Redhawk Caldera Take what you can, give nothin' back.

Some of the inclines along the center of the caldera were quite steep, which made running down them terrifying but fun, and stalking back up the other side tedious as all hell. Reyes had not counted on the toil of relocating; he thought it sounded like a fun excuse to explore somewhere he'd never been, plus it took him further from the coast, so there was no downside.

The amount of huffing and puffing he was doing as he hiked now, though, was a pretty big downside. He'd gotten partway along a ridge when he had to stop and guzzle oxygen, pathetically heaving breaths and feeling light-headed from the altitude. If he wasn't careful he could seriously hurt himself (or at the very least, pass out from vertigo). For someone who was born nearer to sea-level, this place wasn't such a paradise.

He was determined to be useful though: suss out dangers, find the clearest paths to lead the rest of the group along, maybe even track down a bit of grub. Just... After this intermission.

After spending the morning marking and patrolling with @Eljay, Towhee plopped down in the middle of the rendezvous site for a long afternoon nap. She woke feeling refreshed if a little stiff. The trek here had taken its toll on her, plus her body would take some time to adapt to the hillier life again. The Sovereign didn't mind it too much and just took her time doing yoga stretching before heading out to reconnoiter.

Somewhere along the way, she spotted Reyes. "Hey!" she called out to him, moving closer. He looked a bit out of breath and she smirked sympathetically. -"It's a workout getting around this place, isn't it?"- Towhee asked, making a point to sign since she intended for him to learn at least some basic ptero.

Before long someone came striding up the path to where he loitered, so Reyes got to his feet and pretended he had just paused for a break, trying to control the rapidity of his deep breaths, to no avail. He was thrilled to see Towhee again but also somewhat mortified. The last thing he wanted was to appear weak or useless before his Captain, so he struggled a little longer to control his body's natural response to all the strenuous activity.

Aye, sure is a workout. He agreed, and then quipped, Can't wait for the tours to be over though, mind ye. Prefer gettin' my kicks another way. At that he gave a suggestive wink, still thinking he was bro-ing it up with a fellow dangler and not, somehow, accidentally flirting with the lead female of the pack.

She might not have thought much of his remark, except for the wink. Towhee blinked in response. She didn't really mind the innuendo, it just seemed sort of forward. He probably didn't even mean to infer anything personally, though it suddenly triggered an entire train of thought that had been sitting in a depot ever since talk of the move had begun.

It was tempting to let herself get sidetracked, yet the Sovereign reminded herself she needed to prioritize the pack's foundation over anything else for the time being. There was so much to be done before they could even contemplate the upcoming mating season. Towhee cleared her throat as she forced herself to focus.

-"Well, I'm afraid you'll need to use your dong for business over pleasure for a bit,"- the Sovereign drawled. -"C'mon, let's go mark some borders,"- she clarified in the next breath, taking off in that direction before he could even react.

Unbothered by the redirect, Reyes chuckled to himself at his own innuendo and hurried to follow the leader. As much as he disliked the floaty feeling that swept through him every few feet, and as much as his body ached in places it had never ached in before, he was determined to prove himself as a capable crewmate.

Towhee needed him to pee on something? It was a good thing he came prepared. The mountainous terrain did not seem to thwart Towhee's advance to any great degree, but Reyes lagged behind somewhat. He sniffed at some of the green growths he did not recognize, frosted flower buds and the like, and then squatted near a few mossy stones to do his business.

When he was finished he cut the dirt with a back paw, rolling some pebble bits in to the unknown, and looked around for his marking partner.

She led the way in companionable silence (presumably), only turning to face Reyes once they were a little closer to the borders. She watched approvingly as he took to the task, her own attention straying a little further along the invisible boundary line. The scent markers were strong in their freshness, though a little overkill never hurt anyone, as far as pissing went (except for that time when Titmouse drowned Stoat in his pee but we don't talk about that).

Nose to the ground, Towhee selected a spot and squatted. While she urinated, she squinted at the treeline off to the east. As she rose again and kicked her heels over the puddle, she couldn't help but wonder if any of the Blackfeathers remained to this day. Niamh and Eljay hadn't reported anything, though it was unlikely they'd ventured there. She wasn't sure what she'd do if one turned up in the area, though Towhee knew what she wouldn't do, probably ever again: move.

Towhee was.. Squatting. It wasn't the usual manner in which a man of high standing would, well, stand, as they marked. It struck him as odd but he didn't think on it beyond that. It wasn't his business what someone else did with their body or how they utilized it for comfort's sake; he did think of a few eunuchs that he'd met while running with pirates, though.

He quickly turned his thoughts to other things: primarily the far-off look upon his friend's face. They were staring north, maybe to the band of trees on the horizon, maybe somewhere else. It was a nice view, all things considered. Towhee looked distracted by their thoughts and Reyes did not want to disturb them.

