Redhawk Caldera You're nothing but a pack of smokes and a bag of tricks.

Reyes left the mist-hewn forest and headed north, the way he'd come before. This time he did not have a gift; he thought himself the gift, as disheveled as he looked, as he'd slept the night in fits and starts within the darkwood. His dreams did not linger in to the waking world and that was fortunate, as he'd envisioned many things happening to Teya within them; but without remembering the details, Reyes was left feeling only triumphant somehow, and would approach Brecheliant with a shaky confidence.

@Teya had told him off the previous day but she'd given him one opening: one chance to see @Sorana, to maybe explain himself without saying too much. He couldn't let them know where he'd really been or why, as that would only make him look bad. Reyes hadn't wanted to be away from his daughter — but neither could he justify it being known he was a slave, a sanpin, to a man who he previously mocked. How belittling it had felt, how emasculating it had felt! And then to return home, to be denied his place here, almost put him over the edge.

When he came to the outer limits of Brecheliant, Reyes wasted no time: he raised his chin and let his voice carry across the gray sky to let all the world know he was there.

A voice rang like a siren from the borders, a summon that pulled Bronco toward it like a magnet from where he’d be patrolling earlier. He was not the one being called for- but he would be the first to answer.

Three he knew, including himself, had expressed the desire that Reyes did not rejoin the pack if he ever did turn up again. Bronco felt their home should not also be extended to him, not after he’d bailed on his family again. And now, while his daughter still lived in Brecheliant, his wife no longer did. 

She was Bronco’s wife now. 

His call had been an announcement- but he would not find himself welcomed. Instead, he would find himself facing a stone-faced man, who bore Teya’s fragrance upon his pelt. He eyed Reyes a moment before he chuffed; giving him a moment to explain himself.

This is just a cameo unless Reyes recognizes her and calls her back.

Sorana was only just returned an hour past when a caller announced himself at the border, and without recognizing that she was drawn in by a paper-thin thread of familiarity, she rose from where she preened herself in the snow to answer it.

She had never attended the borders alone before, but at nine months old and buoyed by the time spent with Bridget, she felt rather confident for once. That is, she did feel confident until she got near enough to see that Bronco was already there, and then she ground to a halt and rolled her eyes with a grimace.

Ugh. This homewrecking prick was everywhere.

She took about two seconds to scan the wolf at the borders, a ruddy disheveled man who she did not recognize at all, before she turned and stalked away from the pair with a pointed snort. She had no idea what he'd called for and she sure as hell wasn't going to stick around with Bronco to find out.

Reyes had expected a certain someone to be present when he arrived, or at least to be around, but Teya didn't even see fit to show her face. He didn't see Sorana either and that rankled him, but what set him off the most was the sight of a stranger approaching — except it wasn't a stranger. Reyes recognized Bronco the instant he saw him, although his name was briefly forgotten. The way the other man looked, with his stony face and his squared shoulders, gave Reyes a certain impression that he didn't appreciate.

He moved closer and then stopped, the serration of his coat proving his agitation even before he began to speak. You the replacement? He was going to ask where Teya was, but then he caught the strong scent of her wafting from where the man stood - and his eyes narrowed, a name clicking in to place. What, you think I'd do something? Move. His chin lifted again, and he called out with a shout in to the forest:

Teya! This was your idea, and I'm here. Where's my daughter?! With that, he huffed and quieted, but watched Bronco carefully from that point on.

Reyes bristled, and Bronco tried to understand, so that he could at least try not to make things worse. All he knew of Reyes was that he could be unpredictable, and he did not want to provoke the man who was likely a much better fighter, even in the state that he was in. He would have much more motivation than Bronco, who could not stomach violence. 

"No." He said, softly, with a shake of his head. "We don't replace wolves we've lost. I'm different than you." To be a replacement inferred he would either be the same of what had come before, or an improvement. He knew it would be hard not to draw comparisons, but he did not compare Teya to Fennec, now that Teya was the one who had his heart. Teya wasn't a replacement, either; she was the mate he had now. 

