Hideaway Strath 7 Deadly Sins

@Towhee!! Replies may be a little slow for a few extra days, but as of today busy life will officially begin to chill

 

Despite his preoccupation with Effie, Rye still couldn't get Towhee out of his mind. Not in the way that was to be expected, but one where he was concerned. Their last encounter was more tense than relaxed and as the days stretched on, his mind worked away at a beautiful sculpture of worry and suspicion. Worry he had done something wrong within pack rules and suspicious that Towhee was miffed about Effies arrival. Either way Ryes mouth spent most of its time contorted in different way to compliment his thoughts. He wanted to find out, the only issue was tracking the deaf female down. Detective work was needed or sheer luck.

With a grunt, Rye heafted himself up from his spot under a large tree and began jogging to the main hang out spot of the pack. His knees and back popped with each step of his foot, his body loved collecting air in between those joints. His fur coat shook with each step (especially around the shoulders) aiding in dusting himself off. His mind focused in on the sounds of his paws tapping the ground, mesmerizing and distracting it was only until he smelled the intense and bountiful scents of his packmates, did he realize he had arrived. 

He waited, watching fellow wolves pass by him in their routines, inspecting each, hoping to catch a dark haired woman passing by.

Meanwhile, the only person on Towhee's mind was @Fennec.

The girl had been missing long enough that the Kilonova was beginning to feel resigned that they would never find her. She had spent frantic days—more than a week—searching for her wayward daughter. But there was no sign of her anywhere. No matter how far or hard she, @Phox and @Figment looked, it was almost as if Fen had vanished into thin air.

She had been avoiding the rendezvous site. Spending time there just made her poignantly aware of Fen's absence. Besides, how could she relax or rest while her blind daughter was out there, all alone? Even if Towhee knew it was time to give up the search, she was still restless, not to mention beside herself with fear and grief.

She needed to center herself, throw herself back into the obligations of leadership. Towhee would start by going to the rendezvous site. It was the first time she'd set foot there in weeks. She paused at the edge, looking around almost blearily, orange eyes eventually coming to rest on Rye.

Through the somewhat busy blur of the rendezvous site Rye gained sight of Towhee. For a moment, he shoved all worries in the back of his mind and gave a friendly smile. In a way it was to send out feelers, test the temperature of the water between them. Unfortunately he wasn't aware of Towhees child was missing, Rye noted an absence but always chalked it up to the kid adventuring where he wasn't. After weaving through a few wolves and shrubs, he finally came to a stop in front of the female and said, "What's up Towhee, anything new?" 

As Rye waited to hear of anything new, he began to have second thoughts about his worries. Were they truly worth asking about? Or would it be better to let it go? He wasn't sure, flip flopping between the two. Listing pros and cons like he was reading from a groceries list. He couldn't make a proper decision that would let him feel no regrets. For the hour, it would be tabbed in the 'TBD' section of his maze of a mind. Further assessment needed.

When he greeted her with a friendly query, Towhee just stared at him for a beat. It wasn't a judgment against his lack of knowledge, simply a mental buffering as she tried to remember how to make small talk. In the end, the system crashed and the leader simply shook her head, not in response to Rye's question but as a silent indicator that something was amiss, so badly that she couldn't find her words for a moment.

But after a steadying breath, Towhee was able to say and sign, -"Fen's gone, like, gone."- That was all she could manage for now. She sagged under the weight of the news, her insides clenching with the same onslaught of emotions she'd been experiencing the past several days. She simultaneously wanted to retreat back to her mechanical searching and throw herself into her friend's arms to seek comfort.

Towhee did neither of those things. She just stood there for a second, looking utterly broken and like she might burst into tears. Instead of doing that, she made a croaking noise, which abruptly rose in volume, becoming a ragged scream of anguish. It tore out of her so violently that she swore she felt the earth trembling beneath her feet.

Towhee did the  deciding for him, her head shake had Rye quieting his mind withing moments. The stillness that resided in his mind was powerful, not a frantic thought or cautionary one passed through. His eyes looked at her own, his asking what was wrong. While his brows furrowed slightly with empathy. He was shocked to see her that upset, it wasn't something he saw everyday, deep within his body his guts twisted. He pulled himself closer, not by much but enough to invite her to him. It was a scary move for him he knew, he didn't want a repeat of last time and at surface level he hoped she wouldn't. 

Towhees words chilled Ryes skin, he could only think of the worst. Hearing the females cry of pain was both terrifying but heartbreaking. He couldn't begin to imagine her pain, he wanted to hug her but an invisible wall of past pains blocked him. He could only watch as she sunk back down from her painful high. He let her calm before he spoke, his voice caring, each word softer than a birds feather. "Towhee, hey, I know you're hurting but I need you to take a deep breath. Please?" He pleaded, his brows lifted and pushed themselves together while his eyes drew saftey within them. He wasn't going to let Towhee suffer, he understood he wouldn't get rid of the pain but he could ease it. 

