Golden Glade Control alternate delete

Set for the evening of the 11th. For one of you Frosthawks. ;)

Phox didn't intend to be gone long. He merely wanted to swing by the plateau, let Raven know that everything was going well, then march right back home to continue securing his claim in the glade. When he got to the glade, however, something was definitely up. While the Redhawks had always frequented here, Raven, Quixote, and a bunch of other scents he didn't recognize were strong tonight. That was curious, and Phox stood still at the invisible border.

Had something happened that had forced them from the plateau? Was his move with Towhee for nothing if they could have stayed there? Of course, he remembered that Fennec would not have been safe on the plateau once she began exploring further... but they could have delayed their departure. Or maybe not. Several factors had gone into their separation from Raven and Quixote, but it still left Phox stunned. Why would they be here?

"Hey there," Rannoch called from a distance, attempting to catch the attention of whoever was loitering. Although the figure rang familiar in his mind, he couldn't quite place a paw on a name for the face he saw. Rannoch trotted towards Phox, his posture tall; it had been a while since he had greeted a stranger, but the routine of guarding had been engrained into his mind. 

"I'm Rannoch, one of the Alphas of this Glade," Rannoch introduced once he was at a conversational distance from Phox. "How can I help you?" He noticed how similar Phox's scent was to the Redhawks, and he couldn't help but wonder how this wolf was associated with Liffey's family.

Having a helluva time trying to focus on work, so I might as well do something productive, lol.

The wolf who approached him wasn't one that Phox knew. If they had met, he didn't remember him. When he introduced himself as "one of the alphas," Phox bristled. Raven and Quixote, where are they? he asked (or rather, demanded). He immediately thought the worst, even though, or maybe because their scents were mixed in with Rannoch's. Had they been overthrown? It must have been sudden, considering Phox and Towhee had left only a week ago.

He tried to keep his cool, but Phox was ready to rip this guy to pieces if anything had happened to his sister-mother. Quixote... well, whatever. If this was merely Raven's new mate, perhaps that wasn't such a bad thing. Depending on how many milk toast qualities he had.

Note: YAY!

Rannoch looked at Phox, his expression betraying his surprise. "They're here, in the Glade," he explained slowly, feeling some stray guard hairs lift. "They lead alongside me and my wife, Liffey." He tensed, wondering if the wolf in front of him had some vendetta against Raven and Quioxte. 

"Who are you?" Rannoch asked, keeping his cool despite Phox's underlining aggression.

Phox squinted suspiciously at the stranger, not quite believing him until he said the name "Liffey." In an instant, Phox relaxed. That was a name he recognized—one of Finley's daughters. Questions swirled far in the back of his mind: Why was Rannoch an Alpha? Why was Liffey? Why had Phox never been asked to be a leader on the plateau? It gave him even more fuel to justify his move away from the plateau. He had never been good enough for them, apparently. Maybe Rannoch and Liffey were. It was what it was, and Phox tried to be happy for them.

Phox Redhawk, he replied, Raven's brother. If he'd known Rannoch better, he might have chatted about this and that and the other, but he found that he didn't really care to hear about it. Is she nearby? I'd like to speak with her. He'd settle for Quixote, but he damn sure wouldn't settle for this rando he'd just met.

"Ah," Rannoch replied, relaxing as Phox disclosed his identity. "I don't believe that she's been this way today, but I'll let her know you're here," He knew that the other wolf was more than capable of calling his sister, but he figured it couldn't hurt to help him out. 

Tipping his head back, and wasting no more of Phox's time, Rannoch howled for @Raven, requesting her attendance. Although he had no reason to mistrust the other wolf, Rannoch had no intention of letting Phox in without Raven confirming her brother's identity.

As their conversation progressed, Phox realized that Rannoch was not going to let him pass. The Redhawk kept his emotions in check, simply noting for now the hesitation to even lead him to his own sister. It bugged the ever-living hell out of him, but he had resolved to make this transition as peacefully as possible. Settling in, Phox let his rump lower to the earth and curled his tail around his front paws. He would gladly (and patiently) wait for Raven to arrive.

