Heron Lake Plateau now i’m free from what you are

Made some assumptions (re: Eljay filling Ray in) so we could keep things moving instead of going through a round of "what's going on here?" Hope that's OK Iris! <3

As she and Colt returned from yet another fruitless attempt to find any sign of Ceara, Raven had silently decided that this would be the last such excursion. If they hadn't found her friend's trail by now, they weren't going to find it. She felt no small amount of guilt for the fervency with which she had searched, placing Ceara's welfare well above the other priorities which demanded her attention -- chiefly, leading her pack.

Granted, it wasn't as though they were left with no one in the captain's chair. Quixote handled things well in her absence, even with the added burden of assuming almost full-time care of their litter of rambunctious and headstrong five-month-olds. Niamh had proven herself a strong and capable leader as well, and Towhee, Finley, and Elwood were all there to back them up as well. She felt confident her pack was in good hands, which was why she had thrown herself so fully into the search for their lost packmate. Still, it was time they accepted the situation as it was. Convinced though she was that Blackfeather was behind her close friend's disappearance, Raven couldn't do much about it without further proof. Finding that proof was coming at a high cost to her family and her pack, and those were priorities she could ignore no longer.

But now, as she returned, trouble stirred. She had stopped by the rendezvous site to see the pups and to catch up with Qui. Instead of her mate, however, she was greeted by @Eljay, who filled her in on what he knew of the situation. Caiaphas had howled some sort of claim a short while ago, and Quixote had gone to deal with that. Was the enigmatic she-wolf of salt and iron attempting to usurp Raven's position in the hierarchy? Anxiety immediately began to seep like icy stormwater beneath the doorjamb of her ordinarily calm, collected mind. She was not a fighter, and if it came down to a fight with the battle-scarred female, could she rise to the challenge? Did she even want to?

The mantle of leadership had been abruptly and unexpectedly thrust upon her by her sister earlier in the summer, and Raven had never wanted it to begin with. She had struggled with her role as alpha for several months afterward, never feeling she was strong enough or smart enough for the job. But as the seasons had come and gone and the pack had continued to thrive, Raven had begun to understand that she was a good leader, that her packmates did respect and follow her willingly. She had learned how to lead with a gentle but firm hand, and while her attention had been on other matters of late (mainly Ceara), that still didn't change the fact that she was passionately devoted to her pack. But did her divided loyalties make her unfit for the role? She wasn't sure how to answer that question. Personally, she felt that her job as leader and caretaker of the pack obligated her to ensure the safety of each individual, but perhaps others didn't see it the same way.

Her feet carried her like the wind as she tracked her mate's scent, and it didn't take long for her to find the small gathering: Niamh, Colt, Quixote, Phox, Towhee, and X -- all facing off with Caiaphas. As she approached to stand between Quixote and Towhee, her posture was solid, confident despite her inner turmoil. Her mane bristled like so many black quills as hawk-yellow eyes involuntarily met those of her challenger. The mental struggle with which she had struggled on the run here, all the anxiety and self-doubt and fear she'd been grappling with, was blown asunder by the winds of her anger as she stared down a wolf who had come crawling to her doorstep so many months ago, starving and desperate, begging for a home. Raven had taken her in despite the warnings and admonitions of her fellow leaders, and this was how she was repaid for her kindness. She had recently learned a thing or two about those who bite the hand that feeds them, but this was perhaps the bitterest lesson yet.

The sight of Caiaphas, puffed-up and posturing, asserting an authority she had no right to claim galvanized the alpha female. If it came to a fight, could she rise to the challenge?

Yes, absolutely.

Unmoved and unblinking, Raven Redhawk bared her teeth and growled sinisterly.