Redhawk Caldera right where you left me

Although the Frosthawks had been kind and generous, it wasn't home. Sylvie had become homesick quite some time ago, and it really began to kick into gear when Eshe and several of her siblings left to return to the Teekon Wilderness. This, eventually, motivated her departure to return home.

She stood at the borders, blissfully unaware of the doom and gloom that lingered within. Her legs quaked, her stomach churned, and the world spun; it was miraculous that she managed to find her voice.

Mom ... ? Dad ... ? It's me, Sylvie, I'm home.

With the pack still recovering from the loss, with down-trodden leader, two old people, badly mauled adult, ton of unruly kids and a sulking nearly-two-year-old, it was a miracle that nothing bad had happened yet. With so few of the people, who actually knew, how to do a proper job along the borders, caldera felt way too large for the small family that was inhabiting it. 

Therefore had it not been for Dwin in the vicinity, when Sylvie had called, her older sister would have waited a ve-e-e-ery long time for anyone to appear. She did not recognize the she-wolf, because
[size=small]Dwin's older siblings had not been present for the most of her childhood and youth, therefore naturally the images of the faces beneath the names had faded away. "You look too old to be a lost kid," she told the stranger mistrustfully. "What do you want?"[/size]

She didn’t recognize her sister, although she assumed they were related based on looks alone. Although they didn’t remember each other, it hurt Sylvie’s heart to hear what Cerdiwin said. She frowned deeply, and tears pricked her eyes as she immediately regretted her decision to return.

Y-You really don’t remember me? she asked meekly with a wobbly lower lip. It’s me, S-Sylvie … Eljay and Maia are my parents … I think we might be sisters? Awkwardly, she cleared her throat and wiped away her tears. I was h-hoping to come home and j-join the pack— —I miss my mommy and daddy she wanted to say.

Had Eljay and Maia truly created this snivelly, whiney pile of mess? Dwin wondered mercilessly, looking up and down the woman before her. She bore some resemblance of Eljay, there was the tell-tale Blackthorn stripe along her back too. So she was at least related to them. Still the tearful introduction did little to stir any sympathy in the younger sibling. She was not heartless, but the recent circumstances had been such that adding another problematic character to the already huge sea of sorrow seemed a bad idea. 

Still - the same way she was not allowed to apply medieval witch-hunting methods in raising any of her little relatives, she also did not have authority to drive Sylvie - was it? - away. In her current form she saw very little use of her, but Brecheliant presently was in no place to refuse anyone. Not even serial killers. As long as they kept their adventures outside the caldera and in secret. Was Sylvie a killer in disguise? Well, in that case... Not now, Dwin! She stopped her flow of thoughts curtly and therefore asked a more proper (boring) question than the one that had been at the tip of her tongue (and would have probably made things more interesting). 

"What happened? Did they kick you out?" she asked, tilting her head to the side, now wondering, what could possibly this Blackthorn offspring, who had apparently inherited the very worst lack of self-confidence and insecurity from both of her parents. "Or did you cause some trouble?" 

”What happened? Did they kick you out?” ‘Dwin asked. ”Or did you cause some trouble?”

W-What?! Sylvie gawked. N-No! I left because I-I thought that was what ad-dults did! She’d been so stupid! So naive! Why’d she have to leave? B-But I didn’t last long on my own, and I-I was saved by our u-uncle Rannoch! He’d found her during a panic attack and had taken her back to the Frosthawks. I-I lived with them u-until now, b-because I realized how much I-I missed mommy and daddy … That sentiment surely would earn an eye roll from her sister.

Then, suddenly snapping out of it, Sylvie met Ceridwin’s gaze and asked, Where are they? Are they okay? Are they alive??? she wanted to ask, but couldn’t bear to bring herself to say it.

Dwin frowned. Why on Earth leave anywhere, anything IF you do not want to do it yourself? Like truly? As a six-month old she had left on her own accord, wanting to learn about the world. But it would have never occurred to her that she should go just because it was something everyone did. She was tempted to ask, if Sylvie had a spine at all, but that would probably not be received well. Because it seemed that this specimen got upset about far-less important things. Seeing her whine and cry had already made the situation very uncomfortable. 

How had this snowflake survived as long as she had - Dwin had no clue. She felt annoyance creep up, when her sister declared that she had missed Maia and Eljay. The way she said it would be excusable to a kid, not a fully grown woman. Compared to her, even Frolic and Glee with their shared single neuron of brain capacity, were more adults. "Father is old and frail and mother is devoting all her time caring for him and the younger siblings," she stated the facts bluntly, a hint of accusation in her voice. Where the heck were you earlier, when they needed your help?!!!

