Blacktail Deer Plateau that fancy wine won't put this fire out

Set a day or so after the shitshow thread

If Phox and his daughter were to look outside the territory, then she would remain inside, scouring the borders for any sight, sound or smell that signified the pup(s) had found their way home. After all, what if they all had gone, and missed them in the process? 

She was useless on the road, so she would make herself useful here.

But her steps were heavy, even as she forced herself onward, onward; her heart and soul were filled with lead as she realized that even if the two missing children were found, she'd immediately have to give them up. Give them up to the Redhawks, no less.

It felt as if she was living a nightmare, every feeling so visceral, every sense horribly engaged. And even if she fell asleep, her thoughts would still be plagued.

She was tired, so tired—tired of searching, to no avail.

Maegi lay down in a patch of wildflowers, panting, her eyes following the bees and butterflies in a kind of apathetic daze. It was cooler here, the tall stalks providing some shade, and the manifold aromas rose up around her.

there was a new somberness to their lives— it had begun when they left the isle behind, deepened with the disappearance of peregrine and prevost, deepening still with each day that past without their return to the fold. vesper still didn't know the full truth of what was happening, and she was still unlikely to understand or accept it. her world revolved around mou, maegi, and blueberry. it didn't occur to her that it could ever revolve around anything else. youth was fickle, but resilient; she had never felt particularly close to her littermates, and a part of her was learning to accept and even enjoy their absence.

she had left blueberry with father in the den, entrusted now to remain within the heart of the plateau. regardless, she didn't dare leave the sight-line or sound-line of her parents for very long. vesper had long been the one to mature quickly, and the events of the last month kept this momentum. she did not want to add more turmoil to their lives, and so became the picture of quiet obedience. the darkling slipped along worn paths in the plateau, practicing her tracking skills, following mother's scent.

vesper caught sight of her just as she laid amongst some blooming wildflowers, sending butterflies and bees from their perches on flowers into the air. she wagged her tail gently, jaunting towards maegi with a leisurely gait. she plopped down next to mother, nosing her paw gently and playfully, wanting to cheer her up.

A rustling in the foliage caught her attention, and she lifted her head to find Vesper approaching. She managed a smile at the girl's touch, raising herself a little so that she rested half on her side, legs folded beneath her. 

Hey, Ves, Maegi murmured. She studied her daughter's face. The baby blue had faded from her eyes, replaced by a deep, vibrant orange. Phox's eyes, she thought, with a qualm. And, now that she thought about it, Mou's, too. (At least the one.)

Certainly she was old enough to understand. . .or at least be told? At three moons, Maegi had been displaced by war, had seen death. She'd probably had to grow up too quickly, true, her experiences not the ideal—

But when the time came for Phox to decide where he wanted to go, Vesper would almost certainly go with him. Better to prepare her for the inevitable now then wait for that day.

I have to tell you something, Vesper, she said, keeping her gaze trained on the girl, though a bumblebee hovered unnervingly close nearby. I have to be honest. You were right. . .it's wrong to lie. And so I'm not going to lie anymore.

her attempts to cheer mother failed— though maegi offered a smile, vesper sensed that now was not the time to play. she was growing frustrated with that, but once more repressed her puppy instincts in favor of what the adults around her needed. vesper lifted her head to watch mother's gaze, a mirror of the woman's own pose, the toes of their forepaws just barely touching. she couldn't guess at what the she-wolf was thinking.

"i have to tell you something... i'm not going to lie anymore." she believed that the extent of it in her naivety, and her dark tail thumped on the ground behind her. vesper stretched forward to like maegi's chin. good, mama. father had apologized to her days ago which was relief in itself; now that mother had, all was forgiven. it didn't seem to matter to the child what had been lied about.

Maegi smiled wider at the response, but it wasn't long before her features relaxed into something closer to worry, more akin to the tired lines furrowed into her brow, her lips. She was approaching her fourth year, and age was beginning to show upon her scrawny frame. 

Not yet decrepit. . .but then, she had been marred from the start, with that clubbed paw, and soon after, the tattered face.

I will always love you, tala, Maegi murmured, shaking off thoughts of her mortality. It was important to be in the here and now— Your daddy loves you, too. Nothing will ever change that. And you will always be our baby.

She swallowed, forcing herself to meet Vesper's gaze, to hold it. To anchor her against the coming storm. 

That dark man with orange eyes, Phox? He's actually your father, Vesper, she explained, very gently. And your real mother was a beautiful woman with golden fur—bright as the sun. Her name was Niamh. And she died on the day you were born. . .but we were able to save you and Prevost and Peregrine.

Paused, then, to allow her daughter to process all that information.

love you, mama she cooed happily in response. vesper still didn't quite understand why the tone of her mother's words was so serious and so morose, though she could sense it deeply. the darkling might have said more, if not for the way maegi looked at her now— capturing her gaze, willing her to look into those mismatched eyes, to see something there that perhaps words could not express. the child understood this subconsciously, but she still felt eager to set this seriousness aside and get back to play.

she absorbed the next monologue in silence, the energy dissipating from her youthful frame, the seriousness of the conversation now settling into her bones as well. she remained quiet, gaze locked with mother's, sinking within herself to attempt to sort this all out and understand. the conversation between her parents and phox when peregrine had gone missing; what father had been truly apologizing for; what the lie truly was.

no, vesper finally said, the conviction in the word strong for her age. it was not just a fun word to say to baffle the adults around her. when she spoke it now, she meant it.