Redhawk Caldera Take me to the good times

Phox picked up @Towhee's scent trail and went after it. It had been a minute since they'd gotten to chat, and he wanted to hear if she had any new gossip regarding her plans for the spring. Not only that, but he wanted to hear if she'd heard anything from Meerkat about Fennec or Bronco. He probably wouldn't go seeking out that information, but if she offered it up, he would probably spill the beans about his own interaction with Bronco (and his worries about Fennec). And if none of those topics were on the menu, he could always relay the conversation he'd had with their surprise(!) aunt Toad.

As usual, there were more than enough things to discuss with Towhee, and when he spotted her, he wagged his tail and let out a woof. He knew that she couldn't hear it, but habits were habits.

Hey, Towhee. How's things?

He'd found her at the rendezvous site, one of the two first places they'd explored as children (the other being the den where they'd grown up under Raven's care).

It was much too soon to expect Meerkat back with any news, though Towhee's mind wandered with her daughter, wondering what she'd discovered so far. When Phox strode up to her, she blinked and set those thoughts aside, shifting her weight and tapping her tail as her brother approached with a greeting.

-"Fine. I was just wondering if Meerkat's found out anything yet,"- she replied. She'd mentioned the mission in passing but, just in case he didn't remember, she added, -"I sent her out to locate Kaertok, who I'm 92.7% sure is her bio dad. She was fuckin' psyched about getting a scouting mission from me. Can you believe she's gonna be an adult, like, this week...?"-

Man, that realization kinda threw her. Towhee cleared her throat and queried, -"Anyway, what're you up to today?"-

-Wh—- Phox began to say, but then Towhee clarified. Oh right, that guy. Phox didn't know much of anything about him, aside from the assumption that he was Meerkat's biological father. The realization that Meerkat was about to become an adult was bittersweet. She had left them, even if it wasn't that far, so young, and Phox wished she had stuck around. But he always wished that. He tried not to let himself be disappointed that she wasn't a homebody like he wanted all his kids to be, but sometimes it did hurt a little.

-Time really does fly,- he said.

-Nothing in particular. Did Meerk tell you Bronco and Fennec had some kind of falling out? I think she might pull a classic move and run off again. Seems like her MO whenever things aren't going her way.-

Phox frowned a little, wondering if that was the call Bronco had made a few days prior. Phox didn't think sending out a search party was going to do anybody any good. Fennec was a grown-ass adult. A blind one, but an adult nonetheless. She would come home when she was ready. She'd shown that time and time again.

She sat up a little straighter when Phox mentioned some sort of spat between Bronco and Fennec. Towhee tried to remember if Meerkat had mentioned any of this during their recent chats, though she couldn't recall. Probably not, then. Her lips twitched downward into a slight frown.

-"No, I hadn't heard,"- she admitted. She wanted to ask about the nature of the argument, if he even knew, but she couldn't help but address the other thing he'd said. -"I hope not. We know her and love her unconditionally, 'cause she's our kid. But I don't know how the fireflies will take it if she flakes on them..."- Her lips pursed.

She supposed that was Fen's problem. She was an adult, who needed to take full responsibility for her actions. The Sovereign couldn't help but wonder whether it might strain the relationship between the packs, though. She liked to think it wouldn't, though she couldn't be sure. In any case, Towhee just hoped Phox was wrong about her taking off.

-"Do you know the deets?"- she prompted after a beat of contemplative silence.

"Of course you haven't heard," Phox thought, but he kept that to himself. There would be plenty of opportunities for deaf jokes later.

He did wonder how Firefly Glen would take it, but he figured they were probably more worried than anything, what with Meerkat and Bronco in their ranks. Bronco seemed like the sort to get all overprotective and overbearing, which was exactly what Fennec hated, as far as Phox could tell. Whatever happened, there wasn't much they could do about it now. If Fennec really had taken off, that was her decision, and she'd have to live with the consequences. So long as she was living, she could come back and live with him anytime, angsty teen vibes or otherwise.

-Not really,- he said, -Something about her den falling in when Bronco tried to help her with it. He was pretty vague on the details. I think he was embarrassed about it.-

-Remember when we were like that? Angsty teens who got in huge fights?- he asked.

