Heron Lake Plateau First storm

Wildfire wasn't sure what had kept @Raven from coming to visit, though she knew better than to think her sister was avoiding her, blowing her off or any such silliness. Surely the medicine woman was simply busy. Perhaps she'd resumed the Alpha role as rumored and there were more demands on her time than ever. Or maybe she'd gone into heat and was preparing for her next batch of children. There were any number of reasons, all of them valid, so if Raven couldn't come to her, then Wildfire would go to Raven.

She had carved out some free time this afternoon, leaving the pups in @Eljay's capable care and reminding @Kiwi and the rest to keep a close eye on the borders. It wasn't long before she drew up beneath the plateau's shadow, her chestnut eyes roving upward to the sharp bluff. As she did so, she felt a twinge in her throat. It had developed over the past few days and when she'd asked her mate to take a look, he'd told her there was some swelling. It didn't hurt exactly, but the skin around her jawbone was tender to the touch and sensitive to movement. This was another reason she'd made a point to come find the caregiver.

Ignoring the dull ache it engendered, Wildfire tossed her head skyward and sent up a soft howl for her sister.

Something got lost in translation in the howl, and Phox heard only "sibling." After checking to make sure Towhee could handle looking after the kids while he went to talk to Wildfire, he made his way to the border. Gosh, those kids were getting big. They were only a month or so old, but the way they stood up and walked around, he could have sworn they were fully-grown. Okay, not really, but they were definitely growing like weeds.

Phox made his way down the plateau's easiest path, eventually coming into Wifi's view. He waved his tail in a friendly manner and spoke up once he was close enough to do so without screaming. Hey, Wildfire! What's up? How're the kids? Let's just assume he's heard about that by now, since that seems like common knowledge and Sequoia supposedly came to talk to the Redhawks at some point.

Her heart skipped a beat when a black figure appeared, only to sink a little when she realized it wasn't her sister. It was their younger brother, Phox. Wildfire pretty quickly stashed her disappointment. She wasn't close to him, yet they were family, and it was always good to catch up. She would be happy to shoot the breeze with him a while, then find Rave a little later.

"Hey, Phox!" she chirruped in reply. "They're doing great, thanks for asking. Speaking of kids, Finley just gave birth yesterday." Her black tail stirred, quickening when she suddenly remembered, "Hey, weren't you expecting some of your own?" She couldn't quite recollect the details—like his mate's identity, for instance—and Wildfire of course had no idea she'd likely just touched an exposed nerve.

When he had asked about her kids, he had assumed that she would ask about his own, and he was prepared to answer. It had been a couple of weeks, and the wound was still there, but it was slowly but surely healing. The news that Finley had given birth (apparently without issue) was good to hear, and it reminded him that there was plenty to be grateful for. He had lost a lot, but there was plenty of hope.

Figment and Fenton, he replied, a soft, sad smile present, but we've been calling them Fig and Fennec. Camilla had complications and—he cleared his throat, trying to keep hold of his composure—but the pups were old enough to go on without her, and Towhee's been an excellent surrogate. Not that Towhee had been able to feed them anything that he couldn't, but he had been more or less absent for a couple of weeks after.

She didn't even notice the sad tinge to his smile, though Wildfire felt like her heart stopped when he stammered. It felt like there was a bone lodged in her throat when he said the words, "...to go on without her." She swallowed thickly, her face crumpling into an expression of concerned empathy.

"I'm so sorry about Camilla," the Sovereign said, even though she'd never met the woman. "I'm glad the pups are okay." She paused, blinking slowly and wondering if it was completely uncouth to joke about Towhee's candidacy as a surrogate mother. She just seemed like the least likely wolf for the job, though what did she know?

She also couldn't help but think of their mother, though she didn't say anything about that either. Instead, Wildfire said, "I know every parent says this but I absolutely mean it: we should get our kids together for a play date when they're old enough. The fields in between here and the copse would be perfect for it. Finley and Niamh can bring theirs along too. Has anyone else here had a litter? Or expecting one...?" Like Raven, perhaps?

