Redhawk Caldera Ombré

From a distance, the snowy caldera looked like a cake with vanilla frosting. As the evening sky overhead faded from blue to purple and the sun streaked the western horizon with a dozen shades of orange, it lent the misshapen mountain a pastel patina. Peregrine admired it from afar, thinking to himself, This is where I'll be raising my children. One day, this will all belong to them.

With Fox's pregnancy pretty much confirmed, he was walking on air. More literally, he began to walk across the snowy fields just beyond his borders, his broad black paws crunching in the snow. Despite his good spirits, his mind strayed to the north. He had made the conscientious decision not to ask Pura for details on the plateau's goings-on, yet with his own pups on the way, he found himself wondering about Blue Willow's litter. They would be born by now, wouldn't they?

The thought caused him to slow, then stop, peering off in that darkening direction. His brow furrowed as an arrow of pain passed through his heart. The next moment, however, he smiled. He hoped for the best for Lasher's and Blue Willow's little family. He had made peace with their separation, though, and he had his own family on the way now. He began walking home again.

The charcoal fae walked silently through the snow, feet dragging and stance weary. The darkening sky only added to her mood.She came across fresh prints and followed them heartlessly. She soon met their owner. "Peregrine." she dipped her head respectfully, and sat besides him. She edged sideways a bit when a horrible smell hit her, her nose wrinkling in distaste. "How is Fox?"

Are we still going to continue our other thread?

When he reached the caldera, he saw a shadowy silhouette moving toward him. Peregrine kept walking. A wiggle of his nose identified the wolf: Tempest. It was hard to see her in the failing light but he imagined her posture looked oddly defeated. When she came close enough to make out her face, she sat and Peregrine felt forced to slow down and stop.

"Fox? She's doing great," Peregrine answered. "What's eating you, Temp? Did that tree you bit seek revenge on you?" he joked.

Guten Tag! Would you be okay with forward-dating it to the present?

Somnia's nose told her many things. One such thing would be that there were two wolves nearby, who could be identified as Peregrine and Tempest. She changed direction, taking her time in getting to them. By the time she reached them, Tempest had left.

"Hello, Peregrine." Somnia greeted with a respectful dip of her head. She stayed on her feet, but slowed a little as she approached him. "What's new with you?"

Peregrine couldn't be sure what caused Tempest to depart with barely another word. Had it been the skunk smell? Perhaps she simply didn't feel like unloading her problems on him? Truth be told, he didn't mind seeing her go. He couldn't quite put his finger on why, yet he didn't feel as close to her as he did to the caldera's other members. Maybe they just needed to spend more time together but, well, it wouldn't be happening today.

Somnia, on the other hand, was a wholly welcome sight. "Hey," he said, motioning for her to stop. "I still stink," he explained. "If we raise our voices a bit, we can talk like this, right?" They were perhaps twenty feet away from one another. "Not much is new, though we're pretty sure the pregnancy is a go. What's up in your world, Som?"

Somnia took his cue and stopped. "You sure? The stench is fading a little I think. It's still a bit strong, but it's not unbearable. Sort of like farts. There's some that make you immediately evacuate the area, while there are others that also stink a lot, but you can bear with the stench until it passes." Yeah.... Somnia just attempted to appeal to Perry's sense of toilet humor.

"That's wonderful to hear! I can't wait to see how many you have, what they look like, and how they act!" Puppies would be just the thing to spice the Caldera up a bit... Not that it really needed to be spiced up anymore. "My Caretaker game is what's up. I was planning on hosting it really soon, but I may have to postpone it a little." Somnia didn't want to outright say that she was postponing it due to Peregrine's stench, for that could make the Alpha feel bad.

Somnia launched into a graphic description of his particular odor, which caused Peregrine to smile, then laugh out loud. He liked to think he was rubbing off on his pack mates and broadening their horizons by exposing them to so much potty humor.

"Oh, really? Why?" he wondered. "I'm glad to hear it's underway, though!" he added before she could even explain. "I haven't heard a peep from Ashton or Tempest about their efforts. Have you?"

"I actually heard Ashton mention his game once, but not in any details about it. I don't know how much effort he's already put into it, but it seems as if it's been on his mind enough for it to come up in conversation." Somnia could say nothing regarding Tempest as she hadn't heard from her.

Still on the same subject, Somnia asked, "You think Tempest and Ashton will wow you?"

Surely she and Ashton had chatted about their respective efforts, being so close and all. Somnia confirmed this suspicion, though it seemed she only knew the vaguest details. She didn't mention Tempest at all, which Peregrine took to mean she didn't have the first clue.

