Redhawk Caldera i warn you not to doubt the silence before the storm

@Elwood & @Finley. Anyone else from the caldera is welcome to join! Everyone in the scouting mission should post here to at least cameo their appearance but they don't have to actively engaged if you don't want. I'm pretty sure I covered my tags in the post!

After leaving their campsite in the heartwood, Thuringwethil pushes them forward. They get closer to the caldera, based on @Étoille's direction and @Eljay's recognition and she pushes them through. She can see the wear in the group in a matter of days and she briefly wonders how ragged she looks. It hadn't been that long ago she'd been sick on death's door and while she's trained and worked out to return to her once warrior glory, she knows she hadn't quite reached it. The trip likely set her back a little, too, but she doesn't let it slow her down. The caldera has to have answers. They wouldn't haven't gotten this far without anything to be given.

They rest briefly near a small stream before pressing forward, seeing the rocky peak in the distance. There's an odd sensation of relief and worry battling inside her. They reached their destination and while they stand on the outside, the world offers possibilities she may not truly have. Wildfire is home with them still. Something happened to separate Wildfire from Arlo and she made it and she stayed. They'll be reunited soon. In her brief flash of hope, she wishes she'd brought @Bobby along too.

Thuringwethil quenches her thirst, steadies herself, and they make the last leg of the trip in relative silence. Her hope shrinks the closer she gets and she occasionally looks back to see how the others are fairing. By the time they reach the borders, keeping enough distance considering she'd brought more wolves than perhaps necessary but she's prepared for whatever happens. Before she makes the call for the leaders of the caldera, names she does not know since Wildfire's parents had passed, she turns to the group.

"We are not a threat to the wolves here," she says in hope they can appear to have come in peace instead of fighting a war. She looks to @Blixen and @Artaax with a flash of a smile. "By extension, they are somewhat family. If they welcome us in with open arms, we will be thankful and polite and while we are here, we will obey their needs." Thuringwethil licks her lips and shifts her gaze to @Dio, then @Portia (who seems ready for anything and she hopes deep down she doesn't need to healer but she's thankful she's here). @Hux lingers in the background, keeping them all together, and she nods once before she turns, lifts her nose, and howls her cry for the leaders of the pack.

We are not a threat to the wolves here...

Artaax watched his mother closely as she smiled at them, feeling nervous. He had never met any family outside of those who lived with him in Drageda, and so he wondered if they would be much like Wildfire. In his head, he pictured all of them with red fur and golden eyes, just like his mom. He knew that probably wouldn't be the case - after all, only Blixen had ended up looking like Wildfire. Bobby looked like Thur, and he himself was living proof that a wolf could be born to look like neither of their mothers (someone has got to science this poor kid). But still, in spite of his logic - flawed-but-kinda-not as it was - he pictured the Redhawks in varying shapes and sizes, and all of them coated in brilliant, ginger red.

Then there were the Blackthorns, and one thought of Eljay reminded him to set his standards low for the leaders they were about to meet. Much like an uncle he was unlikely ever to know, he judged the family based on his useless sitter and was thankful that he truly shared no blood with them. Wildfire had always spoken so fondly of her "aunt" and "uncle", but had a soft heart. He appreciated that side of her and found fondness in what he considered to be such an endearing quality. Inwardly though, he would claim no such weakness to be family of his. Teenage inflated self-importance for the win!

The heda tilted her muzzle back to call for the leaders of the pack, and Artaax to a moment then to look around. The landscape was... bleak. His opinion of anything not Drageda was already low, but he had expected something more grandiose of his mother's family. She had told such wonderful stories of her childhood at this Caldera, but looking at it now, he saw nothing redeeming about it. His gaze traveled up the slopes that barred them from the inner circle of the territory, wondering if perhaps they hid a utopia within. Uncharitably, he thought it unlikely.

Artaax shifted his posture to match the heda's, though lowered respectfully as her subordinate. His thoughts of the Caldera and the Blackthorn went unspoken on his tongue or his features. Nomi had told him to be thankful and polite. Artaax would be nothing less.

