Lake Rodney outside the sky waits, beckoning

Cameos and skippable toons are welcome, but otherwise this will be a limit two thread to keep things moving.

Ruenna stopped short of travelling all the way to the fen, choosing to lift her voice for @Reyes once she reached the southern shore of lake Rodney. She knew she'd have to wait a little longer for him to appear, but she wasn't sure how much more distance she could realistically handle with her back pain. There was also the fact that she wasn't keen on saying what she had come to say to Reyes in front of an audience of Brecheliant wolves. 

She carried a message for the outcast Caldera wolf, and given how they had parted the last time they spoke, Ruenna wasn't sure how it would be received. Despite telling Reyes she wouldn't, she had spoken to Towhee in support of him, and the Caldera sovereign had listened. Although Ruenna bore good news for Reyes, it was possible that he still wouldn't thank her, once he heard the conditions for his re-admission.

Reyes found he benefitted greatly from a routine, which was a far-cry from what he was used to during his youth. The chaos of pirates had long since left him, then came his time at the Caldera, the building of family, the evolution in to the ever-present, dutiful father that fed and protected what was his own; now this shift, from that role to something in-between. Not a father except in title; a protector though not of his family. Yearning, always, to redeem himself.

Work had become all that he was. Patrols became infrequent on the days that Reyes focused on hunting - and when he grew frustrated with the antics of prey, he turned to the long and solitary hours of patrolling. When the call arose along the border he was in the middle of scouting a region of the fen he had yet to fully map for himself.

The call wasn't for leadership, but for himself. The voice was not one he knew; it didn't have the same caterwaul as his ex-mate's voice either. It did come from the side of the claim nearest to the Caldera -- and that alone incited Reyes' pace, so that he was bolting to where Ruenna stood waiting to see him.

The sight of the woman didn't appear to ruffle Reyes. He thought of Towhee, wondering if something had gone wrong with her recovery, and got straight to the point when the other wolf was within earshot: What is it? Is something wrong?

Gahh I forgot that @Āzonn would be escorting Rue. Feel free to drop Āzon in here, or we can make a travel/trade thread for just the two of them.

Ruenna had not expected Reyes to appear so quickly; he approached at a breakneck pace that made Ruenna uncomfortable. Ruenna shifted anxiously into a stance that was more defensible, reminded of how tense her last meeting with Reyes had been. But surely he wouldn't attack her because of that..?

That was the thing with Reyes though, wasn't it? You never could be quite sure who he would attack. Or why. 

He called out to her as he approached, and the words he chose explained his hurry. He was worried. Ruenna's expression shifted to sympathy, and she relaxed her stance. 

"They're fine," she called out her reassurance, "Everyone is fine." 

Once Reyes was close enough to speak comfortably, Ruenna would continue. 

"Redhawk Caldera wants to offer you conditional re-admission." Rue got straight to the point, because of course Reyes wouldn't be interested in stalling with niceties. Those were games that older wolves played. "You'll have to come back in the position of an omega-- whatever Towhee decides to call it.  You'll be elevated to the Tradesman rank once you earn the pack's trust." 

Ruenna lingered quietly for whatever amount of time it took for her offer to sink in, just in case Reyes had any questions or wanted to give his answer right away. She would understand if he needed to think on it, though.

Although Ruenna tried to reassure him that thing were okay, he didn't feel like it was the truth. His own anxieties about his family and the yearning he'd held for these few weeks now ate at him, creating a mountain out of the mole hill that was Ruenna's appearance here. Why would she be here and calling for him unless there was something very bad happening?

She went on to explain things quickly, while Reyes focused - perhaps too intently - upon every word. He did not notice that there was a second body lingering in the periphery; that the guard who had been so eager to cast him away from the borders previously, Azon, was present and lurking.

As if Ruenna needed protection on the short trip between packs - as if anyone from the Redhawks needed protection from Reyes. The fact that he was present would have stung Reyes had he not been so focused on what Ruenna was saying.

I should feel honored that she's creating a whole new rank just for me. He cut in, his tone barbed. That wasn't the best way to accept such information - this was a chance to return home to his children and prove himself to everyone, which was more than he ever expected. Knowing how distant he felt the last time he lives among the Redhawks, Reyes didn't think he'd have much of a chance to gain anyone's trust; plus, Towhee wasn't exactly a forgiving creature.

It was a low blow to offer this sort of thing. To dangle his children before him as a carrot on a string, demanding good behavior when he hadn't done anything wrong in the first place. Reyes thought about what that might look like to his children: that their mother was in the highest spot and their father was in the lowest. It wasn't like Reyes really had a choice if he truly wanted to be in their lives again.

I'll have to talk it over with the leadership here. He thought of Teya suddenly. They were kind enough to let me stay, I can't just abandon them without any warning. But I do want to be in their lives again - the kids I mean. And... Towhee's he almost said, but caught himself. He wasn't sure he trusted her anymore than she trusted him.

This olive branch was the bare minimum she could have offered.

