Redhawk Caldera On into the gold river

@Allure
OOC: All welcome, of course, but with the intention of joining :)
IC:

With the cold nip of winter in the air, both knew that it was in their best interest to join a pack. Having spent a few nights together in the Great Bear Wilderness, reunited and joined together at last, Shrike felt as though nothing could go wrong. It was with an airy step that he moved alongside his new mate to the lands he'd once called home, with only a pang of regret at the back of his mind- but on that sunny, cool morning, he felt optimistic. He'd scouted the area the day before, of course, and having found no trace of Fox's scent whatsoever, and the scent of Elwood and Finley prevalent in the area, he had a good idea that the heirarchy of the Caldera had shifted. From the woodlands to the shrubby plain they moved, the Caldera breaching the horizon before them as they came to the borders. 

His eyes were sharp, and his nose breathed in several familiar scents. He was relieved to smell Raven, who had been kind to him as well- though he did wonder if she bore any resentment toward him after he'd been exiled by Fox. New alphas, though, meant new rules, and he was willing to undergo some scrutiny by those close to Fox for his return- as long as Elwood would permit the two of them to join. There were a variety of new scents in the area as well, but this, to Shrike, hinted at a thriving pack. 

He nosed Allure's cheek gently, hoping to bring a smile to her face. He sensed a trace of hesitance within her, but providing they were both welcome, he felt the Caldera would make a good home for them both.

She wasn’t eager to return to the Caldera. As much as she attempted to feign confidence in their decision, there was a hesitation in her pace, and every so often her features would pull in to a worried frown. Her nature had become more skittish since her abduction – the pain of her fear was what haunted her more than the injuries that had been inflicted, and so she stuck close to Shrike, wondering if he would become annoyed by her persistence to have her shoulder almost always touching his. She couldn’t pull away, though – the thought caused her heart to flutter with panic in her chest.

She was solemn on their journey – relieved only by the dominant scent of Elwood. She recognized no one else – but she had been here such a short time before, it wasn’t a surprise. She felt the cool air brush her face, reminding her why this was a necessity. Survival was likely possible with just the two of them in the winter, if it was mild enough – but they wished to thrive. And so they were at the borders, and as her mate nosed her cheek, she cast him a gentle smile in an attempt to uplift her mood for him.

Although Towhee spent time with most of her pack mates—the ones worth her while, anyway—she still spent the most time with @Phox. Because X went everywhere she did, this meant that her brother and the bird had gotten quite comfortable with one another. In fact, when the yearling hunter requested to "borrow" the recently healed hawk to try out some innovative hunting tactics, Towhee allowed it with only minor reluctance. She watched Phox jog off into the distance, his winged shadow soaring overhead, and felt a small pang. She had kind of hoped X would refuse, yet the raptor seemed keen to seize any opportunity to stretch his wings and, well, meat was meat.

Trying to shake off the feeling that a piece of her was missing, Towhee made her way to the borders. Before she could even start a patrol, she discovered two figures standing there. The fur along the guardian's spine bristled as she immediately loped toward them. As she closed the gap, her head lifted and her tail arched. She kept her muzzle low to protect her throat, her orange eyes boring into the pair of (admittedly striking) strangers.

"State your name and business," she demanded in her garbled monotone, her expression even more severe than usual due to feeling out of sorts over X's absence.

For a moment, while they waited, Shrike watched Allure out of the corner of his eye. Even in the blur of peripheral vision, he found her stunning. The touch of her shoulder against his- not only now but as they’d walked, had been an immeasurable reassuring agent for Shrike. While some small part of him still felt that a wolf like Allure was simply settling when it came to seeing a wolf like him- her affection and attentiveness told him otherwise. She trusted him; and though she seemed a bit hesitant about joining the Caldera, she trusted his judgement, and that meant the world to him.

It wasn’t long before a pack member came along; her step wasn’t particularly quiet, and the young female was bristly as she approached them. Her features and mannerisms well almost unmistakeable, and given the age Shrike estimated her to be, he had a pretty good idea of who this was. He turned his ears back respectfully, tilted his muzzle to the side- toward his mate- and dipped his head in a respectful greeting. Given this was likely exactly qho he thought she might be, he felt it was important to be respectful. 

...Even though one thought kept nagging him; that down some other possible timeline, she might have been his daughter. 

Her speech was difficult to understand, to say the least. There was something about the way she pronounced her S’s and R’s, and the low monotone of her voice that seemed...Off. A speech impediment, he figured- having never met a deaf wolf before. Still, he assumed she’d asked what most guardians would ask, and after he took a minute to run her jumbled words over in his brain, he decided that yes, ahe had just asked for his name and business. 

”Shrike Redleaf, and this is my mate, Allure.” He said, gesturing to her by nosing her cheek, allowing her a moment to say something if she wanted. ”I’m close friends with Elwood and Finley; we were hoping we might join the pack.” He said. He hoped his friend would come soon- just in case he had to engage in conversation with this wolf for a while...She was difficult to understand, and also just gave Shrike the feeling she had something blunt wedged where the sun doesn’t ahine.

The last wolf Elwood expected to see on his borders was Shrike, but it certainly wasn't an unpleasant surprise when he and his companion came into the Alpha's line of sight. Immediately, Elwood increased his speed, loping briskly through the cold air until he was within earshot of the group of three wolves. While Allure's name didn't come to mind, he did recognize her, and he greeted them with a smile and a wave of his tail as he came to stand alongside Towhee.

"Shrike," he said warmly, glancing at his niece. "He's an old friend of mine," he explained to Towhee, unaware that Shrike had said the same thing only seconds prior to his arrival. Shifting his gaze back to Shrike, he inquired, "Are you just passing through, or...?"

