Post by dunderhead on Dec 30, 2008 3:40:44 GMT -5
Characters
Harper, male red fox
Gabriel, female kingfisher
Inali, female red fox (black in color)
Takata, female red fox
Braxton, male red fox
Follows: You... you saved my life back there (probably two weeks or so later)
Precedes:A Little Late to the Party
Story Thus Far
Inali is sick and had nearly drowned. Their den destroyed, Takata and Inali decide to stay at Harper's old den while she recovers. Takata takes along another fox she does not know well, Sanguine.
While hunting Takata meets Braxton and discovers that Sanguine is, in fact, a rapist. They run back to the den, as Takata had left him alone with Inali. Unbeknownst to them, Sanguine has vanished, an in his place, Harper has finally returned after a long vacation throughout much of winter and spring. And he isn't happy finding his home invaded!
Other important snippets: Harper knows Inali from when he helped her recover after being injured by a cougar nearly two seasons ago. Braxton had heard mention of Inali before from his son, Ossian, who had gone off to look for her, and had not been seen for some months. Braxton is also anxiously looking for his daughter Kaira, who is trapped on the southern side of the river.
---- Old Chestnut Tree ----
It's a rather bored looking fox that comes to the old chestnut tree, despite all the chaos most of the rest of the forest has been experiencing. Harper hasn't been keeping up with a lot of the current events. Nor does he care to. All he wants is to enjoy the new *spring!* Finally, no more getting snowed in and having to dig himself back out of his own den! Hopefully Gabe has been keeping an eye on the place while he roamed far and wide for food (for himself, Gabe didn't exactly share his diet, but it was hard enough). And now as the sun begins to shine again and the snows are melting, he can enjoy his nice, unbroken solitude. Plus Gabe, of course.
Dozens of birds sing and whistle during the comfortable midday time throughout the square miles that make up the terrain. They know summer is right around the corner, though some foxes may be a bit seasonally confused. However, a particular kingfisher named Gabriel is nowhere to be found. She may be one of the choir additions, she may have gone somewhere else for the day, for the week, for the season. Gabe is nowhere to be found... for now.
The black vixen nuzzles up against her own belly sleepily. Boy, she is happy that Harper seemed to have moved on or something. Not that she wouldn't like to see him again, but she wouldn't like to explain to him why there are now three foxes in his home when before he had seemed quite content with one -- and that one was himself, of course. He wanted to get rid of her as quickly as he could, whatever obligations to her care the fox had felt. It was a while since Takata had left hunting and all she had to do was sleep. Her eyes close again, as she tries to waste another few hours to slumber.
Harper notices something odd when he nears the tree. Other scents... of other foxes. He narrows his eyes and blinks a little in confusion. This wasn't supposed to be here. What was going on? Someone else was trying to take his den? Several someones? This couldn't be allowed! He tilts his ears back and goes lower, sniffing to try and pinpoint all of them. One of them seems awfully familiar...
A familiar tune, a familiar voice, a familiar bird! "Harper!" A white, black, and blue kingfisher calls from high above in the sky, making the voice sound even more faint and timid. It doesn't take very long for a songbird to reach from air to surface in any circumstance. With a successful meal beforehand, Gabe soars down gracefully and lands on her familiar foxy friend's rump. "Hey cutie~! I found some breakfast. Hope you weren't too lonely while I was gone~." She hops up to his shoulders, then hops off to the ground with a flurry of wingflaps. Again, physically unable to walk, the perky songbird bounces in front of Harper and notices his nose pressed against the ground. Harper with a curious (read paranoid) nature often has his nose picking up scents on the ground, but this time is different, he seems more focused and serious than usual. "...? What do you smell?"
"Shhh!" Harper hisses at Gabriel approaches, all the way down to his bottom. Usually he's a little more mild about how loud she is, but right now, with a potential home invasion going on, he's not feeling too patient. "I smell other foxes!" he says, nodding to the den. He thought Gabe would be watching the place while he was foraging... oh, but wait. She had come along for his little winter/spring vacation. As he approaches the hole, he happens upon a small bit of black fur. Suddenly, a flash of memory inspires him. That smell! It's Inali! But what is she doing here? And with other foxes? "Hallo!" he calls down into the den, waiting for a stranger to come up that he can *bite.* This is his den! Nobody's allowed without his permission!
Gabriel nods quickly and scans the ground as far as she can from the earth, which obviously isn't much. She attempts to smell what Harper does by sticking her beak to the ground, but to no avail. The bird simply can't segregate the scents. Trying to be more serious and dire of Harper's situation, she hushes. By no means is she offended or upset by this. Flapping back onto the fox's back, she looks at the old nesting tree. As Harper calls out for anyone else around, he says foxes, she gets ready for a rather unpleasant confrontation.
Inali stirs. She had just fallen back asleep! The black circle of fuzz slowly uncoils. It must be that Sanguine fox Takata knows. She has not gotten to know him well yet, but she had already decided that she doesn't care for him. He's always staring at her butt! If she felt up to snuff, she'd probably just toy with him a little, but as she is now, sick, it's a little unnerving. Certainly it wasn't Takata that had just called. So she looks toward the entrance of the den. Ooh! It's bright. Only a silhouette. It must be Sanguine, even if it didn't particularly /sound/ like Sanguine. "What! I'm sleeping," she says miserably, turning back around to slump on her side again.
"Well stop it!" Harper calls back. "Inali? I know you're in there! It's me, Harper! What's all these smells?! Did you mess up my house while I was gone?" He looks back to Gabriel and huffs. "I take in one injured fox and suddenly it's a party down there," he says with a shake of his head. "I'm coming down there!" he calls into the hole without waiting for an answer, padding right on in.
Gabriel is equally as displeased with a multitude of welcome guests in her home as Harper is. She nods in complete agreement. as Harper comments to her. She has to duck as the fox enters their home, but she remains on his back, primarily for safety. "Inali?"
Inali freezes as she was just about to curl back up into a tight little fluff-ball. She slowly turns back around and stares blankly. "Buh?" It's still a silhouette, she can't make out anything. But she wouldn't need to -- he steps out of the light, and down into the dark den, and she can see him as the fox she had once known. Boy oh boy! She had thought Harper had moved on. Hadn't even smelt him in the den lately. After a moment's shiver she knew she was okay. Harper certainly wasn't a fox to throw her out in her condition. She'll have to work with that. "H-Harper?" Inali slowly 'tries' to get up, but slumps forward. "Ooh," she exaggerates, and looks up at him weakly.
Harper freezes when he sees Inali again. After all this time he had thought she'd... well, left. But here she is, dropped right back into his life again, and apparently, again in need of help. He opens his mouth, apparently ready to snap angrily at her. But then he sees how "badly" she's doing, and it seems at first the wool is pulled over his eyes. "Oh, geez. What's wrong?" he asks, all concern and chivalry like before. "Are you sick? Gabe, I think she's sick! Inali, what are all these other foxes doing here? They don't smell sick!"
The pretty little songbird now can smell other foxes. Very obvious in their...*her* den! When her companion refers to her, she panicks a bit. She missed Inali, and finds her again sick! Unwell! Injured! "What's wrong, fluffy?" She asks sympathetically, refusing to come off of Harper's shoulder while the fur and scent of other foxes are so contrasting. Harper's mood are almost always reflected in Gabe's own.
"Surprise!" she says with a weak smile when she sees the expression on Harper's face, and lets out an awkward little chuckle. Yes, Inali is sick -- but she had really suffered the brunt of the illness a week ago. She is a little surprised to see Gabe here as well -- well, she is always surprised to see a bird in such proximity to a fox, so friendly-like. It astounds her. "Heello, Gabriel," she nods her head to the little bird, and lets out a little (fake) cough. "Yes, sick -- that's right. My, my den, it flooded and I, ooh, I needed a place to stay," she says. "I'm sorry, I -- I shouldn't have intruded. I'll leave," she weakly 'tries' to get up again. She neglects to mention any of the 'other' foxes in her display.
