Redhawk Caldera You cheated on me? When I specifically asked you not to?

If Lilitu's life was a puzzle, she was missing a piece.

More pieces had come into play, and she was just about there. . .but just one piece of her heart was still absent, and that piece was a yawning void, niggling at her day after day.

Incomplete. And it ate away at her happiness.

@Maia, she called out into the chilly air, her voice shivering around the trees and edges of the caldera.

She stood near the summit, her lungs working slightly harder among the thinner atmosphere. Still surrounded by trees, but she could see the edge of the crater up above, and she'd come here to think.

To talk.

To make another stupid decision.

The pack was thriving and Maia didn't think she could be happier. She'd started out the morning with a quiet walk with her mate, then some hunting for lunch for the children. She was just dropping off a kill near where they were playing when Lilitu's call rose.

Hey! Share this! There's more than enough here for that. Maia fixed a look on them that meant she meant it, then smiled as they resumed their game.

She set off at a jog for where Lilitu waited, her face lighting up the moment she saw her niece. Lilitu!! Is everything alright? She came in with a nuzzle to greet her, then paused with a questioning, but patient look. She had time for whatever she was needed for.

Yeah, she breathed, and gave her aunt a quick embrace in return. She smiled, though the guilt quivered at the corners, and the expression was watery because of it. I just. . .wanted to tell you something.

Please don't be mad, Lilitu added, sucking in a sharp inhale. You know how I went to Akashingo because they knew where my sister was? Well, I never really found out for sure, and I never went. But this guy from the mountains stopped by—and he seemed to know.

She sighed. But then I got engaged, and all the death and marriage stuff, and. . .

There was no easy way to say this. It just had to happen. Maia, I wanna go try to find her for real this time, Lilitu burst out. I have to tell her about Ibis. She doesn't know Mama is dead. And I miss her. . .so, so much.

Wouldn't Maia understand? Wouldn't Maia go to the ends of the earth to find. . .Wraen, for instance? Though they had both been wanderers—but. Still.

Please don't be mad. Maia's look grew concerned, but she listened quietly. Of course her first reaction was to be upset, but it wasn't because she was angry. She understood, but she hated the idea of Lilitu leaving again so soon after coming to rejoin them. It felt they'd barely had the chance to catch up.

Oh, honey. I'm not going to be mad about that. Maia stepped forward and embraced her, pressing her cheek to Lilitu's ruff. Of course I understand. I'm not happy about it, and I'm going to miss you like crazy. But I really hope you find her. And when you do, she's always welcome here too.

This must have been similar to what her own parents felt, seeing her leave to find her siblings. She regretted more than ever not making it back home before it was too late. Lilitu wasn't hers but it still hurt like hell, even knowing she was going to do something so important. Something Maia herself absolutely would have done without a thought only a few years ago.

The tension gripping her whole body dissolved somewhat at Maia's words and actions, and she let out a breath, shoulders falling with it.

I promise I'll be back, she whispered, nodding fervently against her aunt's cheek. She stepped back, and looked deep into the other wolf's eyes, her own vibrant gaze insistent. Whether or not I find her. I'll be back.

Brecheliant was her home.

And as such. . . Maia. . . Lilitu continued, a little hesitant. She gave her aunt a shaky smile. Tell me about your family. About—about our family. How did we all end up here?

Distraction, she thought. But also guidance, perhaps, toward Arielle again.

Maia met her gaze and felt tears threatening, but they didn't fall. Lilitu was gorgeous and, in that moment, reminded her so much of Ibis. Maia had the strange feeling then of being old, suddenly. When had her life become here? At some point, every desire to wander had completely disappeared. There was nothing out there that could compare to what the Caldera had for her now.

It was a painful question, in a lot of ways, but Maia nodded. She was happy to answer it even if the memories were sometimes hard to revisit. There were more ghosts than not in them.

My dad and mom used to talk about this place. Your grandpa, my big brother, and Wraen and Sarah were all born here. On the coast, in a pack called Donnelaith. They left, but he came back, and Wraen and Sarah did too. I came to find them. And I wanted to see the places I'd heard so much about. None of the places were quite what they'd said - they were both more and less. In the stories, Donnelaith had never been empty.

I stayed with Terance for a while, when your mom was younger. But Wraen wanted to leave and I went with her. I don't really know much after that. I didn't... I should have visited more. She blinked, then smiled, laughing a little at how ridiculous it was. She couldn't have known, right? But that didn't mean she forgave herself for it. But Wraen and I, we traveled. Mom and dad, Terance and Sarah, they're all gone now too. But we do still have family out there, by where I was born. At least we did. There was a fire, but most of the pack got away. Your aunts and uncles, I guess. She didn't know if they were still there, but if Lilitu was looking, maybe they would be able to help if they were. The chances weren't great that Arielle would even know they existed, but weirder things had happened, right?

I wish I could tell you more. But until we found Ibis and you, I didn't know where you ended up. You're the only family I have left here, I think. She looked at Lilitu, her eyes a little misty. You and Eljay. I really hope you find her. It's worth it. She wouldn't have changed a single moment with her own sister. Even if it meant eventually losing her.

Not even sponge-like. A suction, Lilitu was, soaking in the information about her family. 

Donnelaith, she whispered, her eyes full of wonder. Do you know anything else beyond that?

After their conversation, she'd depart. Was she stalling? Perhaps she was. 

Lilitu gave Maia a brief smile, a watery expression.

A fire, she murmured. And it killed all of the rest of us?

Maia tried to remember, but her parents hadn't said all that much about the place. She'd heard more about the wolves who made it up, but none of them were family and most of them were gone by now. She knew because she'd looked in the past. Sorry. I just know it was by the coast, and the trees were bigger than anything anywhere else. She'd been there once, but she couldn't remember if it was north or south.

Maia shook her head then. It didn't kill everyone. My brother and sister, and my younger siblings, made it out. I found them near it, after. She'd been so relieved!! But my mom and dad didn't. And Sarah and Terance, they died here, I think, but in other packs. Just like Wraen. And just like Ibis. Maia, eventually, too. She wasn't sure if she'd ever make a trip back home, especially since her home no longer existed anymore. They might still be there, but they might not be. It's been years since I checked. She wished she could be more help.

eek i'm so so sorry I left this dangling. we can fade w your next post?

Home for Maia was gone, set ablaze. Well, she supposed this was Maia's home now—and hers, too. The longest home she'd ever known.

And here she was, leaving it again. Her chest grew tight; she wanted, very suddenly, to cry.

Stiff upper lip, darling, said her chipper, self-assured conscience, a voice she'd known since birth.

I'm sorry, Maia, Lilitu said instead, swallowing down the lump in her throat. I will be back. I promise.

With a few parting words and some fleeting embraces—if she held on too long, she'd never leave—Lilitu once more left Maia and Brecheliant behind.

Not for good; never for good.

Just for now.

Goodbyes were always so hard.

After more than a few hugs and several wishes of safe travels, Maia watched Lilitu go. She managed to keep her composure fairly well until she disappeared, but once she was gone, couldn’t help tearing up some.

She was going to be fine. Maybe she would even stop by her family and meet Hymnal or Sylvie on the way, assuming one of the two had gone there. It would be nice to have news. Once she found her sister they could both come back and Brecheliant would have even more reason to celebrate. She took a breath and held onto that thought, the image of it bringing her some comfort.