"Listen, you raised that pup. She's got more of a chance at survival where ever she's at than any pup in this land. I know she's got other challenges accompanying her but you taught her how to move past them right?" He didn't know much about how Towhee raised her but he was sure she raised both kids to be tough and self reliant. If they were anything like Towhee, Rye genuinely feared for the forest rather than the pup.

busts up into this tender moment like the kool-aid man

xD In all seriousness though, if I've pped/ assumed too much either of you please PM me and I'll make edits accordingly.

For the first time in what felt like nearly a moon, Towhee appeared at the rendevous site. Rue hadn't seen hide nor hair of the Rehawk wolves for some time now, but that was quite understandable. They were out looking for Fennec, of course. In their absence Rue had attempted to keep the pack running normally-- which she saw as her duty as Pulsar-- but with every passing day that the child wasn't returned, Rue's heart sank a little more. 

Rue moved to approach Towhee, but Rye was quicker. The Pulsar hesitated, knowing Towhee would likely be better comforted by an older friend. However when Towhee cried out in anguish, any thought Rue had of hanging back disappeared. Rue darted forward, fearing the worst. Had a body been found, then--?

--No, no... it wasn't that, thank the stars. From the way Rye was comforting Towhee, it was clear that the mother was not grieving the death, but rather the continued absence of her daughter. As Rye finished with his words of comfort, Rue nodded encouragingly to him. Most people felt very uncomfortable when faced with the pain of others-- the counselor knew this all too well-- but Rye was doing great. However, it did seem like something was blocking Rye from comforting Towhee in a physical way. He seemed to be almost frozen in place, which Rue found odd, but her curiosity about that would have to wait. 

Rue stepped forward and lowered her head, pushing her crown against Towhee's shoulder in a show of wordless solidarity. If Towhee was back at the rendevous site empty-handed, that probably meant that they had run out of ideas for where to look for Fennec. Perhaps Rue could provide some assistance there. 

"Towhee," Rue would say in a low voice, once the leader seemed to calm down a bit. She also nudged Towhee somewhat pressingly, nonverbally urging her to look up in order to listen to Rue. This was important, and she didn't want the leader to miss anything. "What if Fennec isn't.. isn't alone?" Rue made the signs for took and Fennec. "There was new recruit here, dark blue-black pelt, scarred face... He's disappeared too, Towhee. Not a trace anywhere." Rue used her paw to draw a slash across the left side of her own face, providing a visual to represent the scar she had seen on the new recruit.

Rue drew in a breath and glanced up at Rye, eyes filled with worry. Perhaps two diappearances at once was a coincidence, but Rue wasn't so sure. What would Towhee and Rye think?

She breathed raggedly through Rye's reassurances, saying nothing. When Rue appeared, Towhee didn't react particularly. It wasn't that she thought what they were saying was unimportant. Had she not been incredibly distracted, the Kilonova would've been particularly interested in Rue's inferences. However, there were two things preventing her from engaging either one of them: she was still trying to collect herself from her outburst and she was pretty certain the pulsing beneath her feet wasn't a byproduct of said fit.

"Guys, do you feel that?" she asked sharply, right before the forest floor shook so hard that it knocked her clean off her feet. She fell face first, her jaw taking the brunt of the impact. This time, the cry that wrenched loose from Towhee's mouth was a sharp shout of physical pain.

They were getting stronger, and more violent. The tremors forced Rye to the ground with a thud, his legs nearly doing the splits on his way down but thankfully folding off to the side. Branches fell, pebbles shifted every which way, and leaves scattered all around them as if it was rain drops. As the ground shook Rye was left in shock as to the magnitude of the shaking, even the biggest trees weren't immune to the grounds wrath. Rye didn't know how much time had passed since the shaking began but he was more than happy when it tapered away. His mind was rigid with worry, Effie was on her own. He would need to ensure she was okay soon but for now, Rue and Towhee was there.

Rye stood back up, his legs hesitant to stand upright in fear of another shake but the male eventually stood firm and looked at the others. Checking for any obvious injuries. Rye heard the cry from Towhee but he couldn't see where she was hurt. Was it internal? "You two okay?" He asked, his gaze turning to Towhee with the second question. "Any injuries?"

Yes, Rue felt that. Absolutely, she felt it. She had been feeling it for what must have been over a week now-- tremors quaking up from deep beneath the ground's surface, some ephimeral and others more enduring and ominous. To Rue, it felt as if some gigantic, burrowing monster had awoken from hibernation and was attempting to free itself from its underground den.

The unusual occurrences were all the more reason to locate Fennec, and quickly. Although Rue was fairly certain that gigantic, underground monsters were not real, she knew that opportunistic, child-stealing monsters were undeniably existant and often took advantage of chaotic times. "Yeah--" Rue answered Towhee. She began to say something that would direct attention back to the missing recruit, but she was interrupted by a violent lurch in from ground beneath their feet. 

As Towhee fell forward, Rue was thrown backward. She landed hard on her tailbone and emitted a sharp yelp as well. She crouched and tucked her head, riding out the tremors until they passed. Rye spoke first, and Rue lifted her gaze to the others. Rue shook her head at Rye's question, the base of her spine smarting as she pulled herself shakily to her feet. She waited to ascertain that Towhee way okay before she spoke again. 

