Wolf RPG

Well aware that he was probably the worst pack mate ever, Caracal found himself departing the summit again. With restless steps, he headed south this time, then hung a left to travel east once he passed the Barriers. He considered continuing on to Mereo again but he didn’t want to show up just to bear bad news and leave again. That would be so mean to Killer and, besides, Fennec had asked Caracal not to tell anyone.

He found himself passing by the fen, the mystical place Brecheliant had once called home. Caracal paused there to stare at the caldera in the distance. He’d visited a few of his other relatives, should he stop by and say “hi” to his dad since he was in the area? Would Reyes even want to see him? Did he want to deal with the nostalgia that would hit him upon revisiting the caldera again?

His ear began to itch, so he flopped to his hindquarters to lift a hind leg and dig at it with his toes. He’d never told Towhee or anybody else about Brecheliant claiming the caldera. And now he had another secret: “You want to do me a favor? Then let me fucking disappear. Don't tell anyone I was here.” Itch scratched, he set his foot down with a soft sigh.

Bridget had returned to find any medicinal stores she'd once squirreled away ruined, for the most part, by both the elements and time. She'd poked her nose back into her old hiding place in the fen, but she smelled nothing but moldy leaves and the rank scent of rotted earth. Some creature had also set about nesting in the place, tearing through and likely removing whatever might have survived. In other words - time to start over. Again.

She sighed good-naturedly, then backed her head out and paused to survey the fen. It was a pretty spot, still, though she wasn't heartbroken to be living elsewhere. She did wonder what had happened to the previous residents of the Caldera, but that curiosity seemed like such a small thing compared to everything else she'd landed in coming back here. She hadn't quite bothered to ask yet.

Was there still mint in that spot over by the borders, she wondered? It was a hard plant to kill so probably. As she went, she tried to push her speed workout overdoing it. Slowly but surely she was going to get to the point where she could run again.

Hold on... She happened to catch movement in the distance, someone familiar. Oh, hey! I know you! She hollered, leaving off the search in favor of this new answer. You're from the Caldera, yeah?! Holy shit. What happened to you all?

He drew in a breath and stood, letting it out through his nose. Caracal still hadn’t made up his mind about dropping by the caldera, so he began to mosey aimlessly. He was getting a bit hungry, so maybe he should try to find some small game to track.

The shout startled him, causing him to whip toward the sound of the voice, eyes wide. He recognized Bridget almost immediately, even from a distance, though his attention was immediately drawn to her missing leg. Caracal gawped, her words failing to register.

Still staring, he trotted nearer with a breathy, Bridget? His voice was a mix of delight and disbelief. Despite her changed appearance, Caracal suddenly beamed. Hey! It’s me, Caracal! He’d been quite a bit younger the last time they’d seen one another, it made him wonder if she recognized or remembered him at all. But he had never forgotten her.

She was used to the stares. It bothered her a bit, when a wolf's eyes were immediately drawn to her leg, but she could hardly blame them. Even she was taking a while to get used to it and she had to live with it. Bridget laughed when he introduced himself and completely failed to answer her question. She actually had forgotten his name, though she definitely remembered his face. He was Towhee's kid.

Hey Caracal! I actually just got back to the area, funny enough. Noticed we had a change of scenery and wondered what happened to the old crew in the Caldera? She'd have been more hesitant to ask if he didn't seem so cheerful, but if something horrible had happened, it hadn't put a cramp in his style. Nice to see you again, either way. It just felt good to vibe with other wolves who talked, for gods' sake. Felt like she was a junkie getting out of withdrawal sometimes, having conversations that didn't receive stilted or one-word answers.

She did seem to have some recollection of him, which made his heart beat a little faster. Bridget certainly remembered the Redhawks, repeating the question he’d failed to answer. He smiled sheepishly, ducking his head and then looking back up at her.

The pack disbanded in the early winter. I went traveling with my buddy, Killdeer. We actually came back a month or two later to find my dad at the caldera. Reyes had only just been staking a claim then. Well, he supposed it had worked out for them, then. Everyone else has sorta settled elsewhere. Like Killer, my mom and my sister are living at a place called Mereo.

But he wanted to know more about her. Where did you go? And what happened to your leg? He gestured at it, wondering even as he did it whether it was rude. Caracal figured it would be weirder just to ignore something like that out of politeness. I’m really glad to see you again too, Bridget.

It was too bad to hear they'd dispersed, though apparently a stroke of good fortune as well for Brecheliant. Apparently prey had been scarce and Bridget still hadn't seen a whole lot worth hunting even now. Could be coincidence, however.

What, that old thing? She asked with a laugh and a shrug. She didn't mind the question but wasn't one to dwell on it if she could avoid it, so the abridged version was her preference. I took a nasty bite from someone a while back. I told him to eat shit but didn't know he already had, otherwise I never would have let him get his teeth anywhere near me.

I couldn't treat it well enough and it about did me in, but luckily some healers near the coast found me and took care of it. I'll gladly take this to the alternative. She moved the stump idly as they talked about it, stretching slightly before standing back in place. It still felt like a leg sometimes, which was part of the problem when she got to going. She'd forget there was nothing there to put weight on.

