Sun Mote Copse And so I quit the p'lice department

The morning came with mist, but the dawn's reddish hue indicated that the cool might be ephemeral in nature, and as soon as the sun lifted the mist, it began to radiate warmth, drying little droplets off grassblades and promising another hot, smarmy day. By mid morning, the temperature had already reached what Bronco perceived as being about the maximum temperature he could tolerate without feeling as though he weighed an extra sixty pounds, so he grumbled to himself and set about tracking down a couple jackrabbits he'd scented, hoping to make a catch before the afternoon heat set in and turned his stomach. 

They must have come out for the cool grass as well, in the early hours of dawn, and he could scent a couple of them, and knew he was getting close when he began to spot stalks of grass gnawed down to nubbins in the ground. He licked his lips, wetting his nose so that he could better stalk his prey- but ended up catching someone else's scent in the area instead. Ever the opportunistic hunter, he diverted from his path, stalking the rabbits, and followed his nose until he spotted @Meerkat's tawny coat in the distance. She had some purpose to her step as she moved, but he figured she'd still be easy to coerce into a quick hunt. He tried to flag her down with a high, waving tail and a few bounds to catch her attention- not wanting to raise his voice while the jackrabbits were still in the area.

Her mother's rapid and absolute rejection stung a little but Meerkat was nothing if not a trooper. She would respect Towhee's wishes, of course, and simply ask again when she was older, supposing she still wanted to go by then. Ever since their most recent jaunt to Moonspear, the idea had been taking root in her head and heart, so the youth figured it wasn't going anywhere. Only time would tell though.

Just now, she wanted to find someone to take exploring, maybe to the south this time. When Bronco appeared and bounded toward her, she pivoted to face him, a grin on her face as her tail waved. -"A wild Bronco-saurus appears!"- Meerkat joked, unaware that he was in the midst of a hunt. -"Hey, you wanna go scouting with me?"- she tacked on brightly.

As soon as she spoke, Bronco hunched, flattening his ears and straightening out his tail- to indicate that she should hopefully lower her voice. He skittered toward her as quietly as he could so that he could communicate with her, hoping she would switch to using only the motions for Ptero, without speaking out loud. Both she and Towhee, when they spoke, tended to use ONLY outdoor voices. And technically, they were outdoors, all the time, but...There was a time and place for outdoor voices- and sometimes...Ironically...That wasn't outdoors. Not that Bronco even knew what a door was, anyway. 

Naturally, he couldn't help but imitate the Broncosaurus face at least for a moment, hunching his shoulders and ambling the last few steps toward her with his eyes crossed and fangs gnashing. He chuckled silently. -This for that- He said, with a nod, becoming simply Bronco again. -Jackrabbits, just this way. You help me hunt, I help you scout; deal-zo?- He asked, licking his lips and pricking his ears, hoping the puppy-dog eyes he gave her might convince her to take him up on that offer.

She quickly cottoned onto his desire for silence, which he explained. Meerkat shot him an apologetic glance and then made the motion as if zipping her mouth shut before flipping her paw to give him the wolfish version of a thumbs up. Hunting wasn't her forte, yet of course she'd be happy to help him, especially if it meant he'd scout with her. Plus, food!

Meerkat said nothing as she made to follow him, though it eventually did occur to her that they could keep talking without using their voices. It wasn't something she actually did very often, so it tickled her as she silently signed, -Have I told you yet that I want to be an ambassador? And, actually...- She hesitated as she recalled Towhee's words a few moments ago. How would Bronco react if she told him her idea?

Bronco gave his kid sister a wink to reassure her, and spun on his heel to lead her back toward where he'd left the jackrabbit trails. With the two of them it wouldn't matter if Meerkat was much use or not. She'd simply be another set of sharp teeth to add to the mix, and disorient the rabbits which tended to zig-zag this way and that without much reason. So if one happened to get spooked by Meerkat and run in his direction, all the better for him. 

