Heron Lake Plateau I've got my heart set on anywhere but here

Wildfire's lips stretched into a thin smile as her words of yore echoed in her head: "Let her know I've recovered well but that I'll no longer be traveling, even when the kids are older." At the time, she really hadn't planned to leave Drageda ever again, not after what she'd been through. But watching Thuringwethil leave, then losing Bat and struggling to raise their remaining three kids alone had somehow beaten her down worse than the Blackfeathers ever had. The idea of her mate's return had ceased being a comforting thought long ago, instead becoming a source of terrible resentment, even dread.

In the days following her final departure from Drageda, Wildfire experienced lots of extremely difficult emotions. But she felt more alive than she had in quite some time. She knew she'd made a selfish and terrible choice—she was natrona, now—but also a necessary one. It helped that she wasn't alone. Her tight smile blossomed into something a bit more genuine, even reaching her chestnut eyes, as her gaze swept over her small entourage. The black tip of her tail stirred in gratitude. Not only did she have these remnants of her Drakru family with her, they were about to join several more as soon as they reached the Redhawks.

Despite the cold of encroaching winter and a wrong turn here or there—she'd never been to the plateau, after all—the seasoned scout managed to guide her party to their destination. It's just Redhawks now, Wildfire reminded herself, no more Caldera. She immediately picked up on several familiar scents as they closed in on the towering bluff, including one that made her heart feel like it would beat from her chest. She'd meant to howl for the leaders directly, @Raven in particular, but instead she found herself crying the name of her long lost child.

Please let @Kiwi and @Sequoia post first, thanks! :)

When her mother had asked her to go with, Kiwi's first instinct had been to refuse.  Drageda was home, and it hadn't once crossed her mind that one could just... leave.  Trips maybe.  But leaving?  Blixen was here, and Artaax, and Portia and Sequoia and... everyone.  

But Nomi wasn't.  And much as leaving was foreign to her, the idea of losing her other parent was terrifying.  Kiwi wouldn't admit it to anyone, but the idea of having neither Nomi and mom; and the idea of Wildfire roaming the wilds alone - was worse.  

Besides, there was a side of her that her trip out when she was young had brought out.  The ravine, and the mountains.  How much more was out there to see?  Silkie and Tux were staying, they wouldn't see it.  And while she would miss them, and regretted their absence horribly almost the instant they left, she was proud that of them she had the courage to go with.

Her only request had been to immediately ask that they find Sequoia, and her attitude had been characteristically demanding on that.  She had to let her best friend know they were leaving, and see if she'd come with.  If she couldn't have her siblings then she was going to have her favorite person.

It was a long trip, but eventually, it seems they had made it.  Kiwi let Wildfire call, figuring her mother knew these wolves and would want to speak for them, though the young girl itched to announce herself.  Instead of the expected, though, Kiwi's head snapped around when Wildfire called her sister's name.  What?

Mention of Dio for a lil' behind the scenes flavor and Buckshot if he wants to join in!

Sequoia had spoken to wolves during her scouting expeditions that had left their homes. She had never understood it. Why would one, even her sister Dalia, ever want to leave Drageda? And yet, when Kiwi came to her—best friend and sidekick extraordinaire—Sequoia instantly understood. It had not been an easy decision, but Portia had been around less and less, and Dacio and Opalia were so dreadfully boring. So with a final, brief, and breathless goodbye to Daddy @Dio, she had gone with them. It was the ultimate scouting expedition, and she was sure to ask Wildfire every single question about being a scout and ambassador along the way.

