Fox's Glade i slithered here from eden

the scent of foxes grew stronger the further she moved into the woodland and away from the meadow, and as dusk began to seep slowly into the sky their calls grew more frequent. all around they hunted, fell prey and survived another day, another week; spring would come soon and thoughts would turn from survival to the survival of the next generation. it was something that had not yet crossed the woman's mind, besides the seemingly unrelated and irritating itch to still her paws somewhere, the slowly dying wanderlust that had been the gasoline on the fire of her youth. 

besides, it was hard to think of spring when they trudged through the coldest days of the season, now and again open skies or a slight rise in temperature would remind her of spring to come, before clouds slid overhead and the temperature plummeted once more. she huffed, pausing in her step to examine a small, reddish clump against the rough bark of a fir. fox - pungent, yet hours old.

@Rannoch

Weather:  30˚ Partly Cloudy.
Description:  Placed slightly to the west of Wapun meadow, Sundown Valley is much like Wapun Meadow in the many colorful flowers that grow in it's midst. Surrounded by a few sparse spruce trees, the glade has an almost isolated feel to it. A small stream runs through it's center, and a few boulders are strewn through out the valley. It is often inhabited by fox, giving it it's name. Sundown Valley is the name the fox that currently inhabit it have given it.
Attention: N/A. Tags are for reference.

@Breccan was at the forefront of Rannoch's mind. His son had expressed his interest in hunting, and he sought a place where they could practice together. Fox's Glade—no further than two hours from Lost Creek Hollow—was the first neutral territory that he had happened upon. It seemed fine from first glance but, he was cautious; the reek of fox filled his nostrils. As he navigated, he was alert, his gait light and ears pressed forward.

A silhouette in the distance distracted Rannoch once he had gotten further into the unclaimed lands, and he slowed to a stop—it was recognizable, somehow. Without much pause to consider just who was up ahead, he chuffed to grab their attention.

the sound caught her attention easily, leaving behind the fur and stepping away from the slight cover of the trees, she moved towards the source. only a few tail-lengths were navigated before she reognized suddenly the man before her; and her name leapt to her lips. "rannoch!" his mountain had been desolate, but perhaps his pack had made it just fine after all. 

she closed the distance between them until they stood at respectful distance, smile fading even as her tail kept wagging gently. "I looked for you at the mountain - what happened?" she'd considered the sunspire alongside Easthollow in terms of allies, and while the former had not changed, seemingly, she wondered what had driven them from the peak.

"Dawn?" Rannoch asked himself, recognizing the wolf who had taken shape as she neared; her voice was the confirmation he needed. "Dawn!" Rannoch reiterated excitedly, echoing her hail, his tail wagging suddenly at the realization. Rannoch retained the distance that separated them, but voiced his excitement through his body language—it was good to see her. 

The mention of Sunspire put a damper on his enthusiasm, and it showed; the fallout of their mountain-side home had been arduous. "Our territory was too dangerous to remain in. We had multiple run-ins with predators, ran out of food—we had to relocate. We now neighbor Easthollow to the east, in a territory called Lost Creek Hollow," he reported. "What about you?" he prompted then, his head tilting, "How is Morningside?"

she listened with auds pushed forward against her crown, it seemed misfortune and starvation had pushed them from the proud peak. she wondered briefly what they new home looked like; her memories of the specific area Rannoch indicated were hazy, though the name sparked dull recognition. 

just as her question put a damper on his enthusiasm, so to did her own, pausing a moment before speaking. "our territory burned. we fled to the maplewood, but some died in the fire. many more scattered, and after a couple weeks I went in search of them." pause. "aditya left soon after me, left leadership on my brother's shoulders. he tried his best, but he could only hold them together for so long. the last of them live with a group called Elysium." her chest constricted at words unsaid, at the death of the woman she'd considered her friend. would things have been much different if she had come back? maybe. maybe not. but all there was to say was that she had left them, in the end, and so she was to blame.

