Redhawk Caldera We are the dreamers

He took his time reaching the Caldera once it came into view. Shortly before leaving he had essentially banished his sister from the pack and then thrown a sulky fit when he wasn't introduced to his baby siblings before the rest of the pack. He wasn't apologetic for either of those things but he was hesitant as he padded toward the dome. He'd banished Wildfire for what he still thought was a very good reason, and he still wished he'd been able to meet his baby siblings first. Nevertheless, it was an older and wiser wolf who crossed the remaining distance between the wilderness and home who understood the wrong of his actions. All that aside, he outwardly didn't appear nervous.

Indeed, he showed no uncertainty whatsoever. He came to a halt near where the pack's scent wreathed the ground. There, he lowered his nose and sniffed at the crisscrossing smells, frowning when he noticed the distinct absence of his father's musk and his mother's sweeter scent. That complicated things. Nightjar wanted to check in on his family, of course, but there was also that sneaky ulterior motive involving claiming his mother as his prize for the next season (after all, he was like a younger and wilder version of his aging father and Fox had proven a strong and capable dam who produced handsome children, so why the hell not?) that was snuffed out suddenly.

Curious as he was, Nightjar wasted no time throwing back his head and howling his deep baritone to the heavens, singing out for the attention of his family, that they might shed light on his parents' departure at least.

She saw him long before he reached the borders, a tiny speck that eventually took on details as he wandered closer and closer to the caldera. Towhee watched from her perch on a narrow scarp, ears tilting gradually backward as the stranger showed no signs of stopping, going around or—her favorite option, personally—turning back. He was headed deliberately to the Redhawks' doorstep. Intrigued despite herself and eager as ever to strongly discourage an outsider's proximity to claimed land, the youngster found her feet, shook out her coat and began trotting downhill. Her eyes never strayed from him for long and she saw when he threw back his head and howled. Great, she thought sarcastically.

Surely he hadn't called for her specifically, not that Towhee would ever know. Nevertheless, the Xi made her direct approach, face stony as she regarded the burly stranger. "Who are you and what do you want?" she demanded, her expression shifting from stern to severe but her tone as bland and clunky as ever. She rolled to a stop about two meters from him, head even with her spine and tail raised stiffly even as she scrutinized him with hard, flinty eyes. He cut a strapping figure but the youthful guardian refused to be intimidated.

While he waited, Nightjar kicked at a loose pebble on the ground and tried to summon up the faces of his loved ones in his mind. He vividly remembered Peregrine, Fox, Wildfire, Finley and Elwood. He also remembered their basket case of a son, although he tried not to. Raven was a hazier memory, someone he hadn't seen since he was a pup, and others were long gone or not remembered. He'd been there when his younger siblings were born but couldn't recall what they looked like or even how many there were.

When a dark shape with sharp accents of ginger and snow descended from somewhere unseen on the Caldera, he briefly wondered if she was one of the siblings he'd nearly met but abandoned. It took him several moments longer than an ordinary wolf to determine that too much time had passed for that to make sense. Though she was more or less indistinguishable from an adult wolf, there was a lankiness yet to Towhee that betrayed her. She probably wasn't even a year old, which meant she was probably a sibling but not one from the previous year, as the only wolves who had ever bred on the Caldera were his parents and godparents (and surely they would not produce such a spectacularly coloured specimen). But if that was the case, then where were Peregrine and Fox?

The chill with which she met him better suited a much older and more jaded wolf, and it was enough to cow Nightjar into submission and silence the question on his lips. He snatched back his ears and lowered his posture, well aware that as far as she was concerned, he was nobody. He overlooked the strange, deadpan way in which she spoke, if only because he was extremely unobservant when it came to social cues of any sort. "Nightjar," he answered simply in his heavy and slow manner, using only as many words as necessary, as always. He almost asked who she was, but refrained. She didn't look the sort to entertain his question anyway. "I'm looking for Peregrine and Fox."

Phox had only been half a minute behind Towhee, following her quietly (even though there was really no need to do so). He had known what she was doing as soon as he'd spotted the figure lurking at their borders, and he wasn't about to let her face a stranger alone if he was around to join her. As usual she approached the outsider with every bit of confidence, and it made him smile. A few beats later, and Phox was at her side, nudging her to let her know he was there to back her up if she needed it.

He'd missed the introduction, but he'd been close enough to hear the stranger ask for their parents. "They're dead," Phox said plainly. This was not the first wolf who had come looking for them, and it probably wouldn't be the last. Thankfully for their last batch of children, they never really had to go through the turmoil of losing them: they'd never been alive in the first place to Phox and his littermate. "I can call for Elwood and Finley, though. They're the new alphas." Might as well be helpful!

