Bramblepoint do you think the porch is falling apart or do you just weigh a ton.

This is a liiiiiiiiiiil' backdated :D Hope it's okay!

Liffey couldn't say it had been a difficult decision to make. Really, it hadn't been a decision at all. The storm had been rather timely in its arrival in that it had forced the young wolf to take shelter with Titmouse instead of finding Lagan so he could be taken back to the Caldera. By the time the weather had lifted, any trace of Lagan was long gone and she was left with three options: Chase him off to fend for himself in the Wilds, return him to the Caldera herself, or keep him.

And so, the Blackthorn tilted her muzzle back to call for @Rannoch with @Titmouse at her side. Much as she wanted to send him back, she knew that it wasn't going to work anyway. He was a determined little thing, as she well remembered from flinging him around the time he'd latched onto her nose and wouldn't let go. He was perhaps too dumb to be driven off and would probably only get himself killed in his stubbornness. And she simply was not about to return to the Caldera and risk seeing her mother so soon after their blowout. Keeping him was the only option... she just hoped Rannoch would agree to it.

It was a new adventure! Titmouse was heckin' stoked to be following around Liffey, and it never once crossed through his mind that he'd be considered lost by his family. Or that Lagan might've been worried sick, or being punished, or some other thing. Titmouse was doing what he always did - focusing on the present, and all that lay before him.

At this point that meant following Liffey, then sitting and waiting when she stopped and waited. She called out to someone and Tit, thinking the song could use an accompaniment, added his own gravel-voiced yowling until she stopped. He yipped playfully a few more times, taking some scattered steps around Liffey with his butt wiggling ferociously (and tail practically lifting him off the ground it was helicoptering so hard), and then he pounced at one of her paws.

The seriousness of his predicament had clearly not dawned upon him.

A temporary cache had been at the forefront of Rannoch's mind that day, and it was with these ambitions that he was set into motion. Though they had scraps, Rannoch felt as though they needed a designated area to collect whatever excess they managed to accumulate. At this point, despite his unhappiness about the territory, Rannoch did not know if they would ever stray from the brambles. He had tunnel vision as his paws churned the earth underfoot, pivoting it behind him as he attempted to create as divot for the pack's storage needs.

A considerable time had passed since he had begun the task and it was just as he was nearing its completion that a scent distracted him from what he was doing. Traces of Liffey's nearness had drawn him, and he turned, suddenly all the more curious when he realized she wasn't alone. The other scent resembled her home, but the identity of the other was unknown to him. 

In both an act of protectiveness over Liffey and pack, Rannoch abandoned his digging site. He found the pair quickly, as his tongue was still lolling from the exertion from digging, yet he was still able to catch his breath to offer the duo a question: "Who is this?" His posture squared as he voiced his concerns, his tail lifting, and his expression curious. The wolf at Liffey's side was no larger than Redshank and Rannoch wondered if this was one of the children that Lagan had mentioned when they had met. Knowing that Liffey had the answers, he turned his gaze to Liffey as he waited for her response.

Liffey glanced at her little brother with a slightly frown as he squirmed noisily about. She supposed as long as he wasn't screaming his head off, she could have a small amount of patience with him. She thought about coaching him up a bit before Rannoch arrived. Maybe give him some information about what they were doing, how he should behave or maybe tell him to keep his damn mouth shut while she did the talking. Instead, she said nothing. He was not her kid and she would not claim any responsibility for him. He was on his own here; she was just getting him the introduction.

The Blackthorn shifted instinctively when Rannoch arrived, dropping into a submissive pose and giving a sharp nudge to Titmouse to remind him to do the same (so much for her earlier intentions...) "This is Titmouse," Liffey replied, "He's my cousin from the Caldera. He apparently got separated from my brother and ran into me just before the storm hit last night. I couldn't find any trace of my brother this morning, so I'm not sure what.. I mean, he's too little to find his own way back and..."

