Heron Lake Plateau si quelque chose pourrait jamais être aussi bon

In spite of all who had left them and of the changes to come that she only had an inkling of, Phoebe was genuinely surprised that there were new faces in their midst. She had only caught glimpses of them here and there—a mated couple, very much in love like her own mother and father—before she had flown away very much like her namesake. Though not particularly stealthy, she was spry and still small enough that even from a distance she could make her little escapes. Of course, keeping everyone at a distance certainly aided this.

Little by little, she had worked up the courage to be nearer, a sense of boldness cresting over her usual timorous display. Her mother seemed to have known them, her father just as receptive to their joining, but the pair were strangers to her still. She hadn't quite put names to faces yet, nor had she bothered in asking who they were. Or why they were there, or whether or not they too would leave when the season changed or some other desirable premise came to along the horizon.

These were the same thoughts that came to her as she regarded one half of the pair in the afternoon—the man. Her vantage point was awful from the summer foliage, she couldn't quite see what it was that he did, if he was doing anything in particular at all. Was he doing anything at all? She shifted in her place, curiously attempting to peer out from the shrubbery in vain; the leaves were in her eyes now, the twining tendrils of ivy suddenly constricting.

It forced her to withdraw but not so quietly as she had slipped in; the ivy branch was coiled about her like a snare and Phoebe tugged at it not unlike an ill-tempered dog with a collar and leash. So much for spying or being sneaky any more, she realized with a huff. Surely she'd been heard now.

hi phoebe is spying on you, @Rannoch

Rannoch had been lost in thought, considering the events that had occurred between their initial visit to the plateau and now. It was too much for his weary mind to acknowledge, and so he attempted to navigate his thoughts elsewhere. With his mind preoccupied, Rannoch hadn't realized that Phoebe wasn't nearby until he heard her. Curious, and ultimately distracted, he turned his gaze from the horizon and towards the nearby shrubbery. 

"Hello?" Rannoch called, not recognizing the scent of the other wolf. There was nothing but curiousness in his voice, and he was genuinely curious to find out just who had happened upon him.  

Note: hi i'm the worst! sorry for the wait.

She struggled for what seemed an eternity, unable to figure out how best to free herself. The hardest part was simply keeping the panic down as she wrestled with the errant vine, though it all paled in comparison when she heard his voice call out to the depths of greenery around him. In an instant, she froze.

Never mind that the vine of unpleasant ivy felt like it was tightening around her throat, she hadn't wanted to get caught in her little venture. What she had hoped ot be a swift get away at a moment's notice was turning into quite the opposite, and in her stillness now she hoped that he would think differently about whatever it was that he had heard. It was nothing, she thought strongly, eyes trying to peer through the wall of leaves and tangled branches to spot him again.

Phoebe's struggling recommenced, though she did not answer his bidding. Intrigued, and concerned for the other's wellbeing, Rannoch pushed himself onto all fours and approached the foliage with cautious steps. 

"Hey," he said once he stood in front of the bush, ducking to get a better look at Phoebe "You okay?"

It was nothing was not the words that she would hear next. No, it was the footfalls that drew themselves up to the wall of greenery she had immersed herself in. It was the sound of him, this relative stranger, picking up the traces of where she had been peering moments ago. It was him, who looked in through the foliage to find her in what was both an uncomfortable and embarrassing situation. But no laughter peeled off, no anger. It was a look of concern that met her along with inquiry to solidify its stance.

And she, wide-eyed at the invasion and predicament, locked up for a response.

”I—,” she began, her voice strained. She wasn't all right, not in the slightest, but where to sit down and unpack that suitcase at? Instinctively she wanted to fight against the ivy again but knew logically it wasn't worth the battle. She could have tried to grab at the vines but again, where to begin? They were numerous and tangled, pulled taut by her feeble efforts to break free.

”I got caught,” she managed finally, tugging gently as though she could defer what it was that she had been doing. ”I tried to get out when I heard you, I couldn't see who it was, or what it was.” Her words were rapid, threatening to toe the line of the panic that had very much spilled over into her sunken frame. She had certainly been caught in more than one way.