Truthfully, she didn't care much about his answer. It was just a formality before she started trying to get him to go away. But two things happened which improved Towhee's attitude significantly, at least dampening her urgent desire to drive off the outsider. Firstly, he reacted with immediate and unquestioning submission even while succinctly answering her question. His lips were strangely easy to read, to boot. Secondly, a familiar bump to her shoulder heralded Phox's arrival. The Xi couldn't help but be gladdened by her favorite brother's presence. She did try to fight the smile that crept over her lips, though she couldn't and instead hid it behind his ear, which she nipped in friendly greetings as he addressed their "guest."

She was the guardian, yet Phox was much more of an ambassador. Towhee was happy to let him take point when it came to speaking. She did think to mention, "His name's Nightjar," to her sooty cohort. Something suddenly struck her. "Isn't that the name of a bird?" She paused for a beat before adding, "Wait, isn't that—" Towhee's voice cut off abruptly as her orange eyes shifted to the agouti wolf. She squinted at him, feeling a mix of curiosity and annoyance. She had definitely heard that name before, more than once. Was this seriously yet another of the Redhawks' prodigal sons?

He wasn't far away when the vaguely familiar howl went up; Eljay's departure was bothering him more than Liffey's had, and he spent a lot of time prowling the borders. He knew that it was unlikely Eljay would return anytime soon, but he couldn't seem to stop his vigil. In some ways, it reminded him of what had happened to Lucy -- while her disappearance had been involuntary, he still felt the same sickening surprise regarding Eljay.

Despite his proximity, both Towhee and Phox managed to beat him to the punch. They were conversing with a stranger, who -- on second glance -- was not really a stranger at all. Elwood squinted as he approached, taking in the robust young male. He sniffed, and the missing puzzle piece fell into place.

"Nightjar," he said, coming to stand next to his godchildren. "I see you've met your siblings," he added, glancing at the nearly fully-grown youths before shifting his gaze back to the agouti Redhawk. "What brings you back here?" His tone was friendly and curious; somehow, Nightjar's own leave-taking seemed much more natural than Eljay's.

From the shadows behind Towhee emerged another younger wolf. This one was pudgier than the first and lacked any of the brilliant splashes of red to mark him as one of Fox's. He could have belonged to Elwood and Finley for all Nightjar knew, or he could have been a stray, though that was very unlikely. His familiarity with Towhee did little to clear the issue up, for the Blackthorns and Redhawks had always been incredibly close, excepting himself and Eljay. He wondered as his eyes darted between the youths if that nerd was still around but decided it was best not to ask. If he found him eventually, Nightjar would know.

The news of his parents' death swung into his heart like a falling hammer, but Nightjar remained mostly composed. Like his mother before him he was all about practicality and death was simply a matter of life. No doubt he would be the type to advocate eating the bodies so their flesh didn't go to waste rotting in the soil. "I'm sorry to hear," he said, and if they listened closely they might pick up on the quaver in his voice, but the rest of him was steely as his eyes even in submission. His homebody parents had probably died here among family. They weren't old enough, he thought, but sometimes it just happened. He'd seen worse in his travels and Peregrine had always had a few issues with his body even while Nightjar was still around.

The adolescents passed a few words between them and Nightjar watched silently for a beat, then confirmed, "I was born here." That would make things go quicker. He turned specifically to Phox and was about to ask the fatter of the pair if he could indeed call the Alphas, but Elwood arrived just as he opened his mouth. Nightjar shot his godfather a broad grin. He'd bullied the man's child for some time in his youth and he'd acted like a sullen piece of crap leading up to the birth of his siblings, but if he remembered or regretted any of that, it wasn't known by his face. "I came to check in on everyone," he said, glancing sidelong at his newest siblings and feeling at last a pang of guilt for not being around for the first set, "but I'm not opposed to sticking around."

Woof. Edited for shadowpost.

Like Towhee, Phox found the name familiar. He squinted at the larger, older wolf, then realized who it was. He was about to ask the obvious "are you our brother" question when Elwood strolled up, and Phox took a step back to let the leader do his job (and answer the question that was on the tip of his tongue). In an instant, Phox's body language went from stand-offish to relaxed, especially since Elwood was around to confirm their relation.

When Nightjar explained that he might be sticking around, Phox's whole body wiggled. "Please!!!" he replied. He loved Gannet and Lagan, but he would always always welcome another brother. Especially since his only living(?) male littermate wasn't even around anymore. Phox glanced at Towhee briefly, but for the most part, his attention was trained on this new exciting family member who probably had all kinds of stories about where he'd been.

