skill: ranger 1/5 [BWP]

It was strange, in all actuality, to be back in this world and to be back on four feet. He had been born like this, but it had been so easy for him to live as a human. Sure, he'd fumbled quite a bit but none of the Goldencourtes seemed to mind too much. Although he had very strong suspicions about why Shiloh had been so standoffish with him. Fox didn't need to be told to give him a wide berth and let the redhead have his space. How could he be expected not to be frustrated, at one for being parted from Tiberii and two for having to see Fox there in Talamh. Fox wasn't very good at keeping himself out of trouble, but he was no fool. He didn't plan on giving the Lion a chance to burn out some tension by taking it out on himself. No thank you. Foxglove had a life he wanted to live.

This life seemed so vastly different with his other perspective on what was possible. It was strangely all new but still the same. He spared a glance at Fable , his shoulder brushing hers for a moment. You doing okay? He asked. There had been so much going on, and it felt bizarre trying to catch up as it was to what the rest of Mythris had been experiencing. We missed a lot. Fox added a beat later, as a way to make it more clear what he was really asking. Since they had returned, there was still the acute absence of the girls and the rest of the family that had stayed behind. Fable had once mourned them without a means to ever have them again - and yet fate had sought ways to bring those that mattered most to her.

Fox of course, was oblivious, instead considering himself somewhere just in her orbit, just basking in her warmth when it shined upon him.

The fact that Epona hadn't taken either of them by the ear and pointed out what was so obvious to the rest of the universe. Maybe that had also made it easier for him to adapt to life on the farm. Y'know, I miss talking to Cailean....We were just getting a rhythm. The colt had been very patient with Fox, but the Kali had been somewhat of a natural with the animals. it was probably from being so in tune with their behavior. It made it so much easier to read them, after all. It probably didn't help that the colt was also very food motivated. I know they're capable of handlin' themselves. Doesn't mean I don't still worry. He knew that the Farm was something special specifically - although he had no idea how long the story had been for Epona and Alistair.

He had a feeling that Fable was still half here, and half there, longing to know how the girls were doing, how her father and siblings were, how their efforts to prepare for war went. But they were here, and all that they could do was try and piece it all back together. When they'd been told about the rainbow fires Fox had wanted to set off and find them for himself. He needed to see it. The man had been human only days before, what seemed so farfetched about a pretty fire?

He heard the Howling River before he saw it, and it was aptly named. Ears perked, he couldn't see anything yet.

skill: ranger 2/5 [BWP - howlentine's!]

She had that far off look and it was clear that she wasn't here. She was probably with her girls who stayed behind for now. But what he knew, and she had to know, was that those girls could handle anything. Fox didn't think there was much that they wouldn't manage to accomplish if they put their minds to it. Mhm.... He understood what she was saying - she would always consider her girls first in every decision. Fable had proven to him time and time again the type of mother that she could be. She would put the girls ahead of herself every time.

Fox hadn't thought too much about time. There was before he had been taken from his family, and then there was when he found his home. They could be two different things at the same time or the same things at many times. What the Kingdom had done for him had been to provide him a shelter as he had grown and found his footing in service to others. It brought him a considerable amount of joy to be seen as helpful to them. Before he had met Fable, he'd felt like he had no purpose and had been just aimlessly wandering. And since that time he found purpose in their daily life together, the natural sort of dance they had fallen into. Sometimes he helped her parents. Sometimes he helped her daughters. Sometimes he made sure that they were also taking care of her.

He took comfort in the proximity and the warmth of having her pressed against him. He realized, a bit sourly, that he wouldn't wrap an arm around her to keep her close when it was windy. He hadn't properly known the cold of Talamh, but fall had been in full force. It seemed perhaps Mythris was just a bit ahead of time, but he didn't know how much. It would probably have just made his head hurt like the way it had the first time Epona, Conor, and Fable had all tried explaining to him how this would work.

