Heron Lake Plateau tiny foldable cities

The Bat who arrived home was a lot more subdued than the highly emotional Bat who had hurled curses (and dirt) at Artaax and fled like a Bat out of hell. But when she crossed the borders, the weary scout trudged to a stop, seemed to consider for a moment, then threw back her head. Despite herself, she called for her mother.

Wildfire arrived promptly and in a breathless rush, as if she'd been parked behind a nearby tree and just waiting for this moment. "Bat! What is it? What's wrong?" The mother ached to touch her child, touch her nose against the dried tears staining her cheeks. But she refrained, though her chestnut eyes were equal parts alarmed and concerned as they roved over the ranger.

"I ran into @Artaax," Bat said, which was literally the truth. "'We do not forgive natrona. Those we don't forgive don't live,'" she quoted, swallowing as her eyes pierced her mother's. "Mom, are you and @Kiwi and @Sequoia natrona...? Is Artaax going to come find us and try to kill us...?"

Sequoia had been milling about with Wildfire when the call came out, and since she had learned (through somebody or another) that Bat was an aspiring scout... or already was one, Sequoia thought it was the perfect opportunity for all three of them to hang out together. Redhawk scout club! Wildfire seemed way too emotional about the whole thing, which was mildly concerning, but Bat's question was one Sequoia thought she might be able to answer, so she did just that.

You left, and they didn't kill you. So did Dalia, and Daddy Dio knew about her leaving. Momma Portia left, and I don't think they'd kill her, either. It had, after all, been a week or two since Sequoia had last spotted her in Drageda before she left. The young girl assumed her mother had left for one reason or another. Wanting to expand further on this, and because she was a fucking windbag when it came to this subject, the girl continued.

I met this one wolf—Wraen—and she said it's stupid to hate wolves who leave. At least, that was what Sequoia had taken away from that conversation. Maybe it wasn't the best interpretation of what the older one had tried to teach(?) her, but it was what Sequoia had understood. Besides, if anybody tries to kill us, we'll kill 'em back! Not that Sequoia was at all equipped (or willing) to do that.

Wildfire's lips parted to answer when Sequoia drifted nearer and offered reassurances. Bat didn't follow some of what she said, though she found the other youth's tones soothing to her raw nerves. She disagreed that nobody was out to get her (Artaax had made that pretty clear) but agreed with this Wraen lady (how could her own brother threaten to kill her over something like this?). She found herself laughing weakly at Sequoia's closing declaration.

"Seq's friend makes a good point: it's silly to hate someone just for finding their own way, isn't it?" Wildfire piped up with a tight smile. "To answer your question bluntly, there are some in Drageda who feel very intensely about loyalty. Artaax is one of them. He's always been particularly loyal to Heda, you might say to a fault." Her lips pursed before she continued. "They don't look kindly on those who leave. But if Artaax or anyone else tries to come here and hurt you"—she looked at both girls, to make sure to include Sequoia—"or your sister, I'll be here to protect you, as will the entire might of the Redhawks.

I don't want you too worry too much, Bat," Wildfire continued after a ponderous moment, "but you should be careful about leaving the plateau by yourself. You're close to Tegan, right? You should ask him to go with you. Seq is also a scout in training. Maybe you could take Kiwi too?" She drew in a breath, held it, then let it out, biting her lip as she added, "I'd be happy to go with you too..."

Bat just shook her head. She hated to admit it but she was scared enough that she wouldn't be leaving the plateau again, at least for a little while. "I'm gonna stay here for now," she said quietly, glad she didn't have to reject her mother or explain Kiwi's hatred outright. The mention of Tegan made her want to seek him out badly. He was such a comfort blanket to her. Yet another part of Bat wanted to press Wildfire for more explanation about the whole defection thing.

But instead of doing either of those things, her silver eyes shifted to her cousin and Bat asked, "You're a scout too?"

