Redhawk Caldera i don't know where we are in the grand scheme of things

It was with great enthusiasm that Eljay had told @Weejay that he was going to be gone for a little bit to check out Redhawk Caldera with @Niamh. In fact, it was probably the biggest enthusiasm that he had shown his daughter in a long time, if not ever. He seemed excited, even, at the thought of possibly moving back to Redhawk Caldera, his home land, and spent the evening before telling Weejay about all sorts of places that the Caldera had that he wanted to show her. Most of all, Eljay just longed to sit by the lake and feel like he was home. The Copse had definitely become a home, but Redhawk Caldera would always be where his heart lay. Even his thoughts of leaving the Firebirds had been put on the back burner for now -- especially considering Fennec had said she might stay with the Firefly Glen pack rather than returning home -- though if asked, he'd say that he was still thinking about it but that there were some complications, such as Fennec leaving and the pack needing him as a medic right now.

He decided to put all of the worries about whether or not he could leave eventually on the back burner, and focus on the move to Redhawk Caldera for now.

He and Niamh set out towards the Caldera that day to scout out the territory and make sure that it was inhabitable before any decisions were made. Though one should think that Eljay'd know the way to the Caldera, this wasn't true at all. He took a lot of wrong turns and stopped to ponder 'Is this the right way?' a few times. The last time he'd been there was one and half a year ago, after all, and Eljay definitely didn't get out much. It reassured him to have Niamh by his side this time, though, which kept him from panicking on the road about being outside and all alone and it was dangerous. He felt a lot safer with Niamh by his side. In fact, Eljay did enjoy getting out sometimes these days, but he still would never do so by himself. And because he was known as such a notorious homebody and prone to panicking on the road, it was no wonder that no one asked him about it unless he was needed -- like now -- or there was a logical reason for travel -- such as going to the Frosthawks.

Eventually, after a bunch of wrong turns, they managed to find their way through the mountains and Redhawk Caldera came into view. From thereon Eljay's mood vastly improved. He felt his heart flutter, almost as if he was in love. He hadn't felt this way in a long time. Not since...

Well.

There it is, he commented when they reached the wilderness and the Caldera came into view. It would still be a little journey, but they were almost there now and at least the journey wouldn't be so chaotic now, with him getting lost all the time -- it was right there, and it was clear which way they should go. That in itself was a huge relief.

if you want any of the travel or such differently, please let me know and i can edit! :)

Niamh wasn't necessarily the best travel companion for a wolf who had to take charge, and didn't exactly take the most direct route. She had an excellent sense of direction and was easily annoyed by wrong directions, and having to wander in a sort of serpentine route in order to get where they needed to be. At least they travelled over mostly flat terrain, by passing along the Northern edge of the mountain range which otherwise acted as a barrier for what would have been a much more direct path. That direction, though, would have also brought tme far too close to the Strath and the new neighbours they sought to avoid. 

He'd noticed the strange shape rising above the horizon in the distance, which looked to her like a volcano which had blown its top off centuries ago- and for all she knew, she could have been right. Eljay pointed it out, and her ears flicked forward. It was high ground- but it wasn't exactly a mountain. A vast expanse of grasslands- perfect hunting territory for small game and deer alike, she supposed- sprawled at its base, and she nodded as they approached the incline. "Allus thought it'd be bigger," She said with a snicker. She could tell Eljay was practically bursting at the seams to get to visit his old home, so she shook out her shoulders. "C'mon, shake those legs El-man. I'll race you to the top!" She said, and began to sprint toward the incline without giving him a proper warning.

Eljay chuckled as Niamh said that she thought it was bigger than this. He could imagine; things in stories tended to live a life of their own and they tended to blow up and become bigger than they were in reality. Eljay wagged his tail a few beats as they got closer, and then Niamh said she'd race him to the top. Eljay didn't even remember the last time he had raced anywhere, let alone out of joy rather than panic, and a smile overtook his face as he started to dash out towards the Caldera. Niamh would easily win from him; she was superior in almost every way and much more used to travel at that.

He didn't give up, though; even though he was much slower than Niamh and his tongue lolled from the side of his mouth panting, Eljay kept running up and up, towards home. It felt just like the old days already, just to be here, just to run across the flats with the caldera in sight.

