Redhawk Caldera distorted light beam

private for those tagged, mostly so it doesn't get too wild, hehe.

It felt... not strange, more surreal to be back at the caldera. Phox didn't think twice about crossing the border, even though it didn't smell the same as it used to. His scent had entirely faded from the borders (as was to be expected), and Ruenna and Fennec's were stronger than he remembered them being.

But Phox had not come home empty handed pawed. Although he did not have Niamh by his side, nor the pups that were biologically his, there was one little treat he had brought back home.

Come on, @Tierra, let's go find your mom, he said, nudging her forward. For once in his life, Phox didn't call for Towhee at the border, knowing that it would fall on deaf ears. Instead, he had picked up a well-worn trail and followed it until it led to the wolf he was looking for, just outside the Hobbit Hole where she'd been staying. His sister and best friend: @Towhee.

The Redhawk wasn't sure what to brace himself for from Towhee, but he did it anyway. Overwhelming joy? Anger? Sadness?

-Hey,- he said/signed.

Tierra was quiet and pretty sullen as they traveled. She was tired and fairly frequently let Phox know that she was, that she wanted her daddy, her mommy, home. But it was a long walk to find two of those things, longer than she could handle with any kind of graceful attitude.

When they finally made it, she half ran, half stumbled part of the way ahead with an absolutely ear-splitting shriek of MOOOMMMMMYYYYY

Phox would be completely ignored as soon as Towhee came into view as Tierra tried to pretty much physically weld herself to her.

She was back to feeling totally drained, perhaps because she'd moved around too much yesterday or, more likely, because she'd mentally and emotionally exhausted herself. Regardless, Towhee slouched to the Hobbit Hole's entrance today to sit in the fresh air and sunlight. She didn't see Caracal or Sphyra, which made her heart perform an uncomfortable flip. But she reminded herself: they were old enough to freely roam the territory now. And there were lots of other eyes on them.

Towhee closed her own, tipping her head skyward to enjoy the sun on her face. She neither saw nor heard Phox and Tierra heading her way, though some other sense triggered and she dropped her head about a split second before Tierra made impact. She let out a little "oof!" of surprise but instinctively slung her left foreleg around her daughter's shoulder, unsure why Sphyra was so clingy today. But she was here for it.

There was something rather desperate about her, though, and it hit her: this was Tierra, not Sphyra. Towhee gasped as the realization hit her at the same moment she spotted Phox. Clutching her little girl, her mouth dropped open as she stared at her brother. She recognized him, though he looked like he'd been away for years rather than months. He looked older, maybe thinner too.

Although it still hurt her a little, Towhee raised her right foreleg. Her whole body trembled as she made a jerky sign. The motion was unmistakable, even single-handed: -Come here.-

There was a tickle of envy in Phox as he watched Towhee reunite with her daughter. While he was glad to have found both Peregrine and Vesper, they wouldn't have the same reaction to him coming home. How could they? They barely knew him.

The feeling only lasted a moment before Towhee beckoned him to come closer, and he felt his shoulders slump, a relief that she was not angry with him. He had been so strong these past few months, ever-searching, always staying steady, and he found now all he wanted to do was curl up at Towhee's feet and just feel his feelings. So that was exactly what he did.

Every emotion, from losing Niamh, to finding out she was dead, to finding out their children were alive, to finding Peregrine, to Vesper's rejection of him, to finding Tierra, to coming here. They all shook through him simultaneously, and Phox let himself be vulnerable, whining softly at Towhee's feet.

past this point, feel free to skip her while they catch up!

Tierra didn't do or say much of anything beyond clinging to her mom, and she'd continue to cling to her for the rest of the afternoon if allowed to. She tucked herself up as close as she could and stayed, half-listening, until the excitement of everything eventually caught up to her and she'd doze off.

He came to her and dropped at her feet. Towhee gingerly lowered herself beside him, pressing close and simply holding onto her brother. She felt a lot of different things too, in those moments, but soon every other emotion besides love and relief fell away. Although weak, she suddenly clutched at him all the tighter, burying her face between his shoulder blades as she simply reveled in the fact that he was here. He was home.

And he'd brought Tierra home too. Sucking in a breath, she lifted her head to smile at her daughter and tug her into the cuddle puddle. Towhee wished Tierra's brother and sister would magically appear, Killdeer too. She wondered where his kids were right now. Meerkat had told her a lot of things about that situation, yet Towhee knew she probably wasn't current on the specifics.

