Redhawk Caldera lurken and craven

Now that she had recovered most of her memories, Tiuttuk finally felt ready to pay a visit to Redhawk Caldera. She could remember meeting @Carolina Redhawk and @Lyric Redhawk now, but they had been so young, they likely didn’t remember her at all. Unlike last time, she asked @Alaric and Tikaani if she could go by herself. One wolf could be spared, but Pie didn’t want to take away three of them when everyone was working so hard to get Dawnspear established.

She left before the break of dawn and arrived late in the morning. @Killdeer intercepted her during a patrol, quickly ushering her into the caldera as a frigid rain began to fall from the whitewashed skies. When they arrived at the Hobbit Hole, he motioned for Tiuttuk to enter ahead of him. She hesitated briefly before padding inside, her colorful pelt plastered to her flanks and dripping all over the floor.

Amalia brought her a soft skin. As Pie dried herself and wiped her paws, she glanced around the den. She saw a few sets of eyes looking back at her. She swallowed the slight trepidation that welled inside her, offering a tremulous smile to the residents. She badly wanted to catch up with her younger siblings, though it seemed like everyone’s attention was drawn to something tucked into the far corner of the den.

She shot her dad a questioning look. Killdeer only nodded and motioned for her to have a look for herself. Biting her lip, Pie crept toward the back of the grandiose den, ducking dangling tree roots and squinting against the increasing gloom. She heard a groaning noise and froze, though a gentle nudge from behind coaxed her forward until she could see…

I am going to post with Towhee next, then this is open to anyone who would like to visit with Pie! :)

She closed her eyes and breathed for a moment. When she reopened them, another had joined the cluster of faces floating around her. Towhee grumbled, feeling a little bit like a zoo animal—some kind of whale, specifically—on display. But she was happy to see Treepie here, with such serendipitous timing. The Elder even managed a smile for her, though it didn’t quite reach her eyes.

-Yeah, yeah, I’m fat as fuck. Welcome to the show,- she jested with a grunt. -We’re currently taking bets on how many will come out. What was your latest guess, Caro? Was it 28? Or 38? Have you said ‘hello’ to your sister yet?-

She was actually glad for the excuse to shoo everyone away for a few moments. Towhee could use some space. She waved them all backward, hoping they would turn their attention to their visitor. Meanwhile, the Elder braced her right shoulder against the den’s cool wall and tried to push upright into a sit. Pain rippled through her midsection, though she was able to shift to relieve the worst of the pressure.

-Can you bring me some water?- she signed to Killdeer, then leaned her head back against the wall to close her eyes and focus on her breathing again.

Cameo! Unless nobody else joins this (please join this!).

Caro's attention was torn between the exciting new visitor and the impending grand-uncles-and-aunts that were soon to pop out of her Gigi's body. The process of birth frightened and fascinated her, and though she had eagerly laid her bets, the distraction of Treepie's arrival had been quite welcome.

-"Three-to-eight,"- Caro insisted, her signing clumsy in her eagerness, and her voice loud and strident. It wasn't as though she could disturb Gigi by yelling, after all.

But she turned her eyes back to Treepie to continue her goggling, speaking a frank, -"No,"- without making any effort to correct the oversight. She would happily do so if prompted more directly, but at the moment, she merely gazed up at her "sister" (sister???) with her jaws slightly parted, overcome by the existence of such a creature — and rather overstimulated by the events of the day.

It was Towhee… but more than that. It took Treepie several beats to comprehend that the older she-wolf was heavily pregnant. And not just that, but… Pie’s eyes flicked from face to face, taking in their expressions, which ranged from concerned to expectant. When her gaze hit Carolina’s face, it caught there.

Is she—? she blurted, glancing over at Towhee in disbelief before it dawned on her that she was face-to-face with her (not so) little sister. Carolina? Oh my gosh, she exclaimed, eyes widening as she momentarily forgot about the (possibly) laboring Towhee. You’ve grown, she said faintly, feeling a little pang of regret before the adoration swept in, eclipsing everything else.

Then they were staring at each other. Caro blinked at the exclamation, and somewhat timidly, confirmed: "Yes." Everyone said so, after all. She was growing all the time, growing like a weed, growing so big and so strong. Her tail wagged.

She took a little step forward.

"Where are you all the time?" she asked, guileless, now blind and deaf to all other family dramas. Treepie looked like her father and her brother, only more lady-like, and as a sister, she was the first of her kind. This was all very important to Carolina, who was just recently coming to appreciate things like role models and What Happens Outside The Territory??

Treepie's scent fascinated her, too. So many strange wolves, so many strange places! She was fully gawking, now, beginning to look just a little starry-eyed.

You probably don’t remember me, Pie said in a breathy rush, but we met when you were only ye tall. She held a paw about an inch off the ground. I’m sorry I’m only just now visiting again, a lot’s happened, which was perhaps the understatement of the year. I live on Moonspear. Actually, I have news about that…

She turned her head to see if her father and his mate were paying attention. They were both crouching over Towhee, holding a skin soaked in fresh rainwater to her muzzle. Pie watched this scene a moment, though her attention quickly returned to her younger sister.

