Sun Mote Copse “The things that make me different are the things that make me, me.” —Piglet

With Bronco now involved, it all happened rather fast, not that Meerkat minded. @Phox and @Niamh had given the pair their okay and, following that, she had gone around the copse trying to locate every single member of the pack to say "see you later." Because this wasn't a goodbye. She could never leave the Firebirds for long, this place would always be home.

There were still a few left to see when she arrived at the rendezvous site in the middle of the afternoon. She needed something to eat. She rustled up some grub from a nearby cache, then settled down and ate her snack. When she finished, she thought about setting out again to find the rest but decided to summon them to her instead.

"@Bronco and me are leaving in the morning!" she called to anyone who might care. "Come to the rendezvous site if you wanna hang out!" It would be their last chance, at least for a little while.

She moved to a spot of shade and sat, glad Towhee wouldn't have heard that message. After talking to her dad and Neema, Meerkat had sought out her mother again and they'd had a very, very, very long talk. Meerkat knew she was really upsetting her mother and she hated that. But it had ended on a reasonably good note, she thought, after a thousand reassurances she would visit as often as possible. And having Bronco along did seem to make a big difference to the Sovereign. But mostly, Meerkat knew Towhee had recognized defeat.

As she waited to see if anyone might show up, Meerkat gazed around the rendezvous site. She would miss it, though she still didn't feel any real hesitations or reservations. It was going to be an adventure, an experience, and they would be back.

Part of him was very excited to be taking a trip to a new place, and to be going to a new home for a little while, with Meerkat. He was relieved to be finally putting space between himself and his mother, without always having to look over his shoulder, or scent the air to see if she was nearby...It would be so much easier to avoid her when she was nowhere near him. So their conversation had been short, and disappointing. His stoic mother had been more warm toward Meerkat, and firm with him. He felt like a disappointment still- and that she was glad he was going. Like he'd anticipated, she felt at least that he might toughen up, living in a different pack...And that was about all she had to say to him. 

So when they went to the Rendez-vous site to say their last goodbyes to their folks, he wasn't surprised when all he received from his mother, in response, was a howl. I'm out patrolling- have a safe trip, love you! He felt he could've squeezed more emotion from a stone than he could from his mother's farewell howl, but he sighed. It wasn't his job to do that...He'd leave that up to Phox; she was just his stone, now. 

He felt bad, knowing that he was leaving behind young siblings...But they were growing up now, and depended on him a bit less. He wasn't leaving for good, and even if he was...He would've been there for them when they'd needed him the most, at least. Long enough that he'd helped them survive, and that they'd still remember him, which was more than he could say for perhaps others like Avery, Sugar, Nellie or even Fennec who'd left much earlier. Out of all the yearlings, he'd hung around the longest...So he felt like he'd done at least as much as he could. His heart ached, thinking about leaving his younger siblings behind, and he knew the promise of visiting would never be enough...But staying in the Copse with his mother's walking threat hanging over his shoulders was too much. He needed to get out. 

So he lounged near Meerkat, waiting for their goodbye party to arrive.

the goodbye party did arrive, courtesy one very confused arcturus.

he had heard meerkat's callings, and then heard niamh's short howl in response to bronco. his expression darkened -- where were they going?

and --

how was towhee allowing this?

he admittedly had a fondness for the little girl that was not his own, and while he did not know bronco as well as meerkat, he had his reservations about two young children (that's what they were, in his eyes) striking out into the world alone. arcturus had learned the world from a distance looked immense and inviting -- but it could be full of sharp edges and hurt.

"where are you going?" the mountaineer immediately pressed, the second he saw meerkat and bronco lounging in the rendezvous' clearing. certainly, they didn't think they could r-u-n-n-o-f-t without running it by him first, right?

Others are welcome to pop in anytime, of course. :)

When Arcturus appeared on the far side of the clearing, Meerkat poked Bronco with her nose and rose onto all fours, padding forward to meet him. He looked puzzled and there was a bit of a disapproving edge to his question. Meerkat smiled, understanding that every wolf was an individual and their reactions to the news would vary. After all, her own parents' opinions on the matter ranged pretty significantly.

