Sun Mote Copse I've never been what I know I should be oh,

I know I need to make us a few backdated threads @Mintaka but FIRST WE ARRIVE LMAO @Towhee

 

There had been much to show her daughter along the way, and show her she did. The duo took the longer route toward where Hydra knew the Firebirds to be with great news. The Glen theirs, now, Hydra felt all the more secure in their brief trip to visit her sister and the aunt of her daughter. Towhee had been generous enough to visit them with her own child, Hydra could do the same. The rest of the cubs would have trips of their own with her, but Hydra got the sense that of all her children, it was most difficult for Mintaka to stay in one place. 

Hydra did not desire to clip her wings; she only wanted to make sure she could fly well enough to not get shot down the second a bullet came for her, and how to get the sense of when the gun was being cocked and a finger was pulled tight against the trigger. 

Pausing well before the pack boundaries, Hydra gestured toward them and hummed, the claim the Firebirds have is clear. Never pass scentmarkers; that mistake could be a fatal one, she drawled, nipping at her daughters ear. In Moonspear it certainly was. We must show respect for the pack we visit by keeping a respectful distance from them. Towhee is my sister, and your aunt, but we do not get a 'free pass' for that, she explained. Shifting her weight, Hydra encouraged her daughter then: speaking of... perhaps you should be the one to call her, with a slight wave of her tail.

It had definitely been difficult for Mintaka to stay in one place. She loved her family, really, more than anything, but the world was so big and there was so much to see that wasn't on the mountain, and sometimes she just wanted to go right then and there and see it all. But she'd been good, and had stayed in the territory after that one excursion that led to her meeting Almight, and now she was being rewarded with a trip all the way to see more of her family. 

At first, she'd been a little suspicious. Out of everybody, Mintaka was probably the one who deserved to go on a trip the least. Mira and Caelum and Altair were always better behaved, fit in better. Minty was the odd piece out. But Hydra had been serious in her offer, and they'd gone on their way. 

It was a long walk, and sometimes it made her feet hurt, but Mintaka hadn't complained even once. This was the best thing ever, and she appreciated it more than her mother would probably ever know. 

Coming up on the border was exciting - she could feel her heart pounding in her ribcage as the scent markings got stronger. Don't cross them, Hydra said, and Mintaka understood that. It would be disrespectful. Her ear flicked when Hydra nipped at it, and she wrinkled her nose with a smile. "I can call her?" she asked, tail swishing back and forth and ears angled forward.

She'd never called someone at the borders before! This was probably the best thing ever, in the history of all things that had ever happened. Mintaka shifted her feet and forced herself to sit still before tipping her head back and letting out a clear, long howl, beckoning her relatives to the borders.

She paced along the borders, more keyed up than usual from all the hurry up and wait. It also felt a little like a waste of time, fortifying borders they might abandon any day now. But it wasn't. The decision wasn't made yet and the copse would need to be defended and protected until the very last moment, even if they did disembark. Anyway, she wasn't just out here to patrol; she also kept her eyes peeled for any sign of Hydra, mentally summoning her sister-in-arms to stop by soon. Even if Niamh and Eljay vouched for the caldera and Phox returned with Raven's blessing, Towhee did not want to uproot until she had a chance to consult with her nearest allies'—and potential next door neighbors'—leader as well.

When Hydra appeared in the distance, a paler shadow gliding alongside her, Towhee actually stopped in her tracks to rub at her eyes, wondering if she'd procured a mirage out of sheer force of will. But they were still there, getting closer every second, two welcome blots against a dreary October backdrop. They approached at a perpendicular angle and the Sovereign remained where she'd halted, tail raising and waving when she saw the pup toss her head skyward and howl. It fell on deaf ears, though it lured Towhee to them all the same.

"It's good to see you," she said a little breathlessly as she closed the distance, reaching out to nip at Hydra's black cheek before turning to regard Mintaka. At least, she was pretty sure this was Mintaka. "Thanks for coming, both of you." The pup's presence here would change her agenda slightly, although that was just as well. The possible move was more pressing, weighing much more heavily on her mind at present. There was plenty of time to talk about more personal issues with Hydra in private later, perhaps after the Firebirds resettled in at the caldera...

"I called you here to ask you something," Towhee said truthfully enough, "but before I get into it, is there any news about Mira?"

