Redhawk Caldera And a voice, with the fear of a child, answers.

Ever since being buried in the landslide, she hadn't liked enclosed spaces much. But somehow she found herself underground, blinking in the dim light of a cave. It was just one of many that ran beneath the caldera, she assumed. Towhee wondered if it might be the very same one where they'd all been trapped inside for a few weeks when she was only a wee pup.

She wandered over to one of the cold rock walls and slid down to the floor with a sigh. It was just as chilly down here as outside, though at least there was no windchill. And the low light made it feel cozier. Towhee was far from comfortable though. Primrose's death weighed heavily on her. She had suffered losses in her life, though never the loss of a child. It was so enormous that it was almost like she hadn't yet properly grasped it.

After a few moments, she rose onto all fours again. Despite her melancholy, she felt restless. Towhee paced around the cold, dark cave, wishing she could go outside and just... run. She didn't want to run anywhere in particular—and it wasn't so much an urge to run away from anything, either—she just wanted to push herself so far and fast that it would wipe her mind clean of thought, if only for a little bit.

She ranged back to the cave's mouth and peered outside, where the snowstorm raged. Drawing in a deep breath, Towhee leaped atop the several feet of snow drifted against the slope. She stilled, legs braced. Her weight held. Loosing a cry, she sprinted downhill, gaining speed rapidly as the wind shrieked futilely in her ears.

Find Towhee, Niamh had instructed of him, and so he'd gone to do that. The image of Primrose's bundled body burned within his brain.

The loss was hard to process despite only having met the child the one time. The situation brought back a certain kind of angst he had felt towards his own father — the absent Firefly. 

The man hadn't even seen fit to stick around for the birth of Reyes or his siblings. At least Niamh was there for a while, he thought; but he could not put aside the anger he felt towards his aunt for her clear failure. She was his mother. How could she let her own child die out in the wilderness like that?

The pounding of Reyes' feet through the snow, the way he charged across the hillside and pulverized his way between the trees, gave everyone within earshot ample warning to his destructive mood. It was good that they kept clear of him while he was like this. 

As he crested the top of the hill Reyes saw something dark moving at a blur. He was hopeful that it might be a trespasser lost in the falling snow, so he jumped at the chance to follow it, and ran in hot pursuit along the ridge. As he caught up to the figure he recognized it immediately as his sovereign, but that did not stop him from chasing after them.

Reyes came up alongside Towhee and reached out to snap at the wolf's hip, a playful (albeit rough) invitation to race, and then leapt from the rise and kicked snow as he sprinted ahead.

She hit a velocity that could spell disaster should she slip and fall, if not for the snow. Comforted by the knowledge that any tumble would be cushioned, she made no attempt to hit the brakes. She veritably careened downhill. And it had the desired effect too: she was so caught up in the plummet that she didn't think of Primrose, at least for a few minutes.

But then the ground began to even out as she reached the bottom of the hill. Towhee slowed naturally but did not stop, letting the momentum carry her forward onto a plain of thick white snow. She hadn't gone far when she felt something touch her hip. She whirled instinctively to see it was Reyes and quickly recovered her gait, though not before he sprinted ahead.

Seeing it as the challenge it was intended, the Sovereign loosed a sharp bark and raced after him. She did think of Prim then, briefly, as she recollected the moment when Reyes imparted the horrible news. But she shoved that thought aside as she bent her head and picked up speed, blood and muscles singing with the exertion of it.

He ran; the thundering of his strides partially silenced by the snow as it churned around him. His body carved a trail where the snow was deepest but it did not last long. The ground evened out, he lunged, and Reyes was suddenly running atop the snow instead of through it.

He could feel the cold air whipping at his ears. More importantly he could hear Towhee behind him, chasing him, calling out with a bark and then falling in to pace behind him. After a few seconds Towhee's pace increased and Reyes slowed slightly, only to veer around a tree and off again at a ninety-degree angle. 

If Towhee could keep up then maybe Reyes would try a different tactic.

