Redhawk Caldera Hungry eyes

Set immediately after this thread.

Fury and rage boiled in Phox's blood as his feet pounded the cold ground below. The "why" didn't matter to him. It never had, it never would. Reyes had attacked and injured a pregnant wolf (who happened to be Regent, mate to Phox, and a longtime friend of Towhee's). In Phox's book, he was as good as gone. Dead if he refused to leave voluntarily.

Orange-brown eyes furrowed as he sought the bastard who had broken Niamh's leg, Phox surged forward, alert for any glimpse of @Reyes as he followed the fresh trail.

He hadn't gotten far once he'd departed from where he'd abandoned Niamh to her hysterics. The chunk of flesh missing from his shoulder burned at him, more-so when he tried to engage the muscle and take a step, so there was a slight lag to his stride as he made his way.

About a dozen meters away from the cave mouth where he'd hoped to find Towhee was a forking path, and he knew at the end of that path would be one of the medicine caches; at the very least Reyes could try to clean the wound and apply something to numb the pain.

He moved down this path and had just reached the marked cache when the sound of pounding feet arose behind him.

Perhaps, under different circumstances, Phox would not have been so harsh. As it were, though, he knew that he could not allow Reyes to occupy the same space as Niamh. He barely knew Reyes, and Niamh was his wife, so of course he would take her side. But that didn't mean that Phox was a heartless or completely unreasonable creature. He would give Reyes a chance to leave of his own free will.

The Regent slowed, his teeth bared and his hackles raised along his back. Get out of here, now. You're dead otherwise. His voice came out low and gravely, much different than his usual upbeat tone. Phox would not have his children under threat, and as long as Reyes was around, the children were in danger.

Please skip Rue's turn while Phox and Reyes interact. She's just watching. 

Not one, but two howls of desperation had echoed across the Caldera from seemingly different origin points, and Rue was beside herself with worry. Hearing the call in which she was requested by name was particularly heart-wrenching. It sounded like it came from the Bramblepoint forest, but Rue knew she couldn't manage the slope down from the Caldera yet (she tried nearly every morning). 

So that left her stuck in the Caldera, pacing fretfully. She could try to hobble her way towards either of the distress calls, but it would probably be sunset by the time she got there. It's not like she was going to be any help in a fight or even running messages or supplies. She would be useless. 

She limped toward the nearest medical cache, because that was the most helpful thing she could think to do. She could at least get the cache opened up for whoever might be coming for the supplies. If someone who was injured happened to appear, she could to her best to help patch them up. She had some rudimentary knowledge of wound-care. 

She heard Phox's voice up ahead, growling a warning. Rue shuffled forward, peering through the trees. Who was that with him? Wasn't that Towhee's guy? Rue continued to creep forward. 

Rue couldn't think if she had ever seen Phox angry like this before. What could have happened?  Her heart leapt into her throat. Towhee. Had this guy hurt her?

Digging with one leg was difficult. There was nothing wrong with his other forelimb so Reyes tried to hasten the experience along, however the tear to his shoulder was a more extensive injury than he thought, and so he had to be slower than he'd have liked. The cache gradually unearthed beneath his effort and by the time he was gathering what he could from the top layer of buried supplies, Phox had caught up to him.

The other man was bristling and baring his teeth; Reyes did not even have to look to know this, because the expression distorted the words that came from the Regent's mouth. The threat was clear regardless of that aspect. Reyes doubted there would be time to explain his side of the story — he was still seeped in adrenaline so anything he said next could be misconstrued as under duress.

Oh, great, you. Reyes called out, his voice rebounding from the depression in the dirt to amplify back at himself. He had to hurry; there wasn't much time to gather what he'd need to help his shoulder and Reyes wasn't in the mood for another brawl. I was defendin' myself. As if that mattered now. The sound of his blunted claws scraping at the dirt made his skin crawl, but he hurried.

All Reyes had to do was leave. Pick up and get out of here. Skidaddle. Hit the road, Jack.

But he hadn't.

Phox lunged at the clearly injured leg, thinking it would be easiest to go for the weak spot. It appeared Reyes was going to have to defend himself yet again. Phox had fought few times in his life, but every time he had needed to, and every time he had given it everything he had. This time would be no different. He was defending Niamh, his unborn children, Towhee's unborn children.

There were no words — Phox lunged for his shoulder as soon as Reyes tried to speak his piece and Reyes tried to side-step out of range. It wouldn't be any good to have Regent number two tearing in to him. He did not want to die here over some squabble with his bitch aunt. Twisting was easy but it was the weight on his strained foreleg that made Reyes falter the most; he felt the burn of pain and let out a yelp even before Phox's attack connected. 

Fuck off! Reyes shouted, and the trees erupted as startled birds in the higher reaches of the trees took flight. The boy grimaced, his teeth flashing due to pain more than any desire to threaten his assailant. He felt his skin crawling. 'I should have known they'd never accept me,' Reyes thought as he pulled away from Phox, contorting himself despite the pain. Snapping his teeth to warn the assailant away.

I'm going —! He snarled. It wouldn't be forever. He wouldn't let Phox and Niamh take his family away; he was injured now, wounded more deeply than the tear to his shoulder, but nothing would truly keep him away from Towhee or his children. Pressured by Phox, Reyes could only do one thing: run.

Reyes ran after the first contact, and Phox did not proceed to chase him. As long as he was gone, Niamh and Towhee (and their children) were safe. The Redhawk stood there for some time, making sure that Reyes was really gone, and even going so far as to ensure that his trail led out of the caldera's limits. When he was satisfied, he would return to @Niamh (tag for reference!) and make sure that Eljay had found her.