Broken Antler Fen You float like a feather

@Phox 

It was good to return to a place you thought of as home - Wraen felt a mix of giddiness and eager happiness, when she covered the last few miles that stood between her and the familiar tree-line of the Broken Antler Fen. She had not spent there too much time, but it already seemed as if she had known the area for a very long time. Maybe because the most recent memories about it, where mostly happy ones. Reunion with Arcturus, conversations about dragons with Maia, meeting friendly strangers and making them feel welcome here, even if the territory did not belong to anyone yet. There was a little nagging fear too that someone else might come and claim home here before they managed to get enough numbers for the ranks, but, when she arrived at the forest edge, no new scents greeted her, no fresh footprints in the snow, no messages left for them to read and interpret. 

Wraen would have gone straight to her den, had it not been for the sound of a large animal walking nearby. Curious she turned around and scanned the landscape in the dim light (it was late afternoon and sun was about to set, hard to tell from the cover of the clouds), and spotted a moose cow and her almost grown calf, ploughing through the snow, heading to the clearing, where young spruce and fir trees were growing. Quietly she got to her feet and stalked after the pair. Not so much in an attempt to hunt them down (for a wolf her size that would be reckless), but rather to find out, whether there were more of these large animals and did they frequent the fen.

There was still no word of Fennec, and it was exactly what Phox had feared: she had taken off again. At least this time, he found some peace in knowing that she was capable of surviving on her own (and maybe she had taken that little badger baby with her, training it to be her eyes). He certainly hoped so. Phox sucked in a deep breath and made his way south, hoping to check out Wraen and Maia's new digs. It took some time to get around the lake, going through the Haunted Wood. It wasn't quite as short of a trip as it was getting to Firefly Glen or even Moonspear. Still, it was close enough to be a good day trip.

Once he crossed the river and rounded the southern edge of Lake Rodney, things seemed to open up a whole lot more, and soon enough, he smelled the distinct scent of pack. Small, sure, but it was there. He did not think it would take Wraen and Maia long to gather the bodies they would need to claim it. Both of them were intelligent friendly folks, and Phox had always enjoyed their company. He didn't pass through that barrier, no matter how friendly he was with the wolves who lived here, but instead called for Wraen. Once that was done, Phox settled onto the ground, daydreaming about Dhal—WOW, NO. BAD PHOX, BAD.

Daydreaming about NIAMH.

Moose would have to wait, because a visitor called. Wraen left her ambush position and ran towards the figurative borders, where Phox was waiting. She had not directly spoken to the man, when she had stayed with the caldera, therefore his company was a welcome change. "Greetings, stranger!" she told him, stopping a polite distance away, playing all important and official. 

"You have arrived at the forest of dragons and magical creatures. State your business?" she tilted her head to the side, smiling at the Redhawk man.

Happy 3100!

Phox pulled his thoughts away from Dhalia and back toward Niamh. With winter soon to be in full swing, he knew that once the days started to grow longer again, they would start thinking about making another round of Redhawks. He felt like their current batch was only just starting to grow up, but in reality, they weren't that far from earning their role as adults in the pack. Phox had also heard that Meerkat was moving up in the world, and he was ever the proud father for having such an ambitious young daughter. He had two more and a son to think about, and honestly, the fact that they were still around was a bit mind boggling. Alyx was the only one to leave for any amount of time, and that had been no fault of her own.

Wraen arrived in no time, and Phox's tail patted the ground when he saw her, his ears folding at the sight of an old friend.

That's an awfully long pack name you've got there! But I guess I shouldn't be too surprised. You always were the wordy sort, he teased. "The Forest of Dragons and Magical Creatures" was quite the mouthful, and he hoped that wasn't the official name, just for time-saving's sake.

I came by to see how you and Maia were getting along. And mayyyybe to check out your new digs, if you're up for giving a tour.

"We'll come up with something less wordy. Wonderland was one option, but then it has already been used once and it might give people ideas, you know..." Wraen shrugged, feeling at ease to be as talkative as possible in Phox's company. She stretched, shook her coat and was ready to take her cousin along for a tour. 

"Come on, there's room for everyone," she told him, then leaned close to his ear and whispered conspirationally, "but be careful, those wood faeries here are known to kidnap handsome men." She bumped her hip against his and winked at him. "So, how has life been treating you?" she asked him. "All's well?" 

"Wonderland" was much more doable, even if Wraen said they were not going to choose that one in the end. Phox remembered trying to settle on a name for his own pack back in the day. Now, he was happy to go back to his original roots and have his pack known as Redhawk Caldera once more. It seemed so right that he and Towhee should be back there, along with Niamh, Eljay, and the kids. He was still a little bit disappointed that Wraen and Maia could not make amends with Moonspear, but he was not about to push them to do so. Some things were better left to rest, especially when they involved old wounds.

