Phantom Hollow It's not just where you lay your head

set around this time, give or take!! Gonna probably roll to see how long she takes to get properly back, unless someone shows up to point the way XD making the assumption Alyx will stay, if not I can edit this

The trip home was a long one but should have been faster.  Unlike last time, she knew where she was going for the most part.  She'd tracked the course internally.... follow the coast, follow the river, then south.  She'd have hit familiar ground at some point, a marker she could use to map her way home.  And at first it seemed like it was going just fine!

She'd traveled along the coast, picked up her finds, and set off along the river going east with a bundle clutched firmly in her jaws.  That was gone now... Fennec cursed quietly.

Things had seriously turned, so fast she was a little disoriented actually.  Currently she was seated at the edge of an unfamiliar forest, soaking wet and shivering.  Something had tried to pin her.  She could feel the punctures at her nape and the sides of her throat, shallow.  She'd rolled, then... just air.  Then water, panic, and now she was here.

Whatever it was, it was gone now.  She'd listened for a time after she woke up here but heard nothing, and probably if it had followed it would have finished it by now.

She shook herself, trying to fluff up and dry a bit.  She'd lost her herbs, and the strange gift she'd found on the shore.  That one hurt.  She was in one piece, though, outside of a few scrapes and bruises.  Her hip ached the worst but she could walk on it fine.  It could have been worse.

Fennec tested the air, took in the scent of water and damp earth and trees.  She had no clue where she was.  I was going East... towards the sun.  But what time of day was it?  Had she left the river on the same side?  The current she thought suddenly.

She had.  That eliminated crossing, but she still wasn't sure how far she'd gone downstream.  She might have passed the caldera altogether.  Fennec let out a low growl of frustration and remained where she was, teeth clenched.  She'd been trying to rush home, knowing that if pups were coming they'd be coming soon.  She'd wanted to be there.

Whatever it was that had attacked her, she hoped it fucking drowned.

He knew that scent. It made his skin crawl when he'd found it, but his feet made quick work of the terrain as he swept after it. The sight of golden fur made him immediately livid — a narrow golden body layered with mud and smelling like pond scum. There was the faint Redhawk smell too, but it couldn't have been Niamh. Reyes had done more damage than he knew to his aunt but he did not anticipate her to be here, so far from her home and her seat of power.

When he approached he wasn't subtle about it. His shoulder twinged when he put too much weight on the affected leg, so eventually he'd have to slow down. Hopefully they wouldn't notice him before he got close enough to take a real gander at whoever it was — not that Reyes had any idea of what to do if he confronted them. From the signs of things, this wolf hadn't been at the caldera in a while.

By the time he was closer he knew they were not a threat to him. It was the medicine-obsessed girl from before, the one who had talked about sparring with you-know-who.

Didn't expect to see you here, he called out to her, his voice taking on a gruff sound (which was becoming the norm). Did Niamh kick your ass after all?

She did hear him coming and thought maybe it was the other one coming back to finish the job.  She stumbled to her feet, but didn't have time to really get into any sort of defensive pose before Reyes spoke and revealed his identity.  At least it was someone she knew.  Slightly soothed, Fennec frowned.  No, I went with Alyx over to the coast.  What are you doing here?  Either she was a hell of a lot closer to the Caldera than she'd first imagined or he was on some kind of trip too.  It made sense he wouldn't know, she'd really only bothered to say goodbye to her parents.

He sounded weird, but he hadn't been exactly friendly the last time they met either.  Fennec didn't mind abrupt so long as he kept his distance.  None of her scrapes seemed like enough to need any kind of medic attention and she wasn't really in the mood to be prodded right now.  All she wanted was a warm space to stretch out in and a nap, but any real sleep would have to wait until she was safely back home again.

He debated whether to tell the truth or not. Would it be worth it? Having another person mad at him didn't soind so great. Lying would only dig his proverbial hole deeper whenever she got back to the caldera. 

He paused but it was not for long. Niamh and I got in an argument. I told her to chill out 'cuz she's pregnant but, you know her... wasn't my smartest move. Understatement. I've been wandering to cool my head. Small fib. Close enough to the truth though.

How was the coast? You know, I... have family there. And he was half convinced to head that way now, be done with this place. He wouldn't abandon Towhee or their future so fast though. C'mon, we can walk and talk.

That couldn't be the whole story, and Fennec got the sense from the way he said it it wasn't.  There was no way any argument with Niamh, especially one where he called her out like that, went that casually.   She didn't push it, but she did lift a brow at him without even realizing the skeptic look.  And you got all the way out here in one piece?  Shit, I might have passed on you for mentor a little early.