If she had to leave, wasn't it better to leave with family? Sequoia knew that they would not be welcomed back, but again she thought of all the adventures and stories Wraen had. She hoped that one day they would run into each other again, although if Wraen was trying to find her, she would have one hell of a time tracking her down now. That thought was a bit disappointing, but at least @Buckshot had managed to catch them in the act of leaving and had decided to come along, too. At least that's how Remedy assumed that went down. Cactus is welcome to correct. ;)

Now that they were here, Sequoia felt odd being on the other side of this situation. She was so used to sizing up the other wolf and determining if they would be a good addition to Drageda. Now, she would be the object of judgement, although it did seem that Wildfire knew some of the wolves here, which would hopefully give them an edge.

wc: 564
Tag just for visibility- and for a laugh, heh. 

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With each light snowfall, Niamh found herself fretting more and more about the den. Her old den- the one she’d first dug when she’d joined the pack- had been full of feathers and fluff, but it had long since been abandoned. She hadn’t exactly had the time to hunt birds endlessly since she had joined the leadership, and she’d been devouring almost every piece of every meal she caught, wanting to put on weight before the winter came, so pelts...Well, they were torn apart and eaten as much as she could handle it. She’d tried to ‘groom’ some extra fluff out of @Colt, but he hadn’t taken to her ministrations very well once he’d realized that she was using his fluff to line their den. She used some of her own, of course- so the fur that lined their den was a combination of brown and gold...But it just wasn’t enough. She’d have to think of something else before she went fully into nesting mode.

She was on the hunt for something to eat, though, when she heard someone calling from the borders. Quizzically, she stopped to listen, not recognizing the voice or the name that was called. Surely, though, it came from the borders...Or somewhere very near them. Figuring perhaps that someone was either confused or lost or searching for someone they had lost (and didn’t that pull at her heartstrings)- she paused to answer...But what to say? It wasn’t exactly someone calling and asking for a leader, or to join. Nor did she want to lead the other wolf to believe that she knew a Bat...So she simply picked up a swift gait and made her way along the borders until she caught the scent of unfamiliar wolves in the distance. Assuming it must have been one of those wolves who had called, she followed her sense of smell until she came upon the small gathering, her eyes immediately drawn to the fiery wolf among them.

For a moment- as it had when she’d seen Kaala at first- she immediately thought it was Ceara. She scolded herself, though- not every red wolf on the damn planet was Ceara, but her brain willed her to see what she wanted to see. She did recognize the female, though, so her tail began to wave as she combed through her memories. It took a few moments, as she approached the female and her younger companions, before she remembered how she knew Wildfire, and her mouth opened with the realization.

”Wild...Wildfire, right?” She asked, though with each moment she felt more certain that she recognized the figure before her. She and Tegan had travelled on their first scouting mission to Drageda, and Wildfire had been the one to greet them- at that point, her pups had only been about a month old, she seemed to recall. ”Sorry- I’m garbage at remembering names...I met you, at Drageda,” She said, likely pronouncing it horribly, ”Back in the Spring, with Tegan.” She said, figuring that she herself hadn’t exactly been memorable. She’d said all of 5 words, after all. ”Are you looking for someone?” She asked, tilting her ears forward. The howl had not been without a tinge of sorrow, so she intended to cut to the chase, lest someone’s wellbeing be at risk.

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lord help him, he'd already gotten himself into enough trouble by pledging to follow the hay-day – or whatever her name had been – and then running off to chase after a young girl he had no business chasing. it seemed as though he had been welcome in the lot, for the most part. he had joined alongside a red woman and a brown young thing who seemed to be about the same age as sequoia. for all the huffing and puffing, the wolves he trekked across the earth with did not seem nearly as uppity as the one who'd accepted him into the dragon pack.

it wasn't until they pulled up to another border and their leader broke before them that he realized he might have gotten himself into something that was far more deeply rooted than he anticipated. buckshot wasn't much of a comforter, but he did awkwardly shuffle his paws a bit and sent a sidelong glance toward his spotted friend as if to ask, 'she okay?' in reality, the cajun should have known that she wasn't. it was a miracle he'd made it that far with his supreme lack of common sense.

when a blonde figure reached them on the edges of the plateau, the swampy scoundrel tried to straighten himself out and make himself seem real proper. on his broad face was a daft smile that seemed to crinkle at the edges of his silver eyes. his tail swayed at his hocks, but he did his best to hold back and keep his mouth shut. if anything, his momma had taught him that there was a time for talkin' and a time for shutin' up, and he felt this was one of the latter.

