Sun Mote Copse Yeah, I'm a turner; I turn pages all the time

She didn't want to admit defeat, but after a while, Maia knew she needed to return and check in.  It had been too long, her wandering had taken her a wide circuit around the wilds, but searching for word on Elfie had turned out to be like looking for a needle in a haystack.  No good news.  She couldn't help but feel downhearted at it, but at least she was home.  

It was tempting to put it off, but Maia knew she couldn't.  So when she called for @Wraen, she also called for @Eljay.  If he didn't come, she'd go find him... she owed him at least the news that she'd come up empty.  Ooof, wow.  This was going to be tough.

She didn't bother stopping at the borders, but she did slow down to a walk and cock her head sideways, listening.  Hopefully someone was around!  Though, if they weren't, she'd just go find her old napping spot and sleep for a while.  That sounded so good right now, omg.  She was tired just thinking about it!

The voice that called was not meant for her, yet Meerkat simply couldn't resist. Abandoning the hole she'd been digging just off the rendezvous site, the absolutely filthy, mud-caked youngster broke into a gallop toward the origin of the howl. She had never minded having an escort, though in the days since Towhee had unleashed her, so to speak, the pup had embraced her new sense of freedom.

"HEY!" she shouted when she came across a wolf she didn't know in the least. But Meerkat had never met a stranger in her life, so she smiled at Maia as if they had known each other forever. Her tail swung, flinging bits of wet dirt. -"WHO'RE—you?"- she wondered, remembering to dial down the volume mid-sentence as she beamed at her newest acquaintance. -"I'm Meerkat!"-

just a cameo unless they go towards him at some point or I decide to get Eljay into motion. :D (but if they don't get to it, maybe in a next thread?)

There were mixed feelings in his gut when he heard Maia's arrival home. He was glad to hear that she had returned home safe, he was ashamed that he had let her go alone for the last bit of the journey, and he was sad because he knew what the answer of her search for Elfie would be. Eljay was laying in his usual spot when he heard the call. He lifted his head and contemplated whether to go, while he tried to process the mixture of feelings that he didn't entirely understand himself. He didn't really remember having such a distinct mixture of positive and negative feelings before, though there was something strangely familiar about the feeling.

After quickly brushing aside the feelings, Eljay sighed and lowered his head, while his mind kept racing and he contemplated whether or not to go.

definitely!

Maia wasn't sure where to look for her targets, either of them... but then a small bundle of enthusiasm completely waylaid her.

Oh, hey!!  Oh my gosh, aren't you the cutest..!!! I'm Maia!  Meerkat.  She'd been gone a while, but she knew about Towhee's daughter.  She'd just gotten so big!

Are you out here by yourself?  It didn't look like anyone was out, but her question wasn't worried.  If Towhee was around she'd let her know she was back, if not maybe she'd let Meerkat take the news.

The stranger seemed delighted to make her acquaintance, even calling Meerkat "cute" despite all the mud. The child beamed, her cheek muscles actually aching for it. Her tail whipped back and forth so enthusiastically, it shook her entire butt.

-"Yeah! Mama says I can ep-ep-EP—"- Meerkat replied, only to get hung up on the pronunciation of "explore." She chuckled and gave up, at least getting the sign right. -Explore!- It seemed impossible that her tail could speed up but it did. -"All by myself!"- She loved her newfound freedom!

-"Wanna come with me, Maia?"- was the natural next question.

Her tail was going so fast Maia wondered if she'd hurt herself, but she was too delighted to comment on it.  She'd nearly forgotten, in all her traveling, that there would be children back home!  Children of an age to play, and share stories, and PLAY!  Maia might be 3, but that meant nothing when she had a solid partner in crime who was younger and in need of some entertainment.

Maia had never learned signing, nor did she really understand it.  In fact, I'm not sure she even realized it was a language.  But she spoke child at times, and "all by myself" was easy.  Yes!  Wraen could wait, as could Eljay, at least for the moment.  She'd need to find him anyway, and if he wasn't around, she didn't want to interrupt.  What sorts of places have you explored so far?  She asked, picking up on the word Meerkat had dropped.  I've been gone a while, I might need help!

Most adults humored her, though few matched her exuberance. It pleased her immensely when Maia seemed as excited by the prospect as she did. She agreed to accompany Meerkat, though first she had a question for the youthful explorer.

-"Just the territory!"- she exclaimed, the word coming out as "terry-tory." -"Mama says I have to stay inside the borders at all times,"- she shared dutifully, -"or she'll throw me into the sun!"- "Throw" came out as "frow" even as she giggled at this mental image, much like she had when Towhee had playfully threatened in the first place.

Without much warning, Meerkat suddenly bounded back in the direction she had come. -"C'mon, Maia, I'll show you the hole I digged!"- she hollered over her shoulder.

Maia bounded after with absolutely zero hesitation.  It was easy to forget her worries when she had a kid to focus on, and she was very much into sidelining that right now.

I'd LOVE to see the hole you digged! She answered enthusiastically.  You know, I once met a whole pack of wolves who lived in holes, kinda like rabbits!  They had tunnels going EVERYWHERE, it was so cool!  Okay, that was a lie.  She hadn't met anyone like that, but she thought she remembered someone mentioning it once.  Maybe.  Or had they been talking about rabbits? Didn't matter!

Most adults tended to humor her, though few showed quite as much enthusiasm as her newest friend. She tossed a beaming smile at Maia over her shoulder, then very nearly tripped. She faced forward the rest of the way, her haunches bundling beneath her and her muddy toes digging into the grass and soil as she braked to a halt beside her handiwork.

