The Floodlands Free and easy

Tags are mostly for reference but he's here!! Mostly for his buddy

Colt deliberated for a time on what his next steps would be, but he was coming up empty.  He had a small inkling, and it would come next, but first he returned to the near southern edge of the Redhawk claim and set up a howl.  It was mostly a farewell to those he hadn't gotten the chance to say it to - @Tegan, @Fiadh, and @Clover especially.  He was bummed but hoped he'd catch them around if he did ghost about these parts a while.  Perhaps they didn't care, but it would have been cool to see what sorta adults they became with the Blackthorn edge he'd already seen in them so far.

He was hoping one wolf in particular would take a double meaning from it and come; he'd promised to let @Quixote know if things went south, and while he didn't exactly know where he was heading, he wanted to see how his friend was doing and check in.

if tegan was still grounded then... well honestly i don't know. i'm pretending he's not. and if he still is he's on jailbreak, someone come cuff him up and drag him back into the lake.

"un cl E COLT!" bellowed the still very clearly juvenile but otherwise grown blackthorn boy. tegan hurled himself towards his uncle's call, limbs a flying as he made a beeline for the call. he was officially among the adult ranks and even though his mom still kind of owned him or whatever, he was old enough to form opinions and make grown decisions on his own. most likely, anyway. he heard his uncle's farewell and immediately made to skrt skrt over there before it was too late. he hadn't had that much interaction with his uncle but colt always seemed kinda dope. he kinda regretted-- yikes, he'll pretend he didn't cause that sounds lame as hell-- not getting to know the guy. but, well, that's okay.

"uncle colt!" he repeated, closer and not so SPRINTING FULL SPEED AHEAD anymore. he skidded to a halt, surprisingly gracefully for the typical tegan approach, but was doing a helluva lotuv panting. "oh boy-- gimme a-- PHEW--" he started, taking a few moments to catch his breath, "didja see that?god damn that was fast-- never moved that fast in my life sheesh." and then, taking a sniff and straightening up, tegan's expression hardened and he looked at his uncle with-- oh what's that? concern? "are you for real leaving?"

Quixote was once again trying to hunt those stupid birds, and though he was barely making some progress, his lack of catching one was probably closer to being a metaphor for his life than a reliable food source.  One of these days he'd catch one and bring his prize back to Raven, but for now he'd rather just fail without an audience -- besides, the amusement of watching him be bad had long worn off and now it was just an exercise in futility.

Though Quixote had a rough idea what (might) have happened -- he wasn't sure Towhee was the greatest of unbiased witnesses in this case -- he definitely wanted to hear the other side of the story because he was sure that Colt wouldn't just outright attack Towhee.  Didn't make sense.  Either way, as soon as he heard the howl, Quixote redirected his last charge towards the borders, eager to share some gossip and start planning how they'd go about bringing Colt back into the fold.  Surely, that was what he'd want, right?

Today's non-feathered problem?  Colt wasn't alone.  Quixote slowed a little early to asses the scene.  There were a few things (read: Raven) that Quixote wouldn't be able to be as frank about as he'd like, then.  Sure, Tegan and his siblings might be in the adult ranks, but Quixote still thought of them as oversized kids until proven otherwise, and so already was trying to figure out how to euphemistically communicate what happened but wasn't immediately coming up with anything concrete.  Not to mention he had no clue if any of the youths could keep a juicy secret for any length of time or if those beans would be spilled as soon as someone else showed up.  Goddamn, he hoped it'd be dealt with soon or he was gonna go grey worrying about all the ways it could go wrong.

Oh well.  He did finally come to a stop, Quixote wagged his tail, glad that his friend hadn't been totally shredded but it was not as enthusiastic had there been another reason for this call.  He assumed that Tegan had probably said something before Quixote had appeared on the scene, giving Colt time to answer before he spoke up, somewhere between perplexed and concerned, Damn, man.  This is the week for screwing up your own life, but I think you've gotten the high score for punishments so far. -- The hell happened to just talking?

Colt hadn't really expected any of them to come, so when Tegan charged in out of nowhere, he was (pleasantly!) surprised.  "Hey-" he said, abruptly cutting off before he added the natural following of kid to the greeting.  Tegan was at the age where the term might annoy more than endear, and he didn't want to irritate him just now.  "Hell yeah that was fast."  He hadn't expected them, much less that quickly!

