Redhawk Caldera Be like Elsa, let it go.

This thread is still in progress, so I'll make revisions if they become necessary.

When they made it back home, Towhee resisted the urge to beeline directly to her godparents with the bad news. She also asked @Colt and @Quixote not to say anything to anyone just yet. "I need a minute," she said when they crossed the borders. "I'll come find you soon," she added, orange eyes lifting to watch X circle overhead. She barked at him and then turned to stride away along the borders, the hawk's shadow drifting in her wake.

By "minute," she evidently meant more like "twenty-four hours." It wasn't until dawn that Towhee made her way to the Beta pair's den. She thought of summoning her cohorts from yesterday but decided it could wait until after she'd spoken to her co-leaders. There was no sign of X, though that wasn't particularly unusual; he didn't often accompany her near this part of the territory. She paused outside the door to take a deep breath and gather her thoughts, which had been racing ever since spotting the white wolf near the woods. At least her emotions—her towering rage at discovering the woods still inhabited despite the monumental efforts and sacrifices made in the name of removing that threat—had simmered somewhat overnight.

She approached the den's mouth slowly, then peeked inside. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust, though it wasn't difficult to discern both @Elwood's and @Finley's silhouettes in the gloom. "Hey guys, sorry to bother you so early." Truthfully, Towhee hated to bother them with this at all, though a single glance down at the slumbering puppies reminded her of the critical importance of this discussion, of the weight of the decisions she and they would need to make this morning. "I'm glad you're both here. I need to talk to you about something, something important. Want to step outside?"

Finley walked out of the den and stared at Towhee.

© Kat 2018

But prior to that.

The boys had finally fallen asleep after what seemed like hours of endless squeaking and squirming. Finley loved them dearly - their teeny little ears and their teeny little waggling tongues and twitchy noses and toes and oh my goodness they were so wonderful - But dear god why couldn't they sleep more. She was eager for that wonderful day that she knew was coming in the future when she would forget how exhausting it was to care for newborns and would be filled with only affection and eager thoughts towards the next litter. But for now, she was at that stage where she was not ever letting Elwood near her nethers again. Ever.

But they were super cute.

All that's to say that Fin was less than pleased at Towhee's arrival. She gave Elwood a pitiful, mournful look as he stood to answer - begging wordlessly that he just sub in for both of them. He didn't catch her look though, or he ignored it, so she had little choice but to pursue him. She stood and stepped past her children, taking care not to awaken either of the boys. Finally, (see first line of post).

The sound of Towhee's voice roused Elwood from a light sleep. He blinked in the early morning light, his jaws parting in a yawn as he pieced together what was happening. As soon as he realized that Towhee had come to them at the crack of dawn with "something important" to talk about, he was wide awake and stretching alongside Finley as they both stepped out of the den.

While his mate simply looked at Towhee expectantly without speaking, Elwood prompted her to continue with words. "What's up?" he asked, the slightest hesitation in his voice. One ear turned back, listening for the sounds of Cinder and Tywyll stirring, but for now the boys were quiet.

The Alpha withdrew from the entryway to give them room to exit, padding a few yards away before coming to a stop again. Once the sleepy Betas joined her, she immediately broke the news: "They're back: Blackfeather Woods." She swallowed, barely giving them a chance to process that information before adding, "And we can't go through that again." She didn't even have to say the word "war," she knew they understood and very likely agreed. "But we also can't live in constant fear and worry. That's no way to live. And it's not the kind of environment I want the boys to grow up in." She gazed steadily into her godparents' faces, knowing they must feel the same way.

But what should they do about it? "I hate to admit all this and to suggest what I'm about to suggest. But," Towhee continued, pausing to puff out a breath, "I've been thinking about it all day and all night. Do you see those mountains over there?" She flicked her muzzle in a westward direction, toward the range that sprawled across the way from Lake Rodney. "They're called the Barrier Mountains. And I think—"

Her voice choked off suddenly as her breath shuddered from her. This was probably the most difficult conclusion Towhee had ever drawn in her life. She had arrived at it incredibly painstakingly. "I sent X ahead to scout out a place that would suit a pack of our size. Because I think that's the only option we have now: we need to move to the other side of those mountains." Her heart was beating painfully in her chest, her legs quaked. "Put that barrier between us and them."

