Sun Mote Copse do i wanna know

It was great that mommy @Finley and daddy @Elwood were at the copse now, but Eljay had so far mostly avoided them because he knew it would lead to... conversations. He was nervous to face them with the news about him and Wiffle. He wasn't entirely sure how much Wiffle might've already told them, anyway. And anyway, they already knew. Sort of. Not all the details. Then again, Eljay wasn't entirely sure he knew all of the details. He'd been so focussed on fussing over Wiffle's health and making sure the pups were all healthy that he had not really been able to think too hard on his feelings for her, other than the small heart-to-hearts he had had with his siblings about it. @Wildfire had been hungrier than before and ate more, or so Eljay thought to recognise. Was she eating for more than just one?? But maybe he was just imagining it? Maybe he just really wanted it to be so? It would complicate everything beyond belief, but also... he would get to be a father.

They'd scouted out some of the territory but hadn't found a good birthing den yet. Maybe the barrow wouldn't be too bad. It was only for the first months anyway, until they could move to the rendezvous site officially. The barrow was safe enough as far as Eljay's puppy-proofing skills could tell so far.

Maybe he should talk to Wiffle about his feelings, Eljay thought idly while he trailed a rabbit's scent through the territory. Or maybe mommy or daddy could give advice but what if they.. well.. what if mommy freaked out about it again? Or worse, tried to somehow fix his problems by telling Wiffle about it? He was almost four, he really should be able to handle these things himself, and the one thing Eljay was sure of was that it'd get worse if mommy tried to help him in any direct way. He could also ask Clover, or maybe Uncle Colt knew a thing or two about love, but, hm.. Or what if he did some big romantic gesture? But.. what? Bring flowers? Draw a portrait of Wiffle in the snow? Bring her food and watch the stars with her? There were too many to choose from and Eljay didn't even know for sure if Wiffle liked that sort of stuff. She was always so kind but also very down to earth. And admittedly, a big part of his doubts to even admit his feelings lay in the fact that Eljay found it hard to believe that someone like Wildfire would ever love someone like him. Sure, she thought he would make a good father, but was that really enough..?

Without noticing it, the rabbit scent he had followed disappeared into a hole underneath a tree while Eljay just kept blankly walking ahead.

Following the initial (behind the scenes) reunion with Bat, Wildfire had a very difficult time leaving her comeback kid at the plateau. But she must. Bat was in good hands with Raven and the others. And she could pay daily visits. Besides, the Firebirds needed her. The Sovereign returned to the copse and did her best to take care of her duties, though she was mightily distracted.

But at least she could smile again. In fact, she smiled constantly, heartened by the fact that Bat was alive, even if she wasn't with her. Wildfire probably looked a little creepy, actually, as she wandered the forest with glazed eyes and Cheshire grin. I should go talk to @Kiwi, she thought, that smile still plastered to her face despite the concern that flickered through her chestnut eyes.

But before she could go in search of her daughter in residence, Wildfire found herself crossing paths with Eljay. "Eljay!" Wildfire cried happily, her smile blooming impossibly bigger as she veritably capered toward him. "Did you hear the news? Bat is alive!" Without hesitation, she flung herself at him, wiggling joyfully.

A cheerful 'Eljay!' woke him from his thoughts. Eljay looked up, a little bewildered, and blinked as he looked at Wiffle's happy face. Did something happen? It was a bit dreamy that she would come running at him with such a huge smile on her face. But soon he found out that she was happy because of the news that Bat was alive. Now, Eljay didn't really know Bat very well, but he was still very happy for Wiffle that her child was still alive. It was fantastic news!

So his tail started to wave eagerly as he said, That's great! just before Wiffle flung herself at him. It was a little embarrassing because he really wanted this sort of closeness, but he also didn't want to take advantage of her being weakened, sort of (yeah, she was happy and bubbly and not sad or weak in any way it seemed, but also it was because her child turned out to be not-dead, so.. yeah). Did they... What happened? I mean, who found her? Is she alright? Falling through the ice seemed like a pretty big impact so he sure hoped that Bat wasn't still wounded or anything.

He immediately shared in her joy, something neither Towhee, Kiwi nor Clover had done when the news had broken initially. It meant a lot to Wildfire, who made a very undignified squealing noise before clasping her forelegs around Eljay's neck and burying her face there to muffle the noise. She was simply so joyful! She had mourned Bat twice and here she was, still alive!

