Redhawk Caldera The Acorn

It was far from the first time that morning that the reedy young male approached the borders of the pack, each time returning with something, a trinket, which was quickly stowed away here or there, some a bit further from the borders and some closer. These were his things, the little items he'd found scattered around that he'd taken a liking to. The things he treasured most he'd left a bit further away from the borders, as though to keep them safe should he not be accepted. Not that any of them were in danger of being taken anyway- Shrike's favourite things were usually colourful rocks or bleached antlers. There was a deer antler he liked quite a bit and a piece of flint that reflected sunlight quite well, and a very white rock he'd found in a stream, but everything else was scattered here and there and would be picked up later if he felt it was that important. 

But as he took up his post close to the borders in the setting sun of the evening, he had something soft at his feet- a rabbit carcass. Only marred by puncture wounds at its neck, the offering lay motionless on the ground at his feet. Though Shrike liked gifts that looked nice, he knew most wolves required something that was of value or use. He knew full well that a thriving pack would likely have puppies, so a gift of food would be a good token, and a good way to show that he could hunt well enough on his own, despite being quite thin. 

He sat, eyes flicking this way and that and ears constantly rotating atop his head, waiting for the next wolf on patrol to come and find him.

Peregrine was playing Mr. Mom these days, due to his inexplicable ability to get his fucking leg broken by his own tiny son. Fox was still perplexed as to how this happened, but she could only fume for so long. His punishment was being stuck at the den most of the time, and she was given more freedom away from the kids which, let's face it, she really needed. The first few weeks of raising them had been easier this year, but it certainly wasn't a walk in the park.

The smell of a fresh kill, however faint, caught her attention, and she expected to find Elwood, Finley, or one of the other bozos nearby. Instead, she spotted a loner, and (as was her usual reaction), she puffed herself up and stomped toward the stranger. Her tail stood on end, along with the hair on her neck and back, and her lips were pulled back in a menacing grin. She didn't need words to convey that she wanted an explanation.

The fur along Shrike's neck and the rabbit's side ruffled in the faint breeze as he waited, glancing down every once in a while at the kill as though expecting it to ask how much longer it might take before it was eaten. He, however, was patient, and though his attention was divided between the earth and the sky, he was attentive and wasn't easily distracted from his mission of searching out a wolf on patrol. Against the green shrubbery, a wolf was sure to stand out- and one with a pelt as strikingly red as the one who approached certainly did. The moment Shrike caught sight of her, only a fraction of a glance was needed to tell him who this might be, and what their rank was. Scent told him enough as well; she smelled strongly of other wolves, of milk and hormones, and a pang of fear hit him. 

This was a mother.

And not just a mother, but an alpha, he quickly discerned, and his posture bent to assume a submissive pose, tail between his legs, ears tilted back, and mouth slightly agape in a quiet pant. She moved with a stiff gait toward him and he crept sideways away from the rabbit, arching his body away from her to show that it was indeed for her, as an offering, and he would be no threat should she reach down to take it. Her teeth bared and he averted his gaze, meanwhile keeping her in his peripheral vision, just in case she chased him off for some reason or another. He knew better than to test a new mother. 

"Shrike Redleaf." He said, in his high, unquavering voice. "Looking for a home." He explained, and nodded briefly to the rabbit. "For you. I c'n hunt."

Oh, good. He wasn't an idiot. Fox relaxed, eyes softening as she spotted the rabbit and he began to speak. "Redleaf?" she thought. "Did you say Redleaf?" she asked, squinting at him as furiously as she could possibly squint. Once upon a time, Fox had shared that name. It had been given to her by Peregrine, although it also had "DiSarinno" attached to it.

Fox continued to size up the would-be joiner, wondering if he would make a good addition to Redhawk Caldera. Oddly, he wasn't particularly large like the rest of the Redleafs (Redleaves?) she'd met. Peregrine and his siblings were massive creatures (or so she recalled of the others), and she wondered if this was some weird offshoot of his usual clan.

Her attention seemed to have been grabbed by the rabbit- until she spoke, revealing that there was something about his surname she found interesting. It wasn't a terribly interesting surname on its own- all leaves turned red in the fall, her supposed, except for those that turned orange or yellow- but that wasn't why she'd started at his surname, he knew. His ears flicked forward- there was only one reason she'd ask him about his surname, but he chose not to deny her question more than a second, and nodded. 

