Redhawk Caldera take one last look

Someone approached, and it happened fast. Since he was pretty tense about it all anyway, Dio perked, head, hackles, and all but it shifted instantly from being just sheer alert to something far fonder when he saw it was Portia. He eased down with his very next breath. Of all wolves, even here tucked in a corner of someone else's claim, she certainly warranted it. After an appropriate sigh of relief, his tail wiggled slowly, and morale improved steadily as he helped to tuck himself closer to her. She made that easy enough, though, just beneath his chin, and (selfishly) was he ever glad that she was here too.

But, true, they had both come for a reason. She was the best healer they had, and of any he could name, and he was to help protect them all. Nevermind that back home, between them, they had their newly-minted branwoda son and sweet daughter waiting. He hoped neither had grated on Eske's patience in their absence. "Hey," he rumbled eventually, trying not to think about how things were back home and having snaked himself to press a few licks onto her cheek. "How're things..?" the wocha gestured with a flick of his snout over towards the den's direction, although he doubted anything was different from the last time he'd inquired. He was doing well to maintain a distance, and collecting his news this way through her most of the time, but there was only so much to be told about how badly Wildfire's condition was, and how her best bet now was time, and careful mending.