Redhawk Caldera ^__________________________^

When her smiling father appeared and reached for her, Tiuttuk didn’t hesitate to reach back. Feeling a little like an exposed nerve, she clung to him tightly for a moment before the inevitable release. Pie steadied herself with a breath as Killdeer immediately apologized by way of greeting.

You don’t have to apologize, taataa. I didn’t come here either, she said quietly, chest tight, and I’m grateful you gave me that space to process.

Hopefully that absolved any lingering guilt he might feel about it. Tiuttuk didn’t want her father to feel bad for chasing his happiness any more than she blamed Sialuk for going after her own. Did she wish they’d found it a little closer to her and Moonspear? Yes, though she had moved on.

I feel as though I inherited the shadow that weighed on anaa when she was still here, Tiuttuk admitted baldly when he asked for updates. I don’t know how to feel about the village anymore, taataa, but I don’t think I want to talk about it today. I came here to see you. I want to hear all about you, Amalia and the life you’re building here.

She gazed past him, eyes rising up the caldera’s nearer flank, before her yellow eyes dropped back to her dad’s face. She smiled wanly, the tip of her tail flicking back and forth as she waited on tenterhooks. Did she have new siblings? Would they want her to meet them? Could it change everything?