Hideaway Strath On a couch of dogs

Gonna do this in rounds! Next round in 2 days or when everybody replies.

The lingering scent of others was cause for alarm. Phox did not know their scents, nor had he heard anything from Towhee or the recruits about any new wolves coming to them. It meant that there was somebody lurking nearby, and he did not like that one bit. If they had made themselves known, it would have been an entirely different story, but they had not. Phox wanted to make sure that the other wolves of the grove understood that intruders were now meant to be chased out, regardless of their excuses. He was growing weary of finding strangers passing by their borders that were more and more clearly marked every day.

Tossing his head back, he called for all of the wolves that made up this small pack: @Towhee, @Leen, @Dingo, @Ruenna, and @Nebula. @Fig and @Fennec were already here at the rendezvous site, and he turned to them with a soft expression. -It's important to pay attention when we gather like this,- he said. -There's been some strangers lurking around, and we want to make sure they don't try and make us move out of here.- With that, he waited for the others to arrive.

She never truly strayed too far, always bounding through the woods. Nebula knew she would not make a good guardian but she could still add her scent to their growing borders. Which was what she had been planning to do when the familiar Phox rang for them all. It seemed her grand idea of marking borders would have to be put on hold. Off she went to return to the rendezvous site.

The piebald female was willing to bet this was important if he had rang for all of them. For once she was not so keen on chattering away and asking a million questions. Even if that was partially because she was almost out of breath from getting here in a timely fashion.

All she offered was a grin towards Phox before she settled on the ground nearby.

Rue was quick to answer Phox's call, eager to finally put some faces to all the new scents around the grove. Seeing that Phox had the pups with him, Rue approached slowly, unwilling to startle the children who had yet to make her acquaintance.

Rue offered a nod to Phox and a familiar nudge to Nebula before addressing the children. "Hey, kids. I'm Rue," she said, offering the shortened version of her name that might be easier for them to pronounce than Ruenna. Rue swept her tail back and forth in a friendly manner, hoping to put the children at ease. They seemed pretty young-- Rue wondered if this might be their first gathering like this.

But instead of returning to her patrol, a thoroughly riled Towhee changed her mind and loped to the rendezvous site to report the trespass to Phox. Only when she got there, he wasn't alone and it wasn't just Fig and Fen either. She stopped short, blinking, then shot her brother slash co-leader an inquisitive look. What'd I miss? Because there was an unmistakable air of purpose here. Had he called a meeting of some sort?

Fig didn't understand where it came from, but he could feel the tension in the air as his father called the pack to them. He sat quietly beside Fenn, glancing at her periodically to see how she was taking this all in to give him a clue as to how he should be feeling. He didn't like strangers, and he also felt like them making him move would be a bad thing. Phox certainly seemed to think so, and it made him feel rather on edge in spite of the gentleness of his father's features as he explained.

All that being said, Fig was starting to feel bored by the time his packmates began to arrive. He had begun to fidget against Fenn, likely annoying her but when did he not. This stopped the moment Nebula came into view and sat down. He dropped onto his stomach at the sight of her, his head tucked between his paws as though he were hiding behind a bush to gawk at her. She didn't say anything, so he didn't either. He just watched until another wolf appeared--one that actually spoke to them, which would've been alarming were it not for the fact that she seemed friendly.

That seemed to decide it for him. Fig sat up a little and smiled, his tail wagging. He didn't speak, but clearly he was intrigued by the nice lady and would've gone to her were it not for Towhee's appearance. Then he bounced into action, anxiously hopping over to her and bouncing up towards her face so he could give her some hello kisses and try to expel some of the nervousness this gathering had built up in him.

Kat's correct; no posting order!

Phox assumed that Leen and Dingo must be out recruiting (or otherwise helping the cause). Even if they weren't here now, the news should spread quickly enough. If not, he'd track them down himself in time. Phox gave Nebula and Ruenna a warm smile, glad to see that they had made it. Maybe one day he'd remember/learn that Towhee couldn't hear him call. It had been so nice to have X around for that (thanks a lot, Tegan).

Both speaking and signing, Phox addressed the three adults in attendance. -Now that our numbers have grown, I think it's time to start being a little more protective of the grove. No more Mr. Nice Pack. If you see somebody lingering, ask them to leave. Tell them they're not welcome. If they resist, use force.- Phox paused, letting that sink in. -If any of you run into Leen or Dingo, let them know, too.-

I figured there's no posting order but correct me if I'm wrong.

