Nimbus Summit stay crunchy

Trusting Phox to share news of their visit with Towhee upon his return to Mereo, Caracal parted ways with his uncle to head west along the coastline, eventually turning inland to find his way back to the summit. Although he hadn’t lived with them long, he’d missed them and wondered if anyone had missed him in turn. In any case, he looked forward to getting back into the routines of pack life, particularly his apprenticeship.

His paws touched Atautsikut soil and he paused to take a deep breath. Caracal’s feet ached, so he headed in the direction of the alarthan to find something that might help soothe them. He kept his eyes peeled for any signs of his pack mates, eager to see a friendly face after being on his own the past few days. He also couldn’t wait to tell someone about his trip.

it was easier to stay mobile these days.
heda moved with an open limp. she had to tell herself every day that it was going to get better, that she'd be able to return to hunting and climbing soon. soon.
bedridden for much of the work done by tessa and antha, heda was still unsure of what an arlathan was. she moved in that direction, staring curiously. a blink and she saw caracal upon the return. 
"hey," she greeted, trying to stay casual despite the way her heart thudded a bit. "did you have fun?" she hadn't known where caracal had gone but had noticed his absence.

Hey! Caracal exclaimed as soon as Heda noticed and greeted him. He scurried toward her. Look at you, all mobile and shit! I guess it’s feeling a bit better then? he inquired, brows raising in genuine interest, though he did not forget to answer, I did! I went to see some of my family members, which required a lot of globetrotting. As a matter of fact, his own formerly sprained ankle was a little achier than the others for all the running around.

heda grinned a little. "can't keep me down for long," she declared, lifting her paw a bit. "globetrotting, huh?" the girl glanced around at the details of the mountain which she had not been so able to explore.
and still even then wanderlust bit beneath her chin.
"wanna tell me what you saw? it's been so long since i left here," she chuckled a little dryly. it wouldn't be long before she'd have to rest again. she hoped caracal would speak before then.

She didn’t need to ask him twice. Yeah! Caracal exclaimed, glad to have a willing ear to talk right off the side of Heda’s face. Before I do that, though, would you care if we found some water? I want to soak my feet. You should do the same, he suggested lightly, motioning for her to come along as he sought someplace to dip his toes.

He settled beside a very small mountain spring, lowering his little red feet into the trickling water with a rather inappropriate moan. He scooted his bottom to make room for Heda, should she wish to join him.

I started out by visiting my friend from Moonglow, though I actually found her at Moonspear, Caracal began. I didn’t stay there long, though. From there, I headed to visit my mom and biffle at Mereo. You ever seen a canyon, Heda?

the little sound he made caught her off-guard. the girl reddened but set herself to listen. heda trailed the toes of her injured paw in the water as caracal spoke. she hadn't heard of the moons glow or spear, but they both sounded like interesting places. 
what was a biffle? her brow furrowed, and then he was talking about mereo, and then — she shook her head. "i don't think so. i lived in mountains when i was a kid and then the glacier, and then here. no canyons."
a pause and then, "uh, what's a biffle?"

He grinned when she shook her head. Well, it was really dope. It’s sort of like being underground, only it’s somehow wide open at the same time. There’s these really cool red rock walls everywhere you look. And this place has housing, it’s so neat…

She posed a question and Caracal laughed, now swirling his feet around in the shallows. Biffle, as in best friend for life. My nephew is a few months younger than me and we’ve been best buds, like, our whole lives, he explained, gearing up to tell her about his next stop at Sapphique.

But much as he wanted to gabble about his trip, Caracal wasn’t entirely self-centered. Instead of asking her about her birthplace in the mountains or anything obvious like that, Caracal wondered, Do you have a best friend?

cool red walls, but not underground. housing? but didn't every pack have housing? heda decided not to focus on the smaller details of what caracal was saying, instead getting herself caught up in his clear excitement. the golden medic explained biffle, and heda nodded with a grin.
it was a grin that faded as he posed his question. she tried to keep it on her lips, but it slipped away with a jerky twitch. "uh — no. i just have sisters." her heart ached.
"veteran and i are pretty cool, though. i just dont think im destined to be really close with anyone, you know?" now why had she gone and said that?

