Sun Mote Copse mandatory hugs every time you walk through the door.

Figment hadn't been close to the elderly pair of wolves that had recently passed away, but their loss was still palpable within the pack. He'd met them, of course. Elwood had reminded him of Rannoch in his quiet kindness. Finley had... Well, Finley had made him a little nervous. There'd been something unpredictable about her, though he'd sensed her good heart underneath it all. Meeting them both had immediately helped him understand where many of Towhee's traits had come from. He had liked them. Enough to not like that they were no longer here in spite of how their loss had hurt his parents, which he also didn't like.

As often happened in dark times like these, Fig didn't know what to do. He was innately compelled to want to fix everything and make everything better, but this was one of those situations where there just didn't seem to be a. He preferred to take a more active role in his caretaking, but he could recognize that in this situation, only time would really do the trick.

So, he put himself to his usual work--marking borders and keeping an eye out for Fenn. He was doing the former that morning when a scent on the wind came across his senses. Fig paused and peered out into the Wilds just beyond their borders at a small hillock where it seemed the scent might be coming from. Curious, the nearling decided to pause his patrol and trotted out towards the hill.

In only a few minutes, he was cresting the hill and looking down at a wide patch of white flowers that blanketed the downward sweep of the land. He considered them thoughtfully for a moment before stepping into their midst to sniff at them. The scent was pleasant and they looked nice enough. Perhaps there actually was a more direct way he could help, if only in a very small way. Fig smiled faintly as he began to move through the patch, seeking out the best blossoms to pluck and take to his mother.

Being the first taste of death since his father had passed away, the news of his aunt and uncle's passing made him shy away from others, incapable of dealing with how he felt. In part, he was transported back to the hurt he'd felt when he'd seen his father lying there, dead. It had scarred him to see his father so wounded, and to watch him progressively become weaker until the illness crept into his skin and took hold of him in its unshakeable grasp. He had recognized his father's pain and had been able to smell the scent of infection- but he hadn't realized then that it meant that it would lead to death. He hadn't seen it coming- and it had knocked the wind out of him. 

He couldn't believe, then, when he was told that Finley and Elwood had passed. He had noticed the signs of aging, of course- in the way Finley limped, in the coarseness of their fur, in the way their frame was less soft, and more hollow in places. But he hadn't believed that it would lead them to death this soon. What he didn't realize, of course, was that they had lived a life more long and full than most wolves did, but that didn't matter to him. The shock of their sudden, albeit peaceful departure, rattled him. He didn't believe it, and felt himself tied up and preoccupied with the realization that everyone died. His mother would, Towhee would, Nellie would, and he would. He'd saved Sugar Glider from an attack which could've killed her, if he hadn't intervened- and maybe she would never make it back from the Frosthawks. The world was more savage and unpredictable than he ever could have imagined and so, he was left thinking- why bother?

He probably wouldn't have noticed Figment had he not been silhouetted against a patch of white flowers. The wind was at his back, so he hadn't picked up Figment's scent. He balked slightly, more our of surprise than anything that he'd walked as far as he had without really watching where he was going...How long had he been lost in thought? 

He cleared his throat, as though to poise himself a bit more, when he considered Figment again. Out of the other male pups that had been born into the pack the same year as him, Figment seemed to have the best head on his shoulders. Bronco was quick to judge, and often held grudges horrible grudges- which was why he'd never forgiven Elfie, he'd never grown to like the easily-ruffled Crow, and found Penn's sense of humour to be a bit on the dark side. Figment seemed fairly rational and demure, which used to make him feel fairly grounded. But now...

"So..." He said, softly. He eyed the dark boy, who was a lankier than Bronco was- but they were both adolescents on the cusp of 'adulthood,' and that particular age tended to flatter no one. Figment being a bit lanky made him appear more unassuming, which suited his personality well; he didn't look like the sort of wolf that would ever grow into a frame that would be threatening. Bronco couldn't imagine Figment baring his teeth threateningly. But this guy- this was now...Well, they weren't just packmates anymore, thanks to their parents. 

