Redhawk Caldera Luck of an Unlucky Hippie [Rejoin]

All Welcome, Caldera wise. However, if it's to be in the go, then either  @Fox or  @Peregrine get their say-so. 

"I'm getting sick of luggin' ya sorry butt around, ya know that, pal?"
Another drag.
"I mean, I understand, bro. Don't let dudes push ya around, but lettin' em pull ya? That's a downgrade, man."
Another drag.
"But you did what ya could, I get that. I'm not narkin' ya. I've had my fair share of pancakes aimin' logs at me too, but I dodge and move on. You shoulda',"
Drag.
"...dodged."

Ash managed to heave the stuffed husk of a massively dead bear from seemingly the farthest corner of Teekon, up to the borders of his once homely..well..home. Inside the well dried, black hued, soft hide was several helpful, harmful, and unnecessaryful things. Potions, poisons, toys, dried meat, bones of...dead things, dried and hopefully still alive herbs, barks, and a massive passive bunch more of stuff he had to travel slow with, or else risk taking muscles, breaking backs, snapping teeth, or worse..spoiling something toxic on himself. 

The blond near 3 year old sat on his sunny rump with an audible 'Umph'.
Dragging shit made ya tired, especially when it was from recently extremed land Mother Nature decided to PMS all over. If a dude ever told you his gal was a nightmare on her time, tell em you've met worse, just from stepping out the den-door. 

The sweat drenched and muscle stretched teen glanced at the pile of life saving/ending bundle, and hoped his leaders survived Green Lady's Weather Cramps. 
Hiding exhausted emerald optics swiftly behind his lids, he tilted his handsome head to the Caldera, calling his once familiar family, and hoping he hadn't missed much..or missed mourning many..after the unexpected prolonging of his Houdini act.

Wolves don't sweat! :P

Grimm had recently returned to their ranks, which made Peregrine think of the other handful of wolves that had vanished into the ether since founding the caldera. Why weren't more wolves like FitzDutiful, who had had the decency to inform them of his departure? The Alpha male would always respect him for that. Then there were others who just vanished, leaving the pack confused and sad, then eventually angry, about the loss of their family member.

Peregrine wasn't much of one for second chances but Fox had judged Grimm worthy of one. And now, it seemed, the Alpha male would get his opportunity to dole one out too. Because, unbelievably enough, he tracked a familiar scent and found none other than the hippie healer himself sitting at his borders. Peregrine stopped, staring from a distance, trying to decide how he should feel about this. Then Somnia's face floated through his head and he knew exactly how he would react to Ashton's prodigal return.

"You left," he barked, something decidedly hostile about his body language as he made his approach, "and then Somnia disappeared too. It's your fault we lost one of the best wolves this pack ever had." As the word had left his mouth, Peregrine braked to an abrupt halt, leering over Ashton and ignoring his strange cargo entirely.

Elwood heard the howl, and didn't intend to investigate -- until he realized how familiar it sounded. He was laying just outside of his family's den -- which, luckily, had survived the storm -- and his ears perked at the sound. A newcomer at their borders? No, wait...he knew that voice, and it belonged to Ashton.

He whispered to Finley before he took to his feet, loping swiftly towards the outskirts. He was met with the sight of not only Ashton, but Peregrine, as well. The Alpha male was already addressing the hippie, his body language not quite welcoming. Elwood wasn't sure how to feel; he had half hoped that Somnia would have been with Ashton, but she was nowhere to be seen.

So it was with a stern expression and pursed lips that he came to a halt next to Peregrine, exchanging a quiet glance with his leader before shifting his gaze back to Ashton. He was curious to hear the former Redhawk's explanation.

Whoops. Mhmnk, gonna play it off as dirty water, then.



Not too long from the call leaving his maw, the Dark Dude made his way ominously from the still intact crib. Another silhouette came from the shadows, a form he also remembered down to a T. Electro. Woot, party at a soon to maybe be execution. 

The words came, and they hit him. A not welcome home, and he was thoroughly happy they weren't. He remembered his high bromigo as being a dude who took no bullshit, and he respected even more for it. He even looked up to the Shadow Shape for his ethereal balls of not-shadows.