Liffey trailed off, glancing uncertainly at the pup. She knew Titmouse was determined to stay glued to her and she was not at all keen on that. The only option was for her to take him back herself, but that made her feel compelled to explain her own reluctance to return to the Caldera and that's about where the words got lost in her throat.

Liffey leveled quite a look upon the boy, and he was momentarily perplexed by it. Didn't she like his singing? Why were they singing? Would they keep singing? Except she stopped and seemed to be waiting for something. Titmouse wasn't any good at waiting so he, antsy and energized by the fun they were having, continued to try and rouse Liffey's playful spirit and get her to join him in a game.

Before long he was tuckered out; the drama of the storm, hiding, running, not eating -- it all caught up on him right when Rannoch entered the scene. Titmouse was tired. He plopped down by Liffey's rear-end with breath puffing out of him, kind of grimly looking off at his surroundings without being wholly present; and he only realized something was up when a male voice responded to the drone of Liffey's own.

He poked his head around Liffey then, looking at the gray wolf with half-lidded eyes, and then opened his mouth promptly to issue forth a wet burp. Hello, he was sort-of saying. Titmouse would've engaged this new face in a game if he'd been more "with it" but lets be real - he's a dummy.

Rannoch was introduced to Liffey's cousin, and his attention shifted to the smaller wolf with a smile. Even though Liffey did not fully admit to why she had brought a puppy to the pack, Rannoch quickly got the gist of it. As he was about to open his mouth to greet the child, he was met a burp which caused Rannoch to pause. Titmouse wasn't giving the best first impression, that much the turquoise-eyed alpha could deduct, but despite this, Rannoch decided to press on and give the child a chance. Something deep within his chest urged him to, knowing that without the help of the pack this child could die on his own. 

"Hey Titmouse," said Rannoch, lowering his head toward the cub from the Caldera. "Can you tell me about yourself?" He assumed that this was would be the easiest starting point for their conversation.

He looked a bit dumb-founded.

He looked a bit nauseated.

He sucked in a breath as if to burb - or puke - and when Titmouse's lungs were full, he loosed a torrent of ridiculous nonsense that it could've made an owl's head spin right off.

My name is Teemouse an' my ma and pa call me Screesh, but my brodder and sissers don' they just play with me or sit on me or -- sometimes nothin' because Teehee doesn't listen good -- and this is Liffey! She's my sisser, but not my real sisser, an' I was followin' her brodder Laggy beffur he got los' and the sky went boooosh! and there was sparky light and more crrrrsh! An' Liffey said I could stay with her. He said this so fast (and his voice, being naturally scratchy and gnarly like an old smoker, did not help matters) that most of it would be indistinguishable; but he finished and was out of air, then sucked in a fresh breath (which made little Titty kind of dizzy) and he finished with, Can I stay, peas?

Titmouse was thankfully quiet as she introduced him to Rannoch. She watched the cobalt male as he studied her young cousin, cringing at the look on her alpha's face as the boy greeted him with a burp. She immediately was regretting this, but the sight of Rannoch making an effort to give her cousin a chance made her swoon ever so slightly. She cast her gaze to Titmouse expectantly, taking in the look on his face with sudden foreboding.

Liffey blinked at the boy as he began to his tirade, dumbfounded. She found it difficult to even keep up with him, but the gist of it was not lost on her. By the end, she had shut her eyes to take a calming breath. Seriously, what was up with this kid. Of all the firebirds that could've gotten lost and ended up stuck with her... She opened her eyes to look at Rannoch, somewhat at a loss.

"Liffey said we could ask if you can stay," she corrected him, giving Titmouse a pointed glance before looking at the young alpha apologetically, "And he's actually my cousin. His parents died so mine raised him and his siblings." The explanation made her look down at the pup again with a sudden, uncomfortable pang of sympathy for the poor little moron.

