Wolf RPG

Oh, this was weird. When she reached the Caldera's borders, it wasn't her mom and the others that she found. Instead, she caught traces of her dad and the familiar border of Brecheliant settling in.

She wasn't worried about her mom or the Redhawks, but she was curious what had happened. With a smile she lifted her muzzle and called for @Reyes, then settled into a casual sit in order to groom her pelt.

The sound of someone's voice calling for him, when Reyes wanted nothing to do with the borders at all anymore, gave rise to a particularly petulant mien for the man. He had bene hiding out for long stretches in the Hobbit Hole - having repurposed it for his own use as well as Teya's; but the call drew him out.

He drifted to the territory limit in his own time and there, sitting and tidying herself in a bird-like manner, was one of his daughters. It had been so long since he'd seen either of them that Reyes couldn't tell them apart (if he'd ever been able to before, that was a mystery).

Hey -- he started calling, realizing his error before either name could emerge. --you, I thought you'd be with your mom. It wasn't the best greeting in the world or really all that warm, but hey, Reyes had just woken up.

Hey, daddy. Tierra ignored his apparent mood and smiled, stopping her fussing with her fur to look at him. I mean, she isn't really here, is she? There wasnt a good way to answer that in detail without admitting she'd lied about where she was. It wasn't like her dad and mom spoke ever but she still didn't want to risk that nonsense.

Caracal and Sphyra are gone too. She frowned a little at that, but then shrugged. I came to see you. Her tail picked up hopefully, as did her tone. He was happy to see her, right? He had to be.

Hey daddy, was the last thing he'd expected anyone to say to him. He still couldn't tell which daughter this was, but to Reyes it didn't matter. One of them had come back here - maybe looking for someone else, maybe not. The way she spoke made him think his daughter was on the outs with Towhee, which made her more than welcome here.

Caracal - he visited, Reyes explained, almost speaking over Tierra. She said the magic words and something within Reyes shifted.

Oh. Uh, you're welcome to stay if you'd want. Or visit, whatever you want. To say he was happy was an understatement; he was so overwhelmed by the chance to prove he wasn't an asshole, and to be fatherly, that he was more than willing to let her do whatever she wanted.

When I couldn't find your mom, and found the place empty... Well it seemed like a good idea to move. Brecheliant took it over. Did she even care about that? She was here to see him, right? Right. Cool.

Oh, good! I mean, I figured. But I'm starving! She'd done a pretty fair job of hunting for herself but if she had the option, she'd take her dad's free food and solo attention happily. She was pretty happy to hear that her siblings weren't around (though she did miss them too).

Bet mom loves that. Tierra said with a laugh, but she didn't need any more attention before she crossed the border to follow him wherever he was going. She loved her mom a lot, and when she was little their split had hit harder. Now that she was older, she'd made her peace with the fact that they were pretty different and just didn't seem to like each other much. It made a lot of sense to avoid wolves who pissed you off.

You look good, though. Sorry I haven't visited, I was totally at the Frosthawks for a while, but then I kinda felt like exploring. It didn't take long for her to cave on keeping things from her dad. 60 seconds at the most? She wanted to talk about it with someone, how rad it had been being off and self sufficient and how cool it was that she'd already been and seen so many places.

The urge to roam had infected Reyes at an early age, so it shouldn't be a surprise to him that Tierra felt much the same. Given the unstable home life of his kids, Reyes would've been more surprised to see any of them stay rooted to one place for very long. It was nice to know they had minds of their own despite all the work Towhee had put in to brainwashing them.

It's alright -- you're visiting now, he offered with a small smile, partially cutting off what Tierra was saying. She mentioned the offshoot of the Frosthawks and Reyes huffed softly, but nodded and didn't comment. He wondered if Tierra even knew of her connection to the coast -- having forgotten who exactly he'd brought along in meeting his mothers that one time.

What was that like? Your explorations. I like to think of myself as an intrepid spirit myself, he mentions with a small laugh, trying to make himself sound cool to his somewhat-estranged daughter, as any desperate parent might.

Reyes didn't linger or seem upset by her admission and Tierra knew she'd gotten away with it.  No one in her family talked, so they wouldn't find out, and she congratulated herself.

She liked how proud he sounded, and that he compared with himself.  I met this other girl, and we ran around for a while, but I figured I could do just as well by myself. There were a few packs i maybe could have joined, but they were pretty lame. She hadn't actually stopped and spoken to many of them. If she wasn't near home then she wasn't interested, much as she might insist otherwise.

Where did you explore? His comment had piqued her curiosity, and she secretly (or not so, maybe) wanted to compare. She loved both of her parents, but Towhee was more of a known entity and also more into the things Sphyra liked. Tierra had gravitated towards her father, even from a young age, and there wasn't probably much that would ever change that. Even if she didn't want to lay down roots in Brecheliant.

She told him about some adventures with a lady friend, and as they walked together the conversation pivoted to be about Reyes again.

He was reluctant to share much about his past; there were things that even his mothers did not know about his life. Teya was the closest for now — but even she did not have some of the insights that Reyes had shared with Towhee, only to regret them.

I spent a lot of my youth by the ocean, he mentions. He couldn't recall which of the children had followed him to the coast to meet their grandmother, so he glossed over what might have been blatant. For a while I wanted to be anywhere but at home, y'know?

Glancing at Tierra as he said this, Reyes wondered if she was motivated by the same wanderlust as her father, or something deeper, maybe darker. Had life with Towhee been a struggle once he'd been kicked out? A part of him hoped not - but a stronger part was bitter, and pleased by the idea.

