Redhawk Caldera Gimme three steps

So… this was weird.

Jay wasn’t exactly bummed by Deedee leaving to go look for Ani, though he totally wished she’d have asked him to go with.  Leaving had never been something he’d ever wanted to do, but who was going to scare things off from her?  Wasn’t that a brother’s job?

Jay totally could have done it too.

He took a break from gnawing on a root to sigh dramatically, then went right back to it.  He didn’t blame Dwin or Dee for wanting to explore some.  Things were kinda boring here, and no one really seemed to want to play much anymore.  Dad was always good for a game until he got tired, but Mom was worried all the time and Teya and Bronco were busy getting fat (not together) and Aiden only seemed to like games if there was a point to them.  Which sometimes kind of ruined the fun.

Maybe he should go looking for Dee.  And totally beat up anything he met that seemed like it wanted to mess with her.  The whole hero sequence played out in his head as he chewed and he thought it seemed like a pretty cool idea.  Minus the whole “no idea how to take care of himself” part, but since that wasn’t a part of the fantasy, it didn’t really harsh the cool factor.

While Jay was there, imagining himself becoming the hero of the day (the week, the year and the century), a pair of apple green eyes had been watching him from a hiding spot in the bushes nearby. Dwin had caught her brother's scent, while she had been on her way to dig a trench (a hard work, when the ground is frozen) in an area she considered particularly vulnerable to the potential enemies. He had appeared to be deep in thought, did not notice her and this meant an opportunity to sneak up on him. 

As kids Dwin had got along with Jay the best and she had often thought about him or mentioned him, while she had been away. Yet a proper reunion was delayed, when the arrival home had been less spectacular than one should have wanted. First it had taken time for Dee to recover, then Dwin had been angry at her for leaving without a word. Which - quite unfairly - left her best buddy out of the circle of things that needed to be dealt with right away. 

Now, however, with everyone else either busy or not having time for lengthy discussions, she craved for some company at least. And having Jay on his own like this was a perfect occasion to remedy that. As a seasoned guerrilla (she liked to think), she waited until the right moment and then closed the distance between them and pounced at him from behind with a loud: "GOTCHA!" 

She actually did get him pretty good!  Jay let out a squeal that certainly didn’t befit a warrior hero like he was, then tried to disguise it.  DWIN!  It was a little accusatory, but mostly he was laughing.  He was just surprised is all!  Don’t sneak up on a man contemplatin his honor and all.

So what, now you’re… ‘dangerous Dwin’!  Or would you be ‘daring Dwin’.  Jay crouched playfully, his tail going excitedly.  You only get a cool title around everyone else, though.  Cuz I’m still calling you ‘dozy Dwin’ when I beat you at something.  

He was absolutely thrilled she was back!!

"Dozy Dwin my fluff!" Dwin stuck her tongue out at Jay, when he refused to call her by the title she had just officially earned. Danger-Dwin of the Caldera (though it would sound a lot cooler, if the name of their packlands had a word starting with a "d"). "And you are still The Orc of the Vale to me, no matter, what heroic deeds you achieve," she told him. "Add - Sleepy - to that, by the way," she grinned.

"How has life treated you?" she asked, stretching and then sitting down for a chat. "You seem to look good. Grown somewhat smaller and all that - I see," in fact, the opposite was true, but Dwin would never - even under the threat of torture - admit that her little brother Jay was not so little anymore. Neither in spirit, nor in his physical form.

I’m an orc because I’m so big and intimidating.  Jay responded, straightening up and trying to look as tall and impressive as possible.  He had grown quite a bit, and was shaping up to be a fairly large wolf, but the grin he slipped into a moment later spoiled the image a little.

Dude, sis, I’m so glad you’re back.  No one ever wants to do anything fun anymore, it’s been crazy boring here!  He bent and waggled his tail over his head playfully, then sprang up and sideways.  Actually, want to see something super cool?!  He’d said it was a secret but that didn’t really matter as much now that Sorana wasn’t really wanting to hang out.  He’d totally still let her in, but something this cool had to be shared.

"Yeah, dip that haughty nose of yours down, so that I do not have to push a stone to step up and reach it," Dwin teased Jay for him showing off and reached up to touch his muzzle with her paw. "And you will have to work on your intimidating act too. Yes - I am not afraid, because I know that you are a huge softie inside, but I doubt you will convince anyone outside Brecheliant that you are anything dangerous," she went on, scrutinizing him. "Don't worry, I will help you," she added. 

"Yeah, growing up is not as fun as we imagined, is it? But we won't betray the ideals of our youth, will we? We won't become one of those boring adults. That would be a crime and a loss to wolfdom," Dwin agreed. Don't get her wrong - adults in Brecheliant were all fine and dandy, but... their understanding of fun was not, what Jay and Dwin considered it to be. 

"Blast me off my feet," she got up to, ready to follow Jay and really hoping that this was not a prank.