Northstar Vale Excuse me, while I collapse on your border.

SURPRISE!!! @Delight oh and @Malice @Nathaniel

Sebastian realized that climbing a mountain was a lot tougher on his shoulder than he expected it to be. Even on his good shoulder, as he sometimes continued on three limbs instead of four. He had to take more breaks than he normally needed. The only good thing was that his shoulder was doing better. The infection was gone and the large gash was healing, though it would be a long time before his muscles would recover and he could use his shoulder fully. The wound on the end of his tail had closed up and fur was growing back. He would have to live with a docked tail much like his father.

Sebastian had expected to rest in the vale between the mountains. He had pushed on to reach it so he could have a good night sleep there. But to his horror, he realized that there was a pack here. Sebastian felt panicked for a moment as he couldn't camp on the borders of a pack! However, then the scent of Nathaniel came to his nostrils and... Malice? Mato? But... they lived passed the other mountains. Had he been walking in the wrong direction? Sebastian's tired mind whirled. He howled for them just in case before he tiredly collapsed by their border.

well, this is a shitshow, delight thinks, but he's keeping it together the best he can. maybe ever decision he's ever made is wrong -- ha! -- it wouldn't be a surprise. 

his ruminations on his own inadequecies in the light of certain unnamed events is cut short by a strained sounding howl. the call isn't for him -- it doesn't seem to be, anyway, it's hard to tell -- and insecurity pricks at him before he can connect the pieces: rochester. a rochester, maybe, or someone who knows them, at least. 

curiosity takes hold of him, overriding his usual negative thought patterns as he makes his way to the borders. it's not nat, and it definitely sounded too masculine to be ivy... another uncle, maybe, he thinks, or something, before he comes upon the injured form on the ground.

oh god he cannot have another death right on his borders what is this hell curse

"hey!" delight half-shouts, moving quickly towards him now. "are you -- oh, jeez," he says, noticing finally the wounds on his body. not quite as bad as cicero's, but... but. "please don't die," mutters delight, largely to himself, before addressing the prone form, "what happened to you? who are you?" hoping he won't give into unconsciousness yet.

She was called. She thought she'd been alone, but she had nearly forgotten about Sebastian and her grandchildren she had barely spent any time with. Her pale eyes grew wide and she was quick to get on her feet and run to the borders. It sounded like he was hurt, awfully so, and she wasn't the only one to be concerned. Delight had found his way to the scene too, even before she did, but it seemed he didn't know the other Rochester.

Sebastian! She called, nosing over him gently. She frowned at Delight, panicking now. She wasn't a healer, did they have any?

Sebastian lifted his head when he heard someone approach. He didn't know the male but he smelled of Mato. Sebastian's docked tail wiggled. He tried to push himself to his feet into a sitting position. He only came half way and leaning more on his good shoulder/leg. "Not... dead yet," he groaned and then looked at the other a bit sheepishly. He was about to answer what his name was when Malice came barging in. Malice? Here? Wow.

Sebastian decided to lie down again. "What she said... Sebastian. Mato's dad. Burke's son. Nathaniel's brother... Are there more?," he commented. Perhaps more of his family had been in his pack, more than he realized. He glanced at the two wolves. "There was a war between Black feather and Caldera wolves. I lost---" he couldn't say that he lost Andalusia. She couldn't be gone yet. "Injured my shoulder, but it is healing, and they bit off my tail. Just tired now from the mountain climb," he admitted. For Malice, this could have been a good image of what Burke looked like in his younger years. "I left the Caldera...," he admitted defeatedly. He didn't realize the bad name Caldera might have here.

malice is quick to follow him, naming the stranger. sebastian -- oh! oh fuck, that's mato's dad. the man in question confirms, explaining how he arrived in such a state -- alarian had mentioned something about a war, hadn't he? so it was the caldera and blackfeather.

vaguely delight wonders why sebastian was with the caldera, given how they'd treated his father -- but there's not much time to dwell on it. sebastian needs help. "right," he says, "um. we've not got a healer at the moment, but i can -- sunspire, next door, they might have someone." seabreeze for sure, if no one else (unaware as he is of the pregancies over there). "in the meantime, you're welcome here, of course." there's plenty of time for him to be judgemental about sebastian's alignment with the villainous caldera later when he's sure the father of his love of his life isn't about to keel over.

Her ears trailed over her lover's son's body, noting that he now too sported a docked tail. It was as if Burke had risen from the dead and had found the fountain of youth, but she knew the male too well to confuse him with his father. He wasn't like Burke, not in spirit. Not much at least. He just looked eerily like him. That was all...

Her muscles tensed up. Blackfeather?! She nearly snarled, throwing her form up in frustration. Two shitty packs having a war, now that was the news from the Flatlands for you! She decided to pace a bit, the hatred for both of the packs never having settled. The sadness not enough to keep her soul from burning. She decided, now that most of the bad news had been told to them, she would bring their own. Burke's dead. She bit her lip, chocolate ears drooping. She nodded at Delight's last statement. Of course Sebastian was welcome. Especially in this state. They'd have to push him off the mountain to get rid of him if they wanted him gone, he didn't seem stable enough to walk.

Sebastian shook his head. "No healer needed. I'm a healer myself. I just need some rest and some leftovers," he explained to the alpha male which was curious because he thought Mato would be leading this pack. Sebastian had too much on his mind to think about that for too long. "I won't stay long I am afraid, I am traveling over the mountains to see my sister. I promised her I would come see her after the war. So she'd know I'm alive. Now... She might be doubtful," Sebastian explained to the two of them. It was extremely kind that they would give him some shelter. He hadn't been the best family member in his own opinion.

Malice looked angry and he let her vent out. He knew that she needed it. It made no sense to tell her to calm down. He knew Malice better than that. "I know. I ran into Nathaniel it is how I knew about you being here. I'm sorry for your loss, Mal. I know you cared deeply for him." Sebastian hadn't. He was fairly okay with the news. "If you are alright with giving me a temporarily home I would be grateful," he addressed to the male.

went ahead and added you to the ranks temporarily! lmk if you want that changed :^)

he claims not to need a healer, which delight finds dubious (although knowing he is a healer himself is reassuring if only because yeah, they need one). he doesn't push it for now, instead nodding (and perking up at the mention of another local rochester.)

largely uninvolved with these particular politics, delight doesn't say much, letting sebastian and malice address each other. sebastian doesn't seem... quite so sad about burke's passing -- though delight remembers the elder talking about their strained relationship, so he guesses it tracks. "oh, yeah, of course," the androgyne answers when spoken to, half-shrugging. tindómë would always be open to rochesters as far as he's concerned, regardless of how long they're staying.