Redhawk Caldera Turning purple at the dance evening
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All Welcome 
Tags are for reference. Assumptions made in this thread are agreed upon with ebony. 

Only after Dwin, @Chickadee  and the rest of the Brecheliant rescue team had returned home, did the young Blackthorn realize, how very, very tired she was. Once her sister had received the medical care she needed and all there was to do to rest and sleep, she happily obliged to stay by her side and do the same thing. The cumulative effect of physical exhaustion and lack of proper food during her month and a half long travels washed over her like a wave. For the first two or three days the only time she left the shared den was to eat something and to relieve herself, then she returned to curl right next to Dee and slept away. 

It was a good while later, when Dwin finally felt her usual energy return to her. Her mind was the first to recover, it was buzzing with ideas and was making plans, but her BM Dwinn (bone-and-meat Dwin aka her body) was not able to keep up yet. It would agree initially and with enthusiasm, only to tell a short time later - sorry, I do not have it in me. The only consolation was that the weather in the recent days had been fairly awful - it had snowed and rained, and been windy - which meant that there was very little she would miss out. 

Another thing that worried her just a little for now, was Dee's unwillingness to let Dwin out of sight for too long. Such dependence was endearing, of course, and Dwin's heart was in the right place. But after having a taste of the world outside, she knew that going out and exploring even for a bit was something she needed very much the same way other people needed food and water. At the moment that was not a big problem - she was in no mood to go anywhere far, nor was she able to do so. But what about later? 

Today she had reassured Dee that she was going out to find something tasty for them to eat and that she would be back soon. Plus, send someone else from their family to keep her company, while she was out. It had been a bit of a struggle to convince and calm her sister down, and she still felt a bit guilty, remembering, how worried she had been to see Dwin go. But on the other hand - it was for the benefit of both of them. First - food, second - recharging her own batteries. 
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Two of her girls were home safe. Maia was relieved beyond words when she got the news, but as much as she wanted to do nothing more than hover over them both, she had things to take care of as well. That morning she was on her way back to check on them both when she saw Ceridwen out and about.

There was certainly a strange sense of being unsure what to say. Should she tell her how much they’d missed her? How glad she was to see her home? Maia’s smile trembled a bit, but instead she took a small step to close the gap.

How are you feeling? Do you need anything? She appeared to be on her way somewhere, and moving with a purpose, so perhaps she shouldn’t keep her long.
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Dwin had imagined her homecoming to be grander than the way it had happened in reality. Like in the stories, where the protagonist leaves being nothing and then returns awesome and cool. She had come home very hungry, very tired, with less adventures than she would have liked and she did not feel that different. Plus, in the light of recent events, there never seemed to be a right moment to tell, what she had seen and who she had met. 

She had exchanged a brief and sleepy - Hi, mom! Hi, dad! - upon her arrival, but since then she had not had a substantial conversation with either of the two. Because alphing took just as much time and effort as looking after two teenagers - one undernourished, the other - badly hurt. So - it was a very welcome event to meet Maia face to face and have no one around to distract them. 

Undoubtedly there was this moment of mutual awkardness - Dwin had done some growing up, while she had been away, and therefore considered that she should act accordingly. Like adults did - steadfast, slow, polite, collected, calm - you name it. On the other hand - she was so, so, so glad to see one of her favourite people in the whole world, that she was just dying to rush over her and just burry herself in mom's embrace. Feeling torn, she shifted from one foot to the other, until an idea came to her mind. 

She looked over her shoulder on the one side, then on the other and feeling sure that no one was around to see, she squealed happily something unintelligible and closed the distance between her and mom in full speed. Good thing Maia was a big wolf, who could take the impact of a gangly, underweight, small teenager without toppling over. Dwin was giddy with excitement and somewhat incoherent in, what she wanted to do - hug, kiss, nuzzle, wrap herself all around mom - and eventually she calmed for a second, burrying her face in the thick and soft fur of Maia's neck, breathing out a: "I am so glad there is so much of you!" 
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Maia’s biggest fear was stifling her children to the point where they resented her. She worried they’d get tired of their homebody mom in a similar way that Diantha had, leaving without a word and never being seen or heard from again.

Holding herself back was pretty much torture, but it had to better than that, yeah? Unless it made them think they weren’t loved and wanted here…. Oh. That wasn’t even thinkable. They couldn’t, right!?

