Sawtooth Spire wild kids

Fast forward a few days! »

He made sure to give the caldera a wide berth as he led @Heda toward the mountains yonder. He could see the peak from here, coated in white: snow.

Remember that canyon I mentioned, where my mom and biffle live? It’s that way, Caracal told her as they crossed a meadow and approached the foot of Sawtooth Spire.

But they weren’t here to visit Mereo. “What I’d really like to do is find some snow.” The slim red yearling cast a sidelong glance at his companion as they began to climb.

"whoa, this place is fuckin' huuuuge," heda mumbled. the air was harsh and alpine. she almost missed what caracal said, glancing that direction belatedly. "were you wanting to visit again?" she hoped not but she wasn't about to say that.
the foothills were guarded by vicious spikes of stone. she crept around them, finding a path through the pines. a great rushing filled the air and the girl cocked her head. "water?"

Nah, he answered Heda’s question, his shrug lost in the motion as he ascended. I’ll visit some other time. We’re here to see snow, not sand.

They were here for her. This trip wasn’t about Caracal or his family, except that he was admittedly using it as something of a distraction regarding some complicated feelings of his own…

What about it? he asked dumbly when she mentioned water.

He pulled up short, breathing hard, muscles ticking with the exertion. Caracal was quite used to climbing, though they’d barely stopped moving since leaving the summit days ago.

caracal far outstripped her. heda had been on bedrest before and had not been so apt at climbing even prior to that. she had slowed down and stopped below him, and whistled out a breath before she answered. "we should get a drink," she chuckled breathlessly.
the young wolf again began to haul herself up, paw over paw.
eventually the ground leveled. heda lifted her head, toward the cold zing of snow that hovered in the air.

What? You’re not going to hold out to eat some snow? Caracal scoffed playfully, shaking his head in mock disappointment. I could use a drink, he added more seriously in the next breath.

There were springs aplenty on the mountainside, so it didn’t take long for them to find one. Caracal bent down to lap at the cool, refreshing water. He could really use a bite to eat, but first things first.

Pushing playfully at Heda’s shoulder, Caracal challenged, Last one to the top’s a juicy ass wart, and darted toward the looming snowcap.

tiny seedling creeks peeled away. she bent and lapped at one, chuckling. but the roar continued. heda peered curiously through the trees, seeing a wide and rushing swathe of river pouring down the side of sawtooth. but then her travel buddy posed his gross challenge and heda laughed.
"that's disgusting!" she focused on beating him all the same, clods of increasingly colder dirt cutting out from under her claws.
the river followed. or were they following it? a cut in the trees showed heda chunks of ice floating on its large surface. she slowed, then hissed to herself and ran to catch up again, nipping playfully at caracal's heels.

He squawked when he felt hot breath on his heels, the brush of fangs. Caracal pumped his legs, though he was now so weary from days of traveling that soon Heda overtook him and he was left to lag behind. He admired the river as he slowed down a little, huffing and puffing his way to the mountaintop.

These views better be— Caracal snarked as he turned, head rearing back. —worth it. Well, gotdamn, he breathed, taking a few moments to just stand there and stare while he tried to catch his breath.

With snow underfoot and the air decidedly cooler, it didn’t take long for a chill to creep up Caracal’s tired legs. He began to pace around the area, pausing every few seconds to admire the breathtaking panorma again. He tried very hard to keep his eyes away from the tiny caldera way down below.

Hey, he broke the companionable silence, remember how you said you weren’t, like, destined to be close to anyone?

it was indeed worth it. the entire sunspire was viewable from here, a blanket of rich spring green draped over hill and vale and around a piece of red land that felt closer than it was. further off, there was one other mountain as tall as sawtooth, taller really, soaring proudly into the sky until its head was lost in clouds.
snow crunched underpaw. heda glanced at caracal and then took a large mouthful of the stunningly cold stuff. her cheeks bulged as she brought her head up in time to hear his question.
meltwater dripped from her lips. she swallowed painfully. her head shot through with a brainfreeze. "uh, yeah," heda answered, reeling from so many sensations at once.

He snorted quietly, distracted by the sight of Heda’s cheeks bulging with snow. A fond look stole over his face then, hoping she felt happy here in her element.

