Sun Mote Copse Game of drones.
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#1
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Her heart thudded in her chest as Towhee drew in a breath and called for @Phox and @Niamh, asking them to meet her at the rendezvous site. While she waited, she paced back and forth, feeling particularly on edge about this conversation. Did she really want to pitch this to them? What if they agreed with her?

She almost feared that possibility, despite herself. It would mean uprooting, and so soon after recovering from the deluge. They'd only just sorted out the copse for winter. But between the unwelcome neighbors and her own selfish desire to be closer to Moonspear—and the ever-increasing amount of family living there—Towhee couldn't resist bringing it up to them, at the very least.

As she paced to and fro, she stopped and let out a sudden laugh. She'd specifically brought them to this side of the Barriers for a reason all those seasons ago, a reason which no longer applied. But that made her think, mood sobering quickly. Towhee didn't have a specific destination in mind—just somewhere nearer to Moonspear without being totally up their asses—but there was always...
-Signing.- | "Speaking." | -"Signing & speaking."- | "Mouthing (inaudible)." | Thoughts.

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It'd taken Niamh a few days to stew over what had happened to Primrose at Kingslend. She'd kept the ordeal to herself as much as possible, and had given a few days just to see if any other news came to them about the Déorwine family and their followers, but nothing that she knew of crossed their paths. Maybe, then, this was an isolated incident...Still, she had a hard time believing that this was something that should be allowed without some sort of discussion afterwards with the wolves of Kingslend handling her son too roughly. 

She decided to seek out Towhee to see what her Person thought about it and had already begun to head for the Rendezvous site, hoping to find her when her Person called out- summoning both Niamh and Phox for another meeting. Her ears pricked. Had Towhee potentially found someone she liked the look of, to use as a baby daddy for her puppies next year? She never could really tell, with Towhee's loud and abrasive howls, whether she was excited, angry, or being serious...So she answered each summon not knowing what to expect. 

She was excited about the idea of having puppies alongside her sister again- but she did want to have the opportunity at least to potentially get her worries off her chest...It hadn't seemed like the time to do so, when she, Phox and Towhee had been discussing pups. That would've been a major conversation downer. But there was a restlessness to Towhee, when she saw her pacing at the Rendez-vous site that gave Niamh the vague notion that things might be different, this time. If something was bothering Towhee...Maybe Niamh might also be able to bring up what was bothering her. She approached, and bumped the top of her head gently against Towhee's shoulder in greeting, the way a cat will greet its human when it wants food.
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Niamh appeared right then and Towhee inhaled sharply, leaning almost mechanically into her greeting. Normally, she would've waited for her brother to join them too before getting into it, though with her mind running this rampant, she could neither sit still nor exercise patience. They would bring Phox up to speed whenever he joined them.

-"I think we should relocate,"- she blurted, catching Niamh's eye. -"There's wolves in Hideaway Strath again. I wouldn't let that get to me, even with those other guys,"- Towhee said, flashing back to Niamh's initial warning about those wolves with boners for elk and one another, -"but with so many of our kids at Moonspear and Firefly Glen, I want to be closer to them too. It would be safer and more convenient."- She exhaled loudly. -"But it's insane to think about moving, isn't it? Especially right now?"-

She knew the answer to that, though Towhee couldn't help it as more words sprung from lips and limbs. -"There's no time to scout out a suitable territory, not with winter right around the corner. But we know of a viable place. Just..."- But it was cursed, in Towhee's mind.
-Signing.- | "Speaking." | -"Signing & speaking."- | "Mouthing (inaudible)." | Thoughts.

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-"Relocate?"- Niamh mimicked, surprised that Towhee had come to that conclusion. She sat down to face her friend, and grimaced as she explained that there were wolves moving into the Strath. Wasn't that place supposed to be impossible to access now, after the landslide? Apparently not, given the fact that two wolves had now passed through the area without getting themselves stuck in the pit of despair. Towhee briefly made a reference to the Kingslend wolves and Niamh opened her mouth to continue on that thought- but shut it again, given the fact that Towhee wasn't finished. 