She was about to step forward again and reach out when Dwin seemed to make up her mind similarly. She was so grateful for the enthusiastic and heartfelt greeting that she could have cried. Instead she laughed and returned the hug fiercely, her own tail going wild while she landed a couple kisses on the top of her head. Quick, of course… she hadn’t missed her daughter’s concern on being seen.

But there’s so little of you! She thought, feeling how she’d slimmed down. She knew better than to mention it, though, guessing her pride might take a hit if she did. And I’m so glad to see you! I was hoping to hear about some of your traveling! If you wanted, maybe over a little lunch? She knew she could rustle something up for the two of them if so.

Eljay had Chickadee covered for the moment, which meant Dwin had her complete attention for as long as she was willing to put up with it.
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If there had been any reservations about greeting Maia in the way she always had as a kid, then now they were gone completely. Being embraced in just the same heartfelt way and sensing all the love that her mom had to give, felt right. And if something felt right to her, it would not damage her pride in any way. One of the biggest downsides of her travels had been the sense of loneliness, which she had experienced more often than meaningful and interesting encounters. Besides - no matter, how great the people had been (she thought of Val and Ash Paw especially fondly), they weren't family. Not in the way mom was here with her now. 

"Oh, I was on my way to look for something for Dee. She was not happy to have me go," she explained, unaware that her father had filled that role and her sibling was in the best paws possible. "But we can talk, while we go," she offered. "And I am all for lunch - a little will do, but a big one will be better," she beamed at Maia, knowing without saying that any plans of travels would have to be postponed until mom and dad would deem her fat enough to do so. That would be one rule she would not object to for the time being. "What happened, while I was gone? What should I know," she asked, when they were walking side by side at a leisurely pace.
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Maia let her go and smiled fondly as she spoke, though her heart a bit to think that Chickadee was afraid to be alone, even in her own home. Maia could understand why but it did not make the idea any easier to regard. I left your dad there when we went by to check in. He wanted to spend a little time with her anyway. It’s… really sweet of you, looking after her the way you have been. Maia was obviously proud, though it felt too odd to say it outright. He should be able to handle things long enough for us to find a big lunch. One that Eljay and Chickadee could enjoy too.

She had to think, to be able to tell what had happened. It seemed like so much, and so much of it hadn’t been good. Maia looked up, then decided to start at the beginning. Well, right after you left, a good friend of mine decided to join the pack. Her name is Amalia. She wasn’t sure if Dwin had met (or would remember) her. Some of the Redhawks visited too. They’re your dad’s family, but they didn’t stay for very long. It had been an awkward reunion.

She stopped there for a moment, letting her daughter take that in while she tried to sort out how (or if she even should) share the next bit. It really wasn’t her news to spread but she wanted her kids to know. They were close enough to Sorana and Teya, and even Reyes at times, that it meant something to them too.
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"That's awesome," Dwin said with probably more relief in her voice than she wanted to admit. Having dad to take care of Dee was the best thing that could happen. She would move mountains, cross fire and go to the end of the world, if it meant that her sister would fully recover, but even a heroic soul like her needed a break. Spending it with Maia felt as the best way to use the time. 

"Amalia? Nah, I do not think I know her, but I will definitely make the acquaintances. I won't be going away anytime soon so,"
she referred to her rather sorry physical state. There was little of her and, when the pure enthusiasm and willpower was not generating energy to keep her body going, she was finally forced to stop and recuperate.  

"Redhawks? Is it like those guys, who live south of here? With other Blackthorns?" she asked and it was a bit of a curiousity for her to say so, because before her journey she had memorized most of her family tree. Now it did not strike as interesting anymore. "Oh, I met someone in the mountains. A real hag, claimed to know dad and was very adamant of forcing my name out of me. She even puked in my general direction. Twice!" she scrunched her nose at the memory. 

"Well, you will be proud to here that in a true spirit of all great guerrillas before me I did not say a thing about me," she beamed at mom. "I was tempted to bargain an exchange - you know, family tree for some food, because I was very hungry then, but all that Mrs Vomittington offered me, was a half-digested mushroom. She did not seem to understand that the information I had was more valuable than that. Plus - she wanted to know very badly too!" people were weird. 
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Maia understood the relief and was glad she and Eljay were here and could relieve some of that burden. Her mate would be more than happy to spend as much time as was needed with Chickadee, and as a caretaker there was no one more qualified. They were all so lucky to have him.

Good. She gave her daughter another affectionate nuzzle when she said she wasn’t leaving anytime soon. You’ll always be welcome here as long as you want. She wouldn’t have been upset if Ceridwen had sought to leave sooner, but she certainly would have worried. That would always be the case.

