Phoenix Maplewood stoned at the nail salon

The tide didn't take her anywhere, gently depositing her back on the beach where she sprawled for a while. Eventually, she plucked herself off the sands with a sigh, trying to decide on her next move. She should probably head back to the plateau to check in her with her dad. But Meerkat shied away from the idea. She needed more time, it seemed. She retreated to the center of the island, trying to forget Finley and just about everything else.

She only meant to stay away a few days, not a few weeks. But Meerkat found herself absolutely reveling in the boring solitude, day after day. She did think of her family, of course, always with a guilty lurch of her gut. But, for the first time in a long time, the yearling put her needs first. She slowed down, taking some time to just relax and stay still a while.

When she was ready, she returned to the real world. Rested and refreshed, she stopped by the plateau but didn't find anyone there. Meerkat didn't linger, heading onto the caldera. She stopped at the borders and sent up a call. To her surprise, it was Caracal who arrived to greet her. He looked so grown up. He demanded her name and business before he would let her inside, which Meerkat found extremely entertaining. She indulged him and soon he led her to catch up with Towhee.

But she didn't stay. During her time on the island, she had realized she needed some distance from her family, at least for a little while. Meerkat loved them all dearly and hated to miss out on anything. But at the same time, she wanted to live her own life, figure out what she wanted to do with herself, especially now that her family was in part reunited. Maybe someday she would return, though for now, she wanted a fresh start.

It probably would've made the most sense to seek out one of the caldera's allies and hang with them for a while. But Meerkat wanted to start from scratch, somewhere where nobody knew her or even the Redhawk name. She really hoped she could find that somewhere in the Teekon Wilds. If not, she would leave them for the first time in her life.

For now, she languished in these lovely woods, taking some time to just sit and enjoy the scenery.

Their Beta had gone missing, Iana was gone. The very same woman who greeted him at a time when he felt lost, hurt, and was pathetically self loathing like an angsty teen. As much as Rye wished to find her, his days where willingly consumed with life as a new father. Learning the ins and outs to parenting and working as a team with the mother of his child. He would give her the moon if it was only just closer but Rye would have to settle for bringing food and medicine to help her recover. Occasionally watching over their tiny babe while Imaq stretched her legs and took a break from the needy cub. He had done just that a few hours into the morning, the gnawing of his snout still a fresh memory echoing on the rough skin. Rye was eager to return but first he was to return with a meal or two.
The Maplewood forest nearby was a prime spot for martens and hare, it was close enough to the glacier Rye felt comfortable to stay for an extended period of time. If Imaq needed him she could howl and he would be there quickly. Once Rye crossed into the forest he was immediately on edge, the smell of an unknown wolf sent the fiery tendrils of protective aggression snaking across his body. The hotah didn't appreciate how close they were to his son, an irrational thought process clouded by fervid paternal drive. Rye sought out their scent, tracking it down until he found the 'intruder'. He didn't bother to silence his footsteps as he approached, if they knew if his existence so be it.
"You are far too close to my home for my liking." He grumbled, voice thick and coarse. "What are you doing here?" Rye stood proud, on a line of absolute overprotective idiocy, but proud nonetheless.   

Her mind tried to wander, though Meerkat did her best to quiet her thoughts and focus on her surroundings. The air was so hot, she swore it scorched her lungs a little with every breath. It smelled faintly smoky, though she didn't know what to make of that particular odor. Many birds chirped in the treetops, which rustled a little in a light breeze. She wished she could feel it down here, though the air this close to the forest floor barely stirred.

She heard footsteps long before a figure materialized. Meerkat lifted onto all fours, only to take a seat again, facing the sound. She waited patiently to see who would approach. It turned out to be another wolf, a stranger, and he did not appear particularly pleased to find her here. The yearling's lips parted as he grumbled at her.

"I'm sorry, I didn't realize," Meerkat replied honestly. "Where is your pack located?" she wondered, having missed any signs of a pack while heading up here from the mountains. Hoping to diplomatically avoid a confrontation, she added, "I mean no harm. I'm just enjoying the scenery. I'm," she introduced herself, "uh, Suricate."

The young woman apologized, to Rye it appeared honest enough but her name, the way she phrased it left the man unsure at the authenticity. His eyebrows furrowed, agouti tail twitching with agitation as he thought about his next words. "It's thataway'," Rye, coincidentally, gestured in the direction 'Suricate' had come from, most likely giving away his lie. Moving on with giving his name next, the hotah opted to give his real name, seeing no danger in giving that truth. "And I'm Rye. Where are you from? Are you from a pack near here?" Perhaps hostilities could end if she turned out to be from a neighboring pack Duskfire was allied with. Rye hadn't personally visited their allies and knew next to nothing of their pack members, hopefully she would turn out to be one of theirs. 

