Redhawk Caldera a blemish on your fragile little psyche

Blueberry, Maegi whispered, and with a roll of her eyes, the young woman roused. What. The response was sulky, dull. Her vibrant little girl, crushed by the world so soon. She hated to see it.

She touched her muzzle to her daughter's temple. Let's find @Vesper, she said softly. As usual, the mention of her sister perked Blueberry up, and she followed with a little more light in her eyes than before. They trotted along a bit before she howled, the younger wolf joining her, their voices weaving together in a searching duet for the other.

They were what was left. She cared not about what blood ran through Vesper's veins; the girl was hers, and Maegi would always claim her so.

The two waited patiently in the middle of a quiet grove, not speaking, enjoying—or, perhaps, anguishing?—in the silence between them.

Waiting for Vesper.

Maegi had words for each of them, but she hadn't quite made up her mind if it would be wise to spill them.

she hated to admit it, but the darkling was coming around to calling this place home. it reminded her of the island, in a way— only one way in or out, the rest of the packland surrounded by a protective barrier. it was reminiscent of the security and safety she remembered at wheeling gull. and it was nice to have others here, rather than the six of them, family by blood or not. they didn't come with the same baggage. little by little, she was coming out of her self-isolation.

but she would never admit to her parents— adoptive or blood— that they had been right. vesper would have appreciated some consideration, for both herself and her siblings. maybe their core family would not have splintered so rapidly.

her preoccupation with putting herself in situations where she could be injured had subsided, but she found that physical activity of any kind took the edge off her emotions. and so she passed many of her days patrolling the borders and exploring the hidden places within the caldera.

when she heard maegi's voice ring out over the land, she considered ignoring it— they really hadn't spoken since their arrival here, and certainly not since her mother had returned. vesper didn't know what to say; that was the problem. she had defended maegi, once, from peregrine's vitriol... but now she had some of her own. it was confusing.

but she sighed and made her way to the grove, now hearing blueberry's song intermingled. of them all, vesper would still do anything for her little sister.

as she arrived, the bat-eared wolf moved to nose blueberry's cheek and offered a kiss in greeting. she kept her eyes carefully away from mother, not trusting what would spill over if they met each other's gaze or if she forced herself to speak. she instead waited in silence for maegi to make the reason for her summons known, first.

Blueberry pressed against Vesper and the two of them moved away from her. She should have expected it, but feeling bereft took her unawares and over, and she looked askance, blinking back tears. God, they hated her. And it was her fault.

I have a lot to tell you, Maegi said, instead gazing out over the lake. About our family—and why we're here. And what it means.

Hopefully they'd listen.

My family believed in gods that. . .weren't very good. It was all about death, and killing, and darkness, she explained. I was raised in that religion. But a few of my family members took that to heart, and they hurt others. They took them prisoner. Including wolves from the Redhawks—this place.

She swallowed. It started a war. It drove us from our home. And though it was terrible, and I'll never forget it. . .we deserved it. There's bad blood between my family—the Blackfeathers, or the Melonii—and the Redhawks. Phox is a Redhawk. Mou is a Redhawk.

It was only the beginning, but perhaps it would go some way in explaining why things were so. . .well, awkward. If one or the other did not depart, she could tell them everything. 

Blueberry looked dubious, but did not show signs of leaving. That was good, then.

though vesper moved away, leaning into boo, she did not look at her mother with hatred— it was pain that she reflected back in her ember eyes, and confusion. but maegi did not look at them, instead casting her gaze over the caldera's lake, and began to speak.

the darkling listened, desperate to understand why all of this had unfolded. why their family was so broken. anything that would make it make sense and blow away the storm that had dogged them all since leaving the isle. what maegi began with didn't help vesper understand the present day, but it did illuminate the fact that father and mother had entire lives before she and her siblings arrived. she didn't quite understand the significance of that fact, yet, but her expression did soften as she settled in with blueberry to listen.

And there's been bad blood ever since, Maegi continued, hapless to flesh out the rest of the story. What more was there to— Oh. Mou. . .he did some not some good things, too. And so he was banished. And he. . .and I. . .

She sighed, dipping her head with exasperation, shaking it. Vesper. Blueberry. Look. It's complicated. I wish it wasn't. Mou and I tried our best to raise you. . .in peace. Happiness, love. That's all we wanted. But there's more to it.

She sank down, trying to gather her daughters to her breast. Blueberry resisted at first, but then was pulled closer; heaven knew how Vesper would react. C'mere, sweethearts, Maegi whispered, and tears brimmed in her eyes.

I wish things were different. I wish we could just be a family, on the island. But Phox is your father, Vesper. . .and Peregrine's, and Prevost's. Your mother was a wonderful woman, and she died, and we vowed to take care of you And I have never considered you less than my own children.

Her indigo eyes bore down upon anyone willing to meet them, hard and hot. I swear, she breathed.

i know, vesper said quietly, voice thick. it was true— for all the storms that had been raging in her head these last months, the darkling had always known in her bones that she belonged to mou and maegi. but she still didn't see why phox ever had to know, why she ever had to know, anything different. she could have lived a whole life on the island, the six of them, and never have felt that something was missing.

she finally met maegi's gaze, then, breathing deep through flared nostrils. lying is wrong, she quoted her younger self, but i don't want that to ever change. you are my mother. mou is my father.

that they both were forcing phox upon her felt like a betrayal of those facts. but all of these deeper emotions that vesper was struggling to navigate were not things she could even begin to understand how to communicate.

boo is my sister, she emphasized. and then, with uncharacteristic venom, more than prevost ever was. more than peregrine is my brother.

vesper blinked back the heat in her eyes, finding it hard to breathe and speak. i never wanted anything to change. we were happy. and now? none of them were.