Redhawk Caldera Another color in a world of black and white

By the time they got back she was extremely glad she'd taken to leaving small batches of supplies tucked away near a few of the borders. Bridget didn't want to take a break until she was ready to treat them both but the going was (quite literally) painfully slow.

Home sweet home! I've got things close by, this way. She directed @Neon across the borders and into the claim without a second thought. If anyone had an issue with it they were definitely more than welcome to complain - she was also more than welcome to ignore those complaints. (As if they'd have any reason to?)

The stash was where she'd left it. Bridget nosed through it for what she needed, setting aside a few. Then she sat down facing Neon, the bits she'd placed in easy reach. Here. You first?

A strange scent caught Aiden's attention and the youth headed immediately towards it. It mingled with blood — and Bridget! — causing him to speed up his pace. Hey! You! Aiden called before Neon and Bridget got into proper view. It barely registered to him that there wasn't any fighting or disgruntled sounds. From his voice it was easy to tell that Aiden was on high alert, and he narrowed his eyes in full focus as he made his way towards the pair, ready to attack if prompted.

"wow." is all that she managed to get out while the caldera become a closer sight for her. neon hasn't been over in this side of the wilds yet and was quite pleased to see the beauty of Bridget's home. of course she'd love to explore more, but the stinging pain on her cheek tells her that adventure can simply wait until they're both patched up.

she would happily sit across from her new bestie and nod her head, though hearing the voice of someone calling out (most likely at her), neon visibly tenses up, paw lifted and the girl falls over onto her back. groveling for some, but for neon, it's just the politics of packs. if rolling means keeping her hide from getting jumped, then by all means she's playing her part. so, she looks like some taxidermied white wolf splayed across the ground, hoping that the belly exposure would be enough to show that she doesn't intend on being a threat.

Oh god, Neon hit the ground with impressive speed. Bridget shot a bemused, only slightly exasperated look at Aiden. Good for him, embracing the whole warden side, but the inconvenience of this exact moment was a bit... vexing.

'Hey you' back. If you want to come over and help, you're welcome to, otherwise you can go get your dad for me. Normally Bridget would be the type to play along, but not when she was more focused on the job than humoring his want to show a little responsibility. She hoped he'd bite at the opportunity to switch roles and help instead.

Aiden felt a rush of pride as the intruder pushed themselves to the ground immediately. He'd never had that kind of effect on anyone before! He puffed himself up to look even bigger and more impressive, and then he noticed Bridget. She didn't seem so amused, and said that they needed his father.

Aiden opened his mouth to ask 'why', but he seemed to either realise the answer to the question himself, or think better of it. Yeah, fine, Aiden said, seemingly a little disgruntled that his hard work was not appreciated. He didn't exactly answer whether he would help or get Eljay, but instead of answering with words, Aiden walked over and looked at Bridget expectantly in silent tell me what to do.

neon didn't mind making the boy feel a little large. she'd lost her sense of embarrassment for the most part and always thought it was better to do what's expected and liked vs not. especially considering the fact that she was no longer in the safety of her home. she had to stifle a giggle seeing aiden puff up like the feathers of an angry bird, and soon returned to sit up from the ground after bridget talked.

didn't seem like she was too happy about the little man. neon shot her a sheepish smile, hoping to show that she didn't mind playing the parts given to her. a good shake is given while seated to unfurl any dirt that clings to her body. neon would turn her head so her cheek would be the most visible for treatment. 

"you missed out on a big fight, we could've used a tough one like you." her tone is encouraging and she wonders about the relationship he held with bridget.

Bridget relented with a smile of her own as Aiden resigned himself to helping. She turned gratefully so he could see her neck. I'm going to need help with this, since I can't reach it. The claws too. It had gotten a couple into her sides while trying to stay on and even twisting this much hurt.

But first, let's look at that. Here. She stepped closer to Neon and inspected her cheek, small smile still playing at her lips despite the seriousness she usually took in her job. It was hard to keep a straight face when she was nose to nose with her friend. Gently as she could, she started to comb through and groom it, getting rid of the blood and anything that may have been caught within on the claws. When that was done she applied a bit of something to help with infection and to hopefully cool any pain she might have incited.

