Sun Mote Copse My mood's shifting to manic places

In the aftermath of her chat with Towma, Niamh, and Phox, Alyx went full-blown sulk mode. More than anything she wanted to walk over those border lines and disappear to where they could never find her or tell her "no" again, but despite the temptation, she simply couldn't go through with it. Whether her parents now considered her immature or not, Towhee was right: she just wasn't that cliché. She was a good kid whose major fault was wanting to experience life with a close friend who wasn't a littermate, make her mark on a pack by her own merits rather than the ties of her blood. She was no runaway scoundrel.

That didn't stop her from outright avoiding all three of her parents, however. Niamh and Towhee were both practiced guardians, which meant Alyx avoided the borders altogether. She went to the parts of the forest that were most secluded and silent and spent her pent-up frustration hunting critters. Midday saw her successfully nabbing an unsuspecting vole, which she settled down to crush between her molars, alert for any indication of company, unwanted or otherwise.

Eljay had of course totally missed the drama going on between Alyx and her parents. He was in this nook of the Copse to be alone with his many thoughts but also to see if he could find some herbs; most plants hadn't done very well through the flooding and he hoped to be able to figure out which ones are still there; and, if he was lucky, find some of the fertility plants that Towhee had asked about.

It seemed that luck was on his side and Eljay carefully unearthed a plant that he thought might be the right one, but that he wanted to check further just to be sure. Maybe he could ask Raven when they visited the Frosthawks. He took it between his teeth and just as he wandered off he noticed Alyx or Quetzal in the distance, doing what appeared to be eating something.

Hiya, Eljay greeted softly. Did you catch that? Well done! He smiled as he approached, hoping to figure out which of the children he had in front of him soon.

She worked the meat and bones back to her molars and crunched them idly while slipping into her thoughts, at least until Eljay appeared and complimented her catch. She pinned the now headless carcass between her ankles and swallowed ungracefully.

Great. Weird Uncle Eljay.

Okay, so that was a bit of an unfair thing to think. She’d never really spent a lot of time with the guy. He just always seemed so sad and far away. Every family had a weirdo and Eljay was simply That Relative. He was also probably the most devoted and loyal wolf in the whole entire world, but it was just eclipsed by how weird he was. At least, to her it did. Weejay, too, but at least Alyx didn’t get the sense that Weejay was clinically depressed all the time while also a seriously good doctor. You'd think a doctor would have better mental health.

Uh, thanks! she squeaked. Then, because he was Weird Uncle Eljay and kept to himself a lot and she didn’t think he was very close with her parents, either, she blurted, can I tell you a secret?

Eljay smiled at Alyx as she thanked him for the compliment. He was taken aback the next moment though, when she asked if she could tell him a secret. First of all because she was so polite that she asked, and second of all because he didn't think they were very close and so it surprised him she'd confide in him. It was a happy sort of surprise, though.

Yes, of course, Eljay said with a nod, his expression serious. I promise I won't tell anyone else.

Well, said Alyx, hesitating a bit. She was sure Eljay wouldn't run off and tell her parents what she told him, but she didn't really know him that well, either. Was it weird to tell him something she wouldn't even confide to her own siblings? The thought of sharing her secret with Quetzal tied her stomach into knots as she anticipated the teasing she would receive. Rosie might be a better confidant, but she thought he was too mushy-gushy and would tell everyone. She was pretty anti-Niamh right about now, and Towhee and Phox were just much too close to her mom for her to trust them, either, not to mention her dad had held her to the ground recently, so he was on her shit-list, too.

So, Eljay it was!

When I was in Rusalka I made a friend, she shared, his name's Val. He's kind of dirty but he's got this big huge smile and these soft eyes and I really, really liked hanging out with him. It made me feel all fluffy and glittery inside, like he's the best friend ever and I think he might be magic. None of my friends here are like that. She'd already decided that was because her "friends" were her family, and therefore, not friends she'd chosen for herself. She couldn't just not be friends with her littermates! I wanted to go and live with his pack so we could hang out more and I could make more friends like him and make us allies, y'know, like how Meerkat lives with Moonspear and is an ambassador or whatever and makes our packs closer, but mom and Towma and dad wouldn't let me.

