Heron Lake Plateau One hundred bad days

The dream came again. The red, one-eyed wolf. Unlike the other dreams, she was joined by a silvery black wolf. They were standing shoulder-to-shoulder, and the silvery wolf whispered something inaudibly to the much smaller one-eyed wolf. Phox whined (in the dream and on the outside). He wanted to understand what they were trying to say to him, but when they opened their mouth, their words were muffled.

The Redhawk blinked himself awake, feeling less rested and more confused than he had before he'd drifted off. The sun was high in the sky, probably midday, and he rolled over to take a peek at the kids, who were sleeping peacefully (but who knew how long that would last). @Towhee was awake, though, and he turned to her.

-I want to start scouting for a new place. Whether that means finding another pack or starting our own, I want to be ready when the kids are old enough.- The more he thought about it, the more he knew it was going to be the right move. With Quixote and Raven surely having children, he knew the Redhawks would be fine without them.

As soon as her brother stirred, Towhee turned her face toward him, so she was looking at him when he began to sign. She had expected a greeting of some kind, maybe mention of another dream. Instead, he said something about finding or founding a new pack. The fur along her spine prickled with surprise and a little bit of reluctance, if she was being honest. Coming around to the idea of uprooting wasn't easy for Towhee, even though she'd tried hard to take a step back and look at their circumstances objectively.

She never would've entertained the notion at all, except for the pups. But she was adamant about one thing: -No way I'm joining another pack.- She paused, drawing in a deep breath before continuing. -If we're going to do this, we're going to do it right. The Redhawks serve no one but themselves.- And maybe the Blackthorns but that was irrelevant at the moment. -I only want to leave if we plan to start our own pack.- It took something out of her to even say the words "I," "want" and "leave" in the same sentence, though her orange eyes were unwavering as they bored into Phox's.

Phox nodded in agreement. The thought of living under yet another ruler that he disliked wasn't very appealing. He was trying to decide if the thought of him leading was appealing. Thus far, Phox had never been thrust into a leadership role. Nor had he attempted to capture it for himself. But maybe, maybe this was the right time. He was older, wiser now. He had two very important little microwolves to look after, and he knew he would do anything and everything in his power to make sure they were safe and sound. Not only that, but he wanted them to grow up strong and able. After his short interactions with Owen and Vasa, he didn't think this was the environment where that was going to happen.

He wasn't sure if they should keep this to themselves, and since Towhee probably had a better handle on that, he asked her. -Should we tell anybody in advance?- he asked. If Quixote was going to be a dick about it, he really didn't want to stir that up if he didn't have to. Then again, if it would make the transition go more smoothly, it might be better not to surprise him.

He didn't protest, so she figured they were in agreement on the matter. Next, Phox wondered if they should inform anyone of their plans. Towhee weighed the pros and cons in her mind for a moment. Yes, they should probably give the Alphas a heads up so they could plan and prepare. Her only worry was whether Quixote might make them leave for being disloyal or something. But he hadn't turned Wildfire out when she'd announced her intentions with the Firebirds, so Towhee couldn't imagine he'd beef. She couldn't guess how Raven might feel: betrayed, sad, understanding, perhaps all of the above?

-This is your scheme, so that's up to you. But I'd probably let them know, yeah,- she added because, while it was Phox's brain child, they were to be equals in this endeavor, right? -'Cause, I mean, fuck people who leave without saying anything, right? Let's not be total dicks about this.-

Phox had left before without saying a thing, and he never intended to do that again, the question had been more about when to tell them. -Well, yeah. I just meant... should we tell them now, or ride it out until we're a bit closer to the departure date?- Then again, he didn't even know when that was. Maybe two moons from now? He had a pretty good feeling that nobody would be particularly happy about them leaving in one way or another, but maybe it would lessen the ongoing tension that had been there since the day Phox had come home. Maybe, maybe not. Only time would tell, but he felt like he had to give it a shot.

Raven would be the hardest one to leave behind, but he hoped she would understand. She would likely be the first to know, and he wouldn't even mind letting the news spread through whomever she spoke to (which would likely put Quixote second on the menu).

Next he picked her brain about the timing of said announcement. Towhee mulled a moment, though things really only clicked in her head when she thought about what she'd just said and imagined how she would feel being on the receiving end of this news.