Towhee had expressed her misgivings about the Caldera's slope, having severely injured herself in a fall she'd had, but it didn't stop Niamh from throwing herself into the pitch and sway of her gallop, purposefully matching pace with Eljay as well as she could, so that they could work their way up the slope together. He certainly knew his way through the area, and he also seemed very keen to return to the place where he'd been born; it was nice to see him looking so happy. She couldn't remember the last time she'd seen him let go and do something without great care and consideration. The race was a race- and it was fun. 

The more they climbed, the more they slowed, and Niamh felt no obligation to push herself to breach the edge of the Caldera before Eljay simply for the sake of winning a race. So as they neared it, she huffed slightly, pausing in her advance to turn and glance over her shoulder. "Woah," She breathed. From the vantage point, even though she hadn't reached the plateau-like top of the Caldera, she could see Moonspear reaching up into the distance, closer and clearer than it ever would have been from the Copse. 

Once they did reach the plateau, she bumped her nose gently against Eljay's shoulder, and gestured. "Should almost be able to keep an eye on the kids from here," She breathed, looking out over the view they were rewarded with.

The further they went up, the less the race was a race and the more it was becoming just the pair of them running up. Eljay was aware that Niamh matched his pace which made him feel less bad about being slower, too, so it was easier to unwind. Eljay smiled and he glanced at Niamh, then paused and followed her gaze, when she stopped and looked at the view.

Pretty nice, huh, Eljay said with a smile. He'd always liked that the Caldera was kind of like a mountain, but not really; it wasn't as high, at least, as most mountains he had seen.

When Niamh mentioned keeping an eye on the kids, Eljay said, puzzled, The kids..? unaware that they were looking out over Riskye glen, among other places.

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They would be able to see both the first glimpse of sunrise and the last sliver of sunset from their vantage point, without beong so obscenely high in altitude that the air would be thinner, as it might be on the mountain. She looked out toward the peaks that rose up, obscuring the slight slope of the horizon and across the glen at its feet. Eljay marvelled as well, and she smiled faintly when he pondered which children she was talking about. She gestured toward the mountain. “Bronco and Meerkat.” She said, though she chuckled. “I guess they're not really kids anymore, but...” She said with a soft shrug, as she turned to gaze out into the plateau, noting where the edges of it rose along the far corner of the extinct volcano, and toward the wilderness that hid secrets from her sight.

“Well,” She said, gesturing toward their potential new homeland with a flick of her snout. “Why don't you give me a tour? Show me your favourite part about this place- an' we can keep an eye out for shelter, water and food sources as we go along,” She said.

When Niamh mentioned Bronco and Meerkat, Eljay turned his head to follow Niamh's gaze, though it was clear that he didn't really know where to look. They live in one of these packs..? he asked; Eljay knew so very little about what packs were there that he wasn't sure where they had gone, precisely. Or rather, he didn't know where the territory was. Now that he thought about it, he realised the big mountain must be Moonspear. That was around forever. Is that Moonspear, then..? he asked, uncertainly.

Niamh invited him into the lands and he nodded. Yeah, let's check it out! With renewed excitement Eljay took the lead into Redhawk Caldera. Let's check out my family's old den! Then we have some shelter for the night, too. Eljay smiled softly and he started making his way back to the homeliest of all the homely places that Redhawk Caldera had to offer.

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At first, Niamh was confused by Eljay's question- how was it that the kids had been living at Moonspear since August without him knowing where they'd gone? Even the fact that they now lived in the Glen was common knowledge- but then she realized that he was being more specific- and pondering where the kids were in terms of geography. Now, all the random directions they'd wandered in on the way to the Caldera made sense. Eljay- bless his soul- seemed to have little to no sense of direction. She'd known that he was a homebody- and could sense that even moreso now seeing just how happy he was to be back to the place where he'd been born- but she hadn't expected him to be quite so confounded by what she considered to be basic cardinal points.