-"Hi, Acturus!"- the youth greeted, glad he could make it. She'd always been fond of the "big black man." -"We're going to Moonspear as ambassadors,"- she explained quickly and cheerily, oblivious to his own history with the pack. (Towhee had actually mentioned some of the interpersonal drama to her during their conversation but, to be fair to Meerkat, the conversation had been very long and involved, so she didn't recall every detail.)

Q howled when she heard her sister, and ran to find her. She herself was not close to the rendezvous at the time, having been pushing boundaries as she liked to do, and therefore arrived none too quickly. Still, only one wolf made it before her... and though she did not know his name, he would soon be her new friend nonetheless. But first, sister!

And brother, too! Bronco! Quetzal bounded toward them with excited little yips, and hollered, YA LEAVING? WHERE YA GOIN THIS TIME????? And then, after a beat, CAN I COME????? Not knowing the permanence of it. Push boundaries though she liked, she loved home and spending time with Towma, Mama, and Papa. Rosie and Alyx too, though they hung out with her next to never... they couldn't be blamed for that, though. Q was an independent woman, and all of that, at the ripe age of not-even-a-year.

Lazily, almost, Bronco rolled over onto his side and again onto his belly so he could push himself up into a seated position to greet Arcturus, who approached them with a puzzled look on his features. Bronco was quiet a moment, and studied the male's concerned gaze, tilting his chin up a bit. For some reason, he got the sense that Arcturus wasn't just surprised- but that he did not approve of this sudden announcement. Meerkat went on to explain, and Bronco nodded along, but decided he ought to clarify a few things. 

"I'll be her guardian while we're there, and will be working on my guardian mastery." He said. He cracked a bit of a wry grin to try and ease the tension. "Don't worry- it's been cleared by our parents," He said, not knowing that Arcturus might have had some feelings about that particular matter. After all- Bronco, like the other youth of the pack, had simply grown up accepting the fact that while Phox wasn't Meerkat's biological father- there was no other who had a claim to that role. 

Any further discussion on the matter would have to take place after Bronco'd taken the time to greet his sister, which meant basically flopping down on the ground and offering himself up for a tussle as she sped toward them. Everyone in the family, save for Prim perhaps, had a habit of yell-speaking, and Quetzal was no exception. She was probably one of the louder ones, in fact, as he'd learned previously that it was just best to do whatevr Alyx wanted before she could get frustrated and leave her pretty pretty princess mode. "We're goin' off to the mountains, to see our friends in a pack called Moonspear," He said, nuzzling the top of Quetzal's head gently. This made his heart hurt; while Meerkat was more or less adult-sized, Quetzal, Primrose and Alyx were still small...They still had growing to do...They still had so much to learn, and here he was, leaving them. But not in incapable hands. "We'll be back, though, I promise," He said.

meerkat was five months old. five! arcturus could not help but gape at her signed and spoken response. he had to remember he had been a homebody his entire life — not everyone was cut from the same cloth.

didn’t mean he liked it or even approved. before he could protest quetzal came bounding over excitedly, her attention focused mostly on the duo. he passed her a surveying glance, acknowledging bronco’s promise to protect meerk with a purse of his lips.

he didn’t like it.

moreover, there was some internal distress there about the fact they were marching to the very place arcturus considered he was lucky to break from. he, childishly, did not want them to be brainwashed or worse, not come back at all.

m-Moonspear? the stutter arcturus hadn’t articulated since he was a child resurfaced. why? can’t you go somewhere .. somewhere else? but truly, where else could they go?

Bronco punctuated her brief statement with a thorougher explanation. She nibbled at her lip when he mentioned clearing it with their parents. That was technically true, though the guilt over Towhee's reaction still weighed heavily on her heart. It wasn't going to stop her, yet Meerkat was an empathetic creature by nature and couldn't help but feel for her mother.

She also felt a pang when Quetzal scrambled onto the scene, just to ask where they were going and could she come too? Bronco beat her to the punch again, though Meerkat wedged herself into the group hug of sorts, grabbed her younger sister's face, squeezed her cheeks and pressed their noses together, rubbing. She followed this up with a smack to Q's lips before releasing her.

-"I told mom we'd visit every week or two,"- Meerkat reassured before her attention shifted back to Arcturus's question. He seemed legitimately taken aback and a questioning look stole over her face. -"Because they're our allies and sister pack,"- she relayed, still oblivious to how this information might affect him personally.