She was only half joking.  If he'd rammed heads with the Caldera second and bopped out here scott free, that was definitely worthy of admiration.

And it was fine.  Next time I'll probably stay longer, but with the kids and all, I wanted to be home.  A little sappy but after a week and a little more alone, she was feeling conversational.  That was interesting to hear that he had family, though.  Alyx knew a pack out there, that's where we went.  I knew one of them too, from a long time ago.  Her fur lifted a bit at that.  But the woman who met us was nice.  Her voice had a strange sound to it, 'like dis.  Dis be Sapphique, an' I be Erzulie.'  Fennec figured if he knew anyone out there, he'd at least pick up on the impression pretty quickly.  She'd never heard a voice like it and, honestly, was quite taken with it.

He had not been home in a long time. Hearing the girl take on a familiar affect made Reyes halt mid-stride with a paw raised, his heart lurching. It felt like it was lodged in his throat tightly. 

A second later he had swallowed the feeling and resumed walking, but he still felt a longing deep down. My mother. He explains. It feels weird to know someone from his new life had met her, distant as she felt. Strange too because he hadn't shared many details of his home life with Towhee when given the chance - and now this near stranger knew something she didn't.

Well, sort of. Vague, but an attempted save. It would be quite a confusing thing to explain and Reyes didn't have the energy. He wondered why any Redhawk would go so far as the coast while being simultaneously pleased with it; this would give him an in with someone removed from the chaos at the caldera.

If we keep heading this way and cross the plains, caldera isn't far. He segued poorly, feeling awkward about the current topic of conversation.

It might have been coincidence that of all the wolves they'd met his mother but there hadn't been many packs on the coast proper.  At least, not that they'd encountered.  Nearly every wolf they'd met up with had also been one and the same which had made finding the place a hell of a lot easier.  She's pretty cool.  Fennec said, allowing the compliment to imply that he was likely better than she'd first thought by mere association.  Maybe not as cool as her own mom, but she could see right away why Alyx was so insistent on going there.  It hadn't been hard to leave her and know she'd be treated well with the reception Erzulie had given her.

Are you heading back too?  She hadn't bothered to take in any pack scent to that point, but now that she was walking nearer to him, she couldn't help but note he smelled unfamiliar.  She was a bit stuffed up from her swim, though, so she didn't comment on it.  At the moment it could have been he was just out here hanging out so long that Towhee and the rest had faded.

He smiled, feeling the expression tugging at his face muscles before he could contain the impulse. It was rare for Reyes to talk about his family at all - rarer for anyone to meet them - but he was glad that Erzulie had made an impression. Heartsick, too, for the attention of his mothers. But he was a man now and he couldn't go running off to them for help every time shit went down in his life; he hadn't with the pirates, he wouldn't do it now. Much as he desired to see their faces or hear their voices.

Are you heading back too? The blonde asked of him. The smile was gone after that.

I don't know. I'll walk with you a while but... I don't know if I'm welcome there right now. There was weight to his words. Reyes couldn't deny the sense of loss he felt about the Caldera. It took him a moment to realize his feeling of homesickness wasn't exclusively for the coast — it was a feeling that started whenever he thought of Towhee. To think of her as a bridge he had burned only hurt more. Every time I encounter Niamh we kick each other's asses. Something about her just -- drives me crazy. She doesn't know when to back off.

He wasn't here to talk about her, though; he did not want or need to bad-mouth Niamh to anyone. His emotions on the matter were still pretty raw and so the comments just slipped out. I think it best if I keep my distance until my shoulder is healed, at least. I'm... camping in the woods right now. As a home base. Maybe telling Fennec this would be good; word could get back to Towhee, and then maybe they could work on mending things. How could Reyes have any hope for a future now though?

Lucky for Reyes, his street cred was safe.  He didn't respond to her comment but she hadn't really given it to receive a response - she was far more interested in the question he did answer.

So Niamh had kicked him out.  Officially or not, he figured she'd probably attack him if she returned, which was probably a good bet.  And if they had fought, Fennec guessed her dad likely wasn't on this guy's side either.  I get it.  She replied, and she did in a way.  The only real fight she'd had with her stepmother was around the healing snaffu, and as soon as she'd made the realization she had, she'd known nothing Niamh did would ever get under her fur again.  It wasn't because she was blind; Niamh just treated everyone like that.

She's a bitch.  She has the spine to back it up, which I think's awesome, but some wolves don't deal with it.  She thought of Bronco as she said that, and what he'd said about his mom.  She was his biggest reason for not coming back home too, and while Fennec did really wish he'd reconsider, she couldn't fault him for it.  Not any more than she felt he could fault her for needing to be there nowadays.

