Sun Mote Copse Sanitized, alone.

She had gone to bed annoyed, hoping a good night's sleep might temper her irritation, but she woke up somehow even more agitated. Towhee said nothing to anyone, simply stewing in her anger and waiting for it to peter out so she could decide on what, if any, rational action she should take. In the meantime, she channeled her quiet wrath into a patrol, dispatching a wayward fox more out of spite than hunger.

Plucking the carcass off the ground, the Sovereign carried it in the direction of a cache. She buried it, then stood there a moment, trying to decide what to do with herself now.

Maybe @Reyes? It's open though!

Fig had enjoyed his trip to Moonspear, though he was very glad to be home. It had given him a few surprising things to think about--things he had never really thought about before. He was headed towards the borders that day, thinking about these things, and also thinking how convenient it would be to come across Phox so he could talk them through.

But, not everything goes quite to plan all the time. The parent he came across first was Towhee, and he did like spending time with her too. Turning, he followed her scent to the cache and strode up alongside her, smushing his head against her shoulder as a hello.

Fig's scent threaded through her nose an instant before his head butted against her shoulder. Towhee drew in a deep breath, savoring her son's signature smell, and arched her neck to nibble at his nearest earlobe. She pressed her nose into the velveteen soft fur there, letting it tickle her nostrils pleasantly.

"You're back," she said astutely upon drawing back a moment later, tail switching and brushing against his flank. "How was your visit? Were you able to pass along my message?" the Sovereign queried, eager for the distraction.

Invades...

Reyes had gotten cleaned up at a small pond he'd found, although it did not mitigate much of the wild smell he carried. The mud softened and fell apart easily enough, and afterward he returned to the green patch he had slept in for a good roll to dry off. Not being a particularly vain sort of fellow he did not adjust himself much after that.

His dark coat looked a little warmer in the daylight. The red-tipped hairs of his midline transitioned to a mess of maroon the higher up one looked, with a wild tangle of jagged fur along his nape. Between his time serving Tortugan pirates and now, he had physically matured quite a bit and resembled his father all the more; not that he would know that, of course.

It seemed like a good opportunity to get to know the lay of the land, so he set off to do a small patrol - but he barely started before the sound of Towhee's voice caught in his ears. It sounded distant, and he took his time to suss out the direction. As he arrived on the scene he noticed a pair of dark wolves and paused mid-step, not wanting to be too social on his first day.

It was lucky Reyes arrived when he did because otherwise, Fig would've expanded on his answer to Towhee's question and Hydra hasn't actually responded to the invitation in that thread yet. As it was, Fig managed only a "I did. She's..." before his attention turned towards the stranger.

He bristled instinctively, not knowing they'd accepted anyone new to their ranks in his absence. He didn't move though, instead just turning to Towhee and waiting to take his cue from her.

He started to answer, then stopped abruptly, causing Towhee to follow his gaze and turn to apprehend Reyes as he stepped closer. Just as she'd suspected, he did look better in the daylight, plus he looked as though he'd groomed himself a bit. Towhee took a moment to appreciate the view before swinging her head back toward her son.

"This is Reyes. He joined the other day," she said for Figment's benefit. "This is my son—one of 'em, anyway—Figment," she added for Reyes's. "He just came back from visiting our allies at Moonspear and Firefly Glen. So, how was your trip?" Towhee was being redundant at this point, mostly for the newcomer's sake, as her orange eyes came to rest on Fig's face again.

Towhee's son, eh? There was a vague familial resemblance. Reyes didn't feel like investigating the claim too deeply. It was curious to him for about ten seconds but as he strode closer that faded. What surprised him more was that someone like Towhee would have children at all; it wasn't something he was used to seeing, and he hadn't exactly been raised by a strong male figure himself, which made the whole father-son thing more of a curiosity than anything.

His ears flicked at the mention of some rival crews, or what he presumed were rival crews, except that... If Figment had visited them, that'd make them allies. Interesting. Reyes made a mental note of the names as they were offered, and then flicked his gaze towards the swarthy Figment, lifting his chin in a casual bro-greeting, while uttering a gruff, Hey.

Towhee didn't react negatively to the other wolf's presence, so Figment settled himself. He relaxed further when the explanation was given and looked at Reyes with more curiosity than suspicion. This was not the first time non-family had joined the pack, but they never seemed to stick around for very long. To spend any real time with one of the new recruits was foreign to him, though in consideration of his recent trip to Moonspear, he had already realized he ought to remedy this. So, he smiled at the other boy and gave him a casual dude nod in response to the introduction.

