Heron Lake Plateau i could tell you that i saw you, but i couldn't make it up the stairs

tags for reference - AW

with @Raleska and @Svalinn asleep under the heavy brow of a studded cave, caiaphas saw her opportunity to slip out undetected. she had not seen @Blondine since their parting of ways shortly after acceptance into redhawk, and while the sylph entertained thoughts of the ruddy wolf's whereabouts, she did not actively search her out.

caiaphas knew she had to keep herself busy, particularly to slake the constant onslaught of grief that loomed like some predatory menace in her mind. she still had not found peace following her mate's sudden disappearance (and subsequent death, though she had no way to confirm it save for the pawprints she had witnessed herself along the riverbank). it still cut her in the most raw and ugly manner, when she glanced upon the troupe of children expecting five and instead seeing two. it was not the end she wanted for her children, nor the end they deserved -- and at night the sylph wondered if they were dead, stolen, or simply gone.

every part of her wished to hunt them down and extricate them from the wilderness that had ensnared them -- but she was too old, too haggard from their month-long exodus, and quite simply, burnt out from exhaustion. she would not have survived much longer in the wild, and as she raked a paw along the dirt in search of salamanders beneath the leaf-litter, caiaphas wondered if her family would ever see the coast again.

blondine still welcome <3 wanted to have these two at least meet!

Colt was inspecting his reflection on the lakeshore, lifting his chin to look at the scrapes left by the wolverine from the other day.  It was healing nicely, and barely stung, but after a moment's hesitation, he dunked his face under the lake, allowing the cool lakewater to soothe it (and any other minor bites/scratches he might have gotten) away.  

Then he stepped back, shaking out his fur, and stared at the woods.  He wasn't much in a sitting around mood, but everyone seemed fairly busy.  Maybe a quick trip outta borders would kill some of his antsiness... Least it would tire him out.

That course was paused however when he saw the woman from the borders in passing.  He stopped, watching a moment.  She'd seemed downcast then and still did not appear particularly happy, but since she was pack, he should probably introduce himself yeah?

"Hey.  Didn't get the chance in that mess on the border, but the name's Colt." He said, walking towards her but stopping before he got too close.  He wasn't sure if what she was doing wanted interruption.

Unlike Caiaphas, Blondine had been actively searching out her travelmates, typically to no avail. As luck would have it, the latter wandered right by the former, just as a vaguely familiar male did the same. Before she could greet either, he introduced himself, and Blondine took a few steps out to give a better visual. Howdy, she called with a warm, Abernathy grin, I'm Blondine, Blondine Abernathy.

she nosed the damp loam, finding nothing of interest beneath her claws. a crackle caused her ears to swivel and she glanced upwards, met by the sopping features of the umber male that had first come across their sad caravan at the borders. she dragged her paw forward and stood square, watching impassively as rivulets dripped down colt's broad features.

a sunflash of warm red announced blondine; caiaphas canted her muzzle downward in greeting, and once blondine had finished her introduction, rejoined in a quite tone: "caiaphas -- but you probably heard that." having never been one for small talk, she looked (almost imploringly) in blondine's direction, as if the ruddy woman would pick up caiaphas' deplorable slack and steer the conversation to more free-traveling waters.

"Howdy back."  The darker of them seemed far more friendly in her approach, and Colt didn't miss Caiaphas' deferral.  So he answered her introduction, and then would address Blondine a little more. 

"Might've heard, but always good for a reminder."  He looked at the reddish woman, noting her lack of an eye and immediately drawing comparison to Screech.  Hopefully she'd have a little more luck here than she had.  "You two travel together long? Or just happen on our borders at the same time?"  They didn't look related, but could have come from the same former pack.  More often they got loners though, so it was odd to find a group.

Watchful eyes caught Caiaphas's silent plea. She smiled and turned back to Colt, now sitting as her tail thumped rhythmically behind her. I'd reckon it'd been a week or so before we made it here. Might've been longer, I'm not the best keeper. Every moment that had passed between her leaving Abernathy Hill and making it to the Redhawk borders had been blended together into one very, very confusing moment that Blondine had to constantly work on deconstructing.

colt's question had not been intrusive, but caiaphas felt she would rather not think back to the events that had transpired around finding herself in blondine's company. even still, there was a bitter taste in her mouth thinking of the ordeal her family had suffered -- and the losses she had endured.

three children, one mate -- she quickly snuffed out their occupancy in her thoughts, extinguishing their remembered faces like wisps of candleflame smoke. shifting on her thin limbs, she looked somewhere between the two of them. "found her near a meadow. we were traveling from easthollow." it wasn't much of a contribution, but it might satiate colt's curiosity -- and hopefully, keep him from asking her any further questions that delved too deep into the repressed and painful memories caiaphas had taken such great care to avoid.

Luckily for them, Colt really only cared out of a mild sense of curiosity, and their answers satisfied that fine.  He knew better than to ask after the father of the pups he had seen, though of course he wondered.  Who wouldn't?

"Well you picked the best of the best to throw in with.  The fam can be prickly at times but there's none better for watching a wolf's back.  Myself included of course."  He paused, not minding givin them a little space to confirm how they felt so far.

It didn't please Blondine to be referred to as a lost pup, but she figured that she had bigger fish to fry than a tiny misstep like that. I'm sure of it, she laughed, looking between Caiaphas and Colt with wide eyes, Y'all seem like a tight-knit group. I reckon we're intruding to some degree. But if none of the Redhawks were to mind, then Blondine wouldn't either.

it was not unusual for caiaphas to lapse into silence, as she did then -- surely, this behavior was occasionally a conversation killer (as well as a thread killer, kek), but she had little to contribute and much to think of. how often she had met a stranger who presumably was intelligent -- only to have their mouth open and erase any impression of cleverness. better to be silent, she thought -- very little could be interpreted from a stone.

blondine, perhaps not surprisingly, had spoken the one thing caiaphas had thought herself -- if they were intruding. she looked to colt then, an expectancy in her hungry gaze as she awaited his answer.

sorry y'all!  Guessing we can just pp blondine to close this out <3

"Nah," he said somewhat dismissively, waving a paw at the suggestion.  "We're family, sure, but we got some coming and goin all the time.  Hell, even I got myself booted for a bit."  He smirked, though he was in good enough repoire with Towhee now to admit he'd been a jackass and likely deserved it.  

"I'm sure you'll fit just as well in a week or so."  And if not, wasn't really any skin off his nose.  Though he did hope for the sake of the kids they stuck around.

miss her already :'( i left this open ended so if you wanted to throw another post in, you can, otherwise i'll just archive in a few days!

it was good caiaphas had such a loquacious comrade, otherwise, much of what she thought would have never been uttered under the light of day. the crone shifted as blondine spoke and colt issued quick rebuke: family, he insisted. an indolent flash crossed the old sylph's gaze, swift as a meteorite being swallowed by a dark sky.

family.

more and more that word was losing its meaning to the siren queen. more and more her past was creeping in, a dark tide come to claim what had been rightfully spit from its own surf. these days, all caiaphas had was raleska and svalinn; and even then, their lives were hardly assured.

she nodded an appreciative dip of her head to the male regardless, but did not say anything more. blondine would have to excuse her companion's abrasive mien, for caiaphas was already making headway to her own den, with her own thoughts collectively swirling about her.

Colt shrugged off any apologies Blondine gave with amicable lightness; he didn't much care if Caiaphas wasn't a talker, he'd met her sort before and got along fine with them.  Just assume they don't mean offense and your golden, no apologies needed.

He did continue to chat with her friendlier companion, learning a few odds and ends about her before going on his way.