Redsand Canyon I threw it on the GROUND!

He felt a little bad leaving Caracal behind, but his buddy had insisted. "I'll meet you there," he'd intimated. And Killdeer was old enough and big enough to travel alone, so he had, making his way with some reluctance across the prairie.

Luckily, Mereo wasn't too far into the mountains, and he found himself upon their doorstep before they knew it. To his delight, @Towhee's scent was here, and fresh.

He howled for his grandmother, as well as whoever needed to heed the call of a newcomer at the border. He paced a little, excited. But still, bummed. Caracal should be here to see his mom, too. He'd give her his friend's best wishes, he supposed.

And then that made him guilty about leaving his own parents back in the Emberwood, and, gah!

Why couldn't anything just be easy?!

Towhee walked the perimeters, pondering the merits of ambushing @Kallik while he was still on the mend. That would be a dick move, right? Or would it be good practice for him, to learn how to fight while in bad shape? She still planned to do it while he was boning @Aquene, if she could catch them in the act, and if he was healthy enough for that, then he could handle a fight, right…?

The sight of her grandson pushed those thoughts right out of her head. Killer? Towhee said, gawking at him from a distance. KILLER! she bellowed, simultaneously bursting into a gallop. She only slowed enough to avoid steamrolling him entirely, shamelessly grabbing and pulling the kid into a hug even as she exclaimed, You’re so LORGE!

He let out a giggle at complete odds with his size, pressing fervently into Towhee. I missed you too, he mumbled against her pelt, grinning. After a while, he pulled back, blinking at his grandmother.

I missed you, Killdeer admitted. How are you? How's this place? 

He glanced around, taking in the mountains all around them. The valley unfurled below them, a great expanse, white now but must be a brilliant verdant green in summer.

If only Caracal could see it. He sighed, stepping back further, resisting the urge to look to whence they came.

She felt him rumble something against her neck, though of course she didn’t catch the words. Towhee didn’t care. She kept snuggling him as long as Killdeer would allow, stepping back only reluctantly when he maneuvered himself to look her in the face.

Her orange eyes were soft as sunset as he told her he missed her too, then asked how she was doing. He was such a good boy. Towhee loved her own children something fierce, but there was something extra special about grandchildren.

I’m good. This is Mereo. It’s a military outpost, which sounds all bad ass and serious… but basically it’s just a bunch of mercenaries training together all the time. Since I’m so experienced, I’m helping assess and mentor the others, Towhee said with a touch of pride, realizing only as she described it to him that she really felt like she might have found her niche here.

But, she said in the very next breath, I’m way more curious about what you’ve been up to. Are you and Caracal still traveling together or did you guys decide to settle down with your mom and dad? Her eyes tightened ever so slightly as she thought of the kid’s parents, though mostly Towhee’s expression remained soft as she gazed inquisitively at Killdeer.

His eyes became perfectly round, then creased at the corners as he grinned. That's awesome, he remarked when she described the place. "Sounds" badass? It totally was badass! Wish Caracal could see this.

Killdeer supposed his uncle-cousin-whatever would, in time, and that was a perfect segue into answering Towhee's question. Yeah, but we— He stopped, belatedly remembering to slip into ptero. It had been a while. -We were traveling together. We went to Moonglow to find you. You weren't there and they told us where you were, but then he hurt his leg or something and they're taking care of him. Not bad,- he assured quickly, being sure to tack that on.

As for Mom and Dad— -We visited my parents, and they're not very far; they are trying to start a pack in a place called Emberwood, I think,- he continued. -But we wanted to find you before we made a decision, and now. . .-

He shrugged, clearly torn. As awesome as Mereo seemed, and as much as he'd missed his grandma, he didn't want to disappoint Bronco and Fennec any more than his absence already had.

It was quite the pickle.

It didn’t surprise her to hear Caracal had fucked up his leg somehow. He’d always been a little klutzy, hadn’t he? She thought fondly of her son, knowing he was in good hands, though her expression tightened noticeably when Killdeer went on to mention his parents’ pack in Emberwood. She could tell the kid felt torn.

Hey, she said, reaching out to brace her forelegs on his shoulders. What do you want to do? Do that, Towhee advised simply, releasing him and sitting up straighter, smiling softly again. I’d love to have you here, but if that’s not in the cards, you can always visit. I’m not going anywhere. She paused. Sounds like you guys are ready for a break from traveling? she guessed, wondering what that meant for Caracal too.

He nuzzled her cheek as they embraced in semi-awkward fashion, giving her a quick lick and taking in her words before sighing, deeply. He moved away, just in order for her to see his clumsy ptero. -I dunno, Gramma. That's the thing. I have no idea what *I* want to do. I just want everyone to be happy and together again.-

Killdeer was beginning to realize that was an impossible goal.

-I'm ready for a break, though,- he said honestly, smiling. -And Cal, well, he got himself hurt. I think we could both use a rest.-

He sat back on his haunches and surveyed the canyon. It was a good view up here, and he wondered at the various crevices, some deeper than others. It looked awesome.

She wished she knew what to say. Me too, kid, me too, she thought, though Towhee knew that wasn’t particularly helpful. She wracked her brain for something savvy to say, even as Killdeer confirmed that he and Caracal were ready to put their feet up for a little bit.

Think of it this way: since we’re spread out a bit, it gives you more options. And you can always visit, I’m sure, Towhee said, aware that she was speaking for his parents. But she could not imagine a world where Fennec and Bronco didn’t practice an open door policy with their own son. And no matter what happens, where you decide to go or what you do with your life, Killer, you can always come hang with your ol’ grandma.

She followed his gaze as he inspected the canyon beyond her shoulder. Want to join me for the rest of my patrol? I can show you some of the sights and tell you a bit more about Mereo, Towhee offered gently, bumping her muzzle against his and readying to resume her earlier gait.

I’m happy to continue this but I thought I’d set up for a fade if we wanna favor more current ones!

sure!

It was a compromise, and not a bad one—he just wished they could all co-exist together, so that he didn't have to make a hard and fast decision. He frowned, but nodded, and then his face perked up considerably when she mentioned patrolling.

Sure! he chirped, following her along her usual route. How many wolves are here? Do you have any special duties in Mereo? Haha, dooty.

Their voices faded, eventually, as they made their way around the perimeter of the canyon.