Wildfire backed her up, and Sequoia was quite pleased with herself for being correct. It wasn't like she had wanted to kill Bat when she'd left, and nobody seemed to want to do that to Bat until now. Sequoia didn't even remember Artaax, which meant... I guess Artaax is natrona, too. Sequoia shrugged, wondering if that made any difference. Maybe he didn't realize that was the case, or maybe he had some special agreement with Drageda so he could come back whenever he wanted. Again, Sequoia still didn't really understand how all that worked.

The mother figure also suggested that Bat take practically the whole pack with her when she went out scouting, which Sequoia found absurd. If all of them went stomping off, who would stay to make sure the rest of the pack was safe?

Bat asked a question, and Sequoia was quick to nod her head eagerly. Yeah! I wanna be an ambassador like your mom. I really like talking to new folks and the freedom of wandering. It probably wouldn't be long before she was making short trips off the plateau to explore the land around her new home. Maybe Bat could show her the coolest places around. Either that or Buckshot could come along... or Kiwi! So many options.

Despite the ragged state of her emotions, Bat found a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. She vaguely remembered the night when she'd discovered a very young Sequoia wandering on her own and guided her back home. It made sense that the two of them had grown up to be explorers. Of course, Bat's tastes went more toward deception than diplomacy, though she could agree with everything her cousin said.

"Yeah, I love discovering new people and places," the youth agreed. She paused, thinking of Tegan, who was an ambassador. Bat should suggest he and Sequoia hook up for some training but the mere thought put such jealousy inside her that she caught herself off guard. She was Tegan's trainee. She didn't want to share him with anybody else, especially not with the feelings she'd recently developed (or realized she'd developed, anyway).

Glancing over at Wildfire—who was sitting primly, not deigning to interrupt the youths' conversation—Bat said, "Maybe we can hit the road together sometime?" She had the decency to feel a little bad for openly inviting Sequoia right in front of her mother. In fact, she opened her mouth to include Wildfire when the woman in question suddenly rose to her feet, offered the two girls a smile (that didn't reach her chestnut eyes) and said she was going to go inform Raven and her mate about the possible threat.

Bat swallowed but didn't stop Wildfire from leaving. She did say, "See you," and then turned her silver eyes back to Sequoia's face.

Yeah, that would be fun! Sequoia replied. She did not know Bat particularly well, but perhaps this would help them get to know each other better. Wildfire departed a bit suddenly, and Sequoia shot her a concerned look, but considering she was already turned around by the time Sequoia looked, the red wolf was likely to miss it entirely. Sequoia was reminded of the time she'd been scolded by... who had it been? Helix, she thought.

Where all have you been? Did you stop at any other packs before you got here? she asked, steering the conversation in that direction rather than delving into the relationship between Bat and her family. Sequoia certainly didn't want to talk about her own family right now. She did miss them, as much as she had put on a brave face. Momma Portia most of all, but also Daddy Dio. She only faintly missed her brother and sister, but that was to be expected, seeing as she had never been close to either of them.

They would become fast friends, Bat was sure of it as soon as Sequoia expressed enthusiasm over her idea. She excitedly demanded to know where Bat had been and whether she'd seen any other packs. She usually only swapped these stories with Tegan and maybe someone in leadership (for purely informational purposes), so she gladly seized on the chance to share some of her discoveries (and maybe show off a little bit!).

"I've been to a lot of places since I came to live with the Redhawks," Bat clarified the timeline, although she didn't figure it was too important. "I've traveled all over this area, which is called Tuktu... something or other. I forget. It's a pretty huge area and I still have lots of ground to cover. But I've seen a little bit of everything, it seems like: forests, lakes, mountains. And I've come across some packs in the process of getting started up. One's called Shadewood and the other's Rosings."

