Redhawk Caldera Like a fallen star, or the voice of divine

There was a heavy scent of wolf on the edge of the sweeping caldera territory. Thisbe might have been uncomfortable if she understood how close she had wandered to their heavy markings on the caldera edge.

The wolves who had traveled outside of the farmer’s land had not carried a scent so heavy. Thisbe imagined there would be many wolves who roamed the territory there, hunted, searched for unwary travelers who had drawn too near to their home.

The dark she-wolf wondered where Pyramus had ventured and why he had been gone so long. If he had found these wolves, perhaps he had struck a friendship with them. Thisbe lingered several paces away from their pack claim, but she searched for signs of wolf near the border.

Ruenna felt in her bones that her Co-Sovereign would be back soon, or at least that she would be sending a messenger along with an update on her recovery. Anticipation drew Ruenna to the borderlands more frequently as the days passed, and she often found herself standing on the rim of the Caldera, staring out over sloping the downhill that attached the Caldera's opening to the rest of the Teekon Wilds. 

Downhill was tough on Ruenna's back, and so she descended toward the stranger slowly with a heavy, limping gait. It would be worth the pain, if the stranger had news about Towhee. Despite the jolts of pain she attempted to smile as she approached, however her welcoming expression was interrupted at regular intervals by winces as she lurched her way down the hill.

The dark wolfdog had not been paying close enough attention. Thisbe had not noticed the approaching shape of a wolf until it was much too late for her to turn and flee. The shadow regarded the limp with a curious tilt of her head and a sharp narrowing of her eyes.

Thisbe wondered if her knowledge of herbs was enough to heal something like that.

Amber eyes trailed the shape of the wolf searchingly. They were so much larger than Pyramus, even her father. Thisbe offered a nervous waver of her tail to the stranger. The length of her muzzle dipped downward.

From afar, the inky pelt on the stranger hinted that she could be some relation of Towhee and Phox's, but now that Ruenna was nearer she was more unsure. The slopes of the stranger's face were exotic in appearance, hinting at an ancestry that diverged from a pure wolf bloodline. 

"Hello. I'm Ruenna Redfern.. I don't suppose you've come from the Frosthawks?" Ruenna asked hopefully, although doubt shadowed her expression.

The wolf spoke in kind tones. Thisbe watched Ruenna’s eyes roam her sleek black figure and burned from it. The wolfdog could only imagine that this Redfern was seeking out all the ways that Thisbe was weak, incapable of taking care of herself.

When Ruenna inquired whether Thisbe had journeyed as a Frosthawk, the dark wolfdog shook her head. Dark ears fell to her skull. There was a nervous glance toward the trees, the only place where Thisbe thought she would have a chance at escaping.

Thisbe offered Ruenna another wave of her tail and inched forward with her head held quite low to the ground.

Ruenna's compassionate heart swelled when she saw the wolf-dog glance nervously toward Bramblepoint forest; the woman was checking for an escape route. It was a routine that Ruenna knew all too well. 

"If you need to run, I understand," Ruenna said softly. "No one will follow you." Certainly not Rue, who had barely managed to limp her way down to the the Caldera border. Despite the earlier shake of her head in response to the question about the Frosthawks, Ruenna still harbored some doubts that the exotic-looking woman could speak her language fluently. In case there was a language barrier, Ruenna lowered her haunches to the ground, disarming herself and hopefully communicating her peaceful intentions. 

"..Although I assure you, you are safe here. I lead these wolves, and you have my blessing to be here." Ruenna empathized with the woman's anxiety deeply, as it awakened the sleeping memories of her own days spent darting from treeline to treeline, constantly watching over her shoulder. After a pause, she ventured a question. "What are you searching for? I'll help, if I can." Ruenna knew without a doubt that the woman sought something, or someone perhaps. Otherwise she would have remained safely tucked into some dark wood.

Ruenna seemed to understand the strange wolfdog, or at least the instinctual fear that coursed through the halfling’s frame. Thisbe narrowed her eyes on the wolf, unsure if it was safe to believe what she said. There did not appear to be any hostility beneath the kind exterior. Every motion was made with care, and even the words offered were done so without malice.

Thisbe wanted so badly to tell Ruenna that she was seeking Pyramus. That the no-good dog had run off and left her alone in a frightening woodland, no food, no love, nothing to keep her there except her own fear of venturing without him.

The farmer had always liked it when Thisbe would spin for him. She wavered her tail politely and spun in a circle. When she thought this might not suffice, she did so again. Please, the wolfdog pleaded silently, do not leave me out here to fend for myself.

Ruenna couldn't decipher what the wolfdog was attempting to communicate, spinning in circles like she was. A good-natured, albeit confused look fixed itself upon her features. 

"A.. a dancer?" she ventured uncertainly. "Are you saying that you're a dancer yourself, or.. or you're looking for a dancer?" Oh, stars. This was going to take a while. 

"Why don't you come with me? You can get something to eat, and we'll figure out a better way to talk." Ruenna backed up, gesturing over her shoulder invitingly. The Caldera had blind wolves and deaf wolves, and they had all figured out how to communicate just fine. Ruenna imagined they could do the same for a mute wolf.. or more accurately, a mute half-wolf.

The dark halfling was already exhausted with this game of mimes with the wolf. Ruenna was trying to be helpful, yes, and that was appreciated. It was just that it was a tiresome thing having to find ways to communicate when Pyramus was not around. Damn that dog, Thisbe thought of him in fury. He’d probably run off and gotten himself killed by the wolves who were not so friendly. It would only serve him right, to leave her out there on her own.

Now, she did not know how she might tell this Redfern that she needed a place to stay, food, a shelter from the elements. Thisbe would do what they desired, anything for a place of peace. The dark wolfdog felt as though she had not slept a full night since they had left the farmer’s lands. She hated that feeling, exhaustion that hung like disease.

When Ruenna offered for her to follow, Thisbe bowed her head and darted forward on agile paws. At the mention of food, the dark halfling perked her ears sharply and flagged her tail.

The Redfern woman might not have been quite so bad.

Welcome! Would you like Thisbe titled as a member of Redhawk Caldera? Alternatively, she can stay in the Caldera as a guest. We can do whichever makes the most sense for what you have planned for her.

The exotic woman seemed to understand more than she was able to communicate, judging from the way her body language changed at the mention of food. All canidae were driven by their basic needs of course, but Ruenna was aware that those who had sheltered with humans were especially oriented towards give-and-take interactions around food. Was this woman such a creature? Could Redhawk Caldera even find a use for someone like this? 

Both were questions that would be answered with time. Ruenna tilted her head once more. She emitted a whine, nonverbally imploring the woman to follow. If the woman chose to come forward, Ruenna would reach out gently to brush her cheek against the woman's shoulder, transferring her scent to the woman's pelt. Since she could not speak, it was important that anyone she came across would recognize that this woman was here with Ruenna's blessing. 

Ruenna would then lead the woman into the Caldera. They would stop by the nearest cache so that the newcomer could fill her belly, and then Ruenna would find her a cozy spot near the lake to settle.