Blacktail Deer Plateau We kill dragons

For Blue Willow, but others can hop in too if they'd like!

Saena ran and ran, somehow finding the energy and resolve to make it to the shadow of Blacktail Deer Plateau before the combined pain and exhaustion of her ordeal overwhelmed her. She was barely just at the plateau's doorstep when she collapsed with a cry, folding her mauled paw under her chest and crashing to the ground. Blood still flowed freely from the deep wound in her side, and she was littered with dozens of scrapes and bite wounds from Fox's assault. Her mind screamed at her to get up, reminded her that she had to get home, but she couldn't. In her fear and desperation, she'd gone to the Plateau, home of the most skilled healer in the Wilds, and it was here she would lie until she was found or she died.

She pressed her scratched cheek to the earth and felt the thrum of pain on the side of her neck where Fox's first snap had landed. Fury still burned in the injured Alpha's chest, fury and fear and mistrust. The longer she was away from that hellish place, the more she imagined it was all set up. Peregrine had taken her to see his children, invited her to help them, only to send his psychotic wife down to kill her when her guard was down. It had to be true, or else Peregrine would have arrived and seen his mate was a murderous bitch.

She couldn't guess why, though. Her reception at the Caldera just weeks before didn't suggest foul play at all. Had it been the case, Fox and the Caldera wolves would've killed her while she was already in their territory. Saena closed her eyes, whining plaintively, mentally grasping at a realization that was just out of reach and finding no purchase.

Blue heard swift paws running on the outskirts of the plateau. Usually she ignored it, but today the curiosity got the better of her. Dipping her muzzle to the ground she tip toed forward to see what it was that was scurrying about. Wasn't it her surprise to see Saena breathing hard and barely moving as blood poured from over a dozen wounds. She saw her paw all sorts of messed up, but far too bloody for Blue to tell what was wrong. She raced forward with a soft cry, and snuffled at the girl, trying in vain to find all the wounds, and the ones that caused the most damage. She smelled of fox, and Blue was infuriated. Though she had not seen teh little she wolf in some time, she could remember her smell. As soon as all was said and done, she would make a trip to the Caldera and she would give both Fox and Perry a dressing down, they would never forget. This constant drama and fighting was ridiculous, and there was no need to hurt Saena so, not the girl that wouldn't hurt anyone if she could help it.

Blue sniffed at her gently, licking here and there to see if her niece could be moved. The wound in her neck wasn't too bad, it might hurt, but it wasn't deadly. Most of the wounds were not terribly deep, though it was clear to Blue. That Fox had fought to kill, and it enraged her. Saena, What happened? Can you walk? or do I need to help you to the den? Look at you, you're a mess. You wait until I get to the Caldera. She gently chuffed again, and gave the girl another reassuring lick to her face.

Dante cameo, feel free to skip me! He's mostly here to help move her :) and to listen in on good dramaz

The scent of blood was a powerful draw for a wolf, and the metallic tang rarely heralded a good thing when not coupled with a sanctioned hunt. As soon as he caught wind of it, Dante followed, thinking perhaps some other predator had visited them and decided to take down some prey. He was fully expecting a fight, but instead found Blue Willow standing over a rather injured Saena. Stopping too far back to catch the Caldera's involvement, his ears pinned back. "What the hell?"

He would come no closer unless necessary, for he wished to give Blue Willow the space she needed, but if Saena needed moved he could assist. He did not question why she was there... it was obvious she had come seeking aid. But the bigger question was why... and who. They were no longer packmates, but Dante felt the anger build. He still counted Saena and Junior both as family, and though they did not hold precedence any longer over the lives within the plateau, he cared strongly for their well-being. Saena didn't seem like the type to fight on a whim, not so soon after claiming a place of her own.

There was something wrong here.

When Osprey had returned from Caldera, physically unharmed, but visibly shaken, she should have porbably gone to the leaders and told, what had happened, but a little voice in her advised not to do that. She had a suspicion that either Lasher or Blue willow would be tempted to go there and try to find out truth for themselves. And if Fox had cared to give a warning to the gray she-wolf, probably out of courtesy of being Peregrine's sister, then she doubted that any kind of favor would be granted for them.