She could understand wanting to be closer to the kids- and with the wolves of Moonspear expanding their territory outward but away from them, it did mean that Meerkat and Bronco- both a part of the expansion- would be a bit further from them. But Meerkat was nearly an adult now- and Niamh didn't particularly want to crowd Bronco who seemed to have been doing perfectly fine in her absence. Then again, there was Alyx to consider- maybe she would want to move, and maybe that would be enough to keep her content if she was close enough to two other packs that had young wolves like her, that she wasn't related to. 

Before she could answer Towhee's question about moving, she suggested that there was a place, and Niamh fell quiet for a moment. Did she mean the Plateau? Having lived there before, and having seen what it was like in the Spring, Niamh wasn't terribly keen on returning there, knowing that it took very little for the plateau to become  flooded and dangerous. Even the slope off the Southwestern side of it was dangerous. 

Before she answered Towhee directly, she thought it might be fit to mention what had been on her mind. -"Y'know I...I don't like moving, 'cause I don't like change. But I hate bad neighbours more'n that,"- She explained. -"And them Kingslend wolves...Prim went to visit them- and brought them flowers for their king, who I've met, he seems...Better than the others. But then two of their goddamn guards stole his flowers, and scruffed him when he got to their borders."- She snarled. -"I wanna wring their throats for it; who the fuck would ever need to scruff such a delicate child like Prim?"- She asked. After all, he wasn't a disobedient child whatsoever. He was dreamy, delicate, and sweet. -"Either we get rid of them or...Yeah. We leave."- She said. After a pause, she asked -"Who the fuck's in the Strath now?"-
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#5
She didn't need to hear to pick up the skepticism in Niamh's response. With that single word, she echoed all of Towhee's own misgivings. It was crazy to consider it, much less pitch it to her Regents like it was a reasonable matter to discuss at this juncture. Maybe it was good to hash this out with Niamh informally, get it out of her system without involving Phox and thus making it feel much more like official business. Perhaps her sister-in-law would talk some sense into her before her brother even showed up.

But then Niamh told her about how the Kingslend wolves had treated Primrose. He was such a mild-mannered and tenderhearted child, the least likely of their batch to get caught up in any drama. Towhee's blood ran cold as she imagined strange wolves manhandling their sweet boy. She understood that tensions ran high at borders; outsiders were an inherent risk. But who on earth could view Prim and his bouquet as a threat? What sorts of wolves met innocent children with such unnecessary force? Even Towhee, a territorial mega-bitch, had a soft spot for the young.

-"I don't know,"- she answered honestly when Niamh asked about the most recent batch of fools parked in Hideaway Strath. -"Does it matter?"- Towhee drew in a breath, still stuck on this news about Prim. Truth be told, the mental images alone made her want to scrap the idea of relocating and wage war instead. How dare they touch a child of the Firebirds? Surely Moonspear would back them too, if they called upon them.

But did they really want to drag everyone into a war? As angry as it made her, Towhee thought it might be a disproportionate reaction to the situation. She didn't want to subject Primrose or any of the other children to anything remotely resembling a battle, nor did she want to ask that of their allies. As her mind chewed and churned, she cycled back toward relocation. It would solve the same problems, with a lot less risk and bloodshed.

-"We should go back,"- Towhee said, jaw setting. She didn't like it, not after what'd happened the last time she'd been there, -"back to the caldera."-
-Signing.- | "Speaking." | -"Signing & speaking."- | "Mouthing (inaudible)." | Thoughts.

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Eljay wasn't really intending to trespass on the conversation that the leaders were having. Not really. But when he passed and he heard them talk, he couldn't help but overhear caldera and that was what caught his attention. He was moving along, minding his own business, but when he heard that word pass Towhee's lips he halted in his tracks, frozen in time for a moment. He lifted his head as he tried to process how that made him feel. He hadn't wanted to leave the Copse in the past. He didn't entirely like the thought of leaving the graves of his parents and of Wiffle now (honestly, they should never have left the Caldera as far as he was concerned).