Towhee wasted no time in explaining the situation. Groggy and exhausted as Fin was, she could appreciate the alpha's blunt haste. It was clear by her words that she had spent some time considering their options, even before she'd explicitly said so. She came to them with a plan, not a question. But even so, Fin was hesitant to jump. And she was also distracted.

"Why the fuck would they come back?" she asked of no one, incredulous at their audacity. Apparently letting so many live had been the wrong choice. They should've followed them - run down every one of them and torn them to shreds. Damn them. Why had they bothered. Why had they sacrified. Why. Fuckin.

Fin's blood was boiling from anger. In that moment, she had no desire to turn tail and run. They had beaten them before, why not again? The fact that they had returned was a slap in the face and dear god she wanted to slap them right back. Slap 'em dead. The thought of abandoning the Caldera after all they had sacrificed was infuriating, and heartbreaking. "Those fucking bastards... After all of that they just..." she snarled and huffed angrily, unable to even think of what Towhee had proposed as their solution just yet. She was too angry, too exhausted. After all they had done, after they had triumphed, Fin found herself standing here, feeling utterly defeated.

Towhee’s words caused Elwood’s stomach to drop. He wasn’t necessarily surprised — of course those slimy bastards would just slink back and return to life as they knew it — but it certainly wasn’t what he wanted to hear. He and his family had made sacrifices to ensure their safety against the Blackfeather wolves, and now it was like the war had never happened.

His mouth ran dry and he remained silent as Towhee continued to explain and detailed her suggestion. Although Finley’s first response was to curse in fury, Elwood had to admit that leaving the caldera seemed like their best option. He hated to leave behind the legacy left here by Fox and Peregrine, but what else could they do? Their previous efforts had apparently been fruitless, and now he just wanted to get as far away from the criminals as possible.

”We should go,” he said, quietly but firmly. One of the boys yawned loudly behind them, and he glanced back into the the den. For Cinder and Tywyll — abandoning Redhawk Caldera would be worth it. He wouldn’t allow them to grow up in the shadow of fear cast by Blackfeather. He turned to look at Finley, hoping to gain her agreement, and then leveled his gaze determinedly at Towhee with a nod.

Finley seemed too beside herself to offer any feedback on Towhee's idea, though the Alpha didn't blame her. She grimaced sympathetically at her godmother's rant, feeling a clench in her stomach as the woman's words stoked her own fury all over again. To add insult to injury, the timing really couldn't have been poorer, what with the pups. They were still small enough that they could be easily carried, though, a thought which made the yearling's heartbeat race even faster than Elwood's thoughtful deliberation before he quietly and simply concurred.

He looked behind him at the den and Towhee followed his gaze. She heard nothing, of course, but the two pups were naturally at the forefront of their decision. Slowly, her orange eyes drifted back to Elwood. She returned his nod, then focused on the still roiling Finley. She had anticipated some resistance from her because of Tywyll and Cinder, so her next words largely appealed to this particular concern.

"I think we need to do this as soon as possible, while the boys are still easy enough to transport. X will be back in a few days and my plan is to have him guide the pack to the other side of the mountains. That gives us a few days to prepare ourselves and—" Her voice hitched again as she looked around herself, at the only home she'd ever known. "It's going to be hard, leaving all of this behind. But everything that's important—everything that's Redhawk—will be going with us."

She paused for a long beat, visibly collecting herself, before concluding, "Uncle Elwood, you should call the rest of the pack so we can inform them." Despite what she'd just said, Towhee also wanted everyone to have a chance to say their goodbyes to the caldera. It was just a piece of land, at the end of the day, and not worth risking their lives over. But it would still be incredibly tough to abruptly leave it all behind and embark into the unknown wilderness.

On cue, Elwood spoke his quiet, sensible words. Fin's anger sobered at his tone, leaving grief in its wake. The sound of her boys behind her made her turn and she gazed forlornly into the den. It was the very same den she had birthed and raised all of her children in. She knew she was getting old and that her body would soon force her to retire from baby-making, but she felt certain that she had one good year left in her. She wanted all of her children to be born and raised here. She wanted Peregrine's and Fox's grandchildren to be born and raised here. She was letting them down. She had let them all down.

