Sun Mote Copse lack of zoom

There were a few wolves Phox had been meaning to track down, but considering @Eljay had been on his list the longest, he headed toward the resting place of his late guardians: Elwood and Finley. On more than one occasion, he'd found himself thinking about them, only to remember that they were really, truly gone. It was still hard to believe, considering they'd been such a constant in his life. It had always felt like they would live forever. Phox hadn't been as close to them as Towhee had, especially in their later years.

He didn't see Eljay right off the bat, so he did what Towhee had suggested: he sent out a call for @Weejay. He was pretty sure that they'd never had a real conversation, so calling for her felt a little odd, but it seemed like the right thing to do. If he wanted to be the good guy he thought himself to be, anyway.

It was not often Weejay heard her name called by anyone but her father: she paused from rumination in her garden and considered the voice behind it. At first, she did not place it as Phox's -- but willing to be obedient all the same, Weejay placed the last of her little daisies in the row, and headed off to investigate.

Seeing Phox not so far from her confirmed he was the caller; her ears dropped submissively as she tried to read from his face -- was he here for more bad news..? Her heart leapt in her chest as she thought of her father, who was nowhere to be seen.

Weejay seemed... sunken? Was that the right word? Maybe nervous. Maybe Phox should have gone about this another way. Well, too late now! Hey Weejay, he greeted, doing his best to make his voice light and welcoming. I was hoping to track down Eljay, and Towhee said you'd be my best bet. Do you know where he's been hanging around lately? Phox asked.

He did wonder if starting the conversation out with talk of her father would be taken as an insult or a relief, but that was something he wouldn't know until he could see her reaction. He realized he didn't know much of anything about Weejay. Well, that kinda made sense, considering he'd made zero effort to talk to her, but... all the same, he wasn't feeling like a particularly good pack mate, let alone uncle.

Weejay's trepidation seemed to smooth over as Phox spoke, his tone lightbeat and almost airy. She managed a small smile, but that worried feeling hadn't entirely gone away.

"He's been hanging around the den a lot." Weejay offered, biting her lower lip as she recalled why. Her grandparent's deaths were fresh on her mind, and probably fresher still on her father, who had lost both his parents in one cruel twist of fate. She wished things could be easy for her daddy -- he had only ever been good, and only ever had bad things befall him. "Is Daddy in trouble?"

Phox nodded, now wondering why he hadn't thought of that in the first place. Maybe he hadn't wanted to intrude. Maybe he'd been putting this off for so long he felt bad about approaching Eljay head-on. When Weejay asked if he was in trouble, Phox gave her a quizzical look. What? No, nothing like that. I was going to see if he wanted to go see our sister Raven sometime. I think... I think she might be able to make him feel better. Sure, Phox could relay the information, but he was no expert on the subject, and Raven had always been better at those things.

Towhee and I were planning on visiting her anyway, at the Frosthawks, once the kids are a little bit older and can stay here on their own. You could come too, if you wanted. Phox just had the sudden realization that Weejay didn't belong in the "kids" category anymore. She probably hadn't for awhile. Did time always move this quickly?

Weejay didn't think her daddy would like leaving much, but she was relieved in the same breath that he wasn't in trouble. Her impression of her father was that he wasn't the type to stray far from home, for any reason.

Not even for Auntie Raven -- who Weejay only scarcely remembered. Leaving didn't really sit right with Weejay either; maybe she was more her father's daughter than she thought. "Is it far? How long would he stay..?" Weejay realized she didn't want to be left alone -- if Eljay went, Weejay was coming too.

She seemed hesitant to agree right away, and there was something charming about the way she was so concerned. Only a day or so there and a day or so back. I'd imagine we'd only stay to rest and eat before we'd come back home again. Just a quick trip to exchange news and information, then they'd come straight back. Phox didn't want to be away from the Firebirds any longer than he absolutely had to, but there was something to be said for keeping in touch with the Frosthawks. They might even get to meet Raven's new kids, if she had any.

You don't have to decide right now, of course. And even if Eljay doesn't want to go, I'd still like to talk to him. I... might have some ways of making him feel a little better, too. Phox had lost his own mate, although they hadn't been nearly as close as he presumed Eljay and Wildfire had been.

It didn't sound like they'd be gone for too long, but Weejay still had her doubts about whether her father would partake. He was an adult, he'd make his own decisions -- and Weejay would support him either way.