He didn't bother to mention that they'd lost two of the pups on their day of birth. It was too hard to bring up, and at this point, he just wanted to be happy for Fig and Fenn. I appreciate it, he said when she offered her condolences. It had been a rough couple of weeks, but he was finally feeling like some semblance of normalcy was returning to him, bit by bit.

Wildfire proposed they get the kids together when they were old enough, and he nodded in agreement. Fig and Fenn just started exploring outside a little bit. I'm sure they'd love to explore further when they're able. He tried to remember whatever timeline Raven had given him for how far they'd be able to travel at any given age. It'll be at least another few months before they can venture that far. But he was looking forward to watching them grow, even if he was sure they were going to do it way, way too fast.

Fox, our mom... she was red like you, wasn't she? he asked, reminded by the wolf who had appeared in his dream.

She nodded her understanding. Realistically, a play date wouldn't happen until late summer or early autumn. Wildfire certainly wasn't in any particular rush to see Weejay and Elfie grow up quickly. She was willing to bet none of the other parents were in any hurry either.

Wildfire felt a brief sense of awkwardness when Phox didn't answer her question and, instead, asked one of his own that came out of left field. "Yeah, she was," she responded, tilting her head with the unspoken question. Why do you ask?

It's probably nothing, he replied, Just had a weird dream last night. He smiled, then realized he hadn't actually answered her second question, oops. I'm not sure if Raven and Quixote are planning for kids this year or not. Phox couldn't really related to his nieces and nephews, and he wondered if that was because he hadn't been around when they were growing up. Owen seemed to be very imaginative and a little naive (even for a child), and Vasa was just downright rude to him. As for Kite and Phoebe, he hadn't seen much of them at all except in passing. (Was Kite even around anymore?)

If there were other couples in the Redhawk ranks, he didn't know of them. To be fair, he mostly stuck to hanging out with Towhee, the kids, and occasionally Raven. When Niamh had been here, he had hung out with here, but she was off with the Firebirds, doing the one thing Towhee had asked her not to do: leave. Apparently Phox wasn't very good at making new friends.

Just as suddenly as he'd segued the conversation, Phox nudged it back on course. He didn't know if Raven planned on another litter. Wildfire assumed they did want more children but that the timing of it was out of their control. Raven had given birth relatively late last year, so maybe the belated cycle would continue this year. It made sense, from a purely biological standpoint.

"Do you think you could take me to her? Or call her?" the Sovereign asked, unsure whether Phox was the type to escort a guest. "I need to heckle her for not visiting me," Wildfire added, the twinkle in her eye ensuring that she was only jesting, "and..." She trailed off, not sure her younger brother would care about her possible ailment. But, hey, it was something to talk about until she could speak to Raven.

"I have this strange swelling in my neck... or my throat... is there a difference?" She huffed a quiet laugh. "It doesn't hurt but it's definitely tender. I have scars near there, though I don't think they're what's hurting. I'm not really sure what to make of it. Hoping Rave might know."

Letting Raven take over from here! Either behind the scenes or... in front of the scenes?

If Wildfire hadn't been blood-related, he wouldn't have even considered letting her cross the borders, no matter her allegiance to their sister pack. However, she was in luck, considering they were born of the same mother and father. Oh yeah, I can take you there, he replied, stepping to the side and preparing to make the journey to Raven and Quixote's den.

She can answer your question about whether or not she's gonna have kids this year, too. Phox wasn't sure how important the answer to that question was, but it did sound like Wildfire was having some other weird pain related to her jaw or something. Phox didn't follow that part very well.

Once they arrived at @Raven's den, Phox took a step back. I'm going to get back to my own rascals. Looking forward to the big family reunion later this year. With a smile, Phox politely excused himself and let the other two sisters hash out whatever was going on with Wifi's throat.

Writing this in a hurry on my phone, so sorry it’s kinda rushed and sucks lol. I just didn’t want to miss out on the chance at a Wifi thread!

Raven hadn’t missed her sister’s call, but of course as luck would have it, she was all the way on the opposite side of the territory when the howl went up. It took her some time to make her way toward Wildfire, her heart thrumming in anticipation of seeing her sibling. While she had a close relationship with all of her younger siblings, there was a special sort of bond with Wildfire because this was her only remaining littermate. They’d shared a womb together. Time and distance didn’t really diminish that connection, at least not for Raven.