Fin shook her head, turning back as Towhee continued. She spoke of days before they left, days. Not weeks, or a month. Just a few days was all she would have. She shook her head again, struggling against all of this and slowly smushing herself against Elwood as she always did when she needed to steady herself. There was so much in her mind in that moment, but she forced herself to focus on what Towhee had said about the important things going with them. Tywyll and Cinder. They were the important things. She could not wage a second war against Blackfeather and keep them safe. She could only run to keep them safe. She had to be a coward to keep them safe.

Fuck.

Fin said nothing to confirm for her family that she was onboard, not in words anyway. Towhee had requested that Elwood make the call for the pack, but she turned her own muzzle skyward and let loose the summons before her mate had the chance. It was all she could do to express her committment to the plan. A plan she hated and was pissed about. But that she would go with because she could see no other option for protecting her family. Not this time.

Come on in, pals! @Quixote @Colt @Eljay @Sebastian @Nevouku @Tegan @Fiadh @Lucca. Also @Raven @Ben @Tywyll @Cinder just for reference, unless you latter two wanna wriggle on out lol :)

Fiadh was already en-route when Finley's howl broke the sky, a fat vole clutched in her jaws. Since the heavy collar had been removed from around her neck, she had been a little more morose—a little less Fiadh. Even the birth of her baby brothers had done little to console her from feeling like her identity had been stolen (oh, come on, Fiadh, it was just a stupid accessory), but throwing herself into providing for Finley did some good. Now her ears pricked up and her eyes hardened; that wasn't an ordinary summons.

Kicking up her heels, the young Kappa made for the Blackthorn's whelping den. She made good time, dropping the vole in the grass nearby as she drew up on Towhee and her parents. She spared the Alpha a cursory glance, but her eyes found Finley foremost and she breathlessly asked, "mom? What's wrong?" She couldn't help herself from craning her neck just a little to peer at the dark den mouth, half-expecting that something had happened to Tywyll or Cinder to necessitate an urgent call for the pack.

tegan was timely, for once, showing up just after fiadh-- he was doing nothing worth reading or writing, just normal tegan shit. he strolled in casually, nipping at fiadh's heels in an affectionate greeting and then quickly ducking away in case she snapped back. he trotted over to his mom, who looked distressed, and then glanced between the adults with a low, slow wagging tail. something was wrong, he could tell. if not by the urgency in finley's call, then by the tension that hung in the air. tegan didn't get uncomfortable, that just wasn't his thing, but he at least understood to be quiet and wait-- something was happening and it simply wasn't the time for his usual ridiculous antics.

Sebastian lifted his head when he heard the howl. His shoulder was starting to heal but it would always stay a scar. Perhaps he would always keep a limp while walking. At least, his body seemed to have fought off the infection. Though that also meant that Andalusia wasn't here and that she was still missing or worse...

The grey tank came when called. Although, it was a bit slower than the others. He watched the group as he approached. He himself was curious what was going to happen. He wasn't sure what to expect. The howl sounded serious. He looked to the leadership with some curiosity.

quickiieeeeee

Colt was in the middle of a super awesome power nap when the call rang, and he almost ignored it.  He figured it could wait, and the slap on the proverbial wrist would be worth the extra zs.  But then Finley joined in, and the tone brooked that something big was up.  Ok fine.

He showed up and sat down, yawning widely before waiting expectantly.  He had a niggling sensation this was about the Blackfeather business, and hoped it wasn't a call to arms.  He was tired.

At his mother's howl, the boy immediately rolled off the rock he was napping on and onto his feet to start heading in the direction it came from. Like Fiadh, Lucca was worried that something was wrong with their newest batch of siblings; usually a pack summons was preceded by some murmurs and even a warning but this came out of nowhere. His bumbling gait was quicker than usual, yet he still arrived after his siblings and a few other pack mates.

