Wolf RPG

Teya and Reyes had worked hard to solidify the claim on Redhawk Caldera. It was weird for Eljay to set foot on the Caldera lands again, after having been gone from them for so long. Almost a year... He'd returned and talked to Ruenna, once. He'd always thought of Towhee when he visited. He hadn't left her or Niamh in a pleasant position, but at the time he really felt that he had to leave, no matter the cost. Where was Towhee now? Her children seemed fine from the times that they'd visited Reyes, at least. That much was a relief. Yet it was strange to never have made amends with his family back here. Would it even be possible? Would Towhee be able to understand why he had to leave?

Being back here was both diminishing — a part of the lands forced him back into the role of the insecure child who never felt good enough — as well as empowering — taking back these lands for himself and his new family as leader of Brecheliant. It was a weird combination to handle, and Eljay found himself lost in many, many thoughts and feelings.

He hoped that @Sylvie, @Hymnal and @Roswell would be able to settle in well. Their opinion mattered more to him than those of any other wolves here. He hoped they could learn to love these lands; not the way he had, for it was impossible to replicate the love you had for lands you were born in... but in the way that he had learned to love the Copse, because it was what Wildfire loved and where she lived.

Today, Eljay was walking his familiar route along the western borders of the Caldera; looking out over Brecheliant, the beloved fen, and feeling oddly nostalgic to leave his new home behind for his old one.

The move brought mixed feelings to Hymnal as well. She was, of course, excited to go somewhere new, but she also missed the familiarity of the fen; she would likely never admit that out loud, though. 

She followed Eljay's scent to the borders and picked up her pace to catch up with him. When she reached her father, she brushed up against his side. Hey, Papa, she greeted. Can I walk with you? His presence would soothe some of her homesickness.

Eljay smiled when his daughter came into view and brushed up beside him before falling in step with him. Yes, of course, Eljay replied. So far, it seemed to be going alright. He knew that the kids missed their old home — and so did Eljay himself — but none of them were acting out very much. Hopefully the transition would remain smooth enough. How are you holding up? he asked Hymnal as he looked out across the lake behind which the fen lay. He used to watch it from here while he thought about Maia. Seemed like an eternity ago, now.

She liked spending time with her dad, which was why she had been excited for him to start teaching her his trade and why she was happy he was up for a walk now. Hymnal smiled and trotted quietly next to him, her gaze following his out to the fen as he continued speaking. It looked so small this far away, which made her a little sad. She didn't want to burden Eljay with her negative feelings, so she let a smile curve her lips instead. I'm okay, she told him. I like having a new place to to explore. That was the truth, just not all of it. 

How are you, Papa? she asked, a more serious expression on her face now. She knew he had been worried about the decline in prey and maybe about the move, too. Another reason she wanted him to think she didn't miss home; if he thought she was settling in well, then he wouldn't have more to worry about.

Even though Hymnal said she was okay, Eljay knew that it was hard for her. It was hard for him too. Thankfully she also had some of her mother's adventurous genes, though, and Eljay smiled softly when she said she liked having new things to explore. It's okay to miss your old home, Eljay said, even though Hymnal'd said nothing of the sorts. I miss it, too. He glanced at the faraway Fen.

When Hymnal asked how he was, Eljay said, It's nice to be back here, but I also miss the Fen. He'd always dreamed of raising his children at the Blackthorn den, but he had never expected it to be like this. It was strange, the way life had gone. What do you like about the Caldera so far? he asked, trying to think of more positive things. Even though it was fine to miss their old home, he also recognised it wasn't much use feeling sad about it. Besides, things looked a lot better here when it came to food, so a large part of his anxiety had been lifted as well with this move.

Papa had seen right through her mask, and her face fell instantly. Maybe she wasn't as good at concealing her feelings as she thought. 

Now that he mentioned being homesick too, she leaned against him as they walked. Yeah, I miss it a little bit, she finally admitted. But I like it here, too, Papa, she assured him. 

She mustered up a smile when he asked about her favorite thing here. I like all the new places, she told him. What are some of your favorite places? Hymnal asked, excitement replacing the wistful expression she had before. She would go find every one of his favorite places, too.

Hymnal, as always, was eager to prove that she enjoyed the new place as much as she'd liked the old one. Eljay knew that it must be hard on the children — though moreso on Sylvie than Hymnal and Roswell, it seemed — and he was glad that Hymnal admitted to missing the Fen. It would be weird if she didn't at all. Eljay knew that he could react sensitively to emotions, but he wanted Hymnal to feel safe enough to share her feelings to him nonetheless.

I'm glad you like it, Eljay said with a soft smile. It's sort of like the Fen to me, here. I grew up here, a long time ago. Now, it held many memories of more recent, more heart-breaking events, but they were slowly starting to fade as Eljay's lifelong dream seemed to finally come true: Live with his family at the Blackthorn den in Redhawk Caldera.