"They certainly have their paws full with reckless, lawless and irresponsible small-wolves," she explained and paused, while in her mind she continued then a sister or not, turn on your heel and seek a baby-sitter elsewhere. "So - I suggest before I take you to them, you get yourself sorted out. Because - quite frankly - you are a bloody mess right now," she said instead, which was probably a bit better than she had wanted to say.  

Cerdwin spoke to all of Sylvie’s insecurities, addressing each of them with an edge of annoyance and judgment. She could feel tears welling in her eyes, and she quickly turned her head to wipe her eyes and nose with her forearm; she was a mess. She took a few deep breaths, just as Rannoch had taught her, but it didn’t help.

I know, I know—I’m such a m-mess, she agreed quietly, unable to meet her sister’s eyes. And a bad daughter and s-sister, and it p-probably wasn’t a good idea to come back. I m-mean, you a-already hate me and, and, her sides heaved, her world spun, and she slowly lowered herself to the ground and grabbed covered her eyes.

Everyone probably hates me—I-I just know it.

"Geez, you are so full of yourself!" Dwin took a step back and looked down at the sobbing mess right at her feet. She did not feel any pity, rather suspicion that this lass was simply manipulating with her by pretending to be this super-vulnerable, miserable thing that everyone in the world hated. Maybe she simply felt comfortable to be in this sorry state - this meant that she did not have to do a thing to change for the better. 

"Hate would imply that I give a crap about you," she said, looking down. "I do not. And I am pretty sure the world does not care about you more than it does about me or anyone else," she went on. "So, stop feeling sorry for yourself - that's not going to change a thing," she said and leaned down to nudge the she-wolf on the shoulder. "Come on - I will take you to the parents. They'll know best, how to deal with you. Better have an embarrassement to the Blackthorn name here than have you running around and crying on the other people's doorsteps," she added and would probably receive some stern words and scolding from her parents later. 

"Get up and - for the love of God - please, stop crying," she added. "People here have real problems - our Bronco just died, left a devastated wife and three kids as orphans. So - show some respect - and tuck your self-confidence issues elsewhere for the time being," she instructed. 

Mature Content Warning

This thread has been marked as mature. By reading and/or participating in this thread, you acknowledge that you are of age or have permission from your parents to do so.

The participants have indicated the following reason(s) for this warning: Description of a panic attack!

Cerdwin continued to lay into Sylvie, which only intensified her internal turmoil. None of this was helping—even Sylvie realized this—but she was too far gone to speak to it. Instead, she grew silent as she began to hear her heart pound in her ears, her mouth drying, and her entire body tense.

This all was so wrong; she should have never come back.

Her inner voice reared its ugly head, crooning lies into her ears. ”You thought you could manage this?” The words were curdled with a cruel laugh. ”You could hardly take care of yourself back at the Frosthawks—why did you ever believe you could do this? Your family doesn’t care that you’re back—or even alive—they don’t care that you’re alive! You’re nothing to them, just like you thought.” Her fears had all been confirmed. ”You don’t matter—you never have, and you never will.”

Sylvie had a far-off gaze in her eyes as her sides heaved laboriously. She couldn’t speak, nor did she catch the information regarding the pack’s recent loss. She was frozen—lost in her thoughts as panic ensued.

Dwin knew at her heart that she had been too harsh on her older sister. But she had got so fed up of her inability to be herself around her siblings, of constantly feeling like a failure in this aspect, being a disappointment to her parents for yet again not managing her temper, that dealing with Sylvie, who turned out to be unstable, was more than she could handle. She was about to say something along the lines of - sorry, it is not personal, but things have been rough for a very long time - when she realized that the girl was not entirely herself anymore.

Frozen in fear and reeking of stress. 

"What the hell?" she muttered under her breath, approaching the empty shell of what had been a semi-coherent person earlier and sniffing the air around her carefully. I can't take this anymore... I just can't... she thought to herself. Then sat down, thought for a bit and with a sigh of resignation she called for @Eljay and @Maia to deal with this. If this co-creation of theirs was faulty and with glitches, it was better that the makers dealt with it. While waiting for them to arrive, Dwin watched Sylvie and wondered, why, why, why had gods of any kind not given her at least one normal and useful sibling to rely on. Those, who were left here, were either brainless (in the process of growing some, hopefully) or brain-damaged. And the sane ones apparently had fled the nest, when there had been a chance to do so.

You can fade out and PP parents coming and fetching her. And - we can have a new thread later. I would love to explore more of their relationship.

@Eljay and @Maia guided Sylvie to safety once they arrived at the borders, holding and rocking her as she slowly came to. She met them with a wide-eyed gaze, then collapsed into them and sobbed as she realized how much they missed them.

Their reunion took some time, but eventually, they guided their eldest daughter back to their den and tucked her into bed—just as they had when she was younger. Sylvie quickly fell asleep and got the best sleep she'd had recently, feeling loved and secure in their presence.