He slipped his feet free from the water, giving them a little shake while carefully avoiding spraying his companion. Caracal’s eyes raised to Heda’s face as he did so, frowning thoughtfully at her response. It didn’t sound like she was close to her sisters. In fact, she said she wasn’t close to anyone.

What do you mean, not destined? he wondered, tone absent of skepticism but chock full of intrigue. I’ve not met a Veteran, he tacked on a bit absentmindedly, then pressed his lips together, awaiting an elaboration.

oh, man. awkward. heda sucked her teeth and looked down. she'd had her paw in the water, doing nothing with it this entire time.  slowly she pulled her own limbs from the little surface and flicked droplets the other way. "aww, you know. like ... some wolves ... enjoy having friends. or like, having lots of others around."
"and some of us aren't like, mmm. you know. just — aren't."
great communication skills. "veteran is lane's son. he's really cool. he's really sweet too, and a good hunter. you'd like him i bet."

He blinked a bit owlishly as Heda explained. You don’t like having friends? Caracal blurted rather without thinking. He could understand an aversion to crowds, sure, but it sounded a bit like she preferred to be on her own entirely. He had never met someone like this. It was equally interesting and perplexing.

Her citation regarding Veteran was noted with a nod, though his eyes flicked back and forth across Heda’s face, still trying to understand her aversion to company. Caracal’s eyes widened a little as he wondered if she would rather not be here with him right now. Should he scoot back a few feet, give her more space?

"i don't have any." her words were blunter than she wanted. "no one came to visit me, when this — it doesn't matter, you know. it's fine." and heda meant it, despite how it came off or sounded. "so i guess i could wonder what's wrong with me, or just accept it. i don't fit. it is what it is. i like hunting alone anyway. the birds show themselves easier if there's not a lot of wolves looking for them."
she hated this. heda turned her gaze toward caracal in apology as if to say see? and then fell to mentally inventing ways that would isolate her from this conversation and his unexpected interest.

He hesitated, wondering if it would be rude to move away. But what if that’s what she wanted? While Caracal deliberated, Heda spoke up again. He’d forgotten all about his own stories as hers unfolded in front of him.

Despite his initial confusion, he saw right through her bravado. His mouth twisted into a frown. He supposed it was good Heda saw the merits of a solitary lifestyle, yet Caracal was now certain it wasn’t what she actually wanted.

He didn’t speak for a moment, though when he did, it was slowly, thoughtfully. Doing stuff on your own can be fun, though it gets pretty lonely. At least, that’s my experience.

Caracal paused again. He didn’t think there was anything wrong with her, yet he hardly knew her. He would like to be her friend, but he didn’t want to offer platitudes. Surely he could offer her something more substantial?

So, you’re a hunter. What about traveling? he wondered in the next breath. Heda had seemed interested in his travels, right? Maybe next time I head out, you could come with me. Supposing your ankle feels up to it, Caracal added with a light huff of laughter, peeking at her foot, wondering if the soak had helped her like it had him.

heda didn't answer what caracal said first. she wasn't even sure there was an answer. but his next words had the girl's eyes flickering toward him again. her pride felt hurt, and maybe it showed more than she wanted it to show. but only for a moment.
heda turned it into a sardonic little smirk. he pitied her. of course he did. busted leg, busted heart. a charity case in more ways than one. maybe he meant to be nice. maybe he really meant it.
maybe your whole family is dead. right now. you'd never know, because you never went back.
her heart began to pound. her skin prickled beneath her fur. heda stared at the water, gut growing sick. she had to salvage this, she had to — be normal. she had to be normal. that was it. there's nothing to it.
"god, i'm tired," heda chuckled, an attempt to laugh off her stupid insane behavior. "who knew lying around all day could be so exhausting?" 
her pulse raced.
"i'd like that. i need to get back to doing stuff, or i'm going to lose my mind."
could be you already have

Caracal wasn’t quite sure what to make of the strange smirk that appeared on Heda’s face. His gaze clung as she turned toward the water, looking a little ill for a moment before remarking on her tiredness with what could’ve been a forced laugh.