She’d been meaning to get out there forever to catch up with her sister, but the timing always seemed to be off. There was stuff going on here, there was stuff going on there...with her newly-resumed position as alpha, she had so much on her plate now that it was even more difficult for her to get away. She hated it, knowing that Wifi probably felt jilted or ignored, but what could she do? She didn’t want to send a messenger just to tell Wildfire she didn’t have time to visit. How lame would that be?

The path she took across the territory took her right through the vicinity of the homesite she shared with Quixote, and it was there that Wifi’s scent became particularly strong. Phox’s scent was equally as prominent, and she assumed that their younger brother had met the visiting alpha at the borders and escorted her inland in search of Raven. A few minutes of following her nose led her straight to her autumn-coated sister, Phox having apparently just departed only moments before.

A wide smile broke over her dark face at the sight of Wifi, and Raven’s tail began to wave at lightning speed. Panting slightly from the run here, she approached with gladness in her step. ”Hey! Sorry, I was all the way out on the other side of this damned plateau. God, it’s good to see you!”

Phox began to retreat and, though a little surprised to be left unattended, Wildfire merely dipped her snout in farewell. "Same! See you, Phox," she called, watching as he eventually disappeared into the distance.

It wasn't long before Raven arrived, apologetic and a little out of breath. Wildfire shook her head, then moved forward to embrace her sister. She snuffled against the darker woman's cheek, then stepped back with a smile. She'd missed her sibling, yet there was no resentment for their long separation, only curiosity about what sorts of things had been keeping them apart.

"It's good to see you too!" Wildfire said with quiet enthusiasm. "How are you? What have you been up to?" she immediately pressed, folding herself into a seated position as she anticipated a nice, lengthy catch-up session. Eventually, she would get around to telling Raven about her ailment. For now, though, Wildfire wanted to hear about her sister's goings-on.

Sorry I’ve held this up!

It was so good to see Wildfire. So good. As her sibling greeted her — with no bitterness, much to Raven’s relief — she felt something release inside of her, like an invisible burden had been taken off her shoulders. She’d been wanting to visit Wifi for so long now but somehow, something always seemed to come up whenever she made the time to travel to the Copse (lol phone just autocorrected that to “Corpse”). She had secretly wondered if her sister might feel slighted by Raven’s lack of involvement.

Wifi launched right into catching up, and Raven gave her an abbreviated run-down of recent events and filled her in on happenings she might or might not have heard about, including Screech’s role in the deaths of her two firstborns and Kite’s developmental issues as well as Caiaphas’s challenge for her leadership position, among other things. ”Mostly been spending time with the kids,” she finished, shifting a bit where she had sat down during her explanation. ”Now that they’re all grown, I’ve taken up the alpha post again alongside Qui so it’s been a busy few weeks.”

She realized she’d been talking for some time and while Wifi had asked, she suddenly felt a little selfish talking so much about her own life when there was surely a lot going in with her sister that she didn’t know. So she handed the floor to her fiery-coated littermate and returned the question with a grin: ”So enough about me — how ‘bout you? How’s life? How are your pups?”

No worries, I'm in no rush (especially since this is probably their last thread! :'<).

It was exactly as she'd suspected: Raven was Alpha again, plus focused as ever on her family. Although they were sisters—and their packs were sister packs—Wildfire knew she couldn't be one of the caretaker's top priorities. That was okay. Even if a long time spanned between their rendezvous, their relationship would stay as strong as ever.

"Life is picture perfect," she reported when asked, smiling and wagging her tail. Except for one small thing... But she didn't bring that up just yet. Raven had asked about her kids, so she said, "They're perfect. Weejay's just so vivacious, it's wonderful just watching her experiencing everything. And Elfie's quite the character. He reminds me a bit of Bat when she was his age." She idly wondered if her son would follow in his elder's footsteps by changing practically overnight and turning out to be a restless globetrotter. She missed Bat.

"Are you and Qui going to expand the family this year?" Wildfire asked, aware that it was a very personal question to ask but knowing her litter mate wouldn't mind.

