Sun Mote Copse let the river run

Eljay had decided he needed to make a plan about how to get back Elfie. Nobody knew where he was, but he had to be out there somewhere. Eljay wasn't too sure he could look -- experience proved that he was just pretty terrible at scouting, so he was more likely to get lost than to find his son -- but he also felt that he should look. It wasn't fair to ask anyone else, safe perhaps Towhee, to look for Elfie and to find him back. It seemed unlikely they'd find him, anyway, and what if he didn't want to come home? But then again, what if he just didn't know how to find his way back home? The thought of Elfie out there, lost and alone, was terrifying to the father.

While he sought through the territory for traces of prey, Eljay happened upon a small clearing with a tree on it. He frowned as he halted and stared at the place that Wiffle had initially chosen. He frowned as he pictured them, together, happy. Things should've been so different. They should've sat there together this year too, in a few months' time, with Weejay and Elfie around them and new pups darting around in the beautiful clearing. He sighed as he looked out over it, his eyes shining with emotion.

It was not lost on Finley that while she and Towhee had been able to celebrate the safe return of their respective children, Eljay had been left to look on with still no word of his own. Fin too felt the sting that was Elfie's loss, but she knew it was different for a parent than it was for any other member of the family. She also knew that for a wolf like Eljay who felt as deeply as he did, it was ten times worse than it would be for any other.

Fin had been seeking him that day, and (as usual) he hadn't been to hard to find. She recognized the setting easily and felt her own heartstrings playing a somber tune. She strode up to his side and touched her nose gently against his temple. "Hey Jaybird," she said fondly, pulling out an old nickname that had first slipped her tongue when he'd been just a tiny pup, wriggling at her side.

crashing this bc I've been shamelessly curious of how Eljay and Maia would jive for a while.  Lmk if this isn't ok!

While Maia knew there were hardships that Wraen was reluctant to talk about, and tried not to let that bother her, she still felt oddly outside of the somber mood that sometimes still pervaded the copse.  So when she stumbled across Finley and Eljay, she didn't bother to read the room.

Hey!  She burst out in a cheerful greeting.  She hadn't spent much time with Eljay or Finley prior during her stay, and she wasn't even positive now that she was here if they knew she was back (or knew she was here before?).  It took a moment, but as she paused to look at them, it occurred to her they weren't really smiling.  Oh, uh, sorry.  If you were talking I can go... she added, a little abashed.

The wind blew a few stray snowflakes off the trees, as if it was conspiring with his emotions to dampen his mood. Eljay glanced back distracted when he felt a soft touch and heard his mother's voice. A smile involuntarily tugged at his lips because there was something about mommy's presence that was always soothing, no matter the circumstances. Hey mom. He breathed a sigh that formed a cloud and then vanished into thin air as soon as Wiffle had vanished from his life. As soon as she had come. It hadn't been very long that he'd gotten to enjoy her presence. And then he'd lost Elfie, too. He blamed himself, of course, wished that he could've somehow kept Elfie closer, but it felt that with every well-meant step he had only pushed his son away.

His mouth opened but he just couldn't find the words to say. He didn't know what to say. Was there anything that could be said? She knew what hurt him, and she knew that she couldn't do much about it other than be there.

The grim tranquility was brusquely disrupted by someone else. The cheer in her greeting was so out of place that it made Eljay's hackles rise a little, although it was unlikely very visible to the others. They quickly smoothed when he looked at his cheerful pack mate and her mood seemed to instantly sour, overtaken by those of himself and Finley, and she offered to go. It's okay, he said. He wasn't sure if she wanted to stay, though; he wasn't exactly the cheeriest to be around right now.

Her heart twisted into knots at the look her son gave her. It was such a beautiful thing to see him smile, but it was heartbreaking to see the sadness and pain that etched every curve of it. Her own heart was wounded still over Wildfire's loss. From the very start, Wiffle had been her (secret) favorite of Fox's and Peregrine's offspring, and while they had continued to give birth to children that would challenge that rank, Wildfire had always remained incredibly special in her heart. She always would be.

Finley didn't have a follow-up to her hello. She and Eljay had shared many quiet, comfortable silences before, and she didn't mind beginning another. Someone was quick to interrupt that before she'd even begun to settle in. She looked over to spot Maia--a girl she didn't know well, but had always appreciated from afar. She smiled, finding her spirit welcome if a little out of place. "Come on over," she invited, "Grab a drink, pull up a chair." Her tail wagged.

"How have you been settling in, Maia?" Fin asked, taking charge in pressing the conversation in some direction. Maia had been with them for a little while, but she felt it was still an appropriate enough question to ask.