-"Whenever you're ready, I'd like you to meet the others. There's Tierra's twin sister, Sphyra, and their brother, Caracal. And there's Killdeer, too: your grandson."- Her orange eyes shone. -"And I'd like to meet yours too. Where are they?"- she wondered, her voice and her movements both soft.

Phox let himself lay there in Towhee's embrace for quite some time, relishing in the sensation of her touch. When she began speaking and signing, Phox pulled away to better understand her. Although she spoke quite well, he found that he always preferred watching her sign as well.

There were two others: Sphyra and Caracal. That meant that whatever Towhee's worries were about infertility were definitely nothing to worry about now. When she mentioned the last one, Killdeer, it took Phox a long time to comprehend what she was saying. -Wait, what? Who?- But Figment's scent wasn't present, so it could only be one of their kids: Fennec.

-Fennec? Fennec and who?- he asked.

-And, uh, Vesper and Peregrine are staying with Maegi and Mou for now. Vesper is still coming to terms with what happened, so I wanted to give her space. Peregrine seems more open to getting to know me. And Prevost... I don't know. She got lost awhile back with Peregrine, but we weren't able to find her. She's so young, Towhee.-

The mention of a grandson left Phox a little gobsmacked, she could tell. Towhee smiled warmly, hoping her brother would find as much delight in Killdeer's existence as she did. -"And Bronco,"- Towhee quickly filled in the blank, a strange look passing over her face. But whatever thought had darkened her mind's doorstep, she didn't voice it.

Anyway, he was telling her about his kids now. She might not be able to hear, yet she listened attentively as he spoke their names, their whereabouts. Vesper, Peregrine and Prevost. Some of the details were vaguely familiar thanks to Meerkat, though it was a wonder to hear about them right from their father's mouth.

She barely registered the names of their current caretakers. They mattered, of course, but not right this moment. Towhee pulled Phox into another hug when he told her about Prevost. She could certainly empathize with his pain. She exhaled as she contemplated the scale of his losses, though they were truly incomprehensible.

-"I'm so sorry, Phox. I'm so sorry you've had to go through all this. And I'm sorry for your losses. I don't even know what to say, beyond that. I just—"- She cut off, clutching at him again. She just pressed him against her for several moments, reveling in the fact that he was here with her.

With her arms filled with Phox, Towhee couldn't sign, so when she found her voice again, she muttered directly into his ear, "You and your kids will always have a place here. We'll do whatever it takes to support you guys. Okay?"

Phox furrowed his brow at the mention of Bronco being the father. The Redhawk had not found his stepson's scent upon the border here, nor anywhere inside. Perhaps it was mere coincidence that Bronco had not been nearby lately. Did he know about his mother? About his siblings? All at once, Phox found himself once again wishing that things were the way they had once been. It was useless to wish for such things, but sometimes he couldn't help himself. Their family had been ripped into a million pieces, and all he could do was gather the bits that hadn't been lost all together.

A frown pulled at the corners of his mouth as Towhee pulled him close, but he found that it was helping. Reconnecting with Towhee, who had always been there for him—even when he wasn't there for her—was grounding in a way he hadn't imagined possible.

He pulled back after her last words to respond. -I'm going to let the kids choose. When they're old enough, I mean. I can't imagine what kind of hell they're going through. We always knew Finely and Elwood weren't our birth parents, but these kids didn't. They're still coming to terms with everything. Eventually, I'll come back here. I always do. Maybe their guardians will want to come back, too.- Phox certainly wasn't opposed to it. They had saved his children, and he had nothing but gratitude in his heart for them both.

He told her he intended to let the kids choose. Towhee felt a lump in her throat but she nodded in understanding. It was the right thing to do, even if it wasn't easy or fair. She swallowed thickly when Phox went on to reassure her that he would be back, whatever his children decided. That was all she needed to know.

Selfishly, she wondered how much longer she would have to wait. When would Phox come home? When would she get to meet them? But Towhee forced these thoughts aside. Those were questions for another day. She would just have to have a little faith and a lot of patience. It would undoubtedly be hard, after everything they'd suffered, but she would hold out for her brother.

-"Just say the word, when you're ready for some more intros,"- Towhee said, -"although there's no rush."- She didn't want to push him, or herself. If Phox wanted to hang out here for a few hours or, hell, days, then Towhee would soak up every last second of that time.

can wrap here?

-After a nap,- Phox said, already feeling weary with emotion and exhaustion. He plopped down right where he was, stretched out, and let his eyelids flutter shut. He hadn't realized just how tired he was until he did that, and moments later he was softly snoring.