"Redleaf." He repeated, perhaps a bit more clearly, as the young male habitually spoke quite fast. He paused for a moment, assuming that perhaps she'd want more of an explanation of his family. "Name goes back to my grandfather. Most named after birds." He said, hoping that might give her a clearer picture. He didn't feel inclined to rattle off names, given that there were so many of them, and he didn't figure she had the time to listen to a spoken list of his family members.

So she hadn't misheard. This guy was actually a Redleaf and, by the way he spoke about their naming conventions, Fox could only guess that he had to be related to her one-and-only: Peregrine. "Y'don't say," she replied with a silly smirk. "Peregrine, my mate, he used to be a Redleaf-DiSarinno. We changed our name to Redhawk after living her for a little while. Not a fucking clue how you're related, but it sounds like you are."

That gave Shrike some cred, but not enough for Fox to accept him. She was far more picky than that. "What can you bring to the table?" she asked, glancing at the rabbit that still lay at their feet. "Besides the rabbit."

Shrike's ears flicked back in surprise when the cinnamon coloured female before him announced that her mate was also a Redleaf, and he was shocked further when she spoke his name. Peregrine. Shrike's mouth opened slightly in disbelief, and it took him a moment to recover, as he attempted to put the puzzle pieces together. His great aunt's name had been Peregrine, but as far as he knew, she had not taken the name Redleaf. Plus, it might have been odd for her to name her son after herself. It left only one alternative, and he nodded slightly in agreement that he must be related to Peregrine. And he was fairly certain how. Even moreso when Fox admitted that they'd changed their name to suit where they lived...He'd heard of that happening before, and it seemed to fit his family's history more than ever. 

To her question, he responded immediately. "Birds. Fish. Deer." He said, and not a moment after, he smiled. Shrike didn't joke often, but enjoyed it every once in a while. Knowing better than to linger too long, he continued. "Scout, guardian," He said, highlighting two of his better skills. "Loyalty," He added, though in a much quieter voice- it had occurred to him as an afterthought, but it seemed like a good idea to bring it up.

Well, he certainly had the Redleaf smart-ass personality trait. Even though Fox had never believed that family was the end-all, be-all way to define somebody, she had found that it could be useful. Allure was a good example of that. Fox had gotten along with both of the girl's parents at one time or another, and Allure herself seemed to be shaping up alright, even if she wasn't terribly involved in regular ol' pack affairs.

"We'll see about that last one if you stick around," Fox replied dryly. She had never understood why others included that in their "spoken resumé." Fox rarely considered a wolf loyal until they proved it. Then again, the same could be said for being a scout and guardian... though those things were more skills than personality traits to her. "I'm Fox Redhawk. You'll probably want to avoid the den for the time being. My month-old son broke Peregrine's leg, and who knows what they'd do to a stranger." That smart-ass trait seemed to also be shared via marriage.

"Get yourself acquainted with the others in the pack," she added, "and I'll take your gift back to the infirmary." Fox paused, rubbed her shoulder against Shrike so that he wouldn't immediately be labeled as an outsider, picked up the rabbit, and trotted back to the den. Poor broken Perry needed the food more than she did.

To her words, Shrike nodded, and concluded that he'd been accepted- she was allowing him to stay around and prove himself, after all, so that meant acceptance. He would have to gather some of his favourite things and bring them within the pack's borders, stow them away inside a new den, he supposed. He didn't want to alienate himself from the others by being too odd, and having his antlers and rocks scattered outside of his den- as he liked them to be. He'd simply try to fit in first, and then he could relax a bit. 

"Buh!" Came his startled reply, when Fox admitted that one of her new pups had broken Peregrine's leg. She seemed to have a sense of humour, so perhaps the leg wasn't broken, per say, just injured. Still, he wasn't sure, and frowned slightly to himself as he tried to imagine being an alpha with a broken leg. Then again, his grandfather had lived for the majority of his life with maimed feet, and could barely hobble. He'd had Alouette to help him out, though, and the two, together, had managed quite well. If Osprey could do it and all four of his feet had been chewed to a point beyond repair, Peregrine could manage with an injured leg with Fox's support. 

He decided, then, to make himself useful. He wouldn't avoid the den area, per say, but would leave gifts of food for the alpha pair to help them. Fox was busy doing rounds and hunting while Peregrine- if he was as injured as Fox had said- watched the pups. Retreating beyond the borders to grab his antler, Shrike moved into his new home, in search of a den before he wandered off to learn the lay of his new homelands.