Redhawk Caldera Tea for three plus one.

The first day of fall dawned cool, rainy and refreshing, which paired well with Towhee's mindset. She had been away much longer than she had planned, though spending several weeks under Raven's care had done wonders for her. Sure, she'd balked at first—particularly when her sister had insisted on twice daily meditations—and the medications hadn't been what she'd call particularly pleasant, but the change of the seasons was marked with a sense of healing and well-being.

She said her goodbyes and thank-yous beneath gloomy skies, then finally began the journey home. @Sifaka wanted to stay behind, so Raven insisted on sending one of her yearling sons to escort Towhee. He didn't talk much, which suited her just fine. They walked at a steady clip, Towhee trying not to speculate on what she'd missed and how her pack mates would react upon her return. Anytime she caught herself getting too wound up in her thoughts, she did a breathing exercise her older sister had taught her. It helped a lot, actually, especially with keeping her stomach calm.

The moment they drew up beneath the caldera's misshapen shadow, Quixote's lookalike bowed his head and excused himself to return home. Towhee opened her mouth to insist he stay at least a few minutes and meet some of his relatives, but she shut it and waved farewell. She then faced her homeland, picturing her children's faces and hoping they would be as happy to see her as she was to see them, especially after being gone for weeks.

Towhee took one last moment to steady her breathing and her mind, then raised her muzzle toward the dreary skies and howled her homecoming, a fittingly hair-raising squall.

It wasn't him. She knew that.

But Mou's absence was hurting her so acutely, so greatly, that in her poppy haze, she could almost believe it was his voice that rose above the mist. 

Hope, for an instant. Then Maegi saw her.

Every pawstep sent daggers through her heart anew. Every breath she took rattled her ribs. Her gaze was fixed on Towhee, burning dark and hot enough to melt ice.

You're back, she said dully, not bothering to roll out the welcome wagon for a woman who'd once tried to kill her. Maybe in better circumstances—but not now.

She'd returned to her family. Why couldn't Mou?

Why did he always have to chase ghosts?

Sphyra was just patrolling when she heard the call, and as it reached her ears she smiled and started heading towards the location right away. Sphyra was used to her parents and most other wolves in her life being gone and then back again. It was just a part of life, really. Maybe one day she'd take a trip away from home, too. It only made sense.

Mom! she called out when her mother came into view, and Sphyrapicus' tail wagged excitedly as she headed towards her mother. Some of her puppy-like happiness dissipated when she saw the other wolf present, which instantly sent Sphyra into a more adult version of herself. She wanted to be taken seriously, after all. She eyed Maegi up and down and then turned her attention to her mother again, smiling fondly, though not pressing herself against her mother in puppylike glee like she had first intended. You're back!

Two figures appeared in quick succession. Towhee couldn't hear tone to save her life, though she could absolutely read body language and expressions, probably more readily than most wolves. Though both Maegi and Sphyra said the same words to her, their demeanor could not have been more different. In fact, everything about her pair of greeters was sharply juxtaposed.

She returned Maegi's burning look with a speculative glance of her own, though most of her attention went to her daughter. She felt no small measure of relief when Sphyra greeted her so warmly, welcoming her home. Towhee returned the youth's fond smile, closing the gap to nudge happily at the girl's cheek.

"And better than ever," she quipped to both of them, drawing in a breath and stepping back a few paces. "Thank you for keeping the pack safe in my absence," she said, mostly to Sphyra, though she included Maegi with a brief look. "How are things here?"

The girl that rushed past her did so jubilantly, and Maegi did not miss her amended seriousness. In fact, it brought the ghost of a smile to her face; she remembered her efforts to be so adult at that age. A fine young wolf, she was. Her expression only faded as Towhee spoke again.

Quiet, she intoned, sucking in a deep inhale. Mou is gone. Looking for Prevost. Our daughter, she almost added, but it had no place here. Phox claimed Niamh's litter as his own—he had the right, but she would fight it to her grave.

She shifted her weight on her hind legs, breathing steadily, watching the reunion of. . .daughter and mother? She wondered. And as she wondered, jealousy bloomed up in her breast. Vesper had been so distant, and Blueberry even more. And all of her other daughters—

Sakhmet. The thought hit her hard in the solar plexus. Where had she gone? 

Why did they all leave?

Her mother did seem in much better spirits and health than when she had left. Sphyra nodded as her mother said that she was doing better, and then thanked her and Maegi (but mostly her) for protecting the pack in her absence. Of course, Sphyra said with a serious nod. Ruenna was a good leader, but it was no secret that she was in no state to fight should the pack be protected, so Sphyra took her job very seriously, especially in Towhee's absence. The young warrior glanced at Maegi as she mentioned someone called Mou being gone. Sphyra did not know this Maegi wolf nor the Mou wolf well at all, so she abstained from commenting on it and looked expectantly at Towhee to see if she was necessary still; or perhaps if her mother wanted anything such as food or drink.

It was Maegi who answered her first, reporting that things were quiet (good) and Mou had left (even better). She frowned at the mention of Prevost, feeling the loss mostly on Phox's behalf, though Towhee found some sympathy for the woman too. It kind of surprised her, actually, considering all the dark and twisted nuances of that situation, but it was there. Whatever else Maegi had done, she had saved those kids' lives.

