Redhawk Caldera We need a home

@Elwood @Finley Sorry to took so long! :D BAF Members feel free to make cameo's: @Pearl @Odette @Andalusia @Malice @Benjamin @Ivy @Nova

It was tough. It was tough on them all it seemed. No one was feeling very well and on top of that to also leave their home wasn't anything good. But Sebastian felt it was necessary for their survival. They had a rest at Lake Rodney. Sebastian felt better after the fresh water, now his only worry was that RHC had enough place for them. To offer them refuge.

Sebastian made sure everyone could keep up the pace, which meant they all had to adjust to Burke's slower pace. The male wasn't getting any younger, Sebastian realized that well enough, but he was surprised that Burke managed to keep up without complaining or snapping someone's head off. Sebastian was relieved when they reached the borders of the Caldera.

Sebastian howled for Fox and Peregrine, he was unaware that they both weren't alive anymore, and for Elwood and Finley. Sebastian felt his stomach churn. His daughter Nova wasn't happy with him and their move. He just hoped they would be welcome in by RHC at least. They all looked worse for wear because of this weird sickness.

:D

Over the past week, wolves from Redhawk Caldera's past had congregated at their borders. Elwood was curious and surprised when he heard Sebastian's familiar voice, requesting the presence of Fox and Peregrine. He winced; he had had to share the news with Ashton, too, just a few days prior, and it seemed that he would be rehashing their story yet again.

He kept an eye out for Towhee as he made his way to the outskirts, knowing that the mercenary-in-training spent a lot of time there. He didn't see her, but when he laid eyes on Sebastian, his brows lifted in question. The grey male wasn't alone; a group of wolves stood with him, comprised of adults as well as youths. Elwood strode towards his former packmate, his expression friendly yet somewhat guarded.

"Sebastian," he greeted, coming to stand a few feet from the small gathering of strangers. "What brings you here?" he asked, his gaze slipping past his friend to study Sebastian's companions.

If we're not welcome, simply flick us away! Kim, feel free to NPC Raven. :)

She couldn't possibly keep an eye on the borders all the time. When Sebastian and company arrived, Towhee was snoozing under an apple tree near the southeastern edge of the territory, the very one where her parents had made merry with their pack for the final time before Peregrine's untimely death. Unaware of the sentimental value of said tree, the growing Xi snored loudly, a noise which did nothing to disturb her slumber, just like the former Redhawk's call went unheard.

But Towhee possessed some inexplicable sixth sense. Without warning, her eyes popped open and she jumped to her feet. Something drove her due west, curving with the caldera's sprawl. She froze when her brassy eyes clapped upon her godfather facing a handful of strange wolves. Her blood ran cold even as her heart began pounding in her chest. Were they under attack? Despite her usual tough exterior, Towhee's legs felt jellylike as she began marching in that direction.

She noticed a few things as she moved: Elwood's demeanor seemed relaxed, despite being outnumbered. And the scents wafting from the strangers were tinged with something that hinted at illness. Towhee's hackles bristled as she tried to make sense of this information. She wanted to barrel forward and stand by her Alpha's side, safeguarding their home. But the fear and that peculiar, sickly odor made her instinctively hesitate.

Towhee screamed when something suddenly touched her hip. She whirled to see Raven standing there. "Sorry! I didn't mean to sneak up on you," the medic said. "I want you to stay here, Towhee. We'll call you if we need you."

-What?! No! I want to come with you!-

But Raven shook her head and gave Towhee a look. Although she felt incredibly indignant, she knew better than to disobey a direct order from a superior. Sulkily, she dropped into a crouch, orange eyes tracking Raven's every movement as the caregiver approached the group with a smile and clinical eye.

Finley heard the call rise up into the air over the Caldera. Like her mate, the request for Peregrine and Fox upon the voice made her heart ache. It was quickly overlooked in her curiosity and pleasure upon the realization that it was Sebastian come to visit. Her mind leaped back to when she had met him during her search for Lucy and she smiled softly, thinking perhaps this visit was him keeping his promise to bring his then pending brood to visit. And so it was that Fin was not completely surprised to see the group of wolves standing at her borders. She sidled up alongside her family with her gaze settling on each of the strangers in turn, recognizing easily which were most likely his kids, and then slowly realizing the rest were... definitely not.