Harper sighs and steps in front of Inali before she can make a move. The floods, eh? He'd heard about them, but hasn't been to a flooded area personally. "Wait, wait..." he says, shaking his head. Whatever her act is, he's been sold like the big lug he is. "We've taken you in before, and we can do it again. Just... just sit down. This den will fit all three of us." The others on the other paw... he'll have to deal with them.
Harper had heard about the floods through Gabriel, who could see them happening from an amazing distance away. Not that her vision was so spectacular, but rather the flood itself was. Now Gabriel doesn't know anything about fox illnesses, so when she sees Inali sick, she believes Inali's sick. Gabe loves her, she doesn't have any reason to doubt anyway. She whistles once, twice, then hopes Harper didn't notice. It's hard to *not* do that when you're a songbird.
Inali looks at Harper and slowly nods her head, settling back down -- at first on her haunches, before she slides down onto her belly as well. She places her head on her paws and looks up at Harper, and then looks at Gabriel perched on his back. "Oh.. okay," she whines. "Just until I'm feeling -- feeling just a bit better." She adjusts herself she is a little more comfortable. "And, ah -- the other foxes you smell. One is Takata. You remember her? She ran off and I suppose that was the last you saw of either of us." Inali curls up again, ticking her nose against her tail. "She came here to take care of me," she says with a yawn. "So please don't be too angry with her," she adds sleepily.
Harper drops down onto his stomach, wondering what he can do to make Inali feel better. Though he still feels a little chagrined that she would take his hospitality for granted, he is glad that she managed to make it back here, rather than get eaten in the woods. but wait... did she say she had help? He raised his head and blinked, ignoring Gabe's singing. "Takata?" he mutters. "She's here too, eh? Hmph." He turns about to look to Gabriel. "We're gonna have to keep an eye out for when she gets here..." He sighs and fixes his eyes on Inali again. "*I* can take care of you just as well!" he insists. "We don't need to make this place a convention. But I am glad to see you again."
Gabriel nods twice quickly. "Sure thing." Gabriel bounces off of Harper, about to land on the floor, when she remembers that /other/ foxes have been in the den. She quickly draws in hollow legs close to her body and flaps her wings quickly to prevent herself from touching the ground. She flies outside and straight up, into her particular favorite branch of old tree. She watches out for the other two foxes. Even if Harper didn't mean literally this second, Gabe decides to stand sentry, anyway.
Inali nods softly. She always figured Harper to be a bit of a recluse. Or maybe he just hates his own kind. She smirks a little. She can see how that could be. He actually manages to make her feel a little guilty taking advantage of him and his hospitality like this. A season and a half ago, she wouldn't have given it a second thought. She would have led him to the ends of the earth with wiles and left him there. But Harper actually has Takata to thank for her new appreciation for kindness. It's been a long and interesting spring. "The other is, um... Sandwich? Sandpaper? No, that's not right," she says from her ball of black fluff, slowly uncoiling again as she tries to remember his darn name. "Takata brought him here, don't ask me why. I don't like the guy at all. Keeps staring at my butt when he thinks I'm not looking!" She shakes her head. "It kind of annoyed me that Takata went and left him here with me, but, he seems to have wandered off."
Harper tilts his head curiously, letting Gabe do as she will. He trusts her. "Your *butt*?" he asks incredulously, sounding dually disgusted and surprised, both at Inali's crude, brusque language and her description of the other male. He snorts and looks prepared to rise on all fours again to pace. "Well, I hope he doesn't come back. Anyone who behaves like that is *not* welcome in my home." He'll run him out himself if he has to. "Is that all? Or are we going to be expecting more uninvited guests?"
At this moment right outside of the den Takata arrives with heavy thumps. "HEY SANGUINE YOU BASTARD GET OUT HERE SO I CAN KILL YOU!" she says with a growl having gotten worked up on the way here. She was ready to rip his pelt off from braxtons description.
Braxton is right behind Takata, his teeth bared. He bellows! "Come out, dog! Before you rape another!" Braxtonn hollers angrily. "If you hurt anyone I swear to the spirits I'll make you suffer before you die!"
"HARPER!" Gabriel screeches, frightened both by language and content. The bird flies higher up on the tree as she spots the second one as it calls out. "HARPER!" She whistles in alarm. She doesn't know what's going on, but she doesn't like rival foxes coming around to *her* tree with threatening voices. "Get out of here!"
Inali figures her language may had been a little coarse for Harper. In mild embarrassment, she corrects herself stumbling, "Oh, er, my hindquarters, yes." She doesn't quite know how to put it delicately, but at that moment is distracted by the yelling outside. She rolls onto her belly and sits up again rather quickly, hunched over slightly -- she /was/ actually sick, after all, her exaggerations aside. What on earth mother of glory? "T... Takata...?"
Harper jumps up in fright and anger when the barks jump right into his hole. He looks up at the noises just outside, seeming rather nonplussed at all the commotion, and then sticks his head out right into the others' faces. "HEY!" he shouts back, clearly not Sanguine. "Just *what* do you two think you're doing shouting into *my* den?! I have a GUEST!"
Takata frowns as she hears the voice inside is harper. Her fur automaticly flattens out as she thinks over what to do. "Oh... um? harper?" she asks blinking a bit. "Where did sanguine go.. and is Inali alright? if..if he harmed her at all i'm gonna hhunt him down" She says with a heavy frown her tail stilled between her legs. "s...sorry about yelling.. I... i was jsut afraid for Inali"
Braxton is still in a bit of a yelling state. He does notice the male who pops his head out of the hole is not Sanguine. "Where is he? Where is the dog who raped my daughter?!"
Oh, goodness. She had felt a small tinge of guilt already, and now what is all this *yelling* for? Harper is gonna blame this on her, isn't he? Wait, what. Raped daughter huh? She can hardly hear what is going on out there. Her head hurts again. "Oh, Harper, you didn't! You wouldn't!" She backs away from the fox into a dirt wall.
Harper blinks several times and lets his mouth drop. Rape? Sanguine was a *rapist*? ... And they had left him *here* in his *den?* Oh, this was just too much! "Inali is in here. Sanguine is out *there,*" he manages to say, though he looks aghast at what she says to him. "I wouldn't what?" he asks, sincerely confused now. "I... I don't even know what's going on! Takata, who is *that?*" he asks, throwing his head towards Braxton.
Takata blinks a bit as she is calming herself down. "Okay okay.. so sanguine is gone... good... Inali is oaky good.." she then turns to Braxton. "calm down hun hes long gone he beat paws... you can probably track him" She says then looking over at harper rather embaresed "er... sorry.. didn't mean to cause trouble... thanks for not kicking out inali" She says feeling quite embaresed.
Braxton calms down. He looks notably disappointed. Oh, if only the stupid male stuck around, Braxton would have another chance to kill him. "I am sorry."
Gabriel tilts her head curiously. As the mood comes down, so does she, from her tree. She lands next to Harper, looking as concerned and demanding as he does. She doesn't personally care about the other two's story: Go away! The blue, black, and white bird doesn't seem to react to their appologies. Angry little bird!
Inali watches Harper's clueless expression and gets down from the wall. Sanguine? Oooh. That makes -much- more sense. Boy, she would have loved to have seen that fox just /try/ to touch her. She feels suddenly rather angry over the whole situation before she meeps and stares blankly at Harper. "What, huh? Oh, nothing," she says listlessly looking away from him a touch as he addresses her confused accusations with befuddlement. She certainly hopes Harper would never realize what thought just went through her mind, already sorry for it.
Harper doesn't seem any more calm than the others. Emboldened by Gabriel's presence, he glares at the two foxes outside. "Right! Well now that that's settled, would you all mind telling me why you're here?!" he demands. "I have a sick guest in my home who doesn't need people coming around making wild accusations! Now *please*... explain to me what is going on here and why so many foxes have been running in and out of my den!"
Takata sighs gently a shakes her head. "Yes i know you have a sick fox.. shes my /mate/ i was out scouting for a new den for us, i trusted that ... that dog to watch over her while i was out, then Braxton here told be about Sanguine so i ran back." She says sighing gntly. She then smiles a bit at Harper. "Thanks for taking care of her I am sorryy for te trouble" She says weakly waggling her tail.