Having spent the day settling in with the rest of the pack, Raven was tired and emotionally spent. She could understand the mixed feelings from Rannoch's crew, but her own bunch didn't seem particularly enthused about the move and she couldn't understand why. The cover and protection of a forest would be vastly more comfortable in both the scorching heat and bitter cold of winter, to say nothing of the reduced burden of wading through elbow-deep snow atop the plateau's flat expanse too. Game was plentiful here, as were water and places to find solitude, while some of the plateau's most prominent hazards -- steep cliffs to fall from and a deep lake in which to drown -- were eliminated. They had everything they could want here. So why were so many of her packmates pissed? It wasn't like they had trekked for hundreds of miles across Middle Earth to a place nobody knew. This little glade was literally right at the plateau's doorstep. Miss home? Go hang out up there for a while!

Raven sighed as she worked her way in the direction from which Rannoch's howl had gone up, reminding herself that everyone had been equally salty when Towhee had moved them from the caldera to the plateau. It would take time, but eventually they would come to love the forest as they clearly had the plateau. Raven couldn't say the sentiment had ever applied to her -- she was glad to be off that naked, exposed tabletop of earth.

She reached Rannoch after some time and was surprised to find him in the company of none other than Phox. To say she hadn't expected to see Phox anytime soon was an understatement, given the tension of their last meeting. And while it stirred in her a mixture of emotions, both good and not so good, she nevertheless met her brother with that old familiar smile and a welcoming wave of her tail. "Hey Phox!" she greeted as she drew closer, flashing Rannoch a smile of thanks for his summons. "What's up? Didn't think I'd be seeing you or Tow for a while. Have you guys found a spot to settle?"

Note: WHOOPS DID NOT KNOW IT WAS MY TURN. Sorry for the wait! Please skip me in future rounds.

When Raven arrived, Rannoch took his leave; it was evident that they were well-acquainted, and he had nothing to worry about now that she was here. "It was nice to meet you, Phox," he said, briefly bowing his muzzle. He'd receive a much warmer reception when he visited next, now that his relation to the Frosthawks was confirmed. "Please, let me know if you need anything," Rannoch added, addressing Raven. 

Without another word, the Alpha turned and retreated towards the heartlands of his territory, content with the interaction that he'd just had.

Lol, I wondered, but I never bug people about threads because I don't actually care when they get done. XD

Phox nodded, giving Rannoch a half smile as he departed. As usual, he didn't give strangers much of a chance, especially if his first impression of them went like that. But now Phox's attention was on Raven, who seemed happy to see him, which was a relief, considering their last interaction. Not only that, but there was no sign of le milque toast, so Phox didn't have to deal with Quixote, either. Phew!

Yeah, that's why I was headed to the plateau, he replied, offering her a much more genuine smile than the one he'd tossed Rannoch. (Why is Phox such an ass to everyone?) Guess y'all have moved, eh? That was a rhetorical question, but he was curious about it. He wondered if his departure with Towhee had something to do with the spur-of-the-moment decision. That was his perception, of course. He couldn't read minds, or he would have known that Raven had been wanting to skip town for a while now.

We found a little cozy forest just east of here. There's basically only one way in and out, right where the river cuts through the mountains. Fennec's taking it pretty hard, but I think it's just the new surroundings. In time, he was pretty sure she would settle in. She'd just need to learn the lay of the land, just like they all would. Her process would be more difficult, for obvious reasons.

Bear with the crappy quality — my dad’s having heart surgery right now and it’s very distracting in this waiting room!

”Yeah, I needed a little change of scenery,” she answered to his question. ”This seemed like a good alternative, not too far at all.” She looked around as she said it, enjoying the bright green foliage and the warm breeze that rustled gently through the branches.