Thinking he brought his entire pack by to say hello because apparently her hormones were making her dumb af in exchange for letting her be pleasant and friendly, she just smiled at them all and gave a happy wag of her tail, taking care to keep close to Elwood just for good measure since she was still all kinds of in heat. She probably ought not to have come at all, but... she had wanted to see puppies.

"Did you bring your whole crew to visit?" Fin asked brightly and ignorantly before chirruping happily at the rest of them a nice, kind of random introduction, "I'm Finley!"

Sebastian stood there with his whole family. Elwood and Finley arrived soon, and some others. His main focus was them. As he stood on the borders for a while he noticed the scent changed. It lacked Fox and Peregrine. Seeing that also Finley and Elwood came to his call he had the feeling the two former alphas were away or a different fate had come upon them.

Sebastian cleared his throat. "Hi Elwood, Hi Finley!," he greeted. He noticed that Finley was in heat, and though it smelled alluring he didn't feel much for it as he was mated to Pearl. He was happy with her. "Not for a visit. I hoped you would have enough spots to have us join Redhawk," he spoke and then flashed them one of their awkward smiles. He had become better with his awkwardness, as a leader he needed to be assertive, which he learned.

Sebastian glanced over both. They probably needed more of an explanation. "Our territory. We think something is wrong with it. I believe the water was tainted, but it could have been the prey animals. We need refuge. I could think of no one else but you. I am a healer, along with Andalusia. We also bring Hunters, Fishermen, Guardians and Naturalists to strengthen the pack." He wasn't sure what to expect. Perhaps they didn't even have room for them.

He wasn't the only one that had been enticed by Sebastian's call; he was soon joined by Raven, Towhee, and Finley. The youngest of the three hung back after a set of quiet instructions from Raven, and Elwood watched her for a moment before turning back to the group of wolves assembled before them.

Sebastian got right to the point, explaining that he and his family hadn't just stopped by for a visit. Due to contaminated water, they had been forced to abandon Broken Antler Fen and needed a place to stay. Elwood's brows drew together in sympathy and worry. "I'm sorry to hear that," he said genuinely. Since Sebastian himself was a healer, Elwood trusted that he wouldn't have brought his entire pack to their doorstep had they been suffering from a contagious illness. It was likely that fresh air and good food would have them feeling better in a few days.

He glanced at Finley. "We have space in our ranks," he said; naturally, the good-hearted Alpha was willing to offer sanctuary to his old friend and his kin, but he didn't want to speak out of turn should Finley have any concerns.

With a shrewd eye, she observed her Alphas and Raven interacting with the ringleader of the ragtag band standing on their borders. From this far away, she couldn't hope to read a stranger's lips (it was challenging enough up close). Eager to better understand what was happening and certain her older sister wouldn't hold such a thing against her, Towhee crept closer. She remained perpendicular to the gathering and positioned herself to read the Redhawks' side of the conversation even as Elwood said, "We have space in our ranks."

The Xi's jaw dropped. This group was here to join them? And her godfather was just going to let in an entire handful of outsiders? Towhee's heart twisted in her chest, the mix of emotions too volatile to pick out any one in particular. But perhaps strongest of them all was a peculiar sense of betrayal at Elwood's blind trust of these outsiders. What if they meant the current residents harm? What if they were here to overthrow her aunt and uncle and take the land? Even if they weren't here to wreak havoc, how was Towhee supposed to communicate with them effectively? She and the others were now outnumbered by outsiders.

She knew she should trust the Alphas' judgment. She knew she really had no choice in the matter. Still, Towhee felt a lot like she might throw up right then. Instead, she just remained standing there, rigid as a statue, her insides churning even as her exterior fell totally blank.

only a cameo post!

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To say that Nova was bitter was an understatement. There was no end to the churning of her stomach nor the contempt in her heart; she'd combed every waterway in the Fen once her father had said they were moving, tried to find the source of the contamination. Whatever it was, it was long since decayed to a point she never found it. Her thoughts were with her brother - Mato would not know where they were, how to find them again, and god, did he even care? bitter and upset, Nova had withdrawn into herself and scarcely spoken a word since the brutal announcement. 

When they arrived on the borders Nova was quiet, respectful, every expected behavior of a stranger and a proper example of her parents raising her. It was evident from the behavior of the child younger than they were that she wasn't happy about their arrival, but even as a space was offered to them Nova couldn't provide a smile. She'd lost everything she'd known and cared for in a swift go of things. She did not even outwardly react, waiting to hear the negotiations between her parents and the strangers - well, apparent friends of her father's. Once upon a time she might have listened with rapt attention, wanting to learn to apply it to her own studies....but instead, she was just melancholy. Such was the life of a teenager.