He asked a couple of questions, so Wildfire loosened her grip, resumed all fours and backed up a pace to meet his eyes as she said, "She's a little banged up but mostly all right. She can't speak, presumably because the wolves who rescued her damaged her throat when they performed live-saving maneuvers on her." As she spoke, she touched her own throat lightly, though didn't mention her own damage or its very different origins. "They didn't mean to. And she's alive. That's all that matters."

But he'd asked something else, she suddenly realized. Wildfire shook her head thoughtfully. "Towhee got all of this from Bat via lipreading, then told me the story. She definitely mentioned names but I..." How could she have let slip the names of those who'd saved her daughter's life? "Well, shoot. I don't remember. Maybe I'll remember them later..." In the meantime, she felt like a bit of an ass.

It was almost a bit of a relief when Wiffle released her grip because the way she had wrapped her paws around him and buried her face in his neck had made him feel all sorts of feels. Yet when she released the grip he also felt the longing to have more of it. It was a double edged blade and left him feeling like he had ever since that first time he had felt this way when she was crying over Bat's disappearance in the first place: Confused, mostly.

He listened with bated breath to the further description of how Bat was doing. It was odd to feel so much relief about someone that you didn't even really know well in the first place. Eljay frowned when her damaged throat was mentioned, but smiled and nodded in agreement when Wiffle said that her being alive was what mattered the most.

Wiffle didn't remember the names, but that was no surprise to Eljay. After all, it was a lot to process. Heck, if she'd told him the names now he might not have remembered them, tomorrow, if they were strangers. That's alright, I mean, the most important thing is that she's alive, like you said! Having no clue how Bat's disappearance influenced Tegan's feelings, Eljay didn't ask about his brother. I'm so happy for you, said Eljay in lack of anything better to say, his tail waving a few happy beats as he spoke.

He reassured her. Wildfire appreciated that, even if she knew she'd wrack her brain until she could recall them. She owed those (currently) nameless, faceless strangers her daughter's life. She might never meet them to thank them, so the least she could do was remember their names.

"Thank you, Eljay," she said softly when he expressed his own happiness for her. She reached out to nuzzle him, then said, "I'm so glad our pups will have another older sister. I told Bat the news, though I'm not sure how she took it. She sort of looked at me and mouthed 'wow' and that's it," she confessed with a thin chuckle. "We'll discuss it again once she's a little more recuperated. Kiwi wasn't the biggest fan of the idea at first but she warmed up a lot once it sank in a bit," she finished on a hopeful note, black tail swaying. "And of course Seq is all about it!"

She looked around rather vaguely, wondering what it was she'd been doing (and what he'd been doing) prior to their impromptu rendezvous. Oh, yes, she'd been seeking Kiwi. Her secondhand woman had come around about the pups, though Wildfire still wasn't sure how she felt about Bat's second reappearance. She should definitely talk to her soon. But there was something very pleasant about being in Eljay's company. She didn't want to part with him just yet. She'd invite him along if it wasn't such a personal conversation. She supposed she could spend a few more moments here with him. Kiwi wasn't going anywhere.

"What're you up to, anyway?" she wondered out loud.

Really, if Eljay had helped save anyone he'd just be happy that they were safe. He wouldn't need that person or their mom to tell everyone they met his name. But he could also imagine that Wiffle wanted to remember so that she could maybe thank them some day. Either way, it was good that Bat was back and safe now.

It was a bit unclear how Bat took the news, but Eljay imagined it must be quite a shock. He didn't know Bat all that well either -- just from passing by at the Plateau but not, like, ever having had proper conversations or something -- so that probably didn't help. Wiffle mentioned Sequoia liking it (Eljay wasn't sure why that was an 'of course', but he imagined it must be because he didn't know Sequoia very well yet either) and Kiwi not liking it at first but then warming up to it. Eljay looked relieved, happy that Kiwi had turned her opinion around. He hadn't known that she wasn't into the idea, so that surprised him a little, but he was still glad that she liked it now. I'm glad, he said with a soft smile.

When Wiffle asked what he was up to, Eljay blinked a few times and frowned thoughtfully. Uh... What had he been up to? Oh, right, mommy and daddy. Eljay shyly looked away and said: I.. I forgot. Because it seemed like an odd thing to say he'd been thinking about his parents (or his feelings for Wiffle). He was just happy that everything was turning out for the better right now.

