Sun Mote Copse Southern motherfuckin' Democratic-Republicans!

@Figment

Her head still hurt from the unfortunate tumble she'd made down the hill, but she was lucky to not be seriously wounded. She hoped with her dear life Maia wouldn't tell anyone about her blunder, but seeing as the Firebirds were kinda gossip-y she wouldn't be surprised if everybody knew already. The only one she could trust with her secrets was Phox - his skills, his handsome features... Did she just really just think that?

Never mind those pesky feelings, let's stomp 'em down deeper into our bottles till they burst! She was taking a refreshing winter stroll, enjoying her first few hours without a throbbing headache, not that the freezing nips were any better.

Fig had made two promises to Sugar--One, that he would start patrolling the forest's shrubbery for trapped packmates, and two, that he would take care of Nellie. He didn't really intend to uphold the first one (it had been a joke). The second, though, was just something that came naturally to him. So, when he came across her on his way out to the borders for a patrol, he decided he could be a little late for work that day. After all, it was a self-imposed start time. No one would know but him.

"Hey, Nellie," he called as he approached her with a smile and a wag of his tail, "Glad to see you aren't trapped today." Fig hadn't spent much time with her since then. That had been an odd day. He'd been so near her, and Sugar had tended his wounds and he'd been all awkward and squirmy... Shit. He wished suddenly that he hadn't remembered that. It made him feel kinda squirmy.

It was kinda weird she was hanging out more with Fig's dad than with Fig himself - wasn't it? Nah, Nellie didn't think so. Phox wasn't like the other adults, he was cool and he kept promises and took her out to hunt. Maybe if she had known that she had completely ruined Phox's chances with her mother and that she'd made Towhee all mad at her, she wouldn't be thinking about all this. Alas, she was oblivious to all the trouble she had caused and therefore the same thoughts kept running around in her concussion of a head.

She spotted Fig, he spotted her, and that meant making conversation. She hadn't seen him much after the bush incident, but days were passing so quickly now that she was back and it all kinda blurred together. She was glad to see him though, besides her brother she didn't have many others (her own age) to hang out with. She chuckled slightly, still clearly embarrassed about it all. Oh - it was worse this time. She said, pausing for dramatic effect. I fell off a hill! Just ask Maia. if Fig was anything like his dad, he wouldn't shout this off the rooftops, but would respect that she had shared such an embarrassing thing with him.

Fig was unaware of how much time Nellie spent with his father, which I would say was fortunate but for the fact that I'm pretty sure he wouldn't have realized why it was weird anyway. For his own part, he spent much of his time on his own and, as such, he really didn't have any adventures to speak of. He never really had. Even at the Grove, his entire world had been Fennec, Towhee and Phox. Maybe Dingo for a time, but really, that was all his world was. Even with the Frosthawks, his world had revolved around only a few. Perhaps that was why he felt so out of place at the Copse where everyone seemed to know and love everyone else, and there were so many about.

In any event, he felt slightly envious as Nellie briefly told of her misadventures and spoke of Maia, who had apparently witnessed it. Nellie was part of this family in a way he didn't really feel like he was. Still, he gave her a smiling frown and a cant of his head, setting aside his feelings of displacement and loneliness. "You fell off a hill?" he repeated, a question in his voice. He paused then before adding, "How can you fall off of a hill? Maybe down a hill, but... You fell off of one?" His lips quirked in a hopeful but uncertain way that she might not be offended by his teasing.

Maybe Figment just needed a little more accidents to happen to him; that was how Nellie met others. Get into the worst situation ever > hope someone will help you > meet them > rinse and repeat. Though perhaps the trouble she'd found herself in with Phox was a little bit too much, especially now that her MOM was getting it on with him - but Nellie didn't know about this yet. Her writer simply couldn't wait for her to discover that little tidbit about her very first crush.

I told you it was WORSE! She masked her mistakes with confidence - she sat down and made some big paw movements that somewhat resembled her movements when she rolled down the hill. I hit my head - 'got a wicked headache, but nothing too broken.