With any luck it won't scar. But you'll be just as cute either way. Bridget laughed lightly, then slid down so they could return the favor. I can show you what to use, if you can just... make sure this didn't catch anything? Who knows where that cat's mouth has been. This was going to hurt and she knew it but she'd try to keep her reactions to a minimum. She didn't want either of them hesitating to do the job as well as they needed to, but she could always have Eljay take a peek later too.

The stranger said they could've used someone as tough as him in a fight, and Aiden smirked proudly. The compliment clearly fell on a dry place for him.

Though he was ready to help, Aiden had not thought so much about what he should help with and how.. intimate.. that might be. As soon as Bridget turned her cheek towards him, Aiden's expression fell. He looked as if he'd seen a ghost, and then said, I'll just get Eljay. Aiden felt his cheeks flush with heat and he quickly turned away and left to go and find his father, feeling weirdly awkward all of a sudden.

feel free to continue, i'll probably pop Eljay in in a bit <3

neon was probably as dense as could be when it came to romance and flirting. but for some reason, Bridget's words were a little easier to follow than others who tried to pursue the bodega. huh, weird.

anyway, she was happy to get her face cleaned up and was laughing to herself when the boy seemed a bit weirded out by the closeness healing required. when he was out of earshot, she'd make a sputtering laugh and look toward bridget with glee. "has he never seen 2 hot ladies patch each other up?" neon asked with another laugh, shaking her head a bit. it felt nice to have her face clean, whatever bridget put on felt like magic to her.

after she was practically all good, neon would happily trade spots and looked toward what was applied. and quietly she prayed to her family name of supposed geniuses that they would bestow some level of generational help so that bridget wouldn't get any bad infections from the treatment. all neon does first does a visual check, looking thoroughly at bridget to see if anything looks like is festering.

and thankfully, it seemed like she'd be in the clear.  though, a good nose brush through was offered to make sure she didn't miss anything that her eyes could have mistaken as nothing. this is where she returned some of the grooming, hoping to get rid of the things that didn't belong with nimble limps and covered teeth. "you're in the clear, bridget. what do I do now?" 

Bridget shook her head (carefully, but it still stung) and laughed with her. I doubt it, but I can't really blame him. I did say you were pretty scary. She teased, but looked after him with a bit of understanding. Not everyone was cut out to deal with injuries.

Bridget hadn't wanted to assume Neon would treat hers but the other woman stepped up to do just that. Eljay could check over and help once he got there, but until then, Bridget closed her eyes and tried to keep still. She had a gentle touch! Some bits still had her teeth clenched.

The comforting proximity of Neon was almost more distracting than the light nausea she was also feeling. A nap was the thing she wanted most but no way she could check out now without treating these. Speaking of...

Hmm? Oh.. It took her a moment. There's a couple you'll want to combine. You can chew them, then cover the bite with it, and it should help. She would describe the plants for her and confirm what she had. Marigold and oregano, plus she herself would eat something later to triple down. She thought she had some astragalus roots left.

You're pretty good at this. Did you learn from somewhere, or are you just a natural? She asked, eyes still closed as she let Neon work. Bridget didn't feel any reason not to trust her after everything she'd already done to help.

wow, so the ancestors did come in clutch today. neon would have to remind herself to thank them once this whole ordeal was over. she would sort of nod and shake her head toward bridget as she chewed up the plants. once nice and combined, she'd smear them against the bite marks, hoping that the extra saliva didn't make it feel gross.

"hope you don't mind my cooties." she jokes to the other. "and kinda? my moms knew a lot and I kinda paid attention back then. i have a little knowledge, but not a ton. just enough to get by eating the right plants and avoiding the ones that could kill me." 

she was thankful that bridget had her eyes closed, neon never worked well under pressure anyways. eyes closed meant she worked in peace, to the best of her ability. "anyways, who's eljay? and is this your family? they seem pretty cool." neon could probably find a place here if she ever needed to, but for now she'd rather make sure her new friend survived the vicious marks on her body. however, she was still curious about the caldera and its inhabitants.

She was so relaxed that at first the mention of moms didn't register. It didn't necessarily mean that Neon had been raised by an actual pairing of women but Bridget smiled anyway. Her parents hadn't ever really questioned one way or the other, and she'd never said much, but it would have been neat to know someone who had the same preferences she did growing up.

