Redhawk Caldera and wound up at your door.

Penn was quiet and thoughtful as he sat on the crest of a high ridge near the top of the Caldera's Western slopes. He'd discovered many things he hadn't expected upon returning to the Wilds. The Caldera was empty with no trail for him to follow to seek out the one he'd wanted to check in on (not that he'd ever intended on actually speaking to her, stalker that he is). Discovering that had made him wonder about their neighbors and the pack he had helped to found. He'd discovered they were there still, but blatantly absent were a few scents he had never thought would be missing. Nor had he ever thought would affect him if they were no longer there to be found.

The latter discovery had driven him back to the beheaded mountain where he could sit and stare and brood in peace, but for the demons that haunted him. What had happened to Wraen? And Ibis? He hadn't wanted to care; he'd run from caring as fast and for as long as he could. But he did. The Blackthorn had no doubt that the children he'd fathered were better off without him, but something innate and inescapable just wouldn't let them disappear from his mind. He'd never seen them before, didn't know their names or how many there even were. But he carried them, and he couldn't help but wonder about them.

Little did he realize, they were gone too.

Penn huffed a breath into the fading daylight. He was surprised to realize it had begun to snow, light little flakes of white dust drifting down almost lazily. He turned his eyes away from the forest in the distance to peer North, pondering his next move, wondering where he ought to run to next.

She came upon the mountain with a bit of surprise. The borders had been abandoned, the scents slowly fading. There had been a strong pack here when she'd left last—what had happened? Lilitu drew in a deep breath and promptly coughed upon a lungful of icy air, frosted with snowflakes.

She managed, though, to keep her wheezing to a minimum as she noticed the grayscale young man nearby, converting the desperate gasps for air into something more resembling clearing her throat. Then she padded toward him, hoping beyond measure that what emerged from her mouth wasn't a strangled croak.

Hgg— Shit.

Hh-have you seen anybody around here. . .lately? Lilitu tried again, canting her head. He wasn't. . .unfamiliar to her, come to think of it, but she couldn't summon a name. Who was he? And why did he linger here, as she did?

Penn was lost in thought when the stranger approached. He only noticed her when she spoke. Or perhaps made some sort of sound with her voice would be a more accurate description. He turned with a furrowed brow to spy her on the slopes facing him and listened as she asked a question. He didn't recognize her, even though they had once been packmates and he'd even helped her mother search for her a time or two.

That was an age ago--a different lifetime, even. And he'd only really been doing it to get into her mother's pants, but that's another story.

"No," Penn answered with a small shake of his head, "Not even a scent." Were it not for the fact that she was rather pretty, he likely would've turned away from her then. But, it seemed no matter how much he changed, some things stayed the same. "You looking for someone?" he asked.

She was regarding him in similar fashion. Handsome—though a fair bit older than she was. Still, she was a woman, now—so did it really matter? Her mouth quirked in a smile, and she shook her head. Not here, she remarked, glancing up the slope of the caldera.

I live. . .lived nearby. Brecheliant. I travel, on and off. But I'm coming back.

It was her journey in a nutshell, but Lilitu didn't want to inundate him quite yet. She instead returned her bright gaze to his and lifted her chin. And you? What's your story?

Average height and weight, but features accentuated by fur darkening to storm-clouds along his muzzle and back. And eyes. . . They were enchanting, so different from her own, a sort of warm, earthy color that made one feel safe. She looked away, now, suddenly demure, knowing that she'd been staring.

Her answer was cryptic, making her a bit more intriguing. Penn smirked a little at the response, but it faded swiftly as she dropped her next comments and they fell like lead into his stomach.

Brecheliant.

Penn didn't visibly react, but he studied her more closely now. Did he know her? How old was she? She wasn't... his? He'd always pictured his pups as tiny things, but now that he was faced with this situation, he wracked his brain to figure out how old they would be. Less than a year, for sure. This girl was younger than he was, but not that young. Right? He calmed down a bit, though not entirely. Who was she?

"I don't have much of a story to tell," Penn commented vaguely, offering a smile, "I'm always traveling. I've heard of that place--Brecheliant. Always thought it was a funny name." He paused, giving her another once over, only now noticing the look she was giving him. He enjoyed that look. Gods, please, don't let this be one of his own daughters. "How old are you?" he asked suddenly, not pausing to consider what a strange and random question that was.

