Redhawk Caldera We got no one to hide from

@Finley @Elwood whoever wants to les do dis!!!!!!

He almost missed it, over the trees.  But at some point during his meeting with the man by the lake, Colt had caught a glimpse of a familiar, flat topped mountain, and immediately the memory of a certain E....something.  Shit, what was his name again? It didn’t matter, not really.  But if they hadn’t left yet, Finley and her family lived on that mountain.

It had been so many years.  He deliberated on it a good couple of minutes before curiosity won out and he knew he was going to go over there.  Why not?  Worst she could do was set her kids on him.  How scary could Frog’s troupe of mini-mes be?

He grinned sardonically at the thought as he stood on the edge, staring up at the rising slope ahead that would crest, he assumed, into wherever she had lived/still lived/who knows.

”Best knock like a proper gent, eh?” He asked himself softly, pausing in his ascent and idly shifting his weight.  He wouldn’t admit to nerves, but you try reaching out to a sister you haven’t spoken to in years and see how it hits you.  “Oi, FROG, YOU HOME!?”  

His howl wasn’t the politest of introductions, but hopefully if she or E heard it, they’d get the memo on who it was knocking.

Towhee didn't hear the knock. She was sidling along the borderline, pondering the latest pack gossip. Evidently, Wildfire had been imprisoned by a nearby pack before escaping and arriving here. Several of the Redhawks were outraged over the news. Towhee didn't really feel much of anything; she didn't know or care about Wildfire very much. But she couldn't deny that the thought of waging war in some fashion excited her greatly. She needed the experience, so she hoped to be on the front lines if and when the time came.

In the meantime, the deaf guardian caught sight of a brown wolf lingering near the fringes of the territory. Her fur prickled, perhaps because of her war-mongering thoughts, yet Aunt Finley's recent feedback echoed in her brain. She approached swiftly and with a stern look, though she did not attack or even yell (on purpose).

"State your name and business," Towhee demanded in her usual overly loud and clunky cadence.

Couldn’t be long now, right? Right.  But the wolf who did finally answer was decided young and definitely not-Finley.  Hmm.  Had his sister moved on? But the area still carried her scent, so it didn’t seem that was the case.

She seemed on edge, as expected, but Colt kept an air of casual relaxation as he responded.  “ That’s quite an accent you got there, kid.”  Her words and tone were jarring, but once he took a minute, he got the gist of what she’d said.  “Name’s Colt.  I believe I’ve got a sister holed up here somewhere, goes by the name Finley?”. Unless she’d changed it again.  Problem with giving your kids names like the Blackthorns was it gave you more than twice the amount to keep track of, what with all the nicknames.

Despite all of Towhee's dealings with outsiders at these borders, very few had ever commented outright on the way she spoke. She couldn't hear herself, of course, or know the first thing about what she might sound like. But she was aware that she spoke differently, per Raven's teachings of yore. She didn't feel self-conscious about it most of the time, though she felt a slight flush of heat when it was pointed out to her now.

"I'm deaf," she informed him flatly. Her mouth clapped shut and she blinked when he gave a name (she interpreted it as "Cold," though she'd heard stranger monikers) and then identified himself as Finley's brother. "What?" she replied a bit stupidly. It seemed strange, somehow, for her godmother to have some random brother, much less one that spontaneously appeared at the borders. "Prove it."

Not the friendliest was she?  ”Doesn’t make it less true,” he responded, not about to apologize for what he saw as a fair observation.  

Prove it.  She had to be kidding.  “Aside from the family good looks? What more do you need?”  It wasn’t likely to amuse her, he knew that, but he wasn’t sure how he could prove something when he hadn’t seen her in years and wasn’t even positive she’d welcome his company now.  If only he could remember the other dude’s name... Finley’s baby daddy now.  Mate.  Whatever.  Elm?

