Redhawk Caldera Here's Johnny

Feeling too weak to continue, no matter how badly she wanted to go home, Wildfire spent the night resting in the shelter of Bramblepoint. She slept beside a swath of churned earth, staring at it wonderingly before she fell asleep and once again after she woke in the morning. Feeling a bit better, she climbed to her feet, sought some fresh water to drink, then headed out on the final leg of her impromptu journey.

When she drew close to the caldera's borders hours later, Wildfire slowed, then stopped and stared. The storm had altered her beloved home's landscape. There were downed trees as a result of the high winds. She also saw signs of flooding. She gaped for a few moments, then hasted her steps. Her stomach pinched with hunger (she hadn't eaten since the evening of the storm) and rolled with every step, yet she ran as fast as her legs could carry her.

She only tripped toward the end, fumbling into the zone of her parent's claim. "Mama! Dud! I'm home! I'm safe!" she shouted at the top of her voice, which wasn't very loud at all. Wildfire didn't stop there, beginning to climb, angling her path uphill to aim for the rendezvous site on the caldera's opposite slope.

In the days after the storm, it became clear that Wildfire had gone missing. This was worrisome for the pack as a whole, and especially to her parents, but Elwood, too, had a pit in his stomach caused by the girl's disappearance. He cared deeply for the firebirds, but it also made him worry -- what would he do if something like this happened to Eljay when he was older?

He had dedicated a few hours a day to searching for Wildfire, though the rest of his time was spent with Finley and Elwood Jr. During his sweeps of the territory, he also took stock of the destruction that had occurred. Luckily, it seemed that the Caldera hadn't sustained a heavy amount of damage -- there were plenty of downed trees and some evidence of flooding, but the tornado itself didn't seem to have passed directly through their territory.

A voice reached his ears as he examined what appeared to be the collapsed entrance to a cavern near the base of the mountain. Elwood swung around abruptly, his hackles bristling instinctively, but relief registered quickly on his face. "Wildfire!" he called, moving towards her as she began to scale the slope. "Where have you been? Are you okay?"

Someone shouted her name and Wildfire stopped and spun. Elwood was a sight for sore eyes! She altered her course to run toward him. When she reached her godfather, she reared onto her hind legs and wrapped her little red forelegs around his neck. She clung to him, shaking a little from both exertion and relief. After a minute or two, she loosened her grip and sank down to the ground in front of him, tail beating wearily back and forth.

"I'm so glad to see you! Is everyone else here? Are they okay?" She could see the signs of the storm all around her, though none seemed too damaging. "I got lost in the caves and when I found my way out, I was really far from here," she breathlessly answered Elwood's own question.

It was painful to see the land so torn by the tornado; it reminded Pantaleimon of how small they really were. In a way, it was comforting to know how tiny and insignificant they were, but it also worried Pan how easily they could get torn from the earth if they were at the wrong place, in the wrong area. She worried for Wildfire and Nightjar after their disappearances, and Pan spent a lot of time in searching of the children. They might not have been hers, but they mattered to her nonetheless.

When she heard Wildfire call out nearby, Pan's heart skipped a beat and she broke into a gallop in the direction of the shouts. Elwood had reached the destination, and with a worried frown upon her face, Pantaleimon galloped up towards them.

Relief flooded over Pan when she reached Wildfire, and she nuzzled the pup's cheek lovingly, unable to help herself. "Oh, Wildfire! I - I'm so glad you're alright." Pantaleimon could not help but fawn over Wildfire as though she was the child's mother; in her time with Redhawk Caldera and particularly her time with Perry, his pups had become like her own to Pantaleimon.

As soon as Wildfire became aware of Elwood's presence, she turned and hurtled towards him. He accepted her hug gratefully, glad to see that she was in once piece and didn't appear to be injured. Before answering his questions, she inquired after the rest of the pack and Elwood smiled at her selflessness, nodding simultaneously. "Yes, they're here. Nightjar was back at the rendezvous site after the storm, and everyone else is safe and okay," he reassured her.

"I'm so glad you found your way back," he said earnestly. He had noticed the additional tunnels leading away from the cavern where they sought shelter, but he hadn't thought that the adventurous Wildfire and Nightjar would take advantage of it during the storm. They were both lucky to have escaped unscathed. "Let's get you back --" he started to say when another voice drew his attention.

He turned to see Pantaleimon quickly approaching, relief painted all over his face. Elwood's tail swung behind him as he stepped back, allowing Peregrine's lover to greet Wildfire. "Thank goodness she's okay," he agreed; it was clear that Pan had been particularly worried.

A relieved breath shuddered from her throat when Elwood reported that everyone else was just fine. He mentioned Nightjar by name, prompting her to ask, "He got lost too? That's why I went into the tunnels: I thought I saw him sneak away and I wanted to go after him and bring him back." She made a mental note to bap him upside the head. But all's well that ends well, she supposed. They were both safe and so was the rest of their family, it seemed.

