Nocturne Summit On the moon

She tucked herself away in the mountain's foggy folds, further isolating herself so she could breathe and think. Her hormones had settled and, if not for the recent and tragic news, Wildfire's emotions might have done the same. Yet she couldn't seem to escape the grief, nor make a decision about what to do now. She did feel slightly calmer for having relocated to her old, familiar stomping grounds, and she took some comfort in winding along narrow, twisted towpaths in search of game.

Gannet did not intend to leave so soon after returning.  But the news he'd recieved on arriving made it necessary to be alone, at least for a while.  Soon he would return and throw himself into the care of his new family, and he knew that he had Elwood and Finley, Liffey and even Eljay to go to for companionship.  But his family was gone.  Aside from Raven and the new, those he knew best had either scattered or were lost, and the pale boy's calm was understandably shaken by that.  

It hurt, when loved ones left, but like with Peter and Peregrine he knew the hurt would fade.  The missing would only last so long before it turned into memory.  His practical side said he should go back, find the rest of his family and see his new siblings.  Maybe that would make him feel better.

But, on this rare instance, emotion won out, and Gannet's paws took him inexplicably away from the Caldera.  For a little while, he didn't want to feel better.  He was so caught up in this wallowing that, when he passed near another out similarly, he failed to notice or recognize her.  Instead he kept his eyes down and continued wending his way towards some unknown destination.

She had climbed up a ways but dropped into the foothills now, where prey would be more plentiful. In fact, she tracked the scent of mountain goat down to the base, where she promptly lost it. Oh well, Wildfire thought dimly, wasn't like you were going to catch it all by your— Her inner voice was cut off mid-sentence by the sound of footfalls, specifically leathery paw pads scraping the cold shale here in the lower crags.

When a white figure wandered into view, Wildfire looked around as if considering leaping behind a boulder to stay out of sight. It might even work, considering the stranger wasn't even looking in her direction. But then recognition struck and she found her stiffened muscles relaxing as the urge to hide slowly dissipated. She wasn't in the mood for company, particularly, but how could she ignore the presence of her own younger brother?

"Gannet?" she called softly, amber eyes taking in the slight slump in his posture. Of course, he would be just as aggrieved by their parents' passing, probably even much more affected than Wildfire. He had lost all his litter mates too, with Peter dead and the other two in the wind. A sympathetic frown took up residence on her face.

He might not have seen her, but when she spoke, his head shot up and he eyed her blankly.  Who was this?  They knew his name, but they weren't from the Caldera.

He had not met many outside, so it was only a minute before recognition dawned on him.  That's right, Wildfire.  His other sister, the one he'd visited that trip with mom.  The thought made him hitch a bit.

Another wolf might have run to her for the comfort of physical embrace, but Gannet was a wolf who did what he would in the moment.  So a look of confusion crossed his features instead, and he asked  (without malice, if a little directly) "Why're you here?"

He seemed confused by her presence here and Wildfire paused, eyes dropping to her feet for a moment before rising back to the general vicinity of his face. "I came this way to see mom and dad," she admitted, melancholy coloring her tone. She didn't feel the need to burden Gannet with her reasoning for the impromptu visit. "I just found out the bad news," she continued after a slightly shaky breath. She could feel a familiar lump forming in her throat. "And the good news," Wildfire added like an afterthought, thinking of the puppies and breathing through the twinge in her gut.

"Are you okay?" she queried in the next breath, walking slowly closer and studying his face in case he wanted his space. Perhaps he had come here to get away from others and didn't want her infringing. "I heard Whip left too. And..." And, well, she wasn't sure what else to say. It was a lot of loss to experience at Gannet's age. Wildfire had been through the wringer herself these past few days, yet her heart went out to her younger brother.

Gannet supposed it made sense, her coming for a visit, though the timing couldn't have been worse?  Or better maybe?  At least she knew the news.  It was obvious what the bad she spoke of was, though the good took him a minute.  Good news?  Oh.  Right.  New siblings.  His tail waved a bit, though and nodded.

He was as fine as could be expected.  He hadn't expected Whip to leave, but he couldn't say he was too blindsided by it now that it had happened.  That's what siblings did, right?  They left.  Sometimes to come back, more often not to.  At least he hadn't been taken like Peter or Lucy.

