Northstar Vale dude never misses

@Phox had returned, and maxim felt a great joy for it. even if the man had not come back entirely whole. such seemed to be a sort of...curse around the mountains lately. everybody lost something.

when was his time?

but he shushed the very thought as he sought out the sooty colored tripod man. a livelier pep in his step than might have once been seen in mereo.

Phox couldn't say that he knew Maxim very well. He vaguely recalled that they had done some sparring. He was the father of some of Towhee's kids (with apparently more on the way), but the tripod couldn't actually bring up any specifics about him. Did he have a personality? The longer he was here, the more Phox felt like half his memories had gone with his leg. Everything about before felt fuzzy and unreachable, out of focus.

But he hadn't lost everything. He still recognized Maxim when his brother-in-law came prancing toward him. And Phox tried to quash the pang of jealousy he felt for Maxim's four-legged gait.

Hey there, Phox greeted, not quite sure what to say beyond that.

it is good to have you in epoch! he boomed warmly. he wondered if they should discuss the most obvious change in the room. yet maxim felt it best not to say anything unless phox did first.

are you free for me to bother you for some knowledge?

but if the man had a desire to settle in with peace, maxim could just as well go back off on his way.

On some level, Phox had expected some sort of... retaliation for his prolonged absence. Maybe it was just echoes from when he had first left (and come back to) Towhee, but Maxim's welcoming posture and tone set him at ease. Any unease he had faded into the background. He tried to guess what knowledge Maxim might want from him, and it was then that he remembered how much younger his brother-in-law was. He also knew of two things he probably had more knowledge on compared to Maxim.

Looking to get the deets on all Towhee's embarrassing stories? Or perhaps you'd like to pick up some tips on how to lose a leg? As much as his lack of limb made him weary, it was also a good source of making others uncomfortable, which somehow set him at ease. Perhaps collective awkwardness around it somehow canceled out the bad vibes.

maxim could not help but bark and gawk at the brash humor of phox. he seemed to better understand all at once his relation to towhee! for it seemed very much the same thing she might say about an injury.

neither! he assured his brother-in-law with radiating warmth. i would like you to teach me to be a better tracker.

and he hoped he had not offended, knowing that the man was now down a leg.

Phox sometimes—see: always—forgot that Towhee had decided to make a much younger man her husband. It was strange to hear him ask for his teaching, and yet, he did not hesitate. Well, that's not nearly as fun, but I'd be happy to! What sort of tracking are you looking to do? There's tracking herds, but there's also tracking the other creatures that live in our midst. Doing that can sometimes lead to rather fascinating discoveries.

Phox was reminded of all the oddball creatures he'd encountered over the years. It also helped him keep tabs on the prey levels. If they dipped, he knew there was something to worry about.

the man was knowledgeable indeed! maxim appreciate the light bloom of radiance that phox brought with his arrival. perhaps only maxim saw it! yet it always felt better to have more family around them. even if they were not terribly close yet.

a little of a and a little of b? he laughed warmly. i wish to keep an eye on the birds and there is a golden stag that arsenio says we must not touch, so i must keep tabs on those that we can hunt!

The golden stag stood out to Phox, if only because it sounded like an interesting creature. And why couldn't they touch it? Phox felt like that made him want to track down and eat it even more, even though he probably wouldn't. Taking down a stag with a group was difficult enough, and he wasn't going to attempt it on his own. Still, it was like telling a child they couldn't have candy!

I can't say birds are really my forte, but deer are definitely one of my favorites. I spent a lot of my youth tracking them around these parts, and it would be good to get into that routine again. Maybe we could look around for droppings and tracks? he suggested.

maxim found it mattered little if the man was not good for the birds part. truthfully it would simply be good to do anything together. learning was merely a bonus to all of this.

let's! he beamed brightly. wraen’s nest sees plenty of life. i believe we could find something there.

he was prepared to forge their way there. not knowing if phox had seen the place yet!

Hearing his old friend's name had been used to name a place here brought a sad little smile to his face. It felt like forever ago that she had been his leader, and at the same time, it felt like only yesterday. Lead the way! Phox said, ready to step-step-hop his way in whatever direction Maxim wanted to take him. Perhaps it would be a good way to get to know this place a little better, too.

his pace settled into a comfortable walk. making sure he did not leave behind his brother-in-law by accident! how embarrassing it would be!

and yet he noticed something neither feathery or hoofed on their patrol.

ah, porcupine, he offered with a wary and distasteful voice for its presence! are they good for anything? this he asked phox while the quilled beast bumbled off.

Phox shuddered at the name, watching as the spiny creature disappeared from their view. Not so far as I know, he replied. Just a fucking nuisance. He knew that their prickly nature meant that going after them was near impossible (or at the very least, not smart).

The tracker then put his own nose to the ground, sniffing out any other animals that might have been here recently. There were dozens, of course, this being the wild and all, but one stuck out more than the others. It was stronger, more recent.

Check this out, Phox said, sniffing at a pile of droppings. He wondered if Maxim would be able to connect the droppings to the animal that made them: a badger.

he snorted with humor before they carried on. content to turn his attention to whatever it was that phox had discovered.

droppings.

he sniffed around them, mindful to not get too close. yet something about the scent had him on a careful edge. his guess may have been close to truth, but missed the mark.

mmm, wolverine? his features scrunched softly.

he had never much cared for sticking his face into the presence of mustelidae — and the differences were lost on him in these moments.

Ah, a good guess! The two were related in plenty of ways, though their appearance was different. Where the wolverine was almost solid, the badger wore stripes across his face. Not to be confused with the raccoon.

Good guess, Phox replied, but this is definitely badger shit. He grinned, happy to be able to give Maxim a lesson in poop. Angry buggers they are. With big, sharp claws, too.