Walking over to another patch of ground, he sprinkled some pee there, and then rubbed against a young tree, feeling the branches needle through his coat. When he turned back to find Towhee still lost in thought, he chuffed.

See somethin'?

She didn't hear the soft woof, nor the two words that followed it. But Towhee eventually sensed eyes boring into the side of her face and she turned to see Reyes watching her. An ear splayed as she turned away from the woods and loped over to him, tail giving a strange little shake. She bumped against his shoulder as she passed, moving ahead a few yards before crouching again, pointedly avoiding looking toward Blackfeather Woods now.

It didn't strike him until after Towhee turned and bypassed him that, hey, maybe the deaf guy didn't respond because, gasp, he didn't hear. Go figure. Reyes was a bit annoyed at being ignored at first. When the realization hit him he simmered a little, then gave up the feeling entirely. It wasn't something done maliciously.

Towhee moved on, squatting further along the path. Reyes backtracked to where he could see down in to the neighbouring valley and the trees that had garnered his Captain's attention, wondering if there was something wrong. He didn't see anything moving out there - but this spot wasn't the best crow's nest either.

The caldera seemed like a well fortified area to lay claim to regardless of what may linger in the foothills. Reyes shrugged to himself, then moseyed to where he'd last seen Towhee, sniffing at the dirt to check the strength of the surroundings for a new place to mark. It was all very well layered - enough so his eyes watered a little.

A job well done, he'd admit.

For a while, they worked in silent tandem, leaving their mark all over the eastern stretch of borders. Soon enough, the woods dropped away behind them as they ventured southwest, moving along the caldera's natural curve. Towhee's gaze swept over another stretch of forest, much nearer to the foot of the dead volcano, but there was nothing of note there. Presently, they began edging toward Lake Rodney.

Her lower back started to cramp and Towhee wondered if she was just getting old. But then she squatted for the nth time and her bowels moved suddenly. She felt right as rain afterward, straightening out and shaking her hips a little. Probably due to their recent feast, it smelled particularly ratchet, which was a good thing considering what they were trying to achieve here.

Remembering she wasn't alone, the Sovereign glanced over her shoulder and shot Reyes a shit-eating grin. But of course she didn't actually eat it. She stepped over the pile of dung and kept marking, determined to make a complete circuit before they called it quits.

Talking was usually his go-to when there was silence to fill, awkward or otherwise. Reyes found that the more he traveled along the corridors of the caldera's terrain, the less he could breathe. He felt dizzy when they went to higher sections, and glad when they descended together to the lower parts. As they approached the edge of a sprawling lake he lagged behind - in part because he was sore and tired from the work, and also because the smell of water was off-putting for him.

Then there came the nauseating wave of something foul to blot that out. His nose crumpled. Had they crossed back to the start, he wondered? Or had something crawled in to a hollow tree and died out here? He was halfway between investigative mode and utter repulsion mode when Towhee looked over his way, grinning like a fool.

That's when he saw the soupy mess among the leaves, and just about swallowed his tongue. Oh man! That's you? That smell -- oh my god Towhee -- he sputtered for effect, which he need not emphasize in the coming moments, as the fumes rolling off the steaming pile stung his eyes and trachea as he breathed. The hell did you eat --?

He recoiled and Towhee threw her head back and laughed, sounding a lot like a donkey being murdered while in the throes of passion. She glanced downward again just in time to catch the last few words: "—did you eat?" She snorted, equally inelegantly, and batted her eyelashes as she answered, -"Everything."-

Feeling lighter on her feet after dumping that load, Towhee picked up the pace. By the time they came full circle, dusk had descended on the slopes, casting half the caldera into shadow. Her bladder felt utterly exhausted, not to mention her feet and legs. She might have to talk to Eljay about quick ways to treat minor inflammation.

But in the meantime, she sat, a yawn nearly tearing her face apart before Towhee caught Reyes's eye. -"Thanks for the assist, Reyes. I think we earned a snack. I don't know about you but I have plenty of room now."- She patted her belly, smirking. -"C'mon,"- she coaxed, rolling back onto all fours with a stifled groan as she led the way upward toward the rendezvous site.

There were no words for what it smelled like. As if that weren't enough overstimulation for the day, Towhee was suddenly cackling with laughter (or what he presumed was laughter) and assaulting his ears with a discordant mixture of fart noises, voice cracks, and chewbacca impressions rolled in to a chorus of glee.

He followed carefully after his Captain. The sound of the laughter ringing in his ears even though Towhee had stopped some time ago, leaving him thinking he might go deaf by morning. When Towhee finally gathered Reyes' attention thereafter it was to thank him, and Reyes gave a little salute, his tail waving. 

Certainly worked up an appetite. Much obliged. He said by way of acceptance, picking up the pace as he came upon the rendezvous and began fussing around a cache. Once they'd tucked in to their meal and had a moment to recuperate, Reyes would head off to find a place to drop dead for the night.