However, with the wound that Wiffle had left in his heart slowly healing -- though it was far from gone -- and Eljay returning more and more to being a whole person rather than a depressed broken apart wretch, leaving the Copse was an idea that had already found purchase on his mind. And... The Caldera would always be his home, his birth place. To get to share that with Weejay made his heart skip a little beat; he'd always intended to take the children there for a little camping trip of sorts when they were little, but then Wiffle'd passed and then everything had fallen apart with Elfie and he just never really got to it. To make up for that lost time with Weejay warmed his heart.

After a moment of silence Eljay decided not to go on his merry way and approached the two. He wasn't entirely sure if he had heard correct, but his heart couldn't help but wonder and, most of all, hope. Hey, what's going on? he asked, looking at the important-business-faces that his leaders were showing. Hopefully they'd tell him, and hopefully he'd heard correctly.
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Niamh shrugged. -"Not to me."- She said. The Strath wasn't far enough away for Niamh's comfort. It had been absolutely fine when it had belonged to Asterism Grove, as it'd been a perk to have their allies so nearby. But a new batch of strangers who'd moved in withuot scoping to see who was in the beighbourhood first, and making sure they weren't encroaching on exterior hunting grounds? Niamh thought it was ridiculous. They had to be just as ignorant as the Kingslend wolves, if not more so. An ironic thought struck her, and she cackled sarcastically. -"For all we know, the pack in the Strath could be them Saints idiots we've been warned about. What kind of a mindfuck would that be?"- She joked. The very idea of it seemed too outlandish to even be possible. 

And she wasn't interested in finding out. 

-"It's nice here, but it did flood. I don't want that to happen again. And I liked the Plateau, but again- it's another flood waiting to happen. But if we take to high ground, like this Caldera you're talking about..."- She murmured. -"How far away is it? That's where you were born, right?"- She asked. Niamh, after all, hadn't come into Towhee's life until the very beginning of her transition to the Plateau. She'd missed out on all the Redhawks adventures on the Caldera completely. She realized mid-ramble that Eljay had been drawing closer, and had potentially overheard a fair amount of what she'd just said. It made her a bit uncomfortable that he'd seen fit to interrupt what Niamh thought had obviously been a leadership meeting; and he would have heard that the summon had been for her and Phox, and that he hadn't been included. Too late now, though, as he'd joined them regardless, and Niamh simply sent a look to Towhee to see how she felt about having him at least listen in on their executive decision-making process.
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Nearly the instant she said the dreaded word, her brother appeared. It was the wrong brother, however. Towhee was so surprised to see Eljay, she didn't react beyond a series of blinks. She didn't even answer his question, eyes raking back over to Niamh in time to catch everything she said apart from the first few words.

Towhee mouthed, "Saints?" Why couldn't she place that name? It took her several beats to recollect Niamh's words of yore, something about Ursus and the Saints. Honestly, she couldn't remember much else. She'd been too caught up in grilling her sister-in-law about Raslas at the time. Well, she had one thing right: all of this was definitely a mindfuck.

She realized she'd sort of expected, maybe even hoped, her Regents would talk her out of this. But now Niamh ran with it, pointing out the copse's penchant for flooding as yet another good reason to consider a move. Only when the blonde spoke of the caldera as if she wasn't very familiar with it did Towhee abruptly remember that Niamh had never actually lived there. Had she ever even been there before?

-"Yes, we were,"- the Sovereign replied, including Eljay with a glance. -"It's just southeast of Moonspear and Firefly Glen. We'd be much closer to them, without being up their asses. I'll admit I'm actually not a fan, based on personal history, but... Redhawk Caldera."- Now she looked straight at her older brother, gaze lingering. -"We're thinking about going back."-
-Signing.- | "Speaking." | -"Signing & speaking."- | "Mouthing (inaudible)." | Thoughts.