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same-sies <3

Ivy had been keeping an eye on Nova throughout their journey from their apparently-infected home in the Fen.  She was still tired - so tired all the time! - and therefore didn't say or do anything, but her sister's upset was obvious and it made her own heart ache more than she'd ever admit out loud.  The smallest of Pearl and Sebastian's pups tended to wrap herself up in a haughty, self-absorbed cloak, which had worked just fine to keep non-family members at an emotional distance.  Her gaze flicked to her ill and struggling grandfather for a brief moment as she thought of how it kept some family members out, too.  Frowning, she decided it'd be best to unpack that particular bag at a much, much later date.

Slowly and with every intent of not drawing much attention to herself, Ivy made her way to Nova's side and offered a soft huff.  Melancholy had settled over her brown and tan sister, that much was clear.  The smaller girl leaned until her entire side rested against Nova's in a wordless offer of physical support during this stressful move.  Inwardly, she hoped it'd be obvious that she'd be there for emotional support, too.

Her ears flicked a couple of times as adult voices floated about.  She knew they were talking about important things and she should probably politely pay attention, but Nova was more important than all of that right now.  Besides, Mom and Daddy had things under control as always - no need for her to stress about it.

Finley was dumbfounded when Sebastian proceeded to explain that this wasn't just a brief visitation. Her eyes swept over the wolves at her friend's back with a new perspective - one that called for her giddy-with-hormones mind to straighten up and pay attention. These could potentially be the newest members of the family the Blackthorn and Redhawk families had been carefully cultivating for nearly three years. Were they good enough?

Another version of hormonal Finley would probably have been way, way more suspicious and skeptical. This version of hormonal Finley, however, wriggled with glee beside her mate and gave a fierce nod to confirm his comment. "It would be awesome if you join us!" she said happily, completely ignorant to the fact that many of the younger wolves gathered looked less than pleased with this Brady Bunch-esque merger, "It'll be awesome to have more strength, and it's going to be awesome to have you back!"

She looked from Sebastian to the pale female at his side, assuming this was likely his mate. No one would ever even come close to replacing Peregrine and Fox, but her heart was giddy with the idea of having couple friends again. And so, she happily proceeded to plan double dates and matchmake their children while Elwood did whatever important alpha things she ought to have been thinking about.

Sebastian was nervous. Perhaps the Redhawks thought they are too much out of shape, due to the contaminated water, to join. Sebastian glanced over each member. His pale eyes quickly falling over his two daughter's Nova was mad at him. He realized that he should talk to her, and explain the situation better. He talked to Mato before he left. He mentioned to him that he could always go to Moonspear and the Redhawks for help if he needed it. He hoped that his son was smart enough to look for them at one of these packs when he couldn't find them. Still, Sebastian felt unsettled too. He didn't want Mato to arrive at the Fen and realize his family was gone. He was going to look for his son. Perhaps he could do it together with Nova to bond with her.

His attention was caught by Elwood once more, it was followed by Finley's comment. His tail started to wag when he realized that her answer meant yet. He licked under Pearl's chin in glee. He relaxed more as they were standing on the borders. "I'm extremely grateful," he spoke. "Give me a week and I hope to be up and running at full strength. I don't know about some of us. But I will make sure that we pull our weight," he spoke. Sebastian always had given his full 100% and he believed that helped him keep such good ties with this pack. He glanced at the wolves behind Finley and Elwood. He dipped his head and gave them both a grateful nod too, even though the expression of the younger one wasn't that pleased.

Bunnybutt needed a cameo too! :D

Burke was worn out when they reached the border. He had been at this border before. His intentions hadn't been as peaceful as they were now. He wondered if they would let him in. Then again, he wasn't too worried if he was accepted or not. He would survive. Burke believed that he was strong enough to survive on his own if he wasn't accepted by these wolves. The old male sat close to his granddaughters. He noticed something was up. The bitter looks of the brown colored one, Nova, were the same ones Sebastian pulled at him when he was that age himself. Funny how things turned out.

