Heron Lake Plateau I need a voice to echo

He's finally home! @Finley @Elwood @Raven. @Wintersbane if you want to have followed him, feel free, if not thank you so much <3

It had taken a while for them to get close enough for Tywyll to recognise the area. He had been slow to heal and was still not completely better, the facial wound needing to be treated some more as it was still swollen and yucky to look at. The food and water, plus the minimal treatment his savior had given him had begun to make him feel peppy enough and they'd travelled bit by bit. His neck and shoulders were peppered with pink scars and his body was still too thin to be healthy, but he had his normal spirit back. They'd passed the thicket where it had started and Tywyll quickly burst with energy, shrieking something about being home and bolting away from Wintersbane. He found the borders and stepped over, Howling for his mother and Raven and his father. He whined and wagged as he waited, sniffing in all the scents of home. He paused for a moment and also sent up a howl for Wintersbane, wanting to thank him and introduce him to his family.

hopping in here because wintersbane would want to be absolutely sure he got home ok. :-) edit. b/c i forgot to mention: this takes place before he joins bfw. wb's timeline's a little wonky.

their journey had not been a fast paced once, but the tundrian was ultimately impressed with the boy's patience. wintersbane kept after his wounds as best as he could though his training did not stray far from the rudimentary basics. still, he could tell when his young temporary ward had begun to feel more like himself. tywyll's energy increased bit by bit and there was more life to his eyes than before. it brought with it a fair amount of relief. wintersbane knew they were nearing the boy's home for the restlessness that stole him ...and soon the boy was shrieking something to the winds as he tore off. the tundrian couldn't be sure but he thought he picked out the word 'home' in what had sounded like unintelligible gibberish. a soft chuckle rumbled low in his chest and rose within the soturi's throat as he idly follows after the boy's path. tywyll wasn't overly discreet and even without the howl that rises for him wintersbane would've had little trouble finding him, rather he left a path of trampled underbrush and grass in his wake as he charged forth and away like a bull in a china shop.

unlike tywyll, wintersbane lingers back when he is a more than respectful distance away from the borders. "this is as far as i go." wintersbane reminds tywyll in a soft rumble. he considered leaving but figures it doesn't hurt to see this through to it's very end and he knows that he won't be satisfied until he sees the boy reunited with his family once more with his own two eyes. to ensure that tywyll gets the ending that is forever denied to wintersbane.

Niamh is just kind of in the area...Feel free to skip over me at any point during the progression of this thread <3

While the borders of most packs needed to be patrolled strictly all the way along the perimeter, for the wolves of Heron Lake Plateau, the terrain proved to be advantageous, as a good amount of their borders were steep enough that it was inaccessible for wolves to breach the borders from the outside. Thus, the majority of the time Niamh spent patrolling, she was in or near Grouse Thicket. The river that ran along the Western edge of the pack was also a haunt of hers, but by far, the thicket was the easiest way for outsiders to access the pack, and the way most of the pack wolves chose to enter or leave the pack's boundaries. 

She was aware that Tywyll had gone missing- but with their numbers diminished slightly with Towhee, Ceara and Tegan being away, she'd mostly stayed in the area or in the Hinterlands and hadn't been able to go searching; she left that in the capable hands of Tywyll's parents. Nevertheless, she was pleased to hear him call out from not too far away, and picked up a trot to greet him and check him over. His voice was joyful, so she assumed, then, that he wasn't in dire need of medical attention- still, having been gone as long as he had, she knew he would need Raven's help, for sure. 

She saw the boy's form in the distance, and he didn't look as though he was dyig by any means, but fairly scruffy, a bit chewed up and definitely had a hungry look about him. He needed a good cleaning, and had some marks on his face- particularly across the bridge of his nose and muzzle that looked painful, but he was alive. She moved forward with her ears back and tail waving happily side to side, until she noticed the stranger not far from him. 

Her hackles lifted slightly, and she flashed her teeth at him briefly, to warn him against trying anything- but it was fairly clear by his neutral, calm demeanour that he had come with Tywyll, and that he didn't mean any harm. He was being considerate of the borders and staying off a bit, so Niamh told herself to chill out. He had striking looks- a silvered mane that seemed to accentuate the muscliature of his shoulders and barrel chest, and a cool, glacier-blue gaze. She found herself struck by the boldness of his looks, but reminded herself not to be taken aback or put offguatrd simply because Tywyll's companion might have been  a 10. She moved with a stiff gait- still a bit defensive, perhaps- toward Tywell and gave him a good once over, before uttering a fond growl and touching her nose gently to his cheek. "Kid, I thought you'd never come home," She said, affection seeping into her voice. She knew that Finley, Elwood and Raven would likely be there soon- so she stood by Tywyll's side, but kept the striking male in her peripheral vision- though secretly, she wanted to know more about him, too.