Do you want to look for dens more..? he wondered out loud. Or were you.. Did you want -- need to be somewhere else? He didn't want to keep Wiffle from important family or leadership things, after all.

His frank response earned a titter from Wildfire. Before she could think about the merits of teasing Eljay (would it just freak him out, even if she meant it kiddingly?), he proposed they go looking for dens. In the next breath, he wanted to know if there was somewhere else she needed to be. The Sovereign couldn't help herself; she rolled her eyes, albeit smiling fondly as she did so.

She was in such a bubbly mood in wake of the good news, it prompted Wildfire to say, "You know what, Eljay? I'd love nothing more than to house hunt with you. And you know what else?" Suddenly, she flourished toward him, freezing so their noses just barely booped together. "You know why I want to do that? Because I like you." She smiled demurely, making no move to retreat, her black tail slowly waving.

Eljay's tail waved cheerfully when Wiffle said that she would love to go looking for a den together. As she asked 'you know what else?' he tilted his head. She sounded very positive, so it was probably nothing bad, but his stomach still squirmed a little in a way that he couldn't quite tell of whether it was expectant of really good or really bad news. It surprised Eljay when Wiffle came towards him, and he froze in reflex, too, as their noses suddenly gingerly touched. The feeling in his belly only intensified at this touch, and then she said it. Stuff. Words. Because I like you. Of course, Eljay wasn't really sure what that meant. Liked him, or.. like-liked him, or..?

Out of a weird and misplaced reflex Eljay let out an awkward laugh of ahahaha, instantly followed by a sorry while he looked bashfully away. Gosh, he looked like an idiot. Eljay took a deep breath and said, It -- Thank you -- sorry -- I'm just being weird. Eljay looked up and grimaced sheepishly, feeling like a total idiot and also feeling totally out of control as he had no idea what he was even doing.

He let out the strangest laugh, which appeared to be a reflex more than anything, as he quickly apologized. For whatever reason, Wildfire found the sudden burst of sound rather hilarious. She broke into a series of chuckles, which quickly escalated into proper laughter. Even as Eljay stammered out apologies, Wildfire began to enter proper paroxysms, tears squeezing out of the corners of her eyes. Could the two of them possibly be more ridiculous?

"You're weird," she agreed between titters, "I'm weird. We're all weird here." She snorted, giggled for a few seconds, then added, "I'm sure the kids will be weird." The elicited a sharp bark of laughter as two more tears streamed down her cheeks. "And that—it's wonderful." She lifted a paw to swipe the moisture away from the corners of her eyes, which shone wetly as she peered at him with the goofiest grin on her teary face.

The weirdest thing happened. Instead of looking weirdly at him for being... weird... Wiffle joined in laughing. Was she laughing at him or with him? Well, Eljay supposed it didn't really matter. She mentioned the kids as if it was already a thing for sure, and Eljay smiled. Do you think..? he wondered out loud. I mean, you've been eating.. um.. I mean -- not that you.. How do you tell someone they're eating more than usually without seeming rude? It turned out to be very difficult. Anyway, she probably got the gist of it. He didn't really dare do any other check-ups, especially as there wasn't much he could do but maybe look if all was normal, so far. Soon she would start to show, he knew, and then they would know for sure if their lives were changed forever... even though his already felt changed forever, now.

Eljay babbled something in response. Perhaps because she was too busy with her giggle fits, Wildfire really didn't follow what he was trying to say. She offered him a goggle-eyed stare of incomprehension before dissolving into laughter again at the thought of how stupid her face must look right now.

"Ahh, ooh..." the Sovereign murmured after the laughter began to wind down a bit. There was a stitch in her side, which amused her, although thankfully the laughter fully subsided. Once more, she wiped tears from the corners of her eyes.

When she could trust herself not to break down again, Wildfire said, "So, let's go find a den suitable for a bunch'a weirdos." She grinned as she said it, bouncing on her heels to demonstrate her readiness to embark.

Wanna fade, since we have a newer one? :)

Eljay didn't want to call Wiffle fat either, but he was pretty sure that she was showing, at least a bit. So have you noticed -- he tried, but it was difficult between all of Wiffle's laughter, and then he decided to just give up and let her finish laughing while he watched a little sheepishly.

Alright, Eljay agreed and he smiled shyly at Wiffle as they set off to continue the den-search.

yes!