"The trip was good," Fig answerd, "Spent some time with Fenn and Meerkat. Fenn and Bronco both came back with me, so they should be around somewhere if you wanted to say hi. I, uh... I don't think they're planning to stay long, though." He hesitated telling her the last. It was Fenn's business to address with their parents and this felt like he was telling on her. "I spent time with Aunt Hydra too. She's cool. I think I'd like to go visit them more often, if that's alright."

The last was just a small sliver of the conversation he'd wanted to have, but with a near stranger there, he wasn't about to start spilling his innermost thoughts and concerns. He could only imagine how uncomfortable that would make Reyes.

His remarks about his sister and Bronco sidetracked her momentarily. Fennec wasn't staying? Towhee met this with a blink, then Fig answered her earlier question, albeit indirectly. He'd spent some time with Hydra, so that surely meant he'd passed along her brief message. His request didn't surprise her at all, not with so much family—maybe including Fen?—taking up residence there.

"'Course," the Sovereign said. "I wish we lived closer and not on the other side of the literal Barrier Mountains," she opined offhandedly. The trip wasn't terrible, though it would be a lot easier without a mountain range in the way. That was neither here nor there though. "You think Fen's going back?" Towhee couldn't resist asking in the next breath.

Realizing she was failing to include Reyes in the conversation, the Sovereign glanced at him and said, "Fen and Meerkat are Fig's sisters, my other kids. Bronco's one of Niamh's." She considered trying to explain all the complex family dynamics at play there but said instead, "Meerkat and Bronco live at Firefly Glen. Sounds like Fen might wanna stay there now too...?" Her eyes played over her son's face again.

Reyes knew he did not fit in to this conversation as the two conversed, making it clear by the small pauses and explanations that these people were family, and they came from quite a large one at that. The mention of other youngsters had Reyes nodding along, up until Niamh was mentioned. He had enountered her earlier and their conversation weighed on him.

Towhee seemed distracted by some of the news; Figment was friendly enough, but Reyes was distracted and didn't pay as much attention to the other boy's presence.

When a pause arose - just after Towhee's latest questions and before Figment could sink in to the details - Reyes presented them with a passably friendly smile and murmured, Excuse me. Don't think my breakfast quite agreed with me. Nice t'meet you Frederick -

His mind was clearly elsewhere, and as Reyes stepped away from the pair of them and began moving through the trees, he felt sick to his stomach with jealousy. How nice it must feel to be part of an interconnected family, he thought as he left them.

Fig's heart sank as guilt weighed on him. He was hoping (foolishly) that maybe Towhee wouldn't have noticed that comment about Fennec and Bronco. Of course, she had, and of course she would. He silently contemplated how to answer as his mother turned to fill the blanks in for Reyes, who shortly excused himself. This took Fig's attention and he turned to give the retreating wolf a curious stare.

"Did he call me Frederick?" Fig mused aloud for a moment, giving Towhee a sidelong glance. He let it go after a moment and resigned himself to answer about Fenn. "She didn't really confirm one way or the other," he admitted, "But... I had the feeling going over there that she might not come back. Then I spent time with her there. She just seems... happier."

Fig frowned, not liking that he was the one to share these things. "You'd have to talk to her though," he said, trying to make it clear that he wasn't trying to speak for her, "She nearly bit my head off the one time I asked. I wasn't keen on trying to ask again after that." He smiled a little, but it was a sad one.

Her halfhearted efforts to include Reyes were met with an excuse to depart. Towhee hardly held this against him, though as she distractedly waved a paw his way, she made a note to seek him out later and spend more time with him, one-on-one. She was too busy thinking ahead to notice his slip of the tongue.

"What?" she said dumbly to Fig's comment about it, blinking after Reyes before looking back at her son. Frederick? Towhee wanted to make a joke, though the subject of Fennec's fealty was at once sidetracking and sobering.

"Duly noted..." the Sovereign said, frowning thoughtfully. Well, this was certainly distracting. Now she was leaning more toward sad than angry, though she supposed there were worse things in the world than yet another of her children choosing to join Hydra's army.

She would definitely seek out Fennec at some point, though she wasn't keen on that conversation right now. Instead, Towhee threw an elbow at Figment's ribs and quipped, "Hey, you wanna help me go move some mountains?"

