Redhawk Caldera wolves at my door

As the Mackenzie had not a clue this was a former volcano, she couldn’t note the topography of how the Caldera’s high jagged peaks protected this paradise. The sky was just as white as the ground. The peaks offered what they could in shielding the territory from the onslaught of the blizzard, though it seemed like the blizzard was now spilling over the uneven ridgeline. Once Towhee led her in from the bleakness of white at the border, they followed a creek (Tailfeather Creek to be exact) until they were in territory bounds and that’s when Towhee left Zsuzsa to her business.
 
Tailfeather Creek was half-frozen, some parts with large ice chunks and some with the creek steadily coursing underneath a thin layer of ice above. One had to break the ice to get at the water if one was thirsty, to which Zsuzsa had a hearty drink. Surrounded by ice, she had still been parched from travel. This was all so foreign to her. The Saints felt like an entire universe away from here and she instantly felt out of place. Giving a sigh to herself, a beggar couldn’t be a chooser. She had to make the best of this situation, although she didn’t like the prospect of temporarily starting over. Strolling along the half-frozen creek, her head was down as she was deep in thought to herself, thinking of what to do next. Should she resume hunting? Make a temporary den? Get to know the locals? Everything happened so quick.

After sating one appetite, another reared its ugly head. @Reyes seemed rather sleepy, so Towhee volunteered to go find the two of them a snack and bring it back to the cave. As she ventured outside into the snowstorm, she couldn't help but think, I'm eating for two, or three, or more... It was entirely too early to tell—her heat wasn't even over—but the Sovereign let herself take delight in the idea.

Romping through the snow and feeling rather frisky despite her hunger, Towhee kept an eye out for any pack mates. She wanted to avoid any more awkward encounters with the resident males, namely because they were all relatives. Luckily, she saw no one... except Zsuzsa. When the Sovereign spotted her, she came to a standstill, pondering whether to make an approach.

Fellow she-wolves weren't an issue, unless her condition afflicted the recent recruit somehow. Walking slowly toward her newest subordinate, Towhee called out, "Hey, how's it going?"

Ears perking at the prospect of another calling attention to her, Zsuzsa's head shot up from its slump. Silver gaze transfixed on the Sovereign, who was much more visible and audible since their first encounter at the borders. Her reddish markings were more profound in hue, along with her white streaks cutting through the dark of her pelt. Zsuzsa thought the blizzard was the cause for the white streaks and it had simply been snow stuck on Towhee's fur but came to learn now that it was a part of her unique pelage. Towhee was much more androgynous in her form now that Zsuzsa was able to get a good glance at her. Her scent was strong about her, most likely resorting from her heat.

"Hey," Zsuzsa started, coming to a stop in her strolling. "...just getting acclimated to the Caldera." With everything half-frozen, there were some areas even of this region that were hard to come by but Zsuzsa had yet to see the entirety of what the Caldera had to offer. "So is this entire territory enclosed in this valley for the most part?" Zsuzsa did not know they were standing on what was an extinct volcano but was faintly interested in what the Caldera was composed of. There was no better wolf than Towhee to address such matters.

If the Sovereign's condition affected Zsuzsa, she didn't show it. Towhee only felt mildly awkward herself, mostly because she knew she'd smelt it and dealt it, plus there was the whole implication of it. At least she wasn't as animalistic this year, her only goal getting laid at any cost. She thought she could even carry a conversation, though both her hunger and her lust would likely keep it brief.

"Yes, it's kind of a natural sunken fortress," which made her think, a little randomly, of Heron Lake Plateau, which had been the opposite: a floating fortress. It also reminded her of Hideaway Strath, though at least all the walls were a climbable grade; they would not become trapped here.

"I'm going to head that way," Towhee said in the next breath, pointing to the woods off to her left, "and find something to eat, if you'd like to join me."