She didn't know why she gave her real name, which she had literally never used before. She supposed it was a reflex borne out of her desire to get some separation from her family. But Meerkat immediately felt bad about it. She didn't want to disown them. The yearling bit at her lip, her tooth really digging in at Rye's continued agitation.

To compensate for her sort of fib, she revealed, "I'm from Redhawk Caldera, which is on the other side of those mountains." She tilted her head in that direction without moving her eyes from Rye. "But I don't live there anymore. I'm," Meerkat said, hesitating for a split second before admitting, "actually on the market for a new place."

And she might've pressed him about his pack, a possible prospect. What was it called? And where exactly was it located? Meerkat had seriously missed any signs. In any case, Rye's standoffish demeanor did not particularly invite her to ask questions or seek information. If she was going to throw in her lot with strangers, she at least wanted them to be friendly.

Any agitation held on the mans features left the moment Suricate mentioned being from the Caldera. Rye was floored then excited, then partially sad. He hadn't thought about Towhee in a while, completely vanishing from her life at a time she could have used an old friend the most. Rye settled down on his haunches, sobering up from all the previous aggression, excitement and melancholy. He looked how he felt, defeated, deflated. "I see," He started somberly, "Is there a chance you know a woman named Towhee?" Rye didn't want to let his guard down just yet, so he returned to a ridgid, on edge sort of pose. Head held high as he waited for the yearlings response.

The sudden thaw in his icy demeanor gave her a little bit of whiplash, though she quickly got over that, especially when he mentioned her mother. Despite her own wishes to distance herself from her family, she found herself warming quickly to this opportunity to verify her connection to the renowned Redhawk matriarch.

"Yeah," Meerkat said, smiling tentatively, "she's my mom. How do you know her?" Now that she thought about it, his name seemed vaguely familiar. But maybe it was just its resemblance to Reyes's name, 'cause she couldn't place it.

Well.. Shit, he thought. The cycle of being rude to the Redhawk clan was starting to get out of control. Rye hung his head, shaking it as he let his own mistake sink in. "She's an old friend, I've known her for years by now." He informed, his head picking back up. To Rye it felt like eons ago, new to Teekon, alone and very hungry. Towhee was there to accept him into their home, truly a life saver, which made his mistakes all the more gut wrenching. "I don't think Towhee told me she had a daughter, I knew of her last pregnancy but not you." Having the privilege of being a father, Rye couldn't imagine the devastation Towhee must have felt in the aftermath of the miscarry. "How is she by the way? Everything okay at the Caldera? Honestly, I left at a very crappy time, some woman was injured and pregnant and Towhee had—" He couldn't say it. "Just yeah, I left at a really crappy time." He didn't have to volunteer so much information but Rye couldn't stop himself, he needed all of it off his chest and the poor yearling so happened to be the target for all his emotional baggage.

As Rye spoke, Meerkat wondered how they hadn't managed to cross paths. She felt her stomach tighten when she realized he must be talking about Niamh. She hadn't lived back at the caldera yet then, which explained how they hadn't crossed paths before this. What was more interesting to her was how this stranger shared some history with her family and some of its darkest drama of late. He had left it for whatever reason, sort of like she had also recently sought escape.

For several moments, she pondered how exactly to answer his question. "She's doing okay now. She's been through some really rough stuff lately but things are on a little bit of an upswing lately." Meerkat said that as much for her own sake as his, since it was impossible not to feel some guilt about her own departure. "There's never really a good time," she mused, only one side of her mouth lifting into a wry smile as she met Rye's eye, "is there? But I was just there and, yeah, things seemed as okay as they ever get."

Now that they had found this mutual camaraderie, Meerkat reconsidered asking the questions she'd decided against just a moment ago. "Will you tell me about your pack?" Maybe it could be an option, after all. The fact that Rye knew her mother was a consideration, though this encounter was already proving she didn't want to check out as completely as she thought. She definitely still needed space, some new scenery, but Meerkat didn't want to cut ties completely or anything like that.

Heaps of relief washed over Rye once he heard Towhee was on the up and up, though it would be a gift to see it for himself, knowing her life was improving would be more than enough to sate him temporarily. As an added bonus Suricate eased the shame of leaving with some light humor, Rye promptly returned with a smile of his own. "I'm happy to hear that, thank you for telling me. I hope to visit the Caldera sometime in the distant future." Maybe they could travel back together if she so decided to stick around the area for a while but given his sour attitude at the beginning he wouldn't blame her for taking a raincheck on that trip in the future.