Phox had figured that, over time, Towhee had forgiven him for getting the hell out of Dodge when he'd had the chance. War was very much not his thing, and he was pretty sure he'd make the same choice if he had to do it all over again. In fact, wasn't that part of the reason they'd moved back here? To avoid any sort of conflict with nearby packs? Phox was perfectly fine keeping up that reputation, so long as the move wasn't too often.

She met these vague details with a squint. It seemed a very strange thing to fight over, though Towhee didn't speculate about it long, her brother distracting her with a question. She remembered he had fled during the height of the war with Blackfeather Woods. The details were a little hazy now, though she could still recollect her bitterness pretty accurately. She didn't like being reminded of it, if she was honest, nor having her valid fury at the time being attributed to teenage angst. Hadn't that been their only real fight ever, as well?

-"No,"- she told him flatly, though there was a flicker of humor in her gaze as she added, -"don't trust that memory of yours, it's pretty addled, remember?"- The Sovereign pushed herself upward as she spoke, quickly changing the subject by saying, -"I'm feeling a little frisky. Wanna go hunting or something?"-

He grinned when Towhee mentioned his memory, and he squinted at her, wondering if she had actually forgotten or just didn't want to be reminded of it. In any case, she was quick to change the subject, deciding now was a great time for a hunt, rather than talking about bygones.

As for him, he was a little hurt that Towhee hadn't asked at all about next year's kids. He chalked it up to her being excited about her own prospects, and Phox reminded himself that having kids was still quite the novel thing for her.

But hunting? He honestly couldn't remember a time they had ever been hunting together. Maybe that was more of his memory loss showing. Was Towhee even a decent hunter? Surely she had been when X was around, but Phox relied so heavily on his hearing for hunting, he wasn't sure how she did it. But alas, he knew bringing any of that up would get him a swift kick in the balls.

-Sure, whatcha thinkin?- he asked, shaking his coat free of some stray leaves that had collected there.

There were plenty of options here on the caldera, but he imagined Towhee had something on the brain or she wouldn't have asked.

She hadn't thought very far ahead, so when Phox asked her to be more specific, she pursed her lips and thought for a minute. -"What about that herd of deer we went after the other day? I'm pretty subpar on all hunting fronts, so we don't have to go as far as attacking. But just tracking them might be good experience. What do you think?"- The one thing she did know was that two wolves probably shouldn't go after large game, especially not when only one of them was in any way adept.

It might be pretty boring for him, though Towhee kind of hoped he'd humor her. Sometimes she really thought about putting more effort into upping her hunting game. It was a much more practical skill than chronicling, which she hardly practiced in any way. It seemed a little far-fetched for her to attempt acquiring any particular hunting specialty, though it certainly wouldn't be a waste to try a little harder, be a littler better. And who better to guide her than Phox?

-Sounds like a plan,- he said when she suggested tracking the herd. It was, after all, one of his favorite pastimes, and he had the specialty to prove it! Phox took a moment to orient himself, then began heading toward where he'd seen the herd most recently. It wasn't a particularly large herd, but it was one nonetheless, and having them around was a good sign with winter practically on top of them now.

Once he found their trail in the snow, he knew they were on the right track.

-It's easier when there's mud,- he said, -but it hasn't snowed since last time they came through here, so at least we can see where they've gone.-

If he thought it strange, he gave no indication. Phox readily led her in the right direction, explaining how mud would've made their job easier. This was such a basic lesson in tracking, though Towhee appreciated that he bothered going over even the essentials. Sure, she knew how it worked, but a crash course never hurt, and it was nice that he didn't treat it like this was all beneath either one of them.

-"You're a good teacher, you know that?"- she remarked with an affectionate smile. -"Were you like that before you became a dad?"- Towhee wondered with a laugh. -"Speaking of which, I wonder how many pups we might have between the three of us. Four seemed like a good number, a bit hectic but doable. What if Niamh and I each had four or something insane like that though? Is now a good time to mention that I've been toying with the idea of pursuing hunter officially?"- She laughed again.