Their welcome was not exactly warm, but Allure expected no less from a wolf in Redhawk Caldera. It fed her hesitation to joining this pack, and her eyes swept to the side, taking in Shrike as he introduced them both. Shrike Redleaf – his mate Allure. She had only ever been Allure Frostfur before now – the idea of her previous surname caused her throat to feel raw with emotion, picturing her father in that very moment.

She remained still, spare for the shift of her body down in submission to the girl before them. Her voice was different, but the bi-toned girl understood her. Elwood was quick to come to them as well, and the she-wolf felt a flutter of relief in her chest as she regarded his more welcoming form. He had been one of the only friendly faces she had come upon in her previous time within the ranks.

Elwood questioned them, and feeling she should contribute to this decision she and her mate had come to, Allure remained submissive, but offered a small smile. “We’d like to join your ranks, if you’ll have us,” she offered, repeating what Shrike had mentioned to the other girl only moments before the Alpha’s arrival.

The pair of outsiders didn't seem perturbed by her gruff greeting, which scored them points with Towhee (not that she would ever give any indication). So many came calling at their borders, expecting to be pampered and spoon-fed by the residents, evidently appalled that they should be territorial of their homeland. But these two offered respect readily, earning a nod of acknowledgement from the young guardian even as the larger of the two introduced himself and his mate, and succinctly addressed the other half of Towhee's demand as well.

Before she could say anything more, Elwood appeared alongside her. The Gamma turned her head to nip at the Alpha male's shoulder, taking a step back in a clear sign that he was welcome to take over the interrogation. She might have normally departed then, though she stayed put. They were friends of his, yet they were still two to his one, and Towhee was curious despite herself. Their surname was quite similar to hers and she couldn't help but wonder about its significance.

Shrike's gaze lifted from the somber youth when he saw a silver form nearing them, and his tail instinctively began to wag between his hocks. He lowered his head, ears flattening, and licked his lips in anticipation as Elwood joined them, offering a short explanation to their first greeter. Shrike's lips twitched gently, into a small smile, as Elwood echoed his words, and then asked what purpose they had there. He began to swallow, and would have cleared his throat to speak, but Allure answered first. He regarded her warmly, before he turned his gaze to Elwood.

He was aware that there was always the possibility it might make Elwood uncomfortable to have Shrike there- the yearling by his side was more than likely one of Fox's offspring, and if Fox had taken a mate after he'd left, he was possibly still around as well. He paused for a moment, before he nodded. "We'd like to come home."

They both expressed a desire to call the caldera home once more, which normally would have warmed Elwood's heart. But with the trouble brewing with Blackfeather Woods, he knew he had to disclose the dire information and allow them to make the decision themselves. While the pack could certainly use the manpower, he would not blame them at all if they chose to see Redhawk Caldera in their rearview mirror as they departed.

"You're always welcome here," he said with a tight-lipped smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "But I'm afraid there has been some trouble here lately, and it's only fair that I tell you everything before you decide whether or not you want to stay." He glanced at Towhee, his expression growing grim as he prepared to share the story. "There's a pack that lives east of here, called Blackfeather. They have captured and tortured two of our own wolves, and who knows how many others. We have allied with a coastal pack and plan to go to war with Blackfeather," he said, his summary short and anything but sweet.

"We can't let them endanger our family any longer," he added a moment later, his gaze darkening.

Blackfeather. Had she not heard that name uttered from her father’s lips with contempt? She studied Elwood with hesitation on her slender features – a confusion of her distant memories and dots that she could not connect, nor would ever be likely to, given Scimitar’s untimely death.

The thought of war stirred her ears to flatten to her skull, her eyes shifting from the Alpha to regard the girl beside him, and then her mate. They should have returned to Neverwinter Forest – resurrected it. Sought elsewhere. But she knew Shrike had ached to return to the Caldera, a place he believed to be home. It hadn’t been so for her – the wolves, spare the silver man who now led them, had been distant.. cold. But her family was Shrike now – and she would work to gain their trust.

Tipping her muzzle down to gently nudge his cheek, she allowed her lips to drift closer to his ear, soft, words meant only for her mate – “I’m with you, whatever you decide.”

Jan. 23: I'm going to conclude and archive this. :)

It further piqued her interest when Shrike referred to the caldera as "home," implying he wasn't just an old friend but that he'd lived here once before. Towhee spent about two seconds marveling at how often this seemed to happen (prodigal sons and daughters coming out of the woodwork) before her gaze shifted to Elwood to catch what he said. Her uncle welcomed them with open arms, though he did toss in a disclaimer about the war. Towhee's attention once more shifted back to the pair, speculative now. Allure spoke up first, mouth close to Shrike's ear. A hearing wolf probably wouldn't have made out her words, though Towhee read her lips with relative ease.

"You lived here previously?" the Gamma butted in. "And your name—" Her voice cut off when she abruptly remembered something. Turning to Elwood now, she said, "Redleaf? Wasn't that dad's last name, before they changed it to Redhawk?" And facing the pair once more, Towhee added, "You're relatives of Peregrine's?" She was rather used to blood relatives popping up here, yet they were usually from her own generation. She felt no differently toward these two than any other outsiders, though she wondered if they might be two more treasure troves of information about her father, not to mention that entire branch of the family tree.

Although Towhee thought she saw an unhappy look on Allure's face at the mention of Peregrine, Shrike obliged her by answering her questions. At some point, as they became engrossed in a conversation about the infamous Redhawk monarchs of yore, it became a foregone conclusion that Shrike and Allure would be staying despite the threat of war. Towhee made them (Shrike in particular) promise to tell her more stories sometime later, then left them in Elwood's care as she excused herself to start her delayed patrol.