"I think we need do a head count," she said finally, voice small. A pack meeting would help them determine who was here and safe and who was missing or injured. Maybe someone would know what these quakes were and whether they would keep getting worse. And maybe someone knew something about the missing recruit-- like his name, for starters.

She winced and worked her jaw as she righted herself, though Towhee didn't bother even trying to climb to her feet as the rumbling continued. Only when it settled did she push herself into a seated position, her orange gaze lifting to assess the damage. Her comrades appeared shaken but otherwise okay. They were both looking at her with concern, which she appreciated. And when Rue spoke, the Kilonova's attention snapped to her lips, her words suddenly reminding Towhee of something.

"Not a bad idea," Towhee agreed, still shifting her aching jawbone. "And that reminds me. I've been meaning to talk to you but shit keeps happening." First, the Blackfeathers had appeared, then the Frosthawks had disappeared, then Fen had disappeared. And not to forget the sporadic earthquakes... "I would like you to take the Beta rank, what we call Fusor. And if you like, feel free to take point on that head count."

She should've kept her attention trained on Rue, anticipating an answer, but her eyes swung slightly to look at Rye. Finally bothering to sign again as well as speak, she asked, -"You okay?"- And then Towhee's eyes were ping-ponging between the two of them, equally invested in their responses.

Rye was a little shocked at the sudden change in topic, hearing Ruenna was due to he the next Beta sat with the male wrong. He felt owed but he knew that wasn't the right way to feel about his friends promotion. The feeling embedded itself in his mind and showed no sign of letting up, no matter the amount of happy thoughts or even scornful thinking, it stuck. Rye couldn't understand why he was miffed by the news, it wasn't the first time he heard of it. Some shavings of guilt dusted his mind but before he let it fester, he moved forward.

"Well congratulations Ruenna. I'm sure you will make a fine Beta, or Fusor." Spoken through gritted teeth, metaphorically at least. His tone was cheery, happy and the like, however it would no doubt come off as too cheery. A compliment with undertones that can be heard a mile away. 

Rye never bothered responding to Towhees question, he wanted to make his exit before his selfish feelings took hold and did serious damages. With the bow of his head, to the probable new Fusor, Rye excused himself. Trotting off towards Effie or anywhere else honestly.

When Rue mentioned pack business, Towhee morphed from grieving mother to pack leader almost instantly. Her strength was admirable to Ruenna, who was unsure whether she would have been able to do the same were their roles reversed. This was why Towhee was the Kilonova of course-- she was able to execute both roles at once, where many others in her position would have let one take precedence over the other. 

Despite any doubts Rue might have about her own leadership qualities, clearly Towhee saw something within the Pulsar that met with approval. Before Rue could answer Rye spoke his congratulations, and his words fell noticibly flat. This would not be the first time a packmate begrudged Rue a promotion, and it stung every time. Rue opened her mouth the thank Rye for his-- admittedly empty-- congratulations, but he was already taking his leave. Watching him disappear into the trees, Rue concluded that she would simply have to try harder. If Rye or anyone else questioned Towhee's choice, Rue would show them through her actions that she deserved the post. 

"Certainly. Thanks, Towhee," Rue had reverted to her usual quiet tone, which of course wouldn't make any difference to Towhee. Rue signed her acceptance and her gratitude. After a pause, she cut her eyes back in the direction of Rye's disappearance. "He's okay, right?" Rue had the odd feeling that there was something between Rye and Towhee that she was missing, but she didn't know how to begin to ask about that. Or if she even wanted to know.

"..And what about you? What else can I do?" Rue wasn't going to ask Towhee if she was okay, she already knew that answer. All she could do now was try to ease the Kilonova's burden, in whatever way possible.

Instead of answering Towhee, Rye offered Ruenna congratulations and then made a swift exit. She couldn't detect his tone, of course, so his abrupt departure perplexed the Kilonova. She nearly called after him, though she bit her tongue and turned to Rue. Her own expression was one of confusion, then she grimaced. Her face hurt, sure, but she was actually pretty annoyed by Rye's sudden penchant for walking off suddenly. This wasn't the first time it'd happened around the subject of Rue's promotion either.

-"I don't know,"- Towhee replied honestly. Was Rye jealous of Rue's new rank? Did he want it for himself? Towhee really wondered. Rye wouldn't make a half bad Fusor either and there was another open position. She should have a talk with him sometime, though she really wished he hadn't been rude toward Rue. -"Sorry about him,"- she added after a beat, then pondered the new Fusor's other question.

She didn't say anything right away, instead looking around and noticing little signs of damage from the quake. -"All I ask of you is to look out for this pack,"- she eventually said, orange gaze returning to Rue's face. -"We're in some... troubling times, I guess you could say. Help me—and Phox—see this pack through them. I know that's not very specific but I think you just need to keep doing what you're doing, Rue. That's why we picked you."-