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Niamh's look didn't go unnoticed to the medic; he realised that he might have intruded. Yet neither of them sent him away, and it was a bit late to just turn around and leave now. Eljay had totally forgotten the howl. Well, no use overthinking it now. Eljay smiled awkwardly when he realised that the subject was, indeed, about moving back to the Caldera.

Towhee explained about the Caldera to Niamh, and Eljay smiled. He said, I think that's a good idea. He didn't entirely remember why they had ever even left, but he was happy to think about returning. It would be nice to be back. And there's no risk of floods there. The Caldera had treated them right and for Eljay, even though the thought of leaving the graveyard behind was painful, the timing was otherwise perfect.
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She felt a bit behind in the conversation, in terms of Caldera references. She could have been wrong, but she sensed a bit of trepidation on Towhee's behalf when she mentioned it again, this time for Eljay to hear properly, so as long as Towhee was fine with him sitting in on the meeting and getting the details, then Niamh would be fine with it as well. Unlike Towhee, though, Eljay seemed to be completely impressed with the idea, and Niamh knew him well enough to know that anything that suited him should be fine. He was a good judge, and he made a good point about the elevation. Still...

-"So aside from like...Moving, and having to re-mark borders, and make sure everyone gets there,"- And she had to try really hard to make sure she didn't put too much emphasis on that last point, considering how one of her children had managed to slip away the last time they'd relocated, -"What...What is it about the Caldera, that makes you think it might not be the best place?"- Niamh asked, with a frown. Then her expression lightened as she remembered. The only references she'd had to the Caldera were the fact that it was where the Redhawks had come from- and it was where Towhee had been so grieviously injured, just over two years ago.  -"Is it 'cause of your leg? That's where you fell, innit?"-
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His opinion may have been unsolicited, though hearing Eljay speak with such positive enthusiasm about something deserved acknowledgement. As a matter of fact, Towhee just kept staring at him for a bit, a little nonplussed. She supposed it was good to know someone of such esteem in the ranks supported the idea so wholly, though Towhee still wrestled with the idea of moving, as well as the destination they were discussing.

The movement of Niamh's limbs recaptured her attention and the Sovereign turned to catch what she was saying. She wanted an explanation for the hesitation in Towhee's suggestion. Before she could retell the tale of her fateful fall, Niamh guessed correctly, so she merely nodded and added, -"And my mother kinda famously fell there, as well. That aside, we've lived there before, so we know our way around. If it's available, it's viable."- She supposed that was one more consideration to heap onto the pile: did anyone already live there, or close enough to be of concern?

-"Maybe you two could go there and check it out,"- kind of like Niamh had scoped out territories during the flood. Towhee's eyes bounced between her Regent and the medic as she brainstormed. -"And I'll send word to @Hydra via Bronco and @Fennec."- She was on a roll now. -"I don't think Hydra will take issue—I think she'll be glad, actually, to have us back in the neighborhood—but I'd like to check in anyway."- This was sort of starting to sound like a plan.

Now... -"Where the hell is Phox?"-
-Signing.- | "Speaking." | -"Signing & speaking."- | "Mouthing (inaudible)." | Thoughts.

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Eljay was glad that the short moment of awkwardness passed and it was almost strange to sit in on a leaders meeting now. He didn't think he would've done this in the past, but he didn't realise it until now. And he hadn't even consciously thought about it, either -- he'd just done it. No time to think about how perplexed he was with his own behaviour as the conversation went on, though. Eljay was surprised that Towhee thought so negatively about the Caldera; he had no clue she didn't want to live there, honestly. Towhee and Niamh filled in the 'why' between themselves.