It wasn't every day that someone showed up shouting on the borders. It was even less likely that this someone would be looking for Frog, otherwise known as Finley. The bellowed summons drew Elwood's attention, particularly the use of his wife's nickname. Colt didn't spring to the forefront of his mind, but his memories were jarred as he jogged towards the male -- and, of course, his goddaughter, who had promptly greeted him.

From the angle he approached, Elwood didn't at first recognize the wolf talking with Towhee. He was of agouti coloration, with nothing particularly notable about his appearance. But as he drew nearer, the Alpha's gaze was drawn to a dark swath of fur marching its way prominently down the male's spine, and everything clicked into place.

"Colt, right?" he said as he slowed to a halt, posture friendly but not fully relaxed. "Looking for Finley?" he asked.

Towhee wasn't quite sure what she wanted from him. There was no way to prove it, though seconds before her uncle appeared, she noticed the thick stripe down his back. Definitely a Blackthorn... the mercenary mused despite herself, though she didn't get the chance to open her mouth before the pack's Alpha male arrived to question their visitor.

She remained mum, falling easily into role of silent observer as she peered speculatively at Colt. What was Finley's brother doing here? Was he visiting? Did he want to join? Would her godparents let him near the pups? That thought made the fur along Towhee's spine prickle. She didn't trust outsiders, even if they were related by blood, at least until they proved themselves. But Towhee was getting ahead of herself. She shifted her weight and watched the exchange with a blank expression but shrewd eyes.

The younger border patrol didn’t really have time to answer before a very welcome sight appeared in her wake; Finley’s mate.  Perhaps even more welcome than Finley herself, because from what Colt could remember, they’d parted ways quite amicably last time they met.  

“Long time no see,” he responded back, relaxing as he felt the tone of the conversation shift to more welcoming ground.  The red and black one still looked ready to go, but Colt got the impression he wasn’t going to have to bolt anytime soon.  “I was in the area.  She around?”  He asked casually, but he could feel his fur prickle with the expectation of a meeting long overdue.

As Colt asked after Finley, Elwood glanced around as though expecting his mate to materialize. He hoped that she would -- he wanted to see for himself the family reunion that had been a long time coming. There was a lot of history between the siblings, but having now met Colt himself, Elwood hoped that Finley would be happy to see him. "She's around here somewhere," he said, turning to look over his other shoulder.

In the meantime, small talk seemed to be the best approach while they waited for Frog. Elwood took note of the way Towhee had quieted, although she was still at attention and focused on Colt. "This is my goddaughter, Towhee," he said, gesturing towards her with his snout. He had the sneaking suspicion that Towhee hadn't introduced herself; while she had come a long way in her treatment of strangers on their borders, he knew that she wasn't necessarily nice -- and he didn't expect her to be. "She's training as a guardian," he explained further.

Her uncle and Colt—was he an uncle too?—must have met and gotten on previously, based on their interaction. But their visitor's intentions remained unclear and Towhee's patience grew thin. Finley's assignment floated around in the back of her mind. Titmouse hadn't cleared her bar at all—hence leaving judgment up to Elwood—but perhaps she could step up to the plate with her godmother's brother.

"Are you looking to join, Cold?" Towhee asked after her uncle introduced her. She didn't even wait for an answer before demanding, "What are your skills? Would you say you're loyal? Trustworthy?"

Was that a touch of relief there, buddy? Yes, yes it was.  Seems his sister was afk at the moment and that meant he was off the hook a bit longer.  Still time to go on his merry way and forget about this place.

But for some reason, he couldnt.  He’d gone on long enough not knowing and avoiding and he’d be damned if he was a coward.  So he stayed and continued to listen as Elwood introduced his greeting party.  

She was a regular ray of sunshine, wasn’t she?  He opened his mouth to respond to Elwood’s introduction, but was cut off as she launched into one of her own.  Between the tone and the tone-deaf (literally) inflection, Colt’s jaw clenched involuntarily, but he remained neutral.  That a wolf at least a few years his junior was questioning him in such a way rankled a bit, but he was used enough to pack wolves to know this was how it went.  Every one thought you owed them something.  