I'm going to drag this out for like 6 months because omg noooo not Wildfire T________T

She was so glad to hear that things were going well for her sister, and her delight showed on her face as Wifi filled her in on the kids. She needed to go meet them sometime, omg. They sounded positively precious. When Wildfire had finished, Raven shook her head and smiled, commenting, "I still can't believe Eljay finally got him a girl. And the best girl, too." But maybe she was a little biased. ;) She adored Eljay -- they'd been close friends since childhood, after all -- but his lack of confidence and attachment issues with his parents had led Raven to wonder if he'd ever find a mate. But it seemed he'd managed to harness those challenges, or perhaps just figured out how to use them to his benefit, and she couldn't have been happier for him. He deserved happiness, and Wildfire absolutely did too. Nothing made her happier than knowing her sister was thriving, and in a pack so close to her own!

Wifi's next question was indeed quite personal, but the two of them had never had many (if any) barriers where such topics were concerned so the healer didn't even bat an eye at it. In fact, she grinned conspiratorially at her sister and answered, "Well...we've done our part, if you get my drift." A smirk and a small chuckle. "It's up to them, now. We'll see if they show up to the party." In a moment of profoundly boneheaded density, Raven almost asked if her sister experienced super late heats too, like she did -- but then she remembered that they were literally sitting here talking about Wildfire's newest litter and she wanted to kick herself for being a dumbass.

The news that Raven was very likely already expecting buoyed Wildfire's heart so much, she almost forgot about her slight ailment. "Oh, that's great!" she cheered, aware that it sounded like a platitude. But there was nothing but genuine sentimentality between the two sisters as she bounded forward to bump noses. "Congratulations! I hope everything goes smoothly. How do you feel?"

That reminded her of something abruptly and just before Raven could reply, Wildfire said, "Did I mention that Weejay's full name is actually Whisky Jack?" And she'd only been called that maybe once or twice since birth, to her mother's amusement. "I remembered you'd lost one named Grey Jay. When she came out looking the way I did, I couldn't help but call her that." She smiled softly, tail gently wiggling, hoping she'd just made Raven happy rather than sad; it was a fine line when the loss of a child was involved.

If she isn't supposed to know about the name, just tap me and I'll edit! :)

I’ve always pictured their relationship as the type where they (at least Ray, anyway) would share just about everything, so it makes total sense that Wildfire would know about Grey Jay!

Wildfire’s reaction to Raven’s news was one of jubilation and its enthusiasm was infectious. Raven found herself wiggling and wagging her tail as her sister bumped noses with her, feeling her own excitement renewed. Wildfire asked how she felt and as Raven opened her mouth to answer, suddenly her sister continued, revealing the truth about Weejay’s name.

Whisky Jack. She thought she remembered someone telling her the child’s name when the pups had been born, but she couldn’t remember. Either way, she hadn’t put two and two together until now. She stopped and stared at her sister, her face and eyes full of so many emotions. The strongest one she felt, though, was love. And gratitude. In a way, it almost felt like a part of Grey Jay could live on in his cousin, and Raven truly couldn’t think of a way to explain to her sister just what that meant to her. She knew she didn’t have to, though.

She touched Wildfire’s face with her nose for a few lengthy beats, closing her eyes and smiling into the soft red fur. ”That’s wonderful,” she murmured before drawing back. ”Thank you for that. I love it.”

Raven seemed touched by the gesture, which made Wildfire's black tail break into a proper wag. "I'm glad you think so," she murmured, touching her smudged muzzle to her sister's ebony snout before drawing back to ask, "Have you thought of names for your next batch? Or do you wait for them to come out, to see what they look like?" She chuckled under her breath. "And how are the older ones doing? Do they all still live here with you?"

”I like naming them in our family tradition, after birds they resemble,” she explained, ”And Quixote likes to name them after characters from stories he’s heard. So it’s kind of a weird mix-up but somehow, it works. In either case, we usually wait until they’re born to see how they look. How ‘bout you and Eljay?”