Mereo, huh? Never heard of them. Glad to hear they are okay though! You staying there with them, or are you doing the whole 'lone wolf' cool guy thing? Her read of Caracal, at least to this point, was complete opposite. He was a sweetheart who, she suspected, might have a slight harmless crush. She'd never let him in on the guess and thought it was adorable if true, despite the inevitable heartbreak he'd likely face if it stuck. Bridget didn't guess it would - they usually sorted out her vibe eventually.

Bridget’s tale was as fascinating as it was gruesome, not to mention informative. Caracal never would have guessed a bite could lead to an amputation, although he realized it must have been due to a bad infection. He grimaced when he thought of just how they’d managed to remove a leg. He was glad she didn’t get into it, he wasn’t entirely sure he could handle the mental imagery. On that note, he had to swallow a bubble of hysterical laughter when he pictured a disembodied leg, which flopped about in his mind’s eye for some reason. What on earth had they done with it…?

Actually, he said brightly, tearing his eyes off her stump, which at least looked cleanly healed if not particularly natural, I’m a medic’s apprentice in a pack on the other side of those mountains. He pointed at the Barrier range, blushing a little when the ‘cool guy’ compliment suddenly landed. Although I hardly spend any time there. I guess I can’t sit still very well, I always want to be out and about…

Only as he said it did he realize just how poorly this might reflect on him. Was Lane disappointed that he was hardly ever around to teach? Would Bridget think he sounded like a big old flake? He coughed and tried to offset any such thing by saying, Hey, did you know you’re the one who originally got me interested in medicine? Were you aware, Caracal added, tone going a little goofier, you’re an inspiration?

That's awesome! I remember you being a natural at it, I'm glad to hear you are enjoying sticking to it. He'd come to her for help during a rough patch of his mom's and she imagined he'd probably been successful there and never looked back. Usually these kinds of things started one of two ways - a terrible experience you never wanted to repeat, or the way she'd gotten into it. You just kind of started helping others out and realized it made a lot of sense to keep doing it.

I'm surprised they let you travel so much! But that's good. I never was very good at guilting myself to stick around, so it's nice to have Eljay here as backup. She gave him a slight wink at the joke there. As if Eljay were the 'backup' in this situation! Truth was she did feel quite a bit of guilt, disappearing like she had, but it wasn't like she could go back and change it. It had been an accident and things like that happened, but they were no reason to chain yourself to the job completely. If Caracal had that balance figured out already, he'd probably do pretty well for himself.

Her words of praise sent a happy flush through the young man, though Caracal’s stomach dropped a little when she commented on his traveling. But Bridget inferred she was the same way and that earned a speculative look, his eyes flicking back and forth across her face. The wink earned a tiny gulp and an easy grin, despite his internal conflict.

Actually, he decided to admit, I’m not sure what they think about it. I don’t really… He trailed off just short of confessing that he never bothered to let anyone, even Lane, know of his comings and goings. Lips pursing as he paused thoughtfully for a moment, he eventually said, I should do better with that. It’s just that I love traveling so much, it’s hard to stay in one place for very long. But I can work on it. Right?

He caught her eye and huffed a sheepish laugh when he realized he was unloading on her. Anyway, how’s Brech… uh, how’re things at the caldera? There was a tiny pause before Caracal asked, Are my dad and his GF still around?

She wouldn't push it, but she couldn't help one more comment. It just depends on what you want. It's fine to compromise with a pack, but there's nothing wrong with taking time for you. It can be easy to forget that, doing this job. Pack life seemed to be important to Caracal and he likely put more weight on that than she did. Bridget liked belonging to a pack, but she'd never felt bound by responsibility in that way.

It's still Brecheliant. But things are good. My dad and his gf. Bridget wasn't sure what she should say, there. She'd stayed out of Teya and Reyes' business entirely and hadn't seen a lot of Reyes as a result of it. She didn't hold anything against him, but she wasn't sure what to say. It was probably safer that way.

Yeah. You actually have a little sister, now. Half sister. It wasn't her news to give but she didn't think Reyes or Teya would mind. With how stressful the entire situation had been, maybe they'd even appreciate not having to spread the news themselves. She's a cutie. Her name is Sorana.

Bridget’s sage words relieved some of the guilt tightening his insides. They also made him think. “It just depends on what you want.” Caracal wanted to be a healer, but he also wanted to travel freely. Abruptly, he wondered if those were entirely incompatible lifestyles. Would he be forced to choose one or the other?

He tucked those thoughts aside for the moment, listening to Bridget’s response regarding the pack. Caracal’s eyes widened at the news about a younger sister. His tail broke into a wag and, suddenly, his mind was made up to pay a visit. He just hoped they’d let him meet little Sorana.

I’d love to see her—them, he amended. Do you think we could head over there and visit?

She did wonder, then dismissed the concern. Bridget had been offering to watch Sorana at times so that Teya could take a break and she figured, if Caracal meeting her was overwhelming, it could give the mother the chance to escape for a moment or two. He seemed to genuinely want to see her and Bridget doubted Teya would fault him for that.

Sure! C'mon. I bet she'll be thrilled to meet you. Bridget gestured and then began to lead the way to where Teya made her den.