Her loud cry echoed in the crisp November air and Wildfire held her breath, shooting Kiwi a look of wild-eyed hope even as she strained her ears for a reply. Yet none came. Frantically, she thrust her smudged snout into the air, exhaling in a rush before refilling her lungs. Bat's scent veritably swamped her nose and her breath hitched into a sob. Leaving Drageda had been perhaps the most controversial and difficult choice of her life, yet it had led her straight to her little girl.

"She's here," Wildfire said rather breathlessly to Kiwi, Sequoia and Buckshot (who probably didn't understand what was going on in the least). Despite the lack of response, the rundown mother allowed herself to bask in the scent, wrap herself in it like a warm, comfortable blanket. Wildfire didn't know the how or when or why but there wasn't a doubt in her mind that she—that all of them—would soon be reunited.

But it wasn't Bat who came to them, nor another relative, as Wildfire had hoped. The face was familiar, though, and she placed it after a moment. "Niamh," the fiery she-wolf breathed, "yes. My daughter, Bat." In her excitement, she'd nearly forgotten the other, more primary reason she stood here at the borders with three wolves at her back. With a breath, a swallowed whine and a quiver of her muscles—there was part of her that wanted to run headlong into the territory in search of her daughter—Wildfire marshaled her thoughts. "We've left Drageda. We're hoping to join the Redhawks. I smelled her as soon as we arrived. Bat..." She was here... but where was she?

Bat.  Kiwi's ears tipped back, and she frowned.  She hadn't expected to see her sister again, and the fact that she was here sent an odd mix of happiness and resentment through her.  She still hadn't forgiven her for leaving without saying a word; they were sisters right? So they were supposed to be in it together when it came to adventures.  Well.  Kiwi had found a better sister in Sequoia, and here or not, Bat could shove it.

When Niamh came, Kiwi watched her intently.  She didn't recognize her (of course not) but she seemed normal enough.  Were there more coming, or was this all?

Since Elwood's not a leader or vital to this thread, please feel free to skip me if necessary! I just wanted him to be here. :)

Elwood likely would have disregarded the howl -- especially since he didn't know whose presence was being requested -- but he recognized the voice and it caused him to pause mid-stride. Wildfire? He would know his goddaughter's voice anywhere. Quickly, he hastened toward the borders, yellow eyes bright with curiosity.

Upon his arrival, he found a small gathering had already amassed; Wildfire was accompanied by three other wolves, and Niamh was greeting them. He smiled at the sight of Wildfire and moved to greet her with a touch to her shoulder. "Welcome home," he said -- because the Redhawks would always be her home -- and then he stepped back slightly to take up the role of family member and observer.

A golden wolf greeted them, and Sequoia resisted the urge to start blabbering right away and trying to prove herself (and her friends) worthy of entrance into the Redhawks. Besides, it seemed like Wildfire knew the quickly-introduced Niamh, and Seq breathed a tiny sigh of relief. This was going to be way easier than she ever could have guessed. Not only that, but the wolf Wildfire had initially called for was familiar. It had brought a color to Sequoia's mind, but when Wifi spoke of her daughter, it really all clicked together. It was the one she'd met a single time, late at night.

Seq glanced at Kiwi, who did not seem entirely pleased by this notion. Hadn't it been Bat that had made Kiwi so mad for leaving? Maybe she would have a different perspective on it now that they, too, had left Drageda. Already, Sequoia was formulating a plan to eventually get the two of them together so they could hug it out. With Kiwi on one side and Buckshot on the other, Sequoia felt invincible. Even if they all got turned away—which seemed less and less likely—there was nobody else she'd rather be with.

