Blacktail Deer Plateau sad machine

If anyone's going for the Counselor trade, Junior could use some therapy, lol.

The past several days, Junior's boisterous, outgoing nature had given way to a more withdrawn, surly demeanor. She didn't feel like doing anything. She wasn't interested in practicing her trades; she didn't feel like bothering to find Dante; and she didn't even feel like eating. Eventually, however, the growing girl's appetite forced her to peel herself off the ground and skulk off in search of sustenance.

She found a cache and helped herself, then slumped to the ground nearby, a metaphorical black rain cloud hovering over her head. She'd told herself not to think about it and she'd avoided her father just so she wouldn't have to face the possibility. Still, Junior couldn't get it out of her head: her dad wanted to have more puppies, replacing herself and her three siblings. Hell, her mother probably wanted more too!

With a groan, the grouchy pup curled tightly into a ball and hid her face in her tail. She hated her parents. She hated herself for not being enough. The longer she lay there and wallowed, the worse her despair became. Maybe she would run away. She could go stay at Stavanger Bay again. Or maybe she could track down Aktaiê and join up with the sirens. Or perhaps she could go back to Sleepy Fox Hollow and become a hermit for the rest of her days.

If she was lucky, maybe she could lay like this forever and eventually cease to exist.

Fox is probably the last wolf Junior wants to see... so I'll toss her in here!

Even though their latest hunt had been a failure, Fox knew that the plateau's wolves were anything but weak. Their numbers were steady, the children growing quicker than the parents could keep up with, and the leadership trio remained strong, despite Blue stepping down to help Atticus in his everyday affairs. Fox stuck to doing her own thing, for the most part, though she did make it a point to socialize with her new pack-mates.

Today, she found herself traveling in the direction of one of Perry's children: Osprey Junior. Fox was familiar enough with the children to know their names and some of their more obvious traits, but she was more of a weird distant relative than anything. She did not want to be their mother, and she highly doubted that they wanted that, either. Fox was saving all of that parental juice for her own kids.

Still, she couldn't help but help out a pack-mate in need, especially one who looked so terribly miserable. “Junior? Everything okay?” she asked, unaware that her presence would more than likely be unwelcome.

Woo. :D

Osprey's eyes popped open when she heard footfalls coming her way, only to squeeze shut a moment later. She had long since reached an age that comprehended the concept of object permanence, yet she childishly hoped that if she could not see whoever approached, that wolf could also not see her.

No such luck.

If it had been any other wolf, Junior might have simply ignored the concerned and inquiring voice. Yet she recognized it immediately and unfurled with a suddenness that hinted at the outburst to follow. She leaped to her feet and puffed up like a cat, glaring daggers at the fiery she-wolf. Junior hadn't minded Fox's role as Peregrine's new mate or her ranks as Beta then Alpha female. Yet this was the wolf with whom her father hoped to create puppies to replace his existing children.

"Get away from me! Leave me alone!" she screamed acidly, feeling consumed by a strange, hateful, jealous rage.

Despite her presence in the creek, Fox had never thought that any of the children hated her. She thought of them as distant relatives, perhaps even distant friends, but nothing more than that. They reminded her of the various adolescents who had come to the creek: Bones, Magpie, Nightingale. Fox had only ever treated them as adults, because she had always thought that was how they wanted to be treated. She knew that she had not wanted to be viewed as a child at that age. So when Junior sprung to her feet and began spitting hatred at Fox, the red girl's eyes blinked in astonishment.

Fox was not Junior's mother, but she was her superior, and she would not allow such insubordinance to go unchecked. Once she got over her surprise, Fox's hackles prickled along her back and she curled her lip to let Junior know such behavior wouldn't be tolerated from anybody. Fox said nothing, but only waited for Junior to back down.

Understandably, Fox took the disrespect as a challenge to her authority. Osprey didn't intend it that way, yet she couldn't un-ring the bell. The sight of the Alpha female curling her lip fanned the flame burning in the pit of her stomach. It also frightened her. Not because she thought Fox would injure her but because this was her father's mate. If she was at odds with Fox, that meant she was at odds with Peregrine. And she fully believed her dad would side with his wife over her, especially considering the two of them hoped to create beautiful new puppies together.

"I said leave me alone! Just leave me alone!" Junior spouted heatedly, tears swimming to her eyes and wobbling there, un-shed. "Just go away!"

Sneaking in a lunch post since I know this is big for Jr's development. Feel free to have Junior chase after her or whatever. I just don't think Fox would stick around in a situation like this one. :3

Fox furrowed her brow, but she didn't advance toward Junior. Maybe she was just having one of those days. In any case, Fox did not think she was trying to be a total brat. Her tone of voice implied... hurt, maybe? Fox had never been particularly good at these kinds of things. She had often been called insensitive, and there was a good reason why.

The young Alpha blinked at her mate's child, but she wasn't about to refuse the girl's plea. If she needed space, fine. Shaking her head, Fox turned and headed away from Junior and her antics. If Osprey changed her mind, she could come after her, but Fox knew it was better to seek out Peregrine and let him know there was something off about his daughter.

This actually works perfectly! Junior's going to run out of guilt as much as anger, etc.

Thanks for the (brief) thread! :D

Right after her outburst, the tears came unbidden. She whipped her face away, hoping Fox hadn't seen, and furiously wiped them away. "Just..." she said in a trembling voice. She was losing steam but tried to inject some firmness into her tone. "Get out of my face," she finished quietly.

When she looked up again, it was to see Fox trotting away. She'd finally listened to the pup. Despite having her words heeded, Junior felt her throat tightening. She wanted to call out to Fox, ask her to come back here, which made no sense at all after screaming at her to leave. Her own conflicting emotions scared her and she realized abruptly she didn't actually want to be alone.

But when she considered going after the Alpha female, an arrow of fear pierced her heart. She went to tell dad! she thought in a panic. She's going to tell him I screamed at her for no reason. It was the truth, at least in Fox's eyes. I just screamed at the Alpha female... Her blood curdled when she realized she could be kicked out of the pack for this.

Whirling, Junior decided to save her father and his mate the trouble. In a tearful, impulsive fury and flurry, she blitzed across the plateau, found the towpath and ran away as fast as her paws could carry her.