Sun Mote Copse a name is just a sound someone makes when they need you.

I've forgotten how to write but oh well MOVING DAY! @Elwood @Eljay @Weejay @Elfie @Crow @Avery @Sugar Glider and whoever else wants to pop in :D 

"Alright, ya little beasties, this is your new playground," Fin announced as she brought her motley crew to the edge of the clearing. The Copse had many such locations that would've worked well for a rendezvous site, but this particular place had been special to her ever since her and Elwood's first trip here. Wildfire had brought them here, to this little glade by the river. Fin had never asked if this particular spot was special to her for some reason, but the simple fact that they had been here together when Wildfire had first introduced them to the new life she was beginning made it special to Finwood, and so here they were.

Finley turned to look at the group of them. Penn, of course, was already racing around the place exploring every nook and cranny. It was a little early for her own litter to be leaving the densite like this, but her grandchildren were far too old now to remain couped up like they had been. The glade had enough room for them to run and play. Plus, there was the river, which moved slow enough to be safe if someone fell in. She would, of course, make sure the kids all knew how to swim, but that would be the next step. First, exploration. And, apparently, peeing on everything if her youngest son was left in charge of the itinerary.

The July sun was rather merciless today, so Sugar Glider made a game of bouncing from one shady spot to the next as the caravan of Blackthorns trekked through the copse. During any stretches where avoiding the light was made impossible, she squeezed beneath one of the adults to shade her sensitive eyes. Her small size made it possible to simply walk along underneath them without tripping them up overly much, though fortunately for all, there were plenty of shadows to be found beneath the forest's leafy green canopy.

When they reached their final destination, Sugar simply stood at the clearing's edge for a moment, frozen by sensory overload. She could hear Penn's excited shuffling and the familiar din of the others' voices. Beneath that, Sugar swore she could hear running water. It was tempting to go investigate, though there were about thousand other demands on her attention. It was all sort of overwhelming, though the "suave sock" refused to let it hold her back for long.

She plucked up her tiny legs and sidled up to @Avery, one of her quieter siblings. Sugar's pink nose pressed gently against her sister's shoulder. "Wanna dig some pants?" she queried, ignoring the sounds and smells as their brother exuberantly urinated nearby.

Eljay had been sullen, but he had tried to make an effort to play with his children. He'd not got around as much to bond with his baby siblings, though considering he was there all the time, they had doubtlessly bonded to him. When he saw them play around with mommy watching he was reminded of Wiffle's first steps into motherhood this year and where it had ended. It tore through his heart to see it. So he kept to the sidelines, let them play and clamber all over him, and made only a real effort with his own two, clearly putting them before the others. He'd play, feed, give them all they needed, but still Eljay felt guilty every day that he could not really take care of them - not emotionally - not after they'd lost their mommy, the worst possible thing a child could lose.

Mommy took the initiative for them to move and Eljay simply nudged his children into action and followed suit. Once arrived Eljay just lay down on the ground and heaved a small sigh as he took in the surroundings while keeping an eye on his pups.

Time was flying -- it was hard to believe that the group of puppies were essentially old enough to move to a rendezvous site. The location they had picked was picturesque (not surprising, since Sun Mote Copse seemed to be gorgeous from every angle), but more than that, it was meaningful; it was like Wildfire would be looking down on them, keeping an eye on her children as they grew.

Elwood halted next to Finley as she announced to the kids that they had arrived. He watched as Penn quickly got busy marking the place as his own, then shifted his gaze to Sugar Glider and Avery. Naturally, he then peered at Eljay, who appeared to be going through the motions. As soon as they arrived, he flattened himself on the ground with a sigh. Elwood frowned, but hoped that maybe this change of scenery would eventually help him begin to recover from the loss of his mate.

"It's nice here," he murmured to Fin as their family scattered around them, left to their own devices.

As usual, Avery had stuck close to her daddy during the short journey to their new home. Elwood hoped that having a new space to explore would spark her freedom and help her grow to be more independent; so far, so good, as she took in the clearing with wide eyes. Her expression was curious rather than fearful, and as Sugar Glider came to stand alongside her, she grinned at her sister.

Sugar asked if she wanted to do some exploration of the plantlife in the area, and she nodded. "Mmhmm," she replied, and padded boldly away from her father in the direction of some nearby greenery.