She was jerked away from her semi-ogling by his mentioning Brecheliant, and she snapped to attention, curious. She was about to ask him more when he shot her a. . .strange question. Uhhhh, Lilitu drawled, tilting her head and giving him an odd eye. 

I mean. . . She started mentally counting back the seasons. I was born in the warm season, so fall, winter, spring, summer, fall again—this fall—so like. . .almost two years? I guess?

Her look grew significantly more pronounced. Why. Do I look old? She was joking, her mouth curved, but her gaze glinted a bit menacingly. She had already been thrown off by this place being deserted, and now with his querying, she felt even more uneasy.

Oh, thank GOD. Penn heaved a huge sigh of relief internally, though he never faltered outwardly. He was perfectly comfortable being a piece of shit in many ways--he was a Blackthorn, after all--but having the hots for his own daughter crossed a line.

It wasn't until after she answered that he noticed the look on her face and realized what a fucking creep he'd been. His brows lifted and then he laughed softly at himself. "No, not at all," Penn replied, shaking his head, "I'm sorry, that was super creepy of me, wasn't it? I didn't mean to be a weirdo, you just kind of remind me of someone I used to know. You're not the right age to be her daughter, but you could be a twin." He lied easily, giving her a friendly smile then to mask it.

"My name is Fox," he continued, trying to move past the moment, "Feel free to give me a fake name and make up a story about why you need to be on your way if you feel the need to escape me. I totally understand. I'd run away from me too."

She giggled at his admission, and then laughed harder when he gave a name and an out of the conversation. No, it's fine, Lilitu promised him, dimpling (can wolves dimple? Well, pretend they can), her eyes bright above her grin. I'm Lilitu.

With that awkwardness out of the way, she was still curious about his mention of Brecheliant. So—you've heard of Brecheliant. Have you heard of my mama? Ibis.

The ever-familiar blow to the solar plexus as she said her mother's name, though the pain was easing, with time. She wondered every time that 'Ibis' slipped from her lips if she could somehow will the woman back to life. It had yet to happen, and she supposed it never would.

But the curiosity—and not a little hope—kept her from never speaking it again.

Lilitu smiled past the heartache at Fox, yearning for some old, unheard-to-her stories of her mother.

Any relief he felt at sidestepping the awkwardness evaporated quickly when Lilitu did the name drop. Penn flinched this time, though he was quick to try and cover with a thoughtful frown as though the name rang a bell, but he wasn't entirely certain of it. His mind was racing with thoughts as the memories of this girl came flooding in. Wasn't she the one he had helped Ibis search for? How was he going to get out of this one? What were the fucking odds?

One thing was for certain, coming this close to Brecheliant had been a huge error.

"The name sounds somewhat familiar," he answered, but shook his head, "But I'm not sure. I meet a lot of wolves in my travels, and my memory is not what it used to be." Penn had no idea what he'd meant by that last comment, but it felt right. Hoping he'd dodged another landmine, he began then to focus on how to bring this little meeting to a close that felt natural, but was actually quite desperate. Penn did a lot of shitty things, but he didn't think he could stomach adding seduced his childrens' half sister to that last.

...but.

"Is that why you're heading back to Brecheliant? For your mother?" Penn asked casually, his heart thrumming eagerly in hopes she might give him even the tiniest tidbit of information on his kids, even though he hated admitting how much it meant to him.

She had a sense he wasn't being altogether truthful—in her biased opinion, Ibis was more memorable than Brecheliant—but his next questions sent her stomach plummeting. She shook her head, turning away, unexpected tears flooding her eyes. Damn it.

No. She. . .passed away, Lilitu explained, staring hard at a nearby conifer. I have. . .a brother and sisters there. That I'd like to see.

All of the sudden, she'd like to forget this Fox and run far, far away. But she was stuck, for now, and sucked in a deep, steadying breath, shifting slowly back to face him. Lucky he was cute; he drew much needed attention away from her grief.

But it still lingered. . .

Sorry, she remarked, and chuckled, though the sound was hollow.

Dead.

Penn stared at her, trying hard to keep the shock from his features. He'd never been in love with her or even really had true feelings for her, except for penis feelings. But still. She'd been his first. She'd born his kids. The news that she was no longer in this world was... altering.