The old male had to lie down to gather his strength. In a way, it was good, since it would probably be seen as submission. Burke's breathing was still wheezing each time he breathed in or out. The older male lifted his head when the couple accepted them without much doubt. His dots raised in surprise for a moment. Then Sebastian had to embarrass himself, even more, making the male scowl. They were already accepted and he had to comment on how hard he would work for them. No dignity for himself. Burke let out a long grunt as a comment before placing his head down and keeping quiet. At least, they would be fed and were able to recover.

quick Pearl cameo!

Pearl stood at Sebastian's side, allowing him to handle the relations with his old friends. The general unhappiness displayed by her daughters, especially Nova, did not go unnoticed. She glanced at the apparent alpha pair before giving them both a comforting lick. Returning to her mate's side, she smiled at the energetic (and clearly hormonal) Finley. 

There was another young pup hanging around as well, who seemed indignant about their staying here. She offered the little one a small smile, trying to give the right impression. When it was clear they were accepted, she felt a swell of joy and returned Sebastian's excited victory lick. She nodded in turn, thanking the pair for allowing them to join.

In general, Elwood was never quite sure what to expect from Finley. She exhibited a range of emotions on a daily basis, and her current hormone situation only made that worse. So when she exuberantly agreed that Sebastian and his crew should join them, Elwood couldn't help but look at her and raise his brows briefly. He had no problem with the arrangements, but simply hadn't expected her to be so enthusiastic.

"It's settled then," he said, turning his attention back to Sebastian and company. "It would be awesome for you to join us," he added with a chuckle. To the other wolves, whose expressions varied from joy to unhappy to apprehensive, he said, "Welcome to Redhawk Caldera. I'm Elwood, and this is my mate, Finley." Just in case that hadn't been made clear. "This is Raven, one of our medics," he continued, and Raven bobbed her head in greeting.

"Come in and get yourself acquainted with the caldera. I recommend you stay near the lower reaches of the mountain until you are feeling better," he suggested, taking a step back as he spoke to allow the newest members to cross the border. As he shifted, he glanced at Towhee out of the corner of his eye. She was standing stiffly and it was hard to tell what she was thinking behind her stoic facade, but he found himself wondering how she would adjust. He tried to catch her eye and give her a sympathetic smile coupled with an encouraging nod.

Towhee only snapped out of her fugue state when Elwood turned to catch her eye. She loved her uncle dearly but she found his sympathetic gestures a little insulting. She wanted to return his look with a glare but she wasn't the type to be downright disrespectful. Besides, she couldn't really control it when instead her brassy eyes went soft with betrayal. "How could you?" her gaze seemed to accuse, though she quickly looked down and away to avoid her godfather picking up on her pain.

There was nothing for it. Her godparents had welcomed in this group of total strangers with open arms. Simply unable to process it at the moment, Towhee's facial muscles finally contorted. She gave the entire lot of them a heavily contemptuous look, particularly the young and sour-faced pups lingering behind the adults. Moving rather mechanically, the Xi then turned her back on everyone, galloping stiffly along the invisible borderline and eventually disappearing into the distance.

Exit Fin :) Welcome everyone!

Finley was completely thrilled with this development. She nudged Raven and nipped at her cheek playfully, completely ignoring the look of confusion and omg-why-are-you-so-weird on her goddaughter's face. She also failed to notice the appalled look on Towhee's face as the girl digested this new development. All Fin saw was her turn to walk away. Suddenly inspired by her unnatural level of giddiness, Finley bounced after her shouting "Tickles!!" and disappeared right along with the young pup to inadvertently torment her with her overabundance of joy.

Sebastian was relieved to hear that they were accepted. He turned to his family and wagged his tail. "Let's all find a place to rest," the male spoke to the others. He hoped that they would all settle in well. He glanced at the RHC members and dipped his head respectfully one more time. "Thank you," he spoke and then dropped his role as their alpha. Once they crossed the border he would have at least guided them safely away from the sickness.

I'll archive this! :)

His smile wasn't returned by Towhee; instead, she shot him a look that briefly wounded him. He watched as she stalked away, a sigh on his lips as he reminded himself of their conversation. It would take cooperation from all sides to make this work, and while Towhee may not have agreed with her godparents' decision, she still had to accept it. Elwood certainly wouldn't force her to make nice with Sebastian's family, though. He would give her all the space she needed.

Turning back to the Fen wolves -- as Finley simultaneously galloped away on Towhee's heels -- Elwood gestured for them to follow him, then fell into step with Sebastian as the merge became complete.