Redhawk Caldera you're gonna have to tell me

the trip to the caledra is as fast as the pair dared to go. it seemed like @Chickadee grew more and more impossibly round and his nerves were on high alert. he brought her meals and stopped as frequently as she needed to, but was never more relieved when they finally reached the caldera.

the borders grew stronger and it was an effort not to quicken his steps.

time had slipped away from him. for some reason, he didn't realize her pregnancy would be as fast as it was ( or perhaps it just seemed fast to him ) but he suspects the kids are close to being born. he doesn't know for sure, but he trusts the primal instinct settling within his bones.

he sends up a howl for @Maia and Teya, hoping one of the leaders were close by.

the sooner they got settled, the sooner his nerves wouldn't be so alit. or, so he thought.

secretly, chickadee hoped @Ceridwen would be around to witness their arrival as well. maybe her sister had dreamed this, she wanted to say. as the familiar bowl of the caldera came into view, it seemed as though the aching in her lower back eased.
"mama!" she called out, excited, eyes adance as she leaned against kivaluk, panting. "we've come home, daddy!"
the little bird's voice was resplendent against the skyline.

Maia had not been expecting a visit from her other daughter for a while. Motherhood was demanding and her pregnancies even had been a mixed bag, so with Chickadee’s sickness, Maia assumed she would be taking the initiative on the next encounter. Of course, this brought her interactions with Kukutux directly to mind, and she’d fretted frequently over how it might be received if she showed up on the border of Moonglow. She wouldn’t prevent a mother from visiting, right?

She would need to try, either way. At least, that’s what she’d resolved until an unexpected call came from the edge of their claim.

Maia rushed to meet them as quickly as she could, arriving slightly breathless. Hey!! Is everything alright?! She went immediately to Chickadee, then looked to Kivaluk as well, unable to comprehend why they might have come here. Did they expect to make it back to the mountain before Chickadee’s pups were born? Surely they could have waited!

The word home, and its apparent meaning, hadn’t registered yet in the flurry to meet them. But as the initial panic and surprise dissipated, Maia realized that Chickadee’s call had been mostly joyous. Confusion turned to quiet trepidation. Imagine, if she assumed wrong!

kivaluk casts a glimpse down at his wife, his relief palpable: that they made it, that their kids hadn't decided it was time to start their new adventure earth side while they were on the road.

it did not take maia long to arrive and understandably, she appeared to fret that something was wrong. kivaluk steels his shoulders, trying to hide his uncertainty. it wasn't as if he knew chickadee's family well, after all.

everything's fine, he is quick to attempt to reassure. we've come to live here. chickadee wants you all close and i decided that relocating to brecheliant would be best for us. he pauses. if you'll take us, of course.

when the family face of her mother came into view, chickadee hurried her lopsided pace, rushing into maia's embrace.
kivaluk spoke for them both, a fact that had always comforted her. he never tried to control or dominate; he only provided the brief, immediate facts, and she looked happily at her mom.
"moonglow is doing so well, really, and — well, i told you i wanted our kids to know you. i just wasn't sure how to do that at first from so far away." she patted her belly. "kukutux said daughters return to their mothers. it must be true, mama; it's why i'm here now, why both of us are. he wants to see them thrive here too."

Maia was too shocked for a moment to speak.  Then tears pricked suddenly at her eyes, but she was (thankfully) able to stop them from coming as she smiled.

That’s amazing, honey!  Of course you’re both welcome, everyone will be thrilled to have you here!  Maia ushered them both in, busily trying to cover the deeper emotion but clearly overjoyed.

She hadn’t thought this possible and had come to accept that her grandchildren would grow up knowing her distantly.  This would have been okay; she had no right to complain.  But the change meant more than she could ever admit, because doing so would undoubtedly reveal the deepest insecurities she held as a mother.

Even now she worried.  Would they regret this?  Moonglow was so much livelier, so much stronger…

Do you need anything? She asked them as she escorted them in, cutting off her inner doubts before they could spiral.  She would just have to make sure they did thrive.

to his immense relief, they are both welcomed and ushered inside the borders. the caldera is familiar, if only from the very first time he accompanied chickadee here before they were married — before they were even a couple. when they were just friends and roommates.

he is lost in the act of trying to pull a map together from cobbled memories and what he's taking in now, almost missing maia's question.

it takes kivaluk's mind a moment to catch up before he piques up:

maybe once we get settled you could show me where the food caches are? i was firsthunter in moonglow and i'd like to make sure i'm replenishing and filling food stores. it is all he knows: this duty; utilizing the skills he had to benefit the pack that has taken them in, despite them being chickadee's family and his in-laws.

u can rank them! <3

"oh, i'm just so tired. we need to find a den, mama, but not tonight." chickadee felt as if she might fall asleep right on her feet, exhaustion swooping down the moment there was no adrenaline to hold it off.
a smile bloomed for kivaluk. "he really is a great hunter. he'll help take care of things, really." she sighed, happy to walk beside maia, to point things out to her husband here and there as they traveled.

Of course! Maia already had a place in mind, though they were welcome to choose differently if they decided they needed a separate space. There’s plenty of room in our den, we’d love to have you there however long you want. The Blackthorn den was spacious and could easily house them. She and Eljay did not need the space any longer, and if they wanted privacy at any point, Maia would happily give them it.

I can show you around as soon as you are ready, once you’re all settled in. This she directed at Kivaluk, appreciation clear. He had already provided for them once before, showing himself to be a skilled hunter in the process. They were blessed to have him. To have both of them here.

Maia continued to lead them on, remaining close to her daughter’s side as they went. She needed to get off her feet and rest a while.

kivaluk is attentive as chickadee points things out to him, seeing the caldera through what feels like new eyes as he regards it as home in stead of a place he is visiting.

maia offers them room and board in her and eljay's den and though kivaluk doesn't wasn't to impose but it was a blessing, he knows. he isn't sure, being a first time dad, but he is fairly sure that he didn't have the time to make them a home of their own.

if he'd done the math right, their kids were a week or so from being born. they were lucky the stress of moving and the travel hadn't put chickadee into early labor as it was. thank you, kivaluk dips his head slightly. that's very kind of you.

that sounds great, thank you. a word he feels like he'll be saying an awful lot of for a while.