Then he remembered what he’d been about to say and cleared his throat to finish his thought. Well… I’m thinking I’m not destined to live with a pack, Caracal admitted softly, glancing away with a soft sigh.

her headache was fading. heda looked back out over the sights. "like not a pack at all? any pack?" she didn't mean to sound skeptical. but she had only ever known packs. and it didn't feel right to up and leave.
but maybe it's because she had never considered it as an option.
"heda isn't my real name. well, not my birth name," she admitted. it felt like the moment to commiserate. "i changed it because my birth mom and my mother disappeared. i moved to the glacier from rivenwood because i didn't feel like i belonged. now we're at the mountain and i've been trying hard to make it fit, but."
heda cleared her throat and bumped his shoulder with hers. "i think i get it. maybe. a little. where do you want to go then?"

He shook his head at her questions, chewing at the inside of his cheek. Ever since that trip way back in the day, he hadn’t been able to stay in one place for very long. And with his feelings of confusion and guilt mounting toward all things Atautsikut, Caracal was beginning to think it would be better to simply cut ties.

Heda’s next words startled him a bit. His eyes cut sharply to her face. Caracal distinctly remember how cagey she’d been about this subject during their prior conversation. His lips twitched into a faint smile when he realized she was opening up to him, only to droop again when she admitted having feelings similar to his own.

I don’t know, Caracal admitted. He leaned against it when she bumped his shoulder. But I think it’d be easier if… maybe, if… He exhaled and glanced away, eyes losing focus as he stared unseeingly into the distance.

Was that what had prompted him to ask her along? Following his conversation with Gunnar about travel companions, perhaps he had subconsciously chosen to test the waters by going on this trip? Caracal pressed his lips together, mulling. But they didn’t know each other that well. He couldn’t ask her to uproot for him.

caracal faltered again.
heda went with her first impulsive thoughts. "it's not a bad time to leave atautsikut. it's not even summer yet," she said pragmatically. "so you have two seasons to learn and get ready for winter. and if you're not sure, you can always come back. can't really see lane or tuluuwaq or issorartuyok saying you're never allowed home again."
she paused. "but if none of that makes up your mind, it was my birthday a while back and i definitely did not celebrate it." and maybe that was how she wanted to celebrate it after all.

The non sequitur earned another glance from Caracal. Despite himself, he laughed. What did birthdays have to do with anything? He gazed at her, bemused.

Well, consider this a belated birthday gift, he said after a few beats, holding her gaze even as he scooped up a pawful of snow and then chucked it in Heda’s face with a playful shout.

"wait! waitwaitwait!" she shouted, giggling as it did not preclude caracal's amusing attack. she spluttered and swept a pawful of snow at him when they parted. 
"i mean!" heda laughed. "that maybe that's how i want to party about it. disperse. travel. stop — trying to fit." she shrugged, the diversion of the moment quickly overcome by nerves she forced herself to power through. "so if you're feeling the same, just say i made the decision and you're — going to celebrate my birthday with me."
she arched a brow and chuckled softly.

Maybe he couldn’t bring himself to ask her, but Heda could make the suggestion herself. His lips parted in surprise when she elaborated, leftover bits of snow crumbling from his paw, forgotten.

Really? Are you sure? he had to ask, even though the last thing Caracal wanted to do was talk her out of it. So he added, I don’t necessarily plan to go far away or anything. I might not even leave the area. I just don’t want to tie myself down to a pack anymore. I want to be free to wander, without worrying I’m being a disappointment and a failure…

His eyes had dropped to his nimble red paws, though now they flicked up to Heda’s face. Did that make any sense? Did she understand?

heda caught her own tonguetip between her teeth. "we could stay here. we could go to —" not rivenwood. not yet. "maybe i want to see a cold beach for once. i think i could find one of those. but we'd have to go far."
maybe she wanted to see more than four seasons and endless support. maybe it felt better to struggle, even if she had to create the sensation herself.
there were hundreds of birds and dozens of animals to hunt. "we could always leave in a week or so, if you want. think about it. i could stock the caches before we left. then we'd be cool to leave. i'd want to say my goodbyes anyway." she flicked a red-backed ear. "after that, i'm ready to go as far as we feel like going."

We can go wherever you want, he found himself saying.

And he meant it. He had no particular destination in mind, no real plan. He just didn’t want to feel tethered to the summit any longer. If Heda wanted to take point, he would be happy to follow her lead.

She had touched on logistics a moment ago and spoke pragmatically now. Caracal was torn between announcing his departure or simply disappearing. Heda was probably right: they should say their goodbyes. At the very least, he owed Lane an explanation and some thanks.