She stepped back as if inviting Phox to seek out her father. "Oh, alright. Well, I saw him back at the den earlier - so if he wants to go, I'll come too! Besides.. someone has to see if there are any exciting flowers out that way." Her eyes sparkled with good humor, and a grin turned up the corners of her mouth.

Weejay seemed to want to go wherever her dad went, which made Phox feel a little sad about Fennec. In some regards, he wished that she was like Weejay, only wanting to stick around with her pops. The Redhawk did his best to shake the feeling, and when his niece (sister?) mentioned flowers, it seemed like a good segue for the conversation.

Flowers, eh? This is the right time of year for 'em. Is there anything I should keep an eye out for around here? Or anything that's abundant that we could use for the good of the pack? he asked. He recalled bits and pieces from what little Raven had taught him back in the day, but much of that knowledge had been lost to time.

Weejay liked to think she was a dutiful daughter -- but Phox, beware -- daughters like Weej came with a side-nose of subtle neurosis.

Much like Eljay, Weejay didn't like it when her comfort zone was breached, but as long as he (and her family) were besides her, the trip to Frosthawks sounded like a fantastic venture.

She thought a moment about which plants would be most useful; she could tell someone all day about the varieties in the Teekon, but as for what purpose they served..? Her knowledge was much more limited. "Any kind of moss is good; they're hardy and can be uprooted and stored easily. Other flowers are a bit harder to uproot, and usually die in the process of being transplanted.. Plus.. you never know which flower is poisonous, so it might be best to stick with moss." Despite the seriousness, a cheeky grin hung on Weejay's features.

Moss. Well, that was easy enough to spot, and it didn't come with the poisonous side effects that some flowers did. Phox didn't trust his knowledge enough to identify the good from the bad flowers. He gave Weejay a nod. Where should I take it? To you, or do you have a stash somewhere? He considered apologizing for all the questions, but he reminded himself that he wouldn't mind the questions if somebody was trying to learn a little more about what he did for the pack. Besides, it would give Weejay a chance to use her knowledge and teach a little. Didn't everybody enjoy doing that?

Once Weejay learned Phox was a willing mule (pardon the term, he's pretty, I promise) for her obsession with flowers, it was like a whole new Weejay had resurfaced. She was bright, animated -- fearless even. A far cry from the girl that moments ago, had thought she was in trouble.

"If you find moss, bring it to my garden! I keep a lot of herbs and stuff there, but I have mostly flowers. Do you know where Eljay's den is? It's right outside of that." She beamed, her teeth brilliant white against the somberness of her gaze. "Do you know where to find moss? They're usually in spots with low sunlight, like river banks or really dense forest. Really, any moss helps -- plus, I'll be able to study it if it's different then the moss we have here."

Phox could have sworn Weejay peed herself with excitement at his offer, but he wasn't going to judge. It was nice to have somebody excited about something other than hunting and guarding. Even his pastime of staring at the sky was "weird" to some folks, but he always appreciated it when somebody took even a mild interest in it, so he could understand Weejay's delight.

He bobbed his head along when she asked about Eljay's den, and he soaked up the information about the moss like... well, like moss! All good to know, he said. I'll try to remember to gather some by next time I'm by the river. Maybe he could even bring the kids along once they were a little older. That would totally be useful, right?

Weejay smiled to herself, pleased to rope in another willing participant to her plant collection. If she was lucky, he'd return with hoards of it -- but if he didnt, she wouldn't fault him either. It was tough carrying moss in your mouth for long distances.

"Thank you," She added hastily, not wanting him to think she was impolite. "Is there something you want me to do in exchange?" She wouldn't mind pulling her weight some other way, or doing odds and ends to make it worth his while.

Oh, um... Phox trailed off, trying to recall if there was anything he might need an extra pair of eyes on. At one time, he was on the lookout for any young animals who might serve as a good companion for Fennec, but... well, you know. If I think of something, you'll be the first one I ask. It felt good to work together and have each other's backs, even in this small way. Things like this made a pack feel like home.

And I'll let ya know when we decide to do that little day-trip. He did hope that she gained something from it, even if it was bringing back a single new flower to add to her collection. See ya around! Phox wanted to make the most of his time while the kids were being taken care of, and hunting was another thing he wanted to do before he headed back to the fam-bam.

Not offput in the slightest Phox didn't have a job for her, Weejay beamed. She didn't might pulling her weight where it was necessary, but she also didn't mind resting when work was unnecessary. She was sure he'd come find her anyway, if he ever needed something.

Okay! Well, you know where I live! Weej waved cheerily with her tail as Phox turned to leave, setting her own sights on tending to the garden until sunset.