Moving back to the topic of his pack Rye nodded eagerly, "Right, yeah I wasn't truthful with the direction. I'm sorry for being such an ass at the start, my first child was born only a few days ago and I've been extremely hesitant to trust anyone outside of the Glacier. My pack, Duskfire Glacier I mean. It resides just under that mountain there." Rye correctly gestured to his home. "Given that you are Towhees daughter, I can't help but extend an invitation to stay with us. Even if you only wish to stay a few days, there are other packs to choose from around here as well." He held a welcoming smile but hesitancy remained, stubbornly attached to his brain like a leech, it sucked dry his once all welcoming nature. Though that didn't mean the yearling wasn't welcome, just that he may not introduce her to his cub for some time.

Rye said he hoped to visit again someday, though likely not for a while. Meerkat could certainly relate to that sentiment. He'd lied about the pack's location, though that didn't bother her. Actually, the context made a whole lot of sense to her and the yearling smiled gently, a hint of pain in her brown eyes.

"Hey, I get it. No worries, Rye," she reassured him. "Your first, huh? That's exciting. Congratulations."

She considered his offer, which was particularly generous considering the newborn, and Meerkat smiled appreciatively. "First, tell me more about it. Then maybe I'll decide if it's worth a visit," she replied with a wink.

"Oh, and by the way," Meerkat remembered a moment later, "I lied too, kind of. Suricate is my first name, though I never go by it. Everybody calls me Meerkat."

The word 'chill' kept surfacing in the mans mind, Meerkat was very chill. Nonchalant. It reminded him greatly of the girls mother, further confirming their kinship. Rye gave a grateful smile and a couple of short head bobs in return to Meerkats congratulatory words. Throughout the days after his sons birth, gifts big and small were dropped by, words of advice or encouragement also given by those he was surrounded by. All were kind and at times, Rye was overwhelmed by the closeness they all shared and how each were willing to make sacrifices for each other. He felt incredulously fortunate to have found the Glacier when he did and Rye was more than happy to share what his home was about.
"I understand," Rye reassured Meerkat. "As for details of my pack, well I'd have to start with our Alpha, Wintersbane, he's recently had his own children born too. Five of them," The hotah sounded surprised by it and he was, one kid was a lot to look after but five? Rye couldn't imagine the all consuming responsibility. "Good man but stoic. I'm unsure how protective he's been but over the last couple of weeks fresh faces have joined our ranks. We look out for each other above all else, do normal chores like keeping caches stocked, marking borders, the usual stuff I'm sure you're familiar with. I have nothing but a great deal of respect for each, mostly everyone in the pack has something they specialize in or simply know how to do. I've been with them since before we fully formed as a pack, each one I've grown to know well and care for." A short memory of Imaq in their den crossed Ryes mind for a moment, a subtle smirk pulling at the edges of his lips. Through the twists and turns of his life, somehow he was lead to her and that fact alone always brought a smile to his face. 
After a quick beat, Rye continued. "Can't say much for the new recruits, all I know is they haven't caused any trouble. Hmm, what else can I say?" His head swayed leisurely back to his home, trying to recall a few neat features it held. "Ooh, I know! At night, there can be these bright lights dancing in the sky. Unlike anything I've ever seen before, its beautiful. Then there's the meadow, overflowing with flowers. After that we have this ice cave thing, it came with its own small waterfall and uhm, I think that's about it." Rye drawled the last word, stalling just in case he found anything else. The only other thing he could think of was the birthing dens but he wasn't going to share that. "Anything you want to know that I missed?"       

He didn't just oblige her, he indulged her. Meerkat listened carefully to every word Rye spoke of Duskfire Glacier. They were ruled by a man named Wintersbane, which was kind of a fearsome name. He'd recently sired five children, which made her eyes widen a bit. She had seen her own mother struggle with four, though she'd had a good support system and it sounded like that was the case here too. She quickly banished the guilt that welled up over that thought, focusing on what Rye was saying. It sounded like a tightly-knit family, just like the caldera, though the extinct volcano most certainly did not boast dancing lights in the sky.

Between that, the flowery meadow and the complete lack of Redhawk drama—she felt another, stronger twinge of guilt—Meerkat was pretty much sold. At the very least, she wanted to see it all for herself. Rye had welcomed her to come stay with them, though the yearling couldn't help but think of those six (at least; perhaps there were more) pups and how protective their fathers were of them. She imagined their mothers were even more so.