Wildfire’s frantic burst of energy guttered out like a dying candle nearly the instant she set foot outside the dark forest. She wanted to collapse. Instead, she mustered her very last scrap of strength and ran blindly, the needle of her inner compass spinning wildly.

By some enormous stroke of fortune, she headed due west, directly toward an old, familiar landmark. When Wildfire’s eyes lifted to see the caldera, she nearly wept. She drug herself toward it, breathless and trembling now.

She stopped about half a mile outside the borders, unable to manage even one more step. She buckled with a small cry. Her bloodshot eyes remained fixed on the smokestack before drifting to something else in the nearer distance.

She recognized her mate and children, despite how different they looked from the last time she set eyes on them. Wildfire sobbed quietly, sure that this was a mirage and that her birthplace had also become her death place.

feel free to skip étte for this one~

 He was relieved as they reached the Caledera's borders - a part of him had feared he would get them within spitting distance and then they would be unable to find their true goal. The lake nearby had been one of the first locations Étoille had ventured to upon his arrival in the Teekons. Seeing it again, recontextualized in the company of his new pack, the titan felt strangely light. 

The original alacrity has worn to a tired intensity. Two long journeys in such a short span has taken a small toll on the beast, though hardly concerning. In truth he is ready to return to Drageda's borders and take a well-earned sleep. Of course he hopes that the object of their search will be found here - he still does not know fully the relationship between Wildfire and her pack (though he surmises the woman's children are with them, given the resemblence between one of the pair and the description he's been given). Secretly he suspects the missing woman may have met a fate similar to Arlo's. He has the tact to keep such thoughts to himself -- after all, regardless of his lack of emotional attachment, the death of a pack-mate is not a trivial thing. 

Perhaps he will be proven wrong. Having done his job, he lingers behind Heda with the man named Hux. Soon they will have their answer. Soon they may return home. (And how quickly that answer would come!)

we are not a threat to the wolves here, nomi says, and blix nods, eyes bright. she wonders if her extended family looks like her, or more like soft eljay. like her brother, she wonders if they're more similar to her sweet cousin in disposition than the strength of the wolves of drageda. (unlike her brother, though, she's very fond of their useless sitter, and fiercely protective to boot - an odd sitter/sittee relationship, but, well, someone's gotta look out for the weaker man!)

her eyes and nose are peeled for the arrival of the caldera's alphas - her aunt and uncle, who mother have talked so much about - but, no, there's someone else. at first she doesn't recognize the scent - it's acrid and feathery - but underneath there is... something sweetly familiar, something she could never in a million years forget or overlook, sweet mother's milk and herb. and then she sees her.

abandoning any sense of decorum the girl wails "mother!" and launches herself from her family's side, flinging herself the remaining distance to bury into her side, oblivious to the her state until she's nearly upon her. up close it is impossible to ignore the grime and her injuries and blix tumbles over herself in an effort to not collide with her and make it worse. she scrambles, expression panicked and jumbled, joyful and terrified, and with a quivering voice asks, "c-chit don kom au?"  

After her morning patrol, Towhee relaxed beneath a tree near the caldera’s base and drowsed. She didn’t know how long she napped or what stirred her awake. But she sat up suddenly, blinking away sleep, to find what looked like an entire pack of wolves approaching with purpose.

Her fur stood on end as she swept to her feet and sent an earsplitting howl into the air, demanding the attention of her fellow Redhawks. She then resisted the powerful urge to barrel toward the borders, instead moving slowly toward the unwelcome assemblage even as she waited for reinforcements to arrive.

The guardian halted suddenly when she recognized one of the wolves in the party. ”Eljay...?” she cried incredulously.

"Nooooo..." Fin moaned as she rolled onto her belly, the stranger's call echoing overhead. The pups were playing piling on @Lagan, which had given the exhausted mother the perfect opportunity to lay down for a nap. But, no sooner had she done so that someone had come a-knockin' on her doorstep. Thus the... "Grjdjfakdsfj whyyy..."

