Drooping Willows you walked into the party like you were walking onto a yacht

Thread for @Archer for a sub-territory creation. Dusk, Clear Sky, 26F/-3C
On the northern border of Willow Ridge lays an era that is not run by the wolves of the Lore, rather it is owned by Red Foxes in the spring and summer months. Rolling hills hide a small pond that is fed by rain and snow run off, surrounded by fields of long grass and the occasional willow tree. The fields are dotted with burrows dug by generations of vixens bearing their children, raising them here in the spring and summer before abandoning them. It feels like an oasis when you are able to get it alone, and the dens can be used in the autumn and winter by wolves in need of shelter, but beware of protective mothers when it is kit season.

It was beginning to get dark, and Sephrina had come to realize that she wouldn’t be making it back by curfew. The girl had skipped her typical afternoon nap in order to enjoy the sunshine and milder weather that came with it, which meant she wasn’t in the territory now. Normally that wouldn’t matter, but her dad would definitely notice, and probably send someone else looking for her, that was why she usually waited to do her exploring until he left for the night and she could go in the opposite direction.

The almost teen had lost track of time, digging out abandoned fox dens and exploring them and the hills surrounding them. They seemed to be endless and every single one was different, they stunk pretty much the same, but they were a lot of fun to discover. It was also the perfect place to hide in case someone from the pack did come looking for her. Which was exactly what she planned to do. This was a cool place to be, and she would be in trouble when she got home so she was in no rush to get there.

Archer Valle

He didn't leave the territory often, spending most of his time pacing the borders waiting for his brother to return. So many of his siblings had left them and failed to return - his mother had left them and failed to return. It was the very reason Eros and Seri had gone out, but it didn't stop the Valle boy from worrying they wouldn't return either. He should have gone with them; should have insisted, rather than let himself be convinced to stay behind and look after their family.

But their younger siblings needed him, and he'd thought Inger's orphaned children would too. He'd been proven wrong on that front, but he wasn't going to back down and abandon his sisters.

...Which is how he found himself following Sephrina's scent away from home. A small smile tugged at his lips as he walked, no particular hurry to his steps. He hadn't been sent, and perhaps he could convince their da he'd take her out to redirect any trouble she would most definitely be in if Viorel found out she'd gone exploring on her own.

She'd made her way to a place littered with foxholes, all of which seemed to be empty to Archer's relief. That was the last thing he wanted to worry about right now. As the sun dipped ever lower, Archer finally let out a low chuff. "Shall we play a game?" he asked, confident wherever she was, she could hear him. "I'll come find you, and then I hide, and you come find me." He hadn't played a good game of hide and seek in ages.

The Valle girl was busy sniffing out one of the deeper fox holes, trying to figure out how deep it went when a voice drifted her way. Sephrina froze in place, eyes peering blearily towards the entrance of the den expecting her brother to be looking in. Instead all she saw was the image of the dark hole and the stark appearance of the snow on the outside, but no Archer. She had thought that she had been about to be getting in trouble, but he wanted to play?

She felt she was getting a little old for hide and seek, almost a yearling herself, but she wouldn’t pass up on the opportunity. Especially since she was half sure she was still grounded and that she would have been in huge trouble if someone else had found her. Sephrina couldn’t help the giggle that escaped her chest, but clamped a paw over her muzzle to try to smother the sound. She would have called out that she was ready to play, but that would have given away her location to quickly.

Shuffling backwards slowly, as silently as possible, the child pressed her back against the wall of the den. Here in the shadows she would blend in, and might not appear right away if Archer saw her in his peripheral vision. Sephrina tried to slow her breathing, the longer the game went on, the longer she could stay out past curfew.

Archer Valle

His ears twitched as he heard the faint giggle, but he didn't immediately turn to where he thought it came from. A smile ghosted across his face as he stalked forward, keeping his paw-steps soft like he would when hunting a rabbit. He moved through the fox warrens, sniffing not only for his sister but for the musk of fresh fox - he may only be a yearling and Seph might not be small anymore, but she was still a pup and he was still better equipped to fight one of their slippery cousins. He personally felt foxes were closer to cats than wolves, anyway. He'd almost prefer a coyote.

Archer thought about calling out again, teasing his sister into showing herself, but it would be more fun to stalk her and flush her out that way. Then again, he wanted to boost her confidence and it would be better served if he didn't immediately drag her out. She was likely to be in trouble when they got home, especially if they weren't able to sneak back in. Might as well give her a good evening out. "Sephriiiiiiinaaaaaa," he sang in a low voice as he looked.

