Sun Mote Copse but i'd rather swim ashore

Let me know if this won't work for your timeline, I thought it'd be a good opportunity to reference Skipjack and I'm hoping to take advantage of a trade op, too! Otter and Skipjack tags are for reference, this one is for Meerkat!

For the first couple days, Stingray kept his distance from his mother and brand new siblings. There were many visitors clamoring to see the newborns without his inclusion and he was reluctant to further overwhelm @Meerkat. Instead, Stingray spent his time patrolling the inner pack territory, ensuring there were no potential threats in the vicinity of the Taigh, and carrying food back to his weary ma. He was no fighter, but he had plenty of protective instinct where his family was concerned. Luckily, every one of his patrols ended uneventfully.

Today was the day. Instead of heading out like the days prior, Stingray took advantage of a lull in the visitors and scooted toward Meerkat on his belly, tail wriggling hopefully. With her blessing, he brushed his nose over the newborns and learned their scents. In the dark, he did his best to learn their faces as well. He was introduced to @Otter first, who received a sloppy kiss from her older brother, but when Meerkat introduced him to @Skipjack, Stingray felt a pang deep in his gut and asked if he could hold his little brother.

The boy could almost have been the spitting image of Swordfish if his white belly was cream instead.

Stingray cradled Skipjack close to his chest, too overcome with grief and memory to speak or do more than merely stare at him for a long while. He knew he wasn't supposed to have favorites, but poor Otter was completely forgotten for the time being. He knew he would find time for her later, but right now, Ray clung to his little brother like his whole life depended on it.

He missed Swordfish more than he could ever put into words. It was just over a year since his littermate was lost to them, just over a year since their flight from Sapphique and the bear. The raw wound of Fish's absence had become a scab, then a knotted scar, but even now that scar ached. Looking down at little Skipjack, Stingray felt that wound just the same as when it was freshly cut into his heart.

Realizing he had been motionless and fixated on his tiny brother for what might be an uncomfortable length of time, Stingray shifted and blinked back the stinging in his eyes. Sorry, ma, he whispered as he passed the babe back to her, he looks just like Fish.

Meerkat blinked tears from her eyes after her nth yawn. She just hoped Ray understood she was exhausted, not bored. She could watch him hold his baby siblings all day long. It of course made her wonder whether he wanted bairns of his own someday.

When he tried to pass Skipjack back to her, she put a paw on his leg and said, You can hold him as long as you like, Ray, and then, in a low murmur, He really does, doesn’t he? I think that’s part of why we named him after a fish: to honor your brother.

If he really was done, she would of course bundle her younger son beside his dozing sister, though she waited to be certain. Meerkat saw the tears at the corners of her elder son’s eyes and they endeared her. She didn’t want to make a big deal out of them, though, so she only offered a warm and sleepy smile.

It's okay, he mumbled, giving the babe one last nuzzle with the very tip of his nose before passing him back. It took several seconds for the stinging in his eyes to fully abate, during which he merely smiled down at the two pups.

Stingray believed that Swordfish must be dead, and in the same breath refused to accept it. Someday maybe you will meet him, he thought as he pried his gaze away from his newest siblings. I think I'm ready to be a better big brother and babysitter, he said, letting his gaze briefly touch his mother's warm eyes to gauge her reaction. He had not been as present as he should have with Seal and Orca. He had been mired in the loss of Swordfish and the flagging of his own confidence and self-worth. He had lost so much time with them to his inner turmoil.

That brought him to his next thought: his worth. He could focus on being a good babysitter now, but it wouldn't be long before Otter and Skipjack were old enough to run amok in the territory without constant supervision. He had been giving some thought to what else he could offer to his pack. Stingray had never been a particularly accomplished hunter, good enough to get by but nothing special, and he lacked the prowess for battle and the confidence that would make him a stellar guardian. Plus, border patrol bored him half to death. He didn't see himself as wise enough to make a good counselor and his time with the stargazers had shown him he lacked the brain power for the wolf equivalents of science and history. He didn't feel he was good at much, but he did have one thing in mind, a thought hatched during his time traveling.

I think I would like to become an ambassador, he told his mother, like you. Do you think that's something I could do?

Skipjack fussed a little as his brother passed him to his mother. Meerkat hastily tucked him against her side, beside Otter. The two puppies squirmed and she spent a moment soothing them with brushes of her tongue. When they were settled, she raised her eyes back to her elder son.

He used the word “better,” which implied he felt he hadn’t done a good enough job in the past. She frowned thoughtfully, mentally refuting this, though she did not argue. Meerkat instead focused on the more important part of his message: he wanted to step up and be more involved with this year’s bairns.

I would love that, she said, too exhausted for grand speeches, though each word was heartfelt. Yes, she answered his next question, I do. I certainly think you have the temperament for it. What about ambassadorship interests you? Which duties and tasks would you want to focus on?