Bronco shrugged, having begun a conversation that wobbled like an arrow with only two vanes. "You, uhm." He looked down at the flowers, which he thn realized Figment had been picking. His ears turned back. He knew what flowers were for. He remembered the sight of Sugar Glider, carrying flowers in her mouth. Maybe she'll never make it back... The thoughts crept into his mind like water slipping under a door. He swallowed hard, and shrugged again, trying to calm his anxiety, which presented itself obviously as he ran his tongue over his lips and furrowed his brow. His feet were squared, and his posture stable- but he couldn't keep eye contact with Figment- not knowing that death was on the air, and that this was his new, but undiscussed step-brother. "You doing okay?" What else was he supposed to ask? He knew his Mom would want them to get along- and he had no problem with that. He liked Fennec, and Figment was so much less a jerk than the other guys- who were actually directly related to him. Somehow, being related to someone by marriage felt different. His Mom had chosen to make Figment's Dad a part of their family- and now the rest of them had to acclimatize.

Fig had collected only two blooms by the time he was interrupted by an approaching stranger. He was working very slowly, making sure to only take the best ones for Towhee. He didn't think she would notice, but that didn't particularly matter. His mother deserved only the best flowers, so she would get only the best ones whether she recognized the work her son had put into it or not.

Which is to say, his mouth wasn't too full of plants that he couldn't mumble a perfectly discernable "Hi," when he did come to realize he'd been joined by another. Though they weren't particularly close, Figment did recognize the other boy by sight well enough. This was Nellie's brother, Bronco. And, Fig supposed in an awkward, uncertain way, his brother now too.

Fig moved to a spot a couple of paces away where the wildflowers thinned enough to leave a large enough patch of clear, green grass that he felt comfortable setting his stock down. He glanced around, making a mental note of where they were to ensure he wouldn't lose track of them amongst the others, his ears as Bronco spoke. He paused as he dropped them, thoughtful. He recognized the start of this conversation. It was one of the unhappy ones.

Fortunately, Figment is probably the most level-headed, thoughtful and poised characters I've ever played thanks to his BTS tutelage with Rannoch. So, he lifted his head and gave his step brother a soft, knowing frown. Under other circumstances, he might've felt awkward and uncomfortable at this, their first one on one interaction. But the circumstances gave him perspective and helped him get beyond his own discomfort. That was the magic of honest concern for lives other than your own.

"Well enough," he said, his brilliant green eyes settled on Bronco, "I didn't know them that well, but... they were good." It was the best he could come up with for them, but it felt as though it fit very well. "I'm sorry for your loss," he continued after a beat, "Are you doing alright?"

There was something slightly bewildering about being arund someone so naturally calm; it made Bronco aware of how exposed he was, and how flawed his social skills were when it came to having an uncomfortable conversation, especiallt when it was with a wolf that he wasn't quite sure about. It was a good thing that Figment was so mild-mannered, though, and when he responded with empathy and respect, Bronco felt his rattling nervs begin to settle. He'd been clenching his teeth together, which he only realized when he softly sighed, and nodded. Figment , fortunately, wasn't a wreck. Bronco wasn't sure he could handle a wreck right now...Or any time. He recognized his own quick-to-ignite personality, and avoided situations which would make him become unreasonably emotional. Hormones made it harder and harder to keep himself cool- so he just set about avoiding everyone if he didn't feel like he could manage. He had yet to have an honest conversation with his mother or Phox since Niamh had given him "The Talk."

"They were," Bronco said, and one corner of his lip quirked up, as though to smile at the memory of his aunt and uncle, but his expression otherwise remained the same- stark. When he relaxed his lips, his faint attempt at expressing some sort of fond remembrance faded away. He sighed, and nodded. "I'm...Alright." He said, and shrugged, as a typical defense mechanism, and to avoid too much concern. He shrugged again. "Gonna miss them, though," He said, drawing in a cold breath. He held it for a moment, looking away over the hillside. It was pretty here. He was silent a moment, as though to say there's nothing to be done. He didn't necessarily want to open up his feelings about death. Those were too dark to be spoken. 