"I—I got caught," Rannoch couldn't help his silent musings; her predicament was obvious. But as Phoebe's voice rose in panic, his amusement ceased. "It'll be alright," Rannoch assured Phoebe. "I can get you out there pretty quickly—I'll just need to bite at that vine that's around your neck." His teeth would be close to her throat, and he knew that could potentially further her anxiety. 

"Are you okay with that?" Rannoch appended after allowing Phoebe a moment to contemplate his words. "If so, I can get right to that for you. You'll just need to stay perfectly still while I'm working on it, okay?" His expression grew serious, yet a kindness lingered in his gaze; he had no reason to scare her, but their situation could become dire if she didn't comply properly.

If he was aware that she had been snooping on him, he still wasn't letting it show. Every moment that seemed true she felt she was getting away with a perfect crime, even assuming what she was doing was a crime. It didn't feel necessarily right, but now wasn't the time to debate that either. Instead she honed in on what he was saying, resisting the urge to inform him he couldn't do whatever he felt as long as it meant she could take off as soon as possible.

”Okay,” was what came from her mouth instead. ”I can hold still.” Or at least, she thought she could try. Letting out an audible breath, Phoebe steeled herself for what would come next, and weighed the pros and cons of simply thanking him or turning tail from the scene of her own embarrassment.

Phoebe gave her permission, and Rannoch moved a step closer so that he could better examine the foliage that had trapped her. Although snug, Rannoch realized that the vine slackened around her scruff. Rannoch noticed and seized the opportunity, but not without warning her first. 

"Alright, it looks like the area towards the back of your neck is looser," he explained. "So... I'm going to work there, okay?" When Rannoch received Phoebe's additional consent, he leaned forward and gently grabbed the vine with his jaws. "Alright, here we go..." he said, his voice muffled, "One... two....three!" 

Without much effort, the obstacle snapped under the pressure of his jaws. Once Phoebe was freed, Rannoch released the vine from his hold and took a step back with a grin. "You're free!"

She felt herself tensing in spite of his handiwork.

It was a strange sensation to let someone so still relatively unknown be so close to her, though where the inkling of such a feeling came from was not something she could so readily place. Maybe it was the parade of faces that came and went that had made her naturally leery, or perhaps it was the constant disappointment that seemed to envelope her parents when such things occurred.

Phoebe shut her eyes slowly as she felt his teeth graze close to her skin. She kept them that way even when she felt the vine loosen around her neck, even when it was pulled away. The best she could muster when she heard him ask a question was a meek nod of her head, and that was when things seemed to hit a fever pitch. His muffled countdown, the tension of the vine increasing—and then the resolute snap!

Freed, she let out a shaky breath she didn't realize that she had been holding in those scant seconds. Her eyes opened wide to find him smiling and proud and the realization dawned on her: she was free. There was a delay, some sort of general disconnect that ticked off a couple more seconds, and then the flighty little Redhawk was turning away and bolting for safety, far, far away. No offer of thanks, no lingering for conversation; she wanted to get away with haste.

you can either fade out or he could pursue her, i'm open to either or!

Phoebe bolted after a minuscule mental intermission—as if she hadn't fully realized that she was free. Rannoch watched as she ran, unsure of what to make of their brief interaction. He knew that persuing her would not benefit either of them and so once she was out of sight, he turned and resumed his post overlooking the landscape in the opposite direction. Although eccentric, Rannoch did not think much Phoebe's reaction; he was a stranger, after all. Rannoch could only hope that they'd have a much more meaningful exchange the next time that their paths crossed. 

Rannoch reverted to his previous thoughts then, sadly reminiscing of the friend he had left behind with a heartfelt sigh. Unable to display his grief to the rest of his collective family, Rannoch kept to himself as he thought of Terance. Although he knew that this move was for the best, Rannoch mourned for what he had to give up in the process. 

Rannoch only returned to his family when he felt that he had sufficiently navigated his feelings. He returned to them a much happier man, feeling as though he had suppressed a  considerable weight off of his heart. This wasn't to say that Rannoch's grief was done—he would seek such recesses in the coming day, navigating through his feelings on his own accord.