Sun Mote Copse blood in the water

Eljay had been thinking a lot about what had happened with Niamh, Rasalas and Fennec. It was unfortunate the poor boy had been in the middle of it all. Eljay was grateful that he had been healing up, though. He'd been teaching @Fennec about taking care of wounds and checked up @Rasalas regularly, though his check-ups were getting less regular now that the boy seemed to be healing rather well. The one he hadn't spoken to one on one since then was @Niamh and that was mostly because he didn't know how to go about it. At first he had thought to confront her, but then his resolve weakened and in the end he had simply let it go.

Or so he thought. But the thoughts lingered and he felt that he wanted to talk to Niamh about what had happened, at least. Maybe to try and fix whatever was broken between Niamh and Fennec, maybe because he felt kind of overlooked as a medic that his commands had been ignored in that moment. Maybe because he just wanted her to know that in order to do his job, he needed to be listened to. This was a scary thing, though, as Eljay hadn't very often confronted, well, anyone with anything -- though raising a pair of children had definitely made him a lot better at that.

He set out around the Copse searching for Niamh that day while he tried to figure out what he would say to her.

Although Towhee certainly didn't mind hosting the wayward Rasalas—the situation reminded her of Dorea and Sundance—she knew they should also attempt to reunite him with his family. Surely there was a mother, a father, brothers and sisters out there, wondering and worrying like they had fretted over Alyx. That made her think of Eljay too, never knowing where Elfie had gone. If they could do something to prevent that kind of distress and pain, that's what Towhee wanted to do. Surely he wanted to go home too.

Unless, she thought, frowning pensively as she plodded along the borders, there's a good reason he isn't with them? She couldn't help but think of his wounds. She really ought to ask Niamh everything she knew about the kid, discuss next steps with her. So the Sovereign mentally ticked off her patrol as finished and began scouring the copse for any sign of Mrs Regent.

Instead, she found herself crossing paths with Eljay. She was neither aware of Fennec's interest in healing, nor the recent altercation between her and Niamh. So when she queried, -"Hey, Eljay, have you seen Niamh?"- she had no idea he might be looking for her too.

Instead of finding Niamh, it was Towhee that the first happened upon. It'd been some time since they had a heart to heart -- as a matter of fact, it felt like the last heart to heart they had had was perhaps also one of the only ones they had. It was when Meerkat was little, but before his parents had died. Eljay wished he could feel more relaxed around his leader, but he couldn't help but think back to altercations such as when she'd tried to force him to learn how to fight. They were simply very different, and only when he'd helped with Meerkat did Eljay feel truly appreciated in some way. It didn't really help that she held a place that was once Wiffle's.

He didn't let show much of that as Towhee approached and offered a small smile. His disappointment showed a little as she asked if he'd seen Niamh. No. I'm looking for her too, actually. He paused, looking like he wanted to say something. He was unsure how much she knew about the altercation. Is it about the boy..? He, too, had thought of whose son he might be.

Her ears fell back a little as she read the clear "no" on his lips. They pricked again when he mentioned looking for her too, bringing up the boy, Rasalas. Although a little surprised, she found nothing strange about the inquiry. Surely he had tended to the pup's wounds at some point since his arrival, probably not long after Niamh had brought him back to the copse. She did wonder why Eljay was looking for Niamh rather than Rasalas himself.

-"Yes, I think we should probably try to locate his family,"- she replied readily, pausing for a beat before asking, -"I'm assuming you've seen to him? Do you know how he got the wounds? Do we know anything at all about why he was on his own or where he came from?"- Towhee could've asked the wayward whelp himself when she'd seen him just the other day, though she hadn't wanted to disrupt the boys' story time with possibly traumatic questions.

Based off his own leading question, Towhee didn't bother asking him why he was seeking Niamh. She simply figured he was after her about these very same questions. If not, the reason would surely come up somewhere along the way anyway.

keeping vague for now, i'm not sure what info eljay might get in the thread with rasalas ^^;

Eljay nodded when Towhee said that she thought they should try to locate the boy's family. He had indeed been checking up regularly with Rasalas, though the boy had not been very talkative just yet about that subject. Eljay hadn't pushed enough either, perhaps. He said, I'm not sure. I've been meaning to ask him about it, but so far I've just checked up on his wounds. He paused briefly while he considered, then offered, Niamh might have more luck with that specifically, since he trusts her a whole lot more than any of us. Heck, if Niamh hadn't told him that Eljay was to be trusted he might never have eaten the herbs that the medic had offered.