She paused only to take a breath and say, "Tegan's talked about how there's even more places on the other side of those mountains. Not just along the coast"—like Drageda—"but inland." Since they were relatively elevated here on the plateau, Bat pointed out the sawtooths cutting shadows across the eastern horizon. "I bet it'd take years just to map it all out. Maybe you could come along on some of those trips." Most of them would be reserved for Tegan—and she was hard-pressed to double-dip—but Bat would be happy for Sequoia to become involved too.

Bat explained where she had been and what she had seen. One interesting tidbit was that it seemed there were packs forming around here, which Sequoia had never heard of. She had just assumed that all packs had been around forever. It had never occurred to her that they had a beginning. Tegan's name came up again, and Sequoia hoped she would run into him sooner rather than later. She wanted to meet all the scouts!

Traveling with Bat sure did sound like fun, and although Sequoia did enjoy her company, she worried about what Kiwi might think. She knew the two sisters didn't get along very well, which Sequoia could totally understand. Her own litter mates had never been her friends. But did that mean she couldn't be friends with both Bat and Kiwi? Now there was some food for thought.

Yeah, I'd like that. Sequoia paused, then let slip the other thing that was on her mind. I wonder if Kiwi would want to go, too. Then she quickly added, Or maybe Buckshot! He wasn't the most active member of the pack, but Sequoia was still rather fond of him.

The small smile on Bat's face grew brittle and froze at the mention of Kiwi. "Uh-huh," she answered noncommittally, "maybe." The youth then immediately seized on the other name. "Buckshot? Who's that? Wait, is that the guy that came with you guys? I haven't met him properly yet," she shared, "but I've seen and smelled him around. And..." She lowered her voice a little. "I came across the biggest dump I've ever seen in my life and I'm pretty sure it was his."

Well, that wasn't exactly the answer Sequoia had hoped for regarding Kiwi, but—wait, what? Seq's eyes grew super wide when Bat started talking about Buckshot's... dump? She stood completely silent for a good seven seconds, then burst out in gut-wrenching laughter that the whole plateau probably could have heard. She was hooting and howling, imagining Buckshot taking a big ol' dump. You see, Sequoia wasn't quite grown up yet... at least not when it came to second-grade humor.

Pretty soon, she was doubled over... then laying on her side clutching her stomach as she gasped for breath between laughs. You know, the sleepover kind of laugh where you can't quite catch your breath no matter how hard you try.

Sequoia stared at her in silence for what felt like a long time. Bat's eyes grew a little shifty around the sixth second, then flew wide with surprise when her cousin burst into loud laughter. Her big ears tilted backward, away from the sound, only to prick again when she realized Sequoia was basically busting a gut laughing, presumably over Buckshot's shit that he shat.

Something about the other girl's laughter was extraordinarily contagious. It wasn't long before Bat was down on the ground with Sequoia, rolling back and forth as laughter shook her belly. And when she swore she heard a squeakfart escape her cousin, Bat was in stitches.

When her own laughter caused her to toot, Seq's gut-busting only grew stronger. Her stomach began to cramp with the intense giggle-making, and soon she was tooting every other breath, which only made things worse. Practically in tears and hurting in a way she had never felt before, Sequoia gained an ounce of composure and started to breathe normally... only to hear Bat squeak out a fart and start the cycle all over again. Whatever was happening, Sequoia wanted it both to end right now and never, ever stop.

She knew laughter was contagious... but Bat was today years old when she learned that you could catch farts too! When one whistled its way out of her behind, she felt sure she would burst apart at the seams, she was laughing so hard. She rolled onto her aching belly and began to pound the ground with a fisted paw.

Finally, finally, Sequoia was able to actually catch her breath. Her lungs felt raw, and her cheeks and belly ached, but there was a sense of relief and contentedness when she finally managed to stifle her laughter and breathe a little. She remained on her side, panting and generally trying to regain her composure as she watched Bat pound her paws against the snow-covered ground. Perhaps if she hadn't just spent the past several minutes laughing, the scene would have made her do just that, but her funny bone was officially all used up for the time being.