Something in her blood sang a different song as the chase continued. Towhee's gaze swept from Reyes to the white horizon beyond him, leading out into the wilds at large. She was no traveler. In fact, she was a homebody. But she could feel a calling, drawing her out into that vast white wilderness. Her skin practically itched with it, though just moments ago she'd told herself she had no desire to run away from home. And she didn't. But...

Reyes's sudden movements as he veered around a tree and changed his trajectory recaptured her attention. Ignoring the siren song sounding from elsewhere in the Teekon Wilds, Towhee began to run tightly along the borders of the caldera's claim, as if the squat peak was the center of a racecourse. And keeping the nature of the game in mind, she pumped her legs as hard as she could, trying to overtake her competition.

Reyes was a fine example of a coastal wolf: thin and trim where it counted, cloaked with a thicker pelt than most of the type; he was strong despite how he looked, and young. He thought he would win this race wherever it took him. By comparison Towhee was older and they knew the terrain intimately, giving them some advantage.

Once Reyes turned he thought he'd earn some distance but Towhee pushed off and soon was sliding up beside him, soon enough running in tandem. He couldn't help but gasp for some air and began to pant. The flat earth became rocky and between the gaps of uneven terrain sat some black ice partially covered by snow.

His hind limbs started to go out from under him then. He was surprised but tried to adjust himself, slowing and twisting, stumbling a few times, then finding purchase on a patch of snow that allowed him to raise up above the ice long enough to reach for another stride. 

He turned again and looked back over his shoulder, grinning with his tongue out, only to step down on another patch of ice and go down instantly.

There was a special thrill in running beside someone, their strides starting to match in rhythm. No sooner had this exhilarating phenomenon occurred than Reyes appeared to flag, falling a little more behind with every forward bound. Towhee was tempted to slow too, in order to maintain their flow, but this wasn't synchronized swimming. They were racing and she wanted to win!

Soon, he fell back entirely, disappearing from her side view. And Towhee galloped another fifty yards or so before glancing backward only to pull up short, her heels finally digging into the snow. She began to sink a little, so she widened her stance even as she whirled to face back the way she'd come. Quickly, she began to walk, seeing a reddish lump in the snow and not wanting to miss the opportunity to make fun of her downed rival.

Reyes did not know how he'd ended up on the ground. He didn't know where the rushing wind had gone either. It had been in his ears, pulsing over his body, and then there was nothing. He couldn't really remember what he had been doing prior to finding himself in the snow until Towhee came prancing back over to him.

He lifted his head from the snow and blinked, except he hadn't opened his eyes yet. He swallowed a sour taste in his mouth and winced upon feeling a sharp pain in his throat. There was some gravel ground in to his chin. When he finally blinked Reyes could watch as Towhee got closer. 

The boy coughed. He worked his tongue along the back of his teeth and then finally opened his eyes, an expression of surprise passed across his features and then he turned and neatly spat some teeth in to the snow. A lovely glob of red splattered in the snow and made it melt away.

Sleep says no, he mumbles nonsensically. Didn't dig them birds, heh. A smirk spread across his face then. Reyes had no idea that he was saying anything weird, and seemed otherwise intact after slipping on the ice.

She came to stand over him, prepared to gloat, though the sight of Reyes spitting out some blood and teeth immediately caused her brow to furrow. She dimly remembered something like this happening way back during her childhood. She didn't retch this time, though she felt her throat click as she swallowed uncomfortably. Towhee didn't mind blood during fights or meals, though seeing it unexpectedly like this always turned her stomach a little, especially not so long after seeing far too much of her pack mates' blood in other, far more terrible contexts.

Her lips parted to ask if he was okay when he started babbling. Towhee thought at first that she was simply mistaken in her lipreading, so she bent down a little, then rested her weight on the snow. It almost stung her underside, though at least the surface area allowed her to remain resting atop it rather than sinking into it as she said, "What was that? I didn't catch it."

Didn't dig them birds. Never moss angry sheep after. Reyes explained over again, this time thinking he was elucidating on the subject. 