As Hymnal asked about his own favourite places, Eljay shared: I really like being around the family den. It's where I grew up and helped raise many of my siblings too. But the lake is really nice, too. As he looked out across the lands below, Eljay also shared: And I've always really liked that you can see so far from up here. It's kind of like I get to see new places even though I'm right here at home.

She thought it was pretty cool that her dad had been born here just as she had been born in the fen. Sometimes, she forgot that her parents were kids once, and it was always a shock to be presented with proof of that. 

Eljay knew a lot about the caldera, obviously, and it filled the blackthorn girl with excitement. There was the family den, which they were staying in (i think?), and there was the big lake, which she was immensely curious about. Hymnal's gaze looked out towards the fen, slowly moving over all the land in between. It was really awesome that they could see all of that right from their new home. 

Papa, could you show me the lake now? she asked, her silver gaze eager as she looked up at him.

Hymnal asked him if he could show her the lake, and Eljay responded with an enthusiastic nod. Yes, of course! He really liked the lake. A little ironic, perhaps, because mushy places had never been his favourite (sorry, Broken Antler Fen — Eljay had always preferred its dryer areas), but Eljay did enjoy splishing about in the water.

The caretaker turned away from the Caldera's rim, away from the view-on-the-Fen, and started heading towards the eastern side of the Caldera. They soon joined up with the river that swirled eastwards towards the lake, and started to follow it. Meanwhile, Eljay asked his daughter, What's your favourite thing to hunt?

Papa agreed to take her to the lake, and Hymnal skipped happily at his side. They made their way down from the rim and started to make their way to the lake via following a river. 

Eljay asked what her favorite thing to hunt was, and she gave the question a few moments of thought. Teya had given her some fishing lessons, and that had always been fun. But she thought the time she hunted rabbits with her mom was her favorite. One time, back at the fen, Mama showed me how to hunt rabbits. It was so fun. She grinned happily at the memory. 

What's your favorite thing to hunt, Papa?

Hymnal shared that she had hunted rabbits with Maia once, and Eljay smiled softly at the notion of the story. It was sweet that her favourite thing to hunt was actually more attached to a dear memory than a preference in hunting style or the likes. At her question, Eljay considered a moment before he said: I like to hunt large game. I'm not fast enough for a lot of the smaller animals like rabbits. With larger prey is also feels great to have everyone working together, it feels like we're all connected.

Hymnal's eyes widened some as Eljay told her about large game. He said it required everyone working together, and she thought that sounded like something she'd like to do. 

Can you show me how to hunt large game? she asked. I've never done anything like that before. She knew it would likely be something she would have to wait for, just like with him showing her how to help those who were sick or injured. She was still excited over the possibility.

Of course, Eljay said with a nod when his daughter asked if he could help her with hunting large game. Eljay thought it an important part of upbringing to learn how to hunt with the pack, and he'd gladly teach Hymnal some of it. It'll be a bit confusing in the first big hunts we do with the pack, perhaps, but just remember a lot of the first hunts is about watching and learning. You don't have to do it all perfect right away. That was a lesson that Eljay had learned over time — a lot of time — and he hoped that he could teach it to his children without them having to figure it out themselves. Both Hymnal and Sylvie were rather sensitive, so Eljay could see how they might be prone to being too perfectionist and mirroring themselves to adults who'd had a lot more opportunities to improve themselves in their lives than they had. If you want to, you could come along when I track out some of the herds' locations, too. Before a big hunt, it's important to have a good idea of how the herd is doing, how many there are, how they move, and if there are any good prospects in the herd that can be hunted down relatively easily.

Her excitement was obvious, as were all of her emotions most of the time. Her tail thumped the ground and a grin spread across her face. Thank you, Papa, she said, reaching up to kiss his cheek and nuzzle his neck. 

The blackthorn girl sat back down as he told her she could come with him to track the herds in the area. A trip with dad was enough to excite her, but to be able to help him with the hunting was even better. She had no idea what it meant to study the herds, but she was more than willing to learn. I would love to, Papa, she answered, her front paws dancing a little. I want to help and learn, Hymnal added.

It's settled then, we'll go scouting out the herds together sometime soon. Eljay smiled and decided to shelve his thoughts of going immediately, for now — they were still on their way to the lake, after all. Speaking of which, it dawned before them; straight in front of them, across the snow-covered plains, the large lake of the Caldera spread out and came more and more into view as they drew closer and closer to it.

Okay! she exclaimed. She would look forward to it. She loved learning things from papa. 

The lake stole her attention then and she had to fight the urge to bound forward towards the water; she didn't want to leave her dad behind. Woooow, she said in a tone just above a whisper. It's so pretty, Papa. Can we go swimming? She was too excited to think about the fact that the water was likely too cold for that still. She practically jumped up and down at her dad's side at the thought.