Then Quixote pulled up as well, and he grinned at him somewhat apologetically.  Shit yeah it went south.  "What's she saying?  We did just talk; she didn't like what I said, so I'm out.  Told me to leave."  He looked at Tegan then.  "Sorry.  Would have been fun to hang here with you guys a while longer."  Really nice, even.  He had the same regrets about not getting to know his nephew better, but too wouldn't outright say it; Tegan might have been Finley's child, but Colt saw a helluva lot of younger him in him.  He hoped it drove Finley batty.  She could use a little less respectable nowadays.

tegan looked to qui as he approached, slow waving tail pausing curiously. he didn't really pay attention to anyone who wasn't immediate family-- not even towhee anymore-- so he didn't actually know anything about the guy. or colt's relationship with him, even. but, shocked and a little upset, tegan interrupted whatever qui's response might've been. "mom told you to leave? that's bold," he said with furrowed brows, his ears lowering slightly. why'd she do that?

smol post so sorry

He started to try and reply when Tegan interjected.  Nah, Finley wouldn't have said anything like that too, right?  Though he was pretty sure the two siblings had indeed talked, Towhee was the one overturning the boat.  Yeah right, 'just talking.'  Towhee, he said, emphasizing her name to point out to Tegan who the real problem (as far as Quixote knew) was, said you tried to attacked her -- I mean that doesn't sound right either, so what the hell actually happened?  Something had to go super wrong. -- And now what are you gonna do? Can we fix this?  He didn't think Towhee would be easy to sway to get her to go back on her decision, but he still kind of wanted to try.  It was stupid and maybe he shouldn't have let Colt go alone -- though then maybe they'd both be out on their tails.

Who was he gonna discuss possible impending drama with if not Colt?  To a certain point, Quixote really wanted to just blurt out everything that Colt had missed as soon as this initial bit of discussion was done, though for now he was keeping mum on the matter but maybe with a bit more trepidation than your usual cat that ate the canary.

He was about to clarify when Quixote did, and then when his friend said what happened next, he couldn't help it.  Despite that this was kinda a shitty situation and he was about as bummed as Tegan, he laughed.  Hard.

"Attacked? Seriously?"  He said when he stopped, though still chuckled a little.  "I wanted to prove a point, so yeah, I ran up behind to try and spook her.  I wouldn't have touched her, let alone attacked, and her damn bird is the one that got me."  He shook his head, glancing at Tegan for a minute. He wondered if he should say what he wanted, and then decided he didn't give a damn, did he? Kid was old enough to make his own decisions.  "If she thought I was gonna attack, she obviously doesn't know me at all, and if she has that much mistrust, then maybe this was for the best."  Girl really couldn't take a joke, and this was kinda the last straw of it.  On both their ends, apparently.

"I talked to Fin.  I think we are still good at least.  She said I was welcome to visit, which I assume holds true."  He was thankful, and that clarified that for Tegan.  "Things still ok for you, though?"

Clover was (fashionably) late to the party.

Perhaps even more than Screech entering, this verdict of Towhee's distressed Clover—though more for personal reasons than anything else. Had Clover been there she might have understood. But as she sprinted toward her uncle, Clover could only remember the insidious feeling of being chased by a monster, something she could not rationalize or remember in full.

When she saw him, she was gasping for air, far more dramatic than anyone around them. Perhaps he would understand why, even when she couldn't. Please!!! Please don't leave! She wheezed. There was a wild sort of terror in her eyes that had only been there the day she had nearly been caught by something, something that she could not think of. Her head pounded, and she just knew she really did not want her uncle to go. Not now, not ever.

"towhee's been riding some sorta wave lately," tegan muttered in response to quixote's comment-- not that anyone necessarily knew what that meant. but it was true! tegan had been very unhappy with towhee lately, and regardless of what she did to other people, he was very set in his opinions... this was merely fuel to that fire. 

with a shake of his fur, tegan huffed. "well i hope you visit. mom told me you were real good with the la--" before he could even get out his statement, clover-- of course, ugh-- came barging in yelling and pleading like some sorta weak ass bitch. you shouldn't beg, clover, come on, that's such baby stuff. he merely cut himself off and looked to his sister, who was frazzled and frantic and honestly? concerned tegan. his pale head tilted as he looked at his sister, gaze flitting from her to colt.

And then came one more kid.  Dammit.  At least Tegan was a dude, he'd probably be willing to keep a secret -- bro code him up or something.  But now he didn't know how much he'd be able to actually share.  A girl wouldn't have the same appreciation for that kind of gossip, would she?  Boo.

Quixote was glad he didn't come straight here from Raven's side, though -- any scent of her on his pelt was likely worn down by his splashing about in the water and generally causing a ruckus lakeside due to the dumb birds.  At least if there wasn't any opportunity to say something directly, he'd probably not have the secret outed by just existing.

While Clover took a moment to catch her breath, Quixote quickly interjected.  Look, whatever you did, you knocked her off step.  There's more, but...  He pause to indicate Clover -- 'Deal with the panicked kid first.'

As they were talking, Clover ran up looking distraught, and Colt instantly clued in to why.  His gut clenched, and it hit home even more than his conversation with Finley had.  He felt a sudden rush of anger towards Towhee for this, though he knew it was his own damn fault.  So maybe he was angry at himself too.