"It sounds amazing," Meerkat replied, snorting quietly at the platitude. "I mean, really, it does." She paused. "I've never really explored this corner of the wilds. I think I'd like to spend a few more days sightseeing." And relishing the last few days of freedom and solitude before she committed to one pack or another. "Maybe look into those other packs you mentioned. Then I'll swing by again, take you up on that offer. Would that be okay?"

Rye had no qualms with her decision, he was just happy to help in any way he could. Personally the woodland man hadn't gotten around to venturing past his corner of the neighborhood but he always wanted to. Another item added to the to do list set for far in the future. "Of course, roam around all you desire, our allies lay south east of here. If or when you find the time." Rye aimed his muzzle in the direction of Rivenwood. "I couldn't give you much of a description since I haven't personally visited but I do know they're around those mountains." His head returned to meet Meerkat, eyes alight and happier. There were whispers of another pack in the far south but Rye was none the wiser to them and didn't feel comfortable suggesting a pack that could possibly be unsafe. Her mother would murder him if she got word he sent her daughter to a sketchy place. That line of thinking brought forth a few questions and concerns for the yearling.

"Wait," His eyes squinted and his head tilted slightly, "Does your mother know you're out here? Why have you decided to move so far away, I'm sure other packs are closer to the Caldera, and why would you want to move? I have little room to speak here but I'm simply concerned for you is all." His words were honest, in a way he felt responsible for Meerkat now. Be it because his parental instincts were at an all time high or just that he was, at heart, concerned with everyone's safety. Perhaps it was both, either way in his eyes he wanted to make sure the yearling wasn't in any sort of trouble or strife   

He mentioned a pack to the south and her brown eyes drifted to where he pointed with his snout. He didn't mention a name, though he admitted he didn't know a whole lot about them. Meerkat decided she would head there next, as it sounded pretty promising. There was part of her that was already attached to the glacier. At first, she had wanted to fly under the radar, though she actually found comfort in Rye's ties to her mother. And though it shouldn't matter, the yearling knew it would likely please Towhee to hear she'd joined up with an old friend of hers.

Her expression froze when Rye began questioning her motives. She quickly relaxed again. They were fair questions and she didn't mind them. Actually, Meerkat kind of relished the chance to explain herself to someone other than herself or her mom. She wondered if her rationale would make any sense to a stranger. There was a better chance of it, considering Rye's familiarity.

"It's been a pretty rough year. And the past couple months, I ran myself ragged trying to help my family. I don't regret it. And I love them, a lot. But I needed to get away and live life for myself for the first time in a long time. I know it's selfish," Meerkat readily admitted, "but I was so tired and unhappy. I needed some distance. Just a little. You know?"

She explained her situation, a want to move away from the issues back in her home and start anew. Rye understood that need, it was crucial for everyones betterment as a being but the young woman expressed some guilt. Calling her actions 'selfish', he didn't agree, he didn't see it as something that was selfish. "Sometimes we give others too much and our own happiness gets used up, I'm sure for good reasons but I don't think it's selfish to want a break. From the way you put things you've definitely earned that break, a little R and R away from the family won't cause any fires or crazy mutants to sprout up from the ground like daisies." Rye chuckled softly, hoping to usher in a light aura. 
"I think it will all be okay, you'll find a good spot here to be happy." The east of  Teekon had a particularly soft demeanor, the breezes hadn't the same sharp edges that the more western part of the land had, at least in his opinion. There was comfort to be found and friendly inhabitants to befriend, Rye was positive Meerkat would find a home within the lands. There was hope she would take residence with his own pack but her wishes to distance herself from family, likely even small tethers to it, meant Duskfire was to be option Z. That, however, wouldn't upset him, just having a new Redhawk to greet and get to know would be a delight.         

His unexpected metaphor made Meerkat laugh out loud. He had really warmed up from his initially cool reception and she found herself quite liking the guy. She could easily see why Towhee had befriended him. She was curious about their friendship and would love to hear more about it. But the yearling decided it could wait until later, when she returned as promised.

"Well, I hope you're right," she replied, shifting her body to indicate she was ready to get going. "Hey, you should get back to your kid. I'll call for you when I swing by again. I'm glad I ran into you today, Rye. Take care and see you soon."

Rye nodded, agreeing that he should head back home but not before catching something. He still had some time before Imaq or the others would start to notice his extended absence. "Likewise," He said in response to her gratefulness. "See you around." Rye parted ways, deeper into the heart of the forest to finish what he started.