He ran his tongue over his teeth again and grinned emphatically so that Towhee could look at them. It felt like he'd lost one molar and one of his teeth from the middle of his muzzle on one side; his gums were bloodied.

Gull? Pissing sheep. He flexed his jaw after saying this, feeling the tension in the jaw muscles and down his neck, through his shoulders. He tried to stand up properly and felt immediately sick so he sank down again. Ugh, busy. Dad line.

From this new angle, she could read his lips clearly. She caught every word, they just didn't make sense. And then she got a closeup of his battered gum line, complete with bloodied holes. Towhee wrenched her face away purely out of instinct, then slowly turned back as it dawned on her that he must've face-planted hard enough to hit his head.

"Well, shit," she said rather uselessly, wondering if she should summon Eljay or Fennec. She mulled for a moment, then decided she'd try to take Reyes back into the cave she'd been checking out earlier. Once there, she could assess Reyes further and then figure out if she needed to call on the medics. It'd probably be easier for them to get there than all the way out here in the deep snow.

"Okay, get up," she instructed, snaking her forelegs toward him and pushing encouragingly. "Lean on me if you have to. We're gonna go back to the cave. Do you understand me? Reyes?" Towhee tacked on his name at the end in hopes it might help orient him.

Her stomach dipped, hoping this was only a temporary condition and that she hadn't invited Reyes to a chase that would leave him brain damaged. The snow was supposed to be a cushion, the Sovereign thought indignantly as she waited for him to obey orders.

Thinking that his friend was impressed with his new look, Reyes' expressive grin turned genuine and he got to his feet, chuckling softly. He was about to verbally wave Towhee off for sounding so concerned but then they offered themselves up as a physical support, acting like something was really wrong.

Reyes frowned. I'm limes. Juiced a middle flood. Towhee was pretty insistent about getting a move on though, pushing at him, which made him bristle. His tail lashed with a violent twitch before he told himself to settle the hell down; the last thing he wanted was to lose his shit completely at his leader.

Maybe it was the way Towhee looked at him with such concern, or maybe it was the fact they had become such good friends in the past few weeks, but Reyes accepted the situation and fought against the itch in his skin which demanded he lash out. Before long they reached the cave and Reyes ducked inside.

He made a show of carefully laying down against the far wall where it was warmest. He mumbled to himself something about autumn and being busy before giving up on talking entirely.

The momentary bristling made Towhee freeze, though whatever prompted it seemed to pass quickly. Reyes came along without any fuss otherwise. The journey was a bit arduous but he operated under his own power, so that was a good sign. In fact, it was kind of hard to keep up with him as she realized the run had really exhausted her. She supposed that was okay, as that was sort of the point.

Soon enough, they were inside the cave's dim interior. Reyes took it upon himself to relax against the wall, in the very same place Towhee had sunk just a little while earlier. Padding over to him, she gave him a look before reclining onto her haunches, then dipping forward into a sphinx-like pose. All the while, her orange eyes fixed sharply on his face.

He seemed bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, but... "You scared me," Towhee told him. "You weren't making sense. How do you feel now?"

The last thing Reyes needed right now was someone babying him. It made him feel like an idiot. How much clearer could he get? There was nothing wrong! He'd hit his head and lost some teeth. The dizziness wasn't going anywhere — and evidently neither was Towhee.

You scared me, said the captain. It wasn't an admission Reyes would have expected from someone in charge of a crew, although the Redhawks were a different sort of crew that he was still not meshing with. They were soft where he did not expect it. Rather than lash out for the compassion that Towhee was showing Reyes had to pause. They mentioned not making sense which, well.. Didn't make sense.

Fruity! He announced. I storied you. He sounded exasperated, and shook his head a little before planting his tenderized chin upon his extended limbs. Reyes winced as he adjusted himself.

His next nonsensical reply should've been met with continued concern. And Towhee was worried about him and the state of his head. She really ought to call one of the medics here to check that, as well as his busted mouth...

Instead, she found herself snorting abruptly at his shout of, "Fruity!" And when he tacked on an indignant, "I storied you," she began to titter in earnest. Towhee stuffed a paw in her mouth to try muffling it but couldn't hide the merriment in her eyes nor fully stifle the snorts leaking out around her foot.