While Maia still definitely felt like she'd invaded a conversation, neither of them asked her to leave.  Which meant, now that she'd been welcomed, it would be totally rude to duck out.  Unless they actually wanted her gone and were just being nice.

Why was meeting new people always so hard?!

Okay that was a lie, Maia loved meeting new people.  But not ones who she'd already kinda heard about from her parents and who really sorta intimidated the heck outta her.

Oh!! Y'know, awesomely.  Minus the whole food thing but I'm sure that'll be done soon enough.  She answered brightly.  Then she hesitated, because uhhh... yeah.  But it was polite.  How are... you?  I mean, I feel like the only one I've really talked to since coming is Wraen? And she's been kinda stressey lately.  With totally good reason!! So, like.... are you guys good? Or is stressey kinda a pack thing?  She shut her muzzle and smiled, giving them a chance to answer her awkward tirade.  Wow she was better at this when she could just start out the gate with a story.

Eljay still vaguely remembered meeting Maia before, but he didn't know a lot about her. Other than that she was bubbly and liked stories. Not exactly things he was good at nor wanted to explore further right now. Mommy responded enthusiastically to Maia joining the pair of them, and Eljay forced a smile to his face. It was easy to see that it wasn't very well-meant, though. Losing Elfie had in many ways renewed the loss he'd felt when Wiffle had been taken from him.

Maia was still much the same. It was strange, seeing someone who was a lot the same ways as you were used to, but being a completely different person yourself. The 'food thing' reminded Eljay of what Towhee had said -- that he should eat more and take care of himself -- but Eljay just wanted to be sure that Weejay had enough food to get by, at least. He didn't want to lose her, too. But neither did he want her to go through losing another of her parents. He frowned thoughtfully about it and nodded, though didn't comment on what Maia said.

Maia then said that Wraen was stressy, which was new information to Eljay, but then he'd realised that he hadn't spoken to her in quite some time, anyway. Maia asked if they were 'good' or if stressy was a pack thing, and honestly, Eljay didn't know how to respond to that. He shifted his weight and then asked, rather than answering the question, What's Wraen stressed about? He sounded mostly interested, but there was a hint of worry shining through his words. Wraen had done wonderfully to keep the pack together when the going got tough, and Eljay hoped it wasn't anything really big that bothered her now.

Finley shrugged and gave a nod as Maia responded to her question. She hadn't escaped them impact of the food shortage, but she did have the advantage of experience in this area (not that she was thankful for it). She had suffered lean times before and survived. She was confident they would survive this too.

She was interested to note that Eljay seemed surprised to hear that Wraen was stressed. She wondered if he hadn't noticed because he'd been so distracted with his own troubles or because Wraen put on a different front when she was with him. Why would she do that, Fin wondered? She let her mind wander down that trail for a few seconds before she stopped herself. She wanted her son to find love and happiness again, but she didn't need to start seeing possibilities where there might not be any.

Her gaze slipped back to Maia and her brain started going again because since when did she have any self-control. "I'm sure leading a pack made up mostly of young hooligans has something to do with it," Fin answered with a smile.

Ohhhh, Maia and your big mouth!! What if Wraen didn't want people thinking she was stressed?  She hadn't even thought about it before saying it, so she quickly backed it up, laughing a little uncomfortably.  Not, like, super stressed?  Just, yknow? Leader stuff and all that.  I might be wrong.

Finely was picking up what she was laying down too.  Good good!  She'll probably snatch my tail for talkin about here when she isn't here, anyway!  She rolled her eyes, making light of it.  She knew her sister wouldn't really care, but she didn't like the thought that she'd upset her without knowing.  How are all of the kids doing?  I keep wanting to come see them but I feel like, I dunno.  Oh jeeze, big mouth again.  She had meant to see them but she felt like, with the Blackthorns, there was this weird.... she wasn't sure.  Just in general.

Mom and Maia both interjected that she wasn't that stressed, probably, which only made Eljay think that Wraen was stressed all the more. He opened his mouth to ask if they were sure that she was okay, but then he decided that instead he would just ask Wraen herself when he next saw her. He'd try to be totally subtle about it, since Maia seemed to not want anyone to know that she'd mentioned anything about Wraen.

Anyway - Maia quickly moved on, and Eljay felt increasingly uncomfortable because her energy was all over the place, it felt, and being nervous socially; or that's what he picked up, anyway. Eljay shifted his weight uncomfortably as he tried to process it all. He didn't really want to talk about the pups, not in the broadest sense of the word, anyway.