He had assembled them to update them on how stringent they should be in their protection of the grove. Towhee nodded her agreement as well as her assent. But she wanted to make an addendum too. Ideally, she would've discussed it with her brother first. She doubted he would disagree with her assessment, any more than she balked at Phox calling an impromptu meeting (she didn't).

-"I also think we should have someone patrolling the pass at all times. We can take watches in shifts. If someone's posted there, it's impossible for outsiders to gain entry into the grove, seeing as it's the only point of access in the area."- It might even render broader sweeps practically moot, though Towhee would personally continue them out of a sense of duty, at least until such a time as they were conclusively unnecessary.

Fig settled back in beside Fenn, watching and listening as his parents explained what was up to the rest of the pack. He peered thoughtfully at them, wondering about who Mr. Nice Pack had been without feeling particularly concerned that he'd never gotten to meet him prior to his departure. He made a mental note to try to be meaner to everyone because apparently that's what Dad was about now, then perked up when Towhee began to talk about patrolling.

-"Kin Fenny an' me patrols?"- Fig asked softly, batting a paw at Towhee's foreleg for attention. His tail was wagging eagerly as he looked hopefully from her to Phox. It sounded like a fun, like peeing on things had been, and he wanted to be helpful.

IDK how I missed this lel.

Dingo arrived late to the party, oops. He heard chatter and ducked through the trees, following a winding trail that gradually grew with the intense mixture of scents until he came upon the gathering. Had they called for him? Probably. Maybe. He hadn't been paying attention for some reason (probably because he'd had an upset stomach after chowing down on some of the older squirrels in the caches - he trailed a pretty nasty fart-like scent at the moment which he was nose-blind to). He flashed a winning smile to each of the wolves present even though he wasn't feeling super great, and noticed that the talk had ceased. Everyone was participating in some weird dance or something, and Dingo recalled that it was some kind of language that Towhee often employed. Shit - did he need a decoder ring for this? 

Hey fam, he called out with a soft chuff, and looked from person to person to kid, completely lost in regards to the discussion taking place.

Fennec listened carefully as they conversed, not entirely sure what all of it meant but understanding the importance of 'patrolling' and 'strangers'.  She didn't speak up since Fig did for both of them, but her tail gave a few quick bumps of agreement.  They could patrol and help, and they could make sure no strangers came around.

It would be hard to tell who was and wasn't outside of pack scent, though. Rue's voice was strange to her as well, however kind.  She wasn't entirely sure how to tell good strangers from bad.

Rue smiled as the children turned their attention to her, but their interest was quickly diverted by the arrival of their mother. 

Phox and Towhee seemed to agree on the need for a border crackdown, which was concerning. "I removed an outsider from the Strath last week. Have there been other incidents?" Rue asked, curious about the scale of the problem. Perhaps there were specific reoffenders who would require a little more torque. 

Rue made eye contact with Dingo as he arrived and gave him a silent nod. She would catch him up after the meeting if needed. 

Fig's sweet little voice chiming in elicited a half-smile from Rue. With strangers still lurking in their territory it wouldn't be safe to take the pups too far, but perhaps she could help them set a "patrol route" around the rendezvous site.

JB, I think everybody is speaking and signing! Phox certainly is. ^__^

Towhee added her two cents, and Phox appreciated her insight. They could definitely work on keeping that single entrance well-protected. It was part of what had drawn him to the grove in the first place. -You and Fennec will be in charge of keeping the rendezvous site safe,- he said, flashing both of them a warm smile.

Dingo joined the party, and Phox hoped he had caught at least a little bit of the conversation, but even if not, he could get him caught up individually. There was no sense of disappointment or animosity toward him for showing up a little late. It wasn't like they were texting each other to know when to show up.

Ruenna spoke next, stating that she'd removed somebody from their territory and asking what had spurred the meeting in the first place. -I smelled some outsiders in our claim,- Phox replied plainly. -They were gone by the time I got there, so hopefully they retreated somewhere else.-

When Dingo appeared, Towhee tossed him a cursory glance before her eyes wandered the rest of the gathering, trying to catch everything being said. It was an impossible task, though she did see Ruenna's question. Before responding, she looked to Phox to see if he had anything to say.