Yes, this was one of their parents' eldest, one of Raven's litter mates. Towhee licked her lips pensively, remaining silent as Elwood and Nightjar exchanged greetings. He spoke slowly enough that she continued to read his lips with ease. When it became clear that he was here to stay, the Xi rolled her eyes emphatically at Phox's overeager reaction but did not pull any of her usual attitude. For one thing, she wanted to prove she was of leadership caliber. For another, her ability to understand the newcomer so easily definitely went a long way with her. Difficulty communicating was the number one obstacle she faced with outsiders and it didn't appear to be a problem with this particular wolf.

Likely to the surprise of the two that knew her well, the Xi took a step forward and said, "I'm Towhee." She glanced over at her derp of a sibling, smiling despite herself, and faced Nightjar again. "And this is Phox." She paused, wondering if she should add anything else, when the obvious came to mind: "I'm deaf. If you come back to live here, you're going to have to learn ptero." It could (and should) be a requirement for all new recruits, Towhee thought. She glanced at Elwood to see what he made of the exchange.

Nightjar's expression softened into a grin and Elwood smiled, too. "It's good to see you back here," he said, then his lips turned down slightly. "We're all doing well, but there've been some changes. Your parents passed away -- Peregrine in the fall, Fox in the winter -- and Finley and I have stepped up as Alphas in their stead. But Raven is here, and so is Gannet. There's a place for you in the ranks if you do decide to stay," he added; he had missed the brief exchange between the siblings regarding their parents' death, so he unknowingly reiterated what Nightjar was already aware of.

Phox was unabashedly excited about the prospect of his older brother staying, and even Towhee seemed less prickly than usual. Elwood was impressed when she introduced herself and Phox to Nightjar; she then wasted no time in explaining her hearing loss. He nodded his agreement. "Towhee can read lips, as you can tell, but we've learned some sign language in order to communicate with her. Some of us are better than others," he said with a laugh; he was far from fluent, himself.

Three things happened back-to-back: Elwood explained that his parents were gone, echoing what the younger wolves had just told him; Phox yelled excitedly that he should stay; and Towhee pressed forward to introduce herself and her brother. Nightjar caught himself wondering how Phox came by his name when he looked nothing like their mother. Towhee was an unfamiliar term to him as well but he was willing to bet it had something to do with animals. The only member of his family that he was aware of who wasn't named after an animal was Wildfire, and even she had regularly been called something animalish by their mother. He couldn't remember what it was.

"I heard," he replied grimly to Elwood, and his silvery eyes asked the question he couldn't put into words: will you tell me how later? He was interested to know that Raven was back, because he had no idea where she'd gone, but he didn't know who Gannet was. Possibly one of his siblings from the litter he had never been around to meet. His parents had probably introduced the cubs the very last time Nightjar had seen them, but their names were long gone from his memory. He made a mental note to seek out this Gannet.

Then Towhee revealed she was deaf and Nightjar's features softened. He very nearly revealed that he was half deaf himself, and if not for Elwood, he might have done just that. For some reason, though, he still thought the Blackthorns and his own parents had never known (and maybe that was true), and he wasn't yet willing to make it known to Elwood. She went on to say if he wanted to stay, he needed to learn "tear-oh", and it was then that his features morphed into utter confusion. Before he could stop himself, he blurted out a deadpan, "what?"

Elwood helpfully supplied the answer to that question and Nightjar quietly muttered, "oh, I see," before fixing his vision back on Towhee and smiling. He didn't really understand how it worked and he wasn't even sure he was able to learn, but he happily agreed, "Sure, that sounds like a deal."

He looked utterly perplexed, which made Towhee want to sigh a bit. Mustering patience she usually couldn't manage with outsiders, she explained, "It's sign language." She paused, then repeated herself in ptero itself: -It's sign language.- She knew Nightjar wouldn't catch on right away—and some wolves never quite seemed to get it—but he would have to try if he wanted to earn Towhee's respect.

She stepped back, shaking her head lightly at Phox's wriggling, and vaguely watching as Elwood spoke to Nightjar at length. She didn't bother trying to keep up, instead announcing, "I'm going to patrol." She was already here, after all, so why not? -You coming?- she added in Phox's direction before striding away along the territory's fringe.

The anticipation didn't last long, considering how quickly Nightjar decided on staying. Still, Phox felt like it was ages before his older brother gave a clear answer. Phox did a pirouette, spinning around and bouncing once he landed. "Yay!" He had already learned so much from his other older siblings, and he couldn't wait to see what Nightjar had to teach him, too.

