Redhawk Caldera snowbell

Seal was only away for a couple of days, but returned to Brecheliantwith a new pep in her step. Wee Otter and Skipjack were like new little treasures, and their older sister couldn’t wait to watch them grow. It was a bit bittersweet to leave Sun Mote Copse, and the young woman felt homesick as she remembered hugging her Momma and Da goodbye.

Yet, she was determined to earn her keep. She wasn’t a very skilled hunter, but Seal had managed to kill a young snowshoe hare on the way back to the caldera. Killdeer had given her a few pointers when they had hunted for Ponyboy.

announcing to @Kivaluk that she would be away for a time, chickadee took a well-known route down the rockier paths to reach brecheliant. heaving a sigh of relief when she spotted the grassy rim of the caldera, the moonthorn's stride lengthened.
nauseau tilted her sideways; she did not reach the border, pausing as dizziness overcame all senses. chickadee sat down hard, mouth filling with saliva as her mind rushed in shock and surprise. what was this???

At home and traveling a little less now, Bronte was trying to make up for lost time. She had a sluggish start to her day. It had been the kind of morning where you just couldn't seem to wake up, no matter what you did. Drowsiness clinging onto her, stubbornly.

She wouldn't be weighed down and pulled herself from the cozy warmth of her den. Forced her legs to move as she drifted through the chilled air. Which she noted, was not quite so cold as it had been. A sign spring was coming. Her young adult coat was still in it's thick winter fullness, not nearly ready to be thinned just yet.

Pushing through the territory in hopes of catching herself something to eat, Bronte's hope was that this little walk would give her the jolt she needed. By chance, she found herself within easy reach of the borders. It was also the same area in which she could spot Seal, a distance away. But it was not the lovely lady that caught her eye first. It was a movement just beyond the borders. She recognized Chickadee, who was sitting and not looking quite right.

Concern and curiosity kicked in, spurring her forward. As she trotted towards the border, she breezed past Seal. "Hey, c'mon. We gotta check on her." She said decisively but not unkindly. As she had matured, Bronte had become a sort of take charge girl, especially since the attack on one of Moonspear's members. Arriving close to Chickadee, she ease forward with a curious series of sniffs. "Hey it is good to see you! But uh, are you feelin okay...?"

Thank you both for joining!! <3

Because rabbit blood filled her nostrils Seal walked on, oblivious that Chickadee was sat just beyond Brecheliant’s borders. She saw Bronte first and blithely offered a friendly wave of her tail. Only when she realized that Bronte’s attention was fixed elsewhere, did the yearling turn her head over her shoulder to see Chikadee’s crumpled outline.

Hey, c'mon. We gotta check on her.

With a brisk nod of agreement, Seal ran beside Bronte like Robin following Batman.

Seal was surprised to see it wasn’t a stranger, but Chickadee! Though she had never formally met the older girl, Seal was familiar with all of the names and faces of the moon villages. However, she did not know Chickadee originally hailed from Brecheliant.

Hey it is good to see you! But uh, are you feelin okay...?

Seal set the rabbit down and swooped with Bronte to asses. “Chickadee,” she said the girl’s name in a concerned tone. She gently placed one paw on her shoulder for support and analyzed the moonthorn’s ailed features as she listened for her answer to Bronte's question.

<3

by the time bronte arrived, chickadee was feeling steadier, if still perturbed by the wave of lightheadedness which had overtaken her head by surprise.
"oh, hi, bronte," she murmured sheepishly, blushing further when a younger girl with no less concern joined them. feeling rather relieved to be in the company of young women, she wiped her mouth with a paw, regarding the golden-eyed girl who she regarded as a cousin. "i'm fine, well, i was fine, all the way from moonglow, i just started getting so dizzy just now i had to sit down," came the words in a hand-wringing rush.
"i'm a blackthorn," she told the new brecheliant member whom she did not yet know. "maia and eljay are my parents, i came to visit them but goodness, i hope I'm not getting sick."

"It is really good to see you Chickadee. It feels like it has been ages." She returned warmly. And, as she explained, she didn't seem too out of sorts. She pursed her lips together slightly. "Hm, just dizzy huh?" She let her nose skim the pale gradient hairs of her cousin, sniffing for anything out of the ordinary.

"Sounds like it could just be a case of dehydration. Come on in and we can get you to the lake." She made way for her to pass. "Oh and your timing is good! This is Seal. She is from Moonspear but she is staying with us a while!" She exchanged a warm glance at her friend, for her to elaborate a little more if she wished.

Seal bit her lip. Chickadee and Bronte chalked up the dizzy spell to being nothing more than dehydration, but the Moonsperian girl was still concerned.

However, she was a newcomer and didn’t wish to spoil the family reunion with needless fretting.

Bronte provided the introduction. “I’ve seen you before,” Seal explained with a gentle smile as they were guided towards the lake. “At Moonglow and in the healer’s huts during the hunt at Hoshor plains.”

"I didnae ken you weren't from Moonglow, though," she added.

"well! i tried to leave on an expedition out from brecheliant, to find my sister, ani. she disappeared. it made no sense, i had to look!" chickadee chattered as seal and bronte guided her toward brecheliant. "i left with a boy named antigone. we weren't very good at hunting and a big storm separated us."
her eyes took on a dreamy cast.
"kivaluk found me. later i found out he was son of the moonglow leader! and firsthunter! we just — we lived together." warmth dreamed inside. "we fell in love," she whispered, glancing between the other young women.

If there was one thing Seal couldn’t get enough of, it was a sappy love story of the fairytale sort. So often her thoughts were filled with romantic (sometimes scandalous) thoughts! It was almost as if a prerequisite for womanhood was the love of another.

“Oh Chickadee!” Seal gushed as she ate up every bite the Blackthorn had dished.

“How did you know?” she pried. “How did you know it was true love?” Seal longed for answers! And chisme!