Sun Mote Copse i know i have somewhat ghost-like features.

Ima fast travel us to the den lol Oof, time to tag babies... @Avery @Sugar Glider @Crow @Elfie @Weejay if you have time to come say hi! Otherwise I'll just PP you with reckless abandon >:D 

Liffey and @Rannoch followed Fin through the trees as she lead them towards the den that she shared with Liffey's father, siblings and nieces and nephews. While her mother's spirits seemed high enough, Liffey knew Fin was masking her pain. She was intimately familiar with what that looked like, considering it was the her mother had been for much of her childhood after losing Lucy. She also knew that to coax her mother into dropping the act and letting anyone help her through this was completely out of the question. So, she followed, and attempted to follow Fin's lead by discussing only the sunny aspects of their lives and keeping away from the dark.

It didn't take too long for them to arrive. Liffey peeked inside of the den, searching to see which big and little faces were hiding inside. She of course wanted to meet all of her new siblings, as well as Eljay's pair. But she was also eager to see @Elwood and @Eljay themselves, to share her condolensces, and just to wrap herself up in their affection. She too was mourning Wildfire, after all.

Pox was so there. He had cried loudly and belligerently when Finley had left to go answer the call at the borders. He was definitely over being couped up in this den with like every Blackthorn in existence (or, at least the ones that existed in his world at present). He cried over Fin's insistence that they were too young to go outside on their own. He cried whenever his dad caught him trying to sneak out and dragged him back inside. To be fair, he also cried when he had bad gas, when he was sent to bed, and when he woke up too early for his own liking. He's kind of just in a crying phase, I think. But still, when his mother beckoned him outside out of the blue, Pox went barrelling out as though his bum was on fire.

The boy would've probably kept on running straight past her older sister and off into the Copse had Fin not reached out a paw to trip him. He stumbled over her and faceplanted right in front of Rannoch which might've made him cry had he not been so crazy exc ited. He hopped back up and gave himself a good, full-body shake before looking up at his brother-in-law's face. His own split into a happy grin then, and he greeted the big guy with a polite, but uncomfortably loud "HAAA!" while Finley meanwhile attempted to introduce him, This one is Foxegrine, but we call him Pox. Used to call him Penn, but he's growing into quite the little contagion.

When mommy scooped him from his and Wiffle's den and brought him here Eljay had been happy to go, but the days that followed made him feel like he should've kept the family there. It was weird leaving that behind, as it was a stark reminder that Wiffle was really gone. Eljay tried to spend time with the pups as much as he could, but while he was often there it was clear that he was still very depressed -- often crying and lacklustre in his being.

Eljay watched Liffey's face as she looked into the den, but it took a moment for it to click who he was looking at. His tail waved a few beats but Eljay couldn't quite get himself into motion to go and greet his sister.

When they had heard Liffey's call, Elwood had sent Finley to go see her while he stayed behind with the puppies and Eljay. They had all adjusted to their new living situation in their own ways, although he didn't think they would ever grow accustomed to the gaping hole that Wildfire had left in their lives. Eljay had withdrawn into a shell of himself, and if Elwood was being honest with himself, he feared that the boy wouldn't ever come out again.

He wasn't sure about the reason for Liffey and Rannoch's visit, but he imagined that Finley would bring them back to the den to meet their new siblings. He was right; before too long, he spotted their matching pelts and shapes, and marveled at their similarities as they approached. He untangled Avery from his forelegs, where she had been sprawled, and emerged from the burrow to greet his daughter.

Clearly, Fin had filled her in on what had happened to Wildfire; she was smiling, but there was sadness behind her eyes. He stepped close to hug her, and then moved aside so that she could peer in at her little brothers and sisters. He was heartened to see Eljay's tail stirring as he looked up at Liffey, although the widower did not get up to greet his sister, even as Foxegrine shot out of the den as though from a cannon and catapulted to land at Rannoch's feet. "It's good to see you," Elwood said, shifting his gaze to include Rannoch as well.

Not to be outdone by her brother, Avery rocketed out of the den right behind Pox. She had been sound asleep only seconds before, taking her umpteenth nap of the day, but the sound of voices had initially roused her. (She had slept through Pox's crying, since she was so used to hearing that; it was the commotion of adults talking that woke her up.)

So upon achieving consciousness, she realized that her brother was zooming out of the den and, without giving it a second thought, she bolted after him. He was tripped up by Finley's paw, but Avery managed to trip on her own paws and tumbled to the ground right next to him. She didn't recover as swiftly as he did, though; as he hopped up and greeted their guests brightly, Avery sat up slowly with big crocodile tears wobbling in her eyes and stared mournfully up at the gathering of grown ups.