And so, she was already on the way when a second howl - or, something like it - came crashing into her eardrums. Finley flinched at the unfortunate sound, even though she recognized it instantly. Curiosity propelled her forward quicker, for there was a note of anxiety in her goddaughter's voice that caused her some concern.

Fin swept onto the scene in her typical, casually commanding, alpha-ish way. The anxiety and emotion in the air was palpable, causing the black fur along her spine to prickle warily. Her eyes shifted from Towhee to a tall, rather bad ass looking woman with two youngsters at her side. Nope. Just one. The other youth was breaking away from the others - a small red wolf, and Finley found herself pausing for the first time. Wildfire? That was about all the assessment she managed before the girl ran off towards some other wolf who was just.. laying down a few yards behind the rest, like a fuckin' weirdy.

The alpha blinked and hurried towards Towhee, arriving at her side just in time to get a nice loud "Eljay??" shouted into her ear. Fin twisted her head sharply, looking from face to face until finally, she spotted him. Eljay. He was here. He was safe. He was ALIVE. And surrounded by all kinds of fuckery, from the looks of it. She paid that no mind, though. She stood staring at her eldest son and only him - paralyzed from shock and emotion.

There were two howls in quick succession, one unfamiliar and the other undoubtedly belonging to Towhee. Had it not been for his goddaughter's urgent cry, Elwood might have continued tracking the small herd of deer on the caldera's outskirts; but the alarm in Towhee's voice was enough to send him packing. He turned his back on the trio of does and loped towards the source of the calls, moving quickly and with purpose.

As he neared, his heartbeat quickened at the sight of the wolves gathered on his borders. His eyes skimmed over them quickly, taking in the appearance of the dark female who seemed to be the leader. Although it was intimidating to have a large group of strangers congregating at his doorstep, he did take note that the black she-wolf, while obviously in charge, was not posturing threateningly. Rather, she and her followers stood with some degree of respectfulness as Redhawks arrived in response to her call. Elwood glanced up as one of the younger wolves broke away from the group, but paid her little mind.

Elwood slowed his pace as he approached Towhee and Finley, and only examined the rest of the assemblage when Towhee uttered his son's name. Immediately, his gaze shifted; his jaw dropped when he found himself looking into Eljay's green eyes. Next to him, Finley seemed to be frozen in place, so Elwood gathered his wits so that both Alphas wouldn't look like they were unable to speak.

"Eljay," he said first, and while he wanted to go to the boy, he refrained and forced himself to look back at the she-wolf at the head of the pack. "I'm Elwood Blackthorn, Alpha of Redhawk Caldera," he said, although it was likely unnecessary. She was accompanied by his son, after all. There was a degree of confusion in his expression, but he waited as patiently as possible for an explanation as to who she was, why she had brought such a large crowd to his borders, and why Eljay was with her.

Since a squat mountain had loomed on the horizon, a peculiar sort of relief and tension all at once had woven its way into their group. They had covered a lot of ground quickly, and by now bits of fatigue were starting to show here and there, yet they were all in one piece. What mattered most of all now was that they had made it. This distant caldera was their goal, as far as a destination was concerned. Now he was only left to hope that some answers may await them there, and if they were lucky, they would be for the best.

Heda briefed the group and he settled in somewhere equidistant from both his speckled wife and the commander, though his protective watch flitted through the group and beyond on constant repeat. Knowing well what this many wolves could look like to an insecure leader, he was on guard. He didn't know enough about these Redhawk wolves to gauge them yet, but soon enough, things were in motion and the call went up. Another odd howl seemed to answer, and in half an instant later, so much more was going on as the residents came to discover the Drageda crew.

He swung his head towards Blixen's exit, and matching call out to her mother..? Was she really here? Dio's eyes narrowed and tension mounted. Then, after glancing worriedly to Portia before back to Blixen, he soon had to refocus on approaching leaders who seemed to have plenty of questions, and rightfully enough. They all wasted no time picking Eljay out from their midst and he's entirely unsure what to think of that as well without knowing enough of the male's history either. For all he knew, they could have parted on bad terms, and this was about to be even more complicated.

