Otter Creek Falling to pieces

A few days after Peregrine revealed his betrayal to the pack, Saēna descended into the flatlands. The plateau still smelled heavily of her foster father, causing her to alternate between tearful shame and flaming anger. He had left his family in favour of his new mate who, by her own actions, had utterly refused to integrate with the pack. Saēna hadn't been there when the most critical issues arose, but she'd been able to gather some information from the friends she still had. Fox being gone was a blessing for the Plateau, but it was made bitter by Peregrine's hand in it.

She sought to escape the pack by heeding tbe wanderlust she'd developed while on her own. She travelled rather far, all the way to Otter Creek, before she sat down and allowed her emotions to rush out. Hot tears gathered on her eyelids as she glared into the narrow river's depths. Junior had been right. Part of her wanted to deny it before she'd gone away, because she remembered how devastated Peregrine had been when Junior was believed to be dead, but her sister had been right. The only one he cared about was her—no fault of hers, Saēna knew—so when she left, he no longer gave a shit about any of them. That had to be it.

But though she tried to hang on to it, Saēna's anger was fleeting and hurt quickly replaced it. Kisu hadn't cared for her, or he would have been more present in her life. Hawkeye hadn't cared for her, probably because she was someone else's daughter, or she wouldn't have gone off in search od nothing better. And now that she knew Peregrine also didn't care for her, she could feel her heart beginning to tear into pieces.

Junior decided to make her way back to Blacktail Deer Plateau. Now that she needn't worry about her father barring her from the pack land, she hoped to catch up with Ty, Blue Willow, Dante and the other friendly faces she'd left behind. She couldn't be entirely sure any of them would be happy to see her, yet she ventured that way anyway. And the entire way there, it felt like she was going home.

She stopped near a brook to take a quick drink, prepared to move along as soon as she satisfied her thirst. As she lapped at the water, a scent drifted her way and she lifted her head, peering quizzically upstream. Distantly, she saw a slim white figure perched on the bank. No shit? Junior thought even as she wiped her damp muzzle, then turned and loped in that direction.

"Hey!" Junior called when it became clear it actually was Saēna. "Fox told me you left too! Of course that bitch would lie to my face." She ground to a halt, lips curving and tail wiggling, before noticing the crushed look on her sister's face. "What's wrong, Saē?"

She'd thought that returning could make things better. She'd left in a rocky state, what with feelings of resentment for Hawkeye's leaving and Kisu's unreliability as a supposed father, uncertainty following Junior's announcement about their father and his new mate, and guilt over leaving Pura. Her burly brother had certainly found his way into the world as well, and everything else so far was true, as much as she wanted to hope it wasn't. She thought that going back to the plateau might bring Hawkeye back and prove Kisu and Junior wrong but she'd been lying to herself.

She sniffed hard and glanced up to spot Junior loping toward her on the shore. Though they were all fully grown and filling out, there was no mistaking the Redleaf-DiSarinno youth she'd grown up with. Despite everything, she didn't blame Junior for anything that had happened and even mustered a smile when her cousin called out to her.

"I did," she answered quickly, although ruining Fox's reputation by letting the truth hide longer was tempting, "but not permanently. I needed some space." She thought about elaborating, for if she could trust anyone it was Junior, but that topic was swiftly laid to rest in favour of the present issue.

"Dad came home a couple nights ago just to tell everyone he's going off with that bitch," she said glumly, though it did feel good to follow Junior's example when it came to Fox. Everything had been great until the red-furred female had come along, and suddenly it was like Peregrine had lost his mind and sense of family. "She ruined everything," she muttered, pinning back her ears before adding, "Pura's gone too. Kisu, too, even though he came along with his crap sob story about how we're his kids. Some dad he is."

"But enough about them," she quickly finished, wanting to forget all about how disloyal all her family members were turning out to be, herself included. "How's the... Priest girls you joined up with? Are they awesome?" There was a glimmer of hope there, barely detectable beneath the surface. With Pura out of the picture, she was free to do whatever, including leaving the plateau behind and joining Junior on the coast if she wanted. It would make her no better than her foster father, but... no one would care, she reminded herself.

Junior canted her head slightly when Saēna corrected her. It did nothing to redeem Fox in her mind. It seemed that her sister shared her feelings completely, which earned a smug smirk from the darker youth. Her expression faded back into a stoic mask at the news about Pura. If anything, she would've guessed they'd gone off together. It seemed that wasn't the case.