I’ll tell you for now, then we can pass it on to the others, she said, lowering her voice a little out of deference for what was clearly Towhee’s labor. There’s a new village on Moonspear. It’s called Dawnspear. Your Uncle Alaric and your other older sister, Tiki, live there. Speaking of siblings, where’s yours?

She glanced around the den, spotting who must be Lyric. He was similarly preoccupied with their great grandmother. Pie could scarcely believe that Towhee was carrying pups, much less about to deliver them. Wasn’t it the wrong season for such things? Then there was Towhee’s age to consider. And who was the father? Perhaps it was the stranger she saw closest to the Elder.

Sipping in a breath, Tiuttuk looked back to Carolina to say, It seems I have very interesting timing!

Carolina stiffened as if she'd been electrocuted when her Big Sister let on that she had a Secret. Carolina loved secrets, and a new game of hers was making them up to keep for herself. To hear one from her Big Sister, however, was a special privilege. Even if it would soon be shared with the others.

She listened carefully, still as a statue while these important words were imparted on her. Apparently, there was something called a village over on some distant mountain, and that was where her Big Sister (BIG SISTER!!!) lived. Not only that, but she was keeping one of her Uncles there, and ANOTHER BIG SISTER.

Clearly, Dawnspear was a place for sisters. Caro's lips parted again as she began to wonder if her Big Sister was there to take her away to the sister mountain.

"Lyric can come," she said in a rush, relieved when Treepie brought the boy up himself. She was equally pleased about the inclusion of the new babies, which were her great-something-or-others, like Gigi was her great-something. "They'll be too small," she said sagely.

The adults, wary of her violent playstyle, had hammered this idea into her mind. The babies would be too small for most things for quite some time, and Caro was to be very careful around them. Certainly, they were not to be picked up and carried, not otherwise removed from their den.

Pie’s head reared back. She hadn’t even considered that possibility, to be honest, but she immediately welcomed the idea of her younger siblings paying a visit to her village. Were they old enough yet to venture there, though? Perhaps someone could chaperone them, like their taataa. She glanced Killdeer’s way, wondering if he missed the mount, then returned her warm gaze to Carolina.

You’re right about them. But I’d love for you two to visit, she said. Maybe we could even have a sleepover. She gave Caro her best sororal smile. I bet taataa would be happy to bring you. Did you know he used to live there?

Maybe she did, maybe she didn’t. Treepie would be happy to embellish on that point if her little sister wanted to pursue it. She would happy to discuss anything with Caro, honestly. She adored children of all ages, though there was something particularly special about a younger sibling.

That made her nose in Towhee’s direction and ask, Are you excited about them? They weren’t technically Caro’s siblings, but they would be in practice. They’ll look up to you, you know. Is there anything in particular you think you’ll teach them?

It begged a deeper question: where did Carolina’s interests lie? What was she good at? What did she enjoy? Tiuttuk settled on the den’s floor, forelegs tucked under her chest, keen to hear any- and everything the girl wanted to share about herself.

A sleepover was a foreign concept, but not one that Caro had any trouble imagining. It was there in the name! More confusing was the name that Treepie used.

"Who's taataa?" she asked, making a little face as she wondered why she might care. Perhaps it was one of her aunts or uncles, whose names she wasn't always sure about. Come to think of it, she didn't actually know her big sister's name, either. She opened her mouth to ask, but new thoughts were always waylaying her.

Big Sister pointed out Gigi again. Caro stared over at her, slack-mouthed as she observed all the heaving and jiggling that was going on. It'll be a long time since mama had told her that the babies were coming, and yet, they'd still not arrived. Caro didn't really understand what was going on.

"They're going to be very little when they come out," she recited to Treepie, who she thought might not have heard about this yet. "They won't be able to do much until they're older, and we'll have to be very careful of them." But, was there something she wanted to teach them? Caro hadn't really thought about it.

"We have to teach them how to hunt," she supposed after a moment. She'd heard something like that before. She goggled up at her sister, then. "Did you come to teach them something?" she asked, the idea suddenly occurring to her. Or — "Did you come to teach me? she asked, honored and aghast that Treepie would do such a thing for her, her humble little sister!

Her heart twinged a little when Carolina expressed confusion over Killdeer’s title. Obviously his younger children didn’t call him that. She glanced at the man in question, then decided to put a positive spin on it. It was a special title, reserved for Tikaani and herself.

That’s what I call your dad, she said, gesturing at him before querying softly, What do you call him?

She filed away that information as they excitedly discussed the incoming puppies. It was clear someone had explained the situation to Caro; she recited facts like a studious pupil. Pie grinned at her, her eyes bright as the girl started drawing conclusions about her visit.

I didn’t even know they were here! she confessed, then amended, Or very nearly here, anyway. No, I came to see you and your brother, plus taataa. She paused, yellow eyes still dancing. Would you like me to teach you something? I’d be happy to, supposing it’s something I know how to do, she disclaimed with a quiet laugh.

Before her younger sister could suggest a subject, Towhee let out a noise that made Treepie jump, her head swinging toward the Hobbit Hole’s far wall. She knew labor was called that for a reason, though that sound had been rather dreadful. Her eyes were wide as they flicked back to Caro’s face, wondering what she made of such sounds.

If you want to get out of here for a little bit, we can continue this conversation outside, she offered preemptively, loath as she was to miss any of this, even the jarring sound effects.