Redhawk Caldera A fish that's learned to fly

for some reason I just have all the Fenn muse.  One more aw for anyone <3

Midafternoon saw the dun-pelted girl dozing fitfully, drifting in and out of sleep as her exhaustion finally allowed her to grab some.  She woke up after about an hour still feeling slightly feverish and extremely thirsty, and the latter of those was definitely going to stop her from falling back to sleep.

Towhee had likely stepped away for just a moment, but Fenn suddenly wasn't having it.  Even though sense screamed at her not to, her feverish brain shot that idea down and slowly she pushed herself to her feet.

As her side shifted she felt a wave of excruciating pain that radiated all the way up and into her shoulder.  She listed, but stayed upright, her breath hissing between her teeth as she began taking slow and shaky steps towards the river.

She made it maybe five before lightheadedness overtook her and she sank back down, both forepaws with nails digging into the ground.  With the release of the tension and now having fully aggravated all of her injury once more, Fennec let out a low whine that cut off as soon as she ran out of her short breath.  She'd have to wait.

If nothing else, this experience was serving to really redefine the word "dependent" in a whole new way.

Fennec was back, and apparently she hadn't run off as Phox has originally suspected. Then again, maybe that wasn't the truth. Honestly, he didn't care, and he was happy to take her story at face-value. No sense in fighting with her, as he'd learned long ago. He came bearing a gift of a fresh, plump rat. It was no feast, but it would be a good snack so that Fennec could get her strength back. It sounded like she was in pretty rough shape, and he couldn't imagine how hard it must be for the girl who wanted so badly to be independent.

Hey kiddo, he said when he got closer, I brought you some food. Not much, but I can always run and grab more if you need it.

What was it with these injured wolves showing up on their borders ever since they'd moved here? And not even strangers. Wolves that already knew them. He knew that Meerkat had brought her here, presumably because of Eljay's healing knowledge, but didn't Moonspear have a healer? Maybe Fennec didn't trust that one as much. In any case, he was glad to have her home, although he wished the circumstances had been different.

It took her a moment before she could answer.  She didn't even hear him approach at first over the blood roaring in her ears.  She was still struggling to breathe with one of her lungs majority collapsed, the result of which was pretty near constant exhaustion and a pretty lackaluster presence.  It would likely be a few weeks before she made remotely good company.

Thanks.  She answered quietly.  's good.  She wasn't eating much anyway and didn't want him to make another run on her account as a result.

It was weird.  One lie and it seemed like she was getting off completely blame-free on all of this.  It almost felt wrong?  But then again, was it wrong for her to need to try it?  At least she'd made her own opinion, and judging from last time, none of them would have understood.  She could almost explain away the guilt - but truth was, for some reason, the lie wasn't setting as well as others sometimes did.

She went quiet after she thanked him, and Phox wondered if even talking was difficult for her. He knew that after his concussion, he'd been terrible company as well. It had been months before the headaches had finally subsided, although he knew that extreme cold could still bring them on. The brightness of the snow occasionally did, too. It was hard to believe that had been over a year ago now. Back then, he'd had much different worries.

Not sure if you're up for much talking, so let me know if you want me to scram, he said, offering her an easy out.

It was entirely possible she wouldn't want to talk for other reasons, of course. Phox had become used to walking on eggshells around her, especially when it came to her leaving and departing, and he knew not to press to hard. She was one of his more "difficult" children, but honestly, he didn't mind. They couldn't all be sweet darlings like Figment and Primrose were.

Fennec had been alone with her thoughts for so long that she was sick to death of their company. It was good for her but it was also awful lately because her entire head was a mess.  She needed a big old dose of shadenfreude to kick her out of her own problems and into someone else's.

Stay?  She requested quietly.  She didn't have anything she particularly wanted to talk about, though there were certainly a number of things she should.  

For once, she'd let him drive.  Normally she'd jump right in with the deflect but it wasn't worth the words right now.  So she saved them and instead relaxed down with a shallow sigh and a slight grimace.

She asked him to stay, and Phox was pretty sure his own heart grew three sizes. Fennec had always been the more "difficult" child, if you could call her that. He saw a lot of her in Alyx. Both of them were headstrong at times, and while he had his conflicts with the two of them, he knew they'd always come around. Being a dad was just so goddamn rewarding, y'know?

Did you learn anything new while you stayed with the glen? he asked, knowing that had been her given reason for wanting to stay. He had a feeling "getting space away from Mom and Dad" was likely another reason, but he would keep that to himself. So many things were better left unsaid.

Fennec was relieved when he remained, and she laid her head back down.  She was less relieved when he asked about the glen because thinking about it only made her feel a weird mix of shame, upset, and resentment.  Yeah.  She was her only response at first.

The glen was the first place she'd ever really felt needed.  Not hugely, but she'd had a role there, and that role hadn't just been 'apprentice'.  She'd learned, more than anything, that she really liked that feeling.  And she'd learned, on her own, that the feeling disappeared.  Tell me... about here?

She couldn't really get into all htat, and the rest of her learning had just been about healing.  It was a lot of boring detail that even if Phox wanted to hear wasn't really worth the effort.  Better to divert.

She changed the subject, which Phox was more than happy to flow with, and she asked about here. She assumed he meant the caldera as a whole, and he hummed for a moment, trying to think of how to describe it to her, knowing that she could never see it. He figured that would be entertaining for her to listen to.

It's not as tall as most of the other mountains around here. All the other mountains have sharp, pointy tops, but the caldera has a flat top when you look at it from afar. I guess that's why the lake is there. The water up there is something else, too. Crystal clear, not murky like some other lakes I've been to. There's lots of trees along the slopes, and there's a clearing near the lake where Towma and I spent some of our very first weeks outside of the den. We even learned to swim there, I think. Your grandparents, Fox and Peregrine, ruled this place for a long time. I never knew them personally because they both died before I was born, but I've heard they were pretty great, and both Finley and Elwood were good friends with them.

Wrap this in favor of our newest one? <3

She relaxed and listened to him speak, letting her breathing fall into an easier patterned rhythm.  Towhee's voice was something she loved despite it's harsh tones, but her dad's had always been soothing in a way she couldn't quite explain.  Even when she was small, it had never failed to make her feel better to simply sit and listen while he talked about stars, or stories, or hunting patterns.

She began to draw her own internal map while he spoke, fitting the description to what she already knew of this place.  The rim she'd walked along once or twice, and apparently there was water within the drop on the other side.  She didn't know what he meant by 'murky' or 'clear', but the rest she followed, and her lips curved upwards as she pictured he and mom playing here like she and Fig had as kids.

Need a tour... sometime.  she said softly.  She was starting to feel a little sleepy; maybe a nap before she tried to eat the food her dad had brought.

Sounds good! I'm trying to get back in the groove. <3

He noticed that her eyes started to droop a bit as he continued on with his description, and he nodded at the idea of a tour before remembering she couldn't actually hear his head rattle.

Yeah, of course, he said. I'll let you get some more sleep. As soon as you're better, I'll show you around. He was looking forward to taking her to all his old haunts. It was so nice to be back home. The plateau, the grove, nor the copse had ever really felt like home, even though he'd been happy in each place for a time.