Hell YEAH he was gonna pee on everything!! Pox had been thrilled by the prospect of moving out of the cramped, gloomy den the moment his parents had broken the news to him. The adults may not have agreed, but he was positive that he had grown out of being cooped up in the den when he was a week old. Now at two months, he was so ready to break free and get to explore the big, wide world he just knew was out there.

So, it was without any hesitation that the boy went barrelling about the rendezvous site, holding nothing back as he jabbed his nose into this or that. He had just finished claiming a knotted root with a stream of glistening pee when he turned, wild-eyed to find the next thing that was going to belong to him.

His eyes landed on a wide, rotted trunk of a fallen tree near the river. He crooned an excited, squeaky little howl before tearing off towards it. He jumped as soon as he came "near enough", attempting to lunge right over the top like a pole vaulter with no pole, but instead he just smashed right into the side and fell back down onto the ground with an oof and a splat.

Pox was not deterred by this failure. The boy rolled back onto all fours in a moment and spun to face the log again with a determined little frown. He crouched low right up against the side of the tree trunk and sprang, once again failing to actually launch himself on top of it, but at least not bashing his face into it. When he rolled onto all fours this time, he backed up and tried again. And again. And again. And again.

Rendezvous sites are awesome.

Sugar and Avery doubled up, so Crow took the opportunity to make Pox his pal for this adventure. Brushing shoulders with his bro, he began helping by peeing all over everything, starting with his front feet, because he hadn't yet figured out how to lift his leg just yet. It left gross yellow stains on the backs of each of his front feet, but he didn't care. He was a wolf! Besides, mom would clean it up later.

no post order btw!

Fin smiled as her children (and grandchildren, I'ma just go ahead and assume!) spread out and immediately set to conquering the clearing. She bumped her shoulder lightly against Elwood's, turning to share that smile with him. Her eyes landed on Eljay on the way, though, and her grin faltered. As usually, he moved away from them and dropped onto the ground, detached as ever. She bit her lip sadly and looked at Elwood. She didn't voice her melancholy or frustration, but she knew she didn't need to. He would get it.

Since it looked like they were splitting up boys vs. girls, Fin moved towards Avery and Sugar Glider with a smile. "Did someone say pants?" she asked with a grin and a wag of her tail.

Her sister murmured agreement and Sugar began to look around for somewhere to start when Finley approached them. She knew from experience that their mother was a fantastic digger, so of course she was welcome to join the girls. But when she spoke, the black-eyed tot shook her head.

"No, pants!" she corrected Finley, only to realize she hadn't said it quite right either. "Pants," Sugar tried again, pink nose scrunching adorably. "Peeeee-ants!" No, that still wasn't it. "Puh-luh-ants!" That was more like it.

After falling for maybe the 16th time, Pox decided it might be time for a different approach. He took a few steps back and peered up and down the length of the log, his eyes absorbing everything he saw. His brother was nearby, peeing on something that actually might be helpful to him. The boy sprang over to him, a poorly conceived idea budding in his mind.

"Stay still!" Pox barked as he approached. Whether his brother did so or not didn't matter--Pox began to attempt to clamber up on top of him the moment he was near enough. From there, it would be just a short hop onto rotting stump and then a well-aimed leap onto the log and into the arms of success!

The den that had once seemed so big and spacious and able to host three grown up wolves and six kids had shrunk considerably during the past few weeks. So much that he preferred to sleep outside, whenever weather permitted it. You can easily imagine that he was thrilled, when it was announced that they were moving a bigger and better, and more fun place. Let's be honest, if there is the slightest notion of "adventure" in the activity, a true Blackthorn cannot say "no".

After the first perfunctory run around the whole area, he found something he wanted to show his dad. But seeing that he was drowned in his own sorrow once again, Elfie stopped mid-way, thought a little and turned away. Pox's attempt to jump up a tree trunk was a perfect distraction. "This is, how you do it," he told his uncle and got on the tree with no problems. "I could help you," he offered.

Elwood wasn't normally one to be overwhelmed by his own emotions, but as he sat there, watching his children and grandchildren explore their new space, he was a little choked up. It was bittersweet -- really, it was an exciting event, as it always was when they introduced their children to a rendezvous site, but having his youngest children here alongside his eldest was surreal. Especially since Eljay's unhappiness was palpable; how could some of Elwood's kids be so happy, while one was so sad?

