Emberwood the sorcerer’s apprentice.

Figment’s head lifted when he heard Bronco’s call. His curiosity turned swiftly into concern by the time his brother-in-law’s statement had come to a close. Stepping down was one thing, but leaving? Why an earth would he leave?

He was up on his feet and moving in the next moment. He could tell he was some distance from Bronco’s location, but that didn’t particularly concern him. His first instinct, as always, was to find Fenn. The nap he’d been trying to take could wait until he found out if she was alright. Lowering his nose to the earth, he began to search for her.

The other thread might become read only! Depending <3

It took Fennec a while to come back, but eventually she made her way. She was exhausted, still angry but completely drained in spite of it. She wondered who, aside from Fig, would stay. Would Ingrid or Blueberry decide to go with Bronco, now that he'd announced his departure?

If he sank this too, then maybe it wasn't meant to be. She wasn't sure if she wanted a place of her own if it meant leading by herself.

She didn't notice Figment on her return. He'd likely been looking for her for a time period, but she didn't think to seek him out. She didn't know where she was going, what she was doing.

Fig was just about ready to give up his search when he turned and saw her through the trees. He’d come across Bronco’s scent some time ago, but it was already fading, and leading away. Unsettling was to put it lightly.

”Fenny!” he called, loping to close the distance between them. He didn’t bother masking his concern, even though everything about her spoke of sorrow and hurt. This was one of those times when he wouldn’t wait until she was ready to discuss it. He needed to know.

”What happened?” he asked softly.

Fenny.

Fennec stopped and tensed. She wondered how many times she'd have to answer this question. Oh god... what about when Killdeer came back?

That thought kicked her out of her frozen silence. Bronco left. She said tonelessly, without turning towards him. I finally tried to talk to him about how wrong things were for me. But apparently, I asked for too much. So he told me I was selfish, that the pack was mine, and then he left.

It was like she was relating the weather. Whatever anger she had left was smothered beneath defeated acceptance, where luckily Fig wouldn't have to deal with it.

That wasn't what had happened, not really. But it was, wasn't it? Because that was all she really knew.

He wasn’t sure at first if she was going to tell him anything, but she eventually spoke. While he’d heard Bronco’s call, he still hadn’t completely believed it until he heard her confirm it. His heart sank, but it fell even further as she continued.

Things had been wrong for her?

His brow furrowed deeply at that. He hadn’t realized there had been something wrong between them. He tried to think back to times he’d seen them together. He supposed there had always been something lacking, but he’d never considered that it was hurting either of them. He’d always assumed that was just how they worked.

He had been wrong.

”I’m sorry, Fenn,” he said finally, after thinking for a moment or two. She hadn’t given much in the way of detail, but he didn’t really need her to. It wasn’t his place to try and play mediator between her and Bronco. And at the end of the day, he was on her side, always.

”Do you… wanna beat me up?” he offered after another moment. She could always talk more if she wanted, but he knew she knew that. What she might not know was his willingness to be a punching bag, or that having one might be helpful in this situation.

No. She stayed where she was, slightly hunched, drawn into herself. Fighting Fig wouldn't change anything. What was the point?

She just wanted something impossible. Was that too much to ask?

No one knew her better than her brother. He would know if something was fucked with her, and while he might not tell her straight entirely, he wouldn't lie. She had to know if this was actually her fault. If there was just some fucking thing that she was missing, in herself, that meant she was never going to get what she needed from anyone.

If something happened, something that made you need space from me, you'd tell me, right? Or would you just figure I wouldn't understand? Fennec huffed out an inauthentic laugh. Because I'm starting to think maybe I'm the crazy one. Is that so fucking hard to ask, that if someone cares about me, they let me fucking know when shit like that happens? And why it's happening? So I'm not going fucking mental thinking it's my goddamn fault?

The anger was creeping back in, and with it, more of that fractured anguish. Maybe she was just crazy. Maybe Bronco had never actually cared.

Good luck with the Emberwood, witch.

She felt sick.

She declined his offer to beat him up, which didn’t really surprise him in hindsight. Losing her mate and father of her child was not something she was going to bounce back from quickly. He was used to her pretending like things didn’t matter to her as much as they did. But this clearly really really mattered. Enough that she couldn’t pretend.

Her question was utterly baffling to him, though. It did paint quite the picture for him, though he was at a loss to understand how on earth she and Bronco had gotten to a point where he needed space from her. Fig had always thought Bronco had been smitten with Fennec since they’d been kids. After all that time, why would he want her to leave him alone after he finally got her?

But that wasn’t even the most baffling part. It was the question itself. ”I would tell you,” Fig answered, trying not to make it sound like he thought her question was dumb—it was just so obvious he didn’t understand why there would be an alternative. He fumbled for a moment, not sure how to address the rest of it when it seemed she didn’t know why it was happening either. But still.