“Loyal enough to those that earn it,” he said simply, shrugging.  “And skilled enough to not be dead yet.  So I’d say I’m more than adequate.”  He could have gone on with a jab, and a younger Colt would have.  But slightly wiser, older Colt recognized her youth and temperment as two things he wasn’t going to benefit from testing at this moment, especially not in front of Elwood, who he did like.

After being introduced by Elwood, Towhee stepped up figuratively. She began to question "Cold" (Elwood stifled a grin), pressing for more information on his skills and traits in her deadpan voice. While the lack of intonation perhaps made her seem a bit forceful, Elwood appreciated her businesslike demeanor. She was getting the job done without turning him away simply because he was an outsider, and that was an improvement.

While he was allowing her to take the wheel, he still turned his gaze to Colt as he replied. He refrained from nodding or commenting, though personally he was pleased with the Blackthorn's responses. It also helped that he was biased towards his brother-in-law. But would he be good enough for Towhee?

She certainly wouldn't take him at his word, though she pondered his answer in silence for a moment. Prove it... Towhee thought again but she didn't voice it. She glanced at Elwood, then back to Colt, deliberating at length. She wouldn't lie to herself; it was sorely tempting to accept him just to achieve Finley's final task. But Towhee wasn't going to forget her principles to prove herself as a master guardian, as that would be entirely counter-intuitive.

"We'll be the judge of that," she said at last, looking to her godfather again as if uncertain. Did she really possess the power to accept Colt? "We'll let you stay, if you prove your loyalty and usefulness. If you fail to do that—within the first month, I'd say—then you'll be booted." That seemed fair and reasonable, although a third glance was sent in the Alpha male's direction to see if he wanted to add anything.

He resisted the urge to laugh at her proposed timeline; she likely wouldn’t get the joke.  But it was funny.  The way she spoke, she would be the one choosing when to chase him out, but he knew he might be booking it out of the borders that very night.  If Finley ran this show, his chances weren’t exactly solid.

He felt that familiar itch with the prospect of remaining here as well, a bit of restless anxiety that came with a wanderer who had to settle a while. But if he was honest with himself, he was getting older, and he’d run around enough alone to be sick of it.  The thought of sticking around wasn’t the worst one by far, even if it came with some of an irritating sort.

”Seems fair,” he responded, knowing he had little feedback in the matter aside from agreeing or leaving.    Besides, he had little doubts that he would exceed expectations.  How hard could it be?

The situation progressed before Elwood's eyes, without any of his direct input. He paid close attention to Towhee's body language and words, although he knew to disregard her tone of voice. At the same time, he also took note of the way Colt reacted to the youth and her verdict. It may have seemed a little odd for the Alpha male to be taking the backseat, but he suspected Colt could understand that this was part of Towhee's training.

When she gave him a month to prove himself in their ranks, Elwood nodded subtly in response to Towhee's quick glances in his direction. "Well, you heard her," he said, bobbing his head in a more noticeable manner and casting an amiable smile in his brother-in-law's direction. "I usually advise newcomers to get to know the leaders as soon as possible," he said, sharing this tidbit of information mostly for Towhee's benefit. "But in your case, you just need to check in with your sister," he added with a knowing expression. Finley would certainly be surprised to find Colt among their ranks.

Normally, Towhee would have excused herself at this point to assume or resume a patrol. However, she felt responsible for Colt now, plus she wanted to inform Finley of her successfully completed task. So as soon as Elwood finished, Towhee said, "We'll go see her now." It wasn't an invitation or a request, but an order. "Come on."

"Could you," she added, turning to her godfather, "howl for Aunt Finley and tell her to meet us by the cave?" There were multiple caves around here, of course, but he'd know the one and so would Finley. "Thanks. See you later." She flashed Elwood a smile, then shot Colt an impatient look and began walking toward the rendezvous point (not to be confused with the rendezvous site, of course).

I figured we could invite @Finley or we could simply fade here; I'm fine with whatever. :)