Redhawk Caldera Boom and bust

She mistook Eljay for one of his parents at first, though as he closed the distance between them, Wildfire recognized her cousin. A little oof! escaped her when he collided into her, though she grinned warmly at his enthusiasm. As his nose pressed into her neck, she licked in the general direction of his face, making it clear that she was as happy to see him as he was to see her. Her black tail swayed so hard behind her that her hips shifted back and forth with the force of its movement.

Elwood appeared not long after and Wildfire felt her heart skip a beat as she briefly recollected their encounter the day of Goober's attack. She quickly pushed that from her mind and regarded him with the same warmth as his son. "It's so good to see you guys," she said a little breathlessly, Eljay having partially knocked the wind out of her (not that she was complaining). "I'm doing really well. I have so much to tell you and so much I want to know." By the looks of it, the caldera had weathered the famine, though it was impossible to judge its impact with her limited perspective.

When Peregrine arrived with two growing pups behind him, Wildfire's heart soared. "Oh my gosh!" she exclaimed, attention fixed on them. "Hi guys!" she said, somehow unaware that she had just echoed some very, very infamous words. Of course, there wasn't any malice within her as the yearling regarded her younger siblings, though she understood perfectly when Peregrine stood in such a way as to shield his sons a little. She was a stranger to them, after all, an outsider despite their blood relations.

She wasn't left to wonder long about the whereabouts of the other two. Her smile faltered, her amber eyes trailing sympathetically over Peregrine's face, at the news of Peter's death. "I'm so sorry, dud," she said quietly. She had never known him, so the loss didn't feel personal, although she knew how much it must have impacted the ones around her. "I'm glad everyone else is doing okay?" It was a bit of a question, since there were several relatives missing from this scene. But surely someone would have mentioned any other deaths by now.

"I'm sorry I didn't send word when I left Moonspear. It happened somewhat suddenly," she addressed her father's statement, glancing at both Elwoods and the pups to include everyone in the conversation. "I've been living in a place called Sleeping Dragon since spring. I'm very happy there. And, crazily enough, I actually became a leader there just the other day." Wildfire nibbled at her lip, peering mostly at Peregrine, remembering how they'd discussed leadership in the past. She had never thought she would see the day, though she never known she'd fall in love with a woman either. She could hardly wait to mention that, though she secretly hoped @Fox would show up in the meantime to hear that particular bit of news (and because she just wanted to see her mom!).