These Redhawks were the ones who lived here, actually. Maia couldn’t really say where they’d moved to exactly, but if Dwin wanted more history, her dad would probably be the better source for it. She answered that question, then listened as she was regaled with a tale of her daughter’s travel.

She expressed surprise and light disgust at the appropriate moments, always a captive audience. She must have been an actual hag, but you didn’t fall for her trap and take her cursed mushrooms. Maia thought of her own previous encounters with strangers and suppressed a shiver. There was no need to bring actual danger into this - she sounded harmless, but certainly strange.

Hags are probably safer to trade with than faeries though, so good choice there. They won’t try to trick you so they get more and you get less. They’ll just ask you for something terrible right off the bat.
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"Yeah, well, to make a deal you also have to like the person at least a little bit. OR... or be super desperate. But I was neither. Hungry though... I think that all of those heroic tales and legends about great explorers do us injustice. They do not tell much about the hardship. Like going really, really, really hungry - at one point I truly believed I would be able to devour the Big Fish. Or... that there are a lot more boring days than there are the exciting ones," Dwin went on, looking at her mom and having a feeling that this was no news to Maia and that, even if she had told all the practical, less glorious details about the life on road, she would still not have believed it, unless she had dabbed in it herself.

"They did? I might have forgot about it. I thought that we - Blackthorns - always lived here. At least dad seems to think that this place has always belonged to our family,"
she said and you have to keep in mind again that the girl was not good with remembering facts or exact quotes, therefore her assumptions might only be 60% correct. "I did not meet any faeries or hags - I do not believe that the mushroom-projectiling nasty lady was an actual hag. A figurative one though. But I met some aliens? You know - they look kind of like us, but are grotesque and odd-looking. Ever met those?" she asked. 
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Maia smiled at Ceridwen understandingly, though it was a little softer and more reminiscent than the previous one. You seem to have done really well for yourself, even so. Better than I did when I traveled alone, back before I settled down with your father. I remember being so hungry one time, I tried to steal a catch from an entire pack. Maia laughed, a bit embarrassed to reveal such a thing to her daughter. Imagine!!

Of course, I didn’t manage it. If a stranger hadn’t helped me I’m not sure I would have made it back home. Let alone found and helped my sister. Her gaze filled with pride, but she was glad to hear that Dwin wasn’t sold on the lone wolf lifestyle. She missed them when they left, but it was worse if she knew they were out there alone. Traveling alone was never my style, and there’s nothing wrong with taking a friend. Or a sibling. Wraen had always been her rock on the road.

She couldn’t elaborate much on the Redhawk situation. It made sense that, being born here, they’d think that, and Maia was grateful for it for her husband’s sake. This was Eljay’s dream made real and no wolf deserved it more.

She tipped her head curiously. Aliens? Hmm… something that looked like a wolf but wasn’t. Maybe! There was someone from Akashingo, she stayed here with us a while. Her coat was beautiful, but her ears and tail were strange. She thought perhaps she’d met more, but Nala was most recently on her mind. She paused to see if that was at all what she meant.
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Dwin took the compliment with a smile, but deep down she knew that she had fared far worse than Maia. In her eyes her mom was the idol to strive for. Sure, she was a fan of grandma Finley as well, but having a living and breathing heroine here and now instead of one, who was featured in stories and memories, was better. You could always turn to her and ask, what it had been really like.

"You could come? On my next journey?" she invited hope in her voice, but knowing deep in her heart that mom would most likely refuse. Both for the sake of their aging dad, but also the pack duties. It seemed more and more that adult and family life was more about responsibilities and denying yourself many great things than actual freedom. Dwin was not sure she liked this perspective or the kind of future, therefore she found comfort in the fact that at this point in life she could still make a decision against the path Maia had once chosen. 

"Maybe. Maybe they were wolves just different. Maybe they thought I was the alien," she sighed. "How's dad doing?" Dwin asked and not because she had not visited Eljay after her return. Dad was her favourite person in the world and she surely was his. Therein lied the problem - he would not tell her, if he was off to worse, even if she asked. He did not wish to disappoint her, but she was old enough to realize that all was not well and that living with uncomfortable truth was better than with a positive lie. 
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Maia smiled. It’s been a while since I had the chance for an adventure. I’d love to, if we aren’t gone for too long. She couldn’t stay away for much longer than a few days, but she’d taken trips and she knew Eljay would be alright here without her for a short one. Teya too. They could keep things safe and under control better than she could, most of the time, anyway!

