Redhawk Caldera Don't give in, don't give up

i was gonna throw him around more but this makes sense with his character ^^ I'll throw him around some after!

As soon as he's recognized that familiar shape on the edge of the horizon, Gannet had known it was time to go home.  He'd been away what seemed like forever, and he wasn't sure how he'd be received, but the prospect of seeing his aunt and uncle again was a really happy one, and his younger siblings.  Especially, though, he'd missed his best friend, and the thought that he could tackle-hug a Liffey brought a massive grin to the pale wolf's face as he trotted towards the Caldera.

As he got closer, he got more antsy, until finally he stopped and sat, panting, gazing at the flattened mountain.  His parents were gone, Whip was gone, but he still had family here and surely they would be glad to see him!? Giddy with expectation, he called out for whoever might be interested - Guess who's back?

She had struck out on her own again, though by now the adults had more or less given up on trying to keep track of her movements, at least within the territory. Towhee had proved that she was fairly capable of performing routine patrols on her own, so they let her have at it. Despite her young age and the repetitiveness of circling endlessly around the rocky smokestack of the caldera like a donkey marching around a blacksmith's forge, the young mercenary never tired of this task. Her sharp eyes roved the borderlands as she skulked along an invisible tightrope, nostrils flaring and hackles prickling.

As ever, she didn't hear the call that went up in in the muggy May air. But it was only a matter of time before the Xi spotted the interloper standing at the fringes of the pack's territory. A warning growl ripped from her throat as she immediately sprinted toward him. She knew better than to simply attack on sight, yet there was nothing welcoming about her demeanor as she dug her heels into the earth and stood her ground about five feet from the pale stranger... whose scent was strangely familiar.

"Who are you?" she demanded, her voice a garbled bark.

It wasn't long before the sight of someone approaching set Gannet into a spin of excitement.  He shifted in place, a slight whine rising up as he stayed where he was.  He wanted nothing more than to immediately rush forward, but who knew the reception that would get.

The sound of a growl made his ears fall back slightly.  He didn't catch her words, but he inched forward, uncertain and dropped in posture.  He didn't recognize her any more than she did him.  Where were Finley and Elwood?  Were they gone now too?

Whoops, shadow post! Edited a bit!

It took Elwood a moment to identify the familiar voice that floated to him on a warm breeze. He blinked, then suddenly straightened. Gannet! Peregrine and Fox's pale-coated son had vanished during the blizzard, and while his absence had certainly been noticed by his godparents, they had also accepted that he was of an appropriate age to care for himself outside of the caldera.

He wasted no time heading to the borders to greet Gannet, but was still beat to the punch by Towhee. He couldn't help but smirk as the Xi bristled at the "outsider," who she probably didn't remember. Her own brother was the furthest thing from an unwelcome stranger. "Towhee," Elwood said, his voice soothing despite the fact that she couldn't hear him. He gave a reassuring touch to her shoulder, then moved forward to greet Gannet, who looked a little upset by the way Towhee had approached him.

"It's good to see you," he said warmly. "Don't mind her -- she's a little protective. Towhee, do you remember your brother, Gannet?" he asked, shifting to stand alongside Gannet so that he could look back at Towhee.

She couldn't hear her uncle's footfalls, yet she felt the subtle vibrations growing stronger at her back and turned even as he came to stand beside her, his snout brushing her gently on one white-streaked shoulder. Towhee calmed somewhat, at least internally, though her expression remained surly as she faced the stranger again. Because the Alpha male moved forward, she didn't catch anything he said to the unfamiliar wolf, though the Xi read Elwood's body language like a book. He was behaving warm and welcoming.

Squinting, she began to creep forward when the Alpha faced her so that she could read his lips. She froze, ears splaying backward. Eventually, she shook her head. "Nope," she said in a flat, cold voice. "Didn't he leave?" she added, unaware of how shrill her voice sounded. "He's an outsider." She shot Gannet a glare, then looked questioningly to her Alpha.

As soon as he began wondering worriedly that perhaps a new family had pushed the old out, Elwood's familiar and extremely welcome countenance put some cheer back in Gannet's bearing.  He returned Elwood's greeting by bumping his nose to the older man's cheek lightly, thrilled he was remembered after all and perhaps hadn't come for nothing.  He'd hate to have been left behind again.

His sister!?  So this was one of them, apparently grown quite a bit.  He grinned, but it cut off slightly when he read her expression and saw it hadn't changed with the revelation.  Yikes.

Her voice had an odd quality to it, but this time Gannet got the gist.  She wasn't wrong, though he hadn't meant to leave.  "Got lost," he said softly, but he lowered himself to look up at Elwood.  He was an outsider now, and if his uncle decided this was in fact true, he'd have no choice but to find someplace new.

Elwood's brows raised. He was surprised when Towhee wasn't at all swayed by the fact that Gannet was her brother. He began to wonder if maybe her dislike for "outsiders" was more of a problem than he had anticipated; there was nothing wrong with being protective of her home and family, but Gannet was family. He couldn't quite understand her hostility.

