Hideaway Strath Emotional tourism
Moontide
Trader
lord of the hunt
1,591 Posts
Ooc — aerinne
Astronomer
Tracker
Offline
#1
All Welcome 
He was still itchy, but at this point, he'd kinda gotten used to it. Phox still stopped more than usual to scratch and roll around, but at least he could focus enough to check the caches. Their bounty from their first hunt as a pack had been plentiful, and it looked like it was still holding up well. Phox lifted his leg near one of the less full stores, marking it for good measure against any predators who might think it wise to come mess with their stash.

Onto the next! He jogged along, his mind wandering about as willy-nilly as his feet. So far, things in the grove had gone rather smoothly, but he was already bracing himself for the next upset. Phox knew from his two plus years on this earth that things rarely stayed quiet for long. (Besides, where would the entertainment in that be?)
player preferences
-speaking+ptero- -ptero- speaking
856 Posts
Ooc — Zoo
Master Ambassador
Advisor
Coach
Offline
#2
The stars had smiled upon Asterism Grove since its formation; maybe naming themselves for the celestial fate-makers had attracted their positive attention. The pack was finally beginning to reap some of the benefits of their tireless efforts, and Ruenna was in the mood to celebrate. She had just the idea for how to do that, and now all she needed was an enthusiastic kilonova to help her put the plan in action. 

"Phox," she chimed, spotting just the man for the job. Approaching her packmate, she bumped against his shoulder in a friendly greeting. "Got a second?" She fell into step beside the leader.
Moontide
Trader
lord of the hunt
1,591 Posts
Ooc — aerinne
Astronomer
Tracker
Offline
#3
Ruenna's voice distracted him, and Phox whirled around to meet her gaze. Yeah, what's up? he asked, furrowing a brow. Was she going to leave them? Was she going to challenge his or Towhee's authority? He expected the worst, based on past experiences, and he couldn't push down those thoughts (at least not right now). His brain immediately assumed the defensive position, readying him for whatever might come next.

What if Ruenna wanted to bed him? Was he even ready for that? Did he even want that? The last time he'd allowed such a thing, she'd ended up dead, and he definitely didn't want that. Camilla, although strange and otherworldly, had been a comfort to him. He had loved her, in her own way. Could he ever do that again? Would he? Phox blinked, only milliseconds having passed since he had spoken. Surely it was nothing like that.
player preferences
-speaking+ptero- -ptero- speaking
856 Posts
Ooc — Zoo
Master Ambassador
Advisor
Coach
Offline
#4
As perceptive as Ruenna was, she was completly oblivious to the whirl of anxious thoughts her simple question had provoked. She did note the small furrow in Phox's brow. Hmm. Was he annoyed with her for interrupting him? Rue nodded toward the path, indicating that they could walk and talk if he had somewhere he needed to be. 

"When I lived in the Sunspires, there was this neighboring pack-- Elysium-- that would hold these big gatherings sometimes. They would invite all the packs in the area, which was a lot I guess..." Rue trailed off. She wasn't keen on the idea of the Grove inviting in a load of strangers from a bunch of random packs, that had always seemed like a reckless move to her. Something on a smaller scale would work better, with invitees from trusted packs. 

"But remembering that.. it just had me thinking that it would be great to get to know our sister packs a little better."  Many members of the Grove had come from outside the Redhawk's dominion and knew very little of the wolves and the packs they were supposed to consider extended family. "I was wondering what you thought of maybe hosting like a.. a house warming party or something. At some point." Rue fell quiet. Towhee had indicated that there was some underlying tension between the sister packs, but hopefully it wasn't prominent enough to derail any merrymaking.
Moontide
Trader
lord of the hunt
1,591 Posts
Ooc — aerinne
Astronomer
Tracker
Offline
#5
Funny how Ruenna seemed to be surfing the same brainwaves that Phox had been for a few months now. Yeah, he said, nodding along, We actually plan to all get together once everybody's kids are old enough to travel outside the pack lands. Fig and Fenn are old enough, but I don't think any of the other packs' kids are there just yet. Phox had already talked this over with both Raven and Niamh, and it had been Wildfire who had brought it up in the first place. He thought it would be a great way to get everybody together under good circumstances and honor Wifi's memory at the same time.

Raven had been about to burst the last time he saw her, and he wondered how her brood was doing. He actually found himself wondering about the well-being of Quixote and her other kids. Maybe putting distance between them really had done their relationship some good. He was still a little sour about the whole Rannoch and Liffey thing, but considering how little it had interfered with his life, he didn't really have an excuse to hold onto that grudge.
player preferences
-speaking+ptero- -ptero- speaking
856 Posts
Ooc — Zoo
Master Ambassador
Advisor
Coach
Offline
#6
"Perfect." Rue smiled, glad to know that a gathering was already in the works. It would be fun to meet some of the other wolves in the area. Who knows, maybe she'll find someone she ah... clicks with. For the first time since her childhood she was living in a pack that was raising puppies, and that had stirred a mothering instinct within Rue. As much as the magnetar enjoyed her pupsitting duties, she was increasingly envisioning herself in a more, well, parental role. 