"I came because I heard that the filthy *dog* who raped my daughter was with my friend's mate. I have come to kill him." Braxton says testily. "I am Braxton, mate of Terri and father of Flicker, Ossian, and Kaira!"
Inali ahems and curls back up into a ball in mild embarrassment upon hearing Takata describe Inali as a /mate/. She has no idea how Harper would react to *that* news. This entire situation is getting awkward! And Inali's head hurts again!
Harper doesn't react in a clearly favorable manner. Everything else is forgotten when *that* interesting piece of news comes out. "She's your /what?/" he blurts out, turning back to Inali. He looks disbelieving and almost dizzy. "You're her /what?/" he repeats, and then looks over at Braxton. "I'm... I'm sorry, but he isn't here," is all he can manage to say, backing into his den a bit in a protective gesture. Inali and Gabe are the only ones who haven't acted insane or murderous... yet. These two foxes were mostly strangers and confusing besides. "I just got back here..." he says testily, his temper returning a little. Why did he have to deal with all this? "Gabriel, did you see any signs of a fox leaving on the way back? No, wait, hold that thought..." He shakes his head and looks back at the others. "You're not all going to try and *live* here, are you? This is *my* den!"
Takata blinks as she shakes her head wondering if the fox was talking to her. "Shes my mate, the one i care for the one I look after, I was hoping to set right my bad judge of character" She says then shakes her head. "No i will be happy to sleep outside of your den till Inali is back" She says sighing heavy. "I..i just want her to be okay.. and if you need anything as payback im willing to do it for letting Inali stay" she says feeling kinda embarresed herself as she admited something she was shy about... matehood was something strange to her.
"No!" The bird cries out defensively, even though she knows it isn't /her/ that Harper's upset with. The familiar flies on Harper's shoulders, looking around his neck to see the other two infront of him. She keeps quiet. Gabriel doesn't like the vibe of the other two, it just doesn't fit well in her feathers.
"I have my own home." Braxton says. "You have nothing to fear from me... and I apologize for my behavior, but can one blame me when I was here expecting to see my daughter's..." He shakes his head. "Do forgive me."
The cat's out of the bag, Inali supposes. Or, the fox is out of the closet? Erm. It's actually a much more... complicated relationship than that. Inali lives with Takata out of guilt, and Takata, to the best Inali can figure, lives with her out of desperation. It's not genuine matehood, no... but, neither of them are so lonely, and they both take care of each other, right? Inali saved her from starvation, she saved Inali from drowning. Harper might remember Takata being a scrawny little thing when he met her during the winter, on the brink of starvation. Now she is rather healthy looking. Inali is well fed despite being sick. They've hunted for each other, and lived together, and have shown each other an appreciation for life neither have known before. So maybe it /is/ the same thing. Inali, anyway, denies all this in a moment as she places a paw on her muzzle. "We just lived together," she says meekly.
"Oh. Well. That's nice, I suppose," Harper says to Braxton, shifting his shoulder as Gabriel lands on it, good old Gabe. Takata he remembers was a flighty old oddity when he had first met her, not the guilt-ridden, desparate creature he sees now, healthy or not. And all this talk about being mates, well... his mind had instantly shifted to the cuddles-at-night and swears-hearts-to-each-other type. And Inali's explanation just gets him a little turned around, and the whole situation is just out of his league right now. "Look," he says, cutting off more talk. "I just got back home... I'm tired and I am confused. Please... take your business elsewhere. I don't know this Sanguine character, but I certainly wouldn't give him shelter. And Inali will be fine under my care," he says insistently. "Gabe will show you where you can sleep. If you absolutely must stay."
Takata takes this in and hears Inali's whimper of denial from inside then takes in Harpers words. "Ah... I see" She says and nods suddenly her emotions disapearing. "Well, I am betting you have things covered now Harper" She says and then forces a smile. "Well sorry to bother take care of her and i will stop disturbing" She says and turns to Braxton. "Sorry to have been too much of a bother to you, I am going to go find a nice place to sleep" She says and before her mask of non emotion breaks she suddenly takes flight and disapearing quietly into the forest keeping a mind not to crash through the brush. She was alone again, atleast in her mind Inali was ashamed of her.. used her for pennence like she thought... well she didn't need pity, she just needed herself.
Braxton mmms. "I'm going to move on. I need to find my daughter. She's been missing since the floods started." Braxton says. "Thank you." With that, he turns and heads south.
Inali suddenly feels rather rotten about what she said. She doesn't always think before she says things. But, well, it sounded to her brain-rattled and tingling head that Harper had practically /yelled/ at her and she is practically programmed to come up with whatever excuse might serve the moment. Even if Takata did try her best to hide her emotions, Inali knows what she said sounded like, and if Takata overheard... she shakes her head and slowly stands back up. "S-sorry! Takata!" But the red vixen had already left. Inali stares blankly at the entrance, past Harper, for a few moments, wanting to run after her, but she slowly settles back down. "Ugh," she mutters. Now she feels really stupid. This all turned into a big mess. She begins to coil herself back up.
As Takata insists on finding a place to sleep, Gabriel is instantly relieved she doesn't have to show a place where she could stay. However, seeing a fox so low can be a bit pittiful. Regardless, *they* came to her--their-- home looking for trouble. Gabriel wouldn't allow stranger birds in her nest, she understands why her fluffy friend wouldn't want anyone else with him. She leans over to Harper's ears and sighs. "I probably would have just showed her a muddy log." The bird hops off of her companion and looks back into the den to see the fox. Again she whispers to Harper. "Want me to split for a while, cutie?"
"Probably not a bad idea," Harper murmurs in return to his feathery friend. "Thanks for sticking with me. That was a pretty... strange few minutes." Strange nothing. He had nearly been driven to hysterics. But now his attention is on Inali and all the trouble she seems to believe she's in. "Hey... Inali?" he prods quietly. "Are you... no, of course you aren't all right..." He drops down on his stomach. "Is there anything I can do?"
Inali admittedly didn't really want to be talked to right now. She wanted to go to sleep, or something. Any talk now would just feel like more awkwardness. She gives Harper a very brief, slightly annoyed look. But it falls quickly as she realizes, quite frankly, she doesn't want to drive away another friend who is willing to help her. She plants her muzzle back between her paws. "No, it's alright. Thank you," she says with a heavy sigh. "I'm sorry about everything. I-I didn't mean for any of this to happen."
Braxton actually is seen coming back. He had just remembered something. Wanted to ask Inali a few things. He cautiously approaches the den and takes a seat and clears his throat."
In the den, Gabriel is unable to see Braxton returning. And she's too focused on the scenario, anyway. She hops her way into the den more, looking at where she slept most of the winter. However /hearing/ Braxton back at the den, again, surpises her. She squeals in surprises, and whistles. "Harper!" She calls out again, more like a warning than anything else.
Harper creeps a little bit closer to Inali, despite the withering glance she gives him. He licks his lips, uncertain what to say. This is the second time she's dropped into his life needing help, but the almost charming self-sufficiency he had seen earlier was gone. It's quite disheartening, and moves him. "Inali, look... I-" And then he's interrupted by Gabriel. "What... oh, *what* is it now?!" he barks angrily, spinning around to face Braxton. "I thought you were going away!" he says snippishly.
Inali looks at Harper softly. She isn't sure what he is going to say, maybe disapproving. After all that happened, she wouldn't be surprised. But he looks concerned. That'd be like him. She faintly smiles. Inali would have never considered Harper a 'friend', more like 'gullible male'. But he makes a good one, whenever she needs him. If he were disapproving, it actually would make her upset... which makes her feel weak, beyond any illness. She hates feeling weak. How has she turned into this? She was so hard before she met Takata. She is taken aback a little as Harper barks back at the entrance now, following his gaze.
"I don't want to make any trouble for you. I have grown believing I can do better through generosity and cooperation." Braxton says. "Please, don't judge me. Not until you can at least get to know me. Er..." Braxton tries to get to his business. "I would like to talk to Inali for a moment."
