Redhawk Caldera home sweet home

Eljay smiled as he woke up after his first night back at the Caldera. He still had to find his way back around and check out all the good spots, figure out where to make a sleeping place for himself and Weejay. He couldn't help but think about their talk of leaving, of following Maia and Wraen. It was still a consideration on his mind, but honestly, his mind was currently more occupied with settling back into home. He'd figure out the next step after this one was done.

Eljay eagerly moved along the territory and he rolled through the dirt and rubbed himself along trees to make sure that everyone knew that these were Redhawk Caldera's lands once again.

// Forward dated until November 2nd!

Towhee woke sore and stiff from the previous days' trek, plus thirstier than she could ever remember. She decided she would work out the kinks by climbing the slopes and heading toward the territory's namesake for a drink. Afterward, she still felt a little achy but she climbed downward with a sloshing belly, having not just slaked her thirst but filled the tank in preparation for a lot of marking.

As she headed toward the outskirts, she caught sight of Eljay rubbing himself on a tree. The Sovereign decided to detour over to him, drawing in a deep breath as she rolled to a stop nearby and said, "Mor—" Her jaw chose that exact moment to stretch wide in a yawn. "Morning," she offered after it passed, followed by a bodily wriggle.

Eljay's ear turned back as he heard someone approach and it didn't take long to find out that it was Towhee. After her greeting Eljay smiled and offered, Morning. Kinda.. funny, to be back here again, isn't it? He wondered how it felt to Towhee. She'd been younger when they'd moved away from it and she had that bad experience, after all.

Her lips twitched into a faint smirk. "That's one word for it," Towhee replied, glancing past him and scanning the borderline. It was familiar but different too. The years had changed the landscape in subtle ways, though mostly it looked exactly the same as before. "It's kind of hard to believe we're really here. It almost doesn't feel real, like it could be a dream..."

But her aches and pains said otherwise. "I'm a little achy after all that walking. If I stand still too long, I'm going to lock up. Want to walk with me?" the Sovereign invited, already feeling a slight pressure on her bladder after this morning's long drink.

Towhee describing what it felt like to be here was exactly what Eljay had been thinking about. Yeah, exactly, like it could be just a dream! he explained in enthusiastic response to the description that hit the nail on the head so well.

As for her question, he nodded. Yeah, of course. Eljay smiled softly as he waited for Towhee to lead the way. The more we get done, the faster it'll really be ours.

Towhee couldn't remember ever seeing Eljay so enthusiastic and happy. It was a little trippy and she had to stop herself from staring at him. She motioned for him to follow, then began plodding along the invisible boundary line, stopping every now and again to squat and pee. In between, she scuffed her paws against the ground, the scent glands in the pads complementing the more pungent urine markers.

"Seems like it kind of is a dream come true for you," she observed conversationally as they moved along, glancing over her shoulder at him. "You seem really happy." Towhee paused for a beat before quirking a brow playfully and adding, "It's a good look on you."

Eljay easily fell into step with Towhee as she started the patrol. He, too, rolled himself around the floor and shrubberies they came across and peed occasionally to mark the borders as theirs. He was content with the initial silence, happy enough just to be here.

Just as Towhee started to talk, Eljay too tried to start up conversation again. So will we-- oh, sorry, you first, he said, grinning awkwardly. He was surprised by what Towhee said next. He supposed that it was something he had long fantasised about. However, not so much lately, when a lot of his fantasising had become about searching for Maia in the great beyond. It made him solemn for a moment while he tried to figure out what he wanted, now. Now that everything had changed on its own, as it always did, and he'd been too slow with his own decisions.

Uh, yeah, Eljay said after a silence that was just a little long and a little awkward. Sorry, I -- yeah, I'm happy to be back. And uh... Thanks. Eljay sure wasn't used to Towhee saying anything nice about him, which caught him off guard on top of everything else. His own earlier question was forgotten for a moment.

His face changed and Towhee's eyes shifted, wondering if she'd made him self-conscious or something. It was kind of a strange comment, coming from her. Before she could think of what to say, his expression cleared and he thanked her. A dry little chuckle escaped her at the momentary awkwardness, though Towhee ultimately ignored it.

"Sure," she said offhandedly, turning away from him for a beat to inspect what turned out to be a dead, flattened toad before looking back at Eljay again. "Were you going to say something?" the Sovereign prompted him. She hadn't actually caught any of the words, just the barest movement of his lips indicating he'd been on the verge of speech.

It was sure unique to see Towhee be awkward or uncomfortable in a social situation. She turned away and he followed her gaze. She didn't mention anything so Eljay assumed there was nothing and looked the other way again, then resuming the patrol. He paused and sniffed a brush they passed, then lifted his leg to pee on it just as Towhee asked what he was going to say.

Ah, yeah, I wanted to ask if we'll still be Firebirds, or if the pack's name is going to be Redhawk Caldera again. He looked curiously at Towhee and wondered if she -- or anyone -- had thought about that yet.

Now that was a good question. In all the preparations and whatnot, nobody had actually brought this point to her attention until now. Towhee chewed on it a moment, wondering if she should confer with her fellow leaders before giving Eljay an answer. They'd discussed it before, with Phox raising valid points at the time. Somehow, they struck her as moot now. They'd come home to their birthplace, the foundation of the Redhawks' very legacy, and it would seem strange not to acknowledge that.

She very rarely made executive decisions but she did so now as she replied, "We'll take its name for our own." Towhee didn't know if that was the answer he wanted, given his history with Wildfire, who'd founded the Firebirds. "But if you're like me, you'll always be all of them at heart: a Firebird, a Redhawk and a Blackthorn, I mean."

There certainly were a lot of factors involved for Eljay with the name thing. However, at its core, the Firebirds had been Wiffle's. For Eljay, it had no longer been the Firebirds when, well, when Towhee took its helm. Wraen had been there when Wiffle was, but Towhee not only hadn't but also was a vastly different person with a vastly different leadership style than Wiffle.

It hadn't been the Firebirds for a long time, to Eljay; just the memory of it that he'd been stuck in.

I like that thought, said Eljay when Towhee said that they could be all those things at once, at heart. That changing the name back to Redhawk Caldera didn't mean not being a Firebird anymore. He paused a moment, smiling contently.

He approved and it earned a twitch of her lips. Good, she thought but didn't voice, turning away to refocus on her marking behaviors. She liked this change in Eljay and hoped it was permanent. She had always respected him as a master of his craft, though lately she'd also come to think of him more genuinely as her counsel. He had been very involved in the move, after all, and it seemed pretty fitting. Although Towhee was fairly certain he'd never taken the surname for his own, he had spent more time here than any of them, especially in spirit.

Wanna wrap 'ere? :D

In silence they continued to mark, and Eljay was content to do just that; he didn't mind being silent as long as it wasn't uncomfortable, and it was a pleasant surprise to him to find that being around Towhee was no longer as uncomfortable as it had once been. No longer did he feel judged for his weaknesses and moreover, he more and more often started to feel appreciated for his strengths.

Content to just be together, Eljay followed Towhee as they continued to mark the borders of their old & new home.