Rannoch listened to Titmouse with the amount of respect that he would give any joining member, nodding in turn as he received new information. Though young, he seemed to be able to articulate himself well, and Rannoch knew that this was essential to his success. But even with this, there was still Rannoch needed to know before taking on such a large responsibility for not only himself but the entire pack. 

With Liffey's rebuttal to Tit's information noted, Rannoch continued to keep the younger member as his primary focus. "Before I let you stay there are some things I have to ask you, okay Titmouse?" Rannoch paused here, allowing the other to answer before continuing. "Did you have any interests in your old home? Some wolves like to explore, some like to take care of others, and some like to hunt." Rannoch wanted to gauge whether or not the wolf had developed any interests and see how he could take advantage of this. After all, even though Titmouse was young, Rannoch still expected him to contribute as the other members did.

Liffey was swift to correct him, but Titmouse merely rolled his shoulders as a response;  his tail was whisking the air behind himself happily and he seemed totally unaffected by the randomness that just ran from his mouth. Rannoch seemed pleased with it too - although he had more questions, and these ones made Titmouse grin big and stupid.

I like rocks! He proclaimed, not knowing that an interest in rocks was called geology (although in his case it would've been gastronomy). An' I found Liffey without help! At this point he looked right at her, still smiling, as if encountering the girl had been his plan all along and he was oh-so-proud of his skills to track and wander. When he looked back to Rannoch again he had a slight tilt to his head, a curious gleam to his eyes: I dunno what I like yet.

Rannoch's attention remained focused on Titmouse as the interview continued. Liffey reasoned it was a good thing that he could step up and take the situation so seriously, but she did feel an odd twinge of jealousy that he was giving so much attention to her obnoxious cousin over her. Realizing this was a completely selfish and silly thing to think, she pushed the feeling away and did her best to do like Rannoch and focus on the conversation.

With some difficulty, she remained a quiet observer to the proceedings, even as she felt so powerfully compelled to add her own two cents. Such as he likes to eat rocks and I'm pretty sure that was an accident, and finally he enjoys screaming like a dying a rabbit when he's bored - is there a trade for that? Liffey shut her eyes and took a few steadying breaths to waylay her rising annoyance. She leaned onto one haunch to lift a leg and scratch vigorously at her ear even though it didn't itch. Anything to help her keep her mouth shut.

Though Titmouse's resume was not the most impressive, Rannoch could see that there was some potential. "Sounds like you are in the makings of being a good Scout one day, kid," mused Rannoch, his eyes bright as he addressed the younger wolf. He liked this kid's enthusiasm and knew that it would take Titmouse far if he continued through life the way he was doing. Even with his liking for the young boy, Rannoch knew that there was much more that Titmouse had to understand before he was allowed in the pack.

"Now, Titmouse," continued Rannoch, pausing for a beat. There was so much that Rannoch wanted to portray to the kid, but he had to condense it so that he could understand it. "Everybody here is like family. We care about each other and don't like trouble among our ranks." He paused here, shifting his gaze to Liffey briefly. "So that's why you must always listen to Liffey and me. We don't like those who don't mind." He knew that every child had the tendency to act out, but, Rannoch hoped to quell such desires quickly. Doing so would give him one less thing to worry about.

He thought of asking what a scout was, but temporarily didn't want to look stupid (it would likely be the one and only moment in his life that Titmouse would care). He did however, listen keenly to his new friend and begin wiggling in place the longer Rannoch spoke; briefly he looked to Liffey as she kicked at her face and he looked entertained by the strange position she had contorted in to, but Titmouse was first and foremost, interested in Rannoch.

I lissen! I do! Which was true. He listened way better than the others! Whats a scout? His head tilted curiously to one side, then sort of bobble-headed back and forth while the nervous energy left him. Before Rannoch could answer that Titmouse ploughed on ahead: Issit mean I can go lookit rocks? Can Liffey come?

Permission was given to skip @Liffey!