He saw her motions, and made a quick nod, and lifted one of his feet to reply when he heard a twig snap, and he came to an abrupt halt- angling his limb out sideways to motion for Meerkat to pause as well. Ambassador? He'd have to ask her about that afterwards. But right now, he'd transitioned back into hunter mode, and he could smell that the rabbits were close. So he relaxed and stepped back a couple steps. While he was hungry, and often had a one-track mind, he cared very much about his sister, and didn't want her to think that he thought hunting was more important, so he gave her a smile. 

-I wanna hear all about it. Over brunch- He said, with a genuine smile, and gestured. Beyond the thicket, as far as he could tell, he could both hear and smell a few jackrabbits which hadn't been startled yet, but the longer they lingered there, the less chance they'd have. -Don't forget to zig-zag. Ready? GO-

He said, with one last, abrupt movement, and flung himself through the thicket, sending the five jackrabbits fleeing in all directions- each of them running in an erratic, zig-zagging pattern that was enough to drive them all into a frenzy.

Before he could react, a twig snapped, ensnaring both wolves' attention. Soon he was indicating that she should tell him all about it over some brunch, a comment which earned a predatory smile from Meerkat. She felt her whole body tense with excitement as she awaited his signal, only realizing she wasn't really sure what to do when the time came.

She froze for a moment, then burst into motion. Bronco had given her one specific directive: zigzag. With a raucous bark, she did just that, zooming hither and thither through the underbrush. She wasn't even paying attention to their quarry at all, only remembering they were supposed to be hunting when she quite literally collided with a frantic jackrabbit. Meerkat's paw struck it so squarely that she effectively punted the prey, sending it flipping ass over teakettle across the forest floor.

Despite having given Meerkat good advice, he failed to follow it himself, and dove directly toward the nearest jackrabbit which- of course- veered off in another direction. Had he been more prepared to dodge and weave, he might've had a chance at moving with it and catching it, but he'd left all that up to his wildcard- Meerkat- who sent the rabbits flurrying this way and that with her movements which were impossible to anticipate. He lunged toward another and snapped at it, but it too bounded off in another direction- and straight toward Meerkat who gave it a worthy smack. 

"Gettim!" He called out encouragingly, as he bolted after another rabbit before chasing it straight into a bush- where it would slip away, leaving behind its pursuer who got himself thoroughly stuck in its tightly knit branches.

She came to a halt and stared after the rolling hare, so caught by surprise that she wasn't sure how to react. But then Bronco's holler spurred her into action. Heart pounding in her chest, Meerkat leaped toward the jackrabbit even as it smacked into the base of a tree and fell limply to the ground. The poor thing's spine broke in the process, though Meerkat hardly noticed as she pounced and instinctively went for the jackrabbit's throat.

A beat later, she released the carcass and blinked down at it in total shock. Her head whipped up and around to find Bronco. -"I did it!"- she crowed on a disbelieving laugh. -"I killed it, Bronco!"- And it was her first kill, to boot. Meerkat grinned breathlessly as she looked down at the unfortunate critter again. She was a bleeding heart when it came to her kind, though she was also a meat-eater, so any empathy she felt toward her prey was fleeting.

He heard her victorious claim before he could see it, as it took him several moments to gracelessly back himself out of the bush he'd gotten snagged in, and ended up ripping several small branches free in the process. He flounced back when he was finally released, and shook his pelt free of leave and branches (most of them, anyway) and looked over to see Meerkat proudly standing over her kill. He offered her a rumbling growl, and approached with his tail low, swinging from side to side to show deference and comraderie as he nipped her cheek. 

-Great job, Meerk!- He said, his expression full of pride but within his eyes a small sparkle- a tinge of bittersweet pain knowing that this meant she was growing up, and wouldn't depend on him quite as much, now that she'd proven that she could hunt and kill. Still- it was an occasion to celebrate. -Geez, you're- He said, reaching out to test her height compared to his, by levelling his muzzle out. She wasn't as tall as him, of course, and still had weight to put on- but she wasn't terribly puppyish anymore, either. -You're almost as tall as I am too,- He said, though it was an exaggeration.

She beamed as he praised her, her own tail wagging emphatically as she stood over the slain rabbit. Her head cocked at Bronco's random comment and she panted a laugh. She didn't think she'd ever be as big as him, though it was true that she'd really sprouted over the past month or so. It hadn't escaped Meerkat's notice that she stood as tall as some of the smaller adults in the pack now.