Which lead them back to the issue of not being able to find Niamh. She seemed very.. protective of him. Which on the one hand made sense, but on the other hand, would she be so easily able to part with him..? Eljay didn't want to insinuate anything, but he kinda did anyway.

Eljay hadn't asked Rasalas for details either, though he pointed out that Niamh might know or at least be the most likely to succeed at sussing some information from the boy. There was a pause before he tacked on another comment. Towhee didn't hear his tone, though she noticed the slight hesitation. Her brows knitted together as she turned over the words in her mind, wondering what the medic meant by that.

It prompted her to open her mouth and ask, after all, -"Why are you looking for Niamh?"- Towhee's gaze rested sharply on his face, though there was nothing accusatory or particularly interrogative about her expression. She was mostly just extremely curious now, wondering what had transpired to evoke such a statement from the likes of Eljay.

It was unfortunate that they both were looking for Niamh, though Eljay supposed that when they found her, they could first discuss reuniting the boy with his parents and then, once that was sorted, Eljay could take Niamh apart for a heart-to-heart about Fennec. He was thinking about this when Towhee asked him, sort of abruptly to him, why he was looking for Niamh.

Eljay blinked for a few seconds as he processed the question, and then he said: Oh, well -- I just wanted to talk about what happened with her and Fennec, when — He looked at Towhee's face as he tried to figure out if he was telling her news (it hadn't occurred to him before at all that she might not know, until mid-way through that sentence) which prompted him to add: .. I assume you're aware?

He met her question with a few slow blinks, as if he hadn't anticipated it. Towhee's jaw clenched at his unexpected answer. She felt a sweep of annoyance that Eljay knew something about her best friend and daughter that she didn't, something she did not exactly like to admit to him. That sentiment was quickly eclipsed by concern and curiosity in equal measure. Her orange eyes squinted as she reluctantly shook her head.

-"No, I'm not aware,"- she said. -"Tell me what happened."- It was a command, not a request, but the sharpness fell away from her features as she looked to Eljay in acute anticipation. Surely it wasn't anything major, otherwise she would know about it. All the same, she didn't just want to know, she needed to know.

Honestly, Eljay was as surprised as Towhee was that she was uninformed. He knew that she and Niamh were close, so he expected her to share. Fennec was too annoyed and maybe even embarrassed, he imagined; and she very clearly wanted to fight her own battles rather than run to Towhee. But Niamh... Well. The surprise was written on his face.

Oh. He blinked, then went on to explain, as he intended in the first place: I asked Fennec to help me by cleaning the boy's wounds. I... Didn't expect trouble, so I went off to see if I could find herbs for the pain. When I returned, Fennec was gone. Niamh had told her to leave and shoved her off, apparently.

He paused a beat or two before he added: I wanted to talk to Niamh to ask her.. to tell her that, when I'm working as a medic, she... She should respect my decisions. He didn't want to be undermined -- what was the use of being a medic if he wasn't taken seriously? And even if she still did, even if it was just Fennec, then others might still see it otherwise. And allow my assistants to do what I asked them to, even if it's difficult because she's understandably feeling protective of the wounded wolf. There was a nervous quiver in his voice as he spoke and watched Towhee's face, unsure what she might think of that. Niamh was a leader after all, and he was not. But he was their medic, and he was slowly beginning to feel more confident in that role.

Eljay seemed a little taken aback, which caused her skin to flush, though he quickly filled her in on what had happened. Towhee blinked several times throughout his story, though she did not interrupt. She didn't speak right away when he finished, taking a moment to process what she'd been told. She might not think highly of Eljay much of the time, though she absolutely trusted his medical skills. Towhee also knew he would never tell anything but the truth.

She loved Fen and Niamh both, so hearing about the altercation put a bit of a knot in her stomach. She was a little ashamed to admit she was immediately tempted to side with her young, blind daughter, especially given Eljay's perspective on the matter. But she told herself to reserve judgment. She would speak to both of them about it, hear what they had to say for themselves. Even then, they were both adults and she was no mediator. Towhee didn't want to insert herself in the middle of it more than was necessary as the pack's matriarch.