Yeah, kinda, I guess. I mean, it isn't like I don't love you and mom and Sphyra and Kaka. Most of the time. She couldn't help laughing a little at her nickname for her brother. He got on her nerves, and she made fun of him, but she missed him as much as she missed her sister. I just kind of wanted to see something else. And she hadn't felt like her mom would understand that, despite Towhee never saying anything to prove that. Her mom had just always been more protective of them and potentially needing to ask forgiveness was easier than asking permission. She could talk to her dad about this though. He never seemed to get mad at them.

It was really cool when you took us to see grandmas. I wanted more of that, just kind of by myself. You didn't say where you went, though.

She said this last part with a little exasperation and melodramatic emphasis. She wanted to hear more about what kinds of things he had seen! Because it turns out, the places she'd gone had been a little boring, and it was harder than she thought to actually have a cool experience while traveling. It would be neat to see something actually worth bragging about next time. And she totally didn't mind stealing from him if she could.

It was strange to talk to his daughter as if she were a real person. Granted, she was, but at the same time in his mind, Tierra and Sphyra and Caracal, they were all small bundles that needed him for protection and food. It had been many months since anyone had needed him like that but he couldn't shake the competing sensations at war within his mind when he thought of his family.

When Tierra mentioned her grandmothers, Reyes couldn't help the smile that split across his face. She sassed him a bit about the details and he let out a small chuckle. There were many things Reyes had been through, people he'd dealt with, and places he'd been, which he would never share with anyone — especially not his children. They already had a colorful view of him thanks to their mother, and he wasn't going to make that any worse, or validate Towhee's assumptions in any way.

Well... Not all the places I went were good places, exactly. I wouldn't want you to go off hunting for the same kinds of adventures. That was vague enough to put a stop to Tierra's questions, right? Or the opposite. Reyes wasn't sure how to broach the subject of pirates.

I think you should go visit Sapphique. He offered that up as a sort-of compromise. Your grandmothers have better stories than me anyway. Rosalyn for sure. Maybe we could go together sometime.

Well, that was annoyingly vague. Tierra rolled her eyes and gave a dramatic, joking sigh. I bet you just didn't go anywhere that cool and don't want to admit it. She grinned and wrinkled her nose at him. She was clearly joking with him mostly, but it was also hard for her to imagine any place that he wasn't willing to talk about. She'd never had the type of experiences he had and didn't have any real frame of reference for it.

That'd be cool, though! I want to go find Sphyra and Caracal and them. I mean, kind of. If I can. She caught herself, playing down the amount that she wanted to see both of them again. She wanted to see her mom too, but kept that to herself. Every so often she could have a touch of consideration. But when, d'you think, you'd want to take a trip like that? She'd come back for it and make sure she was there.

How about in a few weeks? The pack had just settled in the Caldera and there was a lot of work still to do; Reyes wanted to make sure everyone was settled here before he made any grand plans. With that in mind, he wondered if travel would be easier in a few months — once winter's grip had loosened and paths became accessible — but he kept this to himself.

That should give you time to roam a bit. Maybe you'll find your brother and sister and we can make a whole thing out of it too. He smiled; genuinely, feeling a budding hope that warmed his spirit, like the first indication of spring after a harsh winter.

That'd be so cool! I mean, if I find them. Normally Tierra would have made a bid to have her daddy all to herself for the trip, content to soak up the attention and think herself the favorite for a while, but it had been a long time since she saw her brother or her sister. If getting them in on this trip was how she did it, she was absolutely in favor. Of course, she would promptly forget to tell Caracal - but seeing as he was going to the coast himself anyway, maybe that was for the best. Or so she'd tell herself when she remembered later.

Her grandmothers were akin to mythological figures to Tierra. She remembered meeting them when she was real small, but no specifics, and the beach cliffs where they lived had seemed like such a cool place. She hadn't gone there when she went wandering because she hadn't been sure on where it was, and she hadn't wanted them to tell on her. But now she wondered if that wouldn't have been a more fun way to pass the time.

If they come here, you should ask them too. Just in case. She wasn't sure who she would find. But even if it is just us, we should do it. She smiled at him with the same sweet, innocent look she'd had since she was small. It wasn't exactly the same on her grown, but she'd likely never stop calling him 'daddy' or looking at him like that.

It sounds like a plan. Reyes gave one definitive nod.

It sounded like Tierra would be taking after himself, and her grandfather, when it came to the whole wanderlust thing. He suddenly thought about the suffix of that word — lust — and felt his mind begin to spin all kinds of scenarios against his will.

He had to let out a small (very awkward) laugh in an effort to drown out the flashbacks before they could spoil the entire idea. Reyes had been through a hell of a lot while he wandered in his youth and that's where his mind went for his daughter - there were all kinds of threats out there.

We should. Tell you what — if they are no-shows, and if when you're older you still think it'd be cool to pal around with your dad on a road trip, we'll go wherever you want. It wouldn't be that simple but Reyes didn't want to drown whatever machinations were being built within Tierra's mind either.

Maybe in the coming months she'd become a skilled tactician, or capable of holding her own in a brawl, so that Reyes wouldn't have to worry so much.

Okay. Cool. Yeah! Her enthusiasm for the idea grew the longer she thought about it, and soon enough her tail was going. Without thinking, Tierra leaned forward and pressed her head to his neck in a hug. Thanks, daddy.

A trip, just the two of them, would be so neat. If she found her siblings (she hoped she would) then she would totally invite them, like she promised. But she'd probably beg her dad for a trip for them also afterwards, something that they could use to explore even more and maybe catch up even more. And if Tierra could learn some things before then, maybe she could even impress her dad and her grandmothers. Imagine!

Regardless, she'd stick around here for w while before she moved on. Long enough for a meal or two, some catching up, and for her to tell a few (embellished) stories of places she had totally gone and wolves she'd totally met.