The child could barely contain her next giggle as she heard her older brother calling out her name again. She must have picked a good hiding spot, and that pleased her. Even if she did think she was a little too old for hide and seek, winning games was always fun. She held her breath when she saw a shadow walk by the entrance of the den, not wanting to alert Archer that she was inside. It was hard to contain all the laughter that was threatening to give away her hiding spot, she couldn’t let that happen.

Letting it out slowly, Sephrina crept forward, pausing when she thought she could still hear him outside. Finally, after a moment or two with no further movement she stuck her head out of the den and looked around. In the fading light it was hard for her to distinguish exactly where he is and so she took her best guess. Launching herself out of the den she cried, ”Gotcha!” At the dark form she could only guess was Archer. Wouldn’t it be embarrassing if it wasn’t him?

Archer Valle

She had to be close... he'd just heard her. It had been her, right? Maybe his mind was playing tricks on him. But no... he could smell her, the familiar scent mingled with those native to the fox warrens. He sighed a little, hoping he wasn't moving too much further away from her. He paused, tilting his head to listen. Maybe he could hear her, if she was moving. All was quiet, except the chirping of insects and birds.

And then, bursting through the quiet, a delighted voice shouted "Gotcha!" Archer whipped around and spotted his sister triumphantly staring at a gnarled shrub. He blinked, concern and amusement warring in his chest. It had become clear early on her eyesight wasn't the best, but still... did he really look like a bush?

"You certainly surprised me," he said with a low chuckle. "Great hiding place!" He still didn't know which warren she'd come from, but it had to be one he'd just walked past.

The voice of her brother came from the right of where she was looking, and out of pride Sephrina did her best to cock her head just slightly. She had obviously always been looking exactly at him and there was no way he could tell otherwise. Completely unrelated of course, she took a step closer and squinted before realizing she had been looking at a rather large bush.

She would have been embarrassed had her hiding place note immediately been praised. Beaming at her older brother in pride, her dark tail waved behind her vigorously, she might have messed up the landing but the hiding had been good clearly. Besides, she liked that she wasn’t in trouble and that she was getting some extra attention. When she told this story to Isla she would leave out the part about the bush.

Looking expectantly at Archer she declared, ”Your turn!” Sephrina made a big show about squeezing her eyes shut so her brother would have a chance to hide, ”One……two…….” She would count to ten to give him enough time to choose a hole before looking for him, fairs fair after all.

Archer

Archer smiled when his sister shifted to fully look at him, and chose not to comment on the lapse in eyesight. He would have to share that with his da... but for now he was here to play with his sister. He really shouldn't draw it out much longer, but there was no point in dragging her straight back to be scolded. She would be in trouble no matter what, but if Archer was with her it wouldn't hurt to be a little later. He could explain. Maybe even lessen some of her punishment by taking the blame for their lateness himself.

"Alright," he said, then took on a playfully stern voice. "No peeking!" he spun around when she closed her eyes and lightly trotted to the next little knoll, still dotted with foxholes. He sniffed the entrance to one, found the scent stale, and carefully backed into the entrance. He didn't go down far; he could still peer out and watch Sephrina.

Sephrina still had her eyes obediently closed when she nodded seriously and repeated, ”No peaking.” That would defeat the purpose of the game. She was going to find him all on her own without any cheating, if only to make up for the brief embarrassment that was the bush incident. She counted slowly until reaching ten before opening her eyelids, looking vaguely around with cloudy eyes. She didn’t see him anywhere obvious, not that she expected to.

Wagging her tail with pleasure, the Valle girl put her nose down near the snow and began to sniff with gusto. Checking each den along the way, Sephrina did not even think to follow the paw prints in the snow, instead relying solely on his scent, and listening carefully for any sound he may make. She had a few false starts before finally confidently landing on the one she thought Archer may be hiding in.

Making a big show of taking a few final, dramatic sniffs, she waggled her bottom in the air and leapt down into the den on top of him. Giggling at the way she was able to catch him she declared, ”Gotcha!” She was very pleased with herself, but before she could rub it in a yawn stretched her jaws wide open, Sephrina did not realize how tired she had gotten until she was now in the dim gnoll with her brother at her side.

Archer

Archer hid, and his sister dutifully counted without peeking. He watched her wander, and held stone still as she approached. He might've held his breath, if she hadn't already mistaken him for a bush. Instead he waited, then jumped as though startled when she pounced on him with an exclamation of success. "Aww," he said, feigning disappointment. "I surrender. You're too good at this game." He winked at her.

Her celebration was interrupted by a wide yawn, and Archer's smile softened. "I don't know about you, but I'm ready for bed," he said. "Why don't we head back, and I'll tell Da we were late because I didn't want to stop playing." It wouldn't save her from a scolding, but it might help... even though their da would see right through the fib. Maybe he'd think it was funny enough to let it go.