Redhawk Caldera victim mentality

YEEE.

Now that he'd been pointed in the right direction, Kaertok made his way to the caldera, per Meerkat's instructions. It would not have taken long, except that he had gotten sidetracked trying to lose a bear that had been following him. Grimly, he wondered if it was the same bear that had parted Valravn from his family in the first place. There was no way to know, but at last he had managed to get rid of it, and now he stood at the foot of the chopped-off mountain, staring up at it.

Unaware that she would be unable to hear it, Kaertok howled for @Towhee.

---

As luck would have it, Phox had heard the call, and he communicated as much to his sister, pointing her in the direction of the call since he'd been explaining some of the finer points of deer tracking to her.

She was still full of slick sickly deer meat as the two of them went over some of the finer points of tracking. When Phox suddenly tensed, Towhee knew he must be hearing a call of some kind. Seconds later, he informed her that some guy was hailing her by name. It was tempting to ignore it, especially since she was so full, but eventually the Sovereign got off her fat ass and made her way to the borders.

Her eyes widened when she spotted the figure from a distance and immediately recognized Kaertok. She'd hoped he might swing by here, after what Meerkat had told her about their rendezvous. He was evidently looking for Valravn. They really ought to have located the boy's family and returned him to them by now. But so much had happened lately... well, in any case, maybe they could put things right now.

Finally closing the distance, Towhee offered Kaertok a rare and somewhat salacious smile before schooling her expression into something a little more business casual. "Kaertok," she greeted, "it's good to see you again." Since neither one of them was the type to waste time with small talk, she told him, "He's here and he's safe."

She looked well, to say the least, and Kaertok smiled in kind when she approached. He appreciated that he did not have to explain why he was here, figuring that Meerkat had done the work for him. She was a smart child. Towhee had done well with her, he thought.

Valravn was here, and Kaertok's eyebrows raised with delight.

That is good to know, he said.

Rosalyn suspected that you would not bring him back, but I also find it odd she and Erzulie chose to move the pack so soon after his disappearance. They returned often, but I can see why you were unable to bring him back home.

That, of course, was where Kaertok could step in for the assist.

I am here to take him home if he is well enough to travel and does not owe you a debt.

For a moment, she didn't know what to say to Kaertok's allegations. They hadn't held him hostage or anything like that, it was all down to unfortunate circumstances, Lauren and timing. At least he didn't seem to hold it against them, though Rosalyn and Erzulie might. This concerned her slightly, though hopefully none of this mattered once Valravn was home safe with them.

She snorted a little at the mention of a debt and said, "He's free to go with you, of course. He belongs with his family. Let them know we didn't intentionally stall on bringing him home. We recently relocated as well, plus a lot of other ish has happened." Towhee's mind flew to Fennec, then Maia, and that was just two examples of the most recent drama.

"Before we call for him, I wanted to ask you something," Towhee said in the next breath. "But first, I'd love to hear what you thought of Meerkat." She paused, thought about adding on a descriptor, reconsidered, then said it anyway: "Our kid."

It appeared Valravn had not been held here against his own will, and Kaertok wondered why he had not decided to come home. Maybe he had tried, but they had simply missed one another when he'd gone to the moors. Whatever the case, Kaertok saw no reason to suspect anything else. Towhee had always been true to her word, and why would she attempt to deceive him?

She mentioned Meerkat, which he had anticipated. And of course he wondered what the question was.

She appears smart and driven, he replied. You have raised her well.

"I think she wants more from me," he thought, but did not say aloud. Was he willing to give that? That was a question he had not quite found an answer for. He wondered what Rosalyn would say about that. Or, heaven forbid, Raleska. Rosalyn knew he had children, and that they were grown, and he wondered if having one show up to visit would be a welcomed event.

There were a lot of things Kaertok could've said to that, including refuting his paternity. But if he suspected Towhee's other forays, he made no mention of it. He not only accepted his role, he offered commendations about Meerkat's upbringing. The Sovereign felt a warmth in the center of her chest. He would never know how significant it was that she'd said the words "our kid," but his reaction made her all the gladder for the acknowledgement.

"Thank you. She's fantastic," Towhee replied, "although I can't take all the credit. She's her own person, though I do like to think it has to do with some good genes." She paused before taking the natural segue into her other question. "Which brings me to my main question. There's no tactful way to ask this so I'm just going to lay it out there. If you're up for it, I'd love to bump uglies again next season. I'll take full responsibility for the resulting crotch fruit, though you'd be welcome to be involved in whatever capacity you prefer." Or not be involved at all, which was her own preference, though she wouldn't say that outright unless Kaertok seemed to lean in that direction himself.

It was clear to Kaertok that Towhee cared deeply for her daughter. He thought of Inukun again, then steeled his heart against the thought of her. He reminded himself that he had left for his own good. He also believed that, if she wanted to find them, she had the toolset to do so. Like Meerkat, Inukun was smart and driven. He had raised her well.

Towhee put forth a prospect which he took a moment to digest. The image of Raleska's face came to his mind, of the children she'd had last year, of the child that may very well be her own that he was here to collect. Their relationship was all kinds of complicated, and it always had been, so he was not sure how to answer Towhee's proposition. At least not now.

I will think it over, he said. He always had been a wolf of few words, and if he could mull over the prospect, perhaps it would give him time to sort things out with the wolf who he finally felt he had reconciled with.

:sob:

It wasn't exactly the answer she'd hoped for but it also wasn't a "no." Towhee suppressed the jab of anxiety and impatience brought on by such a noncommittal response, though she understood. It was a pretty loaded question, plus more than a little unorthodox. She hadn't even bothered to ask if he had a mate already.

"Cool," she replied more casually than she really felt, then wondered, "Did you ever find your... Raleska? And do you live with Rusalka? Where did they end up relocating?" And... oh. "You're welcome to call for Valravn anytime."

*sweats*

She asked about Raleska, which surprised him (and delighted him in a some small way). Yes, and yes. We moved further up the coast a little while ago; we now call ourselves Sapphique. Kaertok still did not quite understand the need for a change, but he accepted it easily. She told him that he was welcome to call for the wayward boy, and Kaertok did just that, sending up a short howl for @Valravn.

Meerkat says she plans to visit Sapphique soon to see what it is like. If I've come to a decision about next season by then, I will have her relay that to you. Kaertok was realizing how convenient it might be to have a little messenger daughter of his own. Well, not his alone, but one he could make use of.

He answered each of her questions succinctly before circling back to the subject of the upcoming season. Her heart did a little hopeful skip, even though Towhee tried to keep herself in check. She snorted quietly, wondering if it was strange to use Meerkat to relay this kind of information. Oh, well. Doubtless Meerkat would enjoy delivering messages, regardless of their contents.

She wondered what she'd do if she came into season before she heard back from him, via Meerkat or otherwise. What if she simply took this information he'd just given her to seek him out, in the hopes her heat would make the decision for both of them? Maybe that was a little too devious. Towhee would have to think on it.

"Sounds like a plan," she said, wrapping their loose agreement so he could call for his ward and be on their way.

*haunts* Since this is one of my last threads, I'mma wrap up here!

He stood in awkward silence, waiting for the boy to appear. When he eventually did, Kaertok would begin the journey back to Sapphique, Valravn in tow. The journey would hopefully be uneventful, though Kaertok had lived long enough to know that was likely too much to ask for. In any event, he was glad to be able to serve Sapphique in such capacity, and he was even more glad to be able to serve Rosalyn, Erzulie, and Raleska.