When Pantaleimon strode into view, Wildfire bounced back onto her feet and greeted him much the same way she had done with her uncle. "Pan!" she said exuberantly, nudging his chin as her sylphlike forelegs circled his neck in a wolfish embrace. She pushed back after a few seconds, returning to all fours. Her rump waggled with the force of her moving tail. "I am all right," she confirmed, though she did add, "Just really tired and really, really hungry."

Pantaleimon had not felt this relieved in a long time, and it showed on her features. Luckily both Firebirds had come home, and finally Pan's unceasing worrying could end. It was strange how worried she had been; until they were gone, Pantaleimon had not realised how fond she had grown of Perry's children.

"What happened? Where did you go?" Pantaleimon asked, curious for Wildfire's story, until she realised Wildfire had mentioned being hungry. "Oh! We - I'll - uhm, we can get you something to eat," Pantaleimon hastily added, and she started inland, towards the caches, so that she could fetch Wildfire something to eat. She hoped that they were still in tact, because while she normally would have caught Wildfire something fresh with all the love in the world, Pan really wanted to hear how she had fared right now.

Elwood watched as Wildfire hugged Pantaleimon, glad to see that there was a close bond between the two. He imagined that it could have been strange for the firebirds to grow up knowing their father's lover, but he also supposed that it quickly had become the norm for the little family. Children tended to be more accepting of different circumstances than adults, he had learned.

Wildfire announced that she was hungry, and Pan quickly offered to feed her. Elwood promptly began to follow the male, wondering how the caches had fared during the storm. Returning to their conversation as they walked, he answered Wifi's previous question about her brother: "Yeah, Nightjar must've gone into the tunnels too, but he came out at the rendezvous site. How far away from here were you?" He reiterated Pan's question, wanting to know the distance that Wildfire had traveled on her unexpected adventure.

The pale Gamekeeper quickly picked up on Wildfire's subtle hint, offering to find some food for her. She nodded gratefully, then fell into step beside the two adult males as they continued to trek further into the territory. She desperately wanted to see her parents, as well as Nightjar and Raven. She was sure her parents would want to see her just as badly. Just as soon as she got some food in her stomach, she would insist that her two escorts take her to them.

"I got lost in the tunnels. It was mostly an accident," Wildfire explained to Pan as they walked. "I came out really far away," she added to answer Elwood's question. "I came out in this spooky forest. Then..." She hesitated. Should she tell everyone about Dante? She was afraid of getting in trouble (or getting him in trouble) but perhaps it would actually help her family's impression of northern wolves. "I ran into a wolf named Dante and he helped show me the way home. I would've come home last night but I got sick. That's when I ran into Luke."

Her amber eyes roved between the two males' faces, wondering if they knew either of the wolves she had mentioned. Both strangers had been more than amiable, with Dante going out of his way (literally) to help guide her home. She had come away from the experience with the knowledge that not all northern wolves were out for her blood just because she was a Redhawk. And now that she was home safe, she could begin reflecting on the positive aspects of her random misadventure, including the opportunity to travel.

Elwood and Wildfire followed suit when Pantaleimon started towards the nearest cache. Adrenaline still surged through her body with no way of getting out, since she had been so worried about Wildfire. Luckily the girl was alright now -- she'd rapidly become part of Pantaleimon's world and family, and thinking about something bad happening to her made Pan feel terrible. Nothing could've made this day better than knowing Wildfire was okay.

Elwood asked about details, and Wildfire provided them. At the mention of Luke's name, Pantaleimon nodded and smiled, remembering him from their one-time meeting a little while ago. They'd tried to hunt together that time, but they had been too ambitious. She was glad to know he was still doing alright.

The Alphas' daughter answered her packmates' questions patiently and with a lot more eloquence than Elwood would have expected from someone of her age that had briefly been lost. She mentioned that she exited the tunnels quite a ways away from the Caldera, and that she had traveled through a spooky forest. Haunted Wood? he wondered, trying to get his bearings. He hadn't been there before himself, but had heard Finley talk about it.

Elwood's ears perked visibly at Wildfire's next statement. A wolf named Dante had helped her find her way home. A red flag waved in his mind, but he tried his best to keep his expression neutral, not wanting to alarm Wildfire. The mention of the second wolf -- Luke -- was quickly dismissed by the Beta male, although he noted that she said she had gotten sick.

"Dante -- you said he helped you?" he asked warily, hoping for more details. He hadn't met the Plateau leader himself, but had heard enough of him from Peregrine and others. Obviously he hadn't harmed Wildfire -- after all, she was right there in front of him, and in one piece -- but there was still a small twinge of worry in his belly. "You got sick -- what happened?" he then asked, hoping that her interaction with Dante had nothing to do with her illness.