She didn't realize she'd given the remains of the carcass a little kick until it rolled over to Eljay's ankle. With a sheepish glance upward, she stuck out a paw to reclaim it. It's just, it's so unfair. They let Meerkat do it! And she didn't even have a good reason! Well, not one that Alyx understood, anyway. The whole thing just seemed like some extension of Towhee's and Hydra's friendship. Which it was. It just didn't make any sense to her.

Eljay sensed that Alyx hesitated and after a short moment he encouraged, Don't worry, I won't tell anyone, you can tell me. Alyx soon began to share her story, admitting that she'd made a friend in Rusalka. Honestly, Eljay had already forgotten the name of the pack that she had been in; he just remembered that some wolves had taken her in and he was grateful for that, but he didn't expect to ever meet them, so he'd put their names from his thoughts easily.

Alyx went on to say she had made a friend and she seemed to have a bit of a crush. Eljay didn't really think of it as a crush, though mostly because he (and none of his siblings or children, as far as he knew anyway) had never developed strong feelings like crushes at that age. He saw it as a good friendship, and he understood that she might feel that way towards wolves who'd saved her when she had washed away during the floods and move. That whole period in time was kinda hazy for Eljay, as it was the so-manieth disaster to pile on top of everything, but he did vividly remember Alyx being missing and searching for her.

So, in short, it seemed that Alyx wanted to live with Rusalka so she could be with her friend Val and that her parents had said no. She thought it unfair (while Eljay thought that letting Meerkat go to Moonspear at that age was the dangerous parenting choice, honestly). Of course it seemed that way to her now. Hopefully one day she could understand her parents' decisions. Eljay hoped that if Elfie was still out there, he understood his own decisions, too...

Eljay frowned thoughtfully as his mind was brought back to Elfie -- who'd left the pack to train with Towhee at the time, and hadn't taken no for an answer -- and he wished that he could somehow help Alyx understand what it was like from a parent's perspective. Thank you for trusting me with this secret, Alyx. I understand that it feels unfair right now, he started off with, not wanting to make Alyx feel as if he was just trying to get her to be a good girl and shut up. I know this isn't what you want to hear right now, but, well... Your parents just want you to be healthy. They don't know uhm, this Val's pack as well as they know the pack that Meerkat is visiting. Eljay smiled apologetically, knowing full well that he wasn't making this easier for Alyx. It sucks right now, but as you grow older, you'll get to visit them, and maybe if you feel the same way when you're all grown up, you can still move there for some time. Eljay looked at Alyx as he tried to gauge how that made her feel, hoping that it helped at least a teensy bit.

Alyx didn't know why she thought Weird Uncle Eljay would be the one to see her side and sympathize with her, but he didn't.

He spoke gently, which she appreciated—it was far better than Niamh smacking her with the "they hate my guts so screw them" hammer—but he said basically the same thing her parents had said. She was too young. Moonspear was their friend. Rusalka wasn't their friend. Did no one see that she could remedy that and bring the packs closer? Maybe they could be good friends like Firebirds and Moonspear eventually, if they would just give her a chance.

There was an expectant look in his eyes that made her sigh silently. Okay. Thanks, Uncle Eljay. She said it only because she had seen what calling her mother a bitch got her, and she couldn't justify a repeat performance with Eljay. Besides, he'd said it nicely. She just wished someone would see her side in all of this. I'm gonna go, uh... Hunt some more. Yes. Hunting always took her mind off what was bothering her. Nevermind that she had already eaten. She could fill a cache or something, assuming she caught anything.

Anything to get away from the adults. See you later, she said as she hauled ass outta there before he could invite himself along.