Redhawk Caldera The Harlequin Lamp

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Having caught herself a meal, Niamh dragged the large beaver back and away from the lake to a small, grassy spot where she could set about demolishing it ravenously. As per usual, she was not a dainty or polite wolf when seated at any sort of meal, and she bit, tore and crunched through the animal's fur, skin and bones, growling the entire time. Whenever she found a chewy part, her growls became louder, and whenever she swallowed there was a momentary pause. But this was nothing out of the ordinary for the possessive she-wolf, who had shared most of her meals for the last six months with this year's children, and by now she expected them to be doing more hunting on their own. So when she got the oppotunity to make a kill on her own, she selfishly also wanted to eat it, all by herself.

She heard a twig snap, though, and lifted her head, baring her teeth in a savage grin as a warning. The only wolves she'd expect this deep within the Caldera were her own packmates, as their location made trespassing damn near impossible. Still, Niamh didn't generally share food if she didn't have to, so she peered into the woods that surrounded her, sniffed the air and, in finding no sight or scent of another wolf, she assumed it was potentially just a squirrel or bird, and continued eating.

The conversation with Bronco weighed on him. Phox really hoped that the two of them (Bronco and Fennec) could mend their relationship, but Phox also knew that Fennec could be... well, difficult. How he had made such a difficult child, he would never know. Maybe she felt like she had to have a bigger personality because she didn't have her sight, or maybe she was just the way that she was. "That's just is" as they say.

The familiar sound of slurping, chomping, and chewing drew Phox close to Niamh, though he ducked back under the cover of some bushes when she turned to look at him. He wanted to avoid any ire he might catch for watching her eat in such an unladylike manner. Not only that, but that girl was hella possessive of her food, and he really didn't want to get his balls bitten off today. No neutering for him, no-sir-ee!

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Niamh had gutted and devoured most of the creature's innards by the time she felt full enough to take a moment to pause and clean some of the blood off her face and her paws, pushing the kill aside at least temporarily while she did so. Her whiskers twitched when she finally scented another wolf over the smell of blood on her pelt, but she didn't respond immediately. She continued to clean some of the red stain off her forelimbs and ruff, and shook a couple bits of gristle and oily beaver fur our of her chest fur before she softly glanced toward the woods, not knowing exactly where her mate was hiding, but she had a general idea.

“I've eaten enough to be friendly,” She said reassuringly, her way of extending an invitation for her prowling mate to come and join her without being fended off with a growl and snapping teeth. She was well aware of how much of a demon she became when she ate, and how possessive she was about it. She would snap and lash out at absolutely anyone who got too close, and she hadn't seen fit to change her ways, given the fact she was ranked near the top of her pack. And she was well aware that Phox would go out of his way to avoid eating next to her at a pack kill- which was appreciated. The last thing they needed was to look like they weren't the power couple that sheknew they were.

She still intended to save the rest of her meal for later, and kept it protected by draping one of her long forelegs over it, but she was otherwise back to her usual calm now that she'd been fed.

When she spoke, Phox grinned. Apparently, she'd caught him snooping around, but at least she was nice enough not to come for his balls (not today)! Phox peeked his head out from behind the tree, then trotted over to her, giving her shoulder a nibble before he sat down.

Have you seen Bronco lately? he asked. Perhaps he had come to his mother at some point about the troubles between him and Fennec.

Or Fennec?

Maybe Niamh could offer some insight on the situation if she'd seen either of them. At the very least, she might be able to offer another perspective of it. Phox was worried about the both of them, for different reasons, and it might help to brainstorm some ideas on how to fix it. That made him wonder if including Towhee wouldn't be a bad idea, either. Unfortunately, it wasn't like he could call for her, or he would have done just that. Sometimes her deafness was a minor inconvenience, but he could always track her down later and see what she thought.

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She reached up to tease the fur at his own shoulder as he greeted her, uttering a soft rumbling growl as a greeting. She didn't realize it, but the paw draped across her kill clenched slightly, as a subconscious means of warning Phox that she was not keen on being tricked by kindness into having her meal stolen but the thought didn't really cross her conscious mind. He sat, so she sat up, shuffling the remainder of the beaver carcass off to the side so she could concentrate on him for the time being.

When he mentioned her son's name, she opened her mouth, shut it carefully, and shook her head with a shrug. She didn't keep tabs on her son much anymore- he tended to keep to himself, and he was doing a great job of taking care of Meerkat, so she had no concerns. But when Phox mentioned Fennec next, it made her sit a bit straighter and wonder why he'd brought the two of them up. Again, she pursed her lips and shook her head. “No, I haven't. But then again, I haven't been to the Glen yet. Why?” She asked. There must have been some reason for him to have brought them up- and with a tinge of concern as well, she noticed.

Niamh confessed that she hadn't seen either of them recently, nor had she been to the glen. The mention of the glen made him think of that pretty girl and—NOPE. Not now, Phox.

He came by here the other day. I was going to take him on a little tour of the caldera, but when I mentioned a cave, he freaked out a little. I think he and Fennec had some kind of falling out. Probably just angsty kid stuff. Towhee and I went through that, too.