She didn't explain exactly how she'd fallen off a hill versus down, but Fig didn't pursue it. He merely tried not to laugh as she went on to explain how awful it had been. He did feel some sympathy for her--he'd hurt himself plenty of times before and it hadn't been funny.

But still.

"So I guess I'll add hills and bushes to my daily patrols," he commented with a teasing smile, "Any other landmarks troubling you that I should keep an eye on? You've not gotten trapped in any of the streams or pools yet, have you?"

If she was still talking with a smile on her face, one could generally believe she was fine. Her real emotions were worn on her face and in her mannerisms 24/7 and she was bad at hiding them, though with really serious stuff she could keep her mouth shut. She doubted Fig knew her as deep as that yet, but maybe now that they were spending more time together he would get to see more than just an accident-prone dumbass.

She snorted yet again, embracing the noise she had hated before because it wasn't about to change anytime soon. It was better than her "huhuhu" laugh anyway. Not yet, not yet - but hey, with my luck I ain't doubtin' it'll happen. Figment was funny, she did like spending time with him - if her attempts to woo his dad were to fail, perhaps his son was her best chance at finding someone like him. Hopefully she'd never say this out loud, but Nellie often said things she probably shouldn't have. I've never liked caves though, so I'm bettin' ya a free lunch that I'll get trapped in one in the future.

Her snort brought a smile to Fig's face and more relaxation to his demeanor. Her comfort with herself was contagious and made him feel more at ease with his shortcomings--dumb jokes, mild social anxiety and all. His world had been so small growing up. Just himself, Fennec and their parents. Sure, they had packmates, but he had interacted with them very little. His world hadn't really expanded until pieces of it had gone missing. He was learning still how to be himself with those he hadn't known since birth. But more than that, he was learning how to trust others to like him even though they hadn't known him since birth.

"What's wrong with caves?" Fig asked, intrigued, "I think they can be pretty cool. You never know what you'll find inside of them." Man, so many innuendos here. I'll ignore it. He'd done some exploration of the mountainside that lined the pack's territory to the East and found a couple of interesting spots. There was one in particular he'd grown quite fond of. Perhaps Nellie just hadn't explored any good caves yet omg someone stop me.

Nellie couldn't help but observe him a little - his smile, his green eyes, the dark coat... Yeah, he didn't look half bad at all. Plus he was nice, made her laugh and spent time with her, that was always a plus. She realized then that she might've been staring just a bit too intensely, so her gaze wandered off to their surroundings before returning to him when he spoke of his love for caves. It was for the best that Nellie hadn't gotten "the talk" yet at that point, or she would've for sure made a sex joke involving her own cave.

I... I'm afraid of the dark. And small spaces. She confessed with a little, nervous wiggle of her shoulders. Caves have both. Was she playing it up a little for entertainment? Hell yes. Was she telling the truth? Hell yes. Would she still join Fig for an adventure into some caves? HELL YES.

Fig was honestly surprised to hear Nellie was afraid of caves. Something about her just made him assume she wasn't afraid of anything. Maybe it had something to do with how good humored she seemed to be about her various mishaps. Maybe it was the fact that he wasn't afraid of them and it just seemed peculiar that he wouldn't be afraid of something she feared. He wasn't certain, but didn't spend too much time considering it.

"Not all caves," he said, thinking of his hideout, "I can show you one that's not like that at all, if you want to see it?" Fig hadn't shown his find to anyone yet, not even Fenn. He found he didn't mind the idea of taking Nellie there, though, if she wanted to go.

She wasn't afraid of much, probably because she'd never been in real danger, but she definitely had a mild form of claustrophobia and the dark was just scary no matter what. With the dark she didn't mean just nighttime, it was more the dark that came with small spaces or dens or holes. She'd been afraid of it as a pup and didn't know why it had stuck with her for so long.

She tipped her head to the side in thought, narrowing her gaze but her expression grew gentler quickly after. She trusted Fig - he'd gotten her dumb head out of a bush for crying out loud - and had no reason not to anymore. She puckered her lips before declaring; Alright then - I'll trust ya. She smiled. How far is'it? She asked then. She needed the exercise, yes, but being lazy felt so fecking great.