Do you want me to look at it?  She asked, meaning the shoulder.  It sounded like he was walking okay, albeit with a bit of a limp now that she took a moment to notice.  His gait was less familiar to her and she hadn't thought to compare before now.  She didn't mind, though she'd lost any of the things she'd gathered to potentially treat it with.  It was a gut-punch every time she remembered it.

Having someone that understood, that trusted him enough to accept what he said, was not something Reyes expected but he was glad for it. If even Niamh's own kids thought she was a headcase then maybe he wasn't wrong in defending himself. It gave him a little hope that maybe someone could act as an intermediary in this entire shitty situation.

At the very least Fennec could vouch for him. He had never hurt anyone else within the Caldera and he only turned on Niamh after repeated warnings; what were they going to expect? Their first meeting had him pinned and struggling beneath her, so it wasn't like they had a roadmap to success to share between them.

Do you want me to look at it? Look at what..? Oh, shoulder. Right.

That's not necessary. Thank you though. Reyes shook his head, still unaware of Fennec's limitations. I found someone in the woods who could patch me up, and I learned a bit from Erzulie growing up - eh, I mean I watched her fix some people. I'll be fine. But he was only half of the equation. You might want to hurry back to the Caldera though. When I left Niamh she was really kicking up a fuss and... I'm not really sure how badly hurt she is.

That might've been a bad thing to admit to, but it was the truth. She had put on quite a show and Reyes hadn't stuck around to see how it ended.

Yeah, sure.  Fennec answered, though it was clear she wasn't terribly worried.  All she had to do was recall her own fight with Niamh and how that had ended.  She'd gotten some good bites in herself, but Niamh took it because that's what true warriors did.  Just like she'd taken the hits back and, when the opportunity came, would take them again.  If you started a fight you had to be ready to finish it.

I was in a hurry anyway, what with... you know.  A couple weeks, yeah?  At least, if she counted right, that's about when Towhee and Niamh would be ready to pop.  I'm not actually sure what she knows of Reyes and Towhee's relationship, but if she knew at any point he was the father, she'd forgotten that now.  It was hard to think of anyone as the match set to her mom, a figure who'd always stood solo alongside the pairing that Phox made.

Yeah. Won't be long now, the Caldera will be overrun by mini-regents and sovereigns. He said, feeling much better now that he'd talked to someone who really got things. Maybe there was hope yet. Fennec could help him to correct what he'd broken, or at least get a start on things for him. Reyes was still certain he was not going to be welcomed back - especially by Phox - and he didn't think he'd ever truly fit in as a Redhawk, but he'd do anything to be with Towhee again. To see his kids, and be a dad. He had made that promise.

Yeah.  A whole squad, perfect for corrupting.  Fennec replied with a playful smirk.  She wasn't the type to say 'thanks', but she decided that the least she could do was try to get to the bottom of why Niamh'd booted him.  Reyes didn't sound particularly happy to be on the outs with the pack, no matter what new place he'd holed up in, and she owed him a solid for showing her the way home.  She would have figured it out eventually but the time would have sucked to lose.  If she could work it around some, she might be able to change their minds.

While we walk, you got any tips you learned you want to share this way?  I didn't really get to stick around long enough to ask for healing advice.  If he was implying that his mom was a healer, though, she'd definitely need to go back for a visit.  It'd be nice to check in with Alyx, first, and she really wanted to know what that slimy plant actually did.  No doubt they'd know that if they lived right next to the source.

we can wrap this if you like!!!

The conversation moved on. Reyes wanted to probe for more details on some things but he didn't know how to ask with specificity, especially because Fennec had been gone to the coast. She wouldn't know what the Caldera was like until she'd gotten home. He could ask after Erzulie, but from the girl's own admission she hadn't stuck around very long.

Eh, I don't know names of plants or any real details. I can identify a few by the look and I have some vague ideas of how to use them, but that's all. He admitted.

My interests were rarely aligned with that kind of thing. I think I got a good dose of attitude from my dad and my mom's temper, but not much beyond that. Always more focused on stuff like sparring and roamin' around, bein' a nuisance. Reyes had become very good at all that.

That's all.  Fennec repeated with a little bit of an amused, mocking edge.  A few uses is kind of the whole point, isn't it?  I'll take what you got since I don't have shit so far.  Not with those kind of plants.  Sparring and roaming and being a nuisance were all well and good by her books, though she did wonder at the bit about his mom's temper.  The woman they'd met at the borders wasn't exactly what Fennec would call a wildcard.  Maybe she just really likes Alyx?

I'll trade you a favor.  She added.  After all, she was already planning on it, yeah?  If she was going to owe him, might as well make it official and get something else in the bargain.