Therefore she kept this to herself, deciding in the end that Peregrine was not to blame and that it simply had something to do with Fox's antics. And that... maybe she had happened to be in the wrong place and time. Since their numbers had become low, it was of utter importance that everyone contributed to keeping a watchful eye on the borders, therefore, when Osprey caught sight of Blue willow, she followed her right away. Catching sight of Saena bleeding out on the plateau's doorstep with Fox's scent thick over her was not the most pleasant thing to encounter, yet she rushed to her friend's side and leaning her muzzle down, to have a sniff and make sure that the girl was alive, asked: "That witch got you too?"

"Will she live?" she then turned to Blue willow, taking a step away to give her space. She acknowledged Dante's presence with a quick glance over her shoulder, but didn't explain anything yet. There would plenty of time for that later.

Her senses were beginning to dull with dizziness and nausea when Blue Willow arrived. Saena's injuries were extensive, but mostly non-fatal. The only risks for her were infection and blood loss, and the second was nullified the moment that a Plateau wolf spotted her collapsed below their high ridge. She would be fit to slowly travel after a few days' rest, and that was precisely why Saena had chosen the plateau. She never would've reached the rise in time, so she chose the next place she felt safest, though she would forever feel indebted for having gone to them in her time of need. Their resources were precious and she hated to think she might waste them by being here, but she couldn't go any further.

Blue Willow must've smelled something on her, for her distant words echoed the word "Caldera". Saena's eyes widened as she struggled to stand with her aunt's help, gasping as her wounds stung and finding it difficult and taxing from sheer energy depletion more than anything. "No," she breathed, "no, no, Aunt Willow, you... you can't go there," Saena panted between gritted teeth as she tried to swallow down the aches and pains of her battered body.

Dante and Osprey both arrived then, the Alpha male with an expletive and Osprey with a rather shocking statement. Saena's eyes fixed on the greyscale Redleaf-DiSarinno. She tried to smile, to convey what that kinship meant without words, but it died on her lips. "Yeah," she said quietly, the word carried on a pained exhale. "Came outta nowhere, tried... tried to kill me... no warning..."

Her vision swam and she sat down heavily, shaking off a bout of light-headedness and doing her best to keep from vomiting. The pain was so much, it was a wonder she'd made it here without crying the entire way. It seemed so much worse now that she wasn't fleeing for her life with the belief that the red devil was on her tail. Her eyes shifted to Dante then, with an expression that seemed to say, why would she do that, though of course Saena knew Dante wouldn't know any more than she did.

lasher swept to dante's side, eyes brimming with worry. saena reeked of blood and dirt, and fox's scent coated her thickly. blue willow already crouched alongside the girl, murmuring and mothering. the sharp tang of dante's anger rested heavily in the atmosphere; lasher had come running from his patrol on the opposite border to join them.

there was no sense to it! he had seen saena not long ago, during his trek to visit the wayward girls, and wondered if she had gone to the caldera to tell peregrine of junior's status. jaw tensing, he looked to dante, awaiting the silver wolf's command. 

his eyes swept to osprey; they were all gathered about saena, and he felt a brief and unwarranted glissade of pleasure at the sight of the aunt's concern for her niece. he too moved toward saena, adding his tongue to the healing nature of wolf-medicine.

saena began to speak, and her words caused lasher's blood to chill within his veins; he paused in the cleansing of her wounds and glanced first at the willow, then to dante. where was peregrine? why had he allowed fox to attempt murder, and against his own daughter, no less? "something is very wrong, that your father did not intervene," he muttered aloud, his eyes alighting upon dante.

Blue did not pay any mind to the others that followed, only listened with half massed ears. She did give Osprey a searching look when she spoke of Fox. Did fox attack her too? Fox attacked you too? Dante what are we going to do about this? She quickly brushed that thought aside as she saw Saena's bloody body. Realizing there were much more pressing matters to attend too. She began to murmur to herself, I need some Alfalfa for clotting, she lost too much blood. Chamomile for the nausea. I'll need willow branches and some Yarrow for the pain. Come along, you two can you help me with her? I don't want her to walk if we can help it. SHe has lost too much blood.

Blue soothed her as best she could with a touch. We shall see, just because you no longer live her. Does not make you any less family, and she messed with the wrong family. Just because she decided to get on her high horse one day and attack another. Blue sniffed in irritation. Clearly perturbed by the little she devil. Blue was not a swearing girl, but she could think of quite a few expletives to share with that little demon. She also wouldn't mind tearing out her throat and watching the life leave her eyes. Which was rather a strange thought for the healer, but she just couldn't condone senseless violence. And to her at the moment this was senseless violence. And besides Fox had torn her world up enough as it was.