Bronco didn't want Reyes to think that he had all the card pitted against him. It seemed like he was looking for someone to shove him away, start a fight so he could be villainized properly. But Bronco knew that he was the key to ending the tension- or at least, to beginning the healing process. Pushing him away and sending him off wasn't going to fix things. 

He caught a flash of movement in the corner of his eye; he looked, just in time to catch the roll of Sorana's eyes before she stalked off. Odd, he thought- considering how much she had wanted for Reyes to come home and take back the place he'd had before. Was she choosing to shun Reyes now, too? His brow furrowed. No, this wouldn't do. He couldn't have her walk off like this- not when her father was doing everything he could to see her again. Reyes bellowed, but he was ignored. 

"Sorana," He called out, firmly. "Come see your father."

Bronco spoke, commanding to the girl that she come to Reyes; his reaction was twofold: elation, for he loved his daughter more than anything, and jealousy that Bronco could do or say anything in relation to the family Reyes had built. But he knew deep down he had no family outside of Sapphique - Teya had made that clear.

He chose to dwell on the good feelings. To focus on them as he channeled his attention through the woods. Maybe that was why his heart ached; why it suddenly felt gripped - it was too much love, and hope, and yearning for better days. Reyes felt the constriction before he felt the breath falter in his lungs as they stopped functioning. Without blood-flow, things began to shut down.

He felt a pinch in his chest and a weakness to his right side. He sagged, even as he stared at the woods with an expectation that Sorana would be there - and in the next moment, he was in the dirt and struggling to breathe. It felt like his heart was being ripped out of him.

And then he felt nothing, because he was nothing.

It was Reyes' shouting more than Bronco's command that made Sorana stop, but it was eventually the latter that made her turn around, after taking several beats to process what was said. There was already a quiet growl in her throat when she leveled a molten glare upon the Blackthorn, and a brief flash of teeth that communicated how she felt about being told what to do by him.

She didn't answer to Bronco.

She shoved aside the desire to tell him off with more than just body language, choosing instead to pay closer attention to the visitor. He didn't look like what Sorana imagined her father was supposed to look like. By now, she had forgotten most of his features. All that remained was an idealized version cooked up by her imagination, and this guy didn't fit the bill. Something must have clicked, though, because she felt her stomach flip over when she asked, daddy?

Without awaiting confirmation, she turned to Bronco to tell him to, go away, because the last thing she wanted was his intrusion during an intensely private and intimate reunion, and then she closed the distance between herself and Reyes and hesitantly pressed her head to his neck. She didn't remember his face or features, but she could not forget his smell; the minute it enveloped her, tears leaked down her cheeks. All the anger and confusion she had felt about his disappearance melted away, leaving only relief.

For half a second, it felt like the cracked surface of Sorana's psyche could mend. She felt elation.

Then she felt her father's weight crumpling into her as he sagged. She pulled back, confused, in time to see the way his eyes rolled back. He fell to the ground in the same manner a dead hare did when dropped. Daddy? she asked, nosing his face. His breathing sounded all wrong. Daddy, what's wrong?

There was no response. Daddy! she cried when his last breath slipped out of him. She collapsed over top of him, searching for signs of injury or some indication of what was happening. Daddy, no, stop! This isn't funny! Get up! She pricked her ears, listening for breath, finding none.

The cracked surface of her psyche

suddenly

shattered.

Daddy! sobbed Sorana, turning and drawing back her forepaws like a fox about to pounce a mouse in the snow. She slammed them into her father's stone-still side in a full-bodied shove. DADDY! She drove her paws into his side again and again and again, a teenager beating her fists futilely against a wall. All the agony she had endured in her life built into a keening to rival the worst winter squall. GET! UP!

But Reyes did not move. He would never move again, and Sorana would never get her daddy back. He had returned only long enough to give her a taste of happiness before that, too, burned away.