"I'm sorry... to hear that," Penn managed after a beat, his mind grasping onto her words. Brother and sisters. Were they his? He wanted to ask more, but she was emotional now and he was still reeling a bit. Even if this were the situation he was pretending it to be--she a total stranger and the family she spoken of meaning nothing to him--he wouldn't know what to say. He'd never been any good at things like this. Jokes, yes. Emotion? Nope.

"It's good that you're going there then," Penn added, a little awkwardly, "To be with family. I'm sure they'll be happy to see you." He thought about how he'd felt when his parents had died. He hadn't wanted anything to do with anyone at the time, but in hindsight, he knew he shouldn't have pushed everyone away like that. Things might have been very different if he hadn't.

If any glimmer of recognition flashed across Penn's features, she didn't notice it, absorbed as she was in sorrow. Sorrow, and, well, flirting. Thanks, she remarked, tail swishing behind her. I'm pretty excited to see them, too.

Distraction. That always made her feel better.

She allowed herself to study the lines of his face, a half-smile still lingering upon hers. So, where are you headed? she asked. Maybe I can point you in the right direction.

It wasn't all bluster. She'd become a pretty good navigator in her time away.

Penn listened closely to her words, learning what he could from them, which did not turn out to be very much. He wanted to ask more, but couldn't think of how to do soon a subtle way before she was speaking again and closing the door on his opportunity. He sighed inwardly, but let the moment pass without protest. He wanted to know, but he also didn't want to want to know. He forced himself to let the latter desire win out.

“I'm not sure where I'm headed, actually," Penn answered, allowing himself some honesty, “I rarely do, though. I prefer to wander and see where I end up rather than plan. It's more fun that way."

“I accept recommendations, though, if you have any,” he added with a charming smile, unable to help himself. She was pretty, and forbidden—two of his favorite things.

She shrugged, giving him a slightly wicked smile. I mean, Lilitu chuckled, you could follow me along to Brecheliant. Even if it does have a funny name, she recalled, and laughed a little less wryly. She supposed it did. Where had it even come from?

Maybe Maia knew. Wraen or Mama definitely would have known.

It's nice there. I think you'd like it.

Pure conjecture. Well, not the nice thing. It was objectively nice, though it was a little presumptuous of her to say he'd like it. But hey, she kinda liked him, and it was worth a go. Any distraction to dash the thoughts of all she'd lost from her mind.

Penn had to war with his baser instincts when she replied the way she did. In any other interaction, he'd have seen this as a green light. After all, a pretty girl asking a hot-blooded young man to come home with her? Come on, people. The alarms were going off in his mind, reminding him in loud voices that she was his baby mama's daughter--OFF LIMITS. But she was pretty. And she was smiling at him like that.

His kids. His kids. His kids.

"That is a very tempting offer," Penn replied, matching her smile with his own, "But I'm not really a pack wolf." He paused, fighting with himself for a moment before adding, "It's hard to say 'no' to getting more time with that smile of yours, though."

Dumb ass.

Lilitu rolled her eyes. I should be totally offended that you're turning me down, she said, laughing once more. But, oh well. If you do decide to come by sometime, you're welcome. I have an in with the boss, she added, giving him a conspiratorial wink.

First, though, she should probably reestablish said "in with the boss." She sighed briefly, turning in the fen's direction before craning her head to face him again.

Nice to meet you, Foxy, she teased. I'll see you later.

For she was much too keen on her bubbly personality and charming face to think otherwise. Another giggle escaped her, and then she went on her way, casting a couple of backward glances at the caldera—and not an insignificant amount of looks back at the young man, as well.

It turned out that Lilitu was far more of a tease than her mother. The moment Penn showed a similar interest in her as she'd been showing in him, she'd found a reason to dismiss him and excuse herself. He felt frustration and annoyance rise in him, but he tampered it and merely gave her a smile and accepting tilt of his head. Not for the first time, he wondered why girls thought men enjoyed it when they played hard to get. They do not.

"See you around, Lily," Penn replied with a smirk, watching her walk away. It was a nice view--he wouldn't mind seeing it again. Try as he might, though, his eyes couldn't help but drift past her to the forest beyond and his thoughts returned to where they had started. Only then did a thought come upon him so suddenly, so painfully, that it was like an anvil had been dropped into the pit of his stomach.

With Ibis gone, his kids were orphans.

His throat dry, his mind reeling with thoughts, Penn stood and wheeled away, running to try to leave them behind.