Sun Mote Copse Comanche

The task of patrolling the borders was one that Bronco enjoyed, but he now found it hard to split his time between hunting, scavenging and patrolling. Often, he had to try and merge all three- abandoning his patrol for the sake of tracking down something to hunt, as the food shortage was beginning to hit them more and more each day. He was almost perpetually hungry, and he'd been trying to feed both himself and help hunt for his mother, though thankfully she seemed to be back on her feet and capable of hunting for herself now. His next concern, of course, was Sugar Glider. 

She'd disappeared for a little while, making Bronco spiteful and resentful, but when she'd returned...She was different. He suspected that perhaps she had not left of her own will- or at least, had been delayed by some sort of altercation, something she didn't seem to want to talk about. She was stiff and abrupt, and didn't want to see him. She'd hidden herself off and when he'd tried to visit, he'd been turned away with such coldness that Bronco had left with his tail tucked. He wanted his buddy back- someone to joke with and play with, but Sugar wasn't there. He knew it wasn't his fault- but he did dislike the fact that she wouldn't see him, and he felt like there was no way to reach her. So, like his mother, as he had no other way to deal with it, he went on patrol, throwing himself into his work.

"...if it's bothering you to keep it in, then the only real way to fix it is to talk."

With Fen's advice echoing in her ears, she made a decision. If there was anyone who she could trust to keep her secret safe, as well as reserve judgment, it was @Avery. Although Sugar hated the idea of putting that kind of burden on her sister, it was quickly becoming too much to bear alone. I'm sorry, she thought even as she tried to track down her litter mate with an abrupt sense of urgency.

When her explorations led her near the pack's boundary line and she found herself crossing paths with Bronco, Sugar immediately froze. Especially among her male peers, he had always been the most pleasant. But Sugar found she didn't even want to go near him. Backing up a sliding step, she pivoted and turned to go, hopefully before he spotted her.

Bronco wasn't perhaps the best guardian, being that he had a one-track mind and would focus mostly on his sense of smell or his sense of sight, but being as distracted as he was, his attention was finally split between the two as he roved along. It seemed like the moment Sugar set eyes upon him, he happened to lift his head to see her, frozen, gawking at him. His ears flattened- but not angrily, more in surprise than anything else, and in a means to make himself look less daunting, as the fear in her jet eyes told him that she still was not ready to see him. 

"Shug," He called softly, but she'd already turned and begun to head away, so he began to follow, not knowing any better. In his opinion, whatever she'd been through, it hadn't been his fault, so she shouldn't be taking this out on him. "Shug, wait up," He called out, hastening his pace a little bit, hoping to get a bit of an edge should she choose to run away from him.

He called her name and Sugar froze, grimacing. She remained on pause as she heard his footfalls approaching behind her, though she couldn't bring herself to turn and face him. When he came close, she drew in a breath and forced herself to point her eyes in his general direction, though she avoided direct eye contact.

"It's not really a good time," she murmured, feeling a current of guilt pass through her. She knew Bronco didn't mean her any harm, though it was hard to control this overwhelming impulse to avoid, avoid, avoid. Sugar's lips pressed together for a beat, then parted to apologize, only what came out instead was, "Have you seen Ave?"

The way she responded to his voice made him feel betrayed and dismayed. She wasn't stopping to wait for him to catch up so they could carry on together- her small frame had clenched, as though the joints had suddenly frozen together, disabling any movement in a sudden, almost painful-looking jerk. It wounded him to see her flinch and obey, like a pup who'd been grbbed by the scruff so they couldn't run away any further. He frowned when she refused to look at him, and then tried to dismiss him- even though she did so politely. And rather than wanting to hang out with him, she was looking for the mousy Avery. 

"You not feelin' so good?" He asked, a bit warily. He knew his mother could get quite defensive if her stomach was upset, or if she was just feeling off, so he felt a bit timid asking about her well-being, knowing from experience that women could sometimes lash out when injured or ill. "I...Dunno where Avery is...But I c'n help you find her. 'F you're not feelin' good, you shouldn't just be wandering around alone," He said, a tinge of criticism edging into his concerned voice.