The question about the sirens made her ears flatten. She shook her head and uttered a thick, disappointed, "No. You made the right choice not wasting your time going there with me. I couldn't stomach the way they dealt with guys. They treat them like total shit," Junior reported. "I started doing the same... and it felt so wrong that I literally barfed and ran away."

She blinked a few times, then shrugged her black shoulders and said, "It's okay. I'm sort of wandering now and I'm enjoying myself, for the most part. You wanna join me? Maybe we can start our own pack," she suggested sarcastically.

She pursed her lips, wondering what it'd be like to treat guys like shit. She certainly had treated her foster father like shit, though because of Fox's place in the picture, she was unlikely to ever feel bad about that. Maybe if they broke up like Hawkeye and he had done, and he came back looking for forgiveness, she would find it in her, but not so long as the red-furred female was paired with him.

"Sorry it didn't work out," she said softly, "but you barfed? Did you barf on a guy's face?" Barfing on a guy's face was almost as romantic as rolling in his shit in Saēna's books, and she couldn't help but giggle and try to hide away a grin.

Despite the sarcasm in her cousin's tone, Saēna knew she was game for anything Junior wanted to do... including running away and founding a pack. Nobody would ever follow a pair of juveniles except maybe Tytonidae, but that never occurred to her. "That's not a bad idea," she mused with a flicker of her ears, "but you know, if you don't want to... you could always come back to the plateau. Nobody will keep you out anymore."

Although Junior had by now perfected a rather surly disposition, she cracked a smile at Saēna's question. "Ha! No, nobody was around when it happened. I'd just... I'd really ripped into this guy near our borders," she explained, eyes growing flinty. She frowned. "I felt like hot shit until I walked away. Then it dawned on me what I'd done. I got so upset with myself, I threw up. Then I ran. I didn't even say anything to anyone. They're probably wondering where I am... or they've already decided I'm a traitor."

When Saēna brought up the plateau, Junior nodded. "I know, I thought of that. I'll probably make my way there and talk to Aunt Willow or Dante, at the very least. They're still in charge, right?" Her tongue flicked out, tracing along her lower lip. "It sucks that Pura's gone but if you and Ty are there... I probably will come back." She smiled, albeit tightly, and then stretched out her neck to bump her muzzle against Saēna's.

"In the meantime," she said after sitting up straight again, "wanna explore this place? I've never been here before." Her gaze cast out over the creek, wondering what interesting adventures they could get into along its banks.

"Dante was the one who met me when I came back," she said with a bob of her head, "and Blue Willow's still there." Her voice grew quiet when she mentioned Junior's aunt. She'd left on poor terms with the resident healer and had yet to apologize for her actions. Whether or not Blue Willow had noticed her at the brief gathering or not, she didn't know, and she knew the state of the pack was uncertain.

"When dad left he didn't name a leader. He left them to figure it out, so I'm not sure who will lead," she said, shaking her head, "but I bet Willow." She assumed from how Peregrine had said it that neither of them was Alpha already.

"Ty's still there," she confirmed, "but she seems to think dad still cares about us, even though he just ditched us all for his dumb mate." She couldn't help but wrinkle her nose, remembering how Tytonidae had reacted at the pack gathering. "I don't think she realizes he isn't coming back."

To Junior's invitation she only nodded, got to her paws, and readied herself to follow as she'd done when they were younger.

"Nothing ever seems to bother Ty," Junior said as they began to roam along Otter Creek. "She has, like, magic powers that way. I wish I could let everything roll of my shoulders like she does but..." She shrugged. Before long, the muscles in her shoulders and upper back would be super sinewy from all the shrugging she did lately. "That just ain't me."

Wandering alongside Saēna reminded Junior of other times when they'd explored together. She wondered if her younger sister would ever reconsider becoming an Outrider. Speaking of which, she wondered aloud, "Do you think we'd still be able to fit into that underground cave we found? I remember it being a tight squeeze. And we're bigger now. Although you're still pretty petite and I probably won't have a problem, considering I haven't eaten a square meal in three weeks," she thought aloud in a dry voice.

"It's a little bit weird," she commented, but rather than insulting Ty further, she chose to leave it at that. Pura had been much the same way—never bothered by anything or, if he was, keeping it all hidden inside. Had she known the inner workings of Junior's sister's mind, she might have made worse comments even than that, but she couldn't possibly know that Tytonidae believed everybody was destined to leave her.

