Golden Glade sky fire above, ice below the hearth

Attn: @Raven
Note: Set hours after this thread.

 
"It's even more beautiful than I had imagined," Rannoch said, admiring the forest as he kept pace at @Raven's side. "I can't believe that nobody has claimed these lands... it seems, well, perfect." He glanced at his co-leader then, wondering she made of the territory's initial impression. 

The Frosthawks had only moved hours prior, and Rannoch had sought Raven's company to get a better grasp of the territory. Their youngest offspring were napping, and @Liffey had volunteered to keep watch while they explored; they'd explore together later, once all their children slept. 

Speaking of children—Rannoch glanced curiously at Raven's swelled abdomen at the thought of his own offspring and wondered, "You're all good after the move, right?"

It still didn't seem real. It was strange, how something so seemingly simple -- moving from the top of the plateau to the bottom, basically -- could make such a dramatic difference for Raven's state of mind. She still grieved for Wildfire's passing, of course, and she still mourned for the siblings who'd left for greener pastures elsewhere in the Hinterlands, but over all of that she now felt optimism. Hope. A new excitement for life. The change was refreshing, rejuvenating, and it was exactly what she needed. And she would never again take for granted how comforting it was to have trees over her head!

Her friend walked alongside her now as they casually strolled about their new home, and as they talked of things that had happened to each of them in the time since they'd last seen one another (and it had been a while!), she felt a sense of contentment and belonging she hadn't known in a long time. She had so few friends that she sorely missed them when they were apart. It felt strange to share leadership with him, but she knew they would all get used to it with time. Rannoch inquired about her condition, referring to her pregnancy, and she nodded with a smile, "Oh yeah, I'm fine. I've been through far worse, while far more pregnant." A squirrel went scurrying from the path on which they walked into some of the tangly undergrowth off to the side, momentarily distracting her attention. Continuing, she responded to his initial comment, "It really is awesome here. We've hunted these woods so many times but I never really stopped to appreciate them like this. Never thought I'd be living here, I guess." She glanced up at him with a wry grin and bumped him lightly with her shoulder. "I sure never all of this coming. It's still surreal to me that you're here...and we've got a pack together!"

"Yeah... you've got a good point. That was probably the easiest move I've been a part of," Rannoch replied with an amused snort; his concern had been futile, as their move from the plateau to the glad had gone smoothly. "I just had to make sure," he amended, his spirits bright. 

Rannoch's attention to their conversation was displaced as he watched the squirrel vanish into the tangle of the underbrush, and once it was out of sight, he turned to Raven again. "Yeah, I don't think that anybody saw this coming," he sure hadn't. "It's weird how things happen sometimes, isn't it?"

It was a little strange that Rannoch considered this move one of his easier ones, considering the distance they’d had to cross to get here. And with puppies in tow, no less! She hated to think of what his previous moves must have been like to make this one seem easier, but she didn’t ask. All that mattered was that everyone had made it here in one piece. Some definitely the worse for wear — she thought of Wisteria, specifically — but at least they were alive and safe.

”It really is,” she replied as their path diverged and took them toward the rocky walls at the base of the plateau. Streams of water trickled down the granite flanks of the hill upon which they used to live, patches of vibrant green moss clinging to the damp stone around those tiny, dripping falls. ”How’s your family settling in? I know this was all pretty sudden for mine. I can’t imagine how much of a whirlwind this must have all been for yours.”

"Honestly? It's been rough," Rannoch replied with a sigh, his mood faltering at the thought of the grief that the children had exhibited. "It was all pretty sudden for them, too, and I'm worried we might have taken things too quick. They all seem so angry at us." He could understand where their angst had stemmed from, but he wished that they comprehend the benefits of being so close to their family. 

Hopefully, in time, they'd learn. 

"Maybe we should do something the lift their spirits," Rannoch suggested. "I know as a kid I used to hunt fireflies with the puppies in my birth pack and remember it being a blast," maybe this was what the pack needed. "Deshyr and Breccan are both skilled hunters and they could—" his thought was cut off as he spotted an entryway that lead into the interior of the plateau's basement. Rannoch paused and glanced at Raven. 

"Did you guys ever explore cave?" he wondered.

As disappointing as it was to hear that his family was upset with him, Raven felt relieved that she wasn’t the only one dealing with an angry pack. What few weren’t angry seemed apathetic at best. To Raven, the plateau was little more than a piece of land. It was the pack itself that was important to her, not the ground upon which they stood. But maybe she’d been inoculated against the grief of homesickness already — when Towhee had led them away from the caldera — whereas her own, particularly her children, were experiencing this for the first time.

She felt confident, though, that they would all come to accept it with time, maybe even enjoy their new surroundings. She knew she certainly wouldn’t miss the bare exposure of the plateau in the freezing months of winter.

She saw the crevice in the stone at the same time he did, and shook her head in response to his question. She couldn’t remember ever seeing any sort of caves back at the caldera. ”Let’s check this out!” As she stepped into the cave’s entrance, cold water pattering down onto her nape from the rocks above, she looked around and was intrigued to see what looked like tunnels in the shadows ahead.

Rannoch nodded, following Raven's lead into the cavern. He didn't know what he expected to find, but once they cleared the threshold, Rannoch found himself momentarily inarticulate. The cave was much more spacious than he had previously anticipated, and in the distance, he could see that the main "room" was one of many. There were more entryways, and Rannoch wanted to investigate them. 

"What a find," he remarked, glancing at his friend with excitement. "What do you make of all of this?" Rannoch hoped that Raven was in the mood to explore, too. With motivation driving him, he pressed forward a step and sniffed; he supposed that these caverns had to have some occupants. He was surprised by the staleness of the air and how it appeared as though their discovery was vacant. He didn't know what to make of it. Although the vacancy was in their favor, he couldn't help but wonder if there was a reason for this.

