Redhawk Caldera going through changes

Eljay was glad that he got to stay home for a bit longer. He regretted ever leaving as he wandered the lands and he was looking forward to spend time with those he loved. Particularly he hoped to find @Raven for an update on his herb skills and so she may teach him some more about pup-birthing and particularly what herbs would help the process. He had also heard he had baby siblings and felt regret to know that he would never get to see them grow up and guide them through life as he had tried with Liffey and Lagan too. But they had Lagan and so they didn't really need him, he told himself; it'd be fine.

Eljay decided he would visit his baby sibs later, though he was beginning to wonder how long it may take for @Wildfire's wounds to heal. What if it took really long? Would he have to return to Drageda alone then? And what if he got lost on the way? He'd gone there and back once now, but Eljay didn't remember much about the journey at all and he was worried he might get lost again. For now he shoved those worries aside though and went to look for Raven in some of her favourite spots, hoping to find her nearby.

It was a little tougher for Towhee to overhear pack gossip, what with her disability, yet the news of what had happened to Wildfire—and how their neighbors were responsible for it—spread quickly. The guardian pondered it as she roamed the borders today, occasionally casting scathing glances off the east. It wasn't really the Redhawks' fight so much as Drageda's, yet they were right there. Towhee knew her godparents would want to avenge Wildfire too and even she couldn't deny that she was itching for a fight with these slime balls. She could use the warrior experience too.

She wrapped up her patrol, then made her way back up toward the rendezvous site. On her way there, Towhee spotted a familiar gray figure. She paused and squinted, deliberating. She had never been very close to Eljay and she wasn't really clear on whether he was back to stay or simply hanging out until Wildfire was ready to go home. Biting back a sigh, the mercenary opened her mouth and woofed to announce her presence.

#oopswrongcharacter

His search was interrupted by a woof, and Eljay turned around to see who it was, even though he realised before he saw her that it must be Towhee judging by her voice. He smiled bashfully, not sure how Towhee would receive him after so long a time. When he had left she had been little and so he had mostly helped take care of the pups when they were still small. She might not even remember, really, what his role had been. She might only remember him as the Alphas' son who'd left.

"Hi Towhee," he said, articulating clearly so she would be able to tell what he was saying. He had always been awful at ptero and he had sure not gotten better in his time away; Eljay hoped Towhee remembered that and wouldn't even try. "You've grown so much," said Eljay with a soft smile. "How have you been?"

He turned toward her with a bashful smile. Towhee's face remained blank, her orange gaze steely. "Hi," she echoed him tonelessly. She ignored his comment about her growth as she pondered his question. "I've been fine," she eventually answered. Even if she hadn't been deaf with a speech impediment, Towhee wouldn't have been very good at small talk.

"How many guards does she need?" she asked point-blank. "Unless you're back here to stay?" Towhee added with a slight quirk to her brow.

Towhee didn't seem very happy to see him, or... anything, really. Her lack of emotion made Eljay feel nervous and he smiled awkwardly as she answered that she was fine. He wasn't sure if it was a positive fine or one of those fine's that isn't really a fine but you're just trying to be strong. Towhee didn't seem the type for the last type of 'fine', though.

Eljay's eyes widened a little as Towhee asked him about Wildfire's guards and then continued to ask if he were here to stay. He shook his head lightly, though truthfully really wanted to stay here; but he knew he shouldn't. "I — I wanted to see mommy and daddy a bit longer, ah... And the pups." He stumbled over his words somewhat and smiled awkwardly at the end of that.

The young guardian grimaced ever so slightly at his answer. It made her uncomfortable that he still referred to them as "mommy" and "daddy" at his age, plus the idea of a technical outsider mingling with the pups didn't sit well with her. She supposed she trusted Eljay more than she would a stranger or another wayward relative—he was biologically related to the puppies, after all, and the idea of him hurting one was downright absurd—but that didn't mean she had to like it.

