Dragoncrest Cliffs In a fruit fight, I aim at your Adam's apple

This wasn't supposed to be how she arrived home at long last: completely alone, consumed with guilt, out of breath and so paranoid she glanced over her shoulder every two seconds. But the moment Wildfire set foot on her homeland, she felt overcome. She kept running for another quarter of a mile, just to be safe, then stopped to catch her breath. As soon as she could spare the breath for it, she tipped her head skyward and howled for @Portia and—after only a split second hesitation to consider her current condition—@Bobby as well.

Wildfire then collapsed in a weary heap, though she caught herself smiling despite the wrongness of these circumstances. She was finally home. Soon, her loved ones would join her here. She felt a thread of fear pierce her, yet she wrestled it into submission. Thuringwethil and the kids would return home, safe and sound, in due time. Hopefully none of them would be too put out with her; she had hastily explained the situation to @Blixen and @Raven before absconding from their group.

This wasn't the first time her heat had come at the worst possible moment, though Wildfire felt much less vulnerable now that she was safely within Drageda. Her pack mates would protect her while they awaited their commander's and fighters' return. And hopefully it would come 'round again at a better time, though with everything else going on lately, Wildfire had scarcely spared a thought toward bringing more pups into the world. After all, there was so much catching up to do with the ones who were already here.

The pale boy was along the borders when he heard the call-- it was not for him, but curiosity took him and he felt compelled to investigate nonetheless.

He approached slowly, sighting the small woman when he was still a fair distance off. She was on the ground; hurt? Subconsciously he moved a little faster, barely noticing the strange scent surrounding her until he was close enough that it choked him. Only once had Prince been around a female in heat before-- he recognized the scent, and his ears flattened.
Wary of the consequences of getting too close, and not quite sure who she was, he kept a few feet between them.
Are you alright? Prince called softly to her, guard down because she had first called for others (even if such reasoning might have been foolish).

The howl disrupts her attention and she swivels her ears, curious. It has direction, for wolves of Drageda, but the sound is unfamiliar and she moves anyway, despite it not being for her. Her feet are quick as she weaves through the forest in the direction the fall came from. She keeps an eye out for either side of her for Portia, or her on, but for the time being she does not spot them.

Warmth has settled on the ear the puts a rumble in her chest, the fur of her hackles lifting around her mane as she gets closer. The smear of red on the otherwise snowing ground gives her a few answers. The source of heat burning the air and what she assumes the source of the call. Prince’s approach does not go unnoticed but his hesitance to get rid of the trespasser does less than please her. Her tail lashes and she kicks her feet into ear, lips peeled back angrily as she charges the wolf sprawled out on the ground.

It wasn't until two unfamiliar white wolves approached that Wildfire considered that she might have made a mistake by crossing the borders without proper accompaniment. Her blood froze in her veins when the second of the two charged. Still quite exhausted from her long journey—she hadn't stopped to eat or sleep the entire way—Wildfire remained sprawled on the ground, entirely submissive, waiting for the blow to land.

"Stop!" a strange voice shouted. Wildfire's eyes had squeezed shut, though she cracked one open to see a large black wolf bounding onto the scene, his red breast immediately identifying him as a grownup Bobby. "Stop, for fuck's sake! That's not a trespasser!" he was bellowing as he came. "That's my mom!"

Prince was entirely surprised when Ajatar charged the woman, and couldn't help but blurt out: Wait! I don't think she's--
But then he was interrupted by another packmate, Bobby. He more or less confirmed Prince's suspicions that this wolf was more than just a trespasser; to him it seemed obvious, given her call. The boy resisted the urge to chime in again, figuring (and hoping) Ajatar would stop at the other male's intervention.
If this was Bobby's mother, then-- oh, damn. He felt a wave of amusement, though his expression remained unchanged. Thuringwethil was also Bobby's mother, which meant this tiny red woman must have been the Heda's mate-- and his amusement stemmed from the fact that Ajatar would definitely stop where she was if she had any sense.

She does not react when Prince tries to shout at her, closing the distance with relative ease. Across the way, however, Bobby barrels onto the scene—he’s gotten a little bigger since she’d last seen him—and she struggles to find any purchase to stop. Her momentum throws her forward, colliding with the tiny female, and her mind swirls against the hormones in the air. Every inch of her felt on fire, her teeth long to tear the fiery woman to shreds, but as the pieces click together there’s little she can truly do.

Ajatar keeps her teeth from snapping, scrambling in the collision of the pancake-wolf, and tumbling out on the other side to try and shake it off. A sharp pain comes from one of her front legs but a few steps and it’s gone, turning around to look at the three before her.

Bobby’s words ring in her ears and they plaster back, dark eyes focusing on who must be Wildfire. It feels weird, having been here for months—being in charge—and suddenly finding herself in a risk. She shakes out her furans clears her throat, trying to regain any dignity despite the awkward tumble into the wolf. ”Gouva klin,” she says then, a rumble in her chest as she expects the worst from their commander’s mate having returned alone.

"Bob—!" Wildfire screamed compulsively, her voice cut off when the she-wolf collided with her. Her shoulder and ribs took the brunt of the hit as the aggressive stranger essentially tripped over her. A sharp breath hissed between her teeth but she didn't have much time to react before another, darker wolf pressed against her, much more gently this time.