He listened and nodded, that little flash of concern in his gaze when Fable pointed out how much Aisling missed her sisters. I'm sure they miss her too. It's strange not looking over and seeing Nauus or Illi. Fox agreed. Not to mention, since when is Aisling so tall? Foxglove couldn't help but chuckle at that. He'd have to get them to stand up shoulder to shoulder and see who was taller, Aisling or Fable. Bichette can still learn from you and Epona, and then she can help make sure the girls catch up quick too. He'd always thought it was easier to have many places to gain knowledge. It meant if one place confused you, there were still other options.

He bumped his shoulder to hers when she teased him about perhaps overfeeding the colt. But hey - he'd managed, hadn't he? Wasn't it your mother who mentioned the way to win a man over is by appealing to his stomach? He quipped, but it was playful. He knew here he'd be doing the hunting and providing. That was enough to warm his cheeks a hint at the possessive tone it had and how he wanted to be in that role. Niamh helped me out too. He would always give credit where it was due, after all.

These trips, short as they were, he'd missed. Of course they'd managed plenty of time to themselves too, where Fable taught him how to function as a human. It was entirely different leaving the packlands to explore the strange details of the world they had come back to. Its going to be hard for us. He agreed, but suddenly the thought was a bit sluggish, and that confused him. It seemed the harder that he tried to chase the thought the further it got away from him but Fable managed to tether him again. Gotta be.... Fox looked over at her, the pink glow bouncing off the cream and blush hues Fable already held. He was looking at her too long.

He looked at the fire again as they drew closer, his nose scrunching up at the smell. He wasn't used to being able to smell the world properly again. Ever seen somethin' like it? Fox felt his thoughts lighter, the stress of the heavy weight of the many 'Unknowns' he knew about the world right then just.....faded away. His body felt lighter, and while he wasn't a depressed man and was often a tease, his smile had a more relaxed tone to it, like he'd just sank into a hotspring.

skill: flowerchild 1/5 [BWP - howlentine's!]

The little frown didn't go unnoticed, and Fox had the impulse to brush his thumb along the edge of it. He could not, however, and instead their shoulders were flush again, and he leaned in to give her a friendly nuzzle. That certainly didn't linger a moment longer than necessary. He didn't need to imagine how Fable felt now - he'd seen the girls all the same as she had. They were not his, and yet they were - and he would eviscerate anyone who dared say otherwise. He had seen them in the soft hours still nervous about thunderstorms; he had seen them as they soaked up all that Talamh had to offer. Seeing Aisling here and now, movie like he saw the jumps like a stuck fast-forward button, and they were completely blind sided by the depth of the message from this actor that you usually thought of as just the funny guy. She looked every bit grown and that thought caused a pang in his heart. Good thing kids never outgrow needing their mama's, right? He was a Mama's boy himself after all. Worlds away he still longed to have his mothers back and with him the same as he wished for his siblings to be back too.

She pointed out the attachment to Shiloh, and it wasn't wrong. All of the Goldencourtes seemed to be so interwoven. The roots were strong, and the branches flourished. It was a beautiful thing to see and from what he had heard of their old ancestral grounds of Awenasa, it might have been quite the same for the Kalis and Ansbjorns. Foxglove chuckled when Fable pointed out how there might actually be some merit to the saying. Fox had not expected the sudden sharp wrongness of seeing Epona and not Alistair together. Having one without the other truly felt like an anomaly. Fox nodded to the statement, although he did not know Amalthea he trusted her. It was enough that Fable and her family put their trust in her. Fox didn't want to think on the risks. They had enough here, after all.

Mythris was in shambles; strange fire illuminated their world. Foxglove let out a sigh and the inhale that followed filled his lungs with warmth. His aching toes did not scream at him anymore, and all that he was aware of was Fable and the fire. He was shocked when the little ember hit her nose, and he caught up to make sure she was okay. The wine! He laughed warmly now, open and at ease. Probably like that sunny young man she'd stumbled upon. I feel it all the way to my toes. He answered after a moment of hesitation while he tried to find the right way to describe it. It wasn't that his brain was incapable. But basic conversations about how he felt was't important at all. Instead, they were seemingly insignificant.