It was a fairly standard hole, about two feet wide and less than a foot deep. Meerkat glanced between it and Maia a few times, then crept forward and inserted her forelegs into the divot. She resumed her digging, kicking clods of wet dirt in every direction, though she only did this for a moment before backtracking back out again.

-"You wanna try?"- she invited, tongue lolling from her mud-speckled muzzle.

Woah, this could almost be one of those tunnels, Maia said, smiling as Meerkat all but disappeared into the muddy hole she'd created.  (Ok, actually it wasn't that deep, but it was impressive focus for a kid her age!  No way in heck Maia would have been able to dig that much without a nap break.)

Sure! Are you building this for anything special? She asked, stepping over to position.  It was actually lucky for her the hole was shallow... her shoulders were quite a bit larger, and shoving herself in would have been a job otherwise.  While she waited on an answer, she began to dig, gleefully flinging mud to the side with only a bit less enthusiasm than Meerkat.

Maia enthusiastically took a turn and Meerkat settled nearby to watch. -"No, I just—wait, what tunnels?"- the youngster said even as the words registered in her head. She leaned forward to peer into the hole as if expecting it would suddenly lead somewhere. -"Can we dig a tunnel to somewhere? Somewhere else? Like outside the copse?"- Meerkat wanted to know, her tone growing more excited with every word.

Anything's possible, Maia answered, enjoying the reaction.  It was obvious her previous comment had been missed in the excitement of the run over, but that didn't bother her overly much.  Maia knew a little something about enthusiasm.  It might take a while, but I'm betting we could build a tunnel anywhere we wanted!

There was the whole... safety element.  But Maia wasn't a tunneler, so the idea of a collapse didn't really occur to her.  She just knew rabbits managed it, so why couldn't a wolf?  Maybe not to all the way outside the territory, but they could definitely build her a hideout.  It's like making a den, only with two exits, yeah?

"Anything's possible." Meerkat would have to remember that, if ever there came a time when she doubted. Right now, she absolutely believed Maia when she said they could dig a tunnel anywhere they wanted. Never mind that the tot hardly understood the scope of the copse, much less the larger world beyond it. Even with so little knowledge, some part of her already knew she was destined to trot the globe.

Maia pointed out that it was a lot like building a den. -"I never builded a den a'fore!"- the child shared brightly. But that was neither here nor there, as it wouldn't affect her efforts now. She moved to dig beside Maia, too enthusiastic to stand by and watch. She didn't realize that some of the dirt she flung with her paws ended up headed in the adult's direction.

-"I think we should dig a tunnel to Leo's den!"- she decided apropos of nothing, remembering her father's story about him from a week or so before.

Maia laughed when Meerkat began to fling dirt her way, and moved good naturedly so that it was less likely to hit her face, at the very least. I learned from the best, so don't worry, I'll teach you.  The most important thing is to leave lots of room between the top and your hole, otherwise the whole thing might fall in if someone walks on it!  Great for pranks, not so much for a den.  Now that she thought of it, though, wow what a missed opportunity!  How funny would it have been to catch Cass or Cori with that one growing up!?

You're really good at the... paw talking, you know? Maia added as she set to digging, careful to stay out of Meerkat's (very enthusiastic) way.  Wait... who's Leo?

Pranks? The youngster paused, tilting her head, then resumed digging. She didn't know where either the top or the hole were located, exactly, though hopefully Maia would clarify at some point in her instruction. In the meantime, Meerkat enjoyed the frenetic energy flowing through her as she joyfully excavated. It was hard work but oh so fun!

She paused again, panting now, when Maia praised her ptero. She never really thought about her signing, it was as mindless as breathing. Nonetheless, she beamed and replied, -"Thanks!"- Impossibly, her grin grew wider at the next question, to which she replied, -"He's a cougar who watches puppies and eats them if they're bad! He wears a crown!"- She was pretty sure that was how the story went.

There was more to it, of course, but Meerkat felt an overwhelming urge to keep digging. So she began again, panting out little snatches like, "But I'm a model citizen!" and, "I can use this tunnel to report to him!" in between heaving and hoeing.

The frenzy of it eventually caught up to her and Meerkat slowed, then stopped altogether. She backed away from the hole, covered head to toe in mud. She looked down at herself and smiled despite her weariness. She sort of wanted to collapse right there and take a nap... but there was so much more to do and see! There was no time to sleep now.

-"Hey, Maia, can we go find a puddle and explore s'more and then come back and finish digging?"- the pup questioned a little breathlessly.

Wanna wrap this one? :D

yes! Fine by me

He was a villain, then?  And still the pup seemed eager to make a visit.  Maia was even more amused (and delighted) by this, but also made sure to commit the character to memory.

Oh, well, that makes perfect sense. She answered.  She was also enjoying the work, though normally she'd have hated digging so long.  Meerkat's company and enthusiasm were both irresisitable.

She'd been going at a more reasonable pace, but Meerkat's frenzy seemed to tire her out.  Maia laughed, flicking a bit of mud off of her own leg and looking at them both.  Meerkat was practically a different color.  Ohhh yes!!! Let's get this mud off, and then maybe I can show you where the giants live?  

She'd take the girl to visit the spot she and Wraen had found, and tell her the story of the fight between the giants, and the boulders that now littered the area.  It was a kind of fun lense to look at the world through; imagining everything around you was the result of some kind of adventure.