Phox paused, another image of the pretty gi—NO NO NO.

I am a little worried that Fennec might dip again, but it seems like that's just her way of dealing with conflict. Not particularly healthy, but I do worry sometimes that she'll run off someday and will get herself into more of a pickle than she's prepared for.

He wondered if she had made friends with the badger who he'd inadvertently given her. Did that pretty girl like badg—PHOX, NO.

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Bronco had passed by? Somehow she'd missed his scent along the borders. She had no idea that he'd spent a grand total of five minutes or less lingering somewhere near the bottom of the Caldera, so it wasn't too unusual for her to have missed something so fleeting. It surprised her to hear that Bronco freaked out at the mention of a cave- as far as she knew, he preferred to sleep underground. He'd taken up her old bachelor den in the Copse once she'd moved out of it, and had always been comfortable in the den she'd whelped the three pups in as well.

“A cave?” She asked, and she rolled her eyes. Such a flighty boy. Apparently caves were now not OK; what other things was she going to find out about her son that were steeped in fear and insecurity? Phox mentioned teenage angst, and Niamh nodded- though she found it interesting that somehow, Fennec and Bronco had ended up in a tiff. As far as she knew, they'd been fairly close. Bronco had also had something to do with Fennec deciding to leave and go live in Moonspear, so she hummed softly to herself as she mused with that thought. “Teenage angst probably. You don't think the two of them are an item, do you?” She asked casually. It didn't bother her- the kids were only step-siblings, after all, but she thought Fennec might be a bit too much for Bronco. He was too soft. Still- the idea was kind of cute. “I always assumed he'd end up having a thing for blondes. Who doesn't?” She asked with a smirk.

She noticed the distracted look on his features, the way his gaze went somewhat vacant for a moment, no doubt lost in thought. She could sense a bit of nervousness from him- he was a bit more chatty than usual, but then again, he had every right to be on edge. He thought Fennec might disappear again, and that made her frown. She shared his sentiment, and knew the world to be a dark and savage place even when you prepared for the worst. “Hmm. D'you think it might be worth visiting her to see where her head's at?” She asked. She found Fennec difficult to read, and even more difficult to approach without potentially making her frustrated or angry. They seemed to have struck a truce for now, but Niamh wasn't willing to push her luck. Phox, she thought, might have more success.

He wasn't really sure what to think of the whole cave thing. Apparently it had upset Bronco. And maybe it had upset Fennec, too? It sounded like they had some stuff to work out.

An item? he asked, stumped as to what she meant.

Oh, like— Phox's eyes widened, then he shook his head.

I doubt it. Fennec's too headstrong for that. At least, that's what he was going to tell himself. He definitely had that "nobody's good enough for my daughter" feeling. He was fairly certain Fennec had that feeling, too. She would be a heartbreaker one day, but she seemed too focused on other things to ever care about boys... right?

But then again, Dhal—NOPEITY NOPE NOPE. Do not even go there.

At the mention of blondes, Phox swallowed and gave Niamh a half-hearted smile, nuzzling her. His wife. His lovely, beautiful, perfect wife.

When she suggested visiting her, Phox laughed. Good greatness, no! Then she'll definitely run off. The only way he'd succeeded in keeping a relationship with Fennec was to constantly remind himself not to try to change her plans.

Once she gets her mind set on something, anybody who's in the way is gonna have a bad time.

Hey, wasn't that true of Niamh, too? Definitely not something he was going to bring up. Dhalia seemed like the sort who wouldn't min—GOOD GREATNESS, PHOX. STOP THIS NONSENSE.

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Her question seemed to catch Phox by surprise, which made her smirk a bit. The thought of Fennec and Bronco being together seemed a bit ridiculous to her too. Bronco was to much of a softie, and Fennec....Well, Fennec was a lot like she was- and given how rocky her relationship was with her son, she didn't expect him to set his sights on someone who had an attitude that was in any way similar to hers. She hummed softly, then- wondering if Fennec was still just being moody, and if perhaps Bronco being dumb had been what had set her off. It seemed like he had something to do with it, so she still harboured some suspicion that perhaps he'd pushed some boundaries, and made her want to strike out on her own again. It seemed like Fennec had a habit of wanting to get away from most of the wolves in her life; she liked to be in control of her relationships and boundaries- and the only one she actually seemed content to follow was Penn, probably because he was also the sort to want more distance than the others.

And it seemed as though there wasn't much that the two of them could do- if visiting the Geln might scare her off, then they were left with little for options, but it still seemed to worry Phox plenty. He was definitely distracted, so she reached over to nuzzle him gently. “That's true,” She agreed, remembering how Fennec had shoved her- and then the fight they'd had. “But she's tough, too. She knows how to be strong,” She said softly.

