Redhawk Caldera tarot flip

on one of the very rare occasions that @Ceridwin was not with her, chickadee woke one morning with very little pain and moved gingerly to the entrance of the den to peer outside. an afternoon of cold clouds had now brought in soft snow floating softly down.
chickadee blinked at this, venturing out. she knew she was home; all things had been restored to her, save for the details of that thing she had seen, mercifully blurred by her mind.
the girl caught a snowflake on her tongue and closed her eyes, savoring the simple pleasure of being finally upright.

Maia was trying very hard not to hover but knew she wasn’t succeeding all that well. It was lucky that Ceridwen took her away at times and seemed happy to occupy her with stories of her travels and conversation about what had happened here since. Otherwise Maia would likely have moved in near Chickadee’s resting place already.

She’d thought the absolute worst, when she found what she found, and she was so relieved to discover that she was wrong that she’d already sobbed to her poor mate more than a few times.

Like Ceridwen, though, she was at an age where it was hard to know just how hard to press herself in. Maia smiled to see her up as she approached, her tail going, but didn’t immediately move to crowd her. It was an impulse she was having to keep in check daily, it felt!

Sweetheart, how are you feeling? Did she need anything?! Bridget was away for the moment, it seemed, but Maia could surely handle whatever might need fetched.

mama was there almost as soon as chickadee started wishing she wasn't alone, and she leant gratefully against maia, closing the distance between them.
when had her mom gotten so short? chickadee wondered, yawning as her body relaxed. 'i'm all right, i think."
she flexed her body a little, sitting down to lift one foreleg and then the other. "don't really hurt at all anymore," she said quietly. there were new pink scars across her right cheek, little marks where a branch had caught her.

Maia smiled and gathered her daughter up in a hug, also noticing at the same time that it wasn’t as easy a task as it used to be. When had she grown so much?

I was so worried. I’m so glad you’re here safe. She murmured, hugging her tighter. Then she let her go, but continued to lean if Chickadee didn’t move away.

We looked, but I lost your trail. She recalled where, but knew better than to mention it. If her daughter needed to talk about what had happened, Maia would trust she would do so. She didn’t trust herself to bring it up in a way that wouldn’t make things worse. In many ways, she wasn’t sure she wanted to know.

She put her nose to the marks gently, looking at her with eyes full of love and relief. You and your sister. I’m so proud of you both, for making it home.

chickadee nodded, but her lips tightened. "mama, i —" this hurt. it was hard to say. 
"i didn't want to come back without ani." her throat hurt. "brecheliant doesn't feel — the same."
like home.
"i'm glad dwin found me. i'm glad to be here, and be alive, mama," chickadee added in a pleading voice. "i just feel like half of me is still out there."

Maia felt her heart break all over again when her little girl mentioned her sister. Finding Chickadee had seemed like a miracle, but she was only one of the two they’d searched for. Maia had been distraught ever since Ani disappeared and the longer she was gone, the less likely it seemed she would return.

I’m so sorry baby. Maia drew her in again, if she could, and settled there with her cheek against her daughter’s head. I understand. She wanted to cry, but she didn’t want to upset her even more. Brecheliant feeling like home was all she wanted for them, and hearing that this wasn’t the case hurt deeply.

I don’t know why she went. But it isn’t your fault, and we’ll never stop looking for her. I have to believe she’s okay. Maia might not be able to travel as far to do it, but she would try in the ways she could, just as she had been. She wanted to reassure Dee too, and say that it was okay if she couldn’t stay. The words caught in her throat. She’d just gotten her back after thinking she’d lost her. Maia wasn’t strong enough for that right now.

mama did a lot to make her feel better. chickadee felt loved, felt heard, and felt guilty, because the first two feelings didn't cancel out the the third, which was a rapidly growing sense of intense restlessness.
mama wanted to believe ani was okay.
they had looked and searched and called and nothing.
but chickadee didn't think she could be there with her mom. the land outside dragged at her, whispering that she could not leave it unexplored herself.
but for now she nodded and exhaled. "i think she must be."

Maia felt a welling of relief and love as Chickadee accepted her answer. She wished she knew how to make things better but she didn’t, and she was more than happy to take this agreement as a sign that things would be okay. Maybe they could heal from this a little bit.

Did I ever tell you the story of how your dad and I ended up together? She didn’t know why it popped into her head. Maybe it was because it was a conversation she’d had with Ani - or maybe because it had been her first time truly dealing with the fear of things out there seeking to harm her. If there was one way she had of reaching out it was through story.

chickadee shook her head, glancing up into maia's face. she had grown up on storytelling from her mother's gentle, even voice.
the idea of another was greatly appealing.

we can fade this if you like <3 I’ve been real struggling on writing Maia, apologies for this stretching on!

Chickadee nodded and Maia settled in, silently giving her space to cuddle alongside if she wanted. It was a few years ago, before Brecheliant even existed. I was traveling nearby and knew that your dad lived in the Caldera. But I didn’t know how close to it I was. She smiled. I already had a big old crush on him then, but we were friends. He’d already been married, and I didn’t think I could ever measure up to Wildfire, even if she had passed away. She was amazing. Maia hadn’t known her well, but she remembered that much.

I met a stranger, in the woods. I thought he was friendly, but he wasn’t. I got away, and ran as fast as I could, until eventually I must have reached the Caldera. I still don’t really know how I ended up there, but something must have been looking out for me. Your dad found me and stayed with me. I was there for a few weeks, and that’s when we admitted how we felt to each other. It turned out that he loved me too. She smiled, remembering how awkward the entire thing had been.

That’s when your Aunt Wraen came looking for me. We had been traveling together, and she didn’t want to live in the Caldera. I didn’t want to leave her, but I didn’t want to leave Eljay either. So I convinced her we needed a pack of our own, right next door. That pack was Brecheliant.

We stayed that way a while, but it was hard, even living with a territory between us. I know how much your dad loved the Caldera, but I couldn’t leave Wraen. She was sick, and had been for a while, and… I just knew. She didn’t want to get too into that, so she just shook her head, her smile taking on a slight sadness. She hadn’t been willing to admit it to herself, but she’d known they wouldn’t have long.

The pack your dad was in, Redhawk Caldera, was led by a woman named Towhee. She’s kind of your aunt too. She and Eljay had a bit of a falling out, and afterwards, he came to live with me in the fen. The rest is kind of history. I don’t know how we would have solved it, if that hadn’t happened. Maybe we just would have lived here sooner. She chuckled, then gave Chickadee a light kiss on the forehead.

It wasn’t a particularly thrilling story, but it was one she loved to look back on. Through everything, they’d worked and compromised and refused to give up because no matter what, they knew the love they had would be enough. She wanted all of her children to find something like that someday.

All of it was worth it, every single part, to get the chance to have you and your brothers and sisters. She added, voice sure and full of love. They were their happy ending.