Firefly Glen You're gonna miss me when I'm gone

There was an agreement that had been made, and a promise Shrike still kept. Though he could not bring himself to go terribly close to the Caldera, he occasionally saw its figure looming in the distance and sighed a heavy sigh before altering his route. He still scoured the Great Bear Wilderness for any sign of Lucy, calling out for her occasionally. It was the second night that he'd been scouting, however, when his eyes drifted to the sky, to see the greyish forms of what looked like clouds, at first, moving in the sky. He recognized the movement, though- like fish swimming under water, and knew that these were the same faint lights he'd seen before, when he had found Raven wandering around in the wilderness. Sure enough, the greyish colour was replaced with green, and the colours swam restlessly across the night sky, as though dancing with the stars. 

It was a chilly night, and would likely leave the grass covered with frost by the time dawn broke. It was many hours away, though, so the wind was cool and rattled dead leaves and branches as it played with his coat. His fur had already begun to thicken in anticipation of a cold winter and he hoped it would be kinder than the last, and that they would not experience another famine. It was the last thing they needed, afterall, and it would make the hope of finding Lucy and Rannoch alive much more slim. 

@Elwood

Elwood was bewildered when he found himself waking up at dusk. He was even more confused when he realized that he was far from the caldera. He sat up, his head feeling foggy, and looked around in the settling twilight. A few fireflies blinked lazily around him; it was their presence that alerted Elwood to his location.

Slowly, he began to piece together the last few hours. Since Eljay's collapse a few days ago, his own spirits had fallen considerably. Finally, he had decided to try out Raven's poppy treatment -- and found that he felt great after taking a dose. So great, in fact, that he believed that he would find Lucy on his own accord. Apparently, he had traipsed quite far before drowsiness overtook him. He shook his head. "Smaller dose next time," he mumbled to himself as he got to his feet.

He began to trudge back towards the squat peak in the distance but stopped when he became aware of another wolf nearby. Squinting through the eerie green light reflected from the sky, he inhaled sharply and was rewarded with a familiar scent. "Shrike?" he called out, his voice hoarse.

Lawl, are all Caldera wolves druggies now?

Shrike inhaled quickly when his name was spoken, and stopped looking up at the lights in the sky. He recognized the voice quickly, and scanned the area but saw no one. "Elwood?" He called out, and tested the air, catching the male's scent nearby and picking up a trot to close the distance. Elwood had asked him to meet in the neutral territories once some time had passed, and it had, though he wasn't sure if enough time had passed for Fox to have regained her senses and forgiven him. Not that he was entirely sure he could go back, anyway- living with Allure had been reassuring and pleasant, and he found himself feeling more confident that she had bonded with him as he had bonded with her. 

Habitually, he lowered his head when he saw Elwood, and ushered himself close with small steps to greet his friend and former Beta with a low whine and a respectful nudge to the corner of his mouth. He felt obligated to be submissive, as he couldn't know if perhaps Fox had filled Elwood's head with a different story, but hoped in the end that Elwood still believed him and didn't think badly of him for the decision he'd made. He was glad to see his friend again, and his tail waved between his hind legs quickly, like that belonging to a dog greeting a new friend for the first time.

They will be soon! :P

Elwood made to move towards Shrike and found that his legs felt heavy and cumbersome. He was thankful, then, when the former Redhawk closed the gap quickly and eagerly, greeting him verbally and physically. As the haze cleared from his mind, he swept his gaze over Shrike, noting that he appeared to be in good health. He smelled like other wolves, too, which meant that he had found a place to live.

"How are you? Where are you living?" Elwood asked; he had never visited Neverwinter Forest himself, so he didn't recognize any of the scents woven into Shrike's pelt -- but even if he had been familiar with the pack, his currently impaired senses might have prevented him from making a positive identification.

Elwood seemed pleased to see him, albeit a bit groggy, and asked him again where he was living. He could remember telling Elwood where Neverwinter Forest was, but assumed, then, that Elwood simply didn't know where that was. Had he gone looking for him? He was some distance away from the Caldera, after all. He nodded and sniffed slightly as he sat down next to his friend, feeling comfortable now that Elwood still believed him and had faith in his judgement and words. Obviously, Fox hadn't tried to make up some story in order to hide her shame. 

"I'm good." He said, though he didn't sound as optimistic as he should. "Doing okay." He reiterated, and gestured in the direction of Neverwinter Forest. "Living in Neverwinter. Allure's there." He said, finally allowing, without realizing it, a bit of softeness to enter his voice when he mentioned her name. "How about you? Finley and Eljay?" He asked.

The mention of Neverwinter Forest sounded familiar, though at the moment Elwood was unable to recall the moment when Shrike had informed him where he was going when he left Redhawk Caldera. It was all a bit fuzzy, to be honest, but he nodded. He was glad to know that Shrike had settled there and wasn't left to roam the wilds alone with the impending winter swiftly approaching.

Normally, Elwood would have noticed the change in Shrike's tone and expression at the mention of Allure. He didn't quite catch the subtle shift in his friend's face, however, and instead focused on the question pertaining to Finley and Eljay. "Finley's not back yet. Eljay's not coping with it very well," he replied bluntly. "But we're hanging in there." It was the truth, but somewhere in the back of his mind, he found himself wondering just how much longer they could keep hanging.

