Redhawk Caldera Daguerreotype

The pack's Alpha sprawled in the center of the rendezvous site's main clearing, legs stretched out in front of him and chin flush with the ground between them. His nostrils flared and his eyes crossed as he watched a beetle make a mad dash for escape. It bounced off his legs like a renegade pinball for a few seconds before finally making a break for it and skittering away beyond the toes of his right forepaw and disappearing into the long summer grass.

He yawned, then rolled onto his side. The June air was thick, heavy and warm. He had spent the morning hunting, then had stopped by the Blackthorns' den to drop off his catch before retiring here. He should probably go patrol, yet he just wasn't in the mood at the moment. His mind drifted to his recent encounter with the spine's Alpha pair, then last night's romp with the kids. His lips twitched and he exhaled, sitting up again.

His jade eyes bounced around the clearing. He wondered where his mate and "boyfriend" were at this hour. Of course, nothing was official with Pan but things certainly did seem to be moving slowly in that direction. And the Alpha hadn't failed to notice that his sleepwalking spells had ceased right around the time he had started spending more time with the timorous Epsilon. The thought caused his smile to broaden.