Someone else arrived then, and Seq peered at the seemingly very relaxed wolf up ahead, who welcomed them (or just Wildfire?) home. Easy peasy lemon squeezy!

wc:715

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Niamh felt slightly overwhelmed, faced with not just one wolf at the borders, but four. She took a moment to glance over them, and they all looked pretty healthy. Wildfire had been kind to her, and apparently was Towhee and Raven’s sister so automatically, she had more or less a free pass. One of the two young wolves looked enough like her that Niamh imagined this was likely one of her daughters, born this year. She’d mentioned the names months ago, and Niamh remembered liking them- but she couldn’t for the life of her remember what they were. She was very petite, so she looked younger than she was, given the fact that when Niamh had met Wildfire, she’d only been a month old so Niamh had a rough idea of her age. She didn’t look terribly impressed, but still fairly interested in what was going on.
The other young wolf had a patchwork pelt of beige and brown, which Niamh thought was pretty, though a bit odd. Her eyes were also mismatched, and Niamh had to wonder which parts of her appearance were from her mother and which were from her father. She looked fairly relaxed and friendly, and had a pleasant look about her, though she seemed to look to the other youth to gauge how to respond. The only other wolf present was a male, who stuck out quite a bit. Of the four of them, he was the tallest and the broadest, bearlike in stature and cut a fine figure. Unlike other situations where the male stepped in to play the role of tough protector, this fellow seemed happy to simply be there, and had a vague look of contentment on his face that she appreciated. She liked it when she met chill wolves at the border. Still, it was quite the assembly of wolves before her, so she had quite the puzzle to solve.

Wildfire seemed inclined to have them all join and Niamh’s brow raised. Four new members? The four Quivens wouldn’t join the adult ranks for another few months, but Rory, Cinder and Tywyll would soon...And with both Wildfire and the stocky male, that would mean five more members to add to the adult ranks- with another four moving up in a few months...Make that six with these two adolescents as well. Could they even accommodate such an amount? Niamh nodded vaguely and opened her mouth- but thankfully, Elwood arrived and expressed a warm welcome to Wildfire. Welcome. So...He was simply assuming they’d all be good to join...Truly, Niamh didn’t have an issue with it, especially if they were family, and she knew Towhee would probably be happy to have her sister closer. She smiled, hoping that things would all work out in the end, but it would likely be more of an ‘upper management’ issue, she figured. Let Quixote make the call, even though Niamh was down with it.

For the moment, any way, her concentration (as she was trying to crunch numbers but failing miserably, because she kept accidentally throwing Tegan in with Cinder and Tywyll’s age category) was broke  by the mention of a name she didn’t recognize. ”Uhm...Bat?” She queried, tilting her head to the side. ”I dunno...I don’t think….We don’t have a Bat….We have a Kaala, though, who looks kind of like you,” She said, frowning slightly. She tried to puzzle it out for a minute, going through their last few arrivals but she could only really remember as far back as-

”Wait….Rory?”

Oh shit. Now it made sense. Before any others could interject, she laughed awkwardly at herself for not putting two and two together. Well, if that name wasn’t spot on...There was no resemblance between Wildfire and Rory that Niamh could spot, but hell, what other wolf in their pack fit that name better? Aside from that, she suddenly remembered the fact that Drageda had sent Rory to them, with Tegan. How could she have forgotten that? ”Right! Sorry- she introduced herself as Rory, but I shoulda known. You sent her here in October to be Tegan’s Scout apprentice,” She said, nodding and smiling, glad she’d figured it out. ”She’s been doing so well, Wildfire- she’s a natural for sure,” She said, hoping to assure her that her daughter had been putting in good time with the Redhawks.

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Skipping Buck with permission!

It took every ounce of Wildfire's might not to burst into tears when Elwood arrived and simply welcomed her home. "Thank you," she whispered, attention now moving between him and Niamh as the latter puzzled out Bat's whereabouts—or, more accurately, her identity. She wanted to scream when Niamh said there was no one here by that name, though she swallowed it as the woman offered up another and another.

