Sun Mote Copse My mood's shifting to manic places

In the aftermath of her chat with Towma, Niamh, and Phox, Alyx went full-blown sulk mode. More than anything she wanted to walk over those border lines and disappear to where they could never find her or tell her "no" again, but despite the temptation, she simply couldn't go through with it. Whether her parents now considered her immature or not, Towhee was right: she just wasn't that cliché. She was a good kid whose major fault was wanting to experience life with a close friend who wasn't a littermate, make her mark on a pack by her own merits rather than the ties of her blood. She was no runaway scoundrel.

That didn't stop her from outright avoiding all three of her parents, however. Niamh and Towhee were both practiced guardians, which meant Alyx avoided the borders altogether. She went to the parts of the forest that were most secluded and silent and spent her pent-up frustration hunting critters. Midday saw her successfully nabbing an unsuspecting vole, which she settled down to crush between her molars, alert for any indication of company, unwanted or otherwise.