Hideaway Strath And my axe

Liberally PPing Fig and Fennec here. Stevie/Starr, lemme know if you want me to make any changes!

@Fig had been trying to wake him up for more than an hour, and Phox finally relented, half-groaning and half-growling when he finally rolled onto his feet. He didn't even know what the kid wanted, and he blinked wearily into the partly cloudy afternoon. It was a little bit cooler than it had been yesterday, not that Phox really noticed the ten-degree difference. When Fig nipped at his elbow, and Phox snapped the air right next to his son's face, warning him that was the last straw.

Softening and sighing, he turned to @Towhee, who was entertaining @Fennec. -You'll never guess what I found when I went to tell Raven about how things were going,- he said, taking a moment to stretch his tired muscles. As he did so, his back cracked in the most satisfying fashion.

Towhee wasn't sure Fen was actually entertained, though she was at least preoccupied as Towhee gently held her down and bathed her. She wondered how the little girl was feeling toward this place, now that they'd been here a week.

Her brother roused and Towhee looked up at him. "Morning, sleepyhead," she said drolly. His reply certainly piqued her interest and she raised an eyebrow, inviting him to say more.

-They moved to the glade, just southeast of the plateau,- he said, sticking to his usual habit of signing and speaking aloud at the same time. -Liffey and her family moved there, too.- It seemed Liffey and Rannoch and replaced the void that Phox and Towhee had left, bringing their children along for the ride. That very well could have made Phox feel bitter about being replaced, but he didn't feel that way at all. He was glad Raven and Quixote were going to be fine without them.

-I'm going to head to the Firebirds later today.- He wanted to let them know how things were going, and he was also curious about who had taken over now that Wildfire had passed away. He had assumed Kiwi or Sequoia, but boy howdy, was he behind the times.

The news not only took her by surprise, it stunned her. Her foot slipped off Fen, who made an escape as Towhee squinted at Phox. They'd moved? When? She had been the Beta up until the day she had walked off the plateau herself, yet neither Raven nor Quixote had ever breathed a word to her about moving. She felt irked for a moment, though that passed quickly. It wasn't her business anymore, at least not in the same regard, and what did it matter? They were still nearby.

"Well, that's unexpected," was her eventual reply. Towhee let out a long breath. "I wonder why?" She paused to let him share, if he knew the reason. "Who the hell is Liffey?" The name did sound pretty familiar, yet Towhee couldn't quite place it. She felt another stab of annoyance, this time tinged with green. They'd barely moved out when Liffey and company had taken their places, though Towhee had no idea of the literal truth of that.

But, again, what difference did it make? Distractedly, Towhee added, "Heads up: Colt's in charge over there now," to acknowledge her brother's plans to visit the Firebirds.

Making assumptions about what Phox will be told in the other thread...

-Yeah,- he agreed with a shrug. It was unexpected, but not bad, in his opinion. -Not sure exactly why they did it, but more power to 'em, I guess.- He paused, allowing time for Towhee to ask about Liffey. -One of the Blackthorn kids. A year or two older than us, I think.- He honestly couldn't remember. He couldn't remember growing up around her, and if Towhee didn't remember Liffey, it was likely the Blackthorn hadn't been around even if Phox had stuck around.

The news about Colt turned Phox's expression into a grimace. -What is it with all the milk toast around here?- he asked. -Does that mean Niamh is in charge, too?- Somehow, Phox couldn't imagine Colt running things all on his own. Maybe he was just a figurehead while Niamh did all the real work. It made him all the merrier that he and Towhee had stuck together and gone off to do their own thing, although he did wonder about Wifi's kids.

His clues jogged her memory a bit, although the recollection that slowly rose to the surface was faded and frayed. She remembered Liffey and some (other) outsider coming to the borders, to be greeted by her younger self as well as Elwood. One of the litters had just been born, though she couldn't place which one. She had felt jealous of the older girl's visitation rights, though that was all she could remember and vaguely at that.

Phox didn't seem to know why they'd moved, so she doubted he knew why Liffey's family had relocated. Towhee was incredibly curious about it all. Perhaps it was time to visit them at their new digs. But something inside her recoiled at the thought, much as she wished to foster a sisterhood. She still needed time to adapt to life here. And Raven et al needed time now too, to settle in at their new place. And loath as she was to admit it, the whole thing made Towhee feel weirdly resentful, though hopefully that feeling would go away properly in time.

"Not as far as I know," Towhee replied to his question, thinking back on her conversation with Niamh now. "I don't know how he got the spot. But I guess Kiwi split and I can't imagine Eljay leading. Uncle Elwood and Aunt Finley wouldn't want it and everyone else over there is babies, literally." She shrugged. "Niamh said she'd make sure an alliance happens, for what that's worth. You should call for her and Colt when you go."

Phox nodded. He would take her advice and call for both of them once he got there... but there was something else on his mind. It was probably a bad idea to tell Towhee, but drama is more fun than not having drama, and Phox is a gossiping biatch. -Wanna hear something that really got my goat?- He didn't wait for her to answer. -All that time we were at the plateau, neither Raven nor Quixote asked us to lead. You only ever led because you asked to. Now Rannoch and Liffey are alphas alongside Raven and Quixote. Two wolves who just showed up outta nowhere. I mean... I guess whatever they want to do, but it makes me glad we're not there now. I'd have been livid.-

He wasn't totally at peace with how Raven and Quixote had done that, and he wondered if they had considered how it would make Phox and Towhee feel. He surmised it was a joint decision, probably based on Raven's connection to Liffey (childhood friends, perhaps?). But they hadn't put in the time and work that both he and Towhee had and suddenly they were equals? It wasn't fair, and it wasn't just. Not that life ever was.