"Have you ever heard the saying, 'shit or get off the pot,' Eljay?" Towhee asked.

Eljay felt growing nervousness as Towhee asked him a question he didn't understand. "Uh, no," he answered uncertainly, ears folding back and forward uncomfortably. He wished he could be and look strong, but he just wasn't and he didn't know how to handle himself in the current presence. He loved Towhee because he had known her since she was really little, but he had a feeling that the feeling wasn't reciprocated at the moment.

"It means," she replied without missing a beat, "that if you're part of Drageda, you should go back there. If you want to stay here, you should join the pack properly, like Wildfire's done. It makes no difference to me what you decide, but if you don't make a decision—if you try to hang around here without pledging yourself—then I'll have no choice but to make it for you." Towhee paused, giving him an emphatic look. "I'll chase you out," she clarified.

It was a bit of a bluff, because Towhee didn't think Elwood and Finley would take that well whatsoever, and the mercenary didn't want it to have to come to that anyway. She hoped her words would spur Eljay to quit being a flake and commit one way or the other. She punctuated this thought by taking a leering step closer to him, orange eyes heavy on his face.

Eljay swallowed difficultly while he listened to Towhee talk. He nodded a few times while he submissively looked away, his heart hammering in his chest and his breath coming out in short, stilted breaths while he tried to control himself as to not look like a total, well, dweeb in front of Towhee. After all, she was directly related to Nightjar, and even though so were Wildfire and Raven, well, he didn't want to look like a loser; whether it meant he stayed or went in the end.

"Okay," Eljay said when she finished speaking, not sure what else he could say. "I'll decide soon." He nodded as to emphasise his words, though really all he wanted now was to get out of the situation. He hadn't really considered staying here until Towhee mentioned it, though... Only now did he realise that it might be a viable option. But what about Blixen? And what if when Wildfire returned to Drageda, too, and he was still here? And what about his family? There were so many things he had yet to piece together before he could make a decision that he already felt guilty for promising 'soon'. There was so much left to think about, and knowing himself, he'd think in circles a long while before even deciding.

She felt an unpleasant stab of guilt when she noticed his rapid breathing and the other signs of panic. Although there was part of her that was pleased she could have this effect on someone, Towhee didn't have a personal vendetta against Eljay. In fact, it really hadn't been until Nightjar had come along and badmouthed him that she'd developed a stronger opinion about his weak-willed ways. She swallowed when he meekly agreed to her terms, feeling a bit like a jerk. But then Towhee reminded herself that it wasn't personal, that she was standing by her own principles, and that Eljay did need to make a call one way or another.

"That's all I'm asking," she said with slightly softened eyes, though she was quick to add, "Do it quickly, Eljay. Neither pack deserves—or needs—someone with wishy-washy loyalties, especially not right now." Not only was winter coming but so was war, quite possibly.

Eljay nodded at Towhee's words. Her voice had softened considerably since he had admitted to giving it a thought and deciding soon, even though he had no idea where to even start when it came to making such a decision. He was too afraid that whatever decision he made would be permanent to just make it as quickly as he could.

"Okay," he said in response, feeling much like he wanted to get out of the situation still. He really did want to catch up with Towhee, like had initially been his idea, but now he was just feeling nervous and like he should be thinking about making the choice instead of chatting away. "I'll — I should go think on it," he said to Towhee, not just to show he was taking the responsibilities seriously but also because he thought it'd be irresponsible to stand here and chat when he should be deciding. He didn't leave right away, waiting to see if Towhee had anything more to say first.

He agreed quickly and then announced that he should leave to go think about it. Towhee's lips pursed but she made no attempt to delay him. The sooner he made his decision, the better. There was a subtle, lingering feeling of guilt lurking in her gut though. She was often cold to those who'd left and returned, so it wasn't out of character, but it somehow felt wronger with him.

But Towhee voiced none of these thoughts. "Okay. See you, Eljay," was all she said, watching him depart before continuing on toward the rendezvous site.