Us two? Eljay said, surprised. Everyone knew he wasn't a scout in any way. You mean Niamh and I? Eljay blinked in surprise, though he didn't necessarily speak against it. He had considered leaving, after all, as of late; so getting to explore with a more experienced explorer by his side was good in his book. And the Caldera was the last place he'd actually visited; well, that wasn't looking for Elfie, anyway...
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There was more to the story than what Niamh had known- and her ears fell back at the mention of Towhee's mother. She didn't know a tonne about Towhee's parents, but it sounded as though she definitely would have had some difficult memories come up if they went back to the Caldera to live there. Still- it was a viable option, and she suggested that Niamh and Eljay go scout it out. Niamh nodded, as she felt comfortable going on a scouting mission and having a companion to go with her- but Eljay, on the other hand, looked completely flummoxed. 

-"Of course us, Eljay,"- She chuckled, and bumped her shoulder against his. -"You bring the brains, I bring the brawn and the beauty."-
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Now this was the Eljay she knew: confused and uncertain. Towhee chuckled along with Niamh, though it came out sounding a little strangled. Her nerves were a little shot by this entire conversation. She'd gone into it feeling all sorts of uneasy and she was no better off now, though there was a thrum of conviction now building in her blood as she realized they were about to go full circle.

And I'm never, ever, ever moving again if we do this, the Sovereign couldn't help but think, sort of viciously.

Aloud, she said, -"Yes, the two of you. You could take one other—maybe @Chanel?—with you for safety."- Any more than that and it would leave the copse down too many bodies. Man, she suddenly missed X fiercely. -"We'll wait for Phox, run this all past him first. If he's on-board, we'll prepare the rest of the pack and head out once you return, assuming everything's go."- Man, they were really doing this, weren't they?
-Signing.- | "Speaking." | -"Signing & speaking."- | "Mouthing (inaudible)." | Thoughts.

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Phox had been on the other side of their claim when Towhee had made the call. He'd been tracking an elk herd that had been straying close to their borders, checking out as a potential feast before they left for the Frosthawks. He was fairly certain they'd want to do that in the next few days, given that the weather was getting colder. Maybe Alyx would enjoy the trip outside to see some of her more distant relatives, even if they were still family. She'd never met them, so they were like strangers, right?

When he arrived to find Towhee, Niamh, and... Eljay? standing around gossiping about who-knows-what, Phox quirked a brow at them. Had Towhee changed her mind about Eljay after all? -So what's all this about?- he decided to open with, waiting to be filled in on whatever it was they were talking about.
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Both Niamh and Towhee confirmed that of course Towhee meant Niamh and himself. Alright, yes, of course, he said with a nod.

Phox showed up not much later, but Eljay left it up to Niamh or Towhee to explain the situation.
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Whoops. 

After having given Eljay a playful shove- and he seemed perhaps a bit more comfortable with their roles as scouts being confirmed by Towhee, and with a bit of reassurance from Niamh- she meandered over to Phox and sat down directly beside him, smushing her flank against his as she usually did. He was always good to lean on, and with the days getting colder, he was also her go-to for physical warmth. She gave a quick glance to Towhee, and then Eljay, who seemed to look to both of them to explain. She shrugged. 

-"Well, we've got new neighbours in the Strath,"- She began, -"And one of them Kingslend pricks scruffed our son when he went to go see his friend Cenric the other day. That's that....King one, I told you about,"- She still thought it was ridiculous that Primrose had chosen to make friends with Cenric, but she couldn't exactly hold it against him, either. Primrose was just an all-around, loving wolf. There was no stopping him, sometimes. -"So, Towhee brought up the idea that maybe...Maybe we should move."- She said, looking to Towhee to finish the explanation.
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Phox made an appearance right at the pivotal moment. Towhee caught his signed question—and the dubious look on his face—but let Niamh greet and answer him before making any attempt to reply. She needed that moment to harness her thoughts and come up with a good TL;DR for her second Regent.

His mate did a pretty good job of it, so Towhee's only embellishment was to name the destination they had in mind. -"What do you think of going back home to Redhawk Caldera?"- She couldn't guess what he might think of the whole thing. She knew if she were him, she'd feel a little gobsmacked right about now. But Phox was also way more chill than her, so maybe he would simply go with the flow. Either way, the ball was well and truly in Phox's court now.
-Signing.- | "Speaking." | -"Signing & speaking."- | "Mouthing (inaudible)." | Thoughts.