Crazed with shock and grief, Sorana rounded on Bronco. Her voice tore out of her in a horrible shriek: WHAT DID YOU DO?!

Bronco didn't flinch at the flash of teeth from the teenager. He watched her, softly hoping that her features might gentle once she realized that he wasn't trying to tell her what to do- but leading her to something that she'd wanted more than anything else. He, too, turned to look at Reyes, and found his own expression softening when he realized that the look on Reyes' face was something close to bliss, in comparison to the way he usually looked. It was just what Bronco knew- the look of a loving father, who just wanted to be closer to his kids. 

He'd begun to step back even before Sorana commanded him to do so, though when she spoke to him so rudely, he stopped. He would not parent her, but he would also not tolerate this rudeness as he knew it was something that her mother also would not permit. If she hadn't been so rude, he would have moved off on his own, to leave them together. Teya had said that she wanted for Sorana to see her father, so he had felt fine leaving them together up until the very moment Sorana got snippy with him. 

He saw them greet each other, and turned his head away. Maybe he should just go, and leave them in peace. It might make Sorana a bit more kind toward him if she fully understood that he was willing to let her have contact with her father. He didn't trust Reyes...But he trusted Teya's words. And if Teya could trust him with her daughter, then he should as well. 

So he took a step, and then another. He'd begun to walk off when he heard Sorana's voice cry out, like a gentle, dying bird. 

Daddy, what's wrong?

He knew the fear and dread in her tone; it was the same, absolute anguish he'd felt before, when his own father had died. Wide-eyed, he whipped around, to see Sorana hovering- and Reyes...Reyes was on the ground. Fear gripped his heart and he took a couple furtive steps foward, as Sorana began to shout at her father. Reyes was not moving; and his features were slackened in such a way that he was surely not conscious. 

Bronco tilted his head back and called loudly for @Bridget, @Eljay and @Teya. The former two for medical attention, and Teya because he was certain Sorana would not listen to him.

No, she rounded on him and demanded him what he had done. She'd pounded her father's sides with her paws, trying to shock the breath back into him, but it hadn't worked. He didn't respond to her, but moved swiftly, stiffly to Reyes' side, and shoved his muzzle in front of Reyes' slightly opened mouth. No breath. "Come on," He growled softly, and set his paws on the man's ribs gently, but then began to do compressions himself. "Breathe, Reyes, breathe!" He said, through gritted teeth. He had no idea what he was doing. He was careful with his movements- he did not want to fracture Reyes' ribs beneath his paws, but he wanted to move the air in his lungs. He tried to do one push every second or so. "Come on! Breathe!" He begged, an emotional cry making its way into his voice. 

He felt the loss of his own father; 

he did not want Sorana to know that pain. 

"Dad....Please...Send him back...Wraen, Dad, Hydra, Prim, Osiris, anyone....Please....Please send him back. Not for me, but for her."

He prayed in his thoughts while he continued to administer the only first aid he knew, tears of frustration and grief beginning to spill over the edges of his eyes.

going to say she is skippable <3 though I’ll try to prioritize this with other plot heavy threads. Not confirming obvi bc I wasn’t 100% but feel free to powerplay if he’s confirmed as gone

The call wasn’t a welcome one. Brecheliant didn’t see many emergencies but luckily Bridget wasn’t far when this one occurred. She didn’t even stop to grab supplies - if she needed anything, someone else could fetch it. From the sound of it she needed to be there.

She took in the scene in an instant on arrival. Reyes collapsed on the border with Sorana and Bronco over him, both seemingly trying to revive him.

She didn’t have time to be gentle yet. As long as there was the slightest chance she had to try - so she pressed her way in, hoping they’d move so that she could do what she needed.

Compressions. Grab his muzzle, breathe. Compressions, breathe.