-The earlier the better, I think, so everyone has much time as possible to prepare for it,- Towhee signed slowly. -I'm probably flattering myself here but it'll give anyone who cares time to come to terms with it and that kind of thing.- But who would be affected, at this point? Tegan was the only wolf who came to mind, other than Raven. The Beta didn't feel close to anyone else in this pack besides those present, which was definitely a factor in all of this.

-I'd want to tell them over at Firebirds too. Do you think we'll be a sister pack too? How far do we plan to go?- Towhee wondered, head cocking.

Phox didn't have the same connection to Tegan that Towhee did. In fact, he didn't like that guy, either. Yet another reason to peace out of this place once the kids were able. Towhee seemed confident that they should break the news earlier rather than later, although Phox was already dreading it. He steeled himself, though. He didn't want to repeat his old mistake, and Towhee probably knew better than him on this issue anyway. "Don't be a piece of shit coward," he reminded himself.

He nodded at the mention of the Firebirds, especially considering Wildfire had been so excited about seeing their kids play together. Perhaps that could be their first stop: getting everybody in one place, then they could all go their separate ways from there. Wouldn't that be a fantastic way to start their new journey?

-I don't see why not,- he said, referring to the sister pack idea. -So long as Quixote, Raven, and Wildfire are cool with it.- Allies were better than enemies. And it wasn't even that he would consider them enemies if they weren't sister packs, moreso that he suspected that Quixote would have some smartass remark about it. Maybe not. The last they'd talked, it had at least been neutral, if not amicable.

-I'm not sure how far. Once I get the lay of the land, I should have a better idea.- He hadn't spent much time outside of the plateau, so he didn't know what they were up against out there.

Phox seemed to like the idea, though his words earned a smirk from Towhee. -You mean Raven, full stop,- she quipped. Sure, it would be good for everyone if Quixote and Wildfire signed off on everything too but she knew full well neither one of them cared much about the other two's opinions. Rave's would matter, the others... not so much.

-If we're meant to be allies, we shouldn't go too far,- Towhee mused "out loud," glancing down at the slumbering pups thoughtfully. Ever since Phox had pointed it out to her, it had became incredibly obvious that Fen was at least mostly blind. -We should pick somewhere where Fen won't have too much trouble navigating, like maybe not a forest.- She pictured their grown daughter bashing headfirst into trees and didn't know whether to laugh or cringe at the mental image.

Towhee sort of wished she could go with him, yet she had full faith that her brother could take point on all of this. He would lead and she would follow, be all the support he'd ever need. And on that note, since she likely wouldn't be able to accompany him on his scouting trips, she had another thought.

-You could see if X wants to help, although he's been kinda of MIA lately...-

He did care for Wildfire's opinion, at least a little bit. Maybe she hadn't been there the whole time, but neither had Phox. She was a Redhawk, through-and-through. He didn't bother to mention that, though. He knew Towhee was not about to be swayed on that, and it wouldn't make any difference to him.

Phox nodded in agreement about finding somewhere good for Fenton. -The trees would provide better cover for her, though.- Maybe she wouldn't be able to see as well, but she had managed well enough around here. He didn't imagine she'd be doing a whole lot of running to begin with. -Maybe just a not-so-dense forest,- he added. As long as there were paths, he thought she'd be more than capable. Of course, only time would tell how well she was going to adapt.

-That's not a bad idea. I'll see if I can't convince him next time I spot him.- Usually the bird spotted Phox (not the other way around), but close enough.

He countered her point about a forest, to which Towhee could only shrug. She trusted his judgment about any and all of this. She couldn't even say why she put her faith in him so completely. She supposed it was because he was her Person and their little ones were her People too. They were the center of her universe nowadays, her sun and stars.

-If you do catch up with him, tell him to come say hi,- Towhee said, then yawned abruptly. -Okay, it's my turn for a nap,- she declared. Since Phox had only just woken up, he could take watch. Meanwhile, she flopped down and snuggled up to Fig and Fen, thoughts of how Raven might take the news soon drifting away into the oblivion of sleep.

Phox nodded. Talking to X proved challenging at times, but hopefully he could do that much. Towhee snuggled up with the kids, and Phox remained where he was, letting his head rest on his paws as he contemplated the multiple ways things might go with Raven. Few of them were particularly good, but he didn't expect any major kickback from his sister. She was a Redhawk, so was he, and she'd had no problem with Wildfire, Finley, Elwood, Eljay, Clover, Colt, Niamh (and probably a few others he was forgetting) taking off to form the Firebirds. Surely if he, Towhee, and the kids left, it wouldn't make a huge impact.