As soon as the lake came into view, Hymnal got excited and looked like she wanted to run ahead. Eljay smiled fondly as he watched her contain herself and express her admiration in other ways. He was glad that she was fitting in so well in the Caldera, even though changes were always difficult. When she asked if they could go swimming, Eljay said, It's still a bit too cold, but we can go swimming again soon! He knew that 'a few months' was actually not very soon to children that age, but a quarter of a lifetime away, but hopefully things would get warmer soon so that he could make good on his promise.

I'll race you to the shore, though! Eljay said with a smile, having noted his daughter's withheld excitement, and he nipped at her shoulder before he started to run. His muscles felt stiff, something he'd started to notice more and more of late. He wasn't too sure he stood a chance at beating Hymnal anymore these days, but he'd give her a challenge at the very least.

Her face fell a little when Eljay pointed out that it was too cold to swim. They could go swimming sometime soon, he said, but Hymnal still held the impatient and impulsive nature of childhood. Still, she wouldn't go against her papa's recommendation. 

Her discontent was easily forgotten when her dad asked her for a race to the lake. Okay! she answered excitedly. Then she sprinted forward towards the lake. She would push herself harder than she ever had and she wouldn't stop until her front paws touched the water. 

There she would sit and pant happily while looking over her shoulder to see if she had won.

Eljay hadn't seen Hymnal ever run that fast before. He smiled with pride as he followed, unable to keep up but trying to make sure he didn't fall behind too far. As Eljay ran, he felt his right hip give in and had to slow down considerably, and with a bit of a hobble in his gait as he continued to run after Hymnal. In the end, he was maybe fifty meter behind Hymnal by the time she reached the water. He was glad she'd been so focused on winning that she hadn't seen him falter.

As Eljay reached Hymnal he waved his tail and smiled. Well done! he said proudly. I don't think I've ever seen you run that fast, you're getting good!

She had been so focused on reaching the lake first that by the time she looked back to find her dad, she had missed his limping. It was probably for the best because she would have been pretty upset to see Eljay in pain. Plus, to her, he was immortal—unable to be hurt or killed. That naive view would be shattered by adulthood soon enough, but for now, it kept her comfortably planted in childhood ignorance. 

She beamed under her father's praise. I didn't know I could, Papa. She looked out over the lake. Do you have any stories about being here? she asked, taking a seat near the water. If they couldn't swim, maybe her dad could entertain them with a story.

Eljay smiled as Hymnal said that she hadn't been able to believe she could do it herself. His tailwagging and excitement slowly died down alongside Hymnal's, and she asked him then if he had any good stories about this place. Oh, there were so many. Most of them weren't very story-worthy, though; things like bringing Uncle Perry flowers, being babysat by Wildfire, or exploring alongside dad. Not a lot of really big, epic story things. Only some that were sad — such as the storm that made them go underground or mom being lost.

I mostly remember a lot of good days with my family, he said softly as he looked out across the water. Learning how fishing works from my father, picking flowers for my uncle, teaching my siblings how to play... The caretaker smiled softly as the faces of wolves he cared deeply about in his life here passed his mind.

Hymnal settled down on the ground against her papa as he told her of his memories. She yawned. I hope I have younger siblings one day to play with, she said softly. The thought of it was so exciting. Dad seemed like he had a lot of good times here, which hopefully meant she would too. 

The sky had started to darken as the sunlight faded. Papa? she asked. Could we camp here for the night? It would be exciting, just her and dad spending the night here.

Eljay smiled softly as Hymnal said she hoped to have siblings to play with one day. He hoped so, too. He looked at the darkening skies when Hymnal called for him and he looked over as she asked if they could camp here for the night. Of course, he said softly. We can stay wherever we want to. This is home, now. Hopefully Hymnal would get used to life on the Caldera quickly enough.

Eljay asked, Now that we have a night all to ourselves without mama here to tell a bedtime story... Perhaps you'd like to give it a try? Eljay smiled encouragingly at his daughter as he lay down on the ground and looked at the darkness slowly fall over the lake.

I would love to tell you a story, papa, she said, a grin spreading across her face.

Hymnal cuddled up next to her dad. I can tell you a story about a princess and her kingdom, she suggested. She always liked stories about princesses. She wondered if her dad liked stories about them too.

Unless he stopped her, she would go into a story about a princess who needed to save her kingdom from an evil witch. It was the perfect bedtime story. 

Hymnal didn't take long to come up with a story; she was a lot like her mother in that way. I'd love that, said Eljay with a soft smile as she suggested a story about a princess. He settled down close to his daughter to listen to the story, feeling proud of the wolf she was becoming.