Cameo only.

If Alyx was included in any memo that her big brother and sister were leaving, her player isn't aware. The summons came as a complete surprise. Alyx froze in place and perked her ears. Leaving? What?!

She'd been too little to remember Fennec and Nellie departing. In fact, she hardly remembered them at all. Figment's departure had left a small hole in her heart where he belonged, but it wasn't like they were super close. But Bronco... Bronco was her knight in shining armor. She loved her big bro more than anyone, more than even Mom and Daddy and Towma and Meerkat and Rosie. Possibly more than Quetzal, but they were twins and therefore bonded by the womb, so even though she hated her sister's dirty habits, she was on a different level.

She rushed to the rendezvous with the intention of saying goodbye, but her eyes swam with tears the minute she saw her two siblings standing there. When Quetzal loudly asked if she could go with them, Alyx's heart squeezed painfully and the tears began to fall. She staggered a few steps toward the congregation, but wasn't able to commit. Saying goodbye made it real, and Alyx wasn't prepared to lose any of them.

With a ragged sob, she changed course and stumbled into the trees in the direction Niamh's howl had originated, desperate to escape her sadness by seeking mom's comfort.

Wraen - being slow as she was in her current state - was late for the meeting, but just in time to hear the last part of the conversation and the combination of words "Moonspear" and "ally/sister pack" in the same sentence. It made her stop in stunned silence and she instinctively looked for Towhee to hear her explain this. Not too long ago they had spoken about the old conflicts between her and Hydra and, how Arcturus had severed his ties with his family in the worst possible way. And - yes - she had wished for peace and calm resolve, yes - she preferred diplomacy over a prolonged cold war.

But this? How did trading children away to that place make any sense? Her expression still perplexed, she came to stand next to Arcturus. "Since when is Moonspear an ally and the best friend of Firebirds?" she asked, looking directly at Meerkat, then stealing a glance at Bronco.

omg sorry!

Q was all too thrilled with the idea of going with them, but her hopes and dreams were cut short right quick by her big brother. They'd be back, which of course they would... she didn't really grasp the meaning of this. So why Alyx was so sad, as sad as Rosie could be, was beyond her. Q was prepared to go and follow her then and there when Wraen entered the scene, asking something to sister #2. 

With a cheerful wave of her tail, Q huffed and said, today!!! Meerkat says, before moving into a playbow. Q wasn't aware of how serious her injuries were, and moved to nip playfully at a paw before darting toward Arcturus to do the same with a happy little tail wave. Why did they seem so down in the dumps? Maybe playing would help them like it helped her.

Arcturus's reaction gave Bronco pause, and he looked to Meerkat to gauge her reaction. Arcturus had come from Moonspear- but the mention of it made him stutter, now. He didn't notice the dark blur of Alyx as she balked in her approach, only to turn and run off into the shade a moment later. His gaze was steered toward Wraen who also voiced a question which made his heart sink. She didn't approve of their decision, either- and he hated disappointing Wraen. His heart sank a bit- he'd miss her, while he was away at Moonspear, and he felt guilty going somewhere she obviously did not approve of. But time would make things better, wouldn't it?

"We'll definitely visit, once a month," He said, repeating Meerkat's vow. "But it'll be OK. I'm gonna take care of Meerkat, an' Hydra's a good family friend. Things're going to be OK," He said, with gentle but firm finality. Their decision had been made- and while it hurt him to know he would not necessarily have Wraen's blessing...Things seemed right; it was time for him and Meerkat to leave the nest, and learn to grow up in another environment. Saying goodbye made his heart ache, knowing that he wouldn't get to play Princess with Alyx, or make mud castles with Quetzal, or talk to Primrose about the girls he fancied as often as he wanted to- but he would be back to visit as often as possible. He promised them that, and would make sure that he made good on those promises. 

Once they'd said their farewells, he and Meerkat made their way toward the border and away from the hubub at the Rendez-vous site. He paused for a moment at the edge of their wooded territory, before he gave a playful side-eye to Meerkat. "Let's go," He said, with an excited chuff- and bounded off toward the peak rising into the clouds in the distance.