"C'mere Clo," he said, coming in for a rare hug.  "I'll be around, I swear.  And you got this fancy new digs, and your dad and brother and Quixote here. You guys will be fine without this old wanderer hanging about."  He looked at Quixote somewhat apologetically... sorry bro, I know you wanted to talk.  He hadn't told anyone about Clover's interaction aside from letting them know to look out for a strange wolf in the area.  He figured it was her own deal to talk about.  He looked at Tegan and grinned.  "Your mom's right, and I promise."  As much as he could at least.  Lone living was a dangerous thing, especially in a region he didn't know much about.

That he would be around was an instant comfort, a warm blanket over the cold feeling that covered her person. She looked at him, more than a little panicked, as he went on, and she did not so much as look at Tegan or Quixote as she gave him a look that bore her frightened core. It was strange, and though Colt would know why even Clover did not. He was safety. He was protection. Her head pounded as she tried to break down her own wall and understand her own feelings toward it and when she was able to make a portion of it crumble, the terror of it all made her rebuild. 

What she knew was that she could count on her uncle. She could not name why, but she did not feel so assured as he mentioned her brother and her father. Clover had never seen them when one they loved or cared for was in jeopardy. But she remembered one thing, had seen something—his snarling face. Not her fathers, or her brothers (the latter of which would have been in dire straits). And in not truly recalling the incident, she could find no reason to explain her insecurity or lack of faith in them in this particular matter. 

As he hugged her, she pressed close to him, closing her eyes tightly. Everyone who knew Clover knew she was as proud as they came, rude as hell, and would try and beat anyone's ass. Tegan especially, being her brother and bearing witness to her trigger-happy reactiveness to situations where she could attack and defend. She begged for nothing, or no one—though here and now, Clover was not at all herself. Not even a fraction of who she truly was presented itself here. 

I don't know, she answered, her tone wrought with disbelief. 

And if she could remember, she would know—if it were not for him, she would not be present for this rendezvous. She'd be ten feet under.

Skipping Tegan as requested!

Both Quixote and Tegan still seemed pretty perplexed over the whole thing, though the latter likely also had a side of, 'Ugh, sisters,' to go with his, 'What the heck even is this.'  It still seemed awkward to like... Just talk over things and try to get words in edgewise, but at least to Quixote it didn't seem like Clover was being all too clear about why this was even a thing that was happening.  Kids were weird.

But what was he gonna do?  There was still stuff he wanted to say, so the kid needed to be calmed down entirely so he could go make his obtuse remarks to tell Colt what was up.  But how?  After a bit of thought, Quixote started speaking more to Clover, still uncertain what the heck her deal was, If it helps, if I can figure out some smart way to convince the powers that be to let him back in, I'll make sure it happens.  -- Not gonna let you rot out here unless I have to.  Of course, the last bit was to Colt.

He was sure she'd be fine in time, but for now, none of his usual sarcasm was present.  She still didn't seem sold, but there wasn't much he could do.

Quixote seemed uncomfortable (no wonder, he and Tegan didn't know what the fuck was happening) but offered to help anyway.  He appreciated it, but what could Qui really do? Ask her nicely? He almost laughed at the thought of it.  "It is what it is, but thanks, bro." He said with a small smile.  It then grew somewhat as he pulled back.  "I got a trip I wanted to take anyway, but once I'm back, I'll stop by and visit."

Skipping Clover because she's a PPC now, and Tegan since it was OKed

And so here he was, seeing a friend walk away -- or would be soon at least.  He wasn't sure if that was better or worse than having them just disappear into the ether, whether knowing that they'd headed out there somewhere was more of a weight than just... not.   Whatever, he'd work it out.   Just don't get into too much mischief, eh?  I think everyone wants you to stay in one piece.

At least he sort of had an idea how to be reasonably cryptic and still mention Raven.  Kind of.  It was super vague, and he looked quickly between both of the youths before speaking.  Though I will give you a heads up.  I may or may not have gotten myself into some trouble of my own -- so if it all goes wrong, I might be joining you out here, he said with a slightly crooked grin.  Yeah, it wasn't gonna go that way, but there was no way in hell that Quixote was gonna expect the scenario that ended up happening later. It was too bad that they hadn't been able to have this conversation on their own -- Quixote liked secrets and all, but at the same time, it was sort of a thing he'd have shared with Colt if the scenario had been different.

For now, though, guess I'll have to wrangle these guys back to the plateau, he paused, so that both Clover and Tegan could voice or glare their displeasure about being spoken of like they were little pups still if they wanted, but though his voice sounded serious, his face wasn't, so will see you when I see you.

That was def gonna need a follow up. Colt cast Qui a look, one that clearly questioned, and nodded.  Apparently his friend didn't want to talk in front of the younger, which made sense.

"See you around, then," he said, somewhat pointedly.  He'd def be making an effort now to stop by before heading anywhere too far.  He'd need the lowdown on that little comment.