Any goodwill Dante might have held towards Peregrine, along with any respect, was snuffed out the instant Saena revealed who was responsible. That he hadn't dealt the blows was irrelevant. He did pause enough in his internal seething to cast a pointed look at Osprey when she revealed that she had undergone similar treatment, but did not question just yet. For the moment, Saena was the focus.

He understood the anger, and the desires to do something. But Dante wasn't sure he liked the idea of any of them going near the Caldera now. Fox and Peregrine weren't worth it, and it was obvious that they had taken his olive branch and shit all over it if Osprey had been recieved in a similar manner to Saena. It was this insult that fanned the flames even higher, but it remained a cold fire.

He kept quiet, deep in thought of the consequences that would follow this depending on which path they took, as he stepped forward to help move Saena. He didn't know that anything should be done. Revenge was a game for the naive, and all who played ended up getting burned.

Cameo, feel free to skip!

Commotion and the sharp smell of blood were enough to make Malachi change the course of his steps, and he rounded and rerouted back to the stretch of border he'd passed some hundred times in his short stint here. Yet while the man made to the edge with haste, his heart turned with a strange emptiness, as if he had been expecting this very thing to happen, and that the only thing that shocked him was at how soon the peace here had been cut. He blinked away the fleeting memory of a ripped and broken Adlartok, who once lay broken in his land, and pressed forward, even though his mind urged him to turn and run and wash his paws of the Plateau before he could be considered a part of them.

But he refused to listen, and when the others came into sight, he recognized only Dante. The rest were foreign to him, the wounded one in both scent and sight, and his stomach turned when his eyes fell upon her. He approached only close enough to see, and settled in an uneasy stand a few paces off. His only ease came from the lacking smell of sea salt, a scent he searched for instantly upon arrival. Malachi twitched his ear to catch the words the others spoke, the tension strong, and though he wished to run, he remained. This trouble wasn't his - and yet it was, and the understanding settled in him like a heavy stone. He lingered just beyond the assembled group, counting enough present to help the fallen girl, and quietly watched.

Skipping Osprey, with permission of course!

Blue Willow vowed to exact some sort of revenge, but Saena just kept weakly shaking her head. Whatever had caused Fox's insane attack would surely not stop in the face of the one wolf who had shown Fox immeasurable graciousness and received nothing but a spit in the face in return. Saena highly doubted that Fox would even remember what Blue Willow had done for her, and surely her psychotic rage wouldn't stop for that.

Lasher had a very good point, but Saena couldn't connect the dots right now. She only nodded dumbly and said, "I called for him and he never came." Realizing that the plateau wolves might not understand why she was there in the first place, since her love of Peregrine had been non-existent when she left, she clarified, "after I left, I went to the Caldera," she grit her teeth as she tried to stand, managing to find her feet but very shakily, "to apologize and make amends. He invited me to come teach one of his kids about Naturalism. That's what I was there for." Her eyes fluttered as dizziness threatened her again, but she steeled herself and pushed the feeling away as best she could.

She took one bracing step forward, then another, swaying all the while from the sheer pain that wracked her when all her wounds stretched at once.

he frowned; jaw tensed, lasher worried for the girl. her explanation caused him more trepidation; he glanced to osprey in belated surprise. dante's grim silence settled coldly over his form and he stepped forward quietly, to press his shoulder against saena's own and steady her. combined with the strength of their alpha, the men could lift the young alpha and bear her wherever blue willow indicated. her feet need only rest lightly against the ground. steadying her also with a nudge of his hip, lasher remained silent, his senses heightened by the tang of blood and the tension hanging in the air roundabout them.

Blue sighed and growled softly. Alright enough. We will speak more on this later. She needs help and she needs it now. She is barely able to stand. Dante can you please brace her other side. And Osprey would you come along and keep her company? Talk to her keep her awake as best you can. I need to go and prepare what is needed immediately.

Blue of course wanted more details, but for now Saena needed her to heal her. If she didn't there was a very real chance she might die, or even go into shock. That was something Blue wished to avoid at all costs. At the moment she very dearly wished her father or even her mother were here to help. This was something she had confidence she could heal, but she wanted that extra reassurance.