He remembered what that was like and the corner of his own mouth twitched into a boyish half-smile. Well, maybe not the next time I head out, then… he said lightly, still trying to get a bead on her. At least she seemed to accept his invitation. But we’ll definitely get you back on your feet and running around soon! Caracal doubled down on this plan.

He drifted back from the water’s edge, pondering for a moment before saying, Is there anywhere in particular you’d like to go? Maybe we could visit the seaside. That’s where I went after the canyon. Caracal wondered if she was interested in hearing the rest of that saga. Have you ever been?

caracal went on. thankfully he didn't comment on anything but she still felt completely at odds with herself as well as him. she wanted to get away. she wanted to change her name again. her mind poured out a thousand crazy thoughts and she exerted the effort to hold each of them back.
he was talking about the coast. heda was reminded with a brilliant flash of the sea-coast covered in snow. and then mireille. and then druid —
druid
"i've been to the ocean. just once. didn't care for it."
druid was alive. mama was alive. or at least they had been when she and her sister last spoke. but what if they weren't? or what if they lived at sapphique now? she didn't want to go. she didn't want to explain.
"what i'd really like to do is find some snow," she said with a light inhale. breathe.

Once more, Heda said something that took him by surprise. She didn’t like making friends and she didn’t like the seaside either?! Caracal gave her a bit of an odd look at that, though it was chased with a good-natured grin. She was different than anyone he’d ever met and it intrigued him.

I think there’s still some snow left on the mountaintops, he thought aloud in reply, recalling, You said you were born in the mountains before living on the glacier. It wasn’t really a question, just an observation as he pieced things together. Perhaps she was homesick. Where, exactly? Were you born, I mean?

"rivenwood. not far from the glacier." her voice had fallen into a clipped, cool tone; heda hated that but she couldn't change it. her paws suddenly felt soggy and uncomfortable, so she clambered to her feet and limped some space away.
she wanted to make small talk. she wanted to ask him where he was born, where he was from. but heda was having a hard time keeping herself together at all. she scraped at the ground with her good paw.
"it's not there now." and then she wished she had said nothing else.

He’d made a mistake by asking that particular question, he could see it right away. Caracal’s eyes followed Heda as she offered a clipped response, then moved off. For a hot second, thought she was going to leave, though she did stop a few yards away.

This drove up his intrigue, though Caracal knew better than to press any further. He acknowledged her remarks with a quiet, Oh. He then changed the subject, asking, Wanna know about the best part of my trip? Hint: it had nothing to do with any particular landscape.

no, she didn't.
"yeah," heda said softly, turning to face the golden kid. she didn't know why he felt younger than her. maybe it was because he was happy.
say it. say something. say anything. i don't want to feel like this anymore.
heda didn't understand why caracal wanted to keep talking to her.

Pups! he declared less than a second after her soft, “Yeah.” My mom’s having a litter soon… and my older sister already had some about a month ago. Dunno about you but I love kids. I was kind of hoping to help look after any born here… He trailed off when he remembered just how badly he’d fumbled that endeavor so far.

A few beats of silence passed before he decided, I should go find Antha. She’s expecting, isn’t she? Without waiting for an answer from Heda, he said, I’ll come find you soon about that trip. I’m sure we can find someplace with some proper snow. Caracal’s lips quirked. See you later?

pups? heda couldn't relate to that. being reminded of it brought to mind memories of rivenwood and little indra. she and abel had been the only pups she herself had ever known. and caracal seemed so enthusiastic about it. 
that was what he loved? the fact his mom was going to replace him with more kids? a tiny, guilty, withered part of heda reared its head: at least with rivenwood gone, she wouldn't have to watch sequoia do the same.
that was unfair. that was evil. heda swallowed, surprised, too surprised to do more than nod and say "yeah, that sounds good, caracal." mind on autopilot, mouth committing her to something she wasn't sure she wanted to do.
"antha is nice. i'll see you around."