Redhawk Caldera contains zero juice

maybe @Ruenna or @Aliana?

What a wonder it was to be living in the same place as Towhee again. Her ill health had not gone unnoticed, but Phox was the least qualified wolf to do anything about it. He knew nothing of medicine, so he would only have been able to tell her that it was probably just something she ate, maybe it was stress, maybe she should go see Fennec? He did think that she would relent to the latter eventually, but he hoped she wouldn't let it get much worse before she did.

Last he'd seen her, she had been holed up in a cave, and Phox wasn't about to intrude into her space. He'd done enough of that with Vesper for a lifetime. Phox constantly felt as though he was walking on eggshells around her, a feeling that he most often associated with Niamh, which only brought him sadness.

Phox had taken to sleeping out in the open at the rendezvous site, staying up long past the sunset to watch the stars and snoozing late into the afternoon. He was waking up from one such slumber, and he glanced around to see who might be nearby.

Ruenna was still adjusting to her new role within the Caldera. Not that she was doing anything out of the norm or anyone was treating her any differently-- it was just a new way of looking at everything. Everything she laid eyes on was hers, but more than that, it was her responsibility. If she did well as Sovereign, the Caldera would thrive, although Blacktail Deer Plateau, Asterism Grove, and Moonspear had taught her that there would always be unexpected situations and the forces of nature with which to contend. If she failed, the way of life of a pawful of wolves was ruined, and the place that had been home to generations would come to naught. 

The first time she had passed Phox, he was still sleeping soundly at the rendezvous site. Rue had made a lot of progress since the trauma of her youth, but one thing she could still never imagine doing was falling asleep out in the open, completely exposed. What must it feel like, to return to the place of his birth and still call it home? To rest and recover on the very dirt he was raised upon? Would Ruenna ever be as relaxed anywhere as Phox was within the Caldera? 

The next time Ruenna trekked through the rendezvous site, Phox was awake, albeit a bit bleary-eyed. "Morning," Ruenna said to him warmly, nevermind how low the sun was hanging in the sky. With a wave of her tail she asked, "How does it feel to be home?" It felt ironic to Ruenna that Phox's return-- the very possibility that had made her hesitate to accept the Sovereign position-- had occurred almost as soon as she ascended.

"How does it feel to be home?"

Phox looked toward Ruenna, a wolf who had come in and out of his life more times than he could recall. They seemed to cross paths often, and now he found himself under her leadership. Ah, how the turn tables. Not that Phox was fussed. It felt as though every time he ascended into leadership, things went to hell. At first, the demise of Asterism Grove, and later, the disappearance of Niamh. No matter what he did, things always crashed down around him as soon as he put on that proverbial leadership hat.

How did it feel to be home?

It's, ah... good, he said. There was much about the caldera that had changed in his absence. Towhee had a new batch of kids, Fennec had a kid, Phox technically had two, although he was fairly certain Vesper wasn't ready to discuss or have any part in that. Time. Phox had to keep reminding himself.

How about you? How've things been? Last time he'd seen Ruenna, he'd been on his way to fetch some things for Fennec. That felt like a lifetime ago.

Ruenna tilted her head when Phox paused, seemingly hesitant to report that his return felt good. Sympathy welled in her heart, but she did her best to hide it from her features. That last thing Phox would want was pity, as that was likely how he would view it. 

How were things for her? 

"Good," she replied, a bit more certain in her assessment than Phox had been in his own. "It's been a lot of change. More than I've come to expect, even.." Phox certainly knew-- as did anyone who called the Teekon Wilds home-- that the change was the only real constant in life. 

"Phox.. I'm so sorry for your loss." How unbelievably painful it must be for him to lose his mate in the midst of conflict, never to have a chance at reconciliation. And on top of that, to raise the children that must in some way be a reminder of that pain. How must it have felt to have been a stranger to his own children? Ruenna couldn't imagine.