Moonspear Don't you think you should take it a little easy on all the nitrates?

Here she was, preparing to attend her first ever power lunch, and Towhee felt all sorts of misgivings as she, @Lagan and @Orca crossed their own borders and headed northwest. Although she respected—even genuinely liked—@Hydra, the young Alpha didn't have much interest in diplomacy or forging bonds with the neighboring packs. But she hadn't heard from her svelte black ally in a few weeks and @Gannet still hadn't reappeared at the caldera, so Towhee was going to take matters into her own hands.

The fat rabbit tucked in her mouth swung as she glanced sideways at her traveling companions. She had brought them along not only for safety's sake but also because Towhee figured they would make better ambassadors. Either one could serve as an interpreter if it became necessary as well. They were about to approach the borders of a pack that might not appreciate their presence, so it was important that they not throw miscommunications into the possibly volatile mix.

"Hope for the best, prepare for the worst," Orca was saying to no one in particular as they moved closer to the jutting mountain. Long before they came within range of the borders, Towhee signaled for the party to halt, then motioned for Lagan to howl for their wayward brother, as well as any leadership that might want to make a cameo. Meat still clenched in her teeth, she then braced herself for whatever might happen next.

Wait, was that.... Lagan?! Gannet had been napping, but his head shot straight up when he heard the familiar voice echo over the mountain, and immediately he rose and traveled towards the source. He'd all but thought the Caldera had forgotten about him, moving on as he had. Instead, they'd shown up here.

The descent from where was to the base was still a struggle, and he had to take it slow. But after a while he was able to find his way to where they waited, panting lightly. Towhee and Orca were both here too. Despite his misgivings, he gave a happy bark of greeting to them, picking up his pace in a rush to greet them. It was good to see them! Even if not all on the mountain might see it that way.

Three pairs of eyes pinned on the figure that materialized in the distance, moving steadily closer. At some point, Lagan burst forward several feet, presumably to shout Gannet's name. Towhee could feel Orca's tail kicking up a breeze. The Alpha herself did not move, her shrewd orange eyes flicking between the approaching wolf and the mountainous backdrop. So far, she didn't see any signs of anyone else.

Towhee waited patiently while Lagan and Orca moved to enthusiastically greet their fellow Redhawk, still scouring their surroundings quite warily. Only when they stepped aside did she step forward, ducking her head and dropping the kill at her feet to free up her own mouth. She didn't speak right away, though, taking another moment to assess her elder sibling.

"Gannet," she finally said, "we've come to bring you home." Before he could say anything to that, Towhee's eyes narrowed and she added, "Unless..." She wasn't stupid. Gannet was mobile, so there must be a good reason he hadn't already made his way back to the caldera. She fell silent, anticipating an explanation.

Hydra had been a decent distance away when the howl sounded. Her own voice carried high to inform the travelers she was on her way, as they would not know it by sight as she was not yet near. The voice was not one immediately familiar to her, but they had called to Gannet. She had told Towhee he was here, after all, and she had asked after him (which she had mentioned to him, at some point); just as she had thought, they would come to check on him when they were able to. Should Gannet have already arrived, her distance would enable them to have their own conversation. 

She herself had not been able to get too far from the mountain as of late. With everything that had recently transpired, she hadn't really had the time to; her patrols had become more frequent with the loss of their members, and diligent given the nature of their departure. 

Once they were in sight, Hydra caught a visual of Towhee in the distance. Her tail waved from afar and she closed the distance with lengthening strides, ears pricked and a grin on her features. Though her bearing was dominant, everything else about her was very clearly receptive to the company present.

Oh. Gannet stopped, confused, his weight subconsciously shifting as felt Towhee's narrowed gaze. Hydra had told him they had asked after him, but he'd assumed this merely to be checking in. He hadn't thought they'd actually want him back, not after so long away.

"I can't," he replied, glancing back at Hydra. Fact of the matter still remained; he'd promised to stay and pay off whatever debt Charon saw fit. At the time he hadn't expected a retrieval, and it had seemed the best way to keep alive and remain useful. A lot had changed since then, but he was still firm in that. Besides, he'd doubly promised Hydra he'd stay. He wasn't about to disappoint her either.