 
When he questioned about Scouting, the alpha smiled. "A Scout is a wolf who likes to adventure around and discover new areas for the pack to explore," he paused for a moment, contemplating what Titmouse had said, "And, yes, I believe that finding new rocks and looking at them could happen, though you'd also want to find some things that could help out the pack like food and herbs." He decided that his explanation was simple enough, but, he also was more than willing to elaborate. 

Titmouse seemed like he would be a good asset to their ranks and Rannoch was more than ready to help the other succeed in any way he could. With that, the alpha straightened and smiled. "I will welcome you into the pack as long as you promise to help where you can with the pack and do as you're told." He looked to Titmouse at this, a facade of seriousness replacing the welcoming expression that had occupied his features just moments before.

Adventure? Explore? Finding new rocks?! As the older wolf listed off all of these things, Titmouse felt himself getting more and more enamored by the idea; his tail wagged furiously, and at the point that rocks were mentioned he was hopping in place. Yeah! Yeaah! I can do that! He was positively vibrating at the thought of running around, finding rocks, and seeing new places. I p'omise!

Liffey could only quirk a brow here and there as the conversation proceeded. She had determined that she would stay out of things as best as she could, and she did a fairly good job with the exception of being unable to control certain facial expressions. Rannoch seemed wrapped up enough in the interview to not notice, and lord knows Titmouse would manage to not see them even if he was staring right at her face. She wasn't sure what to think when the alpha made his final determination that they would allow her cousin to stay. It solved one problem, in a way. It created another, and finally it forced her to address something she hadn't considered before.

"My family will worry about him," she commented, totally oblivious to the fact that she was lifting a paw and setting it atop Titmouse's rump in an effort to get him to stop bouncing, "I know we're moving on soon, but perhaps once we've found our next stop, you could send someone to the Caldera to tell them he's safe and staying with us?" Her gaze was imploring and she prayed like crazy he would see that part of her request was that it not be her.

Rannoch was just about to give Titmouse to go-ahead when Liffey brought to light a valid point. Turning from the interview, Rannoch nodded as once as he thought about what she said, but it did not take him long to agree. "Yes, I will send somebody then," he promised, knowing that Liffey would not be the one to make this journey. He needed the both of them with him in the pack, and he was sure that there would be another wolf willing to take the mission. Though he had some ideas of who would be sent, Rannoch would decide with his brothers at another time. 

Turning back to Titmouse, Rannoch smiled. "Welcome to the pack," he said, his tone welcoming and his tail waving gently. "Do you want to meet your new packmates?" He asked, his gaze shifting between Liffey and the newest recruit. Rannoch figured that this was as good of time as any to introduce him to the others.

Yay! Exit Titty?!

Titmouse did not realize he had avoided certain doom with this single conversation. He likely would never come to the conclusion that he could've been tossed aside - although Rannoch was sympathetic to his plight, as well as a friend to his cousin Liffey, so perhaps it wasn't such a dire moment after all. Either way, Titmouse was overjoyed to have been given the go-ahead; he was on his feet and bouncing between the two adults as if he had ingested a lifetime supply of coffee. YahIwannamee'them!! He squealed and compounded his statement, then went jolting off in a random direction - only to come careening back to the adults with a look that said, well come on, what are you waiting for?!

Liffey out as well! :)

Rannoch understood. Liffey felt relieved, but it was a melancholy feeling. She never thought she would be in a place in her life where she actively avoided seeing her family, so while it was nice to not have to, it was terrible to not want to. Titmouse shrieked his joy and sprinted away and Liffey for once didn't even flinch at his obnoxious outburst. Her eyes were on the ground a foot in front of her as her mood became dark and gloomy.

She glanced at her friend and offered a sad smile, murmuring "Thank you," before excusing herself. She couldn't bring herself to explain this emotion to him right now, or ever. She wanted to preserve the hopefully high opinion he had of her inner strength, and him seeing her cry did not seem the way to do that. So, Liffey turned and slipped away into the woods, leaving the task of introducing Titmouse to the rest of the pack to Rannoch.