"So...We're...Gonna have siblings, sometime uh, soon," He said, looking up at Figment questioningly, implying a myriad of different questions with his curious, but tentative gaze. Was Figment alright with it? Was he excited? Or was he just going to avoid them, the same way Bronco had been?

Bronco's response was quiet and short. Fig could see the sorrow that shrouded the other boy, but he got the sense that further talk of the subject wasn't going to be helpful. Unsurprisingly, the Blackthorn didn't pursue the topic further and Fig resolved not to push it. Distraction would be better. Distraction and forward motion.

Unfortunately, the topic they switched to was one that had the potential to make Fig squirm a bit. His father had told them he might want to find a new mate and that there could be new siblings in their future and I assume at some point, he'd given them the heads up about how he'd turned that potential situation into a reality with Niamh. Still, to Figment it had happened quite suddenly, too suddenly for him to have really found his bearings about the whole thing. 

"Uh, yeah, that's what I heard," Fig answered, pressing his lips together and nodding his head vaguely. He didn't know how well Bronco would take the latter part of his answer--whether he'd sympathize or be offended. But, Fig went with his gut again and added, "Gonna be kinda weird." After all, even having Meerkat in his life now was ...kinda weird.

Bronco had started to become aware of the fact that the kids his mother would birth would not be completely his. Had Colt been the father, he might have felt every right to claim the role of big brother on his own, and let Nellie do the big sister thing. But now...Now there was a man who wasn't his father, who would father his siblings. And there was another big brother and big sister who would be around, and he would have to share his role with them. But Figment was humble about it, which made Bronco smile. Yeah, it was weird. He could share that sentiment. He chuckled softly, finding it reassuring that he wasn't the only one who was caught off-guard by the change in family dynamic. 

"It is, hah, yeah," He said. There was something dry in the tone of his voice, but the softness in his eyes decreed that he didn't necessarily begrudge Figment for his new relationship. "I'm...Sorta surprised. I dunno about you, but I wasn't really...Expecting to have...Siblings, or anything, soon," He said, implying also that he wasn't exactly expecting to have a step-father. But he didn't sound disappointed, just...Surprised. He shrugged. "But...Ma seems happy. An' your Dad seems...Pretty cool," He said, looking to Figment to get his feelings on the matter.

Fig was relieved to see the humor on Bronco's face in response to his comment. It wasn't because of Bronco or Nellie that it was going to be weird to have siblings. It wasn't any one wolf in particular at all. It was just the whole situation. Being a big brother was a new experience for him. To step into that role almost simultaneously with the role of stepson to a near stranger and stepbrother to another near stranger and Nellie just added to the newness and the weirdness of it all.

Still, he smiled. And in that moment that Bronco began to elaborate on his agreement, it all suddenly felt a lot less weird. "Yeah, I know what you mean. My dad warned us ahead of time that he might want to find a new mate and have more kids," Fig commented conversationally, "I dunno, at the time it seemed like some far off thing, not like.. hey, I'm doing it next week... y'know? Guess it just takes time to get used to the idea. They do seem happy."

Fig paused thoughtfully, then grinned a little before adding with a nonchalant shrug, "My dad is pretty cool. I should warn you, though--He's a total dork about the stars. Careful if you run into him on a clear night. He can go for hours." He wagged his tail, smiling fondly.

It had been a while since Fennec burst in on a Fig thread uninvited.  She'd been letting her brother slide by unaccosted and it was about time to end that assumption.

Fennec wasn't big on the sads at the moment.  I mean, she was sad too, but in that removed way she tended to have.  And making macab jokes about her dead godparents was likely to earn her a little of a too soon ire from the mourning parties, so she took her coping mechanisms and went looking for Figment.  At least she could count on her brother to be less of a mess than Penn was right now.