"Not too far," Fig answered, smiling. He was happy that she was willing to go in spite of her fear. He hadn't realized how much he wanted to show it to her until the moment she'd agreed. "It's along the edge of the territory, where the cliffs are on the mountainside. I'll show you."

He gestured with his muzzle before setting off with another wag of his tail. I've decided it was about a twenty minute jog, which I've decided is not very long for wolves. They couldn't talk much, but it was fun racing through the trees together still. I decided that too.

Anyway, they eventually arrived. Fig was breathless and panting, but still smiling as he turned to look back at Nellie. "Well... the good news is... this won't involve any climbing," he commented between heavy breaths. He looked back along the face of the wall, taking a few deep breaths to steady himself before he trotted ahead another few paces. They eventually came across an outcropping surrounded by trees, which Fig hopped over and around until he stopped at a dark crevice in the rock, just wide enough and tall enough for a wolf to pass through.

Fig smiled and looked back at Nellie. "Okay, I know it looks small and dark and awful and probably all the things that freak you out," he said, "But it's only like that for a minute before we get through to the cave." He paused, studying her face for a second before he asked, "You in still? It's okay if not, but I think you'll like it and you're gonna make it just fine. Trust me."

I did a bit of PP, so if any of this is not okay, just slap me and I'll fix it!

With a smile on her face, she shrugged and went to follow Fig to wherever that cave of his was. She felt a lot more confident with him by her side, even though they were doing something she personally found very scary. Nellie was the kind of girl to go skydiving without a peep, but scream as soon as someone turned off the lights in the bathroom she's using. She found it confusing herself too, but a phobia wasn't a phobia for nothing.

Ya afraid of heights, or just not really into climbin'? She asked to lighten the mood, a nervous chuckle following soon after. Her heart pounded in her chest as she followed him to the glorified mountain ass crack, not much wider than the hips she was rocking. She felt her cheeks getting warm, then everywhere else where she could most definitely sweat, before taking some semi-steady breathes. She really did want to go in and see what Figment found so special, especially now that he'd taken the time to bring her all the way out here... but that darned opening was so tiny and there wasn't an end in sight.

She swallowed. W-Who goes first? If Figment went ahead, she'd feel a little safer, but chances were that she'd chicken out and no one would be able to stop her. If she went first, nothing could get her from behind and she'd be forced to face her fears (and she definitely needed a push), but maybe she'd panic and get them both hurt in the process of trying to get the hell out.

Fig grinned at her question. "Neither," he said between huffs, "Just worn out. I might be out of shape." He chuckled a little at himself, though he didn't really believe it. He was aware that he was a tall an lanky figure, but he was confident that there was some muscle under there. Sure, he could use a bit more, but who couldn't? He needed a lot more.

He could see the anxiety written on Nellie's face plainly. Even if it hadn't been there, her emotions were palpable. He tried to keep his smile to himself, not wanting her to think he was laughing at her. It was merely endearing. "Whoever you want," Fig answered, "I can lead the way or I can have your back, it's whatever you're more comfortable with. We just go straight through any by the time you count to thirty, the whole thing will open up before your eyes. It's like nothing else."

Ehh - who isn't? She shrugged with a chuckle. She had a little pudge herself from all her lazing about. Bronco had warned her about not getting all fat and lazy, but life went slow these days. How could she not find a nice place and nap for a whole afternoon with all the injuries she'd sustained from getting herself in trouble? You healed in your sleep, right? She saw it as self care.

She listened with an anxiety-ridden smirk on her face, then promptly replied; I look better from behind anyway - 'Guess I'll go first. Besides, she wanted to look brave right now, so she couldn't pussy out. With Figment behind her, it was hard to turn tail and run.

Fig's smile became strained with awkward the moment she mentioned looking better from the behind. He realized abruptly that he hadn't thought this through. He was going to be behind her. Inexperienced as he was, he knew that when it came to the uh... the things... that the guy was supposed to go... behind. And now he'd just managed to get her to go in front of him. He felt a spasm of horror as it occurred to him that she might think he'd done it on purpose. But he hadn't! And... and no, there was no reason for her to think that. He was fine.

