Redhawk Caldera Alternative workout

A combination of stopping off at the Frosthawks (everyone was doing wonderfully, and @Figment had decided to stay behind for a little while... or maybe longer) and the blizzard had slowed Phox from getting back home in a timely manner. In his mouth, he held the pelt that Fennec had requested. They'd been able to find it right where she'd said it would be. Two birds, although Phox wasn't sure if they were the two birds, followed closely above, and the badger had been right by his side the whole time. It had grown, and it seemed to remember him. The poor thing had practically jumped for joy when it had seen him, which certainly wasn't typical badger behavior.

The winds were still kicking, and the snow was thick when Phox arrived on the caldera's borders that afternoon, blissfully ignorant of all that had happened in his absence. The badger had gotten caught in (another) snow drift, and Phox plucked him out, nudging him forward.

Home sweet home, he said through gritted teeth. It was a fucking shitshow of a storm, but Phox began to make his way to the rendezvous site nonetheless. Surely somebody would be hanging around in one of the nearby patches of trees.

Fennec was on her way in as well when she heard her dad.  At first, she didn't know it was him, and recent events had her hackles up before she recognized his scent and calmed down.  Dad!?

After ensuring that the bear left the borders altogether, Fennec had taken a different route and holed up in a small sheltered area near the caldera's edge.  She'd gotten stuck there as the blizzard rolled in, but at least the snow would hide her tracks. She hadn't wanted to risk the bear doubling back and following her trail straight back to where everyone was.

You're back!  she said, smiling but not speeding up.  Her run to intercept the bear and lead it around had re-opened her shoulder, but it had stiffened up again over the past few nights.

Where's Fig? she asked, not scenting her brother anywhere.  Boy did she have things to catch him up on.

A cursory sniff of the air when Fennec greeted him made him realize something was wrong. He assumed (incorrectly) that it was part of her previous injuries. Maybe an old wound had opened up? She asked first about Figment, and Phox wasn't sure how she'd take the news, but he delivered it anyway.

He's staying with the Frosthawks, he replied. At least for a little while. Even Figment hadn't been sure if he would stay permanently or not, and Phox didn't want to go getting anybody's hopes up that he'd be coming back anytime soon. Besides, it really wasn't that far away, and it felt no different than Wraen's pack moving in nearby or when Meerkat, Bronco, and Fennec had gone to live with the glen.

Oh.  Despite her best efforts, the disappointment likely colored her features for a moment.  A big part in her enthusiasm, promising mom she'd stay here, had been because it would be nice to be back to the way things were.  She'd missed her brother a lot, but it seemed she'd just kinda have to keep on missing him.  There was that twinge of a thought that said maybe he heard you were staying, but she dismissed it as stupid offhand.  No way.

A lot happened, while you were gone. Fennec said after a moment, reaching forward and nuzzling him in greeting.  He smelled like not here.  Meerkat's here, but she's okay.  Bronco too, but he and Alyx were hurt.  They should be fine.  I hope, she added silently, though she was near as confident as her voice told.  She had to be.

This is so outdated now, lol. Oh well!

Phox noted Fennec's disappointment, but he didn't comment on it. He knew how hard it was to be away from your closest sibling, and Fennec and Figment didn't have any other littermates. At least Towhee had Orca (and for a time, Titmouse). Still, she seemed to take it about as well as she could have.

"... but she's okay" was ominous, and the other two mentions were even more so.

Hurt? How? he asked, urgency in his voice. He suddenly felt guilt for leaving at all, even though he knew that was a waste of emotional energy.

He was clearly worried, which should have come as no surprise.  She could make light of it, but elected to go the honest route instead.  There was a cougar.  Bronco ran into it at the border, and Alyx and I showed up to help.  It didn't really go well.  Okay, so that was a bit of an understatement.  It got Bronco's head pretty bad, and Alyx's throat.  But Eljay and I are on it, and so far, they're healing okay.  

And luckily, the bear hadn't stuck around. She didn't even bother mentioning it, figuring it could wait.

Phox's jaw clenched at the short account of what had happened, although it appeared everyone had made it out alive and relatively unharmed. He was glad to have Eljay and Fennec here to help them recover, although he wished he could have been here to help them from getting injured in the first place. Phox frowned.

Thank you—and Eljay—for being there to heal them, Phox said, touching her cheek gently. I will have to track him down and thank him personally. And tell him @Weejay says hello from the Frosthawks. I know they miss one another. He sucked in a breath, already wanting to check in one Alyx and Bronco in person, but also not wishing to leave Fennec abruptly.

This little guy followed me the whole way, Phox said, patting the badger with his paw. The badger seemed indifferent to the affection. Still saving this snack for later? he joked.

Fennec didn't want to make a big deal out of it, but it felt really good to get the thanks and appreciation from her dad.  A little of that pride in validation, and she felt again like she actually had a job here. She'd always felt like she had a place, but since deciding to stay and actually stepping up her healing, it felt like they needed her around too.  It was nice.

She paused with confusion as he talked about something following, but then sniffed and caught the scent.  Oh!  Her tail waved, and she smiled, but stifled it pretty quickly out of habit.  Yeah, gotta get him nice n fat before I do that.  Besides, never know when you might need a snack.  she replied jokingly, but she did step forward and give her dad a hug.  Thanks, dad.  

She hadn't dwelled on the fact that she'd left them behind, but she had worried a bit.  The forests here felt like a way better place for a badger than that canyon was.

A sniff also revealed the pelt.  You found it!  She nosed it.  It felt a little worn, but all in one piece, and it even had a few things in it leftover from her time exploring the canyon's length.  Even more relief on that; she'd felt bad about losing the badger, but horrible losing Bronco's gift for her.  Quick would have probably been fine on his own, but she had no clue how Bronco would have felt, hearing she'd lost the thing he'd gone to the trouble having made.

Phox guffawed at her comment about making the badger fat before eating him. Fennec always did have a good sense of humor about her. He wondered where she got it, since Phox certainly lacked any quick wit. Probably Towhee.

Yep! All things accounted for, he said. Although the credit has to go to @Figment for remember what, exactly, we were looking for. The discovery itself had been a group effort, but considering Phox's memory problems, it was no surprise that he'd forgotten halfway there what they were trying to retrieve for Fennec.

Of course,  Fennec responded with a false, joking exasperation.  Old reliable Fig.  There'd been a time when she'd been jealous of how close he and her dad were, and the trips they'd taken... but she'd let that go a long time ago.  And this time the trip had been for her.

Hey, I gotta go check on everyone.  You want to come?  She figured he might want to see Alyx at the very least, though neither she nor Bronco might be up for much conversation.  The bear pursuit had kept her away a bit too long already, and Niamh... oh shit, right, Niamh's leg!  Fennec thought about mentioning it, then remembered her step mom had sworn her to secrecy on how it happened.  Maybe better to let them talk about it when they got there.

Yeah, I'm right behind ya, Phox said when she offered to lead the way. He hadn't been away that long, but it felt like a lot longer. The father Phother was looking forward to seeing the kids.