That's half of it anyway. Once you know that you're golden. She caught her breath for a moment as the medicine stung at first, then let it out gently as it faded to a lesser itch. This was going to be annoying as hell as it healed but she'd do what she could not to reopen it. Recovering from her leg sort of put all other injuries into perspective.


Eljay's a sweetheart. He and a friend of mine ran this place, but now he's stepped down and his mate is in charge. Sort of. Maia and Teya don't really give orders. Teya a few times, but never as a leader, just as a friend.

My family's a ways away, but they kind of are my family now. It's hard to find a pack that's this chill about things. I love to help, but it's nice feeling like they care more about you than what you can do for them. Bridget paused, realizing she was starting to sound like a sales pitch, and laughed.

If you're looking for somewhere to stay, I bet they'd love to have you. There isn't a ton of work for us medics, but I'm sure we could find other things to do. No pressure if she said no, but Bridget hoped she said yes. It wasn't entirely an unselfish offer; she could really use a friend who wasn't Teya and wasn't tied up in all that.

UGH so sorry that I am not good with keeping up multiple characters!

the offer did sound nice, a lot nicer than what fennec told neon of mereo in the canyons. besides, as it drew closer to the colder months, it wouldn't be a terrible idea to try and make nice with others. neon was thankfully pretty good about that.

"Being in a group of friends turned to family sounds like the best," neon hadn't gotten to live in such a setting quite yet, but she had a good idea that if bridget liked it, most others would as well, "must be nice not having someone nag you all the time." perhaps neon was being too mean about this, her parents never really nagged her per se, but they did try and force the freeflow spirit a thing or two about focus and discipline. obviously, it only got so far with neon.

"it sounds nice, nicer than the place I heard of in the canyons further away from here. you guys think you have room and that your leaders would like me?" neon liked to think that she was pretty to get along with, but knowing how she rolls, it often rubs others the wrong way.

no worries!

Bridget nodded immediately, completely confident. I don't think Maia's capable of not liking anyone. And Teya's going to love you, promise. We wouldn't be friends otherwise. She laughed. We could actually use more adults. The kids have had the run of the place lately. No pressure, if you decide that isn't your speed.

She'd be disappointed, absolutely, but also understand. She didn't want Neon joining just for her sake - but because she actually thought it was a good fit.

They're probably around. I could introduce you, if you wanted? The mention of the canyon piqued her curiosity, making her think of the place Bronco had described. Probably the same one, right? She might need to check it out one of these days because, like Akashingo, it was turning into some concept of something (not necessarily positive) in her imagination. It would be nice to put a place to the rumors.

since timelines are odd, we can do a separate joining thread or assume bts if she does want in! Just lmk. I'm totally fine assuming she met with Maia at some point!

"i'd love to, as long as they'll have me. and kids, they're easy when they're not yours." this she would giggle at, knowing the trouble she stirred as the lazy and childless aunt with her rambunctious nieces and nephews. and neon had to admit, she kind of missed the gig and everything. it was quite nice to hear that everything was pretty normal in this group, though the term of normal was often relative and simply depended on what someone viewed as its definition. neon liked to think her idea of normal often fit the bill of others.

but now, neon remembers something. being normal meant having relatively okay manners in her book. and showing up to someone's place and asking for a bed is a bit harder without some sort of hostess gift. and it's not like there was a convenient market nearby for neon to go scoop up a few rabbits to present as a gift. would they be able to look past her lack of an offering? of course, she'd ask bridget first. "should i bring something to them, like a gift? so they think I'm polite? or is that too uptight to them?"

assuming bts might be easier for the timeline, but honestly neon does not have any strict schedules for where she's supposed to be haha so anything can really go!

fading this here, but feel free to choose either! I can use context from any new threads or posts <3 if you want her to have gone to take care of some things first, that’s totally fine too. I’m good to roll with whatever best fits for her

I like to think you saving my ass would be a pretty great gift. Bridget replied with a smile and a laugh. I’ve gotta be worth at least three or four rabbits. I can introduce you, at least, and I think that’ll answer your questions. She gave Neon a wink, trying to encourage her not to stress too much over it.

Bridget led the way to where Maia would probably be, the going a bit slow but not nearly as bad as a bit ago. The short rest had helped considerably. She’d introduce them, let Maia do her Maia thing, and see how well she could talk Neon up. (Not that she’d need to.) Afterwards Neon could decide if she wanted to hang around; Bridget really hoped she did.