He caught Fin's pointed glance, reading a thousand words in just one expression, and he shook his head gently by way of reply. Then, as she padded towards Avery and Sugar, he turned in the other direction and headed toward Pox, Crow and Elfie. Pox was trying to climb on top of Crow, while Elfie had nimbly leapt to the top of the nearby tree trunk with little effort. "Yeah, like this," Elwood said, and put his own forepaws on the log, then hoisted himself up alongside Elfie.

They were joined by their mother, and Sugar quickly vocalized their intentions. Bolstered by her sister's confidence and insistence, Avery nodded her head vigorously and said, "P-p-pwants!" She knew exactly what word she wanted to say, but when she tried to force it past her lips, it seemed to get stuck there for a moment before emerging.

The stutter didn't phase her, though; she beamed up at her mom, then, knowing what her sister had in mind, she began to dig at whatever foliage was present near her feet; she wasn't picky. "C-c'mon!" she added eagerly.

Before he could really react, Pox was clambering on top of him, Elfie was leaping onto a nearby log, and Elwood was right there, too. Crow hadn't really been interested in getting on the log, but now everybody was doing it, so he tried to scramble up, too. He was only about twenty percent successful, clawing at the bark and getting nowhere. His little pudgy puppy body just wasn't having it today.

Eljay watched as the kids socialised, until he noticed a thing. Elfie was jumping on a tree, followed suit by daddy, sure, but that didn't mean it was totally safe! Eljay rushed over to the tree and with a panic in his voice shouted: Elfie, get down from there! It's not safe! You could fall and get hurt! He looked crossly at daddy for a moment, annoyed that his father would condone, encourage and even acknowledge this behaviour as good in any way, and then he looked imploringly at his son.

Eljay held his breath, hoping Elfie would understand why it was dangerous and why he really needed to listen to the safety advice of his daddy right now!

Fin tried not to laugh as her daughters worked together to correct her pronunciation. It was a struggle for both of them, though clearly for different reasons. Avery's was her stutter, and Sugar's was... Well, hers was just little kid sillyness. With so many options for now to choose from, all Fin could do was just nod and smile. "Well alright, let's get all of those!" she said brightly, stepping lightly around them to start the plant hunt.

She didn't get too far before the boys distracted her. She hadn't been watching, but it appeared that they had congregated around a thick log. Elwood and Elfie were standing on it, Crow and Pox clearly were trying to get onto it, and Eljay was... scolding them? Fin frowned, but fought the desire to intervene. Her mate had this. She would stick with the girls.

After only a few more steps, Fin found herself on the edge of a clover patch. With a smile, she looked back at her daughters. "Hey, come look what I found!" she called, wondering if this might satisfy their apparent lust for plants (lol).

Pox was pretty sure his plan would've worked if Crow had just listened to him and stayed still. He scowled with frustration as his brother moved and he kept slipping back down to the ground. After falling on his back for the second time, Pox stood and growled at his brother, "C'mon! Would you just--"

But that was all he got out before he saw his father and Elfie had gotten up on the log. His jaw dropped with wonder, but before he could demand to know how they had achieved such miracles, Eljay was there. Eljay was... mad? 

Pox gawked at his older brother as though he'd never seen anything quite like him. Eljay had never done much of anything before except lie there and mope. He was, like, the most boring wolf ever. But here he was, telling dad to get down! Pox stared at him in amazement, his face twisting into a little smile as he thought oh shit to himself. Distracted now from his desire to stand on the log, he stood back to watch what would happen next.

Sugar glanced over in the direction of the commotion, ears pinning back somewhat. But when Finley strode off in search of greens, she quickly faced forward and bounded after her mother. She would take plants over noisiness any day!

As soon as they arrived at the clover patch, Sugar threw herself face first into the vegetation. Only later, after her experience with monkshood, would she learn to fear purple flowers. Presently, she rubbed her face all over the blossoms, snatching a few off their stems and happily chewing on them. When that failed to sustain her interest, she stuck her wee white toes into the rich earth and began to uproot a few of the flowers.

Elfie had had a good time, watching, how Crow and Pox struggled to get up on the log, and feeling quite invulnerable, while sittting right next to his grandpa. Now and then he shot the old man a glance full of awe and admiration. 