She was called to fondly remember the cave they found way back when in Blacktail Deer Plateau, hidden in the depths of her former birthing den. Although her memory was warped enough that she scarcely remembered how big the opening was, she shook her head. "We're probably too tall," she guessed, "but maybe from the other side? There was another way in, right?" They'd gotten out somehow, but she could barely remember if that opening had been any larger.

Duh, Junior's inner voice blurted. "You're right," she agreed, smiling sideways at her sibling. "You always were the wise one, Saēna. Whenever I make my way there, we should go check it out. Hey," she added even as the thought occurred to her, "where exactly did you go when you left? Anywhere fun or interesting?"

Even as she waited for an answer, Junior looked ahead along the creek. They were approaching a bend where a few trees grew along the bank. The two juveniles passed beneath them. The wind shook the boughs overhead, causing a few leaves to flutter downward. Simultaneously, sunlight shifted and twinkled in the spaces between the leafy branches, casting iridescent patterns that fell over their backs even as some stray leaves came to rest there.

Soon, they emerged back along a clearer stretch of the small waterway. Ahead, Junior could see that it led into the mountains. She paused, glancing at the water. They were actually walking upstream, against the current, so that meant the creek originated in the mountains. Junior tipped her head and gave Saēna a curious glance, questioning whether she wanted to proceed toward the foothills or perhaps turn back.

"Sure," she agreed with an equal smile. It felt like forever since the pair'd discovered the hidden grotto beneath the plateau. With all that had happened, she hardly remember what it looked like down there. She was pleased they wouldn't be taking their original route; she remembered most clearly the stomach-curdling fall they'd both taken to get there.

"I'm actually not sure," she answered, glancing sidelong at Junior as they followed the creek toward the foothills, "but I started out going west and then south, I think. There were a lot of flowers and this really trippy canyon way out there, but not really much else. Prairie, from what I saw." She paused.

"You know, I've been having really weird dreams lately. My mom's in them, and this weird bird thingy. 'Member that thing we tried to attack once? It's sort of like that." She frowned, exchanged a glance with her sister-cousin, then nodded toward the mountains as though to spur them on their way. She had no plans to return home just yet, and she'd missed Junior. "It keeps saying it's me. It's... really strange, but I always feel stronger when I wake up after those, like it did something to me. But... that's ridiculous, right?"

*clicks link*

*goes blind from pretty*

"That sounds pretty neat," Junior said, deciding to pause and take a drink. She listened as her sister spoke, an ear tilting backward to hear her soft voice over the noise of her lapping tongue. When she finished, she lifted her head, licked her chops and said, "I'd like to check it out sometime, maybe after I've settled back in at the plateau." She had been traveling so much lately that even the young Outrider looked forward to staying in one familiar place for a little while.

When Saēna described her dreams, the black juvenile looked at her face thoughtfully. "I think it was a goose." She fell silent for a beat as the two turned to resume their trek toward the mountains. "It sounds like Ty's not the only weird one," she teased, bumping Saēna's shoulder companionably. "Maybe your bio-mom was actually a goose and that's the real reason you never met her: she flew away after you hatched." Junior laughed quietly, hoping Saēna didn't take any offense.

She managed a grin when Junior teased her. She didn't think she was crazy like their sibling was but the thought did occur to her that her mind might not be in the right place. The dreams had started some time ago, shortly after Kisu revealed the truth of her birth. "Maybe she was a freak," Saēna speculated. It would make sense in the context of her dreams. That her mother would name her after some disgusting bird dog seemed ludicrous.

"I never knew anything about her, so it might be true," she said with a grin and a wrinkle of her nose as her paw slid in some riverside mud. "Maybe they just said she died so no one would know that we hatched from eggs." Maybe that's why Pura is so dead inside, she wondered, for a moment actually believing that Pied might have been something other than a normal wolf.

"That would be pretty rad if that was actually true," Junior said with a laugh. She was a bit too old and worldly to believe in such tall tales, yet it was fun to play make-believe sometimes. "Those would've been some huge eggs, especially Pura's! No wonder —" Realizing what was about to slip out of her mouth, she bit down on her tongue. No wonder your mom died! What a horrible thing to say. Junior shot Saēna an apologetic glance in case she guessed what Junior had been about to say.

