Redhawk Caldera Settle down and work hard

After the initial meeting with titmouse and the older female named Raven she had went away on her own for a while. She still had had a bout of wanderlust to settle within herself but she had never forgotten how eager and excited titmouse had been to show her to Raven and invite her to the pack. She had stayed away a lot longer than she had originally intended to and now it was smack dab in the middle of winter. 

She had gotten stuck in her temporary den for a while but had dug herself out and begun to travel,finding that keeping on the move and scavenging food kept her body going. She knew she needed to find a pack to join and she wanted to find the caldera again. Now that she had, she approached the borders and sat down sending up a call for the leaders. 

Nerves began to hit her hard as soon as she had. It was winter after all and she was just another mouth to feed right? But she knew some tricks, she could hunt fairly well even though she didn't like it that much, and she would work hard to protect them. "My name is Awinita and I promise- no that's not it.." she began to practice how she would speak when approached by the alphas, her voice shaking already from nervousness and cold. "Hello, sir, ma'am, I'm Awinita, Titmouse had told me about you guys in the fall....ah heck" she whimpered and continued to try to practice.

After the meeting he had hidden away, then when his nerves had calmed down enough Screech had sought out Raven and told her what he could; the details about the event at Moonspear were fleeting and incomplete, but he just needed someone to talk to and the boy spilled the beans so fast that it likely made the medic's head spin. Following that, he felt too self-conscious to linger, and had bolted from her sight.

That was how the nervous wreck of a boy arrived at the borders; he was frazzled from his over-sharing, afraid to be alone with any of his family in case he couldn't stop himself from talking, and thinking solely of Cassiopeia. Where had she gone? Should he go to the forest to find her? What was he doing at the borders where the Moonspear wolves could find him?

The boy roamed erratically across the hillside and along the plateaus, hidden by the dense forest and silenced by the snow. At some point he thought he heard a voice and that stopped him in his tracks - and when Screech turned to survey his surroundings, he spotted a pale figure and his stressed-out mind instantly thought of the Snow White guy from Blackfeather.

Screech's response to that was to sound an alarm, lifting his head and calling with a panicked tone for @Elwood, @Finley, and even @Towhee in one fell swoop. Of course this wasn't Vaati at all - this was someone else entirely that was sort of familiar, but after all the chaos of the past few days Screech wasn't thinking clearly.

She had been so focused on practicing her manners and preparing what to say that she hadn't noticed when Titmouse had approached. At the cry of alarm she yelped and scampered backwards, rose red eyes widening "I..i.did I do something wrong?" She asked shakily staring at him.

Unsure what to do,run or submit she simply rolled over onto her back and exposed her belly,tail curling up over her belly. She shook with fright, not of Titmouse but of the fear she had made a mistake. She studied him for a moment and it struck her that this was the boy that had brought her to Raven all those months ago "T... Titmouse?" She asked her ears still flattened back.

The boy came to an abrupt halt and half tumbled through the snow, until he was caught upon some frozen but exposed soil beneath a copse of trees. From here he could still see the pale stranger and his fur was spiked wildly, his tail lashing, his eyes wide and fearful; even as the girl spoke he only saw Vaati, and heard only the promises of bloodshed and ruin - a mixture of the rallying cry from the meeting and his own varying recollections from Blackfeather. It all flooded him and he was struck dumb, standing there in the dark with his attention on the specter. He said nothing and merely watched - waiting as a patient guard for his betters.

The past few days had been a whirlwind, as Drageda arrived and rested from their journey. Soon, it would be time to set their plans into motion, and while Elwood still wasn't ready for it to begin, he knew that there was little he could do but accept it. He was patrolling the borders when he heard Titmouse's panicked cry, and the tone in his godson's voice was enough to send him propelling rapidly towards the source of the call.

He was preparing for the worst, but when he arrived he found Screech and an unfamiliar female, cowering on her back and seemingly of no apparent threat. "What's going on?" he asked, directing the question to Titmouse although his gaze remained on the prone she-wolf.

Her voicing of titmouse's name had done nothing to stir recognition or soothe the boy and that scared her immensely. Had she unknowingly done something to him? She had only known him for a short period of time really, but maybe her invitation to meet Raven had caused him problems.


She honestly didn't know but when another male approached, assumedly the leader she did nothing but offer a nervous and timid tap of her tail against the ground, pressing her ears back flat against her skull and staring at the ground while respectfully and politely kept silent to allow Titmouse to answer the unknown brute's question first. She was honestly curious to hear why Titmouse was acting petrified of her, what had she done?

What's going on? called out Elwood, and Screech turned sharply to regard him, only then really connecting the dots that this was some girl sitting before him and not Vaati. He couldn't look at her regardless, and felt a heat spread across his face when he realized how stupid he was being. Vaati would never come this close to the caldera when so many were out for his blood.

Screech's ears fell back against his head and he moved stiffly to intercept Elwood, dragging his heels and taking on an apologetic slump to his posture. Sorry -- sorry I just -- I thought it was him, y'know. She was here before though and she's nice, I introduced her to Raven. I'll just.. I'll go, sorry. At this point he tried to look over at Awinita but felt a chill sweep down his spine again, and without another word bolted away from the borders.

Titmouse looked embarrassed as he faced Elwood, explaining haltingly that there had been a mix-up. He frowned slightly, eyeing the pale-coated girl as she continued to expose her belly. Before Elwood could ask any questions of his nephew, Screech abruptly departed, leaving the Alpha and the interloper alone.

"Get up," he said, his voice stern yet not unkind. As she presumably righted herself, he continued, "We are going to war with another pack in just a few days. If you aren't a fighter, then I suggest you move along." With all that was about to happen, he didn't feel comfortable offering her a space in his ranks -- and while he didn't know the first thing about her, he wanted her to get as far away as possible, for her own safety.

Eyes still wide they followed Titmouse as he disappeared,her expression saddening and concerned. Elwood's command snapped her to attention and she righted her position standing up quickly but still keeping an submissive stance. He explained they were at war and she gasped softly,nodding once. "Y..yes sir. I'm deeply sorry for this...I had no idea. Um...I wish you all luck....I'll be off" she babbled still quite shaken from titmouse's response to her presence.

At that she dipped her head once more and bolted away her tail tucked between her legs still. She hoped Titmouse would be well,the girl Raven too. 

thank you! Sorry for this waste of time lmao

No worries! :)

He suspected that she wouldn't be on board with the battle, and he was right. She apologized and then quickly took her leave, wishing them well as she darted away. While it didn't really mean much, Elwood was still thankful for the tidings of good luck from the stranger.

He watched her until she was out of sight, then resumed his patrol.