Redhawk Caldera a little pony-tailed girl, growed up to be a woman

Accompanied by Balarina, but she is hanging back quite a distance.

Journey howled again at the borders of the next pack they came across. Her scent was even stronger now, so she did her best to make her voice sound as friendly and official as possible. She was not, after all, looking to seduce their men away from their borders —

Although....

Focus! she told herself, giving her head a little shake. She had a job to do, and she had promised Balarina that she was fit to do it! So she waited patiently, black tail tucked tight against her haunches and ears splayed demuringly on either side of her narrow head. She did was always quick to anticipate trouble at times like this, but she hoped that things would run smoothly.

Whatever had transpired on her quest for Soto’s esperma, Towhee now returned home feeling a lot more chill than when she’d left… at least, until she came up behind another she-wolf in heat, this one standing on the doorstep of her home.

Glaring at the dark curve of her back, Towhee halted and loosed a loud growl to catch the woman’s attention. Her tail swung up and over her hips, causing a slight twinge in her leg. She supposed that’s what she got, running around, (maybe?) fighting bitches and (maybe?) getting laid at her age.

Alivia will arrive next round.

The howl that echoed off the Caldera had a rather crisp, polite overtone with a bit of congeniality woven throughout. The call sounded well-rehearsed, and Alivia wondered just how many borders the unknown traveler had frequented lately. As usual, her curiosity got the better of her, and she set out toward the source of the howl. 

As she neared the borders, she heard Towhee's growl rise over the otherwise quiet sounds of summertime. Could be trouble. Alivia's pulse quickened, and she shifted her pace into a lope.

Journey had not been expecting someone to sneak up behind her — even though, if she were to really think about it, she would have to admit that this was not the first (or second or third) time that this had happened. Despite how roughly life had treated her, the female still tended to assume the best of everyone.

So she did not bristle back or turn tail and flee. Not yet, anyway! Instead, Journey flattened herself submissively and wheeled her tail in appeasement.

"I'm here to deliver a message!" she said, loudly, so that Balarina would know that she still hoped to talk her way out of this one. "No plans to stick around or romance any wily young man."

She couldn’t find fault with the stranger’s response; it was impeccably deferential. The growl died in Towhee’s throat, though she still glared as she read the words from the woman’s lips. She insisted she wasn’t here to seduce their men, though this disclaimer was met with a narrowing of orange eyes.

Then deliver it, she replied, eyes flicking past the she-wolf to see Alivia approaching at a hasty clip, to her, then take your coochie stank elsewhere.

She strode past her, tail still high, and caught Livi’s eye. Towhee’s expression noticeably relaxed as she beheld Rue’s daughter, the two of them meeting in the middle. The Redhawk signaled for Alivia to halt, shooting a quick glance at the unknown female.

Find out what her message is, then make sure she leaves, please. I don’t want her disturbing the peace, Towhee said, thinking of Killdeer and Amalia. You got this, she added a little louder, clapping a paw on a pale shoulder before sidling past her.

She was tired after her little sexcapade. Towhee didn’t even bother looking backward as she began climbing the caldera’s slope, keen to make her way to the Hobbit Hole to check in with her grandson and then catch some winks.

Whatever the issue was, it seemed to have resolved itself somewhat by the time Alivia came upon the pair. The unlucky visitor looked like little more than a charcoal smudge cowering in Towhee's stormy wake. Alivia slowed her pace when Towhee caught her eye and halted when she was signaled to do so. 

"Aye, aye, captain," Alivia murmured, doing her best not to wrinkle her nose as Towhee breezed past with a clap to her shoulder.  Did Towhee really have room to criticize the newcomer's "coochie stank" when her own red light was on? Stars, the two of them together were enough to make your eyes water. 

No wonder Towhee wanted this stranger far away from the Caldera. Accounting for the mated pair who had just joined their ranks and Towhee's little tryst outside the borders smelling like a French horn, there were going to be more puppies running around here than they could reasonably handle. 

Alivia watched Towhee disappear up the Caldera's slope, then turned to the small woman with an apologetic look. 

"You can relax. Redhawk Caldera isn't one of those scary packs, I promise. Or.. we're not supposed to be. The Deputy just doesn't like being surprised." Towhee of course hadn't heard the visitor's howl, considering she was deaf and all. "I'm Alivia." 

Journey's supplicating display did not last for long after Towhee turned her back — though she did make an effort to look small again if the woman happened to glance back. She doubted now that she would be attacked, though, and stood by with a sweet smile and a gently fanning tail. Short as she was, she felt little need to remain pinned to the ground, but she kept her body language calm and deferential to the younger female.

"Oh, no need to worry about little old me," she assured the stranger, unsurprised and unfazed by the aggressive greeting. "'Tis the season and all. I wouldn't take kindly to someone slinking around my territory like this, either — but, well, I've got a job to do, and needs must!"

It was awfully sweet of the young woman to reassure her, though. Journey felt no ill will or lingering unease toward the more aggressive female, but she liked this one already.

"My name's Journey, by the way," she went on, almost without taking a breath. "Pleased to meet you — ?"

She was hoping to learn just a little more about this place and this pack before being sent on her way.

The visitor's shrinking demeanor melted away instantly, and the little woman morphed into vibrant, pucklike creature almost faster than she could chatter, which was quite fast. Alivia couldn't get a word in and didn't try, choosing to sit back and listen with interest. 

"Alivia," she supplied her name once more. "And this is Redhawk Caldera," she added, in case Journey needed that repeated too. "We're usually really chill with visitors actually," she insisted, thinking of the frequency at which the Redhawks' friends and extended family seemed to drop in and out. "You just caught us on a bad day I guess." 

"You mentioned a job, Journey.. is it anything I can help with?" Alivia's curiosity was piqued.