Redhawk Caldera are you discussing or fussing or simply dreaming?

Snooped on @Aliana's pawprints and noticed that she was about to earn her merc trade. :DD

Towhee reacted to Ruenna's expression of sympathy in pretty much the most Towhee-way possible, brushing off Rue's concerns and denying that there was anything the matter that might warrant a medic. 

..And then she spilled. Ruenna wasn't at all surprised to hear that Reyes had declined their offer with very little grace. That chafed, admittedly. Try as she might to do the opposite, Rue couldn't help but take it personally. The whole thing had been her idea, but even more than that-- she had based it on the sort of deal that she herself would have given a limb to receive back in Red Fern Grove. If only she'd been allowed a single chance to redeem herself...!

At least Reyes had done her the favor of stomping out the very last remaining bit of sympathy Ruenna had for him. Matters would be simpler moving forward, with Ruenna free to dislike him as much as the given situation called for. 

Rue was not entirely content with the solution Towhee described. She sighed, knowing it was not ideal for the Sovereign either. "Each visit will be safer than the last, with the children growing as quickly as they are." The children would be safe, Ruenna felt fairly confident-- particularly if they were accompanied by a Caldera guardian. "As they get older, they will see everything more and more clearly. In time, they will see Reyes's true nature--" Whatever it was, at that point. "--And they will see that you have done your best to give them both a mother and a father." She paused. 

"He is going to remain with Brecheliant, I'm assuming?" Ruenna's confidence in their relationship with Brecheliant was far more tenuous. Ruenna couldn't help but notice that they kept taking in wolves that had beef with the Caldera. Three guesses where that was going to lead, if it continued. 

The news about Fennec was also unsurprising. Her time as Regent had not buffed out the scuffs in her character; it had made them appear more pronounced, if anything, and she came across as even more rough around the edges. Ruenna only nodded, thinking it best not to comment one way or the other. Towhee seemed a little raw right now, and speaking critically of her child might not be well received. 

"You and me will do just fine," she reassured Towhee. "And some of the new recruits seem promising. Aliana keeps a sharp eye on the border. I'd like to offer her the Tradesman rank to make it official." There was some good news, although it did seem rather adrift in a sea of bad.