I'm just... surprised. That she'd offer this at all. He ended, lamely.

The first words out of his mouth were caustic, and Ruenna's flexed her paws into the ground in a barely-perceptible demonstration of anxiety. She fought the urge to check over her shoulder for Āzon.

When he spoke again however, his words were more capitulating. He would have to talk it over with Brecheliant? That told Rue that he had made some kind of promise there, if he had not outright joined their ranks. No doubt he would be chagrinned to give up a position of respect in Brecheliant for one of disgrace in the Caldera.

It was a lot to absorb, and he expressed that much, admitting to his surprise. 

Ruenna was not surprised.. not really. Towhee was older than Reyes and a born leader, and therefore a more long-term thinker. Reyes had made it clear that he was not going away, and he was going to continue to press the issue with the Caldera. Now he was winning the Brecheliant wolves to his side; they already sheltered a man they knew to be in exile from the Caldera, and that fact alone put a strain on pack relations. This issue was posed to drive a wedge between the packs, and so for this reason Reyes needed to be back in the Caldera, where they could keep an eye on him and keep the problem contained. Everyone knows what they say about keeping your friends close...

"This offer doesn't just come from Towhee. Leadership made the decision together." Reyes had asked, and Ruenna had spoken up for him.  

"..We want you home, and so do your children." Ruenna spoke earnestly. Political reasons aside, Towhee had admitted to Rue that she was struggling with the kids. Phox was gone, Fennec and Meerkat were being pulled in too many directions, and the children were quickly outpacing their handicapped Auntie Woo. Everyone had good intentions, but Towhee needed more help than she was getting.

Ruenna let a breath out slowly, deciding to reveal a little secret of hers. 

"I am in exile too, from the lands of my birth." She'd never told this to anyone, not even Towhee. Especially not Towhee.  "I made a mistake, not unlike yours. It can happen to anyone. It doesn't mean that you're a bad person, or that you can't be redeemed." Perhaps it would help him with his transition, knowing that there was someone in the Caldera who understood, even just a little bit. There was someone in the Caldera who was rooting for him to succeed-- someone who was living vicariously through him, because she'd long since missed the opportunity for her own redemption.

Reyes listened, understanding it hadn't been Towhee's choice but more of a collective agreement. Maybe being set so low among the other Redhawks was a caveat they presented to her, rather than the other way around. Maybe she did want him back and went out of her way to plead with her friends to allow it -- but even as Reyes thought of this, he knew it was wrong. Towhee did not beg for anything. She made her decisions and stuck to them with a stubborn streak he had once found quite charming, only now that it was turned upon him, Reyes found it problematic.

The last thing Reyes wanted to hear was some sympathy grab from Ruenna; he didn't know her well, did not really care to. Besides the fact she was a hard worker and attentive to his children, which made her good to have around, she was clearly still in "Camp Towhee" and as far as the young man could tell, only told him this story to somehow form a bond with him. Perhaps to placate him. She spoke of redemption as if Reyes had done something heinous - he didn't kill anyone; he'd made one mistake and then profusely apologized for it.

It wasn't his fault that Towhee struggled now, without him there. That had been her decision when she had refused to listen to him. Now what, he was supposed to put all of that behind himself and pretend they were on good terms? Pretend he had friends at the Caldera who would back him up? He didn't; he only had his children, who by now could have been turned against him too.

It would take some thought.

I'm not a bad person. Reyes didn't need to be convinced of that. He'd felt like a shithead after-the-fact and maybe ran his mouth a bit, but he had only voiced what everyone was already thinking — what everyone always thought about him, when things got difficult. He knew better though. And he certainly didn't need to be told.

I'll... he sighs, I'll think about it. Obviously I want to return and be a father to my kids, but with things as they are now... I just need a day or two. He didn't want to give the wrong impression, but he also didn't like the idea of grovelling or begging, or the chance to return just to be at the bottom of the pile again; he was better than that. What would the kids think of him?

Thank you for the opportunity. He closed with, looking more grim than when Ruenna arrived.

Well, Rue had tried. Sharing that piece of her past had gone above and beyond the call of duty: Towhee had only asked Rue to deliver the message. It was not her responsibility to convince him to accept the terms. It seemed that his only takeaway from her revelation was the implication that someone, somewhere might think he was a bad person-- since he felt the need to insist otherwise-- and that was entirely not the point. 

Ruenna beginning to understand how dealing with Reyes could be trying for Towhee, if he insisted on clinging to the worst possible interpretation of the words spoken. 

And then, resigned capitulation. Reyes would think about it. Ruenna nodded. She hadn't expected him to agree outright, not when everything between him and Towhee had to be such a struggle.  Ruenna thought she'd never met two more stubborn people. 

"If you would like to bring your answer to our border, our guardians will know to expect you." Ruenna spoke with a polite, tight smile. She turned over her shoulder, and should Reyes have no further questions, she would depart to meet back up with Āzon. He wouldn't be far, given the precariousness of the entire situation.