"I am so sorry for your and Morningside's losses," was all Rannoch could offer; misfortune had run rampant in all corners of the Teekon, it seemed. "Elysium's leaders, Olive and Seabreeze, lived at Sunspire. They left us on their own accord to keep their children safe—your packmates are in good paws." There was no bad blood between them, as far as Rannoch was concerned. 

"What about you?" he prompted then, his concern obvious, "Are you staying at Elysium with them, too?"

she dipped her head in agreement, for surely they must be good to allow the reminents of Morningside into their ranks so freely. he probed next at her own plans, and she shook her head easily. "my brother wants me to come back with them. I can't - I left when I was desperately needed, when all I needed to do was stay, and I never managed to find my pissing packmates. while I was gone, my friend - avianna - died and left behind her daughter." her ears flicked low to her skull. "I should have been there. but I wasn't, and I can't go back only now that they've found stability." what she mean't, truly, is that she wouldn't. suddenly her future was bleak and aimless, so far from the bright ambitions of her youth.

Rannoch frow deepened at Dawn's dismay; he knew she was not to blame for her family's strife. "You can't do that to yourself," he warned her, his voice soft, "You can't blame yourself for not being there." Although he knew that his words would do little to lessen his guilt, he felt that the sentiment needed to be voiced. Knowing that Dawn was not returning to Elysium, Rannoch spoke to another concern: "Do you need a place to live?" Or did she plan to live out the rest of winter living alone?

oh, but she could. it was all so easy to see - even if she could not prevent their deaths, she could have been there. she would have taken in faye, would have fought harder to seek the missing, would have fought tooth and nail for the last of their family. 

but she had not. 

nonetheless, she was silent until Rannoch's queery had her ears flick a fraction. was he offering? there was an odd prickling under her pelt at the thought of joining a pack. she'd been a Morningsider since birth, and though she knew their time had come to end, the act of joining another pack would solidify that further, it seemed. uncertainty coloured her gaze a moment, though she merely dipped her head carefully. "Morningside won't reform. And I can't - it was all I was." she could not - would not - attempt to raise her own pack, not now.

”Come with me to Lost Creek Hollow,” Rannoch insisted; he hoped she would accept. ”We have room for you, and it’d be nice to have you around.” Although months separates them from their previous interaction, he considered her his friend. 

”What do you think?” Rannoch prompted.

her thoughts were affirmed by his next question. you deserve freedom. no, she didn't, and nor would she ever be from the legacy of morningside. she did not want to be. but this, this was something resembling a second chance, another start that was as terrifying as it was hope-inspiring. she was silent only a moment before she tilted down her crown, words following a moment later. "if you will have me, then yes." gaze drifted from the earth to his a moment later, and there was gratitude there mixed with something not immidiately identifiable. "thank you, rannoch." she wondered if she was making the wrong choice somehow, if it was better to remain in solitude where there existed so little chance of betraying those she loved, of failure.

Dawn accepted, and Rannoch smiled. He was relieved that she had taken his offer. "Of course we will," Rannoch replied. "You will always be welcomed wherever I live, Dawn. I hope you know that." Although their relationship was different than most, he knew that she was a loyal and capable woman—a woman worthy of stability. 

"Want to head that way?" he suggested, figuring that she'd appreciated a meal. "We can catch up along the way."

she dipped her head, doubt erupting suddenly in her chest. she did not want to fail again. Rannoch was offering her what he'd told her to find all those months ago, and she did not want to screw this up. but fear faded when she realized that uncertainty would only bog her down, and she could not afford doubt in this instance. 

instead, she accepted his offer easily, and as they walked she began to speak of the last days of morningside, the good and all the bad that had ultimately brought them down. it was cathartic in the way that screaming her grief until her lungs were raw was, the simple act of telling some of the end of their story to another; in the knowledge that Morningside would not just be preserved in bones and ash.