Liffey grinned as her mother emerged to greet her and Rannoch. She leaned in for a hug, then turned her attention to the little siblings that emerged to say hello. The first was a loud little bulldozer that came charging out to smash into her mate. She laughed aloud at his little face as he shouted at them, nodding as he was introduced, then laughing again as another one came tumbling out beside the first. What an interesting bunch this was!

She stepped forward to give her dad a hug then, her tail wagging. "Hi guys," she said, "We were in the neighborhood and thought we'd come meet the newest Blackthorns." Liffey smiled at her parents, her siblings, and then peered into the den again to find Elljay. She saw the soft wag of his tail and tried to give him a smile, though it ached to do so. "Is this everyone?" she asked, glancing between her parents.

Penn ignored his mother's burn, amused instead by the new big wolf who had leaned down to say hello. He'd never before met anyone that his parents didn't already know and were comfortable with, so he'd never known what it was like to be nervous of a new face. At the rate he was going, though, he probably never would. Could be a good thing or a bad thing. Only time would tell.

For now, it was good, for he went instantly into a play bow to try and get this big fellow to do battle with him. Rannoch was probably about thirty times his size, but Pox hadn't learned caution yet either. And seeing as he was Finley's son, there was a good chance he might never learn that either.

Liffey acknowledged him briefly and Eljay forced a weak smile to his face. Then he lay his head down again and just watched them as they were all happy. He didn't understand how they could be. Didn't get it. But he let them be, because he didn't want to ruin any of their good moods. Eljay would only join in if they'd literally ask him to introduce his children or some sort; if not directly acknowledged, he'd just lay here and watch to happy gathering.

Elwood didn't expect Eljay to join them, but it was still hard to see his son lingering in the den and refusing to come out and interact with his sister. He couldn't blame him, though, and certainly wouldn't force him to do anything against his will. He directed a small smile in Eljay's direction as Liffey looked in on him, then turned his attention back to his other children -- the grown up one as well as the little ones.

"This is two of them," he replied to Liffey's question. "Avery and Penn," he added, gesturing to each pup in turn. He grinned as he watched Penn interact with Rannoch, who was presumably receptive since he's such a good father figure himself. "The other pups in there with Eljay are Crow and Sugar Glider, and Eljay's kids, too -- Weejay and Elfie," he explained.

Then, he asked, "How are your kids?"

Avery slowly dried up her tears, especially when no one gave her any extra attention. (Elwood had noticed, but knew that she would be just fine, so he hadn't fawned over her.) She sniffled and looked back and forth between Liffey, Rannoch, Finley, and Elwood, then her gaze shifted towards Penn.

She stood and tiptoed over to stand behind her brother, peering up at Rannoch's big frame. She wasn't quite as bold as Penn was, but her tail gave a little wiggle.

Eljay didn't come out to join them, which caused Liffey's heart to pang with sorrow. He was clearly not handling Wildfire's death well. She wasn't exactly surprised if she was being honest with herself. Her brother had always been emotionally delicate. To lose everything he'd barely ever dared to dream of just after being given it was more than even the strongest of wolves would be able to bear.

Elwood's voice drew her back, and she did her best to look at him with a smile. "Sounds like a pretty full house," she replied, thinking of her own full house back home. With another pang, she thought of her kids. How she missed them. "They're good. Breccan and Deshyr are watching our newest litter now, and Gannet actually is watching them," she answered, her smile returning, "We have four as well. Two girls and two boys--Sionnach, Eshe, Aengus and Tiarnach." She looked between her parents, expecting they would have something to say about her naming her son after her brother.

Rannoch chuckled at the pup and lifted a paw to bat at him. Placated, Pox hopped back and forth as he attempted to nab it from the sky. He failed, repeatedly, but was distracted from it when he accidently bumped his hip against Avery, who had snuck up behind him. He whirled to glance backwards at her momentarily, then whirled again to step out of the way as Rannoch leaned down to greet Avery in his sweet, gentle, big ol' teddy bear manner.

With a huff, Pox grew bored. But with a thought, Pox grew excited. The adults were distracted now, which meant he might be able to sneak off to explore a little on his own. With a little wag of his tail, he did just that. He only went about a yard from them, but it still felt quite prolific to the pup. Finley kept track of him out of the corner of her eye, but her attention was shared still by Liffey. I hope that's Tiarnach for Lagan and not Colt because your uncle does not need his ego to get any better, she quipped in a tone that did not entirely mask how moved she was by how they'd chosen to name her grandson. Liffey laughed and nodded to confirm her son's namesake.

