Imogen was poking around someplace new. That was fun! She was making sure not to go too far from the lands that they were now living in. Imogen hadn't quite yet wrapped her head around exactly what had gone down. She knew her parents were on edge and that something bad had happened to Nolan and they had to leave quickly because bad wolves wanted to hurt them but she really didn't understand why nor did she fully grasp just how close to actual danger she'd been. Instead while it was sad to not be able to go back to the hut she'd grown up in this was just another new adventure for the girl. Still she wasn't going to wander too far, not when her parents were clearly anxious. Blind was watching too and Imogen wasn't even bothered. Not that she was the kind to chaff under her parents rules anyways, she was simply more likely to forget the rules entirely. Besides! Look at those trees! Imogen tipped her head back to look at the interlocking canopy above her head, trying to see if there was any place where the sun broke through, she kept looking up up up! And then with the momentum of her craning neck she fell onto her haunches with an audible "whump." "Speech"

Base by Srinyx

There's eleven of them, it's not hard to sneak off. Choosing not to take his father's companion with him, he has someone else to drag along to his shenanigans. He has a new kitten with him, toddling along behind him, trying to keep up, swinging from his tail. The thing is all black with a small white mark on its forehead, kinda like him, huh! Anyway, he figures the kitten will be sufficient enough of a "guard" for his adventure (it's not, but don't tell Hattori).

Humming a melody that vibrated funny in his throat, Jiro didn't really choose a direction. Well, okay, he kind of picked any direction in the west because he didn't want to necessarily go back to the rocky quarry ravine thing again. Actually, seeing Imogen again would've been cool! But his dad had said to keep clear of it, something about his older brother chasing off suspicious wolves? Didn't make sense to Jiro because he was big and cool and strong, but whatever! West it was!

Avoiding the uncool places, Jiro smiles when he comes across the Grapevine Cathedral. Something in his bird brain chirps up, noting how mom had mentioned good herbs grew in the shady areas rich with acidity from the grapes. Interested in finding out if she was right, Jiro ducks down through a small opening and lets out a quiet 'ooo' noise with widened eyes as he stands to his full growing height. A moment later, his kitten has managed to clamber up onto his back, forcing Jiro to look back with a huff, showing his teeth in warning to not use those dang claws!

With that out of the way, Jiro ambles around. His eyes go every which direction they can, drinking in his surroundings with awe at the beauty of the place. Spring had definitely sprung and there were plenty of grapes to eat! As he reaches for a cluster of them, a loud 'whump!' catches his attention and makes his start a bit. Swinging around to look, his fur bristles for a moment until he recognizes who it is.

"Imooooogeeeen!" He calls out as he trots over to her fallen backward form. Standing over her, head tilted slightly, he smiles briefly. "Whatcha doin' down there?" Jiro questions, perhaps a bit too close into her personal space.

Imogen honestly was more than happy here on the ground and as a familiar voice called out to her her tail started to wag but from her position it mostly caused her to wriggle in the grass. Then a familiar face was hovering over her and she grinned up at Jiro. "Lookn' at the trees. She responded cheerily. Her forelegs reaching out to try and put her paws on either side of his face. "What're you doin' up there?" Imogen thought herself very funny indeed, parroting his question back to him. Luckily for Jiro Imogen didn't mind her own personal space being invaded, but it would come at the price of her doing the same to him! "Speech"

Base by Srinyx

His face in hers, noses nearly touching, eyes kind of going cross eyed trying to get a good look at her. Jiro can't help but laugh as she places her paws on his cheeks, his belly quickly moving in and out. Just as her question reaches his ears, he sticks out his tongue and blows a loud, wet, and short raspberry back at her. "Makin' it rain for you," he jests, unable to hold back his laughs as he falls backward onto the grass beside her.

"I'd say sorry, but that was funny," Jiro says, his chin turning to look at Imogen and see if she had recovered from the raspberry to the face. His belly was hurting from his laughter and he was having a hard time catching his breath. "Trees do look cool from down here though," he adds, still not looking away from Imogen because deep down he does want to make sure he didn't actually upset her.