She’d do this for a while - until enough time had passed that it was done, until it was clear there was no coming back. Just because he wasn’t responsive didn’t mean she would let Sorana lose him if there was any chance she could give him back. She was too focused on him to address either of them right now, mechanically going through the attempt at cpr, desperately hoping it would make a difference and knowing it was probably too late.

there really is nothing like turning up somewhere to find your ex dead.
it evokes one hundred emotions a second, all of which thrummed through teya the second she arrived on scene.
sorana's screaming had echoed violently enough to bring her mother into action before bronco called. but she was grateful for it anyway, forcing her nauseated body into a faster run.
bronco, bridget, reyes, sorana — reyes
her belly lurched dangerously. the medic and her mate were leaning over the man, trying to bring breath back into him. automatically teya reached for sorana, trying to bring the girl's focus onto herself.
"hey, hey, hey," she said in a voice numb and thick and filling her mouth too loudly and too oddly.
"look at me," again, and pleading entered her tones, and now tears were spilling crazily down her face and her breath was becoming a sob as teya started to panic.
panic? for what reason? who could know;
panicking because her ears didn't hear reyes draw a breath; panicking because she had not expected to feel something tear away from deep inside her heart, replaced by a whoosh of open air that burnt the newly raw place.
oh, reyes!
but the raven kept her focus on sorana, willing her daughter to look — at her. away. away from —

Bronco didn't respond. It was as much as Sorana expected. No one ever seemed to want to acknowledge that she was there, that she had a voice, or feelings, or that she mattered in any way. This was just another example of that in her eyes.

Instead, she watched with blurred vision and ringing ears as he stepped past her without a word and began to shove his paws into Reyes. Stop! she cried, but couldn't seem to get her feet to move. It was the only thing stopping her from sinking her teeth as deeply into Bronco's hide as they would go for touching her daddy.

Stop it! she screamed with tears streaming down her face. When Sorana had rocked her father's body, she had simply been trying to rouse him with painful shoves. Without any knowledge of what Bronco was trying to do or knowledge of why Reyes was suddenly dead in front of her, Sora saw his actions only as violent.

When Bridget arrived, Sorana reached numbly for her aunt, but the woman was focused on Reyes. She thought Bridget would stop Bronco from stomping on her father's corpse — that's what he was now, she thought with a thunderclap of despair — but when her aunt began doing the same, Sorana crumbled to the ground and began to wail.

Stop! You're hurting him! STOPPIT YOU'RE HURTING HIM! she cried, willing herself to find the strength to push herself up and get them away from her daddy, but it was no use. Sorana had been insecure and in pain even before this. Now the trauma reached its fingers deep down inside her and dug in its claws. It would never let go of her.

Teya's voice pulled Sorana's face away from Reyes and Bronco and Bridget. Already the feelings were starting to numb inside of her, fleeing into the psychological safety of dissociation. She reacted to Teya instinctually, pressing her trembling face into her mother's neck.

Make them stop, she sobbed hoarsely, over and over and over again.

sorry to skip, just want to keep this moving <3 so we can wrap it! If anyone has issues let me know, otherwise this will be my last post

It broke her heart to hear Sorana cry, to know she thought they were hurting Reyes further, but Bridget couldn’t allow that to stop her. She tried until she knew, and at that point she stood, her expression carefully held. She couldn’t fall apart right here. Of all of them, she needed to hold this moment together.

Sorana, I’m sorry. We needed to try and keep his heart going, to see if we could save him. But he’s gone.

She looked at Teya, glad that she and Sorana had each other to cling to in that moment, then touched Bronco on the shoulder. Thank you, for trying. His attempts had given her something to continue, and if he hadn’t been here, there would have been no hope at all. We did everything we could. There was nothing else. She knew better than to blame either of them and wasn’t sure that he wouldn’t. He looked stricken.

She gave Reyes’ body a last check, feeling hopelessly for a pulse that was not there and gently closing his eyes. She wanted to ensure he was arranged with dignity, and appeared as though merely sleeping, before she stepped back and allowed them a moment. She closed his muzzle gently, then pressed her nose to his forehead. Lead him home. she murmured softly, a quiet prayer to the Dark One who waited.