She drew in a breath when Phox said there was something else he wanted to tell her. His opener did not bode well. She "listened" raptly, her orange eyes gradually narrowing as he told her about the new status quo. These two strangers had showed up out of nowhere and were now leading Redhawks with Raven and Quixote? Towhee wasn't sure she had the right to be, yet all the same: she was appalled.

"What the fuck? Are you serious? How does that even work?" Towhee spat, the fur along her spine bristling. "What the hell are we, chopped liver? What the fuck?" Her voice trailed off into insensate cursing and muttering for a moment before she decided bluntly, "Rave wouldn't... she... this must be all Quixote's idea, probably to spite us. What a bag of dicks!"

Phox shrugged with a sort of "how the fuck should I know" look on his face. -I'm so, so glad we're not there, Towhee. Life here is just... better.- They were their own leaders, and they didn't have to deal with inadequate ones. He wished, if anything, that they had made the move sooner. Maybe even before Camilla had given birth. Phox wasn't sure if that would have changed her fate, but he felt like even before the kids were born, he had just kept to himself with the Redhawks. He had never truly integrated there.

-Speaking of, I picked up another recruit on the way back home last night. Her name's Nebula. I was half-asleep when I found her wandering around, so hopefully she isn't a dolt. I think we should start chasing off wolves who wander in. Our markings are getting more potent by the day.-

She was too grumpy and preoccupied to reply. Part of her wanted to suggest they go reclaim the plateau, yet she held her tongue. Towhee actually really liked this place already and, besides, it was much more suitable a homestead for the blind Fen. But thinking about it made her abruptly realize: she could visit Orca's grave at will. That was certainly a silver lining.

Phox changed the subject and mentioned a new recruit. "Happy to," Towhee said, jaw clenching a little. She could pour all this negative energy into more aggressively defending their turf, for sure. "I'll have to meet her, plus that other one," whose name she forgot at the moment.

Towhee went quiet for a while after that, stewing, but eventually broke the silence to say, "I still want to be sister packs and all. I'm glad you're okay with making visits. Because if I go anywhere near there right now, I'm not sure what might happen. So I'm gonna steer clear, at least for a little while." She shrugged, sure Phox wouldn't care. "I'll focus on border patrols, maybe see if any of our recruits want some mercenary training."

Phox watched as Fig and Fennec played some kind of game together. He wasn't sure what it was, but it seemed (at least to him) like Fennec was starting to settle in a bit better. All she'd needed was time, and he smiled as the two of them romped about with one another. Hopefully time was all Towhee would need to be okay, too. Phox took a deep breath, letting it out slowly through his mouth.

-Dingo's probably the best candidate,- as much as he hated to admit it. -Ruenna and Nebula don't seem like they'd be very good at that.- Phox paused, glancing at the kids playing. -You think Fig will end up being a mercenary?- he asked. Something told him that a blind mercenary (while amusing) wouldn't be very successful. -I wonder what Fennec will want to do.- Watching them grow up had been a real trip, and he knew they still had a long way to go.

Her head cocked and Towhee frowned. She hadn't even met them yet and this information left a bad taste in her mouth. But maybe she was just in a bad mood because of this conversation. She should give them a fair chance. Although she valued her brother's judgment, she was the mercenary, and she could decide whether or not they had potential and what merits some training might have for them.

Some people just didn't look the part, nor seem like an obvious candidate, but... "Maybe. And if Fen wants to be one too, I'd be happy to help train her. It'd be challenging but not impossible. Even if she isn't interested, I'd like to teach her some ways to defend herself." That suddenly reminded Towhee of Z and her frown deepened, turning into a scowl. "Really wish Tegan hadn't murdered what probably would've been a massive asset for her." She muttered something under her breath that sounded a lot like, "Fuckbag."

"Anyway," she picked up after a deep breath, "it goes without saying that I'd love to train Fig." Towhee glanced over at the frolicsome pups and smiled despite herself. "I want Fen to be able to fend for herself but it'd be nice to train Fig to protect her too, although he's basically got that covered already," she mused.

Yes, Tegan was a massive ballsack. Good thing he hadn't come with them and instead decided to murder a useful predatory bird instead. /s

-I like the idea of you training Fennec,- he said, certain that Towhee would be up to the task, -And Fig, too. It wouldn't hurt to teach them the basics, at the very least. Their hunting training will begin soon enough, too.- If Fennec thought she was getting out of that just because she was blind, she was in for a real surprise. She had a nose, so she could definitely track down prey. -I wonder if there's a way I can teach her about the stars,- he mused. Not that she would be interested, since he seemed alone on that one.

Snapping at a fly that was buzzing around his face, Phox returned his attention to the kids. -I think I'll hold off on going to the Firebirds until tomorrow. I'm wrecked, and I don't want to show up looking all worn down. I should do a quick sweep of the perimeter, though. Make sure nobody's showed up on our doorstep.-

Honestly, Towhee didn't see how Fen could grasp the first thing about stars, which were an entirely visual phenomenon. It was like talking to her about singing. Towhee knew that such a thing existed but couldn't even begin to conceptualize it (and didn't bother trying).

"Okay, just come and tap me when you're ready to switch places," she said when he announced he should go do a sweep. It wasn't strictly necessary for someone to supervise the pups at all times, though with the new surroundings and all the new faces, Towhee thought they were in agreement that one of them should be around much of if not all the time.

Waving as Phox set off toward the outskirts, Towhee turned to the kids and bellowed, "I'm the swamp monster, come and get me!" Hopefully they were in the mood for a game, which was the first step toward formal training and skill acquirement.