His laughter was infectious, and Imogen only stopped laughing to let out a squeal as he blew a raspberry right in her face. She screwed her eyes shut and tried to turn her face away, too late. She wiped at her face with her wrists, and tried to get his gross boy spit off. Still there could be no mistaking the rapid movement of her own stomach, even as she tried her very best not to verbalize her laughter. When Imogen finally turned her head to look at Jiro, now on the ground next to her, she was trying and failing spectacularly at glaring at him. It was hard for her to really harbour anger against someone at the best of times let alone while barely holding back laughter. She shoved at him playfully with her forepaws, giggling. "You're a butt!" She said, about the strongest insult she could really think of. Okay, not true... Daddy Mika sometimes used words she knew she wasn't supposed to use, and sometimes she did but they felt too mean for her friend, raspberry to the face or not. Still she agreed with his assessment about the view, turning her gaze upwards again. After a moment Imogen asked Jiro a question that realistically he probably couldn't answer. D'you think adults would find it cool?" She glanced at him. "I wanna try and cheer up my parents." All of them if she could. Daddy Beau, Daddy Tan, Daddy Mika, Henry, Benson and Mama Cass. Not that she was sure all of them would like it... Benson probably would though right? He was a lot less like a dad and a lot more like an older sibling, like Trixy! "Speech"

Base by Srinyx

Jiro's laughter sputters to an end as Imogen calls him a butt. He knows he deserves it and respects her for being honest because at least she's not giving his side long glances wishing she could speak her mind. Thanks dad, it's obvious.

Refusing to linger on grey thoughts, he focuses on the trees above. Inwardly, Jiro wonders if he could do anything with leaves? Would they make good bandages? Or poultices? It would be a question to save for later. For now, Imogen is asking him a question that makes his brow furrow. Would adults like it? Well, tha'ts a loaded question.

"I think my Otōsan wouldn't care much, but Okāsan would at least play along and pretend that she did," Jiro lets out a sigh as he turns his chin to look over at Imogen. Something about her face and the way she said she wanted to cheer up her parents made him think that something was wrong. "Uh, did something happen?" He asks, feeling rather awkward because he's not quite good at this things yet.

((For timeline clarity at the time of this thread Enthe was still under Haydee's leadership and therefore still called Enthe))

The words Jiro used when he answered made Imogen tilt her head slightly. What did ootoosan and ookahsan mean? They must have been adults in Jiro's life from his response but who exactly that made them was still a mystery to her. But it was his follow up question that made Imogen finally focus in, her expression dropping slightly, though she wasn't sad... Not exactly, sure she missed her home but she was more confused than anything else. "I think so...." She frowned. "One of my brother's went missing for a while... Some strangers brought him back but they wanted to trade him for Norad?" She wasn't really sure, this was about as much as she'd managed to piece together from the snippets of conversation and worried muttering she'd gathered during their flight to Enthe and the days afterwards. "I think they threatened Daddy Beau too, my sister Trixy said we had to run away because they wanted to do bad things to us." It was really more confusing than scary, she'd been maybe a little scared when they'd run but she'd also been in the thick of the panic, soaking in the fear coming off the adults in waves. She sat up, a deep frown still wrinkling her brow. "Most of my parents seem pretty upset about it, Daddy Beau, Daddy Tan and Daddy Mika especially." Hell Daddy Mika seemed more than just upset. "The leader of Enthe is letting us stay there for now and no one got hurt so it's a little confusing how upset they all are still. I miss home but I really just wanna see my parents happy again." Like they used to be. That was probably more information than others would have shared but Imogen saw no reason to keep anything from her friend. She wasn't afraid of the big meanies who'd taken Norad from her parents she just wished they hadn't made them so upset, so caution was maybe not on her mind as it ought to have been. "Speech"

Base by Srinyx

Jiro notices the change of her expression from the corner of his eye. Tilting his chin slightly so he was looking more at her than the leafy canopy above, he can't help but furrow his brow. Obviously something concerning was on her mind, so much so that it made her upset and all weird. He would stay quiet though and listen because even if he was the clown of the litter, his father had really pushed it on them that they should be respectful and listen when others spoke.

Her story is news to him which isn't surprising. He doesn't expect his father to delve details of other packs to him, but he hopes his father knows of this sudden take over from strangers. Kidnapping and forceful taking of packs? That definitely didn't sound good, not one bit. Jiro doesn't know the wolves she speaks of, but can only guess its her family members. He still watches, his brow still furrowed, concern riddling his own expression as he wonders why it had happened.

"Bad things?" He can't help but whisper, almost too quite for her to hear. When she sits up, Jiro scrambles with his paws to also sit, grass shredding haphazardly beneath his weight and sudden panic. Staring wide eyed at Imogen, its his turn to look at her in a confusing manner. Multiple parents? Three dads? That was new, different, but he guessed it wasn't bad? It wasn't something brought up by his own father so he wasn't sure how to comprehend the dynamic. Where was her mom? Didn't she need a mom to... feed her? Care for her? All that stuff that moms did?

Jiro lets out a sigh as she finishes, his lips curling into its own frown now that he's really registering what happened. "I'm sorry, Imogen," he says earnestly, lifting a paw to place it on her shoulder in hopes of comforting her. "Maybe you guys can go home soon?" Jiro doesn't understand that home no longer existed for Imogen, but he wanted to help comfort her and it was the best thing he had at the moment.