Then she moved aside, subdued, to give them some time. She would let Teya do what was needed and, when they were done, would take care of the burial herself. It didn’t matter what he had done or what they had decided for him. Sorana’s father deserved the same burial as any Brecheliant wolf, and she would seek Maia and Eljay to see where that might be.

final for me <3

it was over swiftly and not at all, harshly and gently, horribly and still in the best way he could have gone, beneath the life-saving attempts of his pack. 
teya held her sobbing sorana as tightly as she dared, as much for the girl's sake as her own. she dared not look; and then bridget, murmuring gently that the man had indeed died.
if there was tears or anger, teya meant to be there, meant to remain with sorana so long as she needed.
bronco must understand, and she trusted that he would.
"sorana. breathe," and she said it for herself also, eyes brimming but tone resounding with a gentle confidence to answer her daughter's call — at last.
if the girl saw fit, teya would keep her involved in the arrangements for a burial plot; if not, she would meet maia and eljay and bridget later, a sober council of those who had known reyes.

lol sorry for the wait- I was totally hoping Reyes would just gasp and come back to life XD last for me! <3

He continued to try and pump air into Reyes' lungs despite the fact that Sorana screamed at him, and he winced; thinking she would probably bite him, or try to knock him off her father. He could feel her fear, and her anger- and in her voice, he could tell that both weren't just directed at her father, who lay breathless on the ground- but toward him too. With each shove of his paws he felt his heart torn, knowing that the only thing that could save him from this would be if Reyes could come back to life. If he failed-

Thankfully, Bridget showed up, and continued the compressions. He felt some relief, knowing he'd tried to do the right thing- but she also gave him breath, something he had not known to do. What if he had? Had he failed Reyes by not doing this correctly? He heard a thick, heavy white noise creep into his skull, the sound that filled in and while it failed to mute Sorana's sobs completely, it forced them into the background. 

Teya came, and went to her daughter. The shouts faded to sobs; pitiful wails that he knew too well. It was the way his heart wanted to cry out, but he couldn't force a sound past his lips. He watched Bridget, ready to step in and continue, or run to fetch someone- something- anything. But when she pulled back, he tilted his head back and found tears burning hot at the corners of his eyes. Tears of regret seemed to ache more than tears of sadness. 

He couldn't look at Sorana; he felt he shouldn't. He was endlessly grateful for Teya, for coming to her daughter's side, but he felt it would not be fit for him to join them. Teya would need time with her daughter, now; and he would silently, willingly encourage it. Bridget spoke, and her voice seemed to quiet the ringing in his ears. He did not fully believe that they had done everything, not when perhaps there was something else he could have done. Hers was a job he was not cut out for; he could not feel positive about the incident in any way, but he would come to understand how well Bridget conducted herself in retrospect. 

The touch to his shoulder made him feel even more regret. He'd tried, but he'd failed. He didn't blame himself for Reyes' death- something catastrophic had happened to him, from the inside- but he did blame himself for not being able to bring Reyes back. Maybe he'd not been pushing on the right spot. Maybe not hard enough, maybe not fast enough. Maybe he should have been giving Reyes air, as well. All of the maybes plagued him. 

There was nothing else. 

Truly? He did not believe it. If Bridge had been there, rather than him...Maybe she would have recognized something in his mannerisms before he had collapsed. Maybe she might've spotted distress, noticed something different about his scent, the sound of his voice...Maybe, she would have been able to spot the signs of whatever it was that had killed Reyes before it had. He would dwell on the maybes. 

And in the time following Reyes' death, he knew to expect less time with Teya, as Sorana needed her more. He looked to her, to see if he would be dismissed, searching also for some kind of forgiveness for his failure. Whatever she instructed, he would do, even if it meant that he would have to deal with all the maybes on his own.