In the moment between Towhee's question and Gannet's answer, a shadowy figure materialized. The yearling's hackles prickled warily, though she relaxed and let her tail give a single wave when she recognized Hydra. She didn't feel entirely at ease, not so near claimed lands, but she did favor her ally with a nod of acknowledgement, a smile and a, "Hey, Hydra. You've met Orca. And this is Lagan."

As soon as the brief introductions were given, her eyes flicked to Gannet in time to catch the two words. "How come?" Towhee pressed, disliking his exact word choice: "can't." Her orange eyes drifted questioningly to Hydra to include her, though mostly they stayed fastened on her older brother's lips.

She nodded toward the wolf she recognized, and looked over the wolf she did not, though her gaze was never critical, only interested.
Hydra heard his words and thought on his word choice, as she was wont to do only with those she favored. She knew her fathers decision on him, that he would stay until he repaid his debt. He did not explain as much, and when Towhee's gaze panned to her, Hydra spoke: he's been asked to stay and contribute some, prior to his departure, she explained. She thought that was fair, given the resources and food utilized on his behalf, but after that he was a free bird. Still, she was thoughtful. Truth be told, Hydra was tired of loyalty that did not want to be given. She did not think Gannet was such a way, and knew he was committed to his choice and decision, but she decided then and there that it was not something she would force. If Gannet decided to leave, her father would have to understand: half-assed loyalty was simply unacceptable. They'd give no wolves quarter anymore when it came to transgressions against them, and they'd spare no weaklings mowed over by strangers because, well, what business was it of theirs? They probably deserved it.

Hydra licked her chops and glanced toward Gannet. I know you chose to stay, Gannet, but if you want to go home right now, you have three able wolves who can take you, Hydra did not forget his promise to her, and a large part of her held on to that—but she could not deny him this choice. If he did not want to be here, his loyalty would never really be to them; Moonspear could not afford that any longer. Hydra wanted her friends to be true and real and hers by (their) choice. Rannoch had been fake, Wraen, too. Terance had probably only been her friend due to her uncanny resemblance to his first love, Lyra, an utterly selfish motive. Liffey had always been a selfish parasite too absorbed with her host to ever think of anything but herself.

Towhee was her trusted friend without borders, though they were not packmates (to her great annoyance). The greatly selfish part of her wanted Gannet to stay, not just due to a promise but due to what he wanted. And if he did not want to be here now, he likely never would.

He nodded as Hydra clarified the many important things he had definitely left off. But then she threw a curveball in; if he wanted, he could go. Gannet glanced at her in surprise, but also, somewhat searchingly. He didn't find explanations to her sudden decision, but it didn't change what was true. He had resolved to make this home now, and thus far was going a fairly decent job of it, or so he thought. He could return to the Caldera, but likely it would only be to bounce to another pack or place once more. There wasn't really a role for him there.

Mostly he looked at Lagan apologetically, though some was spared for Towhee as well. "I promised to stay." Then, for once, as if an afterthought, he clarified an important detail. The colloquial difference between can't and won't still escaped him, but this was his choice. "I like it here."

Towhee squinted. Hadn't Gannet only stayed here because they'd injured him, rendering him incapable of going anywhere? He hadn't done anything wrong to deserve the attack in the first place, although Towhee placed most of the blame for that on Titmouse. Her burning orange eyes flicked from Hydra to Gannet and back again several times as she tried to make sense of the situation. There was a creeping feeling of anger in the root of her spine, though shooting a look at Lagan's goofy face helped quell that somewhat.

"You shouldn't feel obligated to stay here," the youthful Alpha stated, pausing. But Hydra had offered him an out, which he had declined. Towhee took a breath. "I don't understand your choice. And I don't like it." That was her official stance. "But I'm not going to stand here, with our brother and sister—and the rest of the family waiting back home, a pregnant Finley included—and try to convince you why you should be with the Redhawks." Her lip curled even as she remained unaware of how much her perspective lined up with her ally's. Your loss, her eyes seemed to say.

