. "You wanna check it out?"

She nodded vigorously at Rannoch's remark, her eyes not once leaving the field, feeling as though if she did, it would disappear altogether. The clearing itself was rather small, a triangular-shaped pocket of open air nestled between the woodland and the mountain. However, it was also beautiful, a vivid contrast against the green shades of the glade. A respite for those who needed to clear their head and stare up at the sky for a while.

At her father's prompting, Deshyr nodded again, before bounding forwards towards the swaying flowers with an excited yip and collapsing into the field's embrace. She rolled thrice, giggling, before coming to a stop and peeking above the flowers to see if her father had joined her. Her eyes widened as she saw his much larger form come tumbling towards her, sending flowers in every direction and leaving a path of destruction behind him. Letting out a squeal of delight, Deshyr dodged out of the way to avoid being flattened in kind.

They continued rolling in the flowers for a few minutes more before Rannoch shifted to all business-mode, inviting his daughter to continue exploring the edges of the field — her field — and up the mountain a bit, to ensure there were no nasty surprises hiding anywhere. She followed dutifully, the events only hours before largely forgotten, at least for now.

Once determined there were no dangers lurking, the two headed back into the forest to check the borders once more before regrouping with Liffey & Co. to settle in for the night in their new home.