Harper glares at Braxton, and then huffs. "Hold on. I'll see if she *wants* to see you," he says, feeling protective of her at the moment. She's alone and afraid. And he's anti-social. *Neither* of them should be bothered right now. "Inali?" he asks, nodding to the entrance of the den. "You feel like talking? I'll chase him off if you want."
Inali shakes her head. "No," she sighs. "It's okay." She had practically completely forgotten that Braxton mentioned that he was Ossian and Kaira's father, if she had caught him say so at all. But even if she feels a little emotionally vulnerable right now, she at least maintains enough defenses to not care what a complete stranger thinks. And anyway, she actually -likes- meeting new faces. It's just a shame he'd have to see her like this.
Braxton waits for Inali to come out and see him. He is trying to think of a good way to introduce himself.
Gabriel doesn't go back in with Harper as he checks if Inali wishes to speak to him or not. She stands next to the den on the outside, eyeballing him with her tiny eyes. She doesn't speak to him, but her glare forces volumes, if Braxton cares enough to pay attention to an insignificant bird, that is.
Harper follows a little behind, glaring at Braxton the whole way, hoping Gabriel is following suit. This is *his* home. And everyone just keeps using his doorstep like he had thrown up a pretty little sign saying 'house party!' Jerks. Much as he'd probably like to see Sanguine strung up or the like, he can't bring himself to care for the plights of the outside world too much. He plops down next to Gabriel. And *glares.* Things were so much simpler when he was just wandering around in the woods. But of course, if he went back to that, Gabe would be with him this time.
Inali watches Harper leave. Was she supposed to stay in here or go out there? After a few moments she gets up, as she realizes she was expected to join them, and makes her way out into the light timidly. Ooh! It's bright! She covers her eyes with a paw, and sits down on her haunches right by the den entrance, folding her tail over her legs.
Braxton walks up to Inali cautiously. "Hello, Inali... er..." Braxton says. "Wish I could have met you under normal circumstances.... you know my son... Ossian?"
Gabe and Harp's attitudes are perfectly parallel right now. Their thoughts might be a bit different, but they both say a lot with their staring. They're not saying anything nice. She sits down (all two inches of change) after Harper rests next to her. She whispers something to him, then retreats back. "But it's your call..."
Harper perks his ears up at the mention of a son. What, is *that* all he came back to talk about? The guy is trying to set her up or something? Now he's starting to feel not only used, but insulted! He watches Gabriel hover in the background, and whispers back to her, looking a little disapproving, but agreeable.
Inali puts a paw on her lip. Ossian? Sounds familiar. She looks up and down the older male before her eyes suddenly light up. Oh! She lets out a soft chuckle. "Ah, that kid with the long legs?" His father, eh? So this is Ossian's father? He mentioned he was still living with his parents. Heck, he had indicated that she was practically the first female he had seen beside his family! He was a weird kid. She gets up and paces around Braxton briefly.
Braxton watches a little uneasily as Inali paces around him. "It's actually important to me that I talk to you about him... particularly... he left a good while ago, almost a whole season now..." Braxton clears his throat. "... looking for you. Please, ease my worries as a father... did he ever find you?"
Inali blinks and stops, sitting herself back down. "Looking? For me?" Boy, she didn't think she was even very nice to the kid. He messed up a hunt and she demanded he pay her back by catching her a rabbit. That had pretty much been the extent of their relationship, but, he -did- seem unusually nervous around her. Yeah, strange kid indeed. She slowly shakes her head. "No..." she eyes him curiously. "What'd he be looking for *me* for?"
Braxton almost melts and appears somewhat heartbroken. Could Ossian be hurt... or worse? "Oh no." Braxton looks down. "Well... apparently you're important to him. He called you a friend. I confess, I urged him to try to win you over. But if he hasn't found you yet... oh no..."
"Win me over?" She is a little astonished, but admits the kid showed such energy it didn't seem unlike him at all to go on an 'adventure' to find her. It's a somewhat flattering thought. And it'd be a real pity if something /did/ happen to him, especially because of her. She paws at the ground. "Sorry, I- I didn't know. We barely knew each other," she admits. "I said I'd help hunt with him after he helped catch me a rabbit, but, I never saw him after that. I don't know where your son is," she adds, an obvious conclusion to her previous statement.
Gabriel doesn't care about the other's sob story. It was *that* fox who came in, parading his name and kin around her tree. Bleh. Her disgust was intentionally obvious. She flies on Harper's back, then hops off back on the soft grass next to him. Her twitchy, panicked motions are an unintentional result of her emotions flaring up. Birdie. "Whatever you say, fluffy..."
Braxton nods. "Well... thank you anyway. If he shows up..." Braxton looks away, not wanting to show his distress. "Tell him his parents are worried about him." Braxton stands and turns to leave. "Sorry to have disturbed you."
Harper tilts his head curiously as the conversation goes on. This sounds almost amusing... a stupid kid out to impress some girl by going and looking for her. And now he's probably gotten himself killed. Foolish, is all Harper can think of. And now he's starting to get bored. But oh! He's leaving, thank goodness. "Apology accepted," he cuts in. He just can't help it. It is *his* den after all.
Inali turns back and *glares* at Harper and Gabriel. Boy, they are being colder than /she/ would be two months ago. Of course, if this were two months ago, she would probably fake compassion and try to take advantage of him somehow. So they still win the comparison. She turns back to Braxton, pitifully. Yes, he probably /did/ get hurt. Inali knows it's a hard world out there. "Sorry," she says lowly, watching him leave. "I'll tell him that." It's the best that she could do.
You better believe Gabriel noticed that Braxton didn't even make any attempt to notice the bird in his appology. Having at least some manners at this point, she lets it slide and hops forward to get a better view. Gabe turns her head to Harper, then looks back to Inali. She opens her beak to say something to Harper, but shakes her head, almost ashamed.
Braxton has more pressing things on his mind then to recognize everyone in turn. The male is already gone, trying to wrap his problems in his head. Two children missing, one afraid of ever leaving home...
Inali turns around to walk back down into the den, but turns back and calls back to Braxton one last time. "Oh, um, if you see Takata," she starts, and notices that he had already slipped away. "Tell her I'm sorry," she continues, quietly, not expected him to be able to hear her. She takes a few steps forward, into the den, and disappears inside.
Harper looks away, a little abashed by Inali's glare, but unrepentant. So a guy couldn't hold on to his lovesick child, what business was that of his? At least this Sanguine character wasn't around. Harper was no coward, he'd have dealt with him if necessary... but neither is he such a hero he'd go hunt him down if he didn't have to. Rather cautiously, he follows Inali back inside, quiet this time.
With a sigh and a wing brush against Harper's leg, Gabe flies up into the tree. Not a sound leaves her little beak, not even a whistle. The kingfisher from there flies higher, then higher, then higher. Finally, at the highest branch, she takes flight again and soars off, in no particular hurry. The poor bird needs a break, even if Harper needs Gabe at his side (or back).
Harper drops down on the opposite side of the den from Inali, figuring that she's too fatigued from all the talking to even want to speak to him. He matches her position almost exactly, and when she finally does say something, it looks like he really *had* fallen asleep. "Hmm?" he asks, confused at first, but then he clears his thoughts and remembers. "Oh... oh." He breathes in deeply. "I... I was going to say... Inali. That I'm glad you showed up here again, even if it's amidst all this. I didn't want to make it look like I was... angry at you, or wishing to cast aspersions on your intentions. Just... just wanted to say I'm happy to help. For what my help is worth."
Inali smiles and lets out a deep sigh. That was one burden off of her consciousness. "T..thank you," she says scooting closer to Harper. She sniffles and rests her head on her paws. Somehow she'd feel it kind of uneasy sharing such a fair sized den at a polar distance with him, if he really wasn't so unhappy with her. But she still keeps her distance. She knows Harper enjoys his personal space (except in the case of Gabe). She curls back up and, better at ease, quickly falls asleep.
Harper scoots a little closer himself, until there's only a tail's width between them. At least this way their body warmth will pool quicker, not that they need to in the summer. He rests his own head down and looks at her in silence, perhaps deeply contemplating things, or just sitting and keeping his eyes busy. They don't move away from her until they close, and he too drops into slumber.