She got there just in time to catch the tail end of Fig's comments on their dear old dad.  What're you two ladies gossiping about, dad?  Careful he doesn't catch you, or he'll take it as a challenge.  She huffed a light laugh, then waited, wondering what had spurred this little talk.

Bronco pursed his lips thoughtfully, when he found out that he and Nellie weren't the only ones who were caught a bit by surprise- though apparently they'd had some sort of convresation with their dad before the whole relationship actually happened. It made him feel more at ease, knowing at least there was some sort of balance going on, wherein all children involved- at least from last year- were surprised...but at least Figment seemed reasonable enough about accepting it. "Yeah, I guess," He said. "But yeah, they do seem happy. An' I'd want it to be that way," He said, softly, remembering what it was like to see his mother sad and distant. Naturally, he liked seeing her happy much, much more. While he did wish that it was his Dad who was making his Mom happy...There was no changing the fact that he was gone, but his mother's sadness could be changed into happiness by having Phox there to support her. That was good enough. 

Bronco snorted and rolled his eyes at Figment's comment about Phox being a total nerd about the stars. While he would admit that listening to Maia's stories was a guilty pleasure of his, he wasn't quite so keen to announce that he figured listening to stories about stars might be interesting too, so he laughed softly at Fig's warning. He opened his mouth to reply, but ended up glancing away, catching sight of Fennec who approached, having heard their conversation. 

Now, of course, he had to reckon with the fact that Fennec, too, was a part of his extended family. Or was she considered close family, now? It felt slightly awkward, realizing she was his step-sister...Which wasn't exactly the most positive-sounding relationship there was. It made him feel a bit awkward, but then again, what didn't. She seemed comfortable enough with everything, though. He laughed. "Something tells me your Dad's not exactly the type to take any sort of challenge seriously," He said. After all, Phox seemed like a pretty peaceful guy. "I think My Ma's prolly the one who get the most fired up about bein' talked about," He said. "So, uh, fair warning- when she's hungry...It's best to either feed her or just...Leave her be. She gets some hangry sometimes," He said with a shrug and a guilty laugh.

Figment nodded his agreement. He was not a selfish creature. He would take a bullet for anyone he loved, and likely he would also for those he didn't know. So, in spite of whatever discomfort he might feel about the situation, he would bear it for the sake of seeing his father happy. Fortunately, this was not too uncomfortable a load to bear.

When Fennec arrived, Fig was pleased to find he was not in the least surprised. When they were kids, he had just known that at pretty much any point, he could just turn his head and expect to see her. That feeling had not dwindled in spite of the fact that they were less tied together at the hip than they used to be. He smiled and rolled his eyes at her words, but there was no judgment or scorn in the gesture.

He looked at Bronco and thought he caught something in the other boy's regard that intrigued him, but it was gone in the next blink so he let it go. Bronco's description of his mother was an interesting one. He wondered briefly if his and Fenn's birth mother had had a fiery personality like that. Maybe Phox had a type? They knew so little about her. It had never really seemed important, though.

Still, he smiled. "That's good to know. I'm sure we can handle it, though. I mean, have you met Towhee? Sometimes she's just angry," Fig commented fondly before smirking over in Fennec's direction, "And don't even get me started on my sister."

If it was a thing she did, Fennec would have rolled her eyes at Bronco.  She wasn't talking about mad... Phox would gleefully take that challenge and run with it, waxing for probably literal hours about the stars.  She loved her dad but he was a dad... he liked to talk and he liked his own weird sense of humor.  (Then again, so did she).

I never said he'd get fired up.  Just that he'd take it as a challenge, she answered, then turned her listening attention to Fig.  

Fennec smiled when Figment compared her to Towhee, extremely flattered.  If I'm mad, you won't know until I fill your sleeping spot with spiders, she answered, impossible as usual to tell via tone if she was joking, though she kept that smile.  It was a kinda funny thought... she wondered who she could test that kinda thing on best.