Wildfire’s second question sparked the anxiety in her heart that she tried to ignore most days even though it never went away. ”All of my first litter are still here except for Kite,” she answered, her mixed emotions clear on her face. ”She’s always been a little weak, she was born with a condition that makes her very jittery and uncoordinated, so I worry about her a lot.” She couldn’t understand where her daughter had gone or, if she had left voluntarily, why. She refused to entertain ideas that a predator had gotten her or that some sicko from another pack had gotten ahold of her...or worse, that she was already dead. Somewhere, in Raven’s mind, little Kite was happy and healthy and thriving. May not have been entirely rational, but where her kids were concerned, logic and rationality sometimes went out the window. ”Are all of your kids still around? Or...?” She realized that some may have left, or remained with the remnants of Drageda, or any number of other outcomes.

"I suppose we did a mix of traditions too," Wildfire answered when prompted. Since they'd already discussed the source of Whisky Jack's name, she didn't touch on that again, though she said, "You wouldn't know it, since nobody ever calls him by his full name, but Elfie is named for his father and grandfather."

The Sovereign fell into a concerned silence when Raven told her about Kite. Wayward children, particularly yearlings, were not particularly concerning in most situations, even if it broke their parents' hearts when they wandered. Wildfire knew that very well. But Bat was perfectly hale, whereas it didn't sound like her cousin would do so well on her own.

She wasn't sure what to say, if there was anything to say, aside from platitudes. But then Raven asked her a question and Wildfire shared, "Kiwi's my Regent and my heir, for all intents and purposes. Bat and Seq took off to travel a bit." As for the rest, well... they probably all wanted her dead. Wildfire didn't mention that or any of them, even though the natrona loved them all from afar.

Hearing about Kite's plight brought Wildfire's mind back around to her original reason for coming here. "Hey, could I ask you something? Rather, could I have you look at something? I don't think it's any huge concern but I know you'll know for sure..."

Post #666 for you! *cackles!* Sorry I've made you wait like a million years for this. It's just far enough down on my threadlog that I wasn't scrolling far enough to see it/totally forgot about it. But hey, you're only 5 posts away from 3,000 with Wifi and I know you were hoping to hit that goal before you retired her account! Yay!

Raven nodded to Wildfire's comments, liking that they were continuing Elwood's name through the generations in various remixes. Eljay, Elfie...she wondered what the next version might be. Her sister didn't seem to be too concerned about two of her children going off to travel, and that put her a tiny bit at ease. Maybe she needed to quit worrying so much about Kite. The girl did have developmental challenges, but she wasn't disabled by any means. And Towhee was a glowing example of a Redhawk's ability to overcome just about anything life threw their way. Maybe Kite would be okay.

Wildfire's next question brought Raven's attention fully back to the present moment, and the healer immediately turned to face her sister with an expression of concerned calm. "Of course, what's up?"

No worries, I wasn't in any particular rush. :)

I'm so close and I'm counting on my babby to get me there, so would you do me the honor of wrapping this for us?

Thanks for being my sister all these years.

Wildfire smiled softly when her sister said, "Of course." She knew Raven would know if something was amiss and what to do about it. She was in the best possible hands, ones that would be as caring and gentle as they were diligent and knowledgeable.

"It's my neck... or my throat. Is there a difference?" She chortled, then lifted her head to expose the column of her throat to Raven. There was no visible swelling, however, "If you touch it, it apparently feels swollen, according to Eljay. It's tender too. That's where I was scarred, way back in the day, but those have never bothered me..." She trailed off then, letting Raven examine her.

No problem! 'Grats on hitting 3 grand finally! Wrapping up. :)

Raven gently prodded Wildfire's throat with her nose, detecting no elevated temperature, redness, or unusual scent at the site but definitely noticing some small degree of swelling beneath the surface. After several moments' examination, she sat back with a furrowed brow and chewed her lip. It always bothered her when someone presented her with an issue she couldn't immediately diagnose, and it bothered her even more now because this wasn't just any wolf, it was Wildfire. Shaking her head, she commented, "I'm not really sure what's going on here but definitely keep an eye on it. If it gets worse, come back to me or send me a messenger and I'll come to you."

She poked at it a little more just to be certain, but coming up empty-handed again, she just confirmed what she said the first time and they continued on their stroll, the conversation picking back up where it had left off earlier. After a time, the visit came to an end and Raven bid her sister an affectionate farewell as they parted ways. As she watched Wildfire's autumn form fade into the distance, she had no idea that this was the last time she'd see her alive and well.