Harper, male red fox
Gabriel, female kingfisher
Inali, female red fox (black in color)
Takata, female red fox
Braxton, male red fox
Follows: You... you saved my life back there (probably two weeks or so later)
Precedes:A Little Late to the Party
Story Thus Far
Inali is sick and had nearly drowned. Their den destroyed, Takata and Inali decide to stay at Harper's old den while she recovers. Takata takes along another fox she does not know well, Sanguine.
While hunting Takata meets Braxton and discovers that Sanguine is, in fact, a rapist. They run back to the den, as Takata had left him alone with Inali. Unbeknownst to them, Sanguine has vanished, an in his place, Harper has finally returned after a long vacation throughout much of winter and spring. And he isn't happy finding his home invaded!
Other important snippets: Harper knows Inali from when he helped her recover after being injured by a cougar nearly two seasons ago. Braxton had heard mention of Inali before from his son, Ossian, who had gone off to look for her, and had not been seen for some months. Braxton is also anxiously looking for his daughter Kaira, who is trapped on the southern side of the river.
---- Old Chestnut Tree ----
It's a rather bored looking fox that comes to the old chestnut tree, despite all the chaos most of the rest of the forest has been experiencing. Harper hasn't been keeping up with a lot of the current events. Nor does he care to. All he wants is to enjoy the new *spring!* Finally, no more getting snowed in and having to dig himself back out of his own den! Hopefully Gabe has been keeping an eye on the place while he roamed far and wide for food (for himself, Gabe didn't exactly share his diet, but it was hard enough). And now as the sun begins to shine again and the snows are melting, he can enjoy his nice, unbroken solitude. Plus Gabe, of course.
Dozens of birds sing and whistle during the comfortable midday time throughout the square miles that make up the terrain. They know summer is right around the corner, though some foxes may be a bit seasonally confused. However, a particular kingfisher named Gabriel is nowhere to be found. She may be one of the choir additions, she may have gone somewhere else for the day, for the week, for the season. Gabe is nowhere to be found... for now.
The black vixen nuzzles up against her own belly sleepily. Boy, she is happy that Harper seemed to have moved on or something. Not that she wouldn't like to see him again, but she wouldn't like to explain to him why there are now three foxes in his home when before he had seemed quite content with one -- and that one was himself, of course. He wanted to get rid of her as quickly as he could, whatever obligations to her care the fox had felt. It was a while since Takata had left hunting and all she had to do was sleep. Her eyes close again, as she tries to waste another few hours to slumber.
Harper notices something odd when he nears the tree. Other scents... of other foxes. He narrows his eyes and blinks a little in confusion. This wasn't supposed to be here. What was going on? Someone else was trying to take his den? Several someones? This couldn't be allowed! He tilts his ears back and goes lower, sniffing to try and pinpoint all of them. One of them seems awfully familiar...
A familiar tune, a familiar voice, a familiar bird! "Harper!" A white, black, and blue kingfisher calls from high above in the sky, making the voice sound even more faint and timid. It doesn't take very long for a songbird to reach from air to surface in any circumstance. With a successful meal beforehand, Gabe soars down gracefully and lands on her familiar foxy friend's rump. "Hey cutie~! I found some breakfast. Hope you weren't too lonely while I was gone~." She hops up to his shoulders, then hops off to the ground with a flurry of wingflaps. Again, physically unable to walk, the perky songbird bounces in front of Harper and notices his nose pressed against the ground. Harper with a curious (read paranoid) nature often has his nose picking up scents on the ground, but this time is different, he seems more focused and serious than usual. "...? What do you smell?"
"Shhh!" Harper hisses at Gabriel approaches, all the way down to his bottom. Usually he's a little more mild about how loud she is, but right now, with a potential home invasion going on, he's not feeling too patient. "I smell other foxes!" he says, nodding to the den. He thought Gabe would be watching the place while he was foraging... oh, but wait. She had come along for his little winter/spring vacation. As he approaches the hole, he happens upon a small bit of black fur. Suddenly, a flash of memory inspires him. That smell! It's Inali! But what is she doing here? And with other foxes? "Hallo!" he calls down into the den, waiting for a stranger to come up that he can *bite.* This is his den! Nobody's allowed without his permission!
Gabriel nods quickly and scans the ground as far as she can from the earth, which obviously isn't much. She attempts to smell what Harper does by sticking her beak to the ground, but to no avail. The bird simply can't segregate the scents. Trying to be more serious and dire of Harper's situation, she hushes. By no means is she offended or upset by this. Flapping back onto the fox's back, she looks at the old nesting tree. As Harper calls out for anyone else around, he says foxes, she gets ready for a rather unpleasant confrontation.
Inali stirs. She had just fallen back asleep! The black circle of fuzz slowly uncoils. It must be that Sanguine fox Takata knows. She has not gotten to know him well yet, but she had already decided that she doesn't care for him. He's always staring at her butt! If she felt up to snuff, she'd probably just toy with him a little, but as she is now, sick, it's a little unnerving. Certainly it wasn't Takata that had just called. So she looks toward the entrance of the den. Ooh! It's bright. Only a silhouette. It must be Sanguine, even if it didn't particularly /sound/ like Sanguine. "What! I'm sleeping," she says miserably, turning back around to slump on her side again.
"Well stop it!" Harper calls back. "Inali? I know you're in there! It's me, Harper! What's all these smells?! Did you mess up my house while I was gone?" He looks back to Gabriel and huffs. "I take in one injured fox and suddenly it's a party down there," he says with a shake of his head. "I'm coming down there!" he calls into the hole without waiting for an answer, padding right on in.
Gabriel is equally as displeased with a multitude of welcome guests in her home as Harper is. She nods in complete agreement. as Harper comments to her. She has to duck as the fox enters their home, but she remains on his back, primarily for safety. "Inali?"
Inali freezes as she was just about to curl back up into a tight little fluff-ball. She slowly turns back around and stares blankly. "Buh?" It's still a silhouette, she can't make out anything. But she wouldn't need to -- he steps out of the light, and down into the dark den, and she can see him as the fox she had once known. Boy oh boy! She had thought Harper had moved on. Hadn't even smelt him in the den lately. After a moment's shiver she knew she was okay. Harper certainly wasn't a fox to throw her out in her condition. She'll have to work with that. "H-Harper?" Inali slowly 'tries' to get up, but slumps forward. "Ooh," she exaggerates, and looks up at him weakly.
Harper freezes when he sees Inali again. After all this time he had thought she'd... well, left. But here she is, dropped right back into his life again, and apparently, again in need of help. He opens his mouth, apparently ready to snap angrily at her. But then he sees how "badly" she's doing, and it seems at first the wool is pulled over his eyes. "Oh, geez. What's wrong?" he asks, all concern and chivalry like before. "Are you sick? Gabe, I think she's sick! Inali, what are all these other foxes doing here? They don't smell sick!"
The pretty little songbird now can smell other foxes. Very obvious in their...*her* den! When her companion refers to her, she panicks a bit. She missed Inali, and finds her again sick! Unwell! Injured! "What's wrong, fluffy?" She asks sympathetically, refusing to come off of Harper's shoulder while the fur and scent of other foxes are so contrasting. Harper's mood are almost always reflected in Gabe's own.
"Surprise!" she says with a weak smile when she sees the expression on Harper's face, and lets out an awkward little chuckle. Yes, Inali is sick -- but she had really suffered the brunt of the illness a week ago. She is a little surprised to see Gabe here as well -- well, she is always surprised to see a bird in such proximity to a fox, so friendly-like. It astounds her. "Heello, Gabriel," she nods her head to the little bird, and lets out a little (fake) cough. "Yes, sick -- that's right. My, my den, it flooded and I, ooh, I needed a place to stay," she says. "I'm sorry, I -- I shouldn't have intruded. I'll leave," she weakly 'tries' to get up again. She neglects to mention any of the 'other' foxes in her display.