Thinking about his mentor brought her son to mind again. Caracal swallowed thickly. He knew he was being an idiot and blowing his chance at a friendship. Maybe even more? his mind whispered intrusively, but he turned violently from that thought even as his insides heated with mortification. Anyway, he had Heda now.

Okay, Caracal said to her terms, but I’d like to spend some time here, since we came all this way. I need a nap and a snack, not necessarily in that order.

"well, duh," she teased, reaching to swipe at his face gently. "i can help with the food part. then we can find a spot to sleep. and maybe later we can go to the other side of the mountain."
it was odd being here. in one direction was atautsikut and to the other was rivenwood. and she didn't have to choose either of them.
excitement was beginning to build. "is it selfish that i didn't want to take anyone or tell anyone. like i like veteran and ensio a lot, but — i don't know. i'm not sure how to feel about a lot of stuff lately."

His jaw stiffened when Heda seemed to dip into his most forbidden thoughts and mentioned Veteran by name. His eyes quickly cut to her face, then skittered away again. Caracal swallowed and let out a breath, trying to parse out what she’d actually said otherwise. Her words seem to contradict what she’d said a moment before.

His brow furrowed as he asked, Wait, so, we’re not telling anyone? I’m fine either way, Caracal admitted, even if that does make me selfish. He shrugged a bit awkwardly.

caracal had a weird reaction to the boys' names. she recalled he hadn't approached ensio either. maybe something had happened between them. "uh, no. sorry. my brain ... like sometimes it works way faster than i speak and i don't make a ton of sense."
"i mean that initially i was thinking of not going back after we came here. but you know, now that we talked and stuff, i see it's important to talk. to tell everyone. just don't know how i'm gonna be able to be like, no you can't come with us, you know?"

Heda offered an apology, then a clarification. He nodded his understanding, brow furrowing a little as he wondered whether that was even a possibility. Could someone invite themselves along? What if their mutual friend, Veteran, asked to accompany them?

We could, he said without thinking, tell everyone we’re mates and going traveling for our honeymoon.

Caracal stiffened the instant the words left his mouth. Why had he gone and said that? Until this very moment, the thought of being with Heda in that way had never even crossed his mind. She wasn’t really his usual type, which apparently included older medicine women and other young men.

His stomach clenched and he breathed in and out, not really sure he wanted to know how Heda might react to this absurd notion. Even intended as fiction, it was still entirely out of left field and the only one who might be cool with it was Caracal’s internal homophobe.

"ohmygod," heda muttered, her silver-ornamented eyes widening as she cocked her head incredulously at caracal.
but she didn't say no.
heda rolled her shoulders, shrugging as she considered the practicality. "well, it would certainly end any questions," she murmured. "we might get some questions, from lane especially."
but there were babies on the summit, and their leader might have more, and that might keep veteran close to home, and —
"okay, wifey," heda decided, smirking off toward the distance. working on impulse was pretty sweet. why not just agree?

She seemed to consider the idea, like it had some kind of merit. Caracal looked up from his toes to stare at her as she thought aloud. Maybe this was one of his idiot savante moments.

He knew she meant it as a joke when she called him “wifey,” though he cringed inwardly. Caracal breathed through a moment of panic—about the joke, about this entire conversation—and then forced a laugh.

I’m pretty sure you’re the wife, so like… fetch me a sandwich, woman, he rebutted, complete with some weird attempt at a wink.

"pssht," heda scoffed. "gender roles are bunk, caracal, i expect us to share the title of wifey at least seventy/thirty percent." she eyed him with faux scolding and then scudded snow in his direction again. "you know if you'd told me that one day i'd be lying about being married to go on a cross-country trip — i might believe you."
she laughed softly, then stretched with a yawn.
this was easy to fixate on. this was easy to think about, more than anything else was. heda saw no reason not to throw herself into it. it kept her mind from straying back to the sister she was sure she'd betrayed.
"let's eat," she suggested, gracing the expanse with one more lingering look.

Some of the tension he’d been holding in his shoulders relaxed when Heda carried on with her joking. He stared at her, marveling at the unexpected turn his life had taken lately. Well, he supposed this was just the latest in a series of recent twists. It was certainly the most palatable of them.

I think we both might be a bit touched in the head, he mused, moving closer and halfheartedly kicking some snow at her. But if you’re in, I’m in, he added, holding out the same paw for a fist bump to commemorate their fictitious marriage.

Mmkay, Mrs Redhawk, he agreed when she said it was time to find something to eat. Unless you want me to take your last name?