She opened her mouth to answer his question but then Bronco continued, so she clapped it shut. She wasn't sure what to say anyway. She didn't feel well, though it was more of a spiritual malaise than anything physically amiss. And she didn't want to get into it with him, any more than she wanted him to help her find Avery. Sugar was perfectly capable of finding her sister on her own and did not need a (young) man's help. Why had she even said anything?

"I want to be alone," Sugar replied, voice still low but emphatic. Now she did look at him, her black eyes seeming to bore to the core of him. "I can look after myself, Bron."

"I know you can, take care of yourself," Bronco said, practically whining, because the more she insisted that he leave her alone- without giving him a fitting reason- the more he felt that she was just trying to ditch him, and he didn't appreciate that. "But c'mon, I mean...Avery? What're you lookin' for her for?" He asked somewhat skeptically. Avery was fun and all- but she was meek, quiet...Playful when she wanted to be, but wasn't he enough? Hadn't he and Sugar been tight friends, and weren't they more alike? Even though he didn't like flowers, he'd helped her gather herbs, and even though he didn't have the same imagination she had, he'd still indulged her and her talk of dragons. 

He stepped forward and gestured with another flick of his chin. The depth and meaning behind her gaze was noticed- but lost on the boy who rolled his eyes and ignored her very loud body language in a very unsympathetic way, even though it wasn't the effect he intended to have. "C'mon, Shug, what's goin' on?"

She swallowed compulsively when Bronco pressed her for an explanation. "I want to talk to her," she replied evenly, wishing he'd simply let her go so she wasn't subjected to all of these bad feelings now gathering in her chest and creeping up her throat like a bad case of acid reflux. She wanted to escape him, yet she felt guilty for it, and she hated being put in this position.

"I want to talk to Ave," Sugar repeated when Bronco continued to push, "alone." Sugar drew in and let out a shaky breath. "It's nothing personal, Bron. I just need my sister right now, no one else."

Sugar might not have announced it directly, but Bronco could sense her anxiety, and it made the fur along the nape of his neck stand up. Not necessarily because he was frustrated that she wasn't discussing things with him, but because he hated the fact that she was feeling this way- and wanted to punish whatever was responsible for it...Without realizing the fact that currently, he was only making things worse. If he was conscious of that fact, it only added to his frustration. 

"Don't be such a baby, Shug," He commented flatly. "You been weird ever since you got back. What happened to you?" He asked again, more pointedly this time. There was concern in his voice, and in his expression- but he was pushing too hard. Tact was something best learned over time- and with experiences.

Why wouldn't he just leave her alone? Sugar could feel her fight or flight instincts engaging. Her breath suddenly came faster as her heart skittered against her ribs. She'd only really experienced this sensation for herself once before, a recollection that made her squeeze her eyes shut as if by doing so, she could avoid the memory. Yet it washed over her and Sugar's jaw suddenly clenched so tightly that it gave a little creak of protest.

Usually such a soft-spoken and gentle spirit, Sugar was near her breaking point. She didn't want to fight him, not after... but that left only one option: fleeing. "Leave me alone, Bron!" she practically screeched, frightening a flock of crows out of a nearby tree. Their caws of protest and flapping wings were the soundtrack to her own flight as the tiny Blackthorn hastily darted away into the forest.

Like the crows, Bronco was visibly startled by Sugar's screech, so much so that he didn't even think of chasing after her- until she'd alreadyfled far off and nearly out of his line of sight. He thought of shouting after her, and he thought of tracking her down...But hunting her down like a hound did not seem to be the best way to talk to her anymore. He frowned, muttered somethingfairly rude and anti-feminist to himself, and curled his tail high over his back as he wandered back toward his patrol. She'd apologize to him later- he was sure of it.