Heron Lake Plateau Motivation proclamation

Soon, Elwood and Finley would be leaving for Sun Mote Copse to join Wildfire's pack; that had been decided for a few days. That meant it was time to share the news with their children. Elwood thought the hardest part was already over; he would have worried the most about Eljay, and he had been pleasantly surprised to find that the boy had made his own decision to move, independent of his parents' plans. It wouldn't be easy, necessarily, to break the news to @Clover, @Tegan, @Cinder and @Tywyll, but he wasn't as concerned about them as he would have been about his eldest.

He stood in what had been their rendezvous site with @Finley at his side, and after exchanging a quick glance with her, threw his head back and howled for their children -- including @Towhee and @Phox, because they counted and they needed to know, as well.

short post x-x

He was wrinkling his nose at a squished beetle when the call reached him, silver ears perking on his head and bronze gaze wandering to the source of the sound. Humming peacefully to himself, Rabbit picked himself up and began trotting toward his father, head bouncing with every step.

When he arrived, he plopped down his butt and wiggled his stubby tail. "Heeelllooo mom, dad."

A call from Elwood wasn't what Phox had expected, but then again, he wasn't sure what he expected these days. Camilla seemed to be safe, at least for the time being, Niamh was still an emotional wreck as far as he knew, and everything at the Redhawks was going as usual: a total mess. Phox arrived shortly thereafter, having been close by checking on a cache. His ears perked up upon seeing Elwood, then he glanced (and winced) at Cinder's bobbed tail.

Cinder was alive, but he hadn't come out unscathed. The same could be said for Phox, who now sported a rather ugly scar on the left side of his face, courtesy of Camilla's kidnapper.

Still in her self-imposed timeout, Towhee naturally didn't hear her godfather's summons, nor was there anyone around to give her the heads up. She might have missed out entirely if X hadn't appeared overhead, circling in a familiar pattern before winging in the general direction of the rendezvous site. She almost didn't follow him; she still didn't want to see anyone. But what if there was an emergency? It was this thought that propelled her forward.

Her heart was beating hard in her chest when she arrived at the small gathering. She glanced at Phox and Cinder, though mostly her eyes pinned on her godparents. They looked like they were about to announce something and it wasn't hard to guess what. A feeling of dread washed over her, followed quickly by a wave of blackest rage. Towhee's lips parted as she breathed through it, willing herself to remain calm. She really needed to shift her perspective on this whole Firebirds thing, else she was going to burn (more) bridges. She just needed to get over it already, although that was easier said than done.

X drifted down to settle on her shoulder, a comforting weight. Towhee stifled a sigh and licked her lips. The critical moment had arrived. She could not control what was going to happen but she could control her own behavior... hopefully.

Eljay's news of leaving for the Firebirds had prompted Clover to consider her own future within Heron Lake Plateau—especially with Tegan as high in the ranks as he was. She had begun to wonder how his rude-ass had managed to stay Gamma for so long, especially since she didn't see the merit of his scouting, and how she had managed to drop in the ranks and become a Zeta. Didn't Quoixte and Towhee see her worth? Apparently not. All things considered, Clover had come to the conclusion that she was to become a Firebird, and nobody could stop her. Not even her parents—who had miraculously called a family meeting. Although her mind had been made up for days, Clover hadn't found an opportunity to tell them... until now. It was now or never, especially with this seemly-perfect occasion to tell her entire family.

Clover set off to find her parents, her heart racing as she broke into an uneasy gallop. 

"I'm leaving," Clover announced abruptly as she pranced onto the scene, taking center-stage for a moment. "Goin' with Wildfire and Eljay and the rest of the Firebirds," She slowed to a stop and stood next to Cinder. "It'll be good for me to get away," she looked at each of them, and she felt her heart break—how the hell had Eljay managed to tell them? She had never lived away from them, and was only just realizing what this meant. "But, I'll miss you guys, and I'll visit." 

Uncertain of how Elwood and Finley would react, Clover shut her mouth and waited for their reply—feeling more nervous and uncertain as she ever had. Why was this so hard? It had all seemed so easy in her mind.

tegan arrived shortly after towhee, but settled off to the side of everyone else, looking like a grump. yeah, tegan pretty much looked like he'd been at wits end, pretty peeved. at what? well, probably a lot of things, and maybe with -- maybe without -- reason. either way, at least he didn't look sad. but golly-gee was the dood sad. downright miserable. 

he didn't know why they were having a family meeting -- probably to discuss how he and clover had had it out for one another the other day. and! oh! would you look at that. right on time, and stealing the fucking spotlight, as always. tegan heard her out, unsurprised and unbothered by her leaving. "mom and dad called this meeting, not you," he said darkly from across the clearing, ears pressed forwards and eyes glowering at her down his snout. so shut the fuck up,  bitch.