Shrike frowned softly when Elwood mentioned that Finley had not yet returned. The Forest was in a similar situation, with regards to missing children and pack members, as Scimitar, the alpha, had not been seen for some time, and another pack member, Kieran, had been out searching for the pups for some time as well. It seemed as though the Caldera's fate had been aligned with that of the Forest, as both had been searching for quite some time for their family members. He was displeased to hear that Eljay was not doing well, but Elwood seemed to have some hope for him yet. "Please let him know I've been thinking of him." Shrike said. It might not have meant much to Eljay, but he did care for the boy, who had lost his sister and sorely missed his mother as well. 

He hesitated slightly, shoulders tightening and ears flicking back, and finally he forced the words out. "Fox...She...Okay?" He asked, not sure what kind of response he'd get. Had the rest of the pack members been turned against him since he'd refused to mate with her? Had she seen how ruthless she had been? He somehow doubted it- but wanted to know, regardless.

Elwood smiled. "I will," he said. It was a shame that Shrike's dismissal had happened when it had -- or really, that it had happened at all. Elwood believed that Shrike would have been a good role model for Eljay, and as far as he knew, his son liked Shrike. He briefly toyed with the idea that Eljay could always meet with Shrike in neutral territory, if he really wanted to, but knew that Eljay would never want to do that.

He was still thinking about Eljay when Shrike changed the subject and asked about Fox. It took Elwood's brain a moment to catch up, and he pursed his lips into a frown. "Fox...I don't know," he said with a sigh. "She's kind of kept to herself lately. But her daughter, Raven, is back, so I think it's good she's able to be there for her mom." He didn't mention Kaizer, since he wasn't sure about Fox's relationship with the male; all he knew was that Kaizer more often than not smelled like Fox, and he had conveniently arrived during Fox's heat. So far, Kaizer hadn't given Elwood a reason to dislike him, but he wasn't passing judgment yet.

He was glad to hear that Elwood didn't really know how Fox was. It meant, at least, that she hadn't sent the others out on a hunt for him. His ears flicked forward at the mention of the name Raven, and he nodded. "Raven. I met her." He said softly. "She got lost near the lake. I walked her back toward the Caldera." He said. Of course, it had slightly pained him to do so- given how much she resembled her father, and how little Shrike cared for her mother. He'd done it for Peregrine, of course, and for those he still cared about back in the Caldera. 

"What about Sassafras?" He asked, feeling slightly guilty that he hadn't been able to take the time and say a proper goodbye to her. She'd been with him through the most difficult time in his life, a time when he'd emtombed himself with the poisonous body of Peter's killer, but once she'd realized that he was still alive, she'd dug him out and saved him from a premature death.

"She's a good kid," Elwood replied, chuckling softly as he thought of Raven. It was no secret that the girl was directionally challenged, so he wasn't surprised that she had gotten lost. She was lucky that Shrike had been there to guide her back home.

He pursed his lips slightly at the mention of Sassafras. When was the last time he had seen her? He couldn't even recall. He knew that she had been part of Lucy's search party, but unlike Trick and Shrike, she hadn't checked in with him. "I think Sassafras might have moved on from the caldera. I haven't seen her in...quite some time," he admitted, disappointed as the realization dawned on him. He hadn't known her well -- and didn't think anyone else in the pack had, either -- but she had still been a quiet, consistent presence. "Keep an eye out for her in case she's still around here somewhere," he added, casting a glance around as though Sassafras would materialize among the tall grasses.

Shrike's ears flattened when Elwood spoke of Sassafras. She'd been his closest companion when he'd lived in the Caldera, and he wondered now if perhaps she had gone looking for him after she'd found out he'd been exiled. He would have to keep an eye out for her, in hopes he could cross paths with her and convince her to join Neverwinter Forest with him. "I will," He said, softly, discouraged that his list of wolves to track had grown longer yet again. First Peter's killer, then Lucy, and now Sassafras. At least she was an adult, and fully capable of taking care of herself. 

He sighed softly, still discouraged that Fox hadn't said much to Elwood, and that Sassafras had gone missing. "I...I shouldn't keep you." He said, in reality meaning that he didn't want to be caught talking to Elwood if Fox showed up. "Thanks, again," He said. "And be well. I miss you."

Somewhat abruptly, and with a hint of sadness, Shrike ended their conversation. Elwood supposed it was the right thing to do; he was glad that he had seen his friend, but it was time, once again, for them to go their separate ways. He truly wished the best for Shrike and hoped that he would be happy in Neverwinter Forest, and he regretted what had transpired between Shrike and Fox.

"You too," he replied quietly, hesitating for a moment. An unspoken agreement hung in the air -- he knew that if Shrike came across any news of Lucy, he would find a way to share it with him. There was no need to remind him to keep searching for his missing daughter; Shrike was already going above and beyond the call of duty by watching out for Lucy, since he was no longer a member of her family's pack. Finally, Elwood added, "I appreciate everything you've done."

He smiled faintly, then turned and began to make his way back towards the caldera, now sifting through his hazy, poppy-obscured memories of the last few hours.