Sun Mote Copse so rested he by the tumtum tree
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Random Event 
She strode along the riverbank near the copse's far eastern edge, searching for plants to add to the collection she'd left back in between Colt's and Wildfire's graves. Sugar intended to find somewhere permanent to store them eventually, someplace cool and dry. For now, though, her main focus was simply combing the shoreline and plucking up anything that caught her eye.

Abruptly, a hideous itch flared up in the space between her shoulder blades. Sugar set down the few sprigs in her mouth, then located a patch of sun scorched grass a few feet away from the water. She flopped down to the ground and rolled onto her back, then began to writhe. The dry grass proved an exceptional scratch pad and soon Sugar was sighing in relief, though she didn't stop moving even when the itch was gone.

She did freeze when there was a sudden, loud rumble and the earth quivered independently of her movements. Sugar rolled over and propped up on a socked elbow, ears folding back as she tried to figure out what had just happened. It came again: a dull roar that seemed to reverberate through the earth. The ground shifted beneath her feet in a strange and deeply unsettling way, prompting the pup to attempt to stand.

Sugar struggled onto all fours, head snapping upward as she heard a loud crack overhead. Her black eyes lifted to the nearby mountainside, widening as they watched an absolutely enormous broken boulder careening down the rocky slope. As her fight or flight instincts triggered, it tumbled into the river with a colossal splash, immediately flash flooding the riverbank and sweeping Sugar right back off her feet.

Title from "Jabberwocky" by Lewis Carroll.
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When it came to handling difficult teenagers, Wraen had a very simple philosophy: tired youngester was well behaved youngster. She had convinced Elfie to return to Firebirds and, while he had not yet reached that point, where he would go and apologize to both Bronco and Sugar Glider, he was more than happy to be occupied with other things. And there was no end of stuff that needed doing.

He had been assigned a corner of the copse, where he had to run patrols in the morning and in the evening and where he practiced the art of sparing the marking material and balancing on three feet. There was progress, in case anyone is interested. He had to search for his own food - Wraen had been pretty adamant about this. If he wanted to run away in the future and be successful in it, being capable of consistently providing for himself, was the utmost importance. Elfie trusted her to be right and did the best he could. Many of days there would be scarcely anything and he would be forced to steal from the caches shamefully, but when he was lucky there was no bounds to his joy. 

Elfie worked hard and put everything in this, so that at the end of the day or in the rare leisurely afternoons he did not have any strength left to be either angry or quarrelsome. He found the softest spot on the hard ground and was asleep before he fell to the ground. He had been resting in the nest made of tall grass and roof of bushes over him in the vicinity of, where Sugar Glider had been working. Inbetween the real world and the dreamland he had observed her, too tired to approach or talk or even make his presence known.

However this all changed, when the earth beneath him began to tremor and move. He was wide awake then, sprang to his feet and looked around frantically to see, what was the cause. And just in time to witness the rock falling into the river and a massive wave swooping his little aunt away. "Sugar Glider!" he yelled out in horror and, having momentarily forgotten that the earth was still restelesss beneath his paws, he ran to her aid.
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The safest place for him to patrol the borders, or so he had been told, would be the edge of their copse that bordered the river. All the other borders faced the unknown wilderness, where wolves could wander and strangers could be dangerous. Across the river was a mountain range, which made them sheltered, at least somewhat, from visitors. When he expressed an interest in patrolling, his mother had eagerly told him that the Eastern edge of the pack was a suitable place to start- so Bronco began putting himself to the test.

When a dull groan came from the mountains, he only had a second or two to wonder what was happening before the earth began to tremble and rock beneath his feet. He crouched, watching as the water’s edge he patrolled shook and rippled. He immediately wanted to know where his Mom was- and what the heck was going on. But a cry for help caught his attention.


It was Elfie’s voice, and the boy was not yet forgiven- but the pitch of his voice as he shouted Sugar Glider’s name alarmed Bronco, who only then saw in the distance the residual arc of wave washing down the river. He wasn’t sure what had caused it, just beyond the bend, but if Sugar Glider had been too close to it, she’d be in danger.

