Redhawk Caldera Stray away from the forces that make you

Niamh had caught him nosing about the borders, indecisively debating whether or not he should even have come. She was unusually tactful in her approach, though, which led Bronco to believe that she'd potentially gotten word somehow- through Phox or Figment perhaps- that he and @Fennec had had a falling out of sorts. He didn't imagine there was much chance fennec would've told her anything- so he guessed that Phox had probably spilled the beans. He'd suspected as much would happen, and that would serve him right for telling Phox anything, if it meant it would get back to Niamh somehow. 

But she hadn't questioned him- simply beckoned for him to follow, as she sensed somewhat that he'd come to see Fennec. He didn't get hit with the usual interrogation, though she didn't see fit to spare him small talk about things he already knew. That Meerkat had found her birth father, and that Towhee was hoping to find him again. He would have new siblings, but he'd assumed that this would likely be an annual occurrance and therefore, it wasn't a surprise. He listened to her drone on about this and that, though eventually she trailed off when she realized he clearly hadn't come to listen to her speak. Quietly, she led him the rest of the way toward where Eljay's den was. 

"There. She's probably inside. Come by the lake later on, hmm? Your siblings would love to see you too, you know." There. There was always some way she could make him feel like shit, without fail. She left him with a nagging, guilty feeling, knowing he should have made more visits home to see Alyx, Quetzal and Primrose; once a month hadn't been enough. But he waited until she was out of sight before he approached the den, and he sniffed around the entrance- just enough to know that she was inside. He gazed into the dark- but couldn't make out any defining shapes; she might have been too far in. He moved forward until the shadows of the den's mouth darkened the bridge of his muzzle, before he pulled back. The shadow left by the mid day sun drew a soft line on the ground, but it was harder than he'd imagined it could ever be. Quietly, he lay down, edging forward so that his toes nearly reached the line of shadow created by the den's mouth, before he thrust his muzzle forward and called out with faint uncertainty. 

"Fennec?"