Pan remained silent, though she could see that he was listening raptly. Elwood was paying just as much attention, though he had questions. He seemed a bit concerned by her mention of Dante, which did not surprise her. What did surprise her was the momentary defensiveness she felt on her fellow traveler's behalf. He had been so nice to her and clearly hadn't harmed her, so why would her pack mates insist on distrusting him?

"Yes," she said, perhaps a bit too emphatically. "If not for him, I wouldn't have found my way home. I had no idea where I was when I came out of the caves. He was really, really nice to me." I don't think all northerners are as bad as my parents say, she thought, though Wildfire was wise enough not to say this part out loud. She didn't mean any disrespect, she just felt that Dante didn't deserve his bad rap.

"I got sick because Big Salmon Lake is ruined," she continued. "The lake is half as big as it was before and there are dead fish everywhere. They stink, really bad. My stomach also hurt 'cause I hadn't eaten in a long time. Haven't," she corrected, amber eyes shifting eagerly to Pan in the hope they were nearing a stockpile.

Pan understood that Wildfire didn't think too badly of Dante -- a name that Pan didn't know, but Elwood obviously did -- because Pan had a friend in the north, too. Reek was a good fellow too, even if he had a short fuse when it came to Peregrine and others (but then again, the same could be said the other way around). Pantaleimon thought back to her meeting with Saena. It had been highly uncomfortable, and she wasn't sure if she'd be able to return to Redtail Rise anytime soon. Luckily the storm had taken that decision out of Pan's paws for now, anyway.

Wildfire indicated that she was hungry again, and Pantaleimon quickened the pace a little, knowing they were near one just now. "Almost there," Pan told her companions. Pan sniffed the ground a moment while she tried to find the exact place she'd hidden something not long ago. She scratched the dirt until she eventually pulled out a stiff rabbit. It didn't have too much meat on its bones, but it would do for a hungry traveller. Pan silently nudged the rabbit towards Wildfire so she could eat.

Elwood's brows raised as Wildfire elaborated on her interaction with Dante. He had no choice but to believe her words -- she certainly wasn't a liar, and her voice was almost defensive in tone. She stood by the fact that the Plateau's Alpha had helped guide her home, and Elwood simply replied with a nod. He felt fairly certain that Wildfire would tell Peregrine and Fox about her encounter since she had been so open with him, and trusted her parents' judgement on the matter, whatever it would be. Wildfire's safety was his main concern, but since no harm had come to her by Dante's paw, he relaxed a bit.

She then explained that Big Salmon Lake had endured quite a bit of damage, resulting in dead fish strewn across the territory. Elwood wrinkled his nose at the thought; he knew that the smell of rotting fish would be enough to make him sick, so he wasn't surprised that it had turned Wildfire's stomach. "Yuck," he agreed, and that was when Pantaleimon indicated that they were drawing near to the cache. A few seconds later, the pale subordinate paused, scratched at the ground, and unearthed a rabbit for Wildfire. Elwood settled back onto his haunches as the hungry youth presumably dug in.

We can fade this here, I think! :)

To say Wildfire dug in would be an understatement. As soon as Pantaleimon unearthed the scrawny, stiff rabbit, she fell upon it ravenously. She tore it into pieces, which she gobbled noisily. She bolted it all down within three minutes, then licked her chops. Straightening, she offered her uncles (because that's what Pan felt like to her: an uncle) a sheepish smile.

"Told you I was hungry," she quipped quietly, swallowing back a burp. "Can we go to the rendezvous site now? I really wanna see mom and dad. And NJ and Rave, of course." Her black tail swayed and she sucked in an excited breath. She had never been apart from her family so long before and couldn't wait to see their faces again.

Smiling tiredly at Elwood and Pan, she waited for them to lead the way, then did her best to keep up with them despite her weariness. Soon, she would reunite with her parents and siblings, then she could take a long, long nap!

Pantaleimon watched as Wildfire ate, satisfied with her appetite. Poor thing, all lost out there for all this time. Wildfire then asked to go to the rendezvous site, and Pantaleimon nodded quickly. "Of course, dear," Pan said with a soft smile, and she started to lead the way to the rendezvous site. She glanced briefly at Elwood to see if he would come or not before setting off.

Pan couldn't be happier to deliver the good news to Perry and Fox -- they had to be doubly relieved compared to how happy Pan had been to see Wildfire alive and well -- and decided to settle in for a nap (albeit perhaps not as long as Wildfire's) at the rendezvous site upon their return there.

sounds good, my last post :)

I'll archive!

Wildfire wasted no time in inhaling her meal, and then asked to go to the rendezvous site. "Yep, let's go," Elwood agreed as Pantaleimon took to his feet and started to depart. He nudged Wifi's shoulder, then fell into step alongside his companions, intending to visit briefly with the Alpha pair (and see if Wildfire mentioned Dante to Peregrine) before leaving the family to have their happy reunion.