"Mom!" Bobby's voice was muffled as he buried his face against her neck. Wildfire leaned into the gesture. She wanted to close her eyes and savor this reunion with her son, though she kept them fixed on the white she-wolf, who gave her a gruff command. Somewhere nearby the other stranger must have lingered, though Wildfire couldn't see him from her current position.

"I'm okay," she said quietly in response to Bobby's concerned look before addressing her interrogator. "I'm Wildfire, Heda's mate," she explained quickly, too tired from her trek, relieved to see Bobby and wound up from the hormones to bother feeling indignant. "They're still at war. I was with a group that went into hiding. My heat started unexpectedly, so I came here for safety. I let Blixen know before I left," she finished, speaking more to Bobby than the unfamiliar woman now.

Feeling that the imminent danger had passed, the fiery Drakru slowly sat up, still hugging closely against Bobby. "It's so good to be home," she murmured, marveling at how much she had to crane her neck to nip affectionately at his ear. "I should've stopped at the borders. I just wanted to make sure I was somewhere safe."

"It's fine, mom. It's so good to have you back. This is your home, exactly where you belong," he rejoined, shooting a dirty look at the white she-wolf over his mother's head. "Don't mind her, she takes herself too seriously," he whispered for Wildfire's ears only. There was a pause where his face softened and he gazed directly into his mother's eyes. He paused, then took a step back, gesturing between them. "Do you need me to—?"

"No," Wildfire replied firmly, pressing her face into the side of his neck now. "Don't you dare. I want you right here." Her heat be damned, this snuggle was long overdue.

portia was late to all the commotion-- damn those lil' legs. by the time she arrived, whatever scuffle had occurred had sorted itself out and portia was free to make her way through. despite her obvious nerves, the fish's tail wagged a million miles an hour, thrilled to see her friend and sister-wife back in drageda and safe. it'd been so long since she'd last seen her... wifi looked a lot more... worn, than she had before she left. but portia remembered the round of depression that had also taken it's hit on the young mother-- and she hadn't looked her best back then either. there was one positive though... at least, portia never thought of it as anything less.

"wildfire!!" she yipped, making her presence very well known, "oh, hun, you're safe! i'm so glad you're safe." she shuffled over, smiling brightly and wiggling with excitement. carefully she pressed her nose to wildfire's cheek, ears pressed against her skull as she soaked in the moment. she pulled back, letting bobby have his mother all to himself, and dipped her nose somewhat mischievously. "and you're in heat!"

Skipping Prince with permission.

Things became clear once on the other side and Bobby and Wildfire reuniting, though she explains anyway. It had not been how she pictured the commander’s mate and she knows she isn’t making the best first impression. As little as she cares to accept those, she’s not stupid. Knowing she’s crossed a line—and what about if no one else had been here?—causes her to stiffen even more.

Ajatar grunts, trying to brush off the mistake, and before she has a chance to say anything, Portia shows up a beat later to greet the woman while Wildfire and Bobby share a few words together, her ear flicking when he mentions her. A slow look turns toward them, watching quietly. Her breathing slows, trying to avoid the annoyance of the other female in heat, but isn’t able to break away just yet. She has a responsibility to uphold in the commander’s absence and even though she’d much prefer to saunter off and lick her metaphorical wounds alone, she remains.

“It was foolish to leave without a guard,” she says, though she doesn’t know the situation she’d come from. So much is unknown about the war. What if someone found her along the way? Then they’d be in this all over again. “I am Ajatar, fos goufa. I am in charge while Heda is gone.” This time, she’s straightened herself into something respectable, hiding away the embarrassment she still fights against, and licks her lips.

Portia's arrival derailed the mother and son reunion, though Bobby stepped back with a nod and Wildfire smilingly received her friend. "It's so good to see you!" she said, then laughed a little sheepishly as she added, "Yeah, I've always had bad timing with that, haven't I?" It had been a point of contention and depression in the past, though Wildfire barely cared this time around.

The she-wolf who had nearly attacked her spoke again and Wildfire turned, feeling a brief stab of anger despite how happy she felt otherwise. "It was a calculated risk," she said simply. She couldn't honestly say it was nice to meet Ajatar, though Wildfire's mouth opened to say something to acknowledge the introduction when Bobby's voice boomed crossly, "Yeah, we know. We get it."

The newly-returned Drakru blinked and cleared her throat. She bobbed her smudged snout at the Fos Goufa, then looked at Bobby and Portia. "Do I appear in good health otherwise?" It was sort of a rhetorical question, though she knew the woman's specialty. "I was in bad shape for a bit, but I was in good hands when I was with the Redhawks. My sister, Raven, looked after me. But I wouldn't mind a checkup, if you have the time."

She glanced over at Ajatar again, as well as the quiet male lurking in the background, but didn't address either of them. They were welcome to stay and oversee or they could go back to whatever it was they were doing before Wildfire had caused this stir.

Last post from me!

There was little to exchange as Wildfire gave all she was going to give. Bobby does the same but she’s already interacted with him and his sass once before. One ear twitches upon her head and she takes a step back, looking over her shoulder at Prince who must be enjoying the show. Ajatar narrows her eyes and points her nose in one direction, trying to gain the boys attention. After a moment, she looks back to the group as Wildfire has already moved on to talking to Portia. She clears her throat but says nothing, turning back and leaving—attempting to take Prince with her.