Fade here, mebbe?

*holds you hostage*

Fig was glad when Towhee didn't press any further, though he was clearly confused by her next question. Move mountains? He wondered what she meant by that, not putting two and two together that maybe she meant it in jest. He nodded dumbly, interested in seeing what she would have them do.

When he spoke, it wasn't to ask for clarification. Now that Reyes was gone, he saw no reason to hold his thoughts back. "Is there more I can be doing?" he asked without preamble, "For the pack, I mean?"

*screams externally*

He met her playful question with a serious look and an even more sincere question. Towhee began moving nonetheless, knowing he would fall into step as she gave his query the proper consideration. She didn't ask much of her children, simply enjoying having them near her. But she wouldn't just say that, especially not when one solicited feedback so directly.

"You mean other than moving mountains? Hmmm. Keep doing what you're doing. Focus on your specialties, so we can have some proper specialists in the ranks. And I'll try to think if there's anything super specific we need from you," she said, hoping that answer would suffice for now.

Her answer was simple. Keep doing what he was doing. He pondered this as he followed her. Maybe he was overthinking things, but his mind just kept going back to what he'd learned of the wolves of Moonspear. They just seemed so accomplished. He was the same age as Osiris, but he felt so far behind. Hell, he felt like he was even trailing Meerkat who might not be far along in earning her trades, but at least was out in the world doing something. He didn't know that he wanted the same things as the others, but still.

"It just doesn't feel like it's enough," Fig admitted after a moment of quiet contemplation, "I feel behind. Like... I haven't done enough. I walk the borders and train every day. I used to watch the kids, but they don't need me anymore. I just... I don't know. I feel like I need to be doing more. Like I should... be more."

It seemed this all weighed more on his mind than she'd anticipated. Figment needed to hash it out a bit further and Towhee was happy to be a sounding board, even if she couldn't hear. Her eyes continuously flicked to his lips as they walked along, making sure to catch and absorb every word.

"I really will give it some thought, Fig," she said with a smile, hoping he understood she didn't mean to blow him off. She just wanted to sit down and give it the attention it deserved. "But for whatever it's worth, you're en—" Towhee cut off abruptly, quite possibly to the detriment of her son's self-esteem.

But before Fig could wonder why his mother had failed to complete her sentence, she gave voice to the thought that had just struck her like lightning. Only it was a lot less like lightning because this wasn't actually the first time. "Have you ever thought of leading a pack of your own?"

Fig smiled appreciatively at her when she responded. He knew he had likely blindsided her with this. He was a quiet wolf--dutiful and loyal, never a complaint to be heard past his lips. Honestly, complaints rarely even existed in his head up until his trip to Moonspear had begun to fill him with doubts about himself. He wondered if he'd just have been content to carry on forever, patrolling borders, sparring with sticks and milling about if it hadn't been for his trip. Was he grateful to have had his eyes opened? He wasn't sure yet.

He frowned when she cut off, stopping in his tracks and gazing intently at her. Fig had opened his mouth to ask if she was alright when she popped a question he had not at all been prepared for. Lead a pack of his own?

Figment blinked at her in surprise. Sure, he'd been comparing himself to Osiris and feeling inadequate, but it had never even crossed his mind that he ought to be leading his own pack. He didn't know what to say at first, but eventually he gave a nervous chuckle. "No, I haven't," he answered, "But I have a feeling you're going to make me start." Because once it was planted, how could he ignore the idea? Even if it was ludicrous. Who would even follow him?

As soon as she asked, she remembered her foray to Cedar Sweep and her discovery just past it. She ground her teeth together and put that thought aside, waiting for Fig's answer. He told her he hadn't, which she didn't find surprising. He had never seemed particularly ambitious in his endeavors, though Towhee liked to think that humility made for good leaders.

"What your aunt's doing with Moonspear and Firefly Glen, it got me thinking. We've had sister packs before and I miss it. There's a sense of power and safety with numbers like that. And speaking of numbers, there's lots of potential breeding pairs come spring..." Well, very few of them were actually paired but there was about to be a lot of fertility up in Firebirds soon. "It makes sense to branch out. And you're a totally viable candidate for that."