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It was a lot to take in, and Phox let his mind rest on the question, especially given the new information about Kingslend and Primrose. With the way they were talking, he had a sneaking suspicion this had all come about very quickly. If there was one thing Phox had learned in his years here on this earth, it was that rushing things led to heartache. He had rushed into things with Camilla. He had rushed into pulling himself and the kids away from Raven. He had rushed into trying to get over that godforsaken wall that blocked him from Towhee. Each and every time: heartache.

He wasn’t keen on simply running away from their new neighbors, either. If they tucked their tails and ran every time somebody moved in, they’d be running around an awful lot. And what about the Frosthawks, who were so accessible from where they lived now? He was already planning a trip there in the next few days, and he didn’t want to push that back any further.

-I think it’s worth thinking about,- he replied after what must have been a good half minute of a pause. -We should let the Frosthawks know it’s a possibility when we go visit in a few days.- He wanted to keep them in the loop at the very least. -Have any of you been to the caldera lately?- he asked. He had no idea what it was like there now, although he had a feeling he would remember all his old haunts and trails if they did go back.
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Niamh and Towhee were quick to catch Phox up, who in typical Phox style seemed to think rationally about the matter. Where Eljay and Towhee had gotten their feelings mixed up in it, Phox seemed to genuinely consider what they should or shouldn't do, and he posed a very realistic question. Not me, Eljay admitted. The last time was when he'd met Gannet there, when he'd gone to retrieve the stone for Wiffle. I suppose that's step one then, to check out if it's a real possibility at all. He glanced at Niamh, then at the others.
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As soon as Towhee said the words back home, in reference to the Caldera, Niamh's ears perked and she glanced at their Sovereign curiously. While Niamh had been born elsewhere, she wouldn't have referred to it as back home, but as simply her birthplace. She'd confessed that she had misgivings about going back- though clearly, it still retained its sentimental title. She looked to Phox, who didn't seem to oppose the idea, though he brought up mention of informing the Frosthawks. 

With that, Niamh considered the sheer strength of the pack when also noting their alliances as well. They had the Frosthawks, Moonspear and now the formation of Firefly Glen as allies. She knew the others wouldn't want to hear the idea of gathering their friends with them and chasing the Kingslend wolves out of the forest to the South. She had no idea who the wolves were who'd moved into the Strath, but it didn't seem like the ideal place to launch an attack to get them to leave, either, if they all got cornered in there together. Part of her wanted to share the idea of chasing out at least one of their neighbours, rather than simpy surrendering their Copse. But she was neither wholly attached to living in the copse, or to waging war with wolves who hadn't done anything that was an outrageous sin. Even Niamh had her limits. 

-"Never been there,"- She answered quietly. But Eljay could lead the way, and if any problems arose, they should be able to handle themselves well enough. -"Though I'd rather leave Chanel here. Eljay and I can hold our own and if not, we can outrun whatever we need to. I don't want the pack to be short a member that's just going to be tagging along for a scouting mission."- She said. She also felt that Chanel was a good puppysitter- and while her kids were getting older, they were a handful- and she would rather have an extra adult on guard along the borders if not to keep bad wolves out, then to help keep her troublesome youngsters in.
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#22
Even in the face of her emotive choice of words, Phox did not react right away. He seemed to think it over for a moment or two, during which Towhee's orange eyes remained fixed on his face. She still wasn't sure what sort of response she wanted. What she got was calm logic and sound reasoning. He also reminded her of his intended visit to the Frosthawks—which she'd forgotten about until this very moment—and then asked the other three if they'd been to the caldera lately.