The mountain reached up toward the sky in the distance, made hazy by clouds and mist, but still clearly visible considering the fact that they were up on a vantage point that allowed them to see beyond the usual scope of the horizon. He gestured in the right direction, and she nodded. “Yup.” She said. “That one, there, that's the peak of Moonspear, though it's kinda hard to see from here.” She said, leaning in closer to him so that he might be able to follow her gesture better. “So...Given where we are, the Glen would beeeee right about there,” She said, gesturing just North of the mountain's base. Of course, it would be impossible to see details from where they were- but she was fine with being somewhat vague. “Now, to blow your mind completely, if you look just this way,” She said, and first aimed toward the already established peak of Moonspear, before she slowly began to point toward the South, toward the range of mountains that stood like an impenetrable barrier. “Beyond those mountains, somewhere around there- that's where the copse is. We went all the way along here,” She said, gesturing back toward the peak of Moonspear, “And around, and then in this way to get here so we didn't have to go near the Strath.” She explained. She was aware that some of that might have gone over Eljay's head- as it was impossible to see the copse beyond the barrier mountains, and the concept of going past Moonspear before arcing toward the East- where they now stood- might not have even felt right to someone with no sense of direction. Still- she liked explaining it. She had a natural GPS.

He did, however, seem to have a keen memory of the Caldera so there had to be some hope for him. Given the fact he'd grown up here, she expected that he probably remembered a lot of the caldera's natural internal territories and landmarks. “Sounds cool to me,” She said, as she willingly allowed him to take the lead. While he might've made some mistakes on the way there, she trusted he'd be able to find his folks' old den. She preferred to sleep in a shelter, unlike others who liked to sleep out in the open- and something about the idea of staying in a den that used to belong to Elwood and Finley warmed her heart a bit.

Niamh confirmed Moonspear's whereabouts and Eljay smiled. It's so tall, Eljay said breathlessly as she pointed out its peak. He nodded as Niamh told him about the Glen and mentally noted that for future use. Maybe he could actually visit Fennec, Bronco and Meerkat now that they lived so close. It would be a lot easier to find back the Caldera than it was the Copse, thankfully.

Next, Niamh explained the route they'd taken to get here from the Copse and mentally guided them back there. He looked in the direction, blinked, and suddenly realised, Oooh, Moonspear is that mountain? He'd seen it, but he knew he couldn't get there from the Tuktu side of things. I always thought that the Copse was much further away from the Caldera. It's such a journey to get there.

They then went deeper into the territory, Eljay leading the way. It looks good, everything seems to be as it was, Eljay said as they walked, Well... Mostly, anyway. And it isn't claimed, by the looks of it. His smile grew as he realised that and he looked at Niamh, keen to find out her thoughts about the Caldera for a potential living place.

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She gave Eljay a glance when he mentioned the height of Moonspear, and she playfully shrugged and rolled her eyes. Moonspear was aptly named- a mountain range where the highest peak was indeed quite like a rocky blade that reached up into the sky. On certain nights, Niamh was certain that the moon would rise from the horizon and trace its outline, barely skirting the tip as it pointed up into the stars.

In her opinion, life on a mountain like that wasn't worth the effort. Of course, it would mean that trespassers would have a rougher time of trying to get through the packlands without being caught, simply because they were not likely accustomed to having to deal with the altitude and the strain it put on one's limbs. Even climbing up the slope of the Caldera took an effort that winded Niamh, though it wasn't high enough to discourage her. She felt that the height of the Caldera was just enough so that they had a good view of the surrounding areas, and could spot a stranger approaching from a distance. Not only that, but anyone with intentions of trespassing would be quite out of breath by the time they even reached the flat part of their territory. They would have the advantage over trespassers so long as they set their boundaries at the base of the Caldera- which she felt certain they would do. It'd mean that guardians would have to make the trip up and down the slope every day, but it'd be worth it.

Eljay made a note of how close he thought the Copse should have been, and she chuckled. “It's like I said, we had to go the long way around. There's no way through the mountains there,” She said, gesturing to the range that trailed toward the Southern edge of the Caldera like a great barrier. “An' you know, if you went straight thataway far enough, you'll reach the ocean.” She said with a soft smile. She remembered the day she'd met Coelacanth, and wondered if her friend still lived out along the coast, on the island. She knew that the wolves of Rusalka tended to live along the shoreline too, and that while they had a bit of a truce, she still wasn't keen on visiting them...Much less, sending Alyx to visit them. They'd be even further from Rusalka now, she thought. Perhaps now it would be easier to simply say “No.”