It was hard for him to keep his footing as the ground continued to wrench and rock beneath his feet, an arhythmic pulse that groaned so loud it hurt his ears. He stumbled hos way around the riverbend to see Elfie in the distance- but no sign of Sugar. He was too far away still, and it angered him that Elfie was there, and wherever Sugar was, he was closer to helping her. Wth renewed fervor he kept stumbling and tripping his way toward Elfie, and had to keep his eyes on the ground as he did so to keep himself from going arse over teakettle.
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For several heartbeats, she was tumbled and spun as if she were a load of laundry. Sugar didn't even have time to scream, nor much of a chance to fight the literal tide. She unwittingly rode the wave and washed up about a hundred feet away, choking and spluttering but otherwise unhurt. Her whole body wobbled when she tried to stand, her sodden fur clinging to her tiny frame so she looked very much the part of a drowned rat.

There was a dull roar in her ears, which were full of water, and Sugar looked around herself, ascertaining the damage. The river had flooded quite a large stretch of the bank, flattening the grass and strewing it with all sorts of rocks, sticks and other debris. There was even a small tree that had been uprooted by the force of the wave. The boulder itself was now settled smack dab in the center of the waterway, causing the water to dam around it and reshaping the shoreline, likely permanently. Scree continued falling from the mountainside like rain, pebbles bouncing off their much larger predecessor and plunking into the churning waters.

Only after several beats did Sugar register the presence of her fellow pups. Her black eyes turned to look at them, so wide in her small face, and rasped quietly, "What was that?" Even as she spoke, the earth gave another shudder and there were more ominous noises coming from the mountains overhead.
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The realization that the earth was alive beneath his feet dawned upon Elfie and made his locomotion and proprioreception rather confused. He tripped, almost fell and, when had regained his balance, water from the wave that had swept Sugar Glider with it, had reached her and toppled him over. He inhaled handful of muddy water and sand blinded his eyes as he scrambled for his dear life to get out or away or simply stop literally everything that was going around him. 

A sharp shard of rock hit him in the face and tore skin open. Elfie was temporarily taken out by pain, which did not really help him to regain the rest of the functions. However, as the water began to recede back, he had found some solid ground, where he sat slumped, coughing and wheezing like a chronic smoker, his eyes watering and the left side of his face was swelling up. He heard Sugar Glider's inquiry, she sounded alright at least. "Hell, if I know," he croaked, inbetween coughing spells that attempted to clear his airways of unwanted debris inside them.
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By the time the shaking stopped, Bronco was thoroughly shaken himself, and wobbled as he walked even on steady ground toward Elfie and Sugar Glider, who was soaked. Bits of rock still fell into the water, and the dust that had been released still hung in a cloud on the air though it dissipated slowly. He'd been far enough away from the area where the wave had surged up that he hadn't gotten wet, but the ground was soppy beneath his feet as the water receded toward its usual banks, with the exception of the area where the large boulder had forced the water to find a new path. His coat collected a fine coating of dust and small pebbles, but he was otherwise unharmed- unlike both Elfie and Sugar, who both looked worse for wear. Sugar was soaked and obviously fairly dazed and unsettled, and it looked like Elfie had taken a smack to the face by something. 

"Shug," He called, and coughed on the dust. He moved to her first- and while he was a bit concerned for Elfie, he still hadn't forgiven the boy for the way he'd spoken about Colt. He nosed her cheek and checked her over. "You Okay?" He asked, and more out of obligation, sent a glance in Elfie's direction, and frowned. One side of his face was already puffy, and looked sore. "We need ta get further away from here," He said. While he didn't figure the others were in the best condition to be moving right at once, he wasn't sure they were safe there, either. "C'n you guys move?" He asked.
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When he spoke, Elfie sounded as if his throat had been scraped raw. Sugar looked at him sharply, observing the gash on his face, and her lips pulled downward into a frown. She didn't like her older cousin very much and she imagined Bronco didn't either, though there was already a sense of camaraderie springing up between the three of them because of their shared experience just now. And though she might not care for him personally, there was no stopping the budding caretaker within the pack's smallest member.