He did not anticipate the not-so-subtle laughter that came next. Towhee tried to hide it but in the dark expanse of the cave, with the wind beginning to howl outside, there wasn't much else to focus on. Reyes' ears twitched and he gave Towhee a slanted look, side-eyeing them.

What's femur? Reyes asked, not really wanting an answer but finding it impossible to hold back his curiosity. Buzzing busy?

Reyes tried to sit up a bit, settling in to a sphinx-pose despite the ache it created in his neck and shoulders. Because of his russet-black coat it would be difficult to see the sheen of blood as it leaked around the gravel lodged in his chin but the fur across his leg was slick because of it. His head swam; he swallowed and took a breath. Birdy, no shouting.

Oh, man. He spouted a few more bits of giggle-worthy gobbledygook. Towhee stuffed her fist harder against her teeth, which made her realize something. She couldn't do much about his head, though she could certainly help him with his bloody mouth. If she did, he might stop babbling nonsense.

"Hey," she said when she regained control of herself and set her paw back on the ground. She watched Reyes shift about a bit, then slid forward toward him as she said, "Let's make out." Towhee wiggled her brows at him, then said slightly more seriously, "Open up so I can take a look and help you clean up." As she spoke, she sandwiched her paws together and then pulled them apart, the ptero (and universal) sign to "open wide."

Towhee's offer made Reyes think they were both somehow afflicted with something. Maybe the ice had knocked him a little too hard but what the hell made his captain propose something like that in this instance? Reyes sat up a little straighter, shoulders tensing.

Here was Reyes thinking he had found someone who he could trust — something of a friend after many months of living a life running from every possible connection — and they were coming on to him? Dizzy as he was Reyes' brain flashed to the last time he had been alone with a man with the same kind of fascination, and he didn't want to be in the cave anymore.

Open up— Captain Towhee requested with a mime-show of baby shark. Reyes had stopped listening. He was on his feet and striding towards the cave entrance with a grimace on his face. No, no, no. He kept on repeating, finding it a struggle to say much else in the moment.

As he ducked through the cave entrance he felt a blast of frigid air and was peppered with snow, making him recoil in to the dark again; but Reyes turned and essentially plastered himself against the wall again with a defensive curve to his body.

Just like his momentary bristling earlier, Towhee was caught off guard by Reyes's overreaction. She met it with the same bewildered freeze frame as before, only her eyes moving as she watched him attempt to leave. He seemed to think better of it and skulked back inside, moving to a different section of wall. Everything about his body language screamed loud and clear: "leave me alone!"

All the humor had already dropped out of the situation but something about the sight of him curled up like that made Towhee deflate as her mind inevitably returned to Primrose. She felt a lump in her throat and stood there desolately for several moments, completely lost in her thoughts.

When she finally returned to the present, Towhee lifted her gaze from the floor and looked at Reyes, brow furrowed. "Should I call a medic?" she asked him from across the room, making no move to approach him.

Having someone else present would alleviate some of Reyes' misgivings, but he did not want more company. He wanted to sleep - he was dizzy and disoriented from his concussion, and his body was beginning to ache. He tucked himself together before he answered; legs folding neatly beneath himself, becoming a loaf of red and brown-black.

After a moment to think and glower at the stone floor, he huffed, and said, Yes. Evidently Reyes could communicate despite the word salad that flowed from his lips, limited to yes and no statements only.

Finally, he said something that made sense. Feeling a twinge of hope, Towhee nodded, then moved toward the entrance. She thrust her head outside and loosed one of her trademark howls, sounding every bit the thunder goose as she summoned @Eljay or @Fennec. She couldn't exactly listen for an answer, so she quickly withdrew back into the cave's cold comfort.

Making sure to give Reyes his space, Towhee returned to her spot. She kept an eye on him, mostly concerned and also slightly confused. But hopefully one of the pack's caretakers could shed some light on the situation and help Reyes feel better.