Redhawk Caldera the horses are coming

a cranky visitor arrives! tags for ref!

if no one else was going to hunt for the tupilak, maggak would.
she parted from @Acrux with a familial kiss to his aching shoulders and the same mischievous glint she'd get in her eyes when they were up to no good. if anaa asks, i'm only looking for herbs, she'd told him. i may need them after this anyway.
not for healing, of course, because certainly she could handle the little rat who dared harm her brother; but to protect her spirit. she walks the long road to brecheliant alone under the cover of nightfall, and along the way, marks tiny notches in the trees so that she wouldn't get lost upon her return. laced in her fur are tiny crumblings of dried sagebrush.
@Seal was still here, right? maybe she had seen it, or knew someone who could guide her in the right direction. she thinks back to that girl (@Bronte) who claimed to be its friend — maybe she knew something the wolves of moonspear did not.
either way, she was not leaving without some kind of answer.

He haunted the borders like a shadow, unwittingly following in his father’s footsteps as he too had sought solace in working toward a guardian trade. Ponyboy, on the other hand, roved along the borders like a rudderless ship, his gaze cast out into the wilderness. Whether he searched for the wretched beast that had killed his father, or the bewitching young girl he had fallen for and abandoned remained ambiguous in the mix of concern and guilt on his features.

He caught the scent of woodlands mingled with that of a wolf- one who smelled familiar enough in pack scent, but new enough to him that he was left curious. He altered his course so that he was set to intercept, and tried to convince his brow to smoothe. He shouldn’t look so concerned when meeting strangers- they might mistake it for fear.

She smelled of herbs, something that reminded him of Eljay, and that thought comforted him. He pricked his ears but allowed his tail to sway as he sought the wolf’s attention with a quiet puff of breath.

NYEHEHEHEHE ty for joining!!!

she is greeted by a flash of gold and ochre sweeping through the treeline. a boy, about her age; she did not think she had ever seen him before.
he seems aloof, and maggak's immediate response is to make herself seem more approachable. try as she might, she was beginning to realize how bad she was at the whole take-no-shit thing. she smooths the bristling of her hackles and takes a step or two backward.
my name is maggak, i'm, ah, from moonspear, she rumbles, stomach flipping as his stalwart gaze meets her own. i'm looking for someone who attacked my brother. i was told she has ties to your village.

Bronte's presence at the Caldera came and went. But when she was around, you could bet your money that she was on top of her game. A once innocent girl, now quickly evolving into a very decisive, take charge individual. 

A potent scent was offered on the wind, drifting to the interior of the territory. Of crisp forests, ice and rock. Thickly mingled with herbs. She knew that smell. Moonspear. She had been on their land before, after all. Now one of their own came to hers.

Ah, if only she could have set aside more time, to pay the village a visit. To ask of Acrux and his recovery. If any of their own had tracked down Anathema. But they were here now and any information they had could be shared between them.

Flame backed, Bronte promptly arrived at the borders, seeing that her pale brother, Ponyboy, had just beaten her. Recognition lighted her eyes as she laid sight on the gently freckle faced Maggak. On her home turf, her body language was more confident, but by no means un-welcoming. Passing a glance to Ponyboy that said she knew this wolf, she strode right up to her. Circling close, once in greeting. "Maggak. I see you have found Brecheliant. And met my brother, Ponyboy. Acrux...how is his recovery?" She wasn't sure how her reception would be taken, this time. She was looking for Ananthema. Hearing this and knowing the girl had ran off with her brother, she shot him a stern, telling look. "She isn't here. But I believe he can shed a little more light on this." She said, prompting her brother to explain his version of what had transpired. In her eyes, every piece they added to the puzzle was a help.

If he had been trying to seem aloof and professional, his attempts failed when the girl began to speak. He noticed the way the faint freckles on her cheeks danced as she spoke, and lifted his gaze to see the soft moss green of her eyes. She looked wary, cautious, and he noticed how the fur along the edge of her shoulders slowly flattened, indicating that she might have been nervous. 

”Oh, I know of Moonspear,” He spoke. It was a conflicting association- he had not been there, but knew that his sister had spent some time at one of the sister packs. His father had saved Seal, who had belonged to them- and he still felt as if there was some debt yet to be settled. 

Little did he know that there was more to their history than that- and that his sister, who approached with an assured gait, knew more about the incident Maggak spoke of. She even knew the name of Maggak’s brother. Ponyboy watched the interaction with light confusion, which was amplified as if by a strike of lightening when his sister turned the question to him. 

”Me? I didn’t hurt anyone?” He blurted, before he remembered that Maggak had indicated that the attacker had been female. ”What? Wait- who do you mean?” He asked, wide-eyed.

it was as if the thought of the blonde girl had summoned her. she, too, comes to find maggak at the border, and so the starlet chuffs a cordial, albeit curt greeting.
she asks of acrux. he's okay, maggak tells her, a hard crystal of buried frustration forming in her gaze. anaa and ele take good care of him. but he can't rest and heal fully until he gets justice.
and then there is the boy, who seems utterly befuddled. bronte implies his involvement — maggak, now armed with a new sense of concern, turns her sharp gaze to him. my brother was attacked viciously by a girl who you, she gestures here, foreleg stretched outward in a wide berth; call a friend.

Her brother, Ponyboy was confused. And understandably so. Perhaps he hadn't been filled in on all the details yet. What was clear, was that Anathema was no longer among them here at Brecheliant. 

Bronte watched the exchange between Maggak and her brother, noting the sharpness in the Moon girl's eyes. She only allowed two seconds after Ponyboy stuttered in confusion, before taking matters into her own hands. "Whoa, wait a minute." As the older of the females here and with the advantage of home turf, she wasn't shy about inserting herself between Maggak and her brother. 

Sweet but intense bourbon eyes of their father's swept firmly from one wolf to the next. She was progressing in leaps and bounds in her maturity and this example was no exception. "Now, let's take a step back here. Ponyboy, explain your side of the story. Share what you know. Maggak, you do the same. Then I'll fill in what I know as well. That way we'll have the details straight."

Once she felt her voice of reason had been heard, she eased back and waited patiently.