"So our parents have totally abandoned us," Junior said a moment later, trying to recover the air of camaraderie she might have almost spoiled. "I mean, we can't really blame your bio-mom but where's Kisu? And then mom — Hawkeye mom, I mean — ran off into the sunset. Haven't seen her since. And dad now too. I thought the chicks left the nest, not the other way around. Isn't that what they call irony? Especially if we all end up back at the plateau without them."

She smiled, not faulting Junior for almost making a joke about Pied dying. She hadn't known her mother and had no particular feelings about it. "Her vag probably split all the way up," she finished with a grin. It wasn't really that funny but she was oddly desensitized and, having never had much contact with her only present biological parent, she had no reason to feel bad about jokes made in poor taste. She wasn't sad about it, even if she should have been. Besides, tasteless jokes ran in the family.

The ground was becoming less steady now as they followed the creek further toward the mountains. She lowered her nose to sniff along its edge before looking back at Junior. The larger juvie was musing about their parents, something that Saēna could fully understand. The sadness from before began to seep back into the edges of her consciousness, but she shoved it away for another time. She was beginning to enjoy her time away from home. The last thing she wanted to do was think more about Peregrine and his dumb bitch.

Still, she needed to supply an answer, and so she started with, "Kisu was a shit dad anyway. You know, I didn't even know he was my real dad for a long time, 'cause he was never around. Then he told me he was, and then he just left." Some dad, she found herself thinking for probably the umpteenth time since he'd left. "And mum was never really happy. She always seemed angry." They hadn't been close, her and Hawkeye, but she'd always felt a sort of unease when it came to her parents together. The swarthy ex-Alpha had never seemed comfortable.

"But dad's a huge hypocrite," she said with a frown. "I mean, you said he wasn't happy when you left, but then he goes and just leaves everyone, just like that. Y'know, he didn't even say good bye. He just called everyone together and told them he was leaving and didn't have time for anyone." She'd left too, she remembered, and that made her ears wilt a little, but she didn't bring it up. She was as much a hypocrite as he was... but at least she'd come back, a small voice told her.

"Willow and Dante looked pissed."

Hearing Saēna talk frankly not only about Pied and her fate but their other parental figures as well put Junior at ease and certainly made her feel closer to her smaller, paler sibling. It also gave her the green light to speak freely too, which wasn't necessarily something she could or even wanted to do around other wolves. Despite their intense history as pups, Saēna had become one of Junior's favorites for sure. She could only hope it was mutual.

"Kisu was a deadbeat," she agreed. "Both he and mom were always so... emo. Dad was my favorite but..." It was her own fault for leaving first, though now Peregrine was equally culpable in their disenfranchisement. "He is a gigantic hypocrite. And why he loves Fox so much — enough to basically shit on everybody else he loves — is beyond me. What's so great about her anyway? She's not even pretty. And she has fleas!"

The news that Dante and Blue Willow had not immediately accepted Peregrine's endeavor caused Junior's lips to twist into a smug smirk. "Well, he should've at least taken them aside and talked to them instead of just throwing them under the bus like that. I mean, what if neither of them wanted to be an Alpha? I bet it's a lot harder to be an Alpha than a Beta. And Aunt Willow was an Alpha. She stepped down for a reason."

During their conversation, they had officially made their way to the start of the crags. Junior glanced up the slope, then peered at Saēna. "You know what would be fun? If we climbed up just a little ways and found, like, a little cave or something. We could camp out there for the night." And if her sister wanted to head back earlier than that, she could stake it out alone. Although she definitely intended to head to the plateau eventually, she wasn't in a rush.

"She's a bitch," Saēna rejoined. She'd spent precious little time with Fox, but knew enough about the red-furred woman to pass that judgement, or so she thought. "Didn't Willow step down for her or something?" Remembering that made the situation that much more queer. Fox was no less pretty than she herself, yet she thought of her step mother as some sort of wicked witch, and that warped the juvenile's views considerably. Was she really so amazing that everybody bowed down and gave her whatever she wanted?

"I think Dante was madder," she said quietly, "but I can't imagine why. Willow's done everything for dad." She knew next to nothing about Dante, though, aside from his name and his place in the pack. His sense of honour was a mystery.