The wocha defaulted the explanation to his commander, although stood at the ready for this to change from confusion to something uglier, just in case it might.

Eljay still had no type of plan ready to face his family with. He didn't know what he would say. The closer they came, the more he recognised places — the looming Caldera in the background, Lake Rodney — the more nervous he grew. He was quieter, though it was likely the pups that noticed this the very most, and reminded himself they were here to save Wiffle, not for him to have a nervous breakdown. He didn't matter in the whole, and he should just stay to the background.

As they approached the borders his tail was tucked between his legs and he stayed in the back quietly, hoping they wouldn't notice him... somehow. He licked his lips in nervosity and submission and thought of all the things that could go horribly wrong with this meeting.

Of course, as soon as the first arrived — Towhee, how big she was now! he felt a pang of regret — instantly recognised him. How foolish of him to think that he could get away with visiting here and not being recognised as his pathetic self.

His attention was quickly roved from Towhee however as mommy showed up by her side and stared at him like she had seen a ghost. He looked at her for a moment with a guilty frown, longing to go to her side and be with her forever. His mouth was dry and he licked his lips, his body language radiating how uncomfortable he was as he took a tiny step forward as daddy arrived. Oh, how he wanted nothing more than to run towards them and bury his face in their fur and say sorry that he had ever left at all.

Wiffle's appearance was largely lost on him as his heart felt much the same reaction necessary as Blixen showed. He stepped forward a bit more but it was like there was an invisible wall between them that he could not pass. A whine escape him as he stared at his parents, frozen in much the same way as mommy. He hoped and wished they would be the ones to close the distance so that he could bury his face in their fur and everything would be okay again.

The snowy wolf trails the posse good naturedly, his eyes cast ahead although he occasionally swings his large head around to asses his surroundings, keeping watch. He knows he is here for protection more than anything else, and he still feels flattered that he was asked to come along. Today they have reached the pack known as Redhawk Caldera, where they hope to find information about Wildfire, if not find the she-wolf herself. He is in good spirits, for the journey has gone quite smoothly, and theyve covered a lot of ground. But as they wait for Thuringwethil's call to be answered, Hux feels his anxiety mounting again. There is no telling who will greet them and what will ensue.

The Kru stays on his feet at the rear of the procession, his paws planted firmly on the carpet of pine needles below him, ready to spring into action should things begin to go south. The scene which unfolds before him has a lot of components that he does not understand, but then comes the part that warms his heart. Blixen, sprinting into the injured, broken form of her mother. Faces alight with joy. Hux cannot help but wag his tail and smirk happily, knowing that this is exactly what Drageda wanted, and needed to happen. The journey was a success!

I'm going to leave posting loose with no order or necessary rounds. Hopefully that will keep things flowing smoothly!

There is only a moment of what Thuringwethil expects to be a mix of relief and tension. All they had to do is waiting at this point and they’ll have answers. Or they won’t. Either way, they’ll know where to go after this. She remains steady on her feet as they wait, her head held at attention with as much relaxation as she can manage and her tail hangs low, hoping to ease some of the tension when they arrive.

When the blur of red blows past her, she snaps her head to attention to call after her daughter but she’s quickly silenced by the broken body in the distance. Thuringwethil staggers a few steps in her direction but she steels herself upon the sound of a garbled howl near the borders. Everything else happens quickly after that as another wolf arrives next to the caller, then another. She bites her tongue but remains in place, turning back quickly to eye Portia out of the group. “Go to her, now,” she demands of the healer.

The fact Eljay gets a little attention for a moment gives her time to recompose herself. She wants nothing more than to throw herself at her mate but her daughter has taken to her side. “Artaax, go,” she says a beat later when she finds her son’s attention.