When Dwin asked about Eljay, though, Maia felt a little prick of familiar anxiety. Your dad is doing great. He’s… I think he’s really enjoying not being in charge, and getting to focus more on spending time with you kids when you are here. I’m really glad. Her smile was genuine, and the words were true, even if Maia had her own silent fears. After losing so many loved ones so suddenly, she couldn’t help but think the worst at every turn. Every sign that he was getting older was another reminder that someday she was going to lose him, and she would have no control over when that day was.
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"Oh, sure. That would be absolutely amazing!" Dwin beamed at Maia, looking forward to a girl's night and few days out. Now that she was almost grown up, she no longer needed that much of attention from her mom. Still having quality time like this once in a while was amazing. They never ran out of topics to talk about, Dwin was always eager to listen to stories and lament her leaky memory for not being able to remember them correctly. Now and then she gave in the game of rhyme building game, but her skills in poetry were... well, let's say she was all for modern free-form poetry. And stick to that. 

She studied mom's face carefully, when she spoke about dad. While she picked up a hint of worry, Maia did not seem overly concerned. And if anything else then stress was something she did not hide well. "Dad's not getting younger, is he?" Dwin asked. "I mean, it was never obvious to me before, but now that I returned... he seems smaller," she said. The adjective of choice did not have to do anything with the size, rather the feeling. "Mind, if I ask you... how long do people live? Do they themselves know that?" she wondered.
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The conversation switch wasn’t exactly a welcome one, but Maia knew she shouldn’t avoid it entirely. Still, her fears were something she kept close to her chest; she didn’t really want to fully accept them herself. It was easier to skate on past them.

He’s not, but he’s still healthy and strong. I’m not sure how many years we live, I think it depends on the wolf. And sometimes how hard their life is. That’s part of why your dad stepped down, I think. So that he could relax and not have to worry so much. Wraen hadn’t lived much past this, a part of her fear, but… her health hadn’t been great leading up to it. The memory still hurt.

Eljay had years left. She was sure of it.
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"I wonder, what would life be like, if we knew exactly the day we were going to die?" Dwin asked, wondering, how would that work and whether that knowledge would make her miserable. Or quite the contrary - more motivated to live her life to the fullest. Which - she had to admit - she did not quite know, how to do it correctly. Her big journey had had to be that very thing, but the more she thought about it, the less convinced she felt that it had been something she could list as the most awesome experience of her life. 

"I think... it could be so that people... there would be people, who would despair over it and just freeze. Not know, what to do or not care about the living at all," she suggested. "Or... or... quite the contrary, they would do all kinds of stupid stuff just because they knew there is or is not time to solve it. Or... or even try to cheat death. Or try to find ways of bringing it closer. Say - you do not want to live anymore for whatever reason," the latter subject was foreign to her, because she simply could not understand, why would people ever not want to live. 

"What do you think? What would you do?"
she asked for Maia's opinion.
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It was a morbid question! Maia didn’t like thinking about those sorts of things, but because it was her daughter asking, she tried to actually consider it. Death was such a hard thing. It always seemed to come when you least expected it and always seemed to steal that goodbye. Maybe, in some ways, knowing would be a blessing.

I think most would try to avoid it. I can’t see myself not doing that. But even if I thought I could change things, I’d still make sure I had time to say goodbye to everyone who was important to me. Just in case. She smiled, though it was softer as her mind went to Wraen. I’d make sure I said all of the things I needed to say, and that they could too, so there was nothing anyone needed to regret after.

If she’d known her parents were going to die, she’d have done so many things differently. The same with Terance, with Wraen, and she was sure Eljay felt that way about Wildfire too. They’d known, but without a date, it was so easy to put things off until it was too late. What would you do?
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"I don't think I will ever want to cease to live," Dwin said with all the confidence of a very young an inexperienced person, who had been up until now spared great disappointments, heartbreaks or tragedies in life. There are some core qualities about people that do not really change over the years and there are people, whose will to live and survive is stronger than the challenges life throws their way. It may as well be that Dwin was one of those people, who live with the motto: "There will be other crap in life and the current one will be forgotten."

"I do not want to be immortal or anything either," she clarified, being well versed in tales, where deathless life was quite different from the thing the protagonist had imagined it to be. "I think that there is a beauty of not knowing it. I would not want to know, when I am going to pass. Because... I think... that if I die, my problems will be over. It will be the living mourning me - hopefully," she grinned. "I would like to think that my death would be a beginning of an entirely different adventure. New one," she told.