"This," she said directly to Hydra in the next breath, "is for you." She picked up the dead rabbit and moved toward her friend, placing it gently at her feet. "Wish I could stay and chat but we have to head back." She peered speculatively at Gannet for a long beat. She didn't say she was happy to see him, nor express joy that he was recovered. But she didn't sneer at or berate him for his choices either. She just took a long, hard look at him, then turned and motioned for Lagan and Orca to lead the way back home, empty-handed.

Hydra listened to Towhee, though was not rankled by the others words any. Her saying as much was basically her own thought process. She wanted to really have Gannet decide what it was, exactly, he wanted for himself and his own future. He knew her, understood her where even Terance and Rannoch never could. It was perhaps why she wanted so badly for him to really want this himself.

The Beta was elated to hear his choice. She was not really surprised—he had made this decision countless times... but to know it, to really, really know that he wanted to be here... it spoke volumes, and she found her fondness for him increase. Her trust, too.

She could even find herself understanding the way Towhee felt, if only slightly. Gannet was her family, wasn't he? How could she like it? Even though they had been the wolves to break his leg, it was a consequence of his own actions; actions she understood, and had expressed as much, but obviously could not permit, as he and likely any one else with a functional brain could understand, too. Bygones were bygones, in this situation. Hydra wanted to congratulate Towhee on what sounded like more siblings, but knew here and now was not the right place.

Towhee addressed her now, and Hydra's tail waved as Towhee deposited what she had hunted. Thanks, Towhee, she said, and looked to her fellows—Gannet's siblings—and nodded. I understand, Towhee was an alpha now, after all. It went without saying that Hydra would seek out Towhee when she could, and she watched as she departed. She did not want to question Gannet again to ask if he was certain; she knew he was a man who always thought before he spoke, and likely had considered what his decision meant. She nosed Gannet's shoulder, and in this was content to follow his lead; she would stay with him now, or else they could do something else.

Cousin, he corrected internally, almost automatically, as Towhee spoke of Orca and Lagan. That was half of it. She barely even felt like his sister, though he would've in a heartbeat done for her what he had done for Titmouse. While he had been there, she had only been suspicious, angry for his leaving the first time and hardly familial. But it still hurt a bit to have their ties flung at him as he decided to stay. Her lip curl sent a rare spike of indignation in him as well, and his neck fur rose a bit in response. He had chosen, and he knew it was right.

He watched her leave, barely listening as she and Hydra exchanged final farewells, but it felt like a weight was gone. He hadn't realized how badly the final indecision had pressed down; now they knew, and he was one hundred percent cut loose of it. He leaned into Hydra's nose, then turned to return the gesture, wanting the contact both for comfort and because he enjoyed her presence. "She wasn't happy," he said, but his tone was fairly clear in that this wasn't the case for him.

The trio faded from view, and as Gannet returned her gesture Hydra considered this. She did not want to be the cause of Towhee's upset but sensed that was not the case in the exchange. Probably disappointed, she acknowledged, looking to Gannet, but you're happy, and she supports you enough to not challenge your choice, unlike Liffey, it sounded like. Towhee hadn't disallowed him from seeing anybody, either, which meant if he wanted to he could surely see his family when weather—and his recovery—permitted. 

Hydra could understand her disappointment, though. Gannet was a great wolf all around. A great friend. He reminded her in many ways of Towhee, which was probably why she liked him so much. Honest, blunt, to the point, strong, and a true friend. One that stood by her, even when it was difficult. She would do the same for him, of course. He was one of the two wolves without her surname she would do that for. 

The Beta shifted her weight. C'mon, let's go find something to eat, she suggested with a wave of her tail, moving to drift back into their territory.

Gannet followed readily, thinking about it. He still didn't quite understand, but he was coming to realize that a lot of people were going to want a lot of things from him, and generally they wouldn't understand why he decided the way he did. Liffey he thought had wanted him to be unhappy here, but he could not be, simply because he refused to be unhappy about things he could not control. Towhee he felt had wished the same... but to a lesser degree. She had wanted him to want to come home.

Well, it was done now. Leaving those confusing and complicated feelings behind, he went eagerly, ready to share a meal and a chat with Hydra before he went back to his current pressing goal of contribution to the Moonspear cause.