The rest of the wolves relatively stay in place but she does not blame them, thankful for the stoicism in the moment to prevent any further chaos. Even Eljay remains in place despite the beckon of what she assumes are his family. Knowing her mate is in good hands, and the fact she can’t do anything but get in the way, she’s able to listen to the male that approaches as he introduces himself. She glances to the other two women but settles firmly on Elwood.

“I’m Thuringwethil, commander of Drageda,” she says, though can’t stifle the awkward cough, “and I’m not entirely sure what is happening and it looks to be the same for you.” Her head turns to her mate, keeping an eye on her still to hold back her urges to break way. “Wildfire is my mate and she left us nearly two months ago to visit her family here. We have been searching for her when she did not return and found her guard dead in the mountains and we came here to see if she made it but…” she trails off and finally takes a few steps in Wildfire’s direction, uncertain what to really say to that. She hadn’t been in the territory of the caldera and they all seemed just as confused as they are.

If this was the afterlife, Blixen's touch was heavenly, as was the sound of her voice. "Blixen," Wildfire rasped, tears streaming freely from the corners of her eyes as she pressed back into that familiar (if much more grown) warm body. A moan trickled from her throat, a wordless noise teeming with emotion.

Somewhere in there, as Blixen snuggled tightly against her and a distant Thuringwethil bade their eldest to her, the overwrought Wildfire lost consciousness and slumped on the ground, tears in her eyes and a smile on her lips. If home was where the heart was, then—dead or alive—Wildfire was finally home safe.

I won't be posting with her again, so y'all are 100% welcome to PP her. :)

the dainty fisa followed the rest of the pack with some struggle. this had been her first journey since the great earthquake-- and before that her journey too drageda. she used to be a scout, a beautifully talented wanderer and explorer. and while her little legs had always proved garbage at running, she could walk for days and days with no problem. she realized only now how old she'd grown, how lazy she'd become-- and that thought made her sad. maybe she would bring it up to dio later... he was, after all, her favorite wolf to complain to.

her mind had sort of wandered, and she was almost startled by the scents of the redhawk wolves... they'd apparently come from nowhere. her green gaze panned around her as she came to a stop, a few paces back from the more important wolves, looking for... something. 

in the distance, she spotted a little dark red and black wolf. her ears pricked, waiting to hear something from the wolf, but it wasn't until the wolf said 'eljay?' in the most forced manner portia had ever heard, that the caretaker was fully immersed in the situation once again. but, to her surprised, blixen made an exit, calling for wildfire. 

she gripped the bundle she'd carried tightly in her jaws, muscles tensed as she stared at thuringwethil. if wildfire was somewhere, she needed to be there, but she knew better then to just leave. the commander turned and portia had begun to flee the scene before she finished speaking. she took off after blixen, her little legs working overtime to catch up. 

wildfire is not in good shape-- and portia is broken. blixen, buried into her mother's side. "blixen, hun, i've gotta look at her, you've gotta be careful," portia said softly but firmly, crouching and beginning her usual prodding. it seemed that, by the time she'd gotten there, wildfire had fallen unconscious, but she could still feel anything that could've been wrong. with blixen clinging to her mother portia was worried she'd hurt her more on accident, seeing how fragile she looked now. that, and she was in the way, but it hurt the healer too much to drag the child from the woman she hadn't seen in months. she'd have to find an easier way to keep her at a safer distance. "can you help me, blixen? do you want to help me patch up your mom?"

Wildfire falls to the ground and slips into unconsciousness. Hux's grin disappears, opening his mouth in concern and looking awkwardly around as if this will present him with an idea of what to do. Oddly, it does, as he watches @Portia grab her bundle and dart off towards Wildfire and her daughter. Remembering his own bundle, the snowy Kru takes it up in his jaws and swiftly carries it to Portia's side, just in case she doesn't have enough of something in her own package. "Er - here." Not trying to insert himself where he is unneeded, he backs away from the trio, muttering, "Let me know if you  need any more help." Secretly, he does want to watch, so he stands far enough away not to crowd around Wildfire, but close enough to see what's going on. Perhaps he will learn something, even if Portia doesn't need him to do anything.

mother says her name, and then-

then-

she panics for a second, thinking oh no oh no you can't like this not when we've just but there it is: the shallow rise and fall of her side, and she has just enough time to process that before portia shows up and gently orders her aside. meekly the girl obeys, scrambling away so that the fisa can fix her, but she doesn't want to move too far - thankfully portia seems to intuit that and blix nods fiercely. "t-tell me what to do," she says, forcing her voice to be stronger than she feels, and glances over with determined wet eyes as hux arrives. 

portia and hux will make things okay.

she's still breathing.