"Are you staying?" he asked, slightly curious.  He wasn't too emotionally invested in any of his older siblings but when dad died, Raven had stayed.  Maybe his mom's lookalike had come to fill that space as well?  She had a pack, at least when they'd visited, but she'd obviously left them behind.  Temporarily, or no?

There was no particular tone to Gannet's question; it was asked fairly objectively. Little did he know that he set off an entire—flash forward? It was like a flashback, only it showed her what could happen rather than what had happened. She pictured herself going back to the caldera, asking Elwood and Finley if she could come back and resettling in a place where she could be surrounded by family. She would get closer to Gannet here, reforge her bond with Raven and revive her relationship with her beloved godparents. She would help them raise the puppies left behind by the pack's legendary former monarchs. She would be happy here, she knew.

But Wildfire blinked back to the present and shook her head. "No," she said, realizing it even as she said it. "I have to go back to Drageda." She bit her lip and shot him a quick, apologetic glance in case her answer disappointed him. "You're staying there, right?" she asked next, even as it occurred to her that Gannet might leave, like many before him, especially since he was here and not there. "It's your choice, of course," she added carefully, "but I think they could really use your help right now."

Though there was no particular hope behind the question, the boy did catch himself anticipating her response.  He hadn't grown particularly close to Raven yet, but her presence added to the feeling of home surrounding the Caldera.  Doubtless Wildfire's would do the same, and he felt a hint of disappointment sour in his mouth at her response.  She had another home.

"This is home," he said, never having really considered the alternative.  He'd wandered, yeah, but he hadn't ever seriously thought about leaving for good.  Even without his parents here, and with none of his littermates remaining, the concept was distasteful.  Almost everyone he cared about was still here, and those who had left had chosen to leave him behind too.  Why would he chase them?

He might have grown out of his phase of idolizing those older, but she was family and she was leaving.  And the Redhawk boy was still an affectionate sort, so without much leadup he went and pressed his head against her shoulder affectionately.

When Gannet moved closer and butted against her affectionately, it took her by surprise. Wildfire froze for an instant, then gladly returned the gesture by pressing her nose to his cheek. "Yes, it is," she agreed. Drageda was her home now but Redhawk Caldera would always be home in its way too, as part of her heart would always live here.

After savoring the contact for a moment, Wildfire drew back just far enough to look her brother in the face and say a little mournfully, "I wish I could live in two places at once. I want to be here for you guys right now, really be here. But..." But, well, despite their recent falling-out, she had a mate and hoped to one day build a family with her. Although Thuringwethil had dashed her dreams for now, hopefully there was no permanent damage.

Wildfire knew that she might be on the verge of it, though, if she didn't get back to Drageda soon. Much as she hated to leave Gannet so soon, she murmured, "In fact, I need to start heading back. It's a long way and I didn't talk to anyone before I left." She gulped a little guiltily. "I'm glad I ran into you, Gannet. I'll be back someday to visit. Can you let everyone else know? And tell them I said goodbye? And that I love them?"

She let it stay a moment, then returned the gesture, and Gannet was again reminded slightly of Fox.  The older generation had held a lot more similarity; his littermates and he not so much.

Gannet gave a little rumble of satisfaction, but pulled away as she did, listening to her explanation and goodbye.  Yeah, he could do that.  He didn't know how much it'd mean coming from him, but he would relay the message, and nodded.

"Be careful," he said, watching her for another minute.  Then, knowing that she was indicating she needed to leave, he turned to walk away as well.  It really was time he got back too.

Gannet nodded and Wildfire felt a little burst of gratitude shoot through the guilt churning in her chest. She wished she could stop by the caldera and say her personal goodbyes, especially to her godparents and sister. There was no time for that, though, and her brother's willingness to pass along her message went a long way in assuaging her self-reproach on the matter.

"You too," she echoed him. "Take care." She watched him retreat, then cast a look around at the familiar gloominess of the summit before sucking in a sharp breath and setting into motion. There was a long road ahead of her and Wildfire was a little bit grateful for that, as she needed the time to continue processing these past few days. But sooner or later, she would be back at New Drageda to pick up the pieces and see if they could be glued back together.