Redhawk Caldera Squid Game drill.

Despite knowing that the pack was struggling, Fennec was still surprised by the reveal. She hadn't ever considered that the Caldera might not be there one day despite making plans to depart already. This both eased and complicated things immensely.

Disbanding before she and Bronco left meant they were entirely free to do their own thing with zero guilt involved. There was no way Fennec was interested in following Eljay to Brecheliant and, while she liked Kukutux well enough, Moonglow was weird as hell. She couldn't actually serve under a wolf who unironically spouted some of the crazy bullshit she'd heard Kukutux say.

But disbanding also meant that, by not inviting her mom to join them, Fennec was actually leaving her entirely out. Maybe she wouldn't want to join, but... maybe she would. And if they didn't want to give the option, telling her just became a whole lot more complicated. Shit, she exhaled quietly, under her breath, in a voice that only Bronco would hear.

Should we tell them? Another quiet question. It felt horrible, but Fennec was leaning towards no. At least... not yet. She adored her mom but, if Towhee decided to come along, Fennec knew she'd have a hard time creating something of her own without automatically deferring. They needed to do this on their own.