To tell the truth, she wasn't even sure what had started the gigglefit in the first place.

Bat's laughter subsided not long after Sequoia's, the feedback loop evidently broken. She let out a long sigh. Just an hour or so ago, she'd been in fear for her life, as well as her relatives' lives. Somehow, Sequoia had taken that burden off her shoulders—if only for a few moments—and given her a straight shot of pure joy. Bat didn't know how any of that worked, though she was grateful.

"Thanks, Seq. I needed that," the youth said, scooting closer to her cousin and simply enjoying the afterglow of their giggle fit a while longer.

As much as she didn't want to admit it, Me too. She had wanted so much for leaving Drageda to be pain free, but it had not been. She was an upbeat soul, but even she missed her parents, Thur, and the rest of the gang. It was even harder knowing that they downright hated her for leaving (or so she imagined). The only exception was maybe Daddy Dio, but even that she could not be sure of. Maybe he hated her too, but if that was the case, he was a big stupid dummy.

Carefully, Sequoia arranged some words in a way she hoped Bat would take well. I know you don't like Kiwi much, but I think you should give her another chance. I think she should give you another chance, too. Sequoia meant it. Both of them were cool and fun to hang out with. She would have liked to hang out with them both at the same time. *wink*

Sequioa effectively burst her bubble by bringing up Kiwi again. The euphoria took the edge off her resentment, though she could only sigh. She didn't say anything right away, instead tracing a toe idly in the dirt before answering.

"I don't not like Kiwi. Or my mom, for that matter." Her silver eyes looked in the direction Wildfire had gone moments before. "It's just... complicated. I had a whole new life here, Seq, and I'd put Drageda behind me. But it caught up to me anyway. I just need some time." She huffed quietly. "Although I'm pretty sure Kiwi legit hates me."

Sequoia winced, wondering if she could have worded things in a way that came across as more delicate. This seemed like the kind of thing that would take practice, and who better to practice on than two of her friends that already hated each other! Wait a minute... haha. The way Bat laid it all out was pretty rough, and it was even worse than Sequoia had expected. She knew she probably should have laid it to rest, but curiosity drove her further, and she pried anyway.

I think she's angry you left, but how could she hate you? She left, too. And hey, if your mom and sister hadn't come here, I wouldn't be here, either. Sequoia had a pretty good feeling that Bat enjoyed her company, at least on some level, so it wasn't all bad that Wildfire and Kiwi had ended up here, was it? I'm just trying to get you to see it from another perspective, she added. I'm not saying you have to be happy with them right this instant. I don't think Kiwi would like that anyway... but maybe just try to see that they were sad when you left, she suggested. Suggestions were about all she could give, and Sequoia was still probably too young to be doling out advice, but she was doing it anyway.

Bat found some satisfaction when Sequoia pointed out the hypocrisy. She still understood her sister's ire, really, especially having gone through something similar with Tegan. It didn't make it any easier to suffer Kiwi's malice presently. It was easier on everyone if they just avoided one another. She planned on doing that indefinitely, though she knew what her cousin said wasn't without merit.

"Yeah," she said simply (and lamely), acknowledging Sequoia's attempt to mediate but not really investing in it right now. Especially after Artaax's threat, Bat simply didn't have the bandwidth right now. "Can we just—" Her head gently sank onto the other youth's shoulder, grateful for Sequoia's presence and support, even if there wasn't much else Bat could do with it at the moment.

Sequoia felt like she had chipped the surface of whatever rift had been created between the siblings, although it still felt like there was a very long road ahead of them. As Bat sunk her head into her shoulder, Sequoia wondered if she would ever have this kind of moment with her own siblings. That seemed unlikely, given the fact that they were still with Drageda and probably hated her guts for leaving. The girl sighed, letting the afterglow of the giggle fits mix with the satisfaction that she had maybe put some ideas in Bat's head.