"Will you be sticking around?" the Sovereign asked, point blank. She thought of the pups and added, "You should." She wondered how they felt about Mou leaving to look for their wayward sister. Towhee was certain she would find out, particularly because she had every intention of seeking out these youngsters and getting to know them now that she was back.

Facing Sphyra once again, Towhee's expression softened and warmed. "Where's your brother and sister?" She wanted to see everyone, of course, but most of all her own children. She knew she needed to track down Caracal, especially. "Could you take me to them? Unless you were in the middle of a patrol, then just tell me where I can find them," Towhee said, understated pride on her face as she regarded the maturest of this year's trio.

Will you be sticking around?

Her mangled jaw fell as the woman said it. Of course I will, she snapped, ears flattening. My children are here. The ones that are left, anyway.

There was no biting back the bitterness in her voice, in her actions, and she whirled on her heel before she could say anything more inflammatory. Typical Redhawks to fail to see past their own noses. How dare Towhee ask her that?

She should take Vesper and Blueberry away, and damn the lot of them.

Maegi skulked away, already sulking, her scrawny shoulders hunched almost to the crown of her skull in affront and shame all at once.

Hey! As the stranger-packmate snapped at her mother, Sphyra immediately bared her teeth and pressed herself to her mother's side. You don't talk that way to your superior! There was a fire blazing in her eyes, and Sphyra was ready for a fight, should it come to her. The other had already decided to leave, though, and with a demeanour that showed that Sphyra's words had gotten to her (or, well, it was easy for the youth to believe that in the moment).

Now that the threat was gone, Sphyra turned to her mother and asked, -Who is she?- Sphyra honestly didn't want to know her name, but her story. It was the easiest way to ask, though.

Sphyra had sort of forgotten the request to be brought to her brother and sister in the heat of the moment. As she remembered, the young guardian said: -Sapsucker left again. She's staying at the Frosthawks, with Raven.- Sphyra didn't tell her mother the whole truth. It wouldn't be of much use for now. -Caracal is fine. Still a little baby.- She didn't think he'd ever grow up, really, and it didn't help that he spent so much time with Killdeer, who was actually still a baby (well, in Sphyra's eyes, anyway; he was younger than them).

Well, what the fuck, was Towhee's only truly coherent thought when her well-meaning question evidently rubbed Maegi the wrong way. Before the Sovereign could decide whether it was worth it to harsh her own vibe by reacting, she felt her daughter press to her side. She looked over at Sphyra, catching most of what she said, but by the time she looked back toward Maegi, she was gone.

The Sovereign drew in a breath, eyes narrowing despite herself. When Sphyra questioned her about Maegi, her face softened once again. There were so many ways she could answer that question. Right now, she was the bitchy wife of her murderer, rapist brother, according to Towhee's inner voice. Some might've said Towhee had anger management issues, though she didn't mind that particular emotion compared to anxiety and depression. Nonetheless, she breathed in and out, trying to center herself a bit.

-"She's nobody,"- was her answer, probably the coldest thing she could've said. She snorted dismissively.

Pretty soon, all thoughts of Maegi were forgotten when Sphyrapicus shared the news about her twin sister. -"Um, what?"- Towhee blurted before she could stop herself. -"That's where I was, she wasn't th—did she try to come see me?"- Towhee wondered, loosing an earthquake of a groan.

She surprised herself a little by feeling more exasperated than worried. Raven was good but not so good that Towhee could simply shrug off anything stressful. So why wasn't she freaking out a bit more? Tierra was edging closer to adulthood and—assuming she'd found her way there, of course—she would be in great company with the Frosthawks. Besides, hadn't Towhee always told herself to shift her perspective about these sorts of things? Her kids were going to grow up and leave. That's just how things worked, a lot of the time.

She let out a sigh, nonetheless. -"Okay. Well, I'm glad I can depend on you to be grownup and hold down the fort,"- Towhee said to Sphyra, offering her a nudge. -"Really means a lot, kiddo. Now how about we find that baby brother of yours..."- She grinned as she thought of Caracal. Of course, her use of "baby" was affectionate rather than condescending but she hoped Sphyra would appreciate it nonetheless.

Strange that the pack should have someone that its regent would announce a 'nobody', but Sphyra was quickly diverted onto the subject of Sapsucker, deciding that someone that Towhee thought of as a nobody was not worth her time, either.

Her mother seemed to be taken aback that Sapsucker had left. It made sense to Sphyra; Tierra had left in rather a hurry and it was strange that she hadn't even waited for her mother to return. Sphyra felt much the same. But she also knew that the way of the world was that wolves left and came back. Like Tierra had done many times before, like Reyes had, and like Towhee herself even had. Tierra'd be back, of that Sphyrapicus was certain.

At Towhee's question whether Sapsucker had tried to come and see her, Sphyra shrugged non-committally. She didn't know, and she certainly didn't intend to get sucked into this whole Sapsucker-leaving-thing. That was a Sapsucker-thing, not a Sphyrapicus-thing.

Eventually Towhee got over it and Sphyra smiled a lopsided smile as her mother praised her for keeping down the fort. -No problem,- she said and signed, -Let's go see Crackle.- Mostly, Sphyra tried to say 'let's get you some rest' in a gentle way, because she knew that she was in no position to order around her own mother (yet).