"He's not an outsider," Elwood said firmly but gently, shaking his head to accentuate his words. "Sometimes things happen beyond our control -- but family is still family." He turned to Gannet then. "I'm glad you found your way home. You're always welcome here," he said, glancing at Towhee out of the corner of his eye.

She scowled in confusion when Elwood insisted that Gannet wasn't an outsider. Although she didn't really agree, she trusted her uncle's judgment and, moreover, respected her superior without question. Although her jaw muscles jumped as she clenched her teeth, she nodded in assent and lowered her head somewhat as if to say, "Okay, got it."

But that didn't mean she had to like it. Just because Elwood was welcoming him back with open arms didn't mean Towhee was going to rush in for a hug too. If Gannet wanted a place in her inner circle—if he wanted to regain his footing as an older brother—he would have to earn it through loyalty and service to the Redhawks.

Licking her lips, the Xi chuffed softly to her godfather and said, "I'm going to keep patrolling," before pivoting and continuing her steady lope along the invisible fence.

Elwood didn't leave him hanging long, and the response he got led him to place a good many thankful licks on his uncle's chin and neck.  His opinion was what mattered - Towhee was his sister, yes, but he couldn't change how she felt.  So he wasn't going to worry about it.  Only she could decide if she wanted to like him or not.

Giddy to be home, he gave a little bounce and a questioning look.  Did Elwood want anything from him now? Or could he go say hi to some other well-missed faces?

He watched as Towhee processed what she had been told. Her stance relaxed slightly, though her expression remained dark, and a moment later she excused herself. Elwood watched her go without saying anything -- to call after her would be pointless, since she couldn't hear it. He shook his head gently, making a mental note to talk to Finley about Towhee's behavior. He worried that she would get herself into trouble sooner rather than later.

Once she was gone, Elwood turned his attention back to Gannet. The boy seemed eager to step foot back on his homeland, so the Alpha wasted no time in welcoming him back in. "Come on," he said, touching Gannet's shoulder with his nose. "Tell me about your travels," he prompted as he moved forward, intending to lead Gannet towards the rendezvous site so he could be reunited with the rest of his family.

Elwood didn't keep him waiting long, and a very improved Gannet happily followed after him to see everyone again.  He couldn't wait!  Some might be angry like Towhee, but he didn't mind, so long as all were there and happy and together.

The invitation to talk threw him, but Gannet had never been great at explaining or sharing stories.  What did Elwood want to know? Nothing had happened really.  "Long." He said, still considering.  Then he smiled.  "I found a pack."  A temporary one, but he'd enjoyed it.

As Gannet fell into step alongside him, Elwood realized that the boy reminded him of Eljay. He very much wore his emotions on his sleeve, and was just as kind-hearted as his own son. He wasn't much of a talker; even when Elwood asked him to tell about his time away from Redhawk Caldera, Gannet's response was short and to the point, though it wasn't unfriendly in any way.

Elwood chuckled. "I can imagine," he said in response to Gannet's statement about the trip being "long." "I've never much liked being away from home, myself." He moved forward in silence for a few seconds, then probed for more information about the pack that Gannet mentioned. "What about this pack? Where did they live?" he asked, casting a sidelong glance at his nephew.

Elwood sympathized, though he seemed more put off than Gannet was by wandering.  The loneliness had sucked for sure, and it had been way longer than he ever wanted to leave for again, but Gannet hadn't minded the away-ness. Not completely.  The Caldera was the best of places, but it was fun to see others.  Maybe when an adult became a leader they lost interest in that.  His parents had never seemed to like leaving either.

Gannet looked slightly baffled at Elwood's question, and he frowned.  "Not here," he said, for once knowing the answer was more obvious than Elwood wanted but unsure of how else to answer.  He'd run into them completely by chance and left them behind a while ago.

We can wrap up if you want! :)

Although Gannet's reply didn't give much in the way of detail, Elwood was able to surmise what he meant. He assumed that the pack had been somewhere outside of the Teekon Wilds, although really, it could have been within its confines. The place was large, and he had probably visited only a sixteenth of it, himself.

As they reached the rendezvous site, there was a cry from up ahead and Elwood looked up to see Raven loping towards them. "Gannet!" she said excitedly, greeting her younger brother happily. Elwood smiled, stepping back to let the long-lost siblings reunite.

Sounds good!

His brevity seemed to be enough, because Elwood didn't question further.  Though perhaps he just didn't have time to.  An excited call of his name set Gannet thundering forward with a happy yip, and an exuberant greeting followed as he was reunited with his older sister.  Raven, unlike Towhee, seemed thrilled to have him back.  He wasn't much more forthcoming with her than he had been with Elwood, but he made it pretty damn plain all the same how glad he was to see her.  To see all of them!