He laughed when she leaned close, wondering if Wraen was the exact wood faerie she was talking about. Was she warning him that she was going to try and kidnap eligible men? That would be a hoot (and very much against what he thought of when he thought of her). He could not remember if Wraen and Arcturus were a thing, but honestly, it wasn't any of his business. Heck, he remembered when Towhee had asked Phox to track down Arcturus and give her his opinion. That seemed like a lifetime ago, now.

Oh, pretty much, Phox said, falling into step alongside Wraen (assuming they had started the tour).

Fennec got mad about something with Bronco and ran off again. I'm not surprised, just a little disappointed. I love Fennec to bits, but she really does need to find a better way to deal with her emotions. I've just learned to avoid conflict with her, and that seems to keep me on her good side.

Going with the flow had seemed to work in Phox's benefit. He did hope that wherever she was, she was safe and sound.

"Aha, so that was, what was bothering him," Wraen remarked, when the final piece of the mystery fell into place. She had not been able to get anything out of Bronco, because she had chosen the wrong approach and persisted, even after she had been politely declined. It still felt wrong to part on the terms they had, but all she could hope was that her friend was no longer cross at her and that, whenever they would finally meet each other, they could be just as cordial and easygoing as usual. 

"When I was on my way to caldera, I ran into Bronco. He seemed to be very upset, but refused to tell me anything," she explained. "Well, she'll learn. Or at least tell, where she runs off the next time she decides to do so," since Phox did not sound particularly worried about his daughter's safety and well-being, she felt safe to joke about it. "Man, but don't you ever think... look back - we were exactly the same. I was one, when I left my birth pack, because of a broken heart," she reminisced. "And it felt so very different then - such a big, big deal and I had no idea, how my life would go on and stuff."

"Wish I could go back and tell that girl that everything's gonna be alright in the end," she smiled. "Which brings me to something that occurred to me, while I was caldera. Did you know that Moonspear and Caldera were the two packs my parents told us - me and Terance, and Sarah that is - where we would always be welcome?" Wraen said. "My uncle Peregrine had promised this to my mom. And... ironically, when Terance actually came around to you, uncle was dead and no one knew a thing about the deal," she told.

"He was put off by a rock-eating garbling unfriendly wolf on the borders and went to Moonspear next. Just think - we could have met each other sooner and been friends for far longer, had things turned out differently?" she finished.

Phox hummed as Wraen explained that she had run into Bronco, only to be shut down by him. That was too bad, but Phox was not terribly surprised. He had not even been sure that Bronco had told him everything. And honestly, that was okay. Phox did not feel he needed to know every little detail of his stepson's life, and he felt the same way about Fennec. Part of growing up was getting a little bit more freedom to keep things to yourself. He did hope that Fennec would let them know next time she needed some space to herself, but he also did not think that was very likely.

Oh, me too! Phox said when Wraen mentioned running off. I ran off and left everybody behind at the first hint of war back when Towhee and me were kids. She was absolutely livid with me when I came back and joined the Redhawks back when they were living on the plateau. Funny to think we're so close now after all of that.

Maybe there was something to be said about conflict bringing folks closer together in the long run. Nowadays, Phox and Towhee were like two peas in a pod and finished each other's sandwiches sentences.

The little tidbit of history Wraen shared about Terance was surprising to him as well. He had not known any of that, and his expression showed as much.

Rock-eating, eh? I wonder who that was...

Phox didn't know any rock-eating wolves, but he likely wasn't around during that time anyway.

In reality that wolf had been Towhee, but Wraen had no knowledge of it. Neither did she know, when and how the "rock-eating" had entered the story, because in the original thread her narrator checked, there was no such thing mentioned. Or she was just superficial, when she checked. Go figure. Maybe it was good thing that she had never stopped by at Caldera, because first impressions are very hard to erase. Had she been greeted just as friendly by her then teenage cousin, she highly doubted they would have ever become good friends now. 

"I think - if you fight with your siblings a lot during childhood, you kind of run out of steam, when you are older, and there's nothing left then to become friends," she shrugged. Just a theory, which did not exactly apply to her own life. She had been close to many people and lost them one by one as the years had gone on by. "Happened the opposite way to me, though," she concluded. First Sarah, then Terance. Come to think of it - for reasons that should not have come between them in the first place. 

"But that's not exactly a happy thought. Let's not have it dampen our mood," she brushed the unwelcome topic aside and tried to come up with a new one. "Would you like to play "three things"-game?" she asked on an impulse.