The Doctor lowered his blond cap, drew in his flag, and degreed his body to its proper form, in address to his first met leader.
Wait a second, did he say Somnia disappeared too?
That almost made him hit the clouds. 
Bruh, restraint. You gotta make sure you can at least chat with cap without gettin ya breathing tube dropped at ya digits.
Right.

"It's also my fault the cache that was on the north east border was raided by a lynx, but like many of my fuck ups, Cap'n, I come to amend em in any way I know how. I doubled that cache for 3 weeks after I let that cat go."

Still staring at the paws of the not too smilin' Alpha, Ash took a breath, and continued. 

"I went on a herb trip, Per. I had run out of rosemary, Tulip buds, Wood roots, and Lavender. Several of the named ingredients are not found within our borders, and they had been a personal item I had brought, when I first came. Once I ran dry, I panicked a bit, since it was still winter, and those are used to treat wolves with sickness in the winter. I wouldn't have been able to stand it, if someone came down to me, sneezing and having throat fails, and there was nothin smashable about it. "

Yea, he was guilty. Of fear. Paranoia of someone dying on his watch. Wasn't all good hearted doctors?

"I went far, man. I saw shit that was chill, and even things that wasn't what a wolf like me shoulda seen. Then, it didn't help when I was nearly back, that a Swirl of Death Air came out the sky, trying to eat all she touched. So many died, and it didn't help that I didn't have enough stuff to help all who had been hurt... but I did what I could, and moved on. I even snagged a load of stuff you might think is rad. "

The sunny pelted teen still kept crouched, but snaked his way to big ole Santa bag of goodies and greeds. 

"I remembered how Flame Babe and you became parents, and I got a whole buncha things, more than half of em in this bag is for the both of ya."

Only then, did Ash remember how many things he kept for Somnia in that bag too, and the thought alone shut him both up and down for a sec. 
He talked too much, anyways.
Well that's not nice, dude...
Hell, it's true. You know Dark Magic over here don't got a patience for air wastin'.
Fine, fine. Let him get his talk in.
Thank you.

"I'm sorry, Peregrine,"
Didn't you just agreed ta shut it?
Yea, but..
Just hurry up, man.
"For being gone, for not even bothering to open my maw, even for the gone of good wolves. If I would've known this shit woulda hit the fan the way it is now, I woulda never even lifted a pad ta go, and I swear that on all the green I ever downed."

When Elwood appeared at his side, the Alpha gave his second-in-command a nod, then refocused his jade eyes on Ashton. His gaze was heavy, expectant but skeptical. What reason would Ashton give? Would Peregrine be able to forgive him? Ashton was a likable guy but it wasn't easy to win over the swarthy Alpha, especially not after crossing him.

The hippie provided a long-winded tale. When he finished, Peregrine wanted to know one thing. "Why didn't you say something before you left?" His gaze brutally bore holes in the top of Ashton's lowered head. At least he was properly submissive. "It would have made all the damn difference in the world, then and now. Somnia would still be here, for starters."

The "dude's" gift only served as a reminder that Ashton had conveniently left prior to the pups' birth. Luckily, Fox's pregnancy and delivery had gone smoothly. But Peregrine couldn't keep track of how many times he had thought to himself, Boy, I wish we had a Healer! Of course, now they had a veritable handful of wolves interested in the trade but, at the time, Ashton had left them high and dry.

As was his way, Ashton launched into a detailed explanation of what had happened. Had the circumstances been different, Elwood might have found himself smiling at the healer's quirky and descriptive tale. But he kept his face carefully neutral, one ear pointed directly at Ashton and the other tilted towards Peregrine. He fed off of his superior's reactions; no matter how he felt about Ashton, it would be Peregrine's decision whether or not to let him back into the pack.

He gritted his teeth at Peregrine's repeated mention of Somnia, then quietly made an addition to the Alpha's statement. "She went looking for you, I think," he said, having noticed Ashton's startled expression when Somnia's absence was first addressed.

The blond sheathed teen nearly fucked up and looked at Electro in 50 shades of disbelief. Looking for him? Why the Hell would she think that was a good idea? 
Nope, greens on the Alpha paws,
Greens on Alpha paws. 