The alpha had already moved to help, but acknowledged Blue's words with a curt nod.  There was only the briefest, irrational flicker of irritation, a reaction he knew to be caused by his own now dark mood at the news Saena had given.  

He had no words he wished to share right now, so held his tongue, though he was careful as he helped Saena to follow where the healer went.  This entire situation made no sense to him, for he would not expect Peregrine to rescind his word like that.  What was RedHawk thinking?  Dante would need to find out, but for now...  "I don't want anyone going to the Caldera just yet."  It was spoken decisively, not a request.  He knew they would be just as curious, but he wanted to consider how to handle this before any of them walked into a possibly hostile situation.

ooc: my last post here - for reference - she will be staying close to Blue willow and follow her instructions.


Saena's story pretty much mirrored Osprey's - the last time Peregrine had said himself that she was welcome to visit caldera and her little relatives, whenever she wished or felt strong enough to do so. The time before, when the kids had just been born and she had come to see them - Fox had not acted to her in a hostile way at all. Therefore she was still at loss, why had she been treated the way she had. And her confusion got even greater, when it seemed that her brother had truly burned all of the bridges this time. Especially, when the connection had already been fragile.

Osprey tagged along paying little attention to, what was going around, her eyes only on Saena and her wounds. It was a good thing that she was able to walk and after Blue willow told her to keep the girl's company, she sighed quietly and went over to the girl, gave her a gentle nudge on her cheek and whispered: "Hold in there, girl. We don't want to give that bitch the pleasure of knowing that she has defeated us." Her voice was laced with anger and deep dislike for the she-wolf that had managed to tear up the family once again. There was bitter disappointment growing inside her heart for Peregrine too, who had let this happen and apparently had decided to turn his back on all friends and relatives that did not belong to the caldera.

Oops, sorry for holding this big thread up! I think we can all probably fade here if you like, or keep going; it's up to you guys! I left my post open to either outcome. :)

When Blue Willow decreed that they needed to tend to her before discussing it further, Saena grew visibly relieved. She sagged a little as she walked but, aided by the sturdy members of the plateau and her family, they eventually made it to the safe location that the Healer chose. Dante said something about not going to the Caldera—she heartily agreed, for she didn't want anyone else getting hurt on account of her—and Osprey told her to hang in there. Saena smiled a tight-lipped smile when her aunt called Fox a bitch. She never thought anyone would ever agree with her view of her father's mate, so to hear someone else's anger was refreshing.

"She'll never," Saena started, but grit her teeth and stopped mid-sentence when she was bid to lay down by the nearest of her companions. Her wounds pulled painfully as she settled, her head swam dizzily, but she managed to cling to consciousness. Her eyes rolled first to Dante, then to Osprey. "Don't go there," she said in a near-whisper, mimicking the Alpha male's words from earlier. She didn't know what had caused Fox to become so openly aggressive, but whatever it was, Saena doubted it would end with her.

She placed her muzzle down on her foreleg, wincing as a fresh wave of blood mixed into her fur from the barely closed wound on her neck. "I miss this place," she mumbled quietly, then lapsed into silent breathing, almost as if she was sleeping.

last post from me!

lasher's sorrow and rage merged into a numbness as he helped saena to settle. with a long look at blue willow, he stepped back, standing sentinel and available for the healer's needs, while his mind pondered what had transpired at the caldera.

last post from me too.

Blue said nothing, just helped the girl to lie down. And then began her mad dash around, trying to find everything she would need. Some aloe for the brush burns, perhaps some lavender to clean it out, and some willow for pain. She was furious and worried, and it did not make a good mix. She actually felt her limbs shaking slightly, but she hid it well. Extremely glad to have Lasher so near her. She sighed as she finally found everything she needed, and went to work, she would also need to find something to give the poor girl to replenish blood loss.

i'll go ahead and archive!

Content that they had heard and would heed his wishes, especially with Saena's confirmation, Dante left to allow Blue Willow her space. He would stay near, in case she needed anything, but the thunderclouds in his thoughts needed room to roll through as well. He could visit once she had the chance to rest and recieve more details, though from the sound of it, there wasn't much to tell. Something had happened to make the caldera shift their ways, something that seemed to affect both Fox and Peregrine and their actions towards Saena. Unless Fox simply had overruled Peregrine's allowance of their daughter's training.

Either way, they would likely not find a solid answer soon. He intended to stay well away, not wishing harm on any of their own. Whatever the Caldera's problem, it wasn't worth it.