"I'm okay," she assured the concerned Bronco, who proposed they move out of the affected area. "Okay," Sugar repeated, her focus still on Elfie's wound. "I'll clean that for you," she offered, slowly standing. Her legs felt a little wobbly still, though she managed to stay upright. She was very ready to get moving, especially when another tremor throbbed through the sopping wet ground beneath her feet.
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Let's put it like this - Elfie did not dislike his cousins per se, he just wished they could understand his point of view. But he was well aware of the coolness in their attitude to him and he was too proud to either apologize or seek their acceptance. Hadn't Wraen said it herself - they were all different and they should deal with that (not in so many words, but something like that)?

"I will be fine," he retreated from Sugar Glider and turned his head away. "Thank you," he added for a good measure, in case Bronco decided to be a knight-all-mighty and reprimand him for not being polite. He got to his feet and walked off to a less slippery and unsafe terrain, all the while wincing at the pulsating pain in his skull and blinking the blood away. This was not the way he had imagined getting his first battle scar and it did not seem a very royal way to do it either.

"I will find Wraen and tell her, what has happened," he looked over the shoulder at the two love-birds and decided that they were good enough to be left on their own. What would a half blind cousin, who had swallowed a good deal of muddy water, do for them.
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He was glad to see Elfie pull away from Sugar Glider. He felt more entitled to her attention, for no real reason of course, and was pleased to see that he decided to go off on his own. He was relieved that Elfie hadn't been killed of course- and part of him even envied the boy for getting injured, as that wound on his face might leave a cool scar, and he'd at least have a story to tell about the whole encounter- but knowing he'd survived was enough, and he didn't feel it was necessary to have him stick around. 

Of course, he couldn't make it seem that way, otherwise Sugar might resent him. So when he volunteered to go and find Wraen, Bronco nodded. "S'a good idea," He said, perhaps with a bit too much enthusiasm, so he reigned it in a bit. "Be careful, Elfie," He said, this time sounding more convincing. He watched as Elfie went off, and supposed that yes, it was a good idea for Elfie to go and tell Wraen what'd happened. He didn't look forward to getting questioned- but at least without any injuries, his Mom would have no reason to tighten her hold on him, right? He nosed Sugar's cheek. 

"You c'n lean on me," He offered, hoping it might prompt her to do so and to keep moving alongside him as they stumbled slowly away from the river's edge. He wanted to be nowhere near the ridge of mountains that lined the opposite bank of the river, lest another, stronger shake happen again.
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Elfie rejected her offer to clean his wound. Sugar stared after him as he moved away, her face void of expression aside from a slight twist to her mouth. But she didn't insist. Swallowing the sigh building in her throat, Sugar forced her attention away from Elfie. Hopefully Wraen would take care of it for him when he went to inform the Sovereign of what had happened.

Bronco offered to support her and the drooping corner of her mouth twitched upward now. "Thanks, Bron," she murmured, taking him up on it mostly so he wouldn't feel blackballed too and not because she particularly needed it. Her legs grew steadier by the second and, thankfully, the tremors subsided.

Pressed together, supporting one another, the two of them shuffled away from the river, deeper into the copse. For a few minutes, Sugar could see Elfie up ahead, though he soon vanished into the trees as the gap between the two parties widened. Once they were safely out of view of the site of the calamity, Sugar sought out a sturdy elm and sat down beneath it, gesturing for Bronco to join her.

"I think I want to be a healer," Sugar said, apropos of nothing, critically eyeing her cousin. "Does anything hurt?" She hadn't been looking for this opportunity today but ever since Eljay's talk had stoked the interest within her, she had been hoping for a chance to "practice medicine."
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Bronco's satisfaction grew as he watched Elfie leave. He felt relieved that he wouldn't have to put up with Elfie's attitude, and with the fact that he was well enough to go off on his own. Sugar seemed a bit disoriented, so Bronco bravely and gladly assisted her as they moved further into the copse, before stopping to rest in the shelter of a tree with large, pleated leaves. When she turned her attention to him, Bronco's ears turned back, and he realized he hadn't even stopped to think if he had been injured. He looked himself over, and shrugged. "Don't think so," He said, though his statement bore the trademark upswing at the end that would have made it more of a question than anything else. "Just dusty," He said, but he didn't make any movements to start grooming himself- he preferred to look somewhat dishevelled anyway. 