"In all honesty, Cap'n, I never brained I would be gone this long. That is all paw on heart, Per. Hell, being ghost a week was the most I even thought was possible. I didn't say any thing, cuz of that, alone."

This dude felt nothing but confusion at the idea of Som pommin lands all over, trying to find him. 
If he got out of this alive, he would never forgive himself. 
And if he died, that might be the only fitting punishment for his crime. 
Ducking famnit, Som Som.
Why? 
Why you, girl?

"I had no intention of Som pawin it after me, Per. I didn't even know my absence influenced her to search for me. Out of all folk on my list, she was one of the top, man...I never would have tried to diggy down a future of resources if I wouldn'tve been able to plant any flowers with her, in it. I had hearts for her. And she knew it."

Not gonna lie, he felt a howl comin on, and it wasn't for kicks. It was because he wanted to be kicked. 
In the face.
By a elephant.

Ashton's next words sealed his fate, though even Peregrine didn't fully yield to a decision yet. He continued staring hard at the Healer. Ashton was one of the most authentic wolves the Alpha had ever met, so it was very likely he was telling the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. His small, stupid oversight at the time had snowballed into two terrible losses for the caldera. It was hard to attribute it to an honest mistake but even Peregrine could see the facts of the matter staring him in the face.

He closed his eyes a moment, in the manner of a quietly frustrated man, then reopened them. "Ashton, she felt the same way about you. That's why she went after you." That was an assumption, of course, but it was a belief the entire pack shared. "Clearly, she never found you." He let those words hang heavily in the air. If Somnia hadn't caught up with Ashton, with the two of them running off to their happily ever after, where did that leave her? She was out there, somewhere, without Ashton or any of them.

"If I'm going to allow you back into our ranks, I need you to promise you'll stay with us for good this time. If you go anywhere outside of the caldera—even to take a dump—you have to let someone know. If you don't, I'll consider it a violation of my trust and you'll never be welcome back here again. Also, you'll be in our lowest rank for at least a month while you earn back our trust and respect. Do you accept these terms?"

While he waited for an answer, Peregrine glanced at Elwood, wondering if the Beta felt he was being fair and reasonable. There was always the chance he would relent later, like Fox had with him. For now, however, this was the Alpha male's judgment call.

Regret was evident on Ashton's face, and unknowingly Elwood followed a train of thought similar to Peregrine's. The blonde wolf had always been honest, perhaps even to a fault, and the Blackthorn could see that the news of Somnia's disappearance was weighing heavily on him. He claimed that his abandonment of the pack had been an accident, and Elwood believed him; no matter how much he wanted to be angry at Ashton, he couldn't fault him for what had happened unexpectedly.

He looked to Peregrine as the Alpha spoke, giving his verdict on the situation. Elwood accompanied his decision with a nod; it seemed fair enough, given the circumstances, and he had no doubt that Ashton would work hard to prove himself once more. It would be painful, however, to see the medic around the Caldera and know that Somnia wouldn't be rejoining them. Pushing thoughts of his missing friend aside, he shifted his gaze back to Ashton, waiting for his reply.

Ashton was at such a loss for words. 
This was the worst punishment he could have ever signed up for.

So as a shocked wolf would be, the golden doctor sat there, staring unblinkingly at the pads of Per. Only after he unconsciously entered phase one of his depression, did he speak.

"Peregrine, if you would not have said that term, I'd give you my word on actually going out there and searching for her. And I got a feeling...."

The unusually somber teen finally chucked his eyes up to the face of his yet-again alpha.

"I got a feeling I wouldn't be coming back, if I went looking for her, because I wouldn't have come back without her."

Ash silently drifted his visibly duller emeralds to the Caldera over the shoulders of his superior. 
That was once his home.
Now it's his prison. 

"I accept the terms, Per. And if I step digits off the Dera without your personal gold, I want to be choking on my own trachea at the base of ya teeth. You got my gold on the the warrant, and I'm signing it here, and now."

