Redhawk Caldera your own story is the safest place you'll ever be.

Set shortly after this thread, which also is set not the day I posted it...... screw you, timelines! Hoping for papa @Elwood :D

Liffey was shaking still as she crossed the borders of the Caldera. The scent of her own blood had been thick in her nostrils, even as the wind had pushed past her and attempted to blow it away. She glanced back at the red smeared across her flank and bit her lip, feeling anxious and fearful and somehow ashamed for what had happened to her. Finley had always said that as long as she was smart and stayed safe, then it was okay to leave the packlands. Liffey had thought she was being smart. She thought she'd been staying safe. But it turned out... she had been neither.

The young girl lowered her head until her full black spine ran parallel to the ground. Fervently, she hoped she would make it past everyone all the way to the Caldera's center where she could wash off the blood before anyone spotted her. No one would ever have to know about this. Sure she was limping, and maybe the cuts on her flank might be visible even after she cleaned herself off... But still, Liffey was hopeful. She could pull this off. No one would ever know...

Her mom was going to be so mad...

Even if he hadn't smelled Liffey's blood from a distance, Elwood still would have known something was wrong. Father's intuition, and all. But the metallic scent was unmistakable and caused his heartbeat to accelerate as he closed the gap between himself and his daughter, pushing Finley's voice out of the back of his mind. She would have begun scolding Liffey immediately; after all, she was the one that had been pushing the envelope lately. She was asking for trouble. But she was still Elwood's little girl, and first and foremost, he was concerned for her safety.

She was crouching close to the ground, her gait uneven, and Elwood's gaze immediately settled on the wounds marring her pelt. The sight caused his heart to twist as though he could physically feel her pain. "Liffey..." he said, pausing a few feet from her; he didn't want to crowd her, didn't want to scare her away. She had been so flighty lately. "What happened?" he asked quietly, ears tilted back.

Welp, that plan failed.

Liffey flinched visibly when she saw her father cantering towards her. Her heart hammered as she looked around, considering anything she might be able to do in these final few seconds to alleviate the situation. Options ran the gambit from trying to roll around in the grass to wipe off the blood to attempting to tunnel straight down into the earth beneath her and escape. Unfortunately (or maybe it really was fortunate), the young Blackthorn was far too logical to attempt anything, knowing perfectly well her own physical limitations and the simply fact that no matter where the blood went, it would still smell like her. So, she stood still with tears building in her eyes as Elwood closed the gap between them.

Though it seemed impossible, Liffey crouched even lower to the ground the moment her father said her name. There was gentility and concern in his voice as he questioned her, and yet she cowered as though being struck. Her body shook as she tried to fight the urge to fall apart completely, but there still was a hitch in her voice as she tried to answer him, "I was out in the meadow just East of the Serpent Lake and I got attacked by a wolverine," she explained, trying to stick the story she'd been rehearsing in her head on the way home, "It didn't hurt me that bad. It just scratched me up some is all. I'm okay. My friends were there and they helped and it's okay, we're all okay and..."

Liffey stopped, realizing how rushed and disjointed her words were becoming. She had to stay calm, otherwise there was no way her dad would ever believe her when she insisted it was no big deal to have been savaged by a vicious animal okay now I'm being dramatic...

Elwood fought the intense desire to scoop Liffey up into a hug. She was nearly an adult, and while she would always be his baby girl, he had to remember to address her like the young lady she was. But when she admitted in a small voice that she had been attacked by a wolverine, he couldn't stop himself from moving closer.

He leaned in to get a better look at her injuries, though he didn't touch her. The smell of her blood was almost overpowering; already, his mind was racing as he put together a plan. Eljay or Raven would be able to help, and both would be easy to track down. "I'm just glad you're okay," he said, refraining from scolding her no matter how much he wanted to. "You shouldn't have gone so far from home," he wanted to say. "You shouldn't have gone out without our permission," he wanted to add. But he didn't.

"Let's see if we can find Raven and Eljay," he said quietly. Maybe they would be lucky enough to get her patched up before Finley found out what had happened.

Liffey felt her lip beginning to tremble, so she bit down on it to make it stop. She would not cry, as much as she felt it would make her feel better. She was an adult now - a real, contributing member of the pack. Pack wolves did not cry when they got in trouble. They sucked it up and moved on, and Liffey would fight to do the same no matter how appealing it was to run into the safety of her father's arms that very moment.

The young wolf lifted her gaze only slightly when Elwood spoke. His words were sweet, but there was a tension in them she could only assume was some form of disappointment. When he continued, she felt overwhelmed with relief. He wasn't going to yell at her. He wasn't going to reprimand her at all. He was just going to help take care of her, and Liffey was immensely grateful for it. That, and for the fact that her mother had NOT been the one to find her. Liffey could only imagine how very different this encounter would have been if Finley had come across her in this state...

"Thanks, daddy," Liffey said, taking a chance and showing him the smallest of smiles. Her posture remained submissive and spoke clearly of her regret and shame, but she did feel somewhat lighter now as she moved to follow him to Raven.