These were questions Stingray should have anticipated, but they surprised him all the same. What did interest him about ambassadorship? Certainly the ability to stretch his legs and travel was a nice perk, and he would be doing something good for his pack. Sun Mote Copse had many allies through the extensive Redhawk connections, so there would be no shortage of work to do. It would give him a sense of purpose he felt he lacked.

But beyond the typical I-need-a-job-to-pay-my-rent aspect of picking up a more involved role, Stingray didn't have a solid answer for his mother.

I guess, he said, stumbling a little as he tried to come up with something impressive on the fly, it would be nice to... Do something meaningful. Not that other jobs aren't meaningful! His ears slicked back sheepishly and his eyes darted down to his baby siblings. He hadn't meant to raise his voice in his haste to correct himself, and while he knew they couldn't hear him, the impulse to flinch was automatic. Just, well, we have lots of family and I spent lots of time walking out there, but always felt like I wasn't walking anywhere. Now I'd be walking to grandma Towhee's or Sialuk's or Rodyn's or Seal's packs to help keep ties. I'd get to see so many wolves and keep them informed on our status, too. So I guess I'd want to focus on that: maintaining bonds between all our packs.

He paused both to catch his breath — somewhere in there, he had forgotten to take one — and to think. What made you want to be one? Maybe knowing Meerkat's motivation would help Stingray solidify his own.

She sensed that she’d put him on the spot with her direct questions. Meerkat felt a little bad for that, though she was too curious about the answers to feel too guilty. She offered Ray what she hoped was an encouraging smile, unaware that her drooping eyes made her look like she was half-asleep.

Purpose, she murmured when he finished. It’s always good to have a sense of purpose in life. Fostering bonds between packs sounds like a worthwhile endeavor to me, though I’m biased, of course. In fact, he wondered about her own motivations. I developed an interest in traveling at a very young age. My specialty was almost a byproduct of that, developing naturally over time as I hopped and skipped my way through the wilds.

She laughed. That probably wasn’t particularly helpful to her son, was it? But it was the truth. Meerkat had decided on her trades as a very young girl, motivated by nothing more serious than the spirit of adventure. She had never really put a whole lot of thought into it.

What keeps me interested in the field, she said after a contemplative moment, is my love for meeting people and forming friendships. I don’t get out as much these days, so that’s why I’m so happy when I find someone like… say, Nyssa. Recruiting’s not just about bringing a quality candidate into the pack, it’s about offering someone a home and a new lease on life.

Meerkat realized she was rambling in her sleepiness. She cut herself off and then yawned abruptly. Her whole body shivered with the force of it. She glanced down to make sure the motion hadn’t disturbed the pups, then caught Stingray’s eye, silently begging his forgiveness.

Meerkat's motivation, it turned out, was nothing more than the allure of the outside world. On later reflection, Stingray would see the same interest within himself. It had been tempered by the chaos of Swordfish's injury, the bear's attack on Sapphique, and their abrupt relocation to Moonspear, but it was the sense of discovery he shared with Meerkat that had brought him frequently to the pack borders when he was very young. His curiosity about the wider world had carried him from Moontide into the wilderness. It was surely what had called Vixen and Orca to depart at such young ages.

It would serve him well going down this path. His eyes drifted down to his baby siblings; would they grow up with the same wonder for what lay beyond their home? Would either of them inherit Njord's preference to be settled and still?

I met quite a few wolves out there, Stingray shared, having yet to clue in to Meerkat's exhaustion. He would not mention them by name. He could not speak of Ilaya or Salinger yet. He could hardly even reconcile the truth of that situation within himself.

I didnae always like the places. I didnae always like the people either. The pirates had been particularly rough for his tastes. But I always liked meeting them. Learning about their packs and their lives, and sharing some of mine. So I guess... I'm like you that way. I think I'd really like going to our ally packs and checking on them and bringing our news to them, and bringing theirs back.

Meerkat's wide yawn brought him back to the here and now. He ducked his head, feeling suddenly sheepish. Sorry, ma, you must be really tired. He scooted back a foot, slowly pulling himself up into a crouch. ::We can talk about it more later, maybe? Once you've had some rest.:

Oh? Meerkat thought, sensing her son wasn’t finished. He hadn’t spoken about his travels in much detail, at least with her, and she would absolutely love to hear anything Ray wanted to tell her. She had to smile when he said something about not necessarily liking everyone he came across.

Part of being a good ambassador is maintaining diplomacy when you come across… unsavory characters, she said with a light huff of laughter. I think you’d be very good at all of this, Ray. If it would be helpful to you, I can try to come up with some specific emissary tasks for you?

But not right this moment. He cottoned onto her exhaustion. Meerkat shook her head at his apology, smiling fondly at her eldest son. It was true she could use some rest, though she didn’t want this conversation to come to a close so soon.

I’ll put a pin in it for now, since I’m too tired to think. But, hey, if you’d like to tell me more about some of these people and places, I’d love to hear all about them. Only if you want… and if you don’t mind that I might conk out partway through, Meerkat tacked on with a sheepish twitch of her lips.