She took in the scenery s they travelled along, and was relieved that Eljay seemed to feel it looked the way it should have. Of course, he could have been exaggerating simply to convince her that it was a suitable place to live, but she wouldn't have been able to tell. He honestly seemed fairly impressed with the place, and she saw no faults with it. It was quiet, secluded almost, and definitely not claimed. “I can't smell any other wolves up here,” She commented, though it was entirely possible they simply hadn't come across any paths yet. She looked up as a small flock of ducks sailed overhead, disappearing into the woodlands ahead of them, but she felt fairly certain they'd been descending. “There's a lake here, right?” She asked.

Eljay nodded at the information Niamh gave him and followed her gaze in the direction of the ocean. He wasn't particularly an ocean wolf - maybe because of his stay in Drageda hadn't been the most positive of times, despite a few good highlights - but that gave him some kind of bearing in what direction Drageda and the ocean were at, anyway. He wondered if the pack still existed. Had someone ever told him about how it was doing, or visited it again? He didn't remember. Honestly, he'd rather forget about it anyway; he was still ashamed that he had just up and left them and had never returned. If they still existed, they must hate him still for his betrayal.

It was good to be home though. Eljay looked up as the ducks went overhead and he nodded at Niamh's question. Yeah, a big one! It should be right over... Eljay broke into a run rather suddenly in the direction the ducks had come from. He passed a few trees and ran up a small hill, which revealed the lake up ahead. He stood on the hill smiling broadly as he looked at this homely view.

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She'd guesed right- the ducks had, indeed, been heading toward water, and while Eljay trailed off, he burst forward into a run and Niamh followed. There was something renewed about Eljay's spirit, making him playful and full of energy. It was hard for her to recall a time before Wildfire's death, which likely would have been the last time she'd seen him so full of wonder and excitement.

They threaded their way through the wooded plateau and then out and up a slight hill where she could see the open, and beautifully still surface of the lake gleaming in the early evening light. The ducks had landed, leaving behind them ripples in the water's surface that disturbed its otherwise pristine sheet of stillness. The sudden arrival of two wolves spooked a couple deer who had been drinking from the lake not too far away, and a great blue heron, fishing in the shallows some distance away, continued to wade through the clear water, before it plunged its beak below the surface, and emerged with a small fish in its beak.

“Wellen,” She sighed, as she took in the scenery. There were many different life systems, all depending on the lake and the surrounding area for their support. She sniffed the wind, and found that it was fresh and full of secrets. There might potentially be moose in the area, with a lake this big. She licked her lips, as she heard something from beneath the water strike the surface- potentially a beaver or muskrat, maybe even a large fish. “This looks like it could be our new home, Elj,” She said.

we can fade here maybe? :D

Ah, it was so good to be home again. Eljay smiled, clearly happy to be here. Niamh said that it looked like they had their new home, and Eljay's smile widened.

Yeah, he said softly, gulping down the 'really?!' that he initially thought to exclaim.

Eljay said cheerfully, Let's go check out the den! and he ran down the hill in the direction of his parents' old den.

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She eyed the heron enviously, wishing she could snag a few of its feathers perhaps to use as decoration or for lining the new den she would have to find here on the Caldera. Ejlay had mentioned one- but it had belonged to Finley and Elwood, and was by all rights bequeathed to him. She suspected that there was likely a den where Phox and Towhee had been born as well, and she wouldn't be able to snag that. But just by the way the Caldera was made, she could tell that there would be lots of places where she and Phox could dig out a den- perfect for next year's litter. With the chill in the wind beginning to nip at her cheeks and nose, she knew it would not be too long before that time would come again- and they would need to have the den chosen and prepared before the spring flowers came.

She would get to see a bit of what the Caldera had to offer, in terms of den-worthy ground when she saw where Eljay had been born and had grown up for at least a part of his life. They'd spend the night there, before making their way back to the Copse yet again skirting West of the mountain range so as to avoid the impassable barrier mountains and their newfound neighbours to the South.