Artaax was watchful as the wolves of the Caldera began to appear in the distance, but became distracted entirely when Blixen turned and bolted. His eyes narrowed as he determined that, once again, she was misbehaving - something he did not at all approve of. His irritation melted though when his gaze landed upon the heap of red lying upon Blixen's destination. Wildfire.

"Mom..." the boy breathed, barely louder than a whisper. His ears fell as emotion flooded his eyes. All at once, he felt all of his mature bravado disappear. He nearly crumpled with his tail tucked beneath him, whining and crying like the puppy he still mostly was. But Thuringwethil shifted in the corner of his eye, and he found himself holding onto his dignity and his self-control. He remained standing straight and tall at nomi's side, turning back to look at the alpha male and female whom had just arrived at the side of the first young girl who had come to greet them.

Artaax took in a steadying breath as he fixed his gaze upon the trio of Caldera wolves, only to turn to look at Thur instead when seconds later, she told him to go. He gave her a look that was twisted between emotions, but was quick to obey after the briefest of hesitations. He followed on Portia's heels, his eyes glued to Wildfire with every step, taking in each disheveled, abused feature about her.

The stench of some foreign pack mangled the smell that had grown synonymous with comfort, and somewhere in the pit of his stomach he felt vicious anger at the unknown enemy that was to blame for all of this. He didn't know if it was a pack, a wolf, or anything at all. For all he knew, it was a cliff that she had fallen from that had done this to her. It didn't matter - he trembled with anger and fear and sorrow and longing and joy over this moment.

It was too much. She looked so terrible. So sick. So hurt. So close to death that at any second, he knew she was going to just slip away before his very eyes. He couldn't take it. He didn't want to see his mom die. Artaax turned away with tears in his eyes and moved away from the group. "Let's keep watch," he said to Hux as he stepped past the older male, walking a few feet further out before stopping with his back turned to all of it. He stood tall as he sent his gaze across the horizon, watchful for anyone approaching. But in spite of his posture, the boy was shaking fiercely as he finally allowed his face to contort from the overwhelming emotion he felt, that needed to spill free before he could hope to grapple it into submission.

More wolves moved away to the crumpled heap of wolf that was now blocked from her view, but Fin remained frozen as Eljay found her gaze. She expected him to rush to her as he so often had as a child. And an adult. But, much to her surprise, he didn't move. There was a small step taken as Elwood appeared at her side and began to speak to the other alpha - which btw thank god he had shown up to do that since lord knows Fin wasn't about to get it together in time. But other than that step, Eljay was still, looking uncomfortable and miserable and very much like he needed one hell of a mom hug.

But, like her son, Finley didn't move. She was thrown by the fact that he hadn't closed the distance, and that had brought her gaze to shift to the dark female who was clearly leading this band of drama. The alpha - no, I'm sorry, commander - began to explain the situation, mentioning Wildfire which caused another twist of WTF to flash across Finley's face. She glanced back again at the heap, gasping as she finally realized that it was a bloody pile of goddaughter laying over there and not some dumb ass that had chosen a wildly inappropriate moment to take a nap.

"Wiffle?" Fin said, concern distorting her expression. Her gaze flashed from the group of wolves attending her niece back to Thuringkehtkewteuihgfdskgfh or whatever the fuck it was. "What do you need? We have a healer. Get Raven," she barked to Towhee, throwing in ptero for the last order so she would understand. Her attention snapped back to Fin-will-just-call-her-Betty, who was looking very much like she wanted to go to her mate. Wait, Wildfire is a lesbian?