He smiled warmly at her remark, shrugging when she asked when he'd acquired the skill. He had spent a lot of time teaching the kids how to do things, especially Fennec who had needed extra guidance and help as they figured out what worked best for her limitations. Figment had been easier to teach, but Fennec had taught him more about how to be a better teacher. Patience and understanding were key, he'd learned.

-I can't imagine having more than the four we had this year,- Phox said, -Even though it is nice to have them staggered that way. Meerkat was already up and wandering around by the time the triple threat was born.-

Phox imagined it would be the same next year. One of them would have their litter, they'd get into the groove of things, and then another litter would come along and throw everything into chaos again.

-You?- he asked, but the more he thought about it, the more it didn't seem that preposterous.

-If Fennec can do the things she can, I'm sure you'll have no problem.-

Now then, back to the lesson. Phox began to follow the trail once more, keeping his head close to the ground and his nose wide open for any signs of the deers' scents.

-The closer we get, the more likely it is we'll be able to pick up their scent, but we can look for other stuff, too.-

They passed a tree, and on it was a tuft of fur. Phox hopped up, placing his paws on the tree's bark (woof!) and sniffing the hair that had caught there.

-It's not always about looking down.-

She nodded at his, -"You?"- Towhee hadn't made up her mind whether she'd go after it officially, though practice certainly never hurt. When Phox began moving again, she stuck close to him, paying close attention to everything he did and said. Her head cocked when he discovered a tuft of fur snagged in a tree, then jokingly looked upward at his comment as if she might see some deer flying overhead. Well, it was the right time of year for it...

Dropping her eyes, Towhee gave voice to a thought drifting through her head. -"Speaking of Fennec, Figment too, they're going to be two this spring. We don't get a say with her but what if Fig wanted to have kids? I want grandbabies like you would not believe but I'm not sure the pack can support any litters other than ours. 'Course, he could do the whole spin-off thing..."- She licked her lips. -"There's Eljay too, what with Maia. What if they end up living here and wanting to have kids?"-

Towhee veered the topic in another direction, and Phox listened/watched as she put forth a few hypotheticals. If he could have, he would have tapped his chin with his thumb. Unfortunately, he wasn't really built for that kind of thing, so instead he went quiet, mulling over the possibilities.

I can't imagine refusing either of them, Phox admitted, but I know what you mean about raising that many at once. We'd be stretched pretty thin if everybody had umpteen puppies. Maybe we can see how many you and Niamh have, then decide after that. He knew it wasn't always that easy, but maybe those who went into heat earlier would be shit outta luck.

It didn't really work like that, with heats being unpredictable and all. But Towhee didn't counter her brother, nodding at him. She agreed with his sentiments, anyway, and hoped the timing worked out magically for them all. In the meantime, there wasn't much use in hypothesizing and speculating.

-"I think I smell deer shit,"- the Sovereign announced abruptly, smirking at Phox. -"Think we're getting close,"- she observed astutely, just moments before their paws carried them within actual visual range of a herd.

From this distance, she tried to gauge whether it was the same one from the other day. She began counting, only to realize she hadn't counted the last time, so the number was useless. Maybe he had? Towhee exchanged a glance with him, though she made no move to advance on the ungulates, for several pragmatic reasons.

-"Just looking at them makes me hungry. What say we go pick up some leftovers?"-

Can probably archive here if you wanna!

In Phox's mind, they'd simply refuse anybody who went into heat before Niamh and Towhee. Tough cookies if the timing didn't work out for 'em! Niamh and Towhee were his number one baby mommas, and he would make the others wait a year (or more) if it meant securing sustenance for those two litters. He didn't even bother to think about a scenario where somebody got pregnant without consulting them. Only a real dingus would do that, right?

He opened his mouth to speak about the deer shit, but not a moment after, they came into view, and he smiled, slowing to a stop. They really were beautiful creatures to him. Valuable, too. He knew that they were just as much part of the life of wolves as the wolves were a part of their life. Or, most often, a part of their death.

-Sounds like a good idea,- he said, bumping her shoulder before leading the way to where he'd stored the last bits of their latest kill.