Then his dad came and for a moment there Elfie looked hopeful - maybe he had decided to join the fun after all. However, when he heard the harsh tone, his kind smile froze and his tail stopped mid-wag. A deep-set frown appeared and gradually the look in his eyes changed from unpleasantly surprised to spiteful. 

"Make me!" he challenged Eljay and did not move an inch from his spot. He was not yet old enough to know the exact term, but he had learned over time that his father did not have much of a back-bone. Show him resistence and he would yield sooner or later.

Elwood looked up as Eljay swiftly approached, his tone filled with concern as he scolded his son. He didn't miss the frown that was shot in his direction, although it didn't ruffle his feathers. He had his own thoughts about safety that he had developed over time and multiple litters, but he recognized that this wasn't the time or place to voice them. If Eljay wanted Elfie to get down, then he was the one in charge in this situation, and it wouldn't do anyone any good if Elwood tried to overstep him.

However, Elfie seemed to have different ideas. Rather than follow his dad's directions, he drew himself up and called out a retort. Elwood hopped down to stand on the ground once more, next to Crow and Pox, and looked up at Elfie. "Your dad just wants you to be safe," he said, although he wasn't sure that Elfie would be easily convinced to listen to his father.

Avery gave the boys a glance at the sound of all the commotion, but was quickly redirected by her mother. She followed along willingly, her tail wiggling to and fro as she pranced along with Fin and Sugar. She wasn't actually paying that much attention to the plants around them, as she was too busy taking everything else in with her eyes and ears, but when her companions stopped at the edge of a patch of clover, she gave an excited squeal.

"It's p-pretty!" she exclaimed as Sugar proceeded to rub herself on the leaves first, before eating a few and finally beginning to dig. Avery began to nose about as well, her enthusiasm apparent but more muted than Sugar's.

Eljay frowned deeply as Elfie said 'make me!' and refused to come down from the log. Daddy luckily did come down from the log, giving the good example at least, which was a relief to the worried father. Especially after Wiffle had died, he just didn't want to take any risks; didn't Elfie see he just wanted him to be safe? Eljay honestly didn't know what to do or how to get Elfie to listen to him, so he was glad that daddy stood by his side and chimed in, saying he just wanted him to be safe.

At daddy's words, Eljay nodded to confirm them and said: Please, Elfie? I'm just worried, I - I just don't want you to get hurt. Like your mom. His frown turned less strict and more sad as he pleaded with his son (dem parenting skills right there).

Elwood Sr. Sr. was right - Elfie would not be convinced by Eljay to obey in a matter that he thought was very stupid and useless to begin with. His dad was not much fun nowadays and his son tried not to blame him for it and leave him on his own. There were plenty of distractions around to keep him busy and he made best of it. Plus, neither his grandmother, nor grandfather were opposed of many things he did and for this reason he trusted their judgement more than his father's over-protective ventures. 

"I won't," Elfie told him bluntly and still remained rooted on the spot. "Why don't you get up here - or are you a... coward?" he pushed his luck further, teasing his father in that annoying way kids do. In fact, there was a bit of an edge in his voice, he had added a personal insult, just to prove a point.

Elwood considered himself a good father, but this experience was new to him. As Elfie's grandfather, he wasn't necessarily the one in charge -- and he certainly didn't want to undermine Eljay's parenting. But Eljay's pleading didn't seem to be having the desired effect on Elfie, as the boy continued to refuse to come down and even resorted to insinuating that his dad was a coward. Elwood winced inwardly at the insult.

"Elfie," he said, his tone stern. There were other solutions to the problem -- he was sure they could work out a compromise -- but he didn't think that either party would be open to it at this point. It was quickly turning into a power struggle. "You should listen to your father," he said.

Finley smiled as her daughters immersed themselves in the vegetation she'd found. Her ears swiveled back to keep track of what was happening with the boys, but she did nothing to intervene, nor was she too concerned. It seemed like Elwood had things under control, and if he didn't, she knew he'd call for her. For now, it seemed like a better use of her time to make sure her girls were entertained and happy and let all the Elwoods over there figure things out amongst themselves. So, she began to poke around nearby, looking to see if there was anything more interesting nearby that she could blow their minds with, like a wild mushroom or a big ass flower or something.