But. She'd volunteered to go in front. Had that been a...?

Figment gave his coat a shake to settle himself, trying to brush all of those thoughts away. He was being absurd. He smiled again. "Go ahead, thirty steps and you're there," he said, gesturing her forward with his muzzle while simultaneously coaching himself not to think of her ass while they walked, but to think only of the grotto they were on their way to.

Despite it being just a one-off joke for Nellie, it had caused some awkwardness on Fig's end of things. Though she did like Fig, she was in no way implying something indecent with her joke; of course that was harder said than thought. A slight blush settled on her cheeks due to the silence that followed suit.

She stretched out her nerves, then nodded bravely. Alright then, onetwothree, here we go. She spurred herself on, then carefully stepped inside the cave so tight it made her push back a panic attack. Thirty steps he said, that wasn't so bad. one, two, three, four... So she went on, eyes squinted as peered into the darkness. You're still there right? She asked, tail swishing behind her, searching for Figment. Were they there yet?

Nellie was kind enough not to say anything about his awkwardness, which was a relief. He certainly didn't want to dwell on it, which was easier since she didn't mention it, though difficult because she was turning around and heading into the crevice and... well, there her ass was. He sucked in a deep breath and let it free, telling himself he could do this before he followed her in.

They hadn't gone too far before she called out. Her nervousness brought him out of his own and made him smile again (though still a bit stiffly). "Still here," he called back, "We're almost there, just keep going straight ahead." He opened his eyes a crack to see how close they were, taking a moment to wonder just when he'd closed them. They were close, though still had a bit of a ways to go. Truth be told, it wasn't exactly thirty steps. But he knew she would enjoy what they were about to see and he didn't want to give her any reason to turn the adventure down.

Perhaps she was being a bit impatient, but who could blame her while she was stuck in some small ass cave heading to who-knew-where? Eventually she did feel the presence of Figment, his voice confirming he had not left her there to die. It soothed her nerves and gave her the courage to move on.

She'd lost count of her steps, so she wasn't sure how accurate the 30 step rule had been - not that she cared after seeing what they had stumbled upon. It was like a small world had been swallowed up by the mountain - the cave walls like a cocoon. There were holes in the roof from which sunlight spilled, allowing the floor to be rich with vegetation. She could hear dripping and water rushing, making her believe a water source either had to be nearby or going down the mountain. Woowww... She let out softly in a singular breath.

Fig lost count himself as they went. He was too focused on not looking at Nellie's bum and instead kept his eyes glued to the tip of her tail. But eventually, thirty probably came and went, but it didn't matter the exact number because as expected, it was irrelevant once the tunnel ended and they stepped into the clearing.

Figment looked up at the sun spilling down from the hole in the ceiling, smiling as he always did at the sight. He slid around to Nellie's side as he took in the surroundings, then glanced over at her to gauge her reaction. Her expression made him smile, and his tail began to wag gently. "Right?" he asked, a grin unfurling across his muzzle, "I don't know if there are any other places like it, or how it even exists, but I came upon it one day and just... I've never seen anything like it before. And I don't think anyone else knows about it. Least I've never scented anyone else in here. Just some squirrels and birds, no other predators."

Her fears of getting trapped inside the once seemingly suffocating cave were replaced by pure wonder. This did not mean she got over those fears, nor that she wasn't going to quietly freak out on their way back out - but it did mean that she now thought that there might be more behind the things that scared her. At least this place lacked one of her biggest fears; the dark. Despite the more gloomy color scheme and a damp cave smell, it was almost like being outside.

I hope there aren't. She answered. I mean, I'd like this place to be unique. Yes, that was more like it. If every cave had some secret world in them, then theirs was just one of a bunch. She took a few steps forward as she looked around, then turned to Figment with a smile. Thanks for showin' me this... I never thought something so awful could hide something so beautiful.