His gaze was lost in the fire for a moment, and he worried for a second at the corner of his lip. He felt relief, and hope, and full of warmth. I remember about half of that night.... He admitted and tore his eyes away from the fire to meet hers - seeing that she had been looking at him already. We got to go back. The memories of the night brought the haziest sort of bliss. Seeing everyone celebrating together had made him so happy. He remembered exhaustedly sitting down, and then Fable had somehow ended up next to him, head on his shoulder. The rest.....

Everything I get to share with you, I cherish. He didn't need to analyze anything; he just knew how grateful he was for her. She filled in all of the lonely parts in his soul, and she had managed to provide him what he had missed so much by means of a family. Parents, siblings (including a tense relationship with Shiloh for things outside anyone's control) and land to work and love. Bha thu radanta. (You were radiant.)

How selfish he was, to still want more of her.

Tha thu fhathast (You still are)...

skill: flowerchild 2/5 [BWP - howlentine's!]

He nodded to affirm it - no matter how old he would remember how safe and warm he had been when snuggled in with his mothers. Though she seemed quite a natural at Mother-Henning, Epona did so with a level of finesse that made it seem so easy. She knew to heat the water slowly over time, although even if he were a frog, he wouldn't have hopped out.

Maybe it was because of how he felt right then - how at ease he was. He would have stayed in the pot until he had been boiled alive so long as he felt like this. Another heavy breath and it was full of Fable and the fire-hot spice. Every breath he took he felt warmer. Was that actually possible? He would have assumed it wasn't. But he wasn't exactly in his best mind.

He laughed at that tease of hers, knowing that yes it was true she handled the nectar far better than he had, Fox was clearly up for the adventure. Imagine - some pretty pot we kept right at the Heart... It didn't take too much effort for him to be able to picture it in his mind. He remembered the rest of the coven and their joyous songs and spirited dances....and he'd done his best to pick up the tongue quickly. He was frozen under the weight of her stare. She saw him, all of him, the faults and insecurities, the joy and the dedication - and she had never measured him and found him too lacking for her.

That was the part that Fox didn't quite understand, but, he'd never been the cocky type to showboat. In Fable's eyes he saw that glimmer, just beyond them, the one that promised the warmth of forever. His gaze only dropped for a moment to her lips as she stepped closer and said his name, and they popped back up to find her still looking at him. He was a bit surprised she asked what abhaile meant - it was her language after all. Fox merely did his best to master it, if for no other reason than to have another tie to bind them.

His head tilted before Foxglove found his voice again. I had asked about a word that was like....deepest friend, y'know, like the one you know will always be there....did I misunderstand? His brow furrowed. I had practiced.....did I say it wrong? Maybe he just needed to pay more attention to his pronunciation. It was impossible to focus too long on though, and he was reminded of the struggle when he'd found Fable in heat. She'd been alone. Vulnerable. Driven by the force of nature itself, and yet they had withheld. It certainly wasn't from lack of want, but Fox was able to curb his baser needs for the sake of what she needed from him instead.

That same sort of ember burned in his chest, and he longed to tell her. He'd always wanted to be a source of safety and support for her. And beyond that even, in the part of his heart that controlled that little baser part, that he wanted to be the one to take care of her, to cherish her, to provide for her and for their young.

It was too easy for him to see it, he could still picture her swollen with life, resting against him, at peace. It did not include the end of days that they'd seemed to be dropped back into. No, they deserved a peaceful spring. The fire made it all so cozy, he hadn't even blinked when Fable had changed the subject, sidestepping entirely what he'd said. No matter the form she took, he'd find her beautiful.

skill: flowerchild 3/3 BWP - howlentine's!]