I'm gonna say no posting order so that others can jump in. Just give it like two days to let everyone post once before posting again.

Tywyll had resumed his sniffing and excited whimpering until Wintersbane showed up, saying he wouldn't cross the borders. His ears perked up and then slowly lowered and slid to the side as he reguarded the man who saved him. The short time they had spent together had breezed by but Tywyll was surprised by the amount of sadness he felt at the idea of parting with him. "Do...you have a home Bane? You can stay with me, you'll be welcome." he said hopefully, smiling at the silver crested man. He remained focused on Wintersbane until the tan pelt of Niamh caught his attention and he gasped, dropping to his belly and wiggling crying happily. It felt so good to see a familiar face, he was ecstatic until he saw her flash her teeth at Wintersbane. Immediately he gave a timid but sharp growl, one to grab her attention "I wouldn't have come home...He saved me. Did his best to fix me up. He's my friend" he explained warmly, nuzzling his head up under her chin and placing apologetic licks beneath her jawline. "I'm sorry Niamh, I just wanted to explore but I got attacked by a weird long fuzzy creature." he murmured.

Slowly he pulled away from Niamh and made his way to Wintersbane, standing directly in front of him before stretching his nose upward and pressed it into the fur of his shoulder. "I wish you would stay" he said. "Thank you for saving me, bringing me home." he whined softly and stepped away, feeling it in his soul that there would be no joining for the man.

Fin's heart imploded when she heard the voice of her youngest (or was Cinder younger... oh hell, could she really be expected to remember?) flowed through the air to her ears. Tears sprang to her eyes, but she blinked them away as she began to run towards the borders in answer.

In the end, it took her far longer than she would've liked to get to her son. It was a bad hip day, which slowed her down and frustrated her all to hell. So when she arrived, she reserved her affection and gratitude for only her son, ignoring Niamh and Wintersbane as she swept onto the scene. She fixed him with her gaze, but held back on rushing in to embrace him. "Damnit kid," she said as she gave a stressed exhale, her voice holding nothing but affection in spite of the anger her words may have otherwise suggested. She breathed in again, steadying herself before adding, "Tell me you at least got a kick ass story out of this."

since there's no posting order i figured i'd go ahead and reply to this. :-)

it wasn't long after tywyll's howl rose through the air that someone approached. she was tall, with a blonde pelage ...legs for days the tundrian noted ( perhaps a bit appreciatively ) as his glacial gaze takes her in. how this looks does not escape him: he is a strange bringing a bedraggled and healing but still injured cub back to their doorstep. his healing job is far from expert level ...tywyll would still need attention from an experienced medic but wintersbane, despite that, is still proud of his patch job. nevertheless, he keeps a safe distance from their borders lest they assume he was the one to injure him. which seems unlikely because why would he hurt him only to patch him up and deposit him back where he belongs? but wintersbane is weary all the same and does not take the flash of teeth with anything more than a grain of salt. he understands and can hardly take offense to it. the tundrian averts his gaze as they exchange affectionate greetings ...he cannot help but feel that he's encroaching on something private and yet he wants to be sure that all is well before he departs.

the tundrian watches as the boy detaches himself the blonde's and approaches him. an affectionate smirk tugs at the corners of the soturi's lips as the boy asks if he has a home. it's been a long time since wintersbane had a home in the same context ...and settling down unsettles him more than anything else. the last time he attempted to 'settle down' hadn't went well for him and he is not so eager to jump back into it. he still seeks adventures and risks. "the wilds are my home," wintersbane answers carefully, not wanting to hurt the boy's feelings. he feels like he's walking a suddenly precarious line despite that he suspected it was coming. "i'll be sure to come visit." wintersbane promises. "besides, i'll need to check on how your skills as a soturi are progressing." he offers the boy a playful, conspiratorial wink.

maybe someday, he thinks but doesn't dare say out loud. he can promise to visit because he knows he can at least do that but wintersbane is a beast of his word and he does not feel comfortable making promises he is not positive he can keep. especially not to a cub whose innocence is still so pure and raw. another woman appears on this scene as tywyll heads back to the border line, seemingly having only eyes for the boy.

part of wintersbane tells him to quietly take his leave now ...but he still has a duty. it does not fall beneath his notice that someone should be told of how and what he used to treat the boy's wounds and to answer questions that the boy himself might not be able to ...if there were any.