Fennec sure was a tough one. On the inside and out, she managed to defy odds again and again. He had to hand it to her, she had never let her inability to see slow her down, even when it came to getting herself into trouble. It had taken Phox a long time to get to this point. That is, the point where her running off didn't feel like the end of the world. It was kind of sad, in a way, to think that he wasn't even that worried about it anymore compared to how he used to be. Even a year ago, he probably would have wanted to send out a whole search team for her. Now, it felt like just another day in the life of flighty Fennec.

Wanting to turn the conversation to a more positive note, Phox decided talking about his sister was a better plan.

You heard any news about Towhee's plans for the springtime? Specifically regarding whether or not she plans to saddle us with another dozen kids? Phox asked.

Okay, maybe a dozen was overestimating Towhee's ability to reproduce. But if she had made one last year, who was to say she couldn't make a dozen more? Between Towhee and Niamh, Phox had a feeling they were going to have plenty of pitter-pattering feet around. How many, he could only guess.

And did you say you were hoping for all boys or all girls this year? he asked, as if they had a choice in the matter. Phox did feel like he was heavily outnumbered in that department (boys vs. girls), but he didn't mind. All his kids were number one, except for his favorite (an opinion which he would take to his grave).

Niamh was still musing to herself about Fennec when Phox brough up Towhee, and her springtime plans. She reflected back on thr last discussion she'd had with Towhee and nearly laughed as she tried to recall some of the lyrics they'd spun back and forth regarding Phox and his man bits. Perhaps something best kept between the two of them, though, so she cleared her throat in an attempt to maintain her composure. "I think the plan still stands for her to just go out on a sexcursion when the time comes. I think at this point, she's mostly just after that Kaertok one, if he happens to be around, or just a rando," She said. She still had her misgivings about Towhee finding a random wolf who could turn out to be a total stalker if she wasn't careful- but they'd face that day if it ever happened. 

And she recalled her answer for Phox before he even got halfway through the sentence. "Boys," She interjected. "Definitely boys." Though it didn't mean she loved her girls any less- but it was a matter of fact that she'd found Primrose had been easier to raise, even in spite of his fascination with the Kingslend wolves. Now that they were further away, that problem had been solved. But the screeching and shouting and sassing and running away and playing in the mud...That had all been the girls. Even with the older generation- Figment was a lad with a good head on his shoulders, and Fennec could be mercurial and flighty. Bronco was a coward, and Nellie had left twice now. Niamh knew that this wouldn't be the case for all kids- but generally, in her experience, the boys had been easier, or had problems that were less difficult to manage than the girls. Unlike Phox, she wasn't as discreet about her own preferences.

The word "sexcursion" made Phox snort. He wondered what it was like to be Towhee, going around and sluting it up for the world. Phox supposed he would never know. It just wasn't his style. Unless... Dhal—WOW, NO.

Kaertok? That's the one she thinks is her baby daddy, right? he asked.

It seemed boys were what Niamh was hoping for, and that sorta made sense. Primrose had been the most peaceful child this year, and he guessed that Figment was pretty chill as well. Between Bronco and Nellie, well... Phox didn't think either of them were particularly drama-free, but what did he know? Never mind that Bronco's drama involved his own daughter (who could do no wrong, so it was obviously Bronco's fault somehow).

I'll be sure to only put boys in you, then, Phox said.

He licked her ear, probably more wet-willy than anything cute.

She still still grinning slightly- pleased with her oen cleverness- when she nodded in response to Phox's question. "Yeah. That's the one," She said. Kaertok was a name that had begun to stick in her mind a bit, associated with her curiosity as she wished to know what exactly it was that Towhee might have been attracted to. Even though she'd made it fairly clear that all she really wanted was a male with working reproductive bits- Niamh had to wonder still if there wasn't a bit more to it than that. He'd challenged to a spar before they'd done the deed, and that had apparently been a turn-on, so sure, there would have to be other things she liked about him too. 

"Good," She said, with a hefty sigh. She uttered a soft growl when he licked at her ear, and she swatted him away with an idle flick of her paw. "Big, strong, obedient boys." She said. "But like...Pretty ones, like Prim. I like having pretty little children," She said. Of course, in that respect, she considered all of her children to be drop dead gorgeous. She might not have been terribly capable of producing obedient children but hot damn, could she ever make pretty ones.

We can wrap with yours if you want! <3

Phox snorted, amused at her description of what she wanted in her children. Pretty little boys like Prim was easy enough. Just make more boys between the two of them! So far, their one boy together really had been the easiest. Phox certainly wasn't as close to him as Niamh was, but he supposed that was bound to happen. He cherished every relationship he had with his kids, even if they were all a little different.

Noted, he said, leaning into her a little more (and expecting a growl from it, given she was still somewhat clutching to her food).

I think I'm going to go curl up for a nap. You wanna come with?

She would indeed snarl at him and curled her lip, flexing her ankle to possessively keep a hold on her kill but as soon as he leaned aay and laughed, she relaxed. She could take a bit of a joke, and knew that he likely knew better than to test her too much. When he suggested a nap she sighed and nodded. "I could use a bit of beauty sleep," She said with a slight huff. She stretched, and rose to her feet, before she followed after her mate, carrying along the rest of her kill for an after-nap snacky snack.