Harper sighs and steps in front of Inali before she can make a move. The floods, eh? He'd heard about them, but hasn't been to a flooded area personally. "Wait, wait..." he says, shaking his head. Whatever her act is, he's been sold like the big lug he is. "We've taken you in before, and we can do it again. Just... just sit down. This den will fit all three of us." The others on the other paw... he'll have to deal with them.
Harper had heard about the floods through Gabriel, who could see them happening from an amazing distance away. Not that her vision was so spectacular, but rather the flood itself was. Now Gabriel doesn't know anything about fox illnesses, so when she sees Inali sick, she believes Inali's sick. Gabe loves her, she doesn't have any reason to doubt anyway. She whistles once, twice, then hopes Harper didn't notice. It's hard to *not* do that when you're a songbird.
Inali looks at Harper and slowly nods her head, settling back down -- at first on her haunches, before she slides down onto her belly as well. She places her head on her paws and looks up at Harper, and then looks at Gabriel perched on his back. "Oh.. okay," she whines. "Just until I'm feeling -- feeling just a bit better." She adjusts herself she is a little more comfortable. "And, ah -- the other foxes you smell. One is Takata. You remember her? She ran off and I suppose that was the last you saw of either of us." Inali curls up again, ticking her nose against her tail. "She came here to take care of me," she says with a yawn. "So please don't be too angry with her," she adds sleepily.
Harper drops down onto his stomach, wondering what he can do to make Inali feel better. Though he still feels a little chagrined that she would take his hospitality for granted, he is glad that she managed to make it back here, rather than get eaten in the woods. but wait... did she say she had help? He raised his head and blinked, ignoring Gabe's singing. "Takata?" he mutters. "She's here too, eh? Hmph." He turns about to look to Gabriel. "We're gonna have to keep an eye out for when she gets here..." He sighs and fixes his eyes on Inali again. "*I* can take care of you just as well!" he insists. "We don't need to make this place a convention. But I am glad to see you again."
Gabriel nods twice quickly. "Sure thing." Gabriel bounces off of Harper, about to land on the floor, when she remembers that /other/ foxes have been in the den. She quickly draws in hollow legs close to her body and flaps her wings quickly to prevent herself from touching the ground. She flies outside and straight up, into her particular favorite branch of old tree. She watches out for the other two foxes. Even if Harper didn't mean literally this second, Gabe decides to stand sentry, anyway.
Inali nods softly. She always figured Harper to be a bit of a recluse. Or maybe he just hates his own kind. She smirks a little. She can see how that could be. He actually manages to make her feel a little guilty taking advantage of him and his hospitality like this. A season and a half ago, she wouldn't have given it a second thought. She would have led him to the ends of the earth with wiles and left him there. But Harper actually has Takata to thank for her new appreciation for kindness. It's been a long and interesting spring. "The other is, um... Sandwich? Sandpaper? No, that's not right," she says from her ball of black fluff, slowly uncoiling again as she tries to remember his darn name. "Takata brought him here, don't ask me why. I don't like the guy at all. Keeps staring at my butt when he thinks I'm not looking!" She shakes her head. "It kind of annoyed me that Takata went and left him here with me, but, he seems to have wandered off."
Harper tilts his head curiously, letting Gabe do as she will. He trusts her. "Your *butt*?" he asks incredulously, sounding dually disgusted and surprised, both at Inali's crude, brusque language and her description of the other male. He snorts and looks prepared to rise on all fours again to pace. "Well, I hope he doesn't come back. Anyone who behaves like that is *not* welcome in my home." He'll run him out himself if he has to. "Is that all? Or are we going to be expecting more uninvited guests?"
At this moment right outside of the den Takata arrives with heavy thumps. "HEY SANGUINE YOU BASTARD GET OUT HERE SO I CAN KILL YOU!" she says with a growl having gotten worked up on the way here. She was ready to rip his pelt off from braxtons description.
Braxton is right behind Takata, his teeth bared. He bellows! "Come out, dog! Before you rape another!" Braxtonn hollers angrily. "If you hurt anyone I swear to the spirits I'll make you suffer before you die!"
"HARPER!" Gabriel screeches, frightened both by language and content. The bird flies higher up on the tree as she spots the second one as it calls out. "HARPER!" She whistles in alarm. She doesn't know what's going on, but she doesn't like rival foxes coming around to *her* tree with threatening voices. "Get out of here!"
Inali figures her language may had been a little coarse for Harper. In mild embarrassment, she corrects herself stumbling, "Oh, er, my hindquarters, yes." She doesn't quite know how to put it delicately, but at that moment is distracted by the yelling outside. She rolls onto her belly and sits up again rather quickly, hunched over slightly -- she /was/ actually sick, after all, her exaggerations aside. What on earth mother of glory? "T... Takata...?"
Harper jumps up in fright and anger when the barks jump right into his hole. He looks up at the noises just outside, seeming rather nonplussed at all the commotion, and then sticks his head out right into the others' faces. "HEY!" he shouts back, clearly not Sanguine. "Just *what* do you two think you're doing shouting into *my* den?! I have a GUEST!"
Takata frowns as she hears the voice inside is harper. Her fur automaticly flattens out as she thinks over what to do. "Oh... um? harper?" she asks blinking a bit. "Where did sanguine go.. and is Inali alright? if..if he harmed her at all i'm gonna hhunt him down" She says with a heavy frown her tail stilled between her legs. "s...sorry about yelling.. I... i was jsut afraid for Inali"
Braxton is still in a bit of a yelling state. He does notice the male who pops his head out of the hole is not Sanguine. "Where is he? Where is the dog who raped my daughter?!"
Oh, goodness. She had felt a small tinge of guilt already, and now what is all this *yelling* for? Harper is gonna blame this on her, isn't he? Wait, what. Raped daughter huh? She can hardly hear what is going on out there. Her head hurts again. "Oh, Harper, you didn't! You wouldn't!" She backs away from the fox into a dirt wall.
Harper blinks several times and lets his mouth drop. Rape? Sanguine was a *rapist*? ... And they had left him *here* in his *den?* Oh, this was just too much! "Inali is in here. Sanguine is out *there,*" he manages to say, though he looks aghast at what she says to him. "I wouldn't what?" he asks, sincerely confused now. "I... I don't even know what's going on! Takata, who is *that?*" he asks, throwing his head towards Braxton.
Takata blinks a bit as she is calming herself down. "Okay okay.. so sanguine is gone... good... Inali is oaky good.." she then turns to Braxton. "calm down hun hes long gone he beat paws... you can probably track him" She says then looking over at harper rather embaresed "er... sorry.. didn't mean to cause trouble... thanks for not kicking out inali" She says feeling quite embaresed.
Braxton calms down. He looks notably disappointed. Oh, if only the stupid male stuck around, Braxton would have another chance to kill him. "I am sorry."
Gabriel tilts her head curiously. As the mood comes down, so does she, from her tree. She lands next to Harper, looking as concerned and demanding as he does. She doesn't personally care about the other two's story: Go away! The blue, black, and white bird doesn't seem to react to their appologies. Angry little bird!
Inali watches Harper's clueless expression and gets down from the wall. Sanguine? Oooh. That makes -much- more sense. Boy, she would have loved to have seen that fox just /try/ to touch her. She feels suddenly rather angry over the whole situation before she meeps and stares blankly at Harper. "What, huh? Oh, nothing," she says listlessly looking away from him a touch as he addresses her confused accusations with befuddlement. She certainly hopes Harper would never realize what thought just went through her mind, already sorry for it.
Harper doesn't seem any more calm than the others. Emboldened by Gabriel's presence, he glares at the two foxes outside. "Right! Well now that that's settled, would you all mind telling me why you're here?!" he demands. "I have a sick guest in my home who doesn't need people coming around making wild accusations! Now *please*... explain to me what is going on here and why so many foxes have been running in and out of my den!"
Takata sighs gently a shakes her head. "Yes i know you have a sick fox.. shes my /mate/ i was out scouting for a new den for us, i trusted that ... that dog to watch over her while i was out, then Braxton here told be about Sanguine so i ran back." She says sighing gntly. She then smiles a bit at Harper. "Thanks for taking care of her I am sorryy for te trouble" She says weakly waggling her tail.