Her jaw clenched as she wondered, though: had Niamh really shoved Fen? Or was that a figure of speech? It sounded like Eljay hadn't witnessed it for himself either way. Towhee drew in a breath and let it out on a noisy exhale. It had to be more of a misunderstanding than anything, really. She knew both women could be a little moody at times (just like Towhee herself), though they had good hearts, so it was surely more of a miscommunication than any kind of actual malice.

Realizing she still hadn't said a word, Towhee loosened her jaw to say, -"I totally agree with you."- Despite the circumstances, she found herself smiling suddenly, giving a little snort. -"Bet you never thought you'd hear me say that, huh? But I know you're a solid medic, a master, and nobody should be questioning your judgment,"- she confirmed on a more serious note.

-"Thanks for telling me,"- Towhee added after a few beats, her expression pensive. -"You should go find Niamh and talk to her first. I don't want to tag team her. I'll try to find Fen and have a chat with her. Anything else I need to know before I go?"-

It took some time for Towhee to respond. Eljay felt tense as she seemed to think over his words and processed them, as she clenched her jaw and showed little of her opinion in the meantime. He frowned as he waited, and was relieved when she finally spoke. He realised only in that moment that he was a little surprised that she chose his side in this so easily. Some part of him had expected her to take Niamh's side in it all. She was his leader, after all, so even though he had proven himself a medic some might think that gave her the right to question whatever he said on whatever area -- that's surely how it would've been in Drageda if he had said this to the Heda.

But it was another reminder that even though Towhee was stricter than Wildfire'd ever been, she wasn't like the Heda, and he had more freedom here and felt more like he was a part of the pack rather than just an annoying subordinate. It reaffirmed him in his belief that he should tell Niamh not to question his medical authority to hear Towhee actually agree with him.

Kinda, yeah, he admitted a little wryly (he didn't like having to admit that he expected negative words from Towhee, but that's just what their experience together had been like; how different they were had always made them clash) when she said he must've not expected to hear her say it. But she was right, and he couldn't help but smile a little -- pride, maybe? the feeling was strange and new to him -- as she said that he was a master and in his right to question her, even despite her leadership.

Towhee thanked him for telling, and he nodded. Of course he wouldn't just leave her out of this. Honestly, he'd expected Niamh to have shared it, and he couldn't help but wonder if the reason why she hadn't yet was that she was ashamed of how she had behaved somewhat, too? He could not help but hope that was the case. It'd make a confrontation a lot easier. As for her question, Eljay shook his head. No, I can't think of anything else, he said (and only later would he think about Maia and consider if he should have talked to Towhee about it, and then dismiss it because the thought of talking about feelings with Towhee was just so strange). I'll continue my search for Niamh then. Good luck with Fenn. He hoped Fennec would let Towhee in, at least, of all wolves -- but he had good hopes in that area.

He had nothing else to add. Towhee might've taken this opportunity to nod her head and make a quick exit, especially with another task at hand. But she paused for a moment, sorting through all the dramatic details to pinpoint the fact of the matter: Eljay had asked Fennec for help. She wondered if her daughter had any interest in medicine or if she had just been in the right place at the right time (which had turned out to be the wrong place at the wrong time). She could've asked him right then and there but decided she would ask Fennec instead.

-"Thanks, Eljay, and don't stand for anyone doubting or questioning your medical expertise. I know what it takes to earn a mastery,"- Towhee eventually said, turning to go at last. -"See you later."-

Towhee lingered for a moment, and Eljay dreaded that she might ask why he had asked Fennec specifically for help. He was afraid of that because he wouldn't know what to say. She had said he couldn't tell anyone, and he wanted to respect that, even though this had happened -- which showed that maybe it was better if people did know so they could respect her more for it -- but he wasn't too sure what he would say if Towhee had asked him. Maybe just that she should ask Fennec herself. Was up to her whether or not she'd want to share.

Surprisingly, she not only didn't ask but she instead said that he shouldn't stand for anyone questioning his expertise. This left Eljay surprised, but feeling grateful that she tacked onto the small moment of pride that he had already created for himself moments before. See you later, Towhee, Eljay said. He didn't say any more about what Towhee had said, but it was clear as day on his face that he was proud and happy that she'd complimented her even when she had other wolves she wanted to go see. Times'd definitely been different between them in the past, and it made him feel light; like maybe he could finally let go of the dark clouds that had followed him following his parents' deaths.

He stayed in place for a moment before continuing his search with renewed confidence that he could handle this conversation with Niamh.