She smiled broadly when Junior suggested they spend the night together in the mountains, and bobbed her head enthusiastically. "Maybe there's something cool hidden in these mountains, too!" she added as she avidly followed her older sibling-cousin to the crags. The climb would be arduous, she was sure, but a part of her that believed in adventure knew it was worth it.

"He was probably pissed at the way dad handled it?" Junior guessed, though neither of them could really know unless they asked. "When I make my way there, I'll talk to him. I always liked Dante," she shared, revealing nothing of her former crush on the silver male. She didn't know whether it was still there. She would find out when she saw him.

The climb began and their conversation momentarily ceased as the two juveniles focused on scaling the crags without falling and busting their heads or asses. Junior couldn't speak for Saēna but she also didn't have the breath to spare to keep talking. Rock-climbing made for some intense cardio.

Deciding she needed a breather, Junior hoisted herself onto a small rock shelf and sat, panting. "The sun's going down," she reported. "Are you wanting to spend the night here? Because it might be hard to climb down in the dark," she said, wanting to double-check before proceeding.

She was glad for the break in conversation. Although she'd never struggled greatly going up and down the plateau path, climbing mountains like this was altogether different. Within minutes her muscles felt strained and her breathing was heavy. Junior soon indicated that they would rest and Saēna, thankful for the opportunity, seated herself heavily on the darkening ledge.

"I'm game," she said after panting for a moment. She squinted back in the direction of the plateau, then shook her head. "I wasn't home very long, so I doubt they'll miss me overnight." It hadn't seem like any of them had even seen her at the gathering, even though she'd been the first to speak up against Peregrine's departure. Osprey Sr. had taken the spotlight on that though, and Saēna had slunk away quietly before hearing the rest of what was said.

"C'mon," she said at length when she got to her paws again, "let's see if we can find shelter. It's been cold as balls lately."

They lingered there until they regained their breath, then the paler she-wolf motioned for them to continue. Junior laughed quietly at her sister's quip, though she didn't comment on it right away. Instead, she scanned their surroundings for the most suitable foothold, then began climbing again.

"Aren't balls, y'know... warm?" she asked between pants. Before Saēna could answer her, she grunted, "Is that a cave up there?" The dimming sky made it difficult to see far, not to mention the fact that they were so tight against the mountain's flank that it made it difficult to get perspective. But the Outrider was pretty sure she saw a dark mouth perhaps a hundred yards further up the crag.

She chortled and said, "not sure, don't have any!" She knew almost nothing about male anatomy, too. It was likely a good thing—she was proving to be curious, perhaps too curious for her own good.

She squinted when Junior pointed out a cave overhead. She could barely make out the yawning maw from where they stood, but it was there, a slightly darker spot opening into the cheerless stone face. "Looks like it!" she said eagerly. Her legs felt stronger now that she knew the end of their climb was approaching, and with a last surge of energy she made it the last hundred yards.

The cave was small and held no interesting features, but it was well protected from any wind that might rise overnight. The entrance was shorter than the cave's ceiling, and it seemed longer than it was wide. "This'll do, huh?" she said as she popped her head into it with a brisk wave of her tail.

Saēna confirmed and, perhaps energized by the prospect of a respite, bypassed Junior the last hundred yards. The larger juvenile was breathing heavily by the time she reached the cave's mouth, where her pale sibling stood, tail waving. She simply nodded mutely, then managed a tired smile. She'd had fun on their little trip, though now Junior was pretty much ready to call it a day.

"Let's catch some breakfast together in the morning. Then you should probably head back. I won't be far behind, though I'm going to take my time. Once I get back to the plateau, I probably won't go on any more adventures for a while," she explained, "so I'm going to enjoy my last few days of total freedom." Her lips twitched as she circled several times, then lay down with a sigh and slowly but surely rolled until she came to rest on her back.

"Sounds good," said Saēna. Although she wanted to insist that Junior come back with her, she understood the call of the road. She'd only been gone a month, maybe even less, but she already found that her paws itched to travel at times. Such was the life of a juvenile wolf torn between the comfort of home and the power of independence.

Junior settled down and though Saēna remained awake to stew in her renewed distress over what had become of her family, she said nothing to rouse the other. The sounds Junior made in her sleep reminded the juvenile of the rendezvous den back home, before everything had gone to hell, and that brought her some comfort. Eventually she did doze off into a fitful sleep with her thin snout slung over her left foreleg and her bushy tail tucked up alongside her, the tip lightly brushing her nose.