Redhawk Caldera beti

he'd been here before. that thought rang absently through his mind as he stared up the caldera.

but aditya had bigger fish to fry at the moment.

he'd paired up with another loner in an attempt to take down a young mule deer buck; why they hadn't waited for easier game, he couldn't explain. they were half-mad with hunger, having only scarfed down rodents and various berries for days, and winter was growing dangerously near.

the buck had slipped from their grasp, leaving them with empty bellies and a long, jagged gash from his hooves along aditya's right front shoulder. the loner had done the best he could to doctor it, but. . .

anyway. he stood here swaying, exhausted, his wound packed with old moss and beginning to fester. he could smell it. it made his eyes water. his vision blurred with the tears, and he howled for a healer, hoping he could make a case for himself before the old man collapsed altogether.