He did, so she waited until he was finished before adding, -"I literally just got finished escorting some pompous asshat out of the grove before I came here. He apologized but made a point to tell me 'I couldn't force him to submit.'"- Towhee's lips curled as she recalled the encounter. -"He was brown with black markings, white on his underside and a stupid look on his face. But hopefully he's not so stupid that we'll be seeing him around here again,"- she concluded with a derisive snort.

Then it was back to ping ponging her eyeballs around the small crowd to catch as much as she could of the conversation.

Fig beamed with pride as he and Fenn were tasked with keeping the rendezvous site safe. He was so going to do that. He was so going to do that so good. He and Fenn together were an unstoppable force, and the force field they built around the rendezvous site was going to be so unstoppable, it would stop all the forces. I'll quit now.

Satisfied with his task, Figment looked around at those gathered with a smug, pompous little look on his face, just knowing they were likely all admiring him now for how awesome he was to be entrusted with such an important responsibility. His eyes snagged on Towhee as she explained about the pompous asshat--a moniker he filed away in his brain for later use as it seemed very important to know. But soon enough, he was getting bored and really wanted to go build that force field we just talked about. So, he did the usual when he was bored and started nipping at Fennec's muzzle just to pester her for his own amusement.

Oh yeah I missed that they were also talking the first read-through, but its all good.

From what he could gather, someone had tried to lay claim to the 'strath despite the myriad of scents they'd all been working to put down, and that someone had been driven away by Towhee. She sounded a little agitated but maybe that was just her weird voice grating at Dingo's ears; he didn't really think about the situation beyond that. It would take a bit for him to play catch-up, although the additional commentary from Phox was helpful and he smiled, nodding briskly as the kilnova briefly explained the situation.

I'll patrol more, he offered to Towhee, but since he didn't know ptero he couldn't dance the funky dance everyone else employed and, after a tiny mental hiccup, chuffed to get Phox's attention and direct the comment to him instead. Maybe I can start takin' little Fig on some small patrols too - get him to help out? We won't go far, and it won't be for long. The longer trails could be done when the kid was tuckered out, or they could work up a schedule and do it in shifts.

Look at Dingo! Being a proper member of society, how very dare he.

last for me!

Fennec didn't react outwardly when she and Fig were given a task, but inwardly she brightened with anticipation.  She liked the idea of protecting, and the thrill of danger was something that even with her condition she'd always almost appreciated.  Transitioning to a dark world had been hard, but now, she was beginning to lose what it had been like to see.

Her sense of duty lasted about as long as it took for Fig to lose focus - as soon as he began to play with her, she  began to push back, hoping to kick off a little wrestle that was at least in the spirit of what they'd been talking about?

Both Phox and Towhee had also encountered strangers-- or signs of strangers-- within Grove territory. Concern etched deeper upon Rue's features. The story with the stupid-faced intruder left a particularly bad taste in her mouth. Towhee was an alpha with an entire pack to back her up, and Stupidface was a loner; Towhee could absolutely force him to submit if it had been her desire to do so. Rue let out a slow breath, already impatient with the arrogance of these lone-wolf trespassers. 

Dingo was the first to volunteer a solution, which didn't surprise Rue in the least. His continued contributions to the budding pack hadn't gone unnoticed, and Rue was fairly impressed with his seemingly tireless work ethic. "..And I'll scout through the Grove's surrounding territories," she added to Dingo's offer. "If the intruders are camped somewhere nearby, we'll find them." She fell quiet with a resolute nod.

Last one from me!

Phox hoped that Towhee had found whomever he had smelled earlier. In any case, it was a good thing they were keeping an eye on things. They'd have to be diligent if they wanted to keep their claim secure. Phox nodded along to Dingo's suggestion as well. The kids were old enough to start training for their eventual adult tasks, and Fig had already shown great interest in keeping his sister safe. Might as well develop and grow that skill as much as they could.

Ruenna's offer to help was noted as well, and Phox was glad that their little band of wolves was off to such a great start. He could feel his heart swell with pride at their dedication to the grove. Pleased that the information had been passed along, he excused himself to go track down the others and give them the meeting notes.

Fortunately for Towhee's eyeballs, the meeting soon drew to a close. As her fellow Kilonova headed off to locate those who hadn't made the meeting, she watched the others drift away into the strath as well. She missed Rue's parting comment, although it would've been met with a nod of approval if she'd seen it. Withing nothing else to do now but return to her post, Towhee nudged each of the kids before striding back toward the pass.