Towhee announced she was going on patrol, and while Phox normally wouldn't hesitate to follow his favorite sibling, he felt torn for a moment. He wanted to ask Nightjar so many questions, but maybe it would be better if he got to talk to Elwood for a little while, first. "I'll find you later!" Phox promised, then bounded off with Towhee to patrol (and most certainly discuss this awesome new development).

With Nightjar's agreement to learn ptero, Elwood considered him a member of the pack once more. He smiled and nodded, showing his happiness in a subtler way than Phox, who was literally dancing with excitement. Towhee, too, seemed pleased, though her emotions weren't as obvious than her brother's; and, as usual, she was quick to excuse herself. "See you later," Elwood said as the pair of siblings departed.

He then refocused his attention on Nightjar. He motioned for the burly male to step across the border and follow him. With most other newcomers, he generally pointed out landmarks, but Nightjar was likely still familiar with the caldera's terrain. Instead, he asked amiably, "So where have you been?"

The two adolescents dismissed themselves and Nightjar watched them go with a smile and a wave of his tail. He would catch up with the both of them soon enough, unaware that there were in fact two others in their litter that were still alive. The pair was evidently close, closer than Nightjar had ever been with either of his sisters. He had to wonder if the loss of their parents was the reason for that.

With a relaxed sigh, the tawny Redhawk followed his godfather over the borders and stretched his toes in the soil before falling in comfortably. It was weird to think of Elwood as his Alpha male. It was weird to follow along, be introduced to the territory he was born in, and not think of the man as his father's right hand. He would get used to it in time.

"All over the place," answered Nightjar as he squinted up the slope for any sign of other life. How many wolves did the Caldera boast now? When he left, it wasn't too many. "I wandered a whole lot. Traded my fighting skill for food when I needed to. Scavenged a lot of the time. Helps that I can beat the snot out of a lot of smaller loners." Was admitting that he'd beaten and stolen food from others the wisest thing? Probably not, but when had he ever had a verbal filter? "So, Alpha now, huh? How's it feel?"

Elwood kept an ear tilted towards Nightjar as they moved deeper into the caldera's territory. He planned to bring him to the rendezvous site, since that was where most of the family spent their time. He chuckled as Nightjar gave a broad explanation of his travels and touched on his skills. "We can always use someone who can beat the snot out of any trespassers," he said, his tone joking but his statement truthful. While he and Finley were more lax in some ways than Peregrine and Fox, they still guarded their borders fiercely and protected their pack from unwelcome visitors.

The next question from Nightjar prompted a hum of contemplation from Elwood before he replied. "Well, it wasn't necessarily what we were expecting," he said, referring to his and Finley's sudden ascension after Fox's death. "But I think Fin and I have settled into our new roles. I'm just glad that the pack didn't fall apart after your parents passed."

"You've had problems with trespassers?" wondered Nightjar, who read into Elwood's words completely wrong. Go figure. The boy wasn't very bright, and even being out in the world and fending for himself had done little to cure him of his obliviousness. If they had need of someone who could beat up trespassers, it surely meant they had a lot of them lately, right? That or they had nobody capable of it, but Nightjar knew just how ferocious Finley could be if she was mad enough.

Elwood expressed his relief that Redhawk Caldera hadn't collapsed, and Nightjar hitched a broad shoulder in a shrug. "Mom and dad were important," he began, "but it wasn't just them. So were you and Aunt Flea and everyone else." Well, except Eljay. He genuinely thought the pack would have been better off without an embarrassment like that, but even a dense fool like Nightjar knew better than to say that in front of the father. Instead, he concluded, "Redhawk Caldera is all of us, not just them."

I'm going out of town tomorrow, so I thought we could wrap this up so I don't leave you hanging! :) Feel free to post again or archive!

Elwood considered Nightjar's first question, not realizing that the boy hadn't picked up on his playful tone of voice. They honestly didn't encounter many trespassers at Redhawk Caldera, although by coincidence he and Towhee had recently dispatched a rabies-infested loner. "Not often, but every once a while a troublemaker comes along," he said.

His young companion's next words were impactful, whether he meant them to be or not. It meant a lot to Elwood to hear from Fox and Peregrine's own son that the Blackthorn family was an important part of Redhawk Caldera. Naturally, he knew that their whole family -- though not related by blood -- were all part of the pack's legacy, but it still warmed Elwood's heart to hear it straight from Nightjar's mouth.

"You're right," Elwood said amiably, then added, "And we're glad to have you back with us." By this point, they were nearing the rendezvous site, which he imagined would be familiar to Nightjar. "I'm going to go check on Finley -- she's pregnant -- but feel free to make yourself at home," he said. With a parting nudge to his nephew's shoulder, Elwood headed in the direction of the future whelping den.