-"I'm almost a grownup!"- she rejoined cheekily, well aware that she was still a ways from that particular milestone. But she was certainly growing up and fast. She was already well on her way to specializing in two trades. She felt accomplished and proud, more so now that she had a real kill under her belt.

But then Towhee's unique cadence whispered in her head. "No. Absolutely not. You're nowhere near old enough. No." Her smile didn't die, though it did dim a little as a thoughtful look stole over her face. Trying to brush off the thought, Meerkat bent to pluck up the carcass, her dark brown eyes seeking out Bronco's face as she motioned for him to find a spot where they could enjoy their repast.

How was it that she'd grown so fast? He'd seen her when she'd been little more than a little beige spud, and had watched her learn language and etiquette, and grow into the Meerkat she was now. It was almost impossible to believe how quickly it was that she'd gone from something so small and helpless to becoming a youth on the cusp of adolescence. His kid sister wasn't such a kid anymore...But it didn't bother him too much. They both seemed to realize something similar about the same time, so he cimply smiled and followed her to where they could sit in the shade, and she could enjoy the meal she'd caught..While being reminded at the same time (with puppy-dog eyes) that sharing was caring. 

-So. Tell me about this ambassador trade you wanna get,- He said, as he slid down onto his belly, crossing his forelegs neatly in what he hoped was an inviting posture. -I'm assuming you prolly wanna start with some scouting stuff first, eh? And then work toward becoming an ambassador? I think you'd be a natural at it,- He added, before she even got a chance to answer his questions.

She followed where he led, settling down on the grass, which was a little scorched from the July sun. She placed the rabbit's carcass between her forelegs, then lifted one to hold it down as she proceeded to tear it in half. It was messy work, the halves uneven, but she soon nudged the larger share toward her older brother. She might be growing like a weed but he was still much larger, with a bigger appetite.

Bronco invited her to tell him about ambassadorship. His comments earned a smile and she mindlessly draped that same foreleg over her portion as she replied, "I've been doing lots of scouting! I had the idea 'cause mom's taken me to Moonspear a couple of times. We went there a few days ago to tell Aunt Hydra about what happened to Wraen." She frowned thoughtfully as she relayed this part, still concerned about the former Sovereign's terrible turn of fate.

Taking a breath (and a bite), Meerkat continued through a mouthful, "I asked her—mom, I mean—if I could go stay there for a little bit, actually, but she told me 'no.'" She swallowed the meat, then swallowed again against a slight nervousness. Towhee hadn't gotten angry, yet her reaction hadn't been the most pleasant. Meerkat braced herself in case Bronco disliked the idea as automatically.

Gratefully, he accepted the offering he was given, touched by the fact that his sister had chosen to give him the bigger portion. She seemed interested in talking about Scouting, though, so he decided not to argue with her over the fact that he felt she should have the lion's share. He could always catch her something later, though, to make up for it- though five months of regurgitating, pre-chewing, half-killing and bringing her full meals made it a bit easier for him to accept what she offered him now. 

She mentioned Moonspear- a place he hadn't been to, but had heard about from Towhee and Niamh. Towhee seemed more invested in the place, and he was aware as well that this was the pack that Arcturus had come from, so he saw no fault in wanting to visit there a bit more often. Naturally, Wraen had her ties there as well, so he understood the meaning behind Meerkat's last voyage there, and he nodded. The sovereign had been on his mind lately as well- and he made note to go and visit her, and see if there was anything he could do to cheer her up or make her feel better. 