Tywyll's growl was more or less ignored, fortunately for the boy, so his defensive snarl went more or less dismissed as she focused momentarily on the male who'd accompanied him. She didn't intend to charge him, but made her case clear to the stranger; Tywyll was in their protection now, though it became clear, within moments, that this male wasn't bothering Tywyll- he'd been the one to return to boy to them. Tywyll's apology was received with an affectionate growl, and she lowered her head to nuzzle the boy gently, grateful to have him returned safely, even if he was a bit scraped up. When Finley arrived, she side-stepped, allowing the mother some time with one of her youngest children, while Niamh focused again on the outsider. 

He had a handsome colouring to him, and looked to be in good condition. He had a calm, cool gaze, and a mildness about his lips that proclaimed no devil. He seemed more inclined to live out on his own, and Niamh pegged him as the dark, mysterious sort. Still, she moved a step toward him before he could leave, and bobbed her head to get his attention. "Thanks, for taking care of him and bringing him home." She said, her voice quiet. Niamh wasn't exactly used to thanking strangers for spontaneous acts of kindness, especially when he seemingly wanted nothing in return, but to come visit Tywyll again some day. That, of course, was up to Finley. "What's your name?" She asked, so that she might pass the name on to other packmates, so that he might possibly have a safe visit to the borders.

He couldn't help the disappointed droop of his ears and tail when Bane gave him a confusing answer, saying that the wilderness itself was his home. In a way he understood, he loved exploring, loved new sights and smells and always felt at least somewhat content wherever he was. His downfallen expression was fixed as soon as the big warrior said he would come visit and Tywyll began to perk up and wag "I'll hold you to it Bane. If you don't visit, I'll hunt you down myself and show you how good a soturi I am" he said in as stern a voice as he could, though there was a hint of sadness and regret as if the small boy sort of believed this was a goodbye. 

His heart lurched as he heard his mother's voice behind him, a stressed and exasperated sound leaving her maw. He turned around, eyes watering as immediately his posture changed. He dropped to his belly and his tail tucked, ears flattened as he wiggled his way toward her in a sheepish and excited manner. "Momma...Momma I didn't think I was gonna come home" he whined as he reached her. He was unable to mantain his tough boy demeanor, the sight of his mother, the true sign he was home and safe broke it. He whimpered and shoved himself against her nuzzling and rubbing his muzzle against her as he placed frantic kisses to her chin and maw. "I..uh...survived the attack of a ferocious beast?" he said obviously lying but trying to placate her at least a little bit. He breathed in her scent and stared up at her adoringly, drinking her in. He was home, he had his momma, he was okay. He was never ever gonna wander off and do something dumb ever again. Yeah right. He was a Blackthorn. He'd probably goof up thousands more times.

since i'd like to use this for caregiver & tywyll's been put on ppc i'm going to go ahead and reply to this and have this be my last post. i figure this is a good place to try to wrap it up. :-)

the blonde woman speaks to him, offering him thanks and wintersbane accepts it mutely with a sage nod of his head. it was worth it to know the kid got home relatively safe and sound. "i did the best i could with his wounds but my skills as a healer are basic at best." wintersbane didn't want to tell them what to do with the boy, but tried to word his sentence in a way that suggested having him looked over by a professional healer without actually coming forth and telling them to do it. chances were he would have a few scars from the ordeal. and while scars were alright, wintersbane himself was a vain creature and was glad he had none that were large enough to not be hidden by fur. "sounds good." wintersbane strikes the deal with the boy with a low chuckle in his throat.

wintersbane gaze rises back to the blonde woman when she asks for his name. "wintersbane." he offers it simply. he didn't necessarily have anywhere overly pressing to be but he felt like he was intruding on time that should be reserved for family. "i should be going." he speaks in premise of his leave, before offering the trio a dip of his head before he turns and disappears putting further distance between him, the strath and the ravine as he heads towards the heart of grouse thicket.