His attention was stolen momentarily by the tasty-looking vole laying in the grass, and the boy veered off course to give it a sniff before reminding himself important matters were at hand. Both Towhee and his parents were looking grim and things seemed...tense. Cautiously, Lucca made to sit beside Tegan as a curious but worried whine quietly escaped his throat.

Nevouku heard the howl and noticed that it seemed rather important. So he started off moving towards it. He found a many wolves of the pack gathered about, one of which he saw was Sebastian...he quickly ducked his head down, turining it away in the hopes that he would not see the nervous male. Nev still tried to keep his eyes over to Finley, who had made the call and kept his attention to her.

So something was happening.  And he kind of didn't want to go find out what.  After the discovery that Blackfeather was back, Quixote had thought about what could be done, but he wasn't ready to just go and do it himself.  Recruiting should have been the first step of many, the first to be able to pick up on some of the slack where he felt Towhee's skills had lacked.  But she'd wanted him to stop.  And then this happened.

If he'd explained himself earlier, perhaps it'd be a "told you so" sort of scenario.  But for now, it wasn't.  He trudged his way over to the den where the call originated.  There was no nervousness today, for the only thing in his mind was a sense of apathy and irritation that ruled over all.  He was one of the last to arrive, from the looks of things and took a seat off on his own.  He wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone, really, so he hoped exuding grumpiness would keep things that way.  Though most of the group likely had no idea what this was all about, Quixote was one of the few who likely did, and it hadn't been anything to be happy about.

Within a matter of moments, the plan was settled. They would leave Redhawk Caldera in a few days' time. It seemed surreal -- ever since setting foot in the Teekon Wilds over three years ago, Elwood had called the caldera home. Part of him was having a hard time fathoming that this could really be happening, but another piece of him knew that it was right.

Before he had a chance to call for the rest of the pack at Towhee's request, Finley did it herself. From her position -- basically attached to Elwood's hip -- he could hear the vibrations of her voice in his bones, which made the message even more haunting. He could have joined in with her, but he simply allowed her to do the honors, a small but grim smile ghosting across his lips.

It wasn't long before their packmates began to materialize. It was hard to hold his tongue at the sight of all the questioning faces, but he wanted Towhee to be the one to share the news. He and Finley would back her up and express their support, but she was their Alpha.

Orca had as many questions swirling around her head as the rest of the group; it was plain to see the curiosity and confusion as she arrived. She wanted to go to Towhee and be close to her sister, but something told her to stay back, at least for now. She could feel the tension in the air and read the solemn expressions on the faces of Towhee, Elwood, and Finley.

So she settled herself near Lucca and Tegan, ears pricked primly and amber eyes bright with an emotion she couldn't quite put her finger on.

Clover came when called, though erred on the side. She had no intent to leave her family, despite her days (read: weeks) of reclusiveness. She just could not find her typical brand of fearlessness. Being around others made her jumpy. One might think that being alone would make it worse... to be sure, there was no effective way for her to heal. Her mind was working on it, though. Now and then she would bring squirrels to the cache, but she was hardly a good, decent, contributing member. If others looked hard enough, they mind find her hyperventilating by her lonesome only to mentally talk herself down. Her mind was a chaotic, confusing place filled with Ithrik's foul breath and loathsome features. Her tired eyes scanned the crowd, but she was mute.

Mom's tones sounded unhappy, though it was hard to pinpoint exactly what was going on. With a worried frown on his face Eljay followed the summons. He arrived somewhat late and glanced at the den to make sure that nothing was wrong with the pups (which he couldn't actually see), then turned attentions to mommy with a worried frown.

He nosed the pups and looked at mommy with a worried frown, unbeknownst to him echoing Fiadh's statement when he asked: "What's wrong, mommy?" Something was wrong -- that much was clear -- but he waited nervously to find out what.

It was Finley who threw back her head and summoned the pack. Towhee felt her blood hammering through her veins as she moved to position herself beside the Beta pair. Her eyes scoured the immediate area, waiting and watching, though it wasn't log before the Redhawks began to arrive, one by one. As they came, Towhee acknowledged each with a bob of her head, even as she ticked names off a mental roster.