But then Meerkat mentioned going somewhere for a little while, which made him stop eating. -Like. Go for a visit, or like...Really go there to stay?- He asked. Sugar Glider was doing more or less the same thing- living with the Frosthawks, but travelling all over. Initially, though, the idea had been for her to go, and stay for a bit- but then he'd always thought she'd come back. -You can learn how to be an ambassador here, too, though...- He trailed off. In all his life, he'd never set foot inside the borders of another pack's territory, aside from the Frosthawks. Why? Because for the most part, the Copse was far enough from all other packs that he hadn't had much of a neighbour. -I guess the Frosthawks are the only pack that's close by. Moonspear, at least, might have some neighbours.- He said thoughtfully. -Kind of hard to be an ambassador...When your neighbours are so far away.-

He asked her if she meant to stay or only visit. Her lips pursed. Before she could answer, he began musing out loud. Meerkat's heart fluttered a little faster than usual as she hung on every word. It sounded like he didn't necessarily approve either, so she felt a little crestfallen. But he didn't react sourly, like her mother. He seemed more contemplative than anything. And he had lots of questions.

"I'd go there to stay for a while. I would be an ambassador for Firebirds. It would help keep the relationship between the packs strong, I think." That was just an inexperienced and youthful theory though. "I think it would be exciting, like an adventure. I love my home and everybody here but I also want to live with other packs and explore the world."

Now that she was maturing toward adolescence and wiser in the ways of the world, Meerkat sensed this was the cause of her mother's flat refusal. Towhee didn't want her to go. And it wasn't just because of her age. She hadn't wanted Figment or Fennec to go either. But she had come to terms with those departures. And just like her older siblings, Meerkat intended to return. She wouldn't simply disappear, never to be heard from again. That mere thought made her heart sink. She loved her family at the copse way too much to ever be apart for good.

Oh. So she would be expected to act as their representative, which was a fine notion indeed- Meerkat was a keen young wolf, and he'd never known her to be unruly or unpolite, and existed as the definition of what the Firebirds stood for. She would make a remarkable establishment between the packs, should they take her in to live with them as a means of solidifying those bonds...But part of him had to wonder- what came with that deal? If Meerkat went to live with them- the way Arcturus came to live with them...Would that mean, then, that she would essentially be a diplomatic trade? At which point would she stop being an Ambassador...And begin being a Moonspearian?

-And your Mom said No? Did she say why not?- He asked. Though he already guessed that Towhee simply didn't like the idea of her youngest daughter wandering off to join another pack. Towhee'd wanted children so badly...And to have her first-born child wander away before she was even a year old must've put a thorn in her side. But it seemed to be how the Firebird youth tended to roll- and perhaps it was partially to blame on the name chosen for the pack. After all- nobody could expect their youth not to fly the coop if they were a Firebird.

He neither agreed nor disagreed with her. Instead, Bronco asked about her mom's reaction. Meerkat licked her lips and nodded as she said, "Yeah, she was pretty firm too. She said I'm not old enough." And although part of her felt like she was mature enough to essentially board with another pack, Meerkat couldn't exactly refute her mother's logic. And Towhee wasn't just her parent now but her Sovereign. "I figure I'll bring it up again when I'm a little older and more experienced," she said reasonably.

She took another breath, another bite. She chewed slowly and thoughtfully, giving her older brother an opportunity to share any other thoughts on the matter. Although she sort of wished someone would express excitement about the idea, this was at least going a bit better than her conversation with her mom. As she continued eating, she couldn't help but flick through the rest of her family members, wondering what each one of them would think of her ambitions.

Not old enough? He had gone off on a one-on-one excursion with his own mther when he'd been far younger than Meerkat, and Nellie had also disappeared from the pack when she'd been three months old, or somewhere around there...But she'd managed, with the Frosthawks. Of course, had she asked for permission she wouldn't have been allowed to go- but this was different, so he continued to eat quietly, thinking and listening. 

He continued to be quiet for a few moments, thoughtfully continuing to eat as he ruminated, before he came to a simple conclusion. He had his own reasons, of course, for coming to said conclusion- but while he'd been leery of leaving the pack for any amount of time before...Now seemed like the time to get away. While it wasn't the best time, given the fact that their Sovereign was quite ill...He was, nevertheless, spending every ounce of energy he had, actively avoiding his mother. And it had begun to wear him down. 