Their kids arrived one by one (@Tywyll being the last oops), and with each new face, Fin found her resolve melting. How could she leave these little things behind? How could she encourage them not to follow her? She saw Cinder's little stub tail wriggle and nearly imploded right then and there, but then Clover and Tegan arrived, and she found herself falling back into alignment as two things happened - 1. she was reminded of why she and Elwood needed to back away from them (so they could learn to resolve their issues on their own, not because their squabbles were annoying), and 2. she was floored by Clover's announcement.

Slowly, Fin turned her head to look at Elwood. She'd only been joking that he had to be the one to tell the kids their plans without her, but she really wasn't sure how to address this particular bomb drop. Looking back once more, she directed her attention to Clover and offered her something like a smile. "Why don't you hold that thought for a sec..." she said. It occurred to her that her daughter might be less inclined to join the Firebirds if she knew her parents were going too. Something in the way she'd commented on it being good for her to "get away" just kind of gave her that feeling, though she did also suspect that she was talking specifically about her brother, who was muttering grumpily at her.

She looked at Elwood again, waiting for him to break the news.

They all arrived one by one -- Cinder, Phox, and Towhee, followed by Clover, Tegan, and Tywyll. Elwood was already eyeing Clover and Tegan warily as they approached (having heard about the fight between them). As soon as her feet stopped moving, Clover made an announcement of her own which caused Elwood's brows to raise. Tegan's ominous statement wasn't missed, and Elwood looked in his direction before shifting his gaze back to Finley, whose expression indicated that he had the floor.

He sighed softly. Why had he thought this would go smoothly?

"Well, you'll be in good company," he said, addressing Clover first before looking at each of his children individually. "Mom and I are joining Wildfire, as well. We'd like you to make your own decisions about whether you want to stay or go. We'll support you either way, and we'll be very close by for visits." He licked his lips, inwardly bracing himself for whatever reactions the five kids would have.

The others arrived swiftly, and Cinder cast a grin at Clover (who appeared by his side), only for it to falter when she said she was leaving, and Tegan chimed in with a disgruntled statement. He was very clearly not pleased. The young blackthorn watched, shifting his paws but hoping the rapid thump of his (very short) tail on the ground would help settle the bristling older wolves.

But then mom and dad said they were leaving, too.

At first, he was stunned into a tiny what the heckin heck face, but it quickly dissolved and was replaced with a bustling excitement. They were going on an adventure, and he could choose to go along too! He shot to his paws, but then his bronze gaze landed on Tywyll and he sat down again, face falling to false sincerity. He was not good at pulling a serious expression. "I will go where Ty goes." Cinder said, all his determination fleeing through his voice.

They arrived one-by-one: Towhee, Clover (with a dramatic entrance, proclaiming she was leaving), Tegan (with a snotty reply), then Tywyll (who seemed the most reserved of the Finwood kids). Elwood broke the news, and Phox shot Towhee a look, deferring to her rather than making up his mind about how he felt. Elwood and Finley had raised them along with Raven, and having two-thirds of their parents up and leave wasn't exactly the greatest thing on earth... but at least they wouldn't be far away.

Cinder announced he would go wherever Tywyll went, and Phox simply nodded blankly. When are you leaving? he asked, figuring they would know that he was staying put right here on the plateau. He didn't imagine that Towhee would want to leave, so why would he?

Soon, there was a small group gathered around the pack's retirees. Towhee glanced at each of them, wondering how they might react to the news she saw coming. Sometime during said assessment, Clover barged onto the scene with a declaration of her own. Towhee missed the words, "I'm leaving," but turned in time to catch the rest. Her lip curled in distaste aimed more at her rudeness than her announcement, though that rankled too.

Rather than look directly at her godparents to see what they made of their daughter's interruption, Towhee glanced at Tegan. He looked as sour as she felt. She felt a powerful twinge, hoping Clover's departure might convince him to stay put. Towhee's attention didn't linger on him long though. Elwood was speaking now. Just as the Beta expected, he formally announced that he and Finley would be relocating to live with the Firebirds.

She sucked in a breath, orange eyes now seeking Phox's gaze. He looked back at her questioningly, as if awaiting instruction on how to respond. He posed a question to Elwood and Finley while Towhee was still trying to regulate her own reaction. She was distracted momentarily when X's talons pinched her shoulder, then his wing tips brushed her head as he took flight. Towhee squinted and glanced upward, wondering at his abrupt departure. Was he reacting to her godparents' news? Weird...

But at least it made her forget to feel upset, if only for a moment. Towhee shook her head lightly, a passive sign of her simultaneous disapproval and resignation, but managed to keep her mouth shut and arms to herself.