Phox opened his mouth to correct Wraen, as Towhee and himself had only fought once, and he'd been more of a teenager at that point, but he figured it wasn't worth the explanation. She had a point, and it didn't matter now anyway. He was a little bit curious about her last comment, and his head tilted to the side, but he didn't attempt to follow up with her on that. Whatever it was, it seemed to bring back less than pleasant memories for her. In fact, it reminded him of his recent conversation with Towhee with how she changed the subject so quickly.

Three things game? Phox asked. He had never heard of such a thing, but he was not all that surprised. Every time he spoke to Wraen, she seemed to have some novel idea about where the conversation would go. Never boring, this one! Not that Phox was complaining. He had rather enjoyed the "title game" where she had thought up titles for him back when they were both part of the Firebirds. That felt like eons ago, back when she was promoting him to Honoree.

Of all the promotions he had gotten, that had always felt like the hardest one to earn. Wraen was a tougher cookie than his sister, at least when it came to his place in the pack.

"It is plain and simple," Wraen explained, when Phox had readily agreed to her antics. She offered him a fond look, thought that it was nice to have a friend, who did not object, when fun was offered. He would probably be a gentleman enough to play along, even if the fun was not exactly to his taste or entertaining at all. 

"I name a subject - say, food," she began. "And you have to say three things associated to it right away. First that comes to mind, no time to ponder or dwell on it too much," she reminded. "That's the whole point of the game. If you blunder - all the more fun."

"Nonesense! GO!" Wraen told him.

Oh boy, a brain game. Phox wasn't sure how great he was going to be at this, but he figured it was worth a shot. Maybe it would make his brain work faster if he went through a few rounds. Thinking quickly on his feet had never really been his strong suit, but maybe he would surprise himself.

When Wraen shouted "nonsense," his mind went blank, thinking that was not a very fair word to start out with, but hey, he'd agreed to the game, so here he was!

Uhhhhh, flibbertygibbet! Balderdash!

Phox paused there, trying to think of a third thing that might be associated with nonsense. He racked his brain, trying to think outside the box.

Flying badgers!

Had he done it?

Phox appeared to be taken aback a bit from the subject Wraen had suggested, but he quickly recovered and did not disappoint her. "Flibbertygibet might be a great rank name for a leader," she said with a wide grin. "Balderdash sounds along the knightly theme - I will tell about these to Maia. I'm sure she'll love them," for some reason Arcturus came to mind. Arthur the noble Balderdash of the Forest of magical beings. She just hoped that this very word did not mean something rude in another dialect. 

"Flying badgers might be a thing - unless you think that "flying" means "with wings" - I say a sturdy wolf could send a badger flying. Few inches above ground anyway," she mused and gave Phox a contemplative look. "Tell you what - go back home and give it a try. Then return and tell me all about the results," she offered jokingly, then fell silent, thinking about the next subject. "I have a good one! Magic words!" she squealed excitedly and broke out laughing about her silliness.

Wraen promised to pass the names onto Maia, which amused Phox. It would be pretty funny to have somebody introduce themselves with that nonsense as their title. Wraen offered up a few comments on flying badgers, both of which Phox thought were complete nonsense, so he felt he had fit the theme quite well.

When she gave him the next category, Phox shook his head.

No way, it's my turn! Three things you should never say to children, go!

Phox had retained an amazing resilience, while living with two very bossy women, and Wraen gave him credit for not letting her walk all over him now too. Even if it was just a game and done for the sake of fun. "Rude words, petty lies and... Santa Claus is not real," but she would not be her, if she did not retaliate a little after he had taken reins of the game out of her hand. "But one thing I would tell them - the magic word is "Pretty please!"" 

"I guess it is my turn again," she said, looking around, searching for something to catch her attention and that would inspire her for the next challenge. And such object appeared in the form of an oddly shape rock and a tree that was growing on top of it. "What happened to him?" she pointed to the odd formation and asked Phox to come up with a three word story about it.

At her third comment, Phox put on a faux expression of shock. He's not??? he said, though it was clearly a joke. He had never taught his own children about the legend of Santa Claus, but he had heard it talked about here and there. He preferred to teach them stories told by the constellations, mostly because those were the ones he knew best.

As for the stone and the small tree that sprouted from it, Phox gave it a quizzical look. Wraen had referred to it as if it were a living, breathing entity, which Phox found a wee bit amusing, but he kept that to himself. In fact, he thought it might play well into his answer.

Once was a wolf. Turned to stone. Now he's a sprout. Not three words, but three sentences/phrases. It would have to do.

