Redhawk Caldera Something's Coming

Set Jan 1

By the time Bronco woke up, it had already begun to snow. The temperature was fairly mild, so the snowflakes fell lazily in large clumps, drifting slowly to the ground if they didn't get caught up on a branch. He stretched and pulled himself to his feet, squinting in the sunlight as his eyes began to adjust before he began to meander toward where he knew the lake would be, hoping to get a drink to help get rid of some of his morning breath. 

The paths of other wolves crossed his path this way and that, and he paused to sniff and assess each one, and decided he might try and find one of his younger siblings and see if they wanted to go for a hunt when he  came upon a set of tracks too large to have belonged to Primrose, Alyx or Quetzal. He came to an abrupt halt when he sniffed the tracks, and let out a soft bark of surprise. Without another pause, he began to barrel along, sending more snow flying out behind him as he raced along the fresh set of tracks, belonging to none other than his sister, @Nellie, with every intention of smothering her with brotherly love (aka drool) as soon as he caught up with her.

She hadn't been back all that long yet, but already had she fallen into her old routine. She'd missed pack life; there was much more time to laze about in the grass (or snow, around this time of year) and go sky-watching or digging. It was nice to have others to rely on again for important stuff like "safety" and "food" - she was very much capable of caring for herself, the past months were proof of that much, but when she had to chance to be lazy you could be sure she took it.

She was doing the same thing today, taking that chance and cooling off in the snow after an unsuccessful hunt. It was a shame really, as she'd rather had enjoyed a snack, but alas. The sky was grey and empty - not much to see except for the occasional bird flying by. How dull. Would be nice if a distraction came along and, y'know, distracted her for a bit...

She wanted to take that wish back as soon as her slobbering brother came running by, getting pummeled and drenched despite her best efforts to escape his clutches. Fuuck. She squeezed out of her lungs as she tried and succeeded in getting up. Thefuck did you come from, bro? I thought you were wherever Meerkat went to. She laughed, surprised to see him at all. Had he beaten her to a visit? She'd really meant to come, but she was avoiding it, just as she was avoiding their mother and getting a trade and just generally doing something with her life.

He snorted as he was pushed off her. "Same place as you, duh," He jested, making one more attempt to snag her with one of his forelimbs and pull her in for another tussle but she was too quick, and succeeded in pulling herself away from him. He sat up, looking like he might still pounce her again at any moment, but relaxed enough to answer her question. 

"Yeah, I went with Meerkat to Moonspear, and then we moved to the Glen as a sort of pack expansion. But now that the Redhawks live here, it's a lot closer, an' easier to visit." He said. "How've you been? Where've you travelled? Are you stayin' here for a while?" He asked eagerly. "S'good to see you again, Nell," He said, thumping his tail against the ground. Life was always better when she was around.

She rolled her eyes with a smile - Gods, he hadn't changed. Well, neither had she really. They were still the firebird sibs, the troublemakers, the half orphans and rebels. She'd missed him if she was being completely honest, but hadn't thought much about it on the road. It was good to see him again.

Moonspear, glen, so many questions... She had to take a second to process which showed in a distant stare for a bit. I've been fine. I been about everywhere really - climbed mountains, scouted beaches, saw countless forests... Just regular loner things. She answered with a little shrug. If Niamh isn't too bitchy about me being back, yeah. I did miss y'all dinguses.

It seemed his strong-willed sister had been suited well for a life of travel and adventure, and he envied her, partially, for having taken the time to explore and experience what life had to offer beyond the borders of a pack. He'd chosen to stay and help with his siblings, which had been immensely gratifying, of course, and he loved the rascals to bits- but it sounded like the life of a wanderer had really appealed to Nellie. He ws too much of a homebody to feel as drawn to the wilderness as she had been- but he could live vicariously through her adventures if she was willing to tell her stories. 

"Niamh can shove it, for starters," He said, wanting to dismiss the topic of their mother right off the bat. He doubted Niamh would have objected, or Nellie would have been chased away already, and he knew how much Niamh liked to try and reel her children in, only to cast them back out again when they weren't exactly the way she wanted them to be. And he felt like both he and Nellie were ready to shirk themselves of continuously following that line. "But c'mon, tell me more. I've seen a beach only once, and it was amazing. All the smells, and the little rock creatures," He said. "Though I do remember hearing stories about something Ma called a 'legless fatdog' that lived on the beach and swam in the ocean- did you see any of them?" He asked.