"I came because I heard that the filthy *dog* who raped my daughter was with my friend's mate. I have come to kill him." Braxton says testily. "I am Braxton, mate of Terri and father of Flicker, Ossian, and Kaira!"
Inali ahems and curls back up into a ball in mild embarrassment upon hearing Takata describe Inali as a /mate/. She has no idea how Harper would react to *that* news. This entire situation is getting awkward! And Inali's head hurts again!
Harper doesn't react in a clearly favorable manner. Everything else is forgotten when *that* interesting piece of news comes out. "She's your /what?/" he blurts out, turning back to Inali. He looks disbelieving and almost dizzy. "You're her /what?/" he repeats, and then looks over at Braxton. "I'm... I'm sorry, but he isn't here," is all he can manage to say, backing into his den a bit in a protective gesture. Inali and Gabe are the only ones who haven't acted insane or murderous... yet. These two foxes were mostly strangers and confusing besides. "I just got back here..." he says testily, his temper returning a little. Why did he have to deal with all this? "Gabriel, did you see any signs of a fox leaving on the way back? No, wait, hold that thought..." He shakes his head and looks back at the others. "You're not all going to try and *live* here, are you? This is *my* den!"
Takata blinks as she shakes her head wondering if the fox was talking to her. "Shes my mate, the one i care for the one I look after, I was hoping to set right my bad judge of character" She says then shakes her head. "No i will be happy to sleep outside of your den till Inali is back" She says sighing heavy. "I..i just want her to be okay.. and if you need anything as payback im willing to do it for letting Inali stay" she says feeling kinda embarresed herself as she admited something she was shy about... matehood was something strange to her.
"No!" The bird cries out defensively, even though she knows it isn't /her/ that Harper's upset with. The familiar flies on Harper's shoulders, looking around his neck to see the other two infront of him. She keeps quiet. Gabriel doesn't like the vibe of the other two, it just doesn't fit well in her feathers.
"I have my own home." Braxton says. "You have nothing to fear from me... and I apologize for my behavior, but can one blame me when I was here expecting to see my daughter's..." He shakes his head. "Do forgive me."
The cat's out of the bag, Inali supposes. Or, the fox is out of the closet? Erm. It's actually a much more... complicated relationship than that. Inali lives with Takata out of guilt, and Takata, to the best Inali can figure, lives with her out of desperation. It's not genuine matehood, no... but, neither of them are so lonely, and they both take care of each other, right? Inali saved her from starvation, she saved Inali from drowning. Harper might remember Takata being a scrawny little thing when he met her during the winter, on the brink of starvation. Now she is rather healthy looking. Inali is well fed despite being sick. They've hunted for each other, and lived together, and have shown each other an appreciation for life neither have known before. So maybe it /is/ the same thing. Inali, anyway, denies all this in a moment as she places a paw on her muzzle. "We just lived together," she says meekly.
"Oh. Well. That's nice, I suppose," Harper says to Braxton, shifting his shoulder as Gabriel lands on it, good old Gabe. Takata he remembers was a flighty old oddity when he had first met her, not the guilt-ridden, desparate creature he sees now, healthy or not. And all this talk about being mates, well... his mind had instantly shifted to the cuddles-at-night and swears-hearts-to-each-other type. And Inali's explanation just gets him a little turned around, and the whole situation is just out of his league right now. "Look," he says, cutting off more talk. "I just got back home... I'm tired and I am confused. Please... take your business elsewhere. I don't know this Sanguine character, but I certainly wouldn't give him shelter. And Inali will be fine under my care," he says insistently. "Gabe will show you where you can sleep. If you absolutely must stay."
Takata takes this in and hears Inali's whimper of denial from inside then takes in Harpers words. "Ah... I see" She says and nods suddenly her emotions disapearing. "Well, I am betting you have things covered now Harper" She says and then forces a smile. "Well sorry to bother take care of her and i will stop disturbing" She says and turns to Braxton. "Sorry to have been too much of a bother to you, I am going to go find a nice place to sleep" She says and before her mask of non emotion breaks she suddenly takes flight and disapearing quietly into the forest keeping a mind not to crash through the brush. She was alone again, atleast in her mind Inali was ashamed of her.. used her for pennence like she thought... well she didn't need pity, she just needed herself.
Braxton mmms. "I'm going to move on. I need to find my daughter. She's been missing since the floods started." Braxton says. "Thank you." With that, he turns and heads south.
Inali suddenly feels rather rotten about what she said. She doesn't always think before she says things. But, well, it sounded to her brain-rattled and tingling head that Harper had practically /yelled/ at her and she is practically programmed to come up with whatever excuse might serve the moment. Even if Takata did try her best to hide her emotions, Inali knows what she said sounded like, and if Takata overheard... she shakes her head and slowly stands back up. "S-sorry! Takata!" But the red vixen had already left. Inali stares blankly at the entrance, past Harper, for a few moments, wanting to run after her, but she slowly settles back down. "Ugh," she mutters. Now she feels really stupid. This all turned into a big mess. She begins to coil herself back up.
As Takata insists on finding a place to sleep, Gabriel is instantly relieved she doesn't have to show a place where she could stay. However, seeing a fox so low can be a bit pittiful. Regardless, *they* came to her--their-- home looking for trouble. Gabriel wouldn't allow stranger birds in her nest, she understands why her fluffy friend wouldn't want anyone else with him. She leans over to Harper's ears and sighs. "I probably would have just showed her a muddy log." The bird hops off of her companion and looks back into the den to see the fox. Again she whispers to Harper. "Want me to split for a while, cutie?"
"Probably not a bad idea," Harper murmurs in return to his feathery friend. "Thanks for sticking with me. That was a pretty... strange few minutes." Strange nothing. He had nearly been driven to hysterics. But now his attention is on Inali and all the trouble she seems to believe she's in. "Hey... Inali?" he prods quietly. "Are you... no, of course you aren't all right..." He drops down on his stomach. "Is there anything I can do?"
Inali admittedly didn't really want to be talked to right now. She wanted to go to sleep, or something. Any talk now would just feel like more awkwardness. She gives Harper a very brief, slightly annoyed look. But it falls quickly as she realizes, quite frankly, she doesn't want to drive away another friend who is willing to help her. She plants her muzzle back between her paws. "No, it's alright. Thank you," she says with a heavy sigh. "I'm sorry about everything. I-I didn't mean for any of this to happen."
Braxton actually is seen coming back. He had just remembered something. Wanted to ask Inali a few things. He cautiously approaches the den and takes a seat and clears his throat."
In the den, Gabriel is unable to see Braxton returning. And she's too focused on the scenario, anyway. She hops her way into the den more, looking at where she slept most of the winter. However /hearing/ Braxton back at the den, again, surpises her. She squeals in surprises, and whistles. "Harper!" She calls out again, more like a warning than anything else.
Harper creeps a little bit closer to Inali, despite the withering glance she gives him. He licks his lips, uncertain what to say. This is the second time she's dropped into his life needing help, but the almost charming self-sufficiency he had seen earlier was gone. It's quite disheartening, and moves him. "Inali, look... I-" And then he's interrupted by Gabriel. "What... oh, *what* is it now?!" he barks angrily, spinning around to face Braxton. "I thought you were going away!" he says snippishly.
Inali looks at Harper softly. She isn't sure what he is going to say, maybe disapproving. After all that happened, she wouldn't be surprised. But he looks concerned. That'd be like him. She faintly smiles. Inali would have never considered Harper a 'friend', more like 'gullible male'. But he makes a good one, whenever she needs him. If he were disapproving, it actually would make her upset... which makes her feel weak, beyond any illness. She hates feeling weak. How has she turned into this? She was so hard before she met Takata. She is taken aback a little as Harper barks back at the entrance now, following his gaze.
"I don't want to make any trouble for you. I have grown believing I can do better through generosity and cooperation." Braxton says. "Please, don't judge me. Not until you can at least get to know me. Er..." Braxton tries to get to his business. "I would like to talk to Inali for a moment."