-I"ll go with you. And stay with you in Moonspear as long as you'd need me to.- He said. She shrugged a shoulder, almost casually. -I want to get my guardian mastery...And I feel like living on a mountain for a while might just do that. Plus...I can escort you wherever you need to go.- He said, before he glanced to Meerkat. -If you want.-

She stopped chewing when Bronco pitched his offer. Her eyes widened a little and her tail thumped the ground as she then began chewing rapidly, choked down the mouthful of meat a little too early anyhow and sprayed crumbs of gristle as she said, "Really?"

There was still the matter of her mother. Could Towhee be swayed by Bronco's promise to escort her? Did Meerkat want to press Towhee, with everything else currently on her plate? Then there was the matter of everybody else in the pack. She flipped through the mental checklist of names again. She would never leave without speaking to everybody on it. Maybe she wouldn't need everybody's blessing (mostly just Phox's and Niamh's) but she at least wanted to inform them all.

"That would be so cool," Meerkat said after gathering her thoughts a moment, "but I wanna talk to my mom, dad and Neema before we do anything. Is that okay?"

Her messy reply received a chuckle from Bronco, who reached out to lick a small piece of half-chewed rabbit off her cheek to tidy her face up. He'd been doing this for her since she was a child- so it just came naturally to him. "'Course" He said, with a shrug. This wasn't much different from what he'd done before, for Sugar Glider- except for the fact that this would mean a bit of a stay away from home, while he made sure that Meerkat was being properly guided and taught while at Moonspear. The very thought of living somewhere else...For the first time...Actually felt like a bit of a relief. 

He went back to eating, and Meerkat- ever the obedient child unlike how he'd been as a youth- voiced her concerns about talking to their parents first, but he nodded. He wasn't sure if Niamh would have any bit of a say in what Meerkat did, and he doubted very much that his mother would be reluctant to see him go. Living on a mountain for a few months? It might toughen him up. He could already tell that his mother wouldn't regret losing him to another pack, though he liked to think she'd realize- after he was gone- just how useful he actually had been when she was left without him constantly minding the children. 

"That's fine," He said. "If you wanted, I could talk to them with you. Makes sense, anyway- I got my own reasons for doing some tradework for Moonspear," He said. With both of them having an argument to leave- and with Bronco being strong and capable enough to act as Meerkat's guardian- how could they say no?

He told her that was fine and Meerkat smiled to herself, pleased with the outcome of this conversation. She wanted to hunt down her dad next, though she wasn't in any hurry. Actually, she was quite curious about these reasons Bronco mentioned. And they were supposed to go scouting a bit after this!

"What reasons?" she wondered, taking another bite. Her tummy was a little flip-flopped from excitement, something she only realized after her mouth was full. Meerkat chewed slowly and swallowed, then pushed the rest of her food toward her brother in case he wanted it.

Bronco didn't want to tell Meerkat about the fight he'd had with his mother- he didn't want to tell anyone. He wondered if perhaps Niamh had told Towhee, but if he'd guessed that, then he would've been wrong. Both wolves had walked away from the altercation and had kept the feud a secret, though it was likely fairly obvious by now that the two, never seen together, had had some sort of falling-out. 

"Just gotta learn to be a better guardian, learn to hunt on different terrains," He said. Those were decent enough reasons, after all. "It's so quiet here, that I haven't really had to put much work into patrolling," He said, and it was true. He'd been more or less a walking sprinkler-system, and not much more than that, given the fact that nobody had trespassed in quite some time.

Those were all sound reasons, not that Meerkat was the most knowledgeable judge. She had never anticipated inviting anyone along on the journey with her but she'd loved the idea immediately. All the better that it might make the difference in going sooner rather than later.

"I'm done," she announced, perhaps unnecessarily, gesturing at the leftovers before pushing slowly onto all fours and stretching a little bit. "You still wanna go scouting? I was thinking of checking out the forest that's south of here. Cedar S—omething?"

Wanna fade dis one? :D

Given how little was left of Meerkat's share of the rabbit, Bronco chuckled, and within a few seconds, was able to chomp down the last few morsels, barely chewing any of it, the way a dog will when it discovers something it ought not eat. She suggested that they go off and do a bit of scouting, and he nodded. "Sure. Cedar Sweep or something like that, though I'm not exactly sure what a sweep is," He confessed, before he went off to scout out the region with his sister at his side.