With Rannoch following close behind her, they eased their way into the cave to find it was much larger inside than it had initially appeared. A cavernous expanse yawned open over their heads, extending upward into darkness even her own heightened wolf’s vision couldn’t penetrate. All around them echoed the muffled sounds of water dripping and trickling, though at least in this particular area, none rained down upon them.

”This,” she answered, her mouth agape as her eyes roamed the walls across from where they stood, lingering curiously on the openings whose shadowed depths beckoned to the nerdy explorer in her, ”is so cool.” A quick glance at his face told her he was down to explore if she was, so with him by her side, she proceeded toward the closest tunnel.

It closed in around them, submerging them in blackness and claustrophobia. She could feel the tips of her guard hairs brushing damp walls, but it passed quickly into another chamber, dimly lit from some crack in the stone overhead. Silvery-clear water trickled down the wall onto the dirt-strewn floor, where it seeped into cracks in the stone and disappeared. All around them lingered the smell of dusty earth and stale webs, but Raven was filled with exhilaration. She looked at Rannoch with a can you believe this?! expression on her face.

Raven's excitement was undeniable, and Rannoch couldn't help but smile. His smiling expression lingered, even as they emerged themselves in the shadows of the nearest tunnel. Where Raven was able to travel with ease, Rannoch found himself unable to go as far as she had. Early into their expedition, he realized that there was a considerable size difference between them; he was wedged between the walls and unable to follow her all the way. 

In time, Raven was a silhouette in the distance, and Rannoch felt relieved that he had not lost her. "It is!" he replied, throwing his voice so that she could hear him. "I got stuck," he couldn't help but laugh at his luck, "What do you see back there?"

She had forgotten about the size difference between herself and Rannoch, so as she ventured through the tight passageway she didn’t think about him not being able to follow her. The only wolf she really hung out with on a regular basis was Quixote, and he wasn’t much bigger than she. Rannoch, by contrast, was a CHONKY BOI. When she turned and saw him wedged in the narrow tunnel, she giggled at him and returned, helping him get free of the rocky passage and joining him back out in the cave’s main chamber.

As they continued to explore, a thought occurred to her and she gave it voice: ”You know, lately I’ve been feeling like there’s some sort of hex on my name. Bad luck seems to follow Redhawks around like...flies cling to poop. With this whole change and us all turning over a new leaf — new beginnings and all — I’ve been thinking about taking a new name for myself. Maybe just calling myself Raven Frosthawk. Is that weird?” While changing one’s own name was a strange concept to her, she didn’t realize that her own family, the Redleaf-DiSarinnos, had done that themselves so many years ago.

Rannoch and Raven backtracked once he was freed, navigating towards the main corridor of the cavern. Despite the minimal distance that they had traced, he already felt as though he was getting a lay of the area. 

Rannoch turned to Raven as she spoke her mind, his pace dawdling as he listened. She revealed her desire to change her surname to Frosthawk, and he couldn't help but smile. Not only was it formidible—it was something that was entirely theirs, and a way to honor how they had all turned over a new leaf. "I love it," Rannoch admitted. "And, honestly, I'd like to take on the name as well," he couldn't foresee Liffey having a problem with it, "And on that note—maybe that's what we should call the pack?"

She was relieved he didn’t think she was crazy. Her family name had always meant so much to her. So far, though, it seemed that the most pain and heartache in her life had come from her own family. Towhee and Phox had ditched, nearly all of her other siblings had left at one point or another — even Wildfire, much as Raven had loved and adored her, had abandoned them all years ago — not to mention all the shit that Titmouse had put her through. As far as she knew, he was still in league with the pack that was sworn enemies of the Redhawks.

All of this made her question what it was, exactly, that she was so loyal to. If one had asked her a few weeks ago, her immediate response would have been family. But the seeming lack of reciprocation from family to her had gotten her thinking. Now, her loyalty was to herself. Her children. The wolves who still believed in her when even her own brother and sister didn’t.

Bitterness swirled in her thoughts as she considered Rannoch’s comments. She loved his show of solidarity in choosing to adopt the Frosthawk name himself. They would be their own family. ”That’s a great idea,” she replied after a few seconds’ thought, pausing where she stood to paw at an upturned rock with an interesting array of colors and streaks on it. ”Frostfur and Redhawk coming together to forge something even stronger. The Frosthawk pack. I love it.” She imagined her siblings would be strongly against her changing her name or that of their family pack, but she no longer cared what they thought. Their right to tell her how to live her life and run her pack had ended when they’d turned their backs and left with bird fingers in the air. ”We should go find Qui and Liffey and tell them,” she added, figuring they could resume their exploration another time.

Unlike Raven, who had somehow managed to always be around family, Rannoch's family consisted of his wife and children. His parents were dead, and his siblings and cousins had dispersed, and despite the absence of his blood relatives, Rannoch had always desired a large, close family. By uniting with the Redhawks, Rannoch's family would grow exponentially, and despite their lack of shared blood, they would still be family. 

"The Frosthawks," Rannoch agreed, fancying how strong the name sounded. Raven then mentioned finding Liffey and Quioxte, and he agreed. "Yeah, let's go." Nothing would be decided until they were consulted, but he had a feeling that the discussion would go over well. 

Rannoch and Raven sought out their respective mates, exiting the caverns in favor of the conversation that they needed to have. Once all four wolves were together, they spent time discussing their future together at length. At the end of the day, the group collectively decided that their collective identity would be the Frosthawks moving forward. 

Rannoch and Liffey left the meeting in good spirits, and once they were settled down in their den, they revealed the name of the pack's collective identity. They were the Frosthawks.