There was something foreboding in Finley's warning—Clover wasn't sure what to make of it. She did not have to stew in anticipation long, as Elwood revealed the intentions of the family gathering. They were also moving. Clover hesitated for a moment, dumbstruck by the news as Cinder responded; her anxiety dispersed during her brother's short response.

"That's great, actually," she decided once her brother was done speaking, her voice genuine. Clover had been concerned about distancing herself from her parents but, she'd never openly reveal such considerations. "It'll be good to have you both still close," she added, her tail sweeping at her hindquarters as she regarded her parents. 

Although she was conscious of the tension between her and Tegan, she disregarded it for a brief, fleeting moment—for now, she was the center of attention again.

the more words spoken, the less tegan did. he said nothing, did nothing, thought nothing. at least, it wasn't apparent that he was thinking. truthfully, at any given moment, you could look at tegan and think a monkey was basking cymbals in his head. but, oh, don't worry. that boy had plenty of thoughts. 

his parents were leaving. and while the expectation was that tegan should follow, there was too much going on in the firebirds for him to even begin to consider it. bat's mom, for one. her siblings. niamh was there. now clover was going. 

hurt stabbed through the blackthorn boys chest, but his expression remained entirely blank -- save for the gentle furrow of his brow, which creased and uncreased just once, and just for a few seconds. his gaze found no one except the ground in front of him. he didn't leave, but he didn't speak. what would he even say?

Fin braced herself for impact as Elwood broke the news to their kids. She expected shouting and angry and tears and hurt and just all of the worst things. But all things considered, they actually took it... Not well exactly, but... Not dramatically at least.

It was a little disappointing, actually.

She peered at her kids as some shared glances, some spoke aloud and others just... crumpled. Tegan worried her the most. It wasn't like him to not speak, but she knew perfectly well where this personality shift had stemmed from. It felt terribly cruel to leave him so soon after he'd lost Bat, and yet she had her reasons. Whatever they were. What were they?

I'm assuming Tywyll spoke last and announced his intention to stay, sealing both his and Cinder's futures. If I'm wrong about that, Java can slap me and I'll edit. She looked over at Phox who had probably taken the news the best of any of them, Clover notwithstanding, and answered his question. "In a few days," she said before turning to look at the group as a whole once more.

"You guys should know that this decision wasn't easy to make," she started, feeling compelled to try to explain even though she was soooo going to make it worse, I cringe, "But this is what's best for your dad and I. And in a lot of ways - a lot of more important ways - I think this is going to be really good for you kids too. And at the end of the day, we aren't going very far. We'll visit all the time, and you guys can come see us as well, any time you want."

Her voice hitched then, causing her to swallow hard. She leaned into Elwood and turned her gaze to him, silently asking him to say something else - something that would re-convince her even that this was what they needed to do.

Elwood's gaze roved over each family member as he gauged their reactions. Cinder and Tywyll decided within moments that they would be staying, and said as much. Phox and Towhee, of course, would stay there together, but only the former had something to say about it. Towhee remained stoically quiet, although there was a brief shake of her head that pulled at Elwood's heartstrings. His gaze followed X as the bird left Towhee's shoulder and winged away. Tegan didn't have anything to say, either, and Elwood wasn't necessarily surprised; he had been a shadow of himself since Bat's disappearance and presumed death.

He flashed a quick smile at Clover in response to her words, then shifted his gaze to Finley as she spoke up. It was evident by her tone that it was difficult for her to say this out loud -- to make the separation real -- but he leaned supportively into her and nodded his head. There wasn't much else he felt the need to add, but he said, "We're all still family. I'm proud of each and every one of you."

It's totally not my turn but.

They would leave in just a few days. Towhee felt as if someone had cored out her insides, leaving a hollow space there. She swallowed, still fighting to restrain her negative emotions. But when first Finley, then Elwood, neatly tied up their little speech, Towhee had had all she could take. Their words struck her as platitudes and it didn't go over well with her.

"Mm." That was the mercenary's only remaining contribution to the conversation before she quite abruptly turned, bumping gently into Phox as she walked away.

Figured I could wrap this up!

Their children would each process the news differently; Elwood knew that. Some would want to talk about things, while others would choose to brood over it individually. For now, it seemed that most of them were accepting of the information (at least, accepting enough to not have any crazy outbursts right now), and he watched as Towhee and Phox melted away together first.

He cast a glance over the rest of the crew, then said, "Feel free to come talk to us about this, if you want." His gaze lingered pointedly in Tegan's direction, and then he beckoned Finley to follow him. It was hard to walk away from the kids, but he knew it had to be done if they were going to encourage their independence with this move.