His gaze turned more serious, though, when he looked her over. That water had probably hit her fairly hard, and her fur still clung to her slim body. "You hurt anywhere?" He asked. "Don't look like you're bleeding, but..." He said, and shrugged. "I dunno. You're the medic," He said with a small chuff, pointing out what he believed to be slightly ironic- the fact that the doctor would have to do a checkup on herself.
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He didn't appear to be hurt, by his own report, though Sugar wondered if she should look him over just to be safe. Before she could suggest that, he turned the question back on her. She felt more shaken than anything, though Sugar paused and focused on whether she felt any pain. There was a dull ache in her front right elbow joint; she'd probably banged it on something. Considering that there was a sting beneath her chin, she wouldn't be surprised if she'd accidentally clobbered herself while tumbling end over end.

"I think I'm okay, just... shook," Sugar decided. "I'm not a medic yet," she added with a smile. It vanished abruptly when the conversation suddenly reminded her of the variety of plants she'd been collecting. Her black eyes darted back in the direction of the riverside as she momentarily considered running back there to get them. Only she realized they had almost certainly been washed away by the flash flood. Sugar felt a pang of disappointment over the lost items.

"I was collecting plants when it happened," she murmured sadly to Bronco, "so I guess they're gone now." She bit at her lip, then caught his eye and said, "I think I'm going to start over. Want to help?"
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Bronco frowned when Sugar humbly denied the fact that she was basically a medic. Medic, medic-in-training...They had the same word in them, meaning, to Bronco, that yes, she had some training, was learning, and could practice a bit. She diagnosed herself as more or less still fit, and though Bronco didn't doubt that she was alright, he was still concerned. He was rattled, and a bit angry, that something had nearly hurt his cousin, andhe cast a glance back toward the river that would have boiled it, had he been able to see it from where they were. He gazed softly back at Sugar, who had also turned her gaze back in that direction, and he sighed softly. Thank goodness nothing had happened to her. She was the only wolf in the pack that he actually liked. 

He felt bad that she'd lost the plants she'd been collecting, and before she even invited him, he'd already decided that he would have to offer to help her out. "Of course." He said. "Just...Let's stay away from the river?" He asked, not wanting her to go anywhere near it in case it tried to reach out and grab her again. He hadn't forgiven it for its tumultuous wrath yet. "You're gonna hafta show me what plants are good, though," He said, with a small smile. "Cause they all kinda look the same to me," He said, exaggerating slightly. He'd come to associate flowers with Sugar, given the fact that she had chosen to use them to decorate the graves of their fallen family members, and now she was using them as medicine as well.
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He agreed to accompany her and suggested they steer clear of the river. "Aye," Sugar agreed. "I'm not actually sure what's good and what isn't yet. I was just grabbing anything that caught my eye," she added as she slowly began to move. "You can do the same. Just don't pick anything purple."

Sugar shot him a grateful smile, then hastened her step a bit. Yes, her elbow was surely aching and the scratch on her chin stung every now and then. But she knew she would be just fine. And the task at hand would surely distract her from the pain soon enough.

I figure we could fade here, if that's alright with you!
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"Nothing purple? Well that's lame- purple flowers are THE best!" Bronco mockingly antagonized, bumping his snout against Sugar's cheek playfully but gently. The two chattered on a bit as they moved away from the river, leaving behind the ruined banks and potential for more danger as they set off in search of medicinal plants. Bronco would, of course, pause at any opportunity he had to point out every single purple flower they passed along the way, hoping to make Sugar Glider smile a bit more, and distract her from the tumultuous day they'd had so far.