Before she could answer, Eljay and Niamh spoke first, referencing her directive. In case it wasn't clear, she said to Phox, -"I asked them to pay a visit there, make sure it's suitable to house a pack."- Towhee paused to sort through her own thoughts for a minute. -"They'll head there, and you go ahead and see Raven and co. I'll hang out here, hold down the fort and wait for word from you guys... and Hydra. I asked Fig to invite her here to ask about the Moonboy thing. I can talk to her about this possibility too. Oh, dammit."-

Bronco and Fennec had already headed back to the glen, hadn't they? Towhee would've sent word with them to urge Hydra here sooner. Well, maybe she could head to Moonspear herself? It was tempting, though she told herself to slow her roll. Hydra would come when she could. She did want to make a call about relocating sooner rather than later, giving them enough time to prepare ahead of winter, if they did decide to head to the caldera. But a few days wouldn't make much difference one way or another.

-"Right,"- Towhee concluded after another ponderous pause, -"sounds like we've all got work to do."-
-Signing.- | "Speaking." | -"Signing & speaking."- | "Mouthing (inaudible)." | Thoughts.

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Moontide
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Ooc — aerinne
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#23
-Let Eljay come with me to the Frosthawks,- Phox proposed, -Take Chanel to the caldera. He and Raven can swap medicinal knowledge, and she might be able to help Weejay with her gardening skills.- He wanted to be firm on that. Eljay had expressed interest in coming to the Frosthawks, and Phox had a feeling he wouldn't speak up for himself if Towhee had already assigned him some other task. He didn't think Eljay was going to be great at traveling (the guy had admitted as much before), and the caldera was further away than the Frosthawks' claim.

-Or you can go when we get back,- he suggested as an alternative. Once again, Phox found himself not wanting to jump into anything too quickly. He'd planned this trip to see Raven quite some time ago, and he didn't want new information bowling over his plans.
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Brecheliant
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Ooc — Iris
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#24
Phox suggested that Eljay shouldn't scout out the Caldera but instead should go to the Frosthawks, and he felt his stomach plummet. Eljay really wanted to go to see Raven, but he also really wanted to go scout out the Caldera with Niamh. Mostly because he just really wanted to see the Caldera again and besides, it'd be good to have someone around who knew about the terrain. And Eljay had spent very few days outside of the Caldera when he lived there, so he knew about a lot of its terrain.

Phox gave him a way in then by saying that he could go after. He hesitated a moment and said, Can't we head out to the Caldera now, and go to the Frosthawks when we come back? Then we can be a bit more conclusive about whether moving to Redhawk Caldera is an actual option. Maybe... Maybe it won't be good enough, and then we know we don't have to mention it. Eljay looked at the ground after he spoke, feeling a little awkward chipping in on the leadership meeting and then going so far as to suggest things to oppose Phox' words.
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Ooc — Jess
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#25
WC: 257

Niamh's ears pricked when she was told that Towhee had already begun putting into plan her intentions of asking Hydra if she knew of anyone living in Moonspear that might willingly act as a baby-daddy, though she  figured that this discussion might take place while she went to the Caldera to scout it out. She'd have to ask for details later it seemed, and she didn't want to re-route their conversation too much, though it did make her want to basically run to and from the Caldera as quickly as possible so that she could find out what Towhee'd heard from Hydra about potential fathers. 

Phox seemed to want to suggest that Niamh take Chanel instead, though her definitive preference was for Chanel to stay with the pack, and mind the children. Eljay, however, seemed to want to go to both the Caldera and to see the Frosthawks, so she nodded. It'd mean a lot of travelling for him, but she figured he would know the way to and from the Caldera, potentially moreso than Chanel. -"Eljay an' I can leave tomorrow for the Caldera, and then how about you guys take a day then go to the Frosthawks when we get back?"- She suggested, as a reiteration of Phox's suggestion, though yet again, she preferred to leave Chanel with the kids. Rather than stating that and risk re-opening the wound of having lost Alyx again, she chose to elbow Eljay playfully. -"I think this guy really wants to visit the Caldera ASAP,"-