Redhawk Caldera communism? NO! socialism? NO! be happy!!✌: )

backdated to whatever earliest date works!!

Caerus had brought the body here now. Traveling southward, he'd eventually found his way here- to Redhawk Caldera, as they called it, supposedly- and once he'd encountered borders, he'd promptly halted, depositing Primrose at the place that was once their home. A howl, for whoever really... and then he sat on his haunches, and avoided looking at his dead peer's body.

Reyes had been hunting, pointlessly, again. This time his route had taken him close to the borders and it was in time to catch the howl of a stranger's voice. 

He knew he was the closest and he was capable of taking care of this, whatever it was, so he dropped out of his stalk and with a heavy sigh, moved to intercept. The last person to come upon him had been Meerkat — practically melting in the process — and he hoped this time would be different. No more crying, no more bad news.

It only took a few minutes for him to find his way and when he arrived, he wished he hadn't made the decision at all. Standing at the borders was a sad looking stranger; more importantly, there was a familiar shape. A little golden body placed carefully along the territory edge, as if it were an offering.

Reyes recognized the pipsqueak immediately — and he could not look away, even as a rising dread filled his gut, as the shock twisted it. He tipped his chin back and called out two names: @Phox, and @Niamh.

First came a youthful howl, full of sorrow- followed by the voice of Reyes that called out specifically for Niamh and Towhee. Her throat clenched, and she made her way toward the borders, expecting that the first who'd called might be a messenger from the Glen. She'd half expected one of them to show up dys ago, to pick up where Meerkat left off and tell them exactly what had happened, and what had become of the bear. 

As she made her way down the slope she couldn't quite make out the wolves, who were blocked by some shrubs that grew along the ground in her path. She zig-zagged her way through them, peering forward, to catch sight of the dark form of Reyes and another she didn't recognize up. The brush blocked her view of them from their chest down, but their visitor had an unusual, patchwork pelt that caught her eye. She was prepared to receive whatever news the young yearling would have, but nothing could have prepared her for what she'd see once she came clear of the highbush blueberry brambles. 

There on the snow was the limp body of her precious little son. She let out a horrid shriek and charged toward the small assembly, hovering far too close to her beloved Petal's body. Her heart had cracked and let loose a rush of savage rage as she thundered through the snow, sending it spraying in waves aongside her. Before she reached them, her teeth were bared and a snarl reverbrated on the air- warning them both that they ought to step away from Primrose's body. The snarl became an anguished wail the closer she came, and by the time she reached them she temporarily lost the conviction that had made her so fearsome.

As she fell to the snow next to his quiet, empty body she whimpered for a moment, sniffing over him and gently hovering her muzzle over his broken crown, inspecting the damage that had been done what must have been several days ago. If not for the winter's cool touch, his body might have begun to reek the foul stench of decomposition, but as it was she could still smell the faint, lingering scent that belonged to her son, though it was growing faint. Her gaze snapped up and she turned her grief-stricken grimace to the stranger. "You found him?" She demanded. What had happened to him was reasonably obvious, by the wound on his head. No tooth marks, and no stranger's blood on him. Still- she assumed the young man might have some answers for her.

One man, silent aside from his howl. And then her. 

If Caerus thought he knew pain now, he was proven wrong when Niamh arrived. She was the face of raw, immediate grief- and if it hurt this much to lose a boy he'd never known, he couldn't imagine how much deeper her pain was. He'd seen his father worry when siblings went missing, but he'd never seen this. He stumbled backwards at the snarl, keeping a respectful distance from the mother and her lost son. Him. Caerus had wanted so badly to know him, and hadn't even known his pronouns until he was dead. 

As she looked him over, Caerus turned his gaze away,, finding it hard to watch. He didn't cry over much, anymore, but tears that had been stuffed under a stone exterior leaked out now, and he breathed a deep sniff, trying to compose himself and not wanting to look like a baby in front of the strangers. Not that crying over a dead guy was wrong- but Caerus was at that age where he was trying his best to grow up and be an adult already, whatever the hell that looked like or meant. Even if his vision of adult behavior was totally off. 

Oh, a question- she'd asked him something. Cae looked back to her with a sniff. y-yeah- um, by the mountains. he- i found him beside a tree, near the b-bottom of a slope. He explained awkwardly, um, i tried to- i'm a doctor, so, i tried to clean his injury and everything, and tried to... to wake him up... He hung his head regretfully. he just wouldn't.

As hard-hearted as Reyes could be, and as much as he wanted to allow himself the freedom to dislike Niamh on any other day, he watched her come tearing towards the bundle and then collapsed in to a heap and he could not hate her for it. 
Neither could he sympathize exactly. Reyes had never lost a child and could not fathom the pain that radiated from her; even as she knelt, screamed, sobbed, all he could do was keep out of her trajectory.

Instead he focused on the stranger. They seemed young, somehow more deeply affected by this loss than Reyes was, although as he took the time to really look at the body fleetingly. 

From the sounds of things the boy had wandered off, fallen, and then not gotten up again. Reyes listened to the explanation in silence, staring down at the body, at the quaking of Niamh's shoulders crowding close.

She stiffened and listened as the young man explained where Primrose had been found and she pictured it, immediately. The surprised expression that must have been on her son's face as he fell like a leaf through the air. So light, so limber- and yet gravity's cruel, selfish pull had brought him down with such force that it had fractured their family apart. Caerus was visibly distraught, but Niamh couldn't spare him much empathy at the moment- this was, after all, her baby boy. She choked back a wail, gritting her teeth. She had to have some sort of composure but it took everything in her power to delay the inevitable. 

"Reyes," She choked. "Take him- have some food. Rest." She wanted to thank him- but it felt too impossible to thank anyone, for bringing home nothing more than a corpse. She might later wonder more about where Caerus had come from, what his name was, and if he too had a home- but she couldn't think about that in the moment. She wanted them both gone, out of sight. Her sides shook as she fought back sobs and when she could no longer keep it in, she buried her face in her son's fur and began to scream.

Phox was still processing the news he'd heard when the howl went up, calling for him and Niamh. When he arrived, he found Niamh over their son, Primrose. Quietly, quickly, Phox placed himself at her side, not paying any mind to the other two wolves who lingered nearby. Primrose. Gone. Phox felt anger at himself for not doing more to protect him. Not teaching him enough to survive. Not doing enough, period.

This was not the first close death he had experienced, but that did not make it any easier and he pressed himself into Niamh, knowing that she had always been closer to Primrose than he had. This was, also, the first loss of a child he had experienced, and it was more of a numbing feeling than anything as he looked down at his son.

Reyes, go find Towhee. Tell her what happened. She was as much Primrose's parent as Phox and Niamh were.