Little Tiarnach's name was not lost on Elwood; his heart swelled as he smiled at his daughter, and he laughed at Finley's quip. He knew, though, that it meant a lot to her -- because it was pretty meaningful to him, too. He missed Lagan, and wondered where he was in the world. That was, perhaps, the hardest part of parenting: learning to let your kids go. They were lucky to know that Lagan had been okay when he had set off on whatever adventure he had taken -- just like Tegan, Fiadh, Clover, Lucca, and Tywyll -- but thinking of Lagan reminded him of Lucy, who hadn't chosen to go off on her own. It had been chosen for her, and unfairly.

He shook those sad, pervasive thoughts away quickly, though, and grinned. "Well, it's official: we're old," he said. "I think two sets of grandkids is included in the definition of 'elderly'." Over Liffey's shoulder, he watched Pox make his "escape" but didn't say anything; the boy didn't go far, but if he started to push his boundaries too much, Elwood would correct him.

Avery's eyes grew wide as the big wolf moved towards her, but she quickly found there was nothing to fear. There was something warm and reassuring about his presence, and she was soon smiling up at him with fondness. She was distracted from Rannoch, though, when she noticed that Pox was sidling away from the adults.

She followed, tip-toeing behind her brother with a few furtive glances at her parents.

Liffey laughed at her mother's response. She didn't actually know her uncle very well, but she'd heard the stories. She shook her head gently to confirm that she hadn't, in fact, named her son after her uncle but after her own brother, then turned her attention to her father as he commented. She grinned again as Fin rolled her eyes and answered We're young at heart. Plus we got all these kids around to live vicariously through.

Rannoch meanwhile grinned at little Avery as she came to meet him, then straightened as she scampered off to join Pox. Liffey noted the look of fondness on his face. It likely matched the one on hers as she looked at her mate. As she turned back, her eyes grazed across Eljay again and her mood dampened. She wanted to ask after his kids, but she didn't want to pull the attention towards Wildfire's demise.

Fin, noticing the hesitance, decided to fill the void herself. So what brings you two out this way? Just visiting? Liffey, grateful, answered with a smile. "We needed a little vacation, just the two of us. We'll head back in a few days. We've been stopping in a few different places here and there to explore," she looked over at Rannoch, "It's been nice."

Pox grinned broadly, thrilled that he had successfully made his escape! The whole world was open to him now to be bent to his will! For a moment, he stood paralyzed from what his mother had coined as the whelmies, but he shook them off quickly enough. He didn't realize Avery had followed him being too wrapped up in his own adventures, which shortly involved sniffing about at the trunk of a nearby tree. It was covered in moss, and thus it was mega interesting. Way more interesting than those boring grown ups.

Fin was right -- they were still pretty young at heart, despite the various aches and pains that they were beginning to experience. And she had a good point when she mentioned living vicariously through their children and grandchildren; not only that, but the kids helped keep their minds sharp and their bodies active.

Eljay still refrained from participating, and Elwood saw Liffey's gaze return to her brother repeatedly. She looked worried, but she didn't say anything to him. Finley kept the conversation moving, and Elwood thought that it was maybe good for Eljay to at least be on the periphery of this interaction, even if he couldn't muster the strength to contribute. As Liffey answered her mother's question, speaking of the vacation that had brought her here with Rannoch, Elwood smiled.

"That does sound nice. What's your favorite place you've seen so far?" he asked. He had never been much of an explorer himself, but he would like to hear about his daughter and son-in-law's adventures.

Avery continued to trail behind her brother, until he came to a halt at the base of a large tree. She first peered up into its branches way overhead, looking at the leaves as they swayed in a gentle breeze. Then she redirected her attention to the moss that Pox was studying. The leaves were green; the moss was green. So Avery sagely said, "P-pants." This was just an especially large pant -- or plant, as it was more commonly known.

I'm gonna fade this out since it's a bit dated <333

Elwood asked about their travels. Liffey let Rannoch field that one, which he did happily--first highlighting their trip to the ocean and then telling them of his and Liffey's plans to go on a trip with their kids when they were older to go see Neverwinter Forest and the Caldera. Liffey let her eyes wander away to where Avery and Pox were inspecting the moss that covered a tree. She quirked a brow when her little brother suddenly stretched up on two legs to start clawing it off of the trunk, giggling a little demonically as he did. She couldn't see how well Avery liked it.

She looked away from them again as Finley said something that made them all laugh. Liffey smiled, still wishing they could draw Eljay in somehow. For now, though, she simply settled in for the conversation and to enjoy spending some time with her family.