For any who knew the sunny dude, they would see he was killing himself, inside. That spunky lad who smiled in the face of others, his wag baggin helicopters with jealousy...the kid who worked so hard to make others laugh, just so he could mimic it,...the easy going doctor who proved to his patients how determined he was to put them before himself...the boy who fell in love...

That Ashton was gone.
That spunky lad lost his boogie.
That kid lost his playmate. 
That easy going doctor lost his medicine.
That boy lost his heart. 

And unless there could be a way to replace the gaping darkness that Death swore to him that he would have if he kept fucking up, there would be no going back.  
Ash had lost.

For an instant, Peregrine thought Ashton was about to backpedal and leave to go search for Somnia. The Alpha would not have stopped him, though that would be the last time he ever let the golden boy come near here. But in the next breath, Ashton accepted defeat and agreed to the leader's terms. He spoke in a heartless tone, clearly affected by the knowledge that he was to blame for Somnia's disappearance.

Peregrine was not about to soften on this issue. He missed his former Gamma terribly. "All right then, make yourself at home. But don't come near the rendezvous site until myself or Fox gives you verbal clearance." The Firebirds were full grown, physically speaking, and two of them were already Warriors by trade. He highly doubted Ashton posed any type of threat regardless. But it was the principle of the matter more than anything. The pack's heart was reserved for its longstanding, loyalest members.

"I have things to do. Work hard to make it up to us," were the Alpha's parting words to Ashton. To Elwood, he said, "See you later, man." He strode past the Beta, offering him a quick nudge, then trotted away to tell Fox of their latest prodigal son.

Ashton veritably deflated in front of his superiors, and for the first time Elwood felt a pang of sympathy. He remained stoic, however, as Ashton accepted Peregrine's terms and promised to stay loyal to the pack. Elwood gave a subtle nod of his head as Peregrine instructed the newly re-accepted Redhawk to stay away from the rendezvous site for now, but to show initiative in order to climb in the ranks.

"See ya," he said as Peregrine departed, and then looked to Ashton once more. His gaze softened somewhat and he stepped towards the healer; he thought about reaching out to nudge his shoulder, but he refrained. "Let me know if you need anything, okay?" he offered, then turned and padded away, his head now full of thoughts of Somnia's whereabouts and if she was okay.

«Last post. Thanks for having Ash back. Sorry it has to be this way, though.»



Ash only gave a silent nod to both superiors. Nothing else was needed to be said, and he has nothing else to say. 
After Elwood said his part and left, the teen looked after him as he went his own path. 
Ashton doubted even the greyscale best friend could save him from the foreboding dark storm that was unfurling in both his head and his heart. 

He dragged the stuffed hide bag from the border all the way to his weed covered entrance. Flowers had once bloomed here. Golden daisy hybrids. Now the once cheerful home appeared to be abandoned. 
The den entrance was just wide enough to pull it through, and he did. Through the main sleeping area, and then down the familiar stairs. 

It has seemed he was missing a few of the firefly leaves he has put up, and the others that remained seemed to have dimmed, giving the long hallways and infirmaries an eerie sci fi appearance. The dirty doctor dragged the bag too the supply room at the farthest end, and started sticking his 'shelves', and organizing things properly in the dugout cubby holes. He disposed of the rotten ingredients in a hole he had dug in the floor and accidentally unearthed an underground river the day digging out things  supply room.

All that was left in the bag was a few pounds of dried bear steak, and the hide, itself. The meat wood be taken to Peregrine, and the hide...

Padding over to the fifth infirmary room, the room he had so many fond memories of his favorite patient, he laid injuring of, and began gnawing a hole in the top of the black ursaline pelt. Then grabbing a pair of thick stocks he had dragged along, he shoved them on opposite sides of the infirmary door ways. Gnawing another hole on the other end of the hide, the blond teen placed the dark pelt on the according hole to the according stick. 
The entrance to infirmary five was now blocked off. 

Ash took a walk to the room he had claimed as his own on the far end of the hallway, and laid down on the dust covered rabbit, beaver, and deer hides. 
The new prisoner fell asleep for the first returning night in his cell to the sound of a dark laugh in his head. 
Dreamlessly, he rested.