Soon they were all gathered and it was time to break the news. The Alpha couldn't imagine how the pack would react to the idea of uprooting and moving or whether they'd agree with their leaders' reasoning. She supposed that if anyone dissented, they could go elsewhere or even stay behind. Her heart clenched at the thought, though she stopped herself from delving further into it. A reaction depended upon an action, so it was time to speak up.

Commencing in her clunky cadence, Towhee announced, "We've just discovered that the Blackfeather Woods pack is back. And we have no interest in fighting another war, especially knowing our efforts and sacrifices were made in vain and that our victory was a total farce. But we don't want to live in constant fear, either." She stopped just long enough to draw in a long, steadying breath. "So we've decided we're going to relocate, to the other side of those mountains." She gestured toward the distant barrier.

"Whatever you think about this decision, it's firm," Towhee didn't realize it but she was squinting. "We'll be departing as soon as X returns with his scouting report. I hate to drop this on all of you, then rush everyone, but it needs to happen and happen quickly. Start preparing yourselves," she concluded, "now."

Sebastian was quite in shock when he heard that they were going to relocate. He didn't want to relocate! He felt he could travel as far yet and he still couldn't let go of Andalusia. Something had to have happened to her and he wanted to find out more. Sebastian looked a bit uncomfortable with the message. The large grey male decided it was better he might say a personal goodbye to Finley and Elwood. Sebastian already knew where he would go instead, to his sister's pack, Catori was nice to him.

He glanced at Towhee. She seemed determined. Sebastian decided that it was no use to convince them otherwise, besides, he didn't want to go against leadership. This could be the best moment to part on good terms. He could spend some more time with his sister and find out about Andalusia's disappearance.

Towhee wasted no time in dropping the news on them when the rest of the pack assembled. It went off a little like a bomb, filling Fiadh first with intense dread, and then, slower to build, anger. She remembered desperately wanting to be part of the group that bested the Blackfeather wolves, but she'd been forced away on a sort of vacation instead, for her own safety. They'd been too young at the time.
Now, though...
"Can't we fight them?" she wondered aloud, and in true Fiadh fashion, she followed with, "I mean, now we can help kick their asses, too! This time we'll really destroy them!" There were wolves that had left the caldera pack in the time since that last war, though. She failed to see that the addition of four Blackthorn youths would do very little to tip the scales. And she was short-sighted; all Fiadh saw was an opportunity to kick asses and take names, and she was way more interested in doing that than giving up and leaving.

War? Was this pack they spoke of the one they had been fighting before? He felt himself shaking, but it wasn't about the move. It was more about if they came for them...if these Blackfeathers came for them. Nevouku couldn't fight, not at all. He would be killed within seconds no doubt. 

One of the younger wolves seemed to be very courageous, or perhaps just naive thinking they could all take them on again. But Nev knew better, yet he said nothing about it.

So much for his plans to go and be stealthily diplomatic.  Not even off the ground and there were more canceled plans.  More reasons to continue looking dour.  So no more war, but no attempt to stay in place either.

He didn't really have much to say about the whole thing.  As far as he was concerned, Towhee had already dismissed his attempts to be useful, so it wasn't surprising that she'd preemptively eliminate another he'd been considering.  He'd been hoping, however unlikely, that she'd just be saying for the pack to be careful.  He expected something like this.  But would this be the last of the decisions he disagreed with or would she continue on this track?  What should he do about it?  He was just being sensitive now, but if she kept stoking the embers...  Meh.  For now he was just gonna keep his head down.

Eljay's face scrunched up into a frown as Towhee told the plan. Which... wasn't all that much of a plan, really, at least not as far as Eljay was concerned. His face fell into a frown as he suddenly understood why mommy looked so worried. Fiadh instantly suggested they fight, everyone else just seemed to be in stunned silence. Towhee hadn't really left any space for other opinions either. But...

"But... We -- we can't just leave what we have here, can we? This... This is home! We won, so they... So we could just... We can't leave home!" Eljay didn't really have a lot of arguments up his sleeve so he fell silent after that, the worried frown still on his face. He glanced at his siblings, at his parents, and willed them to step up to Towhee and do something about it. But they didn't, and he knew that they wouldn't as he looked at them.