Eljay glanced at mom briefly before he said, Weejay is doing good. She's super into plants and looking to do something with that. He thought she would make a good caretaker, but there were many routes she could walk with her plant interests, really. Elfie's -- He was with Towhee's pack. He's missing. Eljay frowned and looked down at his paws as he thought about his son. He should've gone to look for him -- he should look for him. But both the bravery as well as the energy were lacking right now.

Fin was quiet as Maia attempted to explain it away. She saw right through it, of course, and she knew that her son wouldn't so easily let go of his own concern even if she actually had been convincing. She didn't see any reason why Wraen's stress needed to remain hidden, though. They were pack. They were family. There was no reason for any sort of emotions to remain hidden. How would they support each other that way?

She grinned softly as Eljay talked about his children, though it faded a bit when he came around to Elfie. She missed her grandson quite a lot and wished she could do something to try to find him. But, she was old and simply didn't have it in her anymore to do things like that. It was a hard pill to swallow, but Finley was doing her best. 

"Elfie's a strong kid, though," Fin added, offering her son an encouraging smile, "He's got the best of the Blackthorns and Redhawks in his blood. I'm sure he's just fine, wherever he is." She knew Eljay wouldn't stop worrying until he knew for certain where his son was and how he was faring--she certainly still worried after the children she had lost to wanderlust. But he needed to learn to allow faith to comfort him as much as was possible, just as she had.

"You're more than welcome to come visit any time," Fin added, turning back to Maia, "My boy is a hellion, but my girls are sweet. I'm sure all of the kids would love to hear some stories. You're into that, right? I think I heard that from someone." She couldn't remember who--probably Wraen. I certainly didn't use my OOC knowledge to manipulate Fin's awareness anyway.

You and your big dumb mouth, she thought as Eljay revealed that one of the kids was missing.  Weejay sounded like a kid she could get along with, maybe, but she felt bad about bringing that up.

I totally bet he is fine, she said, picking up on Finley's line.  All my younger siblings disappeared not so long ago and it turns out they were just fine and living safely just a little ways away!  Kids could totally be resourceful like that.  Yeah, they'd had Cori n Cass with them, but she was willing to bet gettin out and to safety had been on them.  They were awesome like that.

She felt a little bolstered by that and by Finley's mention of her trade.  Okay, cool! I'm a storyteller, yeah.  I really like makin up new ones, if there's anything your kids are super into? Or Weejay?  She glanced back at Eljay, questioning.  If her brother was missing, maybe a story would do her some good.

Both mom and Maia tried to reassure him when it came to Elfie. It was true that he was a tough kid, but that was the very thing that often worried Eljay. How could he be sure if his child could take care of himself? He was tough, but he was also overconfident at times. Eljay frowned and nodded, taking in their reassuring words and hoping they were true. I hope he'll find his way back, he said, his voice a little smaller and less confident than intended, the worry seeping through. He'd search, soon, but he also knew that it was likely to be of little use.

Maia said she was a storyteller after mom asked about it and asked if the children were into any stories. Weejay loves flowers, Eljay said; a fact that he had already just shared, but it didn't hurt to say it again. She's got a garden. He bet that she would love a story about a girl with a flower garden or something like that.

As she'd thought, Maia was indeed a storyteller. Fin had always enjoyed wolves that held that trade. She'd always been absolute shit at telling stories. She didn't have enough patience to take her time and really hook an audience in. She just wanted to jump straight to the point. Plus, she was forgetful and tended to leave behind important details, only to recall them at an inopportune moment and just throw them in the middle of whatever she was saying at the time, regardless of the disruption. But! She loved to listen and decided that she might just make sure she was around when Maia did come to visit the kids.

Fin smiled at the description of her granddaughter and over the pride in Eljay's voice as he spoke of her. It was cruel that Wildfire had been taken from him so soon, but a blessing that she'd made him a father first. Her son was meant to be a dad. She hoped he'd be made one again someday (not that you ever stopped being a parent, but you know what I mean).

Reaching to Eljay's ear, she gave him a nuzzle and then stood. "I'm gonna go bug your dad until he feeds me," she announced with a smile, "Love you, bud." She turned then and gave Maia a friendly nod before heading off, maybe just a little bit hoping that something romantic might come of leaving the two of them alone together.

Now that they were broaching a subject that Maia was immensely familiar with (and passionate about), she finally began to relax some.  Lately her insecurities had been worse, escalated by feeling out of place in the pack and unsure of what she wanted her role to be.  Chatting about stories was safe territory - it grounded her.

Maia had been hoping to get something other than flowers as an answer, but Eljay answered the same and Finley excused herself without one.  Man, okay.  She nodded and let them say goodbye, then continued.