There was still Golden Glade, if not Cedar Sweep. Towhee wondered if forming another pack nearby might discourage their unwelcome neighbors from lingering. Just the thought of them there made her feel cramped and utterly resentful. The sweep would've been a perfect choice, if not for those asshats, whoever they were. She started feeling pissy all over again, though she did her best not to let Figment know.

This was apparently not something new to his mother's mind grapes. He listened quietly as she spoke, his own thoughts pointing out all the ways in which he wasn't that great of a candidate for this job. Most of all, it was simply the original point his thoughts had taken. Who would follow him? What did she just say about breeding pairs? Wait, what was he a viable candidate for?

This was a lot to think about. "But... Who would even..." he started, stumbled and stopped. The one thing he wanted to say felt too embarrassing to express. The rest was too self-detrimental. But, given the choice... "I don't have any friends." In his head, this was relevant, and also something that had been weighing on him since his trip to Moonspear. And actually, it was sort of relevant. With no friends, who would follow him?

"I mean.. Okay, I do," he corrected, feeling idiotic, "But they... Well, they left." To follow Osiris, and he didn't see them up and bailing on the young leader so soon after joining him. And then suddenly a new thought struck and his ears slid back on his head as he gaze drifted away from Towhee. How good of friends were they if they'd left him behind? This conversation had really taken a turn.

She frowned at his retort, not really sure what to say beyond a good, motherly platitude. That wasn't true, was it? Either one of those statements? She supposed it depended on how you looked at it. Towhee chewed the inside of her cheek a moment, taking a few steps in contemplative silence. This wasn't the time to shoot from the hip.

"We'd have a lot of considerations and logistics to hammer out. It'll take time, training too. But I'm just saying, I think you'd be qualified for the job, with the right guidance," the Sovereign surmised, giving him a soft smile. "One of your lessons could totally be dedicated to recruiting. 'Cause starting out with a core group of family and friends is key but you'd need to know how to woo strangers at some point too."

Towhee's answer calmed him, especially the It'll take time part. He chided himself inwardly for overthinking it so much and behaving as though he had to be ready right now. Of course this was a down the road thing. Their pack was stable in numbers, but he couldn't imagine splitting it in two now. There would be too few numbers on either side. Besides, he was obviously not ready if just the thought of one day leading his own pack sent him into a cyclone of anxiety.

He took a deep breath and steadied himself, offering a smile in return. "Well, I appreciate the vote of confidence," he said, "I'd have to think on it more... get used to the idea. But, if that's how I can one day best help the pack, then it's what I'll do."

He paused for a moment, then added with a hint of trepidation returned to his voice, "Woo strangers...?"

Figment seemed perplexed about her phrasing. Towhee huffed a dry laugh. "Yeah, my least favorite sport." She paused to hop over a branch in their path, a piece of debris left over from the floods. Someone should really drag the thing out of the way. "You'll need to figure out how to recruit outsiders. It's great when it's mostly family but there're a few good reasons to find fresh blood every now and again, whether it's to beef up your numbers or, y'know, expand the gene pool..."

They'd reached the rendezvous site and Towhee realized she'd been walking around rather aimlessly. She'd patrolled and hunted, so what should she do now? She wasn't in any hurry to conclude this captivating conversation with her son—especially because it was momentarily keeping her mind off those mysterious morons in Hideaway Strath—but she felt like she should be doing something constructive at the same time. Because leader.

Resting was productive, right? "You asked me what you could do to help this pack," Towhee drawled as she unceremoniously flopped to the grass, hissing a little at the earth's cold touch. "Well, I could really use a pillow right now..."

Stranger wooing sounded intimidating. As gregarious as he was, he didn't get out much. His circle of contacts extended to the edge of the Copse's borders, though he supposed it had grown a little now that Bronco and Meerkat had left. Still, they're originated within the sphere, so it didn't quite count the way he needed it to. He thought about the new guy and the other members of the pack he wasn't too close with. Perhaps they were a place to start. He still didn't like the whole wooing part though.

He merely nodded when Towhee explained further, his mind now hard at work dreaming up plans, scenarios, expectations and potential disasters. He brought his attention back to her when she spoke again after a moment of quiet, his ears perking. He huffed a laugh when she dropped to the ground. "You make it too easy,"- he quipped as he slid down next to her and snuggled close. At least this was something he knew how to do. That was a nice thought, though fleeting as it was quickly replaced with all the things he didn't know how to do. 

Lead his own pack. Huh.

okay NOW I'll let this one fade :P