Harper glares at Braxton, and then huffs. "Hold on. I'll see if she *wants* to see you," he says, feeling protective of her at the moment. She's alone and afraid. And he's anti-social. *Neither* of them should be bothered right now. "Inali?" he asks, nodding to the entrance of the den. "You feel like talking? I'll chase him off if you want."
Inali shakes her head. "No," she sighs. "It's okay." She had practically completely forgotten that Braxton mentioned that he was Ossian and Kaira's father, if she had caught him say so at all. But even if she feels a little emotionally vulnerable right now, she at least maintains enough defenses to not care what a complete stranger thinks. And anyway, she actually -likes- meeting new faces. It's just a shame he'd have to see her like this.
Braxton waits for Inali to come out and see him. He is trying to think of a good way to introduce himself.
Gabriel doesn't go back in with Harper as he checks if Inali wishes to speak to him or not. She stands next to the den on the outside, eyeballing him with her tiny eyes. She doesn't speak to him, but her glare forces volumes, if Braxton cares enough to pay attention to an insignificant bird, that is.
Harper follows a little behind, glaring at Braxton the whole way, hoping Gabriel is following suit. This is *his* home. And everyone just keeps using his doorstep like he had thrown up a pretty little sign saying 'house party!' Jerks. Much as he'd probably like to see Sanguine strung up or the like, he can't bring himself to care for the plights of the outside world too much. He plops down next to Gabriel. And *glares.* Things were so much simpler when he was just wandering around in the woods. But of course, if he went back to that, Gabe would be with him this time.
Inali watches Harper leave. Was she supposed to stay in here or go out there? After a few moments she gets up, as she realizes she was expected to join them, and makes her way out into the light timidly. Ooh! It's bright! She covers her eyes with a paw, and sits down on her haunches right by the den entrance, folding her tail over her legs.
Braxton walks up to Inali cautiously. "Hello, Inali... er..." Braxton says. "Wish I could have met you under normal circumstances.... you know my son... Ossian?"
Gabe and Harp's attitudes are perfectly parallel right now. Their thoughts might be a bit different, but they both say a lot with their staring. They're not saying anything nice. She sits down (all two inches of change) after Harper rests next to her. She whispers something to him, then retreats back. "But it's your call..."
Harper perks his ears up at the mention of a son. What, is *that* all he came back to talk about? The guy is trying to set her up or something? Now he's starting to feel not only used, but insulted! He watches Gabriel hover in the background, and whispers back to her, looking a little disapproving, but agreeable.
Inali puts a paw on her lip. Ossian? Sounds familiar. She looks up and down the older male before her eyes suddenly light up. Oh! She lets out a soft chuckle. "Ah, that kid with the long legs?" His father, eh? So this is Ossian's father? He mentioned he was still living with his parents. Heck, he had indicated that she was practically the first female he had seen beside his family! He was a weird kid. She gets up and paces around Braxton briefly.
Braxton watches a little uneasily as Inali paces around him. "It's actually important to me that I talk to you about him... particularly... he left a good while ago, almost a whole season now..." Braxton clears his throat. "... looking for you. Please, ease my worries as a father... did he ever find you?"
Inali blinks and stops, sitting herself back down. "Looking? For me?" Boy, she didn't think she was even very nice to the kid. He messed up a hunt and she demanded he pay her back by catching her a rabbit. That had pretty much been the extent of their relationship, but, he -did- seem unusually nervous around her. Yeah, strange kid indeed. She slowly shakes her head. "No..." she eyes him curiously. "What'd he be looking for *me* for?"
Braxton almost melts and appears somewhat heartbroken. Could Ossian be hurt... or worse? "Oh no." Braxton looks down. "Well... apparently you're important to him. He called you a friend. I confess, I urged him to try to win you over. But if he hasn't found you yet... oh no..."
"Win me over?" She is a little astonished, but admits the kid showed such energy it didn't seem unlike him at all to go on an 'adventure' to find her. It's a somewhat flattering thought. And it'd be a real pity if something /did/ happen to him, especially because of her. She paws at the ground. "Sorry, I- I didn't know. We barely knew each other," she admits. "I said I'd help hunt with him after he helped catch me a rabbit, but, I never saw him after that. I don't know where your son is," she adds, an obvious conclusion to her previous statement.
Gabriel doesn't care about the other's sob story. It was *that* fox who came in, parading his name and kin around her tree. Bleh. Her disgust was intentionally obvious. She flies on Harper's back, then hops off back on the soft grass next to him. Her twitchy, panicked motions are an unintentional result of her emotions flaring up. Birdie. "Whatever you say, fluffy..."
Braxton nods. "Well... thank you anyway. If he shows up..." Braxton looks away, not wanting to show his distress. "Tell him his parents are worried about him." Braxton stands and turns to leave. "Sorry to have disturbed you."
Harper tilts his head curiously as the conversation goes on. This sounds almost amusing... a stupid kid out to impress some girl by going and looking for her. And now he's probably gotten himself killed. Foolish, is all Harper can think of. And now he's starting to get bored. But oh! He's leaving, thank goodness. "Apology accepted," he cuts in. He just can't help it. It is *his* den after all.
Inali turns back and *glares* at Harper and Gabriel. Boy, they are being colder than /she/ would be two months ago. Of course, if this were two months ago, she would probably fake compassion and try to take advantage of him somehow. So they still win the comparison. She turns back to Braxton, pitifully. Yes, he probably /did/ get hurt. Inali knows it's a hard world out there. "Sorry," she says lowly, watching him leave. "I'll tell him that." It's the best that she could do.
You better believe Gabriel noticed that Braxton didn't even make any attempt to notice the bird in his appology. Having at least some manners at this point, she lets it slide and hops forward to get a better view. Gabe turns her head to Harper, then looks back to Inali. She opens her beak to say something to Harper, but shakes her head, almost ashamed.
Braxton has more pressing things on his mind then to recognize everyone in turn. The male is already gone, trying to wrap his problems in his head. Two children missing, one afraid of ever leaving home...
Inali turns around to walk back down into the den, but turns back and calls back to Braxton one last time. "Oh, um, if you see Takata," she starts, and notices that he had already slipped away. "Tell her I'm sorry," she continues, quietly, not expected him to be able to hear her. She takes a few steps forward, into the den, and disappears inside.
Harper looks away, a little abashed by Inali's glare, but unrepentant. So a guy couldn't hold on to his lovesick child, what business was that of his? At least this Sanguine character wasn't around. Harper was no coward, he'd have dealt with him if necessary... but neither is he such a hero he'd go hunt him down if he didn't have to. Rather cautiously, he follows Inali back inside, quiet this time.
With a sigh and a wing brush against Harper's leg, Gabe flies up into the tree. Not a sound leaves her little beak, not even a whistle. The kingfisher from there flies higher, then higher, then higher. Finally, at the highest branch, she takes flight again and soars off, in no particular hurry. The poor bird needs a break, even if Harper needs Gabe at his side (or back).
Harper drops down on the opposite side of the den from Inali, figuring that she's too fatigued from all the talking to even want to speak to him. He matches her position almost exactly, and when she finally does say something, it looks like he really *had* fallen asleep. "Hmm?" he asks, confused at first, but then he clears his thoughts and remembers. "Oh... oh." He breathes in deeply. "I... I was going to say... Inali. That I'm glad you showed up here again, even if it's amidst all this. I didn't want to make it look like I was... angry at you, or wishing to cast aspersions on your intentions. Just... just wanted to say I'm happy to help. For what my help is worth."
Inali smiles and lets out a deep sigh. That was one burden off of her consciousness. "T..thank you," she says scooting closer to Harper. She sniffles and rests her head on her paws. Somehow she'd feel it kind of uneasy sharing such a fair sized den at a polar distance with him, if he really wasn't so unhappy with her. But she still keeps her distance. She knows Harper enjoys his personal space (except in the case of Gabe). She curls back up and, better at ease, quickly falls asleep.
Harper scoots a little closer himself, until there's only a tail's width between them. At least this way their body warmth will pool quicker, not that they need to in the summer. He rests his own head down and looks at her in silence, perhaps deeply contemplating things, or just sitting and keeping his eyes busy. They don't move away from her until they close, and he too drops into slumber.