"Well. Come on," Fin said then, setting off quickly towards the group around Wildfire.

There was so much commotion that Towhee's focus tore away from her prodigal relative to the rest of the wolves loitering at their borders. Why were they here? What was going on near the back of the group? The large black she-wolf near the head of the gathering began to speak and the Xi squinted at her, trying to read her lips, when Finley threw a few unmistakable signs her way.

"Who—?" she asked in confusion even while pivoting. She hated to turn her back on this entire situation but she had been given a direct order. With an expression of consternation, she whirled and sent up a choppy howl, urgently requesting the medic's attention. Towhee then began galloping back uphill, prepared to physically locate @Raven to direct her back here.

So much is happening! Hopefully I captured everything, haha! <3

While there was much going on in the background, Elwood forced himself to focus on Thuringwethil, who introduced herself as the commander of Drageda. Almost as soon as her name and title were out of her mouth, a memory surfaced from the back of Elwood's mind. And in the next instant, his suspicions were confirmed; this was Wildfire's mate. Thuringwethil briefly explained that the reason for their visit to the caldera was to look for Wildfire, who had gone missing. But as the commander made to step away, in the direction that both youths had gone, Elwood followed her gaze and squinted. He quickly realized that their search had come to an end, because it was Wildfire that was sprawled inert on the ground in the distance.

Now it was his turn to be rendered momentarily speechless. Finley redeemed herself by quickly asking Towhee to retrieve Raven, who could see to Wildfire's wounds. Elwood blinked, wanting to ask more of Thuringwethil, but she seemed to be just as confused as he was. "Go to her," he said, sensing that the dark she-wolf wanted nothing more than to be reunited with her mate. He, too, began to approach Wildfire, though he hung back to leave room for Thuringwethil, her children, and Drageda's apparent medic.

"Hopefully our healer will arrive soon, and she can assist you," he said to the female hovering closest to Wildfire. His breath caught in his throat at the sight of his goddaughter's disheveled form. He swallowed hard and then turned back to Eljay, beckoning him to come closer to his parents.

The grey woman speaks and Thuringwethil gives her a glance but it returns to Elwood and letting it work itself out seems to be the best option. The pair accepts the explanation—as terrible as it is—and urges her forward. Stiffly, she moves a few more steps but she doesn’t know where to get in. She knows better than to get in the way of Portia working unless urged forward but it is only a handful of times she’s been on this end of things. Letting her guard down takes a little effort but she eases some of the tension in her shoulders.

They found her. She’s alive. They’ll be fine.

"Thank you," she says softly. She does move forward a little but there is little she can do. Thuringwethil licks her lips, briefly closes her eyes in a silent prayer, before she shakes it off and waits. She hasn’t planned much beyond reaching the caldera and she can sort it out later. They give them reprieve on the borders, use of their supplies and their healer, but there is still a tightness in her chest she can’t shake. It’s not the end of their mission, she’s sure of that, as the next phase lingers in the back of her mind. While she does not give it much focus, it continues to build, but she puts much of her attention on breathing, watching, waiting to see if she can be of use.

Eljay had been worried about Wildfire; when everyone's focus turned towards a pile of red fur and her children dashed towards her Eljay had never been so relieved. He was a bit surprised to hear that the Heda was Wildfire's mate, however, a thing that he had not yet realised because Wildfire and the Heda had never been in Drageda at the same time as he and he had never connected the dots that Bobbin was related to Artaax and Blixen. Now everything clicked in his mind and Eljay felt like he should go to them as he croaked with a tightened throat, "Wiffle!" but everyone else was already gathered round them and he felt he would only be in the way.

In the end he just stayed where he was, rooted in place, not sure what he should do now. Everyone was so busy with Wildfire so he figured he would just keep standing here until, well, they would leave, or something. He still felt the unignorable urge to go to mommy and daddy and bury his head in their fur but he also knew he must be strong... He couldn't just turn his back on the Heda and Drageda now that he was finally in and had regained some of his strengths.