It seemed that the invisible thread binding them to each other pulled Foxglove right along after Fable, his mind also thinking down to what the kids would do if they managed to find some of the fae wine. He couldn’t help the little giggle, and if he’d had a hand to do so he might have run it through his hair. Our girls can hold their own, Mama he reminded her. Foxglove hadn’t really put any thought to saying ‘our’ and maybe that was how it should have been. Natural. Like their progression from acquaintance to a daily fixture in each others lives. They've got better blood for it than I do anyways! He pointed out quickly - because hadn’t Fable warned him about the advantage she had over him, a lowly commoner who didn’t have magic blood and ties lifetimes over? He hadn’t had any adverse effects after all - aside from an impressive headache the following day.

His green eyes were twinkling with their own brand of mischief, and maybe he liked to tease her from time to time about the girls. He didn't want to take it too far, though, because Fable did love her kids enough that she sometimes landed herself right in the middle of a little tizzy when her thoughts got away from her. Fox felt like he managed not to completely destroy himself by remembering that time would go on regardless of what they might do to change that. His eyes fluttered when she spoke so soothingly, almost as if she’d reached up to brush her fingers through his hair. There had been more than one occasion where he had actually drifted off to the touch while she read and absentmindedly pet him like a cat. Who could blame him, honestly? A pretty girl and a soft touch were about all that it took.

He could almost feel it now, the sun warmed grass beneath him, Fable reading out loud with occasional bird songs in the distance. He was shook back awake by the words she said after, explaining he had gotten the meaning wrong. Foxglove had probably annoyed each of the Goldencourtes with constantly asking for definitions and translations. His brow furrowed, and his jaw snapped shut when she continued on to explain the actual meaning. Oh - a deeper meaning? The heavier connotation might have been exactly where Epona had been aiming. He had probably been rambling on when trying to ask for her help.

Still, the matriarch was completely innocent and incapable of any wrongdoings as far as Foxglove was concerned. The moon-kissed grandmother had always been available to help him, and he saw Epona put the same love and purpose in every aspect of her life. From the food she cooked, the stories she told, the legacy she built for her children of love and acceptance that had encompassed even the lands she kept and that included every soul on the farm - except maybe not that one ram who really hit hard. That bastard certainly didn’t deserve it, if she did. Regardless, Foxglove trusted Epona and if there had been a miscommunication, he was certain it was on his end. Im sorry I meant — And then he fell silent again. His jaw snapped shut again this time almost taking the tip of his tongue, certain that he hadn’t heard her right. Perhaps it was the strange feeling the fire had brought on. Was it confusing him? Had to be. Because if he had heard her - if she had wanted that from him. He couldn’t see her intention, though, and the way she couldn’t even look at him confused him more.

She hoped?

First thing he did was swallow, trying to free himself of the cotton that weirdly had filled his mouth suddenly. She hoped. Hope, the most beautiful thing, this most treasured occupant of Pandora’s Box Fables herself hung onto. And Fox had kept her hoping. Ohiumididntmeanareyousure— Foxglove.exe has crashed. System restart required. During his boot up loop Fox no doubt looked so befuddled. Briefly he licked his lips, anxious in a way that made him feel almost shaky. His touch was deliberate as his muzzle brushed hers and then guided her chin up a bit. He wanted to see her eye to eye. She probably could hear the way his heart pounded. Did she feel that too? Did it ripple down their bond? Fable, do you think I called you Abhaile and was wrong? Maybe the fire had him thinking so slowly that he needed the second confirmation. Maybe he was waiting on her to correct herself.

I am so sorry if somehow I gave you the wrong impression - and I don’t want you uncomfortable with me at all. If she was no longer at ease when he was around Fox honestly didn’t know what he would do with himself. The worry shown clearly in his eyes despite the thick feeling in his head. Maybe the cotton he’d swallowed when his mouth was so dry and managed to replace his actual brain. Maybe that was the reason that he wasn’t able to keep up.

Maybe it was just the realization that the girl he had been chasing since they’d met might have actually wanted to be caught that was responsible for his current dysfunction. Poor boy. Hopefully his head wouldn’t explode.