"It'll be fun to show off a little, we have a lot to be proud of here... Did you see the playpen that @Dingo built? Incredible.." Rue wasn't too clear on how their ranking system worked or how wolves earned promotions, but she thought Dingo deserved whatever rewards were out there for hardworking Grove members.
Moontide
Trader
lord of the hunt
1,591 Posts
Ooc — aerinne
Astronomer
Tracker
Offline
#7
Congrats on 400!

He's a good one! Phox enthused, thinking about what a great addition Dingo had been to the grove. Idly, he wondered if Ruenna had a thing for her creamy pack mate, but he wasn't about to broach that subject. It also got him wondering whether or not anybody would want to have kids next year. He wasn't even sure he wanted anybody outside himself and/or Towhee to have them. Couldn't he and Towhee just... raise any kids born here? Was that too selfish? He set those questions aside for now, remembering that he'd been out here checking the food stores.

You want to walk and talk while I check on the caches? he asked, taking a tentative step toward the nearest one. There was no reason they couldn't do both.
player preferences
-speaking+ptero- -ptero- speaking
856 Posts
Ooc — Zoo
Master Ambassador
Advisor
Coach
Offline
#8
Thanks!! :D

"Sure," Rue agreed, falling into step beside Phox. 

Dingo's play area for the children was certainly impressive, but the fact of the matter was that most packs don't need a puppypen to keep children safe. As much as Rue had hoped that Fennec's sight would strenghten with age, it appeared to Rue that the child's eyes were only growing cloudier. 

"Phox, I'm worried about Fennec's vision," Rue stated, voice falling as she steered the conversation to the heavier topic. "Should we see about getting some kind of.. of healer for her? I don't know much about medicine, but maybe there's something, or someone out there..." Rue shook her head. If Phox thought there was someone out there who could help, Rue would scour the Teekons to find them.
Moontide
Trader
lord of the hunt
1,591 Posts
Ooc — aerinne
Astronomer
Tracker
Offline
#9
When Rue spoke about Fennec, Phox looked at her sharply. Towhee has adapted just fine, despite being unable to hear. I'm sure Fennec will adapt just the same. There was, as far as he was concerned, nothing wrong with Fennec. She just happened to be unique. Besides, Raven had never even mentioned healing Fennec as a possibility, so it was unlikely to be an option. In every other way, Fennec was perfectly fine and normal. Her lack of sight just made her different.

He turned his attention to the cache they'd come across, stopping to sniff at it. Nothing had disturbed it since the last time he had checked it, which he was grateful for. He knew Dingo in particular liked to gobble up anything he could get his muzzle on.
player preferences
-speaking+ptero- -ptero- speaking
856 Posts
Ooc — Zoo
Master Ambassador
Advisor
Coach
Offline
#10
Rue blinked, taken aback by Phox's defensive response to her concern. It was obviously a conversation topic that he wished to avoid, but how could it possibly help Fennec for the whole pack to simply stick their heads down in the sand? Fennec certainly wasn't wrong in any way, but she did have a medical condition-- it was downright foolish to ignore that. 

"Your strategy is to do nothing and hope for the best? Phox, that's not a plan. That's a prayer." 

Had it been this time last year-- or perhaps had it been a disagreement over anything other than the future of a child-- Ruenna might have allowed Phox's sharp look to cow her into silence. But there was too much at stake here... somone needed to challenge Phox to think a little harder on this one.
Moontide
Trader
lord of the hunt
1,591 Posts
Ooc — aerinne
Astronomer
Tracker
Offline
#11
He frowned at Ruenna. Who was she to tell him how to raise his own child? Sure, the pack was supposed to help, but any decisions like this were his (and Towhee's) to make as Fennec's parent(s). She seems to be doing fine now, so I don't think we need to worry, he reiterated. With Fig there to guide her and the rest of the pack to protect her, Phox never once worried about her well-being. The main reason he had moved here was to keep his daughter safe, but maybe Ruenna didn't know that.

We aren't doing nothing, anyway. We moved here to keep her safe. We've built up this pack to keep her safe. My sister, Raven, is a healer, and she would have told me if there was more we could do. If Raven was hiding anything that could magically make Fennec see, that sure would be a shitty thing to do, and he couldn't imagine her withholding that kind of information.
player preferences
-speaking+ptero- -ptero- speaking
856 Posts
Ooc — Zoo
Master Ambassador
Advisor
Coach
Offline
#12
Rue nodded wordlessly, reluctant to express her opinion on the matter any further. The knowledge that she had overstepped had her inwardly cringing, and Phox had left little room for discussion. 

"I didn't know Raven was a healer," Rue murmurred, clinging to that thought in a desperate attempt to change the subject. A bit louder, she added, "I'm looking forward to meeting her." 

The pair began to move away from the cache, which felt like as natural a time to part as any. "I'll check on the southern caches," Rue offered with a farewell nod.
Moontide
Trader
lord of the hunt
1,591 Posts
Ooc — aerinne
Astronomer
Tracker
Offline
#13
Ruenna seemed to realize her mistake, which left Phox wondering if he had been too hard on her. This whole "managing a pack" thing was tricky business, and he wondered how his parents had done it so well for so long. Phox smiled and nodded when she said she'd go check out the southern caches, even though he wished he could somehow reverse time and avoid the subject of Fennec's blindness all together. He knew that wasn't possible, so he watched as she continued on. Maybe this whole leadership thing would get easier as time went on.

In any case, he turned back to his task and continued his work.
player preferences
-speaking+ptero- -ptero- speaking