Daddy beckoned him to come closer and Eljay put a foot forward, a step that felt like a journey of a lifetime's length, a step that looked awkward and woody and like Eljay had completely forgotten how to even walk in the past couple of eventful minutes. He swallowed thickly, looking unhappy as he slowly shambled towards mommy and daddy, body language submissive and eyes pleading for them to close the distance.

It really was Wildfire, now unconscious, although found.. and his relief is still hesitant and half-confused at best. Various pieces of the Drageda crew joined her offspring at her side, especially once the caldera leaders did not rally against them, and instead moved in to help--even offering to get their own medic, although they had come plenty prepared already. Portia and Hux were seeing to that now.

It did worry him that she had just now come upon them, somehow, and that the Redhawks were just as surprised as they seemed to be. None of it made all that much sense to him. Who knew what had happened.

But this was a start, and a little step forward towards the success of their goal to get Wildfire back home. She was here, they had her again, and he tried to settle into just overseeing this. He glanced between Drageda, then the Redhawks, time and time again as he waited to hear what the healers had to say, and for what would come next for them all.

hux came, quickly, trailing behind her with the second bundle in his jaws. she was thankful for him in this moment, but her nerves were still shaking-- this was serious. blixen stepped back, and portia was thankful for that as well, for a few moments she wondered if dalia or sirio would've done the same-- and somehow she could only picture sirio curled up in a ball sobbing. hm.

there was talk of some raven character, but portia didn't have time to wait for them. she looked to her niece and then tore open hux's leafy bundle, finding the bright yellow flower she'd brought. "chew these up," she told blixen, placing them before her. she would've preferred hux's help, since she assumed he knew at least the basics, but if this had the potential to keep blix both distracted and out of the way... she had to take the shot. "don't swallow them-- when they're chewed spit them out onto--" she moved a stone resting to the right of them over "--this stone. it's okay if you swallow some, but try not to, wildfire needs them." that was sufficient enough? she thought. 

meanwhile, portia tried to sort out what else to do. besides the few small cuts and bruises, she hadn't found any major wounds. considering the urgency of the situation, she was a little rushed, but she hadn't found any broken bones or gaping holes in the fiery woman so... what was wrong? she looked to hux, gaze narrowed, and then turned her attention to the rest of the wolves. "she needs food and water," she said, tail held still behind her, nose twitching, "it doesn't look like she's eaten in a while." that was her diagnoses-- for now, until they were in a safer location with more time. portia couldn't risk doing all these tests right now, while wildfire was unconscious and struggling to breath. she'd patch up anything that could be prone to infection and they'd help her somewhere else. that was the best course of action-- portia thought.

whenever blixen would finish chewing, (assuming it all went well) portia would take that mush and smear it across any of the cuts she saw, placing the cobwebs overtop.

Finley was cautious not to come too close to the commotion. Anxious as she was to know what was happening, she would not get in the way of the wolves trying to care for her goddaughter. She crept around until she could see the girl, drinking in the terrible sight of emaciation and abuse. But Fin was no stranger to injury, and the sight of red-furred sides rising and falling steadied the fear. The pale woman giving orders and shuffling through herbs calmed her further.

"There's a cache near," the alpha answered when the request for food was made. She turned to point past the borders to mark the place, but froze when in doing so, she found herself face to face with Eljay. She gazed at him, her firstborn, feeling the longing to embrace him pounding in her heart. But it was held at bay by a stronger feeling, one that told her to do so would be wrong. Somehow, damaging. He would always be hers, but he also was not hers any longer. He had left her. He belonged to them.

She caught herself after a few quick heartbeats and turned back, eyes dancing across the foray to the dark leader. "Can she be moved? There's an old den near it where you can take shelter while she recovers." Fin looked at her mate, wondering if he knew the place. She herself had been holed up there when once upon a time she'd come off worse in a fight with a bear. It also happened to be where they'd first met.