It hadn't gone unnoticed by Eljay that his sister had been away from the pack lands, and it was with ears erect and widened eyes that he galopped towards her now, feeling panic grasp at his throat at the sight of her uneven hobble through the pack lands. "Liffey!" he called out, unable to hide the emotion from his voice as he ran as fast he could to her side.

Once Eljay reached daddy and Liffey, he nosed her cheek briefly and unattentively before quickly turning to look at the wounds she'd suffered. He wasn't a star at medical stuff so they'd need Raven to look at the wounds, so there wasn't a whole lot he could do but study them and hope they'd heal up well with Raven's help.

There were many things that Elwood wanted to say to Liffey, but he would save them for later. Knowing him, he might not even have that particular conversation with her at all. Unspoken words were just as powerful as anything he could tell her, and he knew already that she felt bad for disobeying her parents. Her injuries were likely punishment enough for what had happened, as far as he was concerned; of course, he knew that Finley would probably feel differently, but he would just plan to talk with her later, away from Liffey.

It wasn't Raven that came upon them first but Eljay, and Elwood stepped away with a small smile as he watched the siblings interact. Eljay's worry was painted clearly on his face; it was rare for the boy to hide his emotions, and this situation was no different. "She got into a tangle with a wolverine," he said as Eljay gave Liffey a cursory examination.

Liffey had thought the worst person who could have found her in this state was Finley. While the disappointment on Elwood's face felt like a knife twisting in her heart, she trusted him not to give her the lecturing she knew she deserved. He knew she would punish herself for this plenty, so he let it go. Finley would have yelled. Elwood let silence speak for itself.

But then, Liffey heard her name being called. Her eyes widened as she looked up and saw Eljay coming towards them with worry and fear in his mournful eyes. Her tears returned and she swallowed the lump in her throat. Eljay, who was terrified of stepping outside of the Caldera because he believed the rest of the world was so dangerous, had to see her like this. She was walking confirmation of his worst fears and anxieties.

She hung her head again and looked away, letting Elwood speak for her. She wanted to crawl straight into a hole and die.

Daddy said that she'd gotten hurt from a wolverine, and Eljay's eyes widened. With ears folded back he gently inspected Liffey's wounds and then nuzzled her cheek softly in silent gratitude that she had returned alive. He'd always been afraid to leave the Caldera; he'd been a frightened boy but when mommy'd gotten hurt during the weaning period it had been ingrained in his mind. It wasn't safe out there.

This was another confirmation to him, though he didn't scold her for going out. He knew now that others were different from him, like mommy and Wifi, and apparently Liff, too. "We should get you to Raven," he spoke in soft words, clearly not intending to berate her; and perhaps speaking even more softly than necessary because he wanted to make sure she knew he wasn't angry.

We can fade soon, or we can PP Raven for a couple of rounds if you want! Up to you guys! :)

Elwood nodded to Eljay; he was right, and Raven would be the best wolf to take care of Liffey medically. He glanced over at his daughter, noticing that her head was even lower than it had been before, if that was possible. She looked like she wanted to withdraw into herself like a turtle and disappear from the worried, prying eyes of her family.

"Let's go," he urged gently, and as he stepped forward he lifted his muzzle and loosed a soft, beckoning howl for Raven. He was sure it wouldn't take long for the young medic to reach them, but he continued to shuffle along with Liffey and Eljay, moving at a slow pace so as not to aggravate her injuries.

I'm good with fadesing :D I'll let you guys decide if you want to post again though or just archive it here <3

Liffey felt completely awful and though she knew she deserved whatever punishment she got, she still felt a terrible clenching in her heart when Elwood tipped his muzzle back to call for Raven. She knew wherever Finley was, she would probably hear the call and it was a 50/50 chance whether or not her mother would be curious enough that day to see what was going on. Silently, she prayed that Finley was the only one available to stay back and watch the firebirds while Raven came to tend to her, little as she deserved to be so lucky...

With nothing else for it, Liffey limped forward to follow her father, snuggling close to Eljay's side as they went. She whined softly as she reached to nuzzle at her brother's chin apologetically, wanting him to know that she was okay and everything was okay. She could only imagine what he was thinking. She wanted to reassure him that it hadn't been a big deal, that it was a completely random episode that she could easily have avoided by paying more attention. Or even that the wolverine had been killed, and she'd come across it far enough away from the Caldera that he didn't need to worry that something like that could happen near his home.

But, Liffey knew that whatever comfort she could give to Eljay would sound like excuses to her dad. So, she kept silent as they walked, and would remain so until Raven arrived to care for her when she'd have to tell the whole story again from the beginning.

Eljay nodded as daddy said that they should get a move on. He stayed close to Liffey to support her if needed, and smiled softly at her as she leaned in close and nosed his chin. "It's okay," he murmured, "You're gonna be okay." They'd see after what they would do — for now it was most important to get Liffey patched up. Eljay held the assumption — a naive one, perhaps — that Liffey had learned now, that she'd stay away from the outside world from now on. Surely it had been proven to her now that he was right and that she should stay in the Caldera, too, even though her adventurous spirit wanted otherwise.

They moved on towards Raven in silence after daddy's howl. It was comforting to feel Liffey close by his side and he hoped that he gave her the same kind of comfort; to know that she was loved and taken care of and that everything would be okay.

fine with a fade too! :)