"Oh, I am so sorry... I must have just destroyed your faith in the world order," Wraen chuckled in response to Phox's exclamation. But that's what happened to all people as they aged - first you learn that Sandman, Easter Bunny, Santa Claus, Tooth Fairy and Jack Frost are imaginary things and then at the end of your life you learn that justice, fairness and karma belong the same category to fairy tales. That, of course, depends on, how hard the fate has beaten you up over the years and how generous Fortune has been to you. 

"You know - you could name one of your next kids Sprout - it is a very decent name. Plus, you already made a short story about it!" she smiled. "So - what's your question?"

Phox chuckled at the name idea. Sprout was pretty cute. Then again, there was that pesky family tradition where all their kids were named after some animal they resembled in some way or another. Although, come to think of it, none of his children with Niamh had followed that tradition. He supposed he would have to right that wrong in the coming year when he put lots of babies in her. Because he fully intended on doing that.

Sum up your life in just three words, he said. His ears perched forward, believing that she would find this one to be particularly amusing or at least a bit challenging.

"Are you trying to murder me here?" Wraen feigned shock at such an imprudent request from Phox, who knew (hopefully he did) that she had not got her master storyteller trade by telling tales, which consisted of three words only. But this was a path that she had never expected the game to take. And, frankly speaking, wasn't it also a skill to say, what yo think in few very well chosen words? She had liked the short fiction her cousin had come up with. It was captivating, gave you just enough details to get you hooked and left you plenty of room to come up with a plausible explanation of, what had happened. 

"Life-long learning," she told him, not sure, if life-long counted as one word or two. "Name your three oldest siblings!" she challenged him, giving an appearance that she knew all of Phox's family tree, when in reality he could tell any name and he would have to believe him.

Phox grinned at her initial response. He didn’t consider himself especially good at games like this, so he was glad to have her at least a little bit stumped. Her answer was decidedly satisfactory, and Phox’s tail beat against the ground when she summed up her life. He hoped that his life could be summed up in such a way (or better), but he figured he had a few more years before he really decided to make the final call.

Wildfire, Raven, and... Who had the third one been? Phox had relationships with both Wifi and Raven, but he couldn’t recall ever meeting their third littermate. Oh shucks, I forget his name. But I remember Gannet and Whip, so those will have to do in the third one’s place. Half credit for that one, pretty please?

"Only today and only because I am feeling generous," Wraen grinned at him, glad that he had not asked to name all the cousins his uncle Peregrine and aunt Fox had created in their prime. She knew few and had not ever seen the rest in the eye. 

"We can take a break now and admire the scenery for a bit," she told him, when the two of them had reach a very nice corner of the lake. The trees gave way and one could have a good view of the ice-clad landscape all the way to the other side. 

"I wish that the spring-time came sooner. I miss the sun and warmth. Mosquitoes not so much..." she said with longing in her voice. "And I really want to see, how this place is going to change too, when the snow melts. Another "first" for me."

Why thank you, kind Wraen, he teased when she allowed him the half credit for his answer. It hadn't occurred to him that he could have made up any old name. Then again, Phox wasn't the dishonest type, and he certainly didn't want to go around making up names for his dead(?) relatives.

Phox settled down when they reached the scenic view, and he found himself wishing that Wraen, Arcturus, and the others had never left in the first place. They'd had such a good thing going, and he still couldn't really understand why they'd left. He knew it had something to do with bad blood between them and Moonspear, but he really couldn't fathom it. Still, it was nice to have them nearby, so he would have to settle for that.

Mosquitos really are the worst, he agreed, letting the silence settle for a moment longer. He took a peek at the sun, which had meandered a little further to the west since he had gotten here.

I want to see it, too. I'm glad you and the others will be close. It was nice to just... sit here with a friend and think about the months and years to come.

"I am glad too... truly," Wraen shot Phox a sincere smile and then settled in a comfortable silence with him, watching the cold winter sun make it's gradual descent over the horizont. She may have recalled a story of Helios and his majestic walk all over the blue bowl of sky to return to his gold-clad den in the evening. She may have remembered and shared a tale of Skoll and Hati - two wrathful demons of Chaos - chasing Sol and Mani - the sun and moon. And, how once they caught up with the two, they would devour them whole and Ragnarok - the end of the world would begin. Come to think of it - here in the north there were so many stories about the sun, the most precious of the deities, that Wraen suddenly realize, she was happy to have so many wide open spaces here at the fen to greet the marvelous celestial, whenever she wished, and see it coming and going in every season. 

After a pleasant afternoon spent together, she saw Phox off to the borders and cordially invited him to come again for a visit. 

Thanks! :)