She was glad to hear that they’d found a place to settle, and she genuinely hoped they could find whatever happiness and fulfillment there that they hadn’t been able to find here. Initially, their departure had been a sour thing for her, but in time she had come to accept it and had made her peace with their decision. Ultimately all she wanted for her family was for them to be happy. Plus, there was nothing wrong with having more allies in the area. ”I’m glad you guys found a nice place to settle down. I’ll have to come visit once I’ve popped out these kids.”

Wishing him a swift and safe recovery!

Raven made a good point about it not being far, and he wished the best for her (and maybe even Quixote). She mentioned her own kids, which Phox honestly hadn't realized until she said something about it. She was looking rather rotund, and he smiled at the thought of nieces and nephews. Not only that, but more cousins for Figment and Fennec. You know, when Wildfire came to visit that day, she said we should all get together with the kids and have a big party. I still think we should do that. He would, of course, run it by the current leaders of the Firebirds (whoever that was).

He had never particularly bonded with any of Raven's older kids (try as he might), but he had certainly bonded with his own. Time was propelling Figment and Fennec to adulthood almost faster than he could cope with. Each day, Phox saw them grow more independent and more mature. Figment was turning out to be a fierce protector for his sister, and Fennec was coping as well as she could with her lack of sight.

There was still something a little strange about her "little" brother being a father now. Not in a bad way at all, of course -- it was just that part of her would always see him as the goofy, roly-poly little kid he'd been when he'd nursed at her own belly. And now he had little ones of his own. It filled her with a great deal of maternal pride and love, too. Was this what it was like to have grandchildren...? She didn't know, but she did know that she liked it. And despite the unconventional arrangement of their family unit, she thought Towhee and Phox made fantastic parents.

"I think that's a great idea, actually," she commented, already thinking of fun sleepovers and camping trips to Aunt Towhee and Uncle Phox's forest. She thought she might know exactly where they had settled, and if it was the spot she was thinking, it was super close by and would be an easy trip to make once the pups were old enough to travel. "You're at...uh...it's the Hideaway, right? I think that's what I heard it called."

Phox gave Raven a genuine smile when she voiced her approval for the idea. He was weirdly excited about the prospect of everybody getting together. Maybe it would even help heal some old wounds (though maybe not the faint scars). Towhee and I named it Asterism Grove, he replied when Raven spoke about where he had settled. If it had another name, Phox certainly didn't know of it. He'd never been much of a scout, and he certainly hadn't asked anybody what the name of the place was. It seemed more fun to come up with his own name for it.

I'm going to pop over to the Firebirds after this, and I'm hoping all of us can meet up in the cedar forest. Seems like a decent mid-way point for everybody. The Firebirds might be a little further away, but Phox didn't think it would be too much of a stretch.

I am so sorry I held this up for so long, omg. D: We can wrap it up anytime!

Raven grinned as he shared the name he and Towhee had created for their new home. It had a beautiful ring to it, for sure, and was perfectly fitting for Phox and his family. She hoped she'd be able to go see it soon; she'd been to Hideaway Strath a few times before in her various wanderings around the area, but it was different now that it was where her family lived. She wanted to see it again and appreciate it in its new perspective (and maybe the maternal part of her wanted to take a look around and make sure all of her lil' ducklings would be okay there!).

"That sounds great," she replied to his idea about meeting in the cedar forest -- a perfect common ground between the three sister packs. "Just let me know, I'm totally all for family meet-ups. I'd love for my rugrats to know their cousins and extended family, and I'll never turn down an opportunity to visit with you guys too."

I'll wrap up here!

Phox was certainly looking forward to it, and he was happy that Raven seemed to have the same feelings about it. Phox felt the conversation coming to a close, and he stepped forward to give Raven a wolfish embrace. Pausing for a moment to take in the image of his sister/surrogate mother, the Kilonova stepped away to head toward the Firebirds.