”It’s hard to imagine a world where I would ever want space between us, so I would guess that you wouldn’t expect me to ever want it either. Why would you assume I was looking for space if I didn’t ask for it, when it’s something neither of us can imagine me ever wanting?” he continued, uncertain of what he said would upset her more or make her feel better, ”Look, I don’t know the whole story so maybe I’m missing something. But I’m 99% sure that you aren’t crazy. I don’t think anyone can be expected to know things that are never said.”

Her brother being confused wasn't much of a surprise to her, and his answer was luckily what she'd figured too. Unfortunately, it provided zero explanation or insight, then, on what had gone wrong with Bronco.

Not you. Bronco. Ever since he came back, he's been different. And every time I try to ask, he just tells me I won't understand. Then he gets mad at me for not understanding when he hasn't even fucking let me try. I just keep trying to figure out if there's something I could have done better. I was really trying.

The tears were starting again. Fig wasn't the last wolf she wanted to cry in front of, but she didn't like it ever. She was just too strung out to worry about it.

What's the point in trying if it all just ends up like this anyway? If he never even noticed? There was no way Fig could answer that and she didn't even really need an answer. She didn't know what she needed. There wasn't much of anything right now that could make her feel better about any of this.

She'd told herself earlier that she was better off, but deep down, she couldn't stop running it over again, and again, and again. Wondering what she could have said, or done, or not said, or not done, to make things turn out differently.

Fig knew his reaction wasn't what concerned her. He knew she was trying to determine whether she or Bronco had been in the wrong. He personally knew very little when it came to love and romantic relationships. He'd never been in love, had never even had a girlfriend. He'd had crushes before, sure, but nothing real. He wondered for a moment who he was to try and give her advice. He'd been so ignorant, he hadn't even seen that any of this was happening.

He was quiet for a moment, feeling his heart sink as he saw her tears begin to fall. He'd never seen her so low. It was terrible, and there was nothing he could do about it. Feeling helpless, he did the only thing he could think of, which was to lean forward and touch his nose gently to her temple. He might not be able to fix this for her, but he could at least be her shelter during the storm, if she let him.

She sensed his shift and felt his nose press. Apparently he didn't feel any need to answer, which was fine by her - all of her questions had been essentially rhetorical. If she couldn't answer them, of course her brother wouldn't be able to either. And while it might have satisfied her on some level to hear Figment tear into Bronco, affirm that she'd done nothing wrong, she knew that couldn't be true. And she knew that Fig would never do that unless he knew that it was. He was just to damn respectable for it.

That was enough of that, then. She swallowed and leaned into him briefly, then tried to level set once more.

I don't think I want to do this anymore. The pack, it just... I can't. She knew that she could kick any one's ass, and she'd never doubt her own ability when it came to claiming this territory. But a big part of her leadership had been founded on co-leading, and without Bronco, she didn't even want it. This had been their home, and now making it only hers felt empty. If it weren't for Killdeer, she'd say they should leave tomorrow. But her son deserved to know where at least one of his parents was.

She knew Fig would understand. He always did. Still, she felt awful admitting it. She should have known when she'd found the dead tree - everything they'd built was rotted to the core. She was so fucking stupid for thinking it was funny then.

With that, she began to collect herself again. Fig was under no delusion that this would be the end of her heartbreak, but he once again would follow her lead. If she wanted to rage and scream, he would listen. If she wanted him to tell her what to do and give her advice, he would find some to offer. If she wanted the two of them to go hunt Bronco down and tear off his manhood, then the hunt was on.

He wasn't going to offer that last one as a suggestion, though.

"That's alright," he told her when she confessed she didn't want to pursue their home in Emberwood any longer, "We can find somewhere else. Or we can just travel together for a while. Whatever you want to do, I'm right beside you." He wasn't entirely certain if she'd meant she didn't want to settle in Emberwood, or if she didn't want to pull together their own pack at all anymore. It didn't really matter, though, and they didn't need to decide now. There would be time.

We need to find out where Killdeer went. I don't want him to come back and find everyone gone. She replied, head hanging a bit. Then, her jaw tightened. She didn't want to second guess this. She didn't want to rethink it.

Lifting her muzzle, she howled, just as Bronco had done earlier. But her message was short and to the point, meant for @Ingrid and @Blueberry and @Skylla. The last she felt the most guilt for - he was the only one she had recruited herself.

It's over. There's no claim.

They could choose to stay and salvage what was left, if they wished, but she wouldn't. As soon as she found her son, she and Figment could go somewhere else, somewhere that Bronco hadn't touched. Somewhere that wouldn't remind her, every moment in it, of what she'd lost. Rather - what he'd taken with him.