I guess I can probably come up with something with flowers.  Some kind of fairy tail maybe, or a romance. she smiled playfully at him, assuming as a dad he might have something to say about that.  Is she a romantic?  Maia had been.  She'd loved the stories about fighting, but she'd absolutely swooned over Prince Charming and the like as a kid.

Bye, mom, love you, Eljay said in return when mommy decided to take her leave. He nosed her cheek as she said good-bye and watched as she left then. Eljay cast a forlorn glance towards the clearing with the den, filled with memories and should've-been's, and then looked back at Maia as she continued their conversation. Stories and flowers. Flowers, fairytales or romances.

When Maia asked if Weejay was a romantic, Eljay had to have a think about it a little bit. He pondered for about twenty seconds before he concluded: I think so, yes. Honestly, Eljay wasn't too sure, but he could see many similarities between himself and Wiffle in Weejay and they were both romantics and idealists in many ways, he felt. Eljay was pretty sure Weejay'd love most of the stories he loved, too. Even though Weejay had also chosen a sadder story for the story telling. But a romantic, happy sort of story seemed a good idea right

It wasn't a definite yes, but Maia was confident enough to guess it.  If she liked flowers, it was a pretty good bet!!  I've got a good story then.  It's about a rose and a monster, but the monster isn't actually a monster after all! Super romantic.  It had been one of her favorites as a kid, and  she'd made her mom tell it often.  Have you ever heard it?  There was a haunted forest, and a curse.  She realized suddenly that maybe not every family had stories growing up like she had.  That thought struck her with sudden sadness, and a sudden resolve to definitely hit the kids up for story time.

Maia said she had a story and went on to give a synopsis of said story. The synopsis didn't make much sense to Eljay, but he was sure the actual story would be better. Maia asked if he'd heard it and Eljay frowned, looked thoughtful for a moment and then shook his head. Don't think so. I don't know that many stories. He'd never been good at storytelling himself, and most of the stories mom had told him when he was little were mostly just things she'd made up on the spot, so not exactly stories that were wide spread.

Yeah, okay.  I guess mom told so many I forget not everyone does, she said a little sheepishly.  I could tell it if you want? Or I could wait and tell it to both of you and whoever else wanted to come! She could make a night of it.... stories and all.  Even invite a few of the other younger members of the pack.

If... if you wanted.  Oh boy.  It was weird... there was likely not a less intimidating wolf in existence in the wilds than Eljay, and yet, for some reason, Maia was intimidated.  She wasn't sure if it was his prior relationship with Wildfire, his parents, or his status in the pack.... but for some reason something felt different than previous times they'd spoken.  Maybe they were all just growing up.

Maia offered to tell the story now, and Eljay considered it, just in case it was too scary or inappropraite for Weejay. But then again, he should probably be more trusting; both in relation to Maia being a pack mate of his, as well as Weejay being pretty much an adult now. She'd always be his little baby girl, but maybe that wasn't entirely realistic. We'll hear it together, Eljay decided in the end. It was a scary thought that he couldn't content-filter the story but it would probably be fine. Probably. A night might be nice, surely other wolves would be interested to hear the story, too.

Maia's moment of awkwardness hadn't gone unnoticed to Eljay, the king of awkwardness. He didn't really understand it in the sense that he was hardly intimidating, but he understood it in the sense that you didn't choose these moments. He didn't know Maia at all so he didn't know how often she got awkward like this. Somehow it made her a more relatable wolf, after her energetic entrance.

Okay, she replied, already planning the story in her head.  Parts she'd keep the same, but parts she would always try to make her own.  Then she realized she was sitting there quiet for a minute and flushed again.

I'll come tell it sometime soon.  Thanks, Eljay.  I'm going to... go hunt stuff.  Oh, good one Maia.  

She was already crushing on Bronco and Figment and who knows who else, but Eljay was so cute, and those eyes... and he had kids.  She felt her insides melt a little and definitely needed to get out of there for a second.  But before she did, she gave him a real nice smile and an awkward dip of her head, waiting to see if he had anything to add before escaping.

Maia said she would come to tell the story and Eljay nodded. Then she excused herself rather suddenly. So suddenly that Eljay found himself wondering if he'd done anything wrong. Oh, uhm, he mumbled, looking a little caught off guard. Of course. I'll catch you later. Good luck hunting. The good-bye she gave was contradictory to what he thought before, since she offered him a big smile before taking off.

Eljay was left confused and unsure what just happened, and he lingered for a moment in this place. He stared at the den and then he turned away and left it alone in its melancholy.