"Rory?" "Rorqual," Wildfire exhaled almost too lowly for anyone to hear, her entire body buzzing with hope and relief. Bat was here. The rest of what Niamh said was almost lost to her, though her brow knitted vaguely when Niamh mentioned sending Bat here with Tegan. She could only laugh weakly, bewildered, when the woman praised Bat's evident natural penchant for scouting. It didn't make sense but they could fuss over the details later. Right now, she only wanted to see her long lost daughter.

"Where is she?" Wildfire's attention shifted more to Elwood. "Could you take me to her? Please?" she begged in a respectful whisper. Attention shifting back to Niamh, she added, "This is Kiwi, Bat's sister, and Sequoia, her cousin. And Buckshot." She didn't actually know the fellow too well, yet the girls were attached to him and Wildfire hadn't seen any reason to deny another able-bodied escort across the wilderness. "We've come to stay," she elaborated on her earlier statement, "if there's room. I'm a master hunter and scout. Kiwi's a hunter as well and Sequoia's been working hard on becoming a scout. We're family," she finished, looking again at her godfather, "but we'll earn our keep too."

feel free to skip kiwi past this!

Wildfire's immediate relief in finding Bat here, and her evident joy, brought a complicated mix of emotions with it for Kiwi.  Jealousy; Bat had left.  Kiwi had stayed, and had made this trip with her.  Why was she so special? Mixed with relief that she was alive, and anger that she was here the whole time.  Not a great combo.

Smothering a small inferno brewing in her middle, she turned away, decidedly ignoring anything that might go on for the remainder.  She would speak if spoken to, but otherwise, she was checked out and ready for some alone time.

Probably the last one from me!

At this point, Sequoia was just along for the ride. She watched the adults talk about whatever, but none of it really sank in except for the fact that Bat, Kiwi's sister, was here. Sequoia wondered how Kiwi was going to take that, especially since she had been so angry at Bat for leaving. Again, it was a sentiment Sequoia just didn't share with anybody. Leaving seemed only natural to her now that she had done it.

She remained marginally in tune with the conversation, but Seq's thoughts were elsewhere as it continued.

There was some discussion between Wildfire and Niamh, which Elwood listened to but remained respectfully silent as they puzzled out Rory's true identity as Bat. He didn't know her current whereabouts but nodded; they could look for her. Wildfire introduced the other wolves that had accompanied her, and then expressed their desire to stay with the Redhawks. Elwood's brows raised slightly, expressing his surprise -- when he had welcomed her home, he hadn't realized that she intended to plant her roots at the plateau, but had instead assumed she was just visiting -- and then he shifted his gaze to Niamh. It was hard for him not to speak up and automatically tell Wildfire and company that they could stay; technically, it wasn't his responsibility, but Niamh's.

She spoke of her own skills as well as those of the children, and while Elwood didn't want to step on any toes, he did add for Niamh's benefit, "I can vouch for her." He had questions as to why Wildfire had abruptly shown up on their doorstep, but this didn't seem to be the time or place to ask; besides, he was simply glad to have her home.

Gonan tuck this one away as obviously....They're in, haha.

With Wildfire being rlated to the most respected wolves in the pack, and Elwood willing to vouch for them, Niamh had no problem allowing them to join. The younger two were quiet, and the male said nothing as well, but she assumed that Wildfire would be taking them under her wing and assuming responsibility for their actions as well. Wildfire herself would certainly be useful enough, with her qualifications, so she nodded and gestured for them to join her in crossing the borders to their new home. 

"Well, then, welcome to the pack," She said, nodding and smiling at Elwood. "I'm not one hundred percent sure where Rory is- but I'm sure we'll track her down. She usually hangs out near Tegan's," She said, and so they began on their way toward his usual haunt, hoping to find Wildfire's daughter.