"Towhee? Towhee's awesome," He said, emphatically defending his auntie with a snort and a smile. True, Towhee could be a bit of a hardass- and she didn't go easy when they were training, but he liked it. He liked not being treated like a breakable child, and he liked that he could swear and say whatever he wanted, without getting a sound smack across his snout for being rude. He glanced to Fennec then, and he could actually see some of the similarities between the two. They were dynamic and fun; and he admired that. 

Her suggestion about the spiders made his expression lift. "Oh, man," He said. "You should do that to my mom. She'd be horrified," He said, with a laugh. "Well...Maybe not now, but like...After the kids are born," He said. Of course, he didn't want his mother to suffer while she was so close to her due date- but once she'd recovered...She'd be fair game.

Fig regarded his sister with a smile, but his thoughts were momentarily wary. He didn't know how she would manage to pull something like that off, but he didn't at all doubt she could. Blind she may be, but that had never made her incapable. She had doubts about herself, he knew. But Fig didn't. He wondered if she knew that.

"Niamh would need to deserve it first, I'm sure," he said reassuringly, though he knew no one was actually concerned, "Maybe you warn her to try not to deserve it, though. After she's had a nice, big meal, of course." He grinned, his gaze trailing back to the blossoms that surrounded them. He'd forgotten what it was he was doing. He looked at Fen, "Hey, I was gonna gather up some of these flowers and take them to mom. D'you think she'd like that?" he asked, unashamed of his uncertainty or of the fact that he was picking flowers for his mommy.

You really hate your mom, don't you? Jeeze. Fennec said, but she smiled.  Yeah, Niamh would definitely need to deserve it, but she wasn't afraid of Bronco's mom.  She had no doubt that her position of niece/now step daughter (?) would protect her some and her blindness would do the rest.  She had zero qualms claiming that little bit of sympathy shielding.

I mean, sure? she responded to Figment's question, though she couldn't see the flowers in question.  Towhee wasn't exactly a flower person, she figured, but she'd probably like anything they gave her.  Probably.

last post for me <3

Bronco rolled his eyes, but realized a moment later the gesture would be lost on Fennec- so he snorted too. "Ohhh, I despiiiize her," He drawled, with plenty of syrupy irony which he was sure that Fennec would note. She was always good at picking up on what he really meant, by listening to the tone of his voice...He liked that about her. He smiled deviously at the idea of spooking his mother after she'd eaten a bunch, and of course, his immature brain couldn't help but imagine his mother letting out a massive fart whens he was scared, with a full stomach. "Great idea," He chuckled. 

When Figment asked his sister, then, to help him pick flowers for Towhee, it struck a sore spot for Bronco. Towhee was alive- but the idea of bringing her flowers was still nice. Sugar Glider had enjoyed picking flowers...But the thought of doing so again made his heart hurt, and it showed a bit. "Cool," He said, in a slightly smaller voice. He straightened himself up, and put on a smile. "Well I'm gonna go do a patrol...Try not to bring Towhee any flowers with bees in 'em," He said, "Catch y'all later," He chuffed, and trotted off.

Fig knew that his sister couldn't actually see how pretty the flowers were, but they smelled nice enough that he thought she might have an opinion. Of course she didn't, not really. He didn't take offense though and merely looked down at the blooms around his paws with thoughtful consideration. He looked up when Bronco excused himself and called a short "See ya," after his retreating form.

He turned his attention to Fennec then and tilted his head. "Looks like you're flower-picking with me," he proclaimed with a wag of his tail, "Just reach out, gather up some stems in your teeth and pull." Fig knew his sister would not at all be into this, but he also knew that having her two adult children bring her flowers (one happily and the other reluctantly) had a decent chance at making Towhee smile. So, they would flower pick, and that was that.

same! wanna wrap up?

Fennec let out a slight groan as Fig sentenced her to some flower picking, but it was playful, and she did manage to snag some stems.  I think she'd like some with bees better, honestly.  Who wouldn't? she said after Bronco had left, grinning a little wickedly in Fig's general direction.

She was for anything that might cheer her mom up, though, so by the time they were done, both would have a nice bundle for delivery.