There in the distance was Towhee; her distinct markings set the she-wolf apart from all the rest. Her sister had always been a welcome sight, and Hydra warmed to see her. Returning the Firebirds gesture, and sniffing at her, too, to inspect her health and all else, Hydra noticed two peculiar things: the absence of Wraen's scent, and her brothers. Her own visit had been in part to see him, too... but it appeared they were not around. She allowed her sister room to investigate the myriad of scents upon her, too, before withdrawing and concurring verbally, it is, with a sway of her tail. Gesturing to her silver daughter, who had grown much since the last time Towhee had seen her, she drawled for the womans benefit: you remember my daughter, Mintaka, and to her thanks, Hydra hummed, oh, of course—we were both happy to come. Although Hydra much preferred home to anywhere else, even she could appreciate stretching her legs and traveling some. Especially to visit wolves she particularly cared for. 

Ask her something? Hydra wondered what this might be, but judging by body language (tone and tenor was not something she ever went off of with Towhee) it did not seem to be anything that caused her sister any distress. She has been found, she shared, relief evident within her own voice, tired, and exhausted. We are giving her time to rest and recover before anything else now, she drawled. Looking to Mintaka, lest she think her mother was alright with the turn of events (her daughters expedition without sharing with any of her going), she continued, and while we are not pleased with her going without at the very least letting any know... Dirge and I know that the length of her absence was not a choice she had any say in. There were some things that had indicated this to her, but Hydra had yet to pry beyond inspecting every inch of her with nose and eye alike... and then, that some things could not be shared here before her silver daughter. Her voice did not waver, but as she looked back to Towhee the concern there was clear. Mira had been grounded upon her return, which all her cubs knew—but there was hardly any frustration with the sentence on her dark daughters behalf. Relief, more like.

Hydra had no more to share than this on that topic in this moment. She and the Firebird both were aware of all the evils that existed within this world. 

Blinking away those thoughts, Hydra's ears fanned forward. What was it you wanted to ask? She inquired. One ear turned toward her daughter to see how she was doing; if she seemed restless, perhaps she might be able to interact with another of the cubs settled here. But she wondered about her daughters proclivity for ambassadorship herself, what with her enjoyment of travel.

Towhee was not as big as she remembered - or maybe Mintaka was just larger now. That was how that worked, wasn't it? Mintaka smiled at the other woman as she approached, tail swishing back and forth. All of this was so exciting. 

Unsurprisingly, Mira was the first thing they talked about. Her sister had gone away for a while, and she wasn't really sure what had happened, but she was back now. Something not great had happened to her, Mintaka could gather, but she wasn't at all sure what it could be. 

Mintaka held still, remaining quiet as the older women spoke. This seemed like maybe it was more serious than she had anticipated it being, and she didn't want to interrupt.

She honestly hadn't anticipated the good news. Her eyes widened in surprise, her entire countenance brightening at this turn of events. Before Towhee could comment, Hydra elaborated a bit and some of the delight fell from the Sovereign's features. It sounded as if Mira had been through a lot during her absence. Towhee was a little afraid to ask for details, though she would listen if her sister-in-arms needed to talk about it.

Instead, Hydra urged her to share what was on her mind. "I'm glad she's home," she said simply, shooting a quick smile at both mother and daughter before drawing in a breath and finally broaching the big news. "We're thinking of relocating to Redhawk Caldera," Towhee said simply. Before getting into any of the reasons, she paused there to give Hydra a chance to react, orange eyes carefully gauging the look on her sable face.

Hydra rumbled her appreciation—both for the sentiment and the not digging for details (at least then and there)—to her sister, then was quiet as the thought came to life. She was quiet only for a beat as understanding dawned, and her tail swayed. She remembered her childhood, Towhee very much so a part of it and so close. She remembered training with her sister in the woods between them, and how frequently they had been able to see one another. Times had been much simpler, then. 

But no doubt her fondness for those days bled into her reaction then. I hope that you will, she drawled, though for entirely selfish reasons, she quipped delightedly. For one, Towhee would get to know her brood all the better... and, assuming Towhee had a brood the following year? Well, naturally their aunt Hydra would be able to know them all the sooner. What brought this on? She inquired, genuinely curious... and happy, too. She would hear no dissuasion from Hydra.

Since this one's sat a while and it's outdated, I'm gonna wrap it for us. :)

She visibly sagged with relief as pent-up tension left her muscles. "I'm glad to hear you say that," Towhee said, then realized the pun and laughed, "Well, you know what I mean. Really, it means a lot." Her eyes shifted to the pup stood quietly beside Hydra before her gaze strayed back to her sister-in-arm's swarthy features and she said, "I'll tell you all about it while we take a walk through the copse. Sound like a plan?"

Towhee wasn't usually the most inviting when it came to outsiders entering the territory, though she found she felt a lot less possessive of the copse, especially now. With Hydra's approval, relocation was all but certain. Their alliance would be stronger than ever, so she felt no qualms as she motioned them to follow and led them on a jaunt through the pack's domain, regaling Hydra and Mintaka with all the tea they could possibly digest.