"Well," he said after a ponderous pause, "I have some high expectations for Ashton, just because he's so out there. But I am honestly expecting the best from you," he admitted with a smile. "Don't disappoint me now," he added with a wink.

Somnia's tail gave a fierce wag at the compliment. Then, a jest came into play at Peregrine's comment about not disappointing him. "I will disappoint you, but in a good way! I'll make you disappointed that didn't expect even more of my game!" Did that make sense? Probably not, but it should be clear enough to convey her point. A smile on her face gave away the fact that she was messing around with him.

Another thing popped into her head. "Hey Perry, have you seen how the skunk smell affects hunting yet?" Did it have a positive, negative, or neutral affect?

He quirked a brow at her. "Somnia," he said in a tone of playful disapproval, "as my mother, Mo, would say: that don't make no sense." Peregrine chortled under his breath, then added, "You're really building the anticipation, though. Just don't shoot yourself in the foot!"

He considered the Gamma's question, then said, "I really haven't noticed any difference, to be honest. Why? Did you wanna go hunting?"

She chuckled a little at his comment about his mother. Then, in a more serious tone she added, "I know." It was meant as a response to not 'shooting herself in the foot'. It probably could've been taken as a response to either comment though.

It was a shame that the skunk stench had no noted positive side effects. "Hunting wasn't my main reason for saying hi," Somnia answered truthfully, "But I also wouldn't mind doing some of it with you if you were up to it."

Peregrine motioned for her to follow, then turned and began to walk in the direction of a favorite game trail. "Lots of activity at this time of day... or night," he said, tipping his snout toward the dark sky. Save for a sliver of glowing orange near the western horizon, it was a deep purple now. Stars were beginning to appear. "Let's see if we can't rustle up something for Fox."

Something about the way she phrased it prompted the Alpha to ask, "What was your main reason for saying 'hi'?"

I wished that this took place after my thread with Osprey, but it doesn't. X_X

Somnia followed him, listening to both him and the sounds around them as he spoke. "I scented you and Tempest and I figured I'd drop by to say hi. Even if I do enjoy being a hermit every now and then, I enjoy socialization more." There had been no real reason for dropping by to say hello besides the chance to socialize. In the future, she would be struggling to find Peregrine and tell him his sister said hi, even after Osprey came to say it in person. And all the times she would find him, they would be preoccupied with other subjects such as her Caretaker game, Amon's funeral, and his disagreement with Fox. It was funny how life gave you opportunities to do stuff when you didn't need it, and wouldn't when you did need/want them.

Somnia suddenly stopped. She thought she heard something, but wasn't quite sure. "Did you hear that?" Somnia asked, lowering her voice. Her nostrils flared as she bent forward to sniff the ground.

Ehhe. She didn't get a chance to tell him in "Sledgehammer" either! You're welcome to pop into his open thread in RHC if you want...? You don't have to, though. :3

"You? A hermit?" he scoffed lightly. Somnia was one of the most socially involved wolves in the caldera. "But on the subject of Tempest, any idea what's up with her? She looked really down in the dumps, then skedaddled before I could ask her what was wrong. It was... strange."

Her voice arrested him and Peregrine froze. "No," he said after a moment, eyes cutting to her face. "What was it?" More importantly: "Did it sound edible?"

Ehh.. Someone already nabbed it. I'll grab another Perry thread eventually.

Peregrine's question about Tempest went unanswered as Somnia identified what had made the noise. "Raccoon, so it should be." She responded before turning her attention in the direction that the sound had come from. With the silence, the faint sound of snow-crunching could be picked up by her ears, which were sensitive because she was a wolf. It must've stepped on a twig or something to produce a sound loud enough to be detected over their talking.

Somnia caught Peregrine's gaze for a moment. Would they locate and go after it together, or would he like the honors if it was going to end up as his mate's meal?

Raccoons were not Peregrine's prey of choice. They were more of a challenge than they were worth. He could easily come away with a dozen scratches and, hell, one of those little buggers could bite off a toe if it was determined enough. At the same time, he was a master Gamekeeper and he wasn't about to shy away from a challenge. Perhaps eating the flesh of another predator would be more strengthening than the meat of a boring old herbivore and would give the fetuses in Fox's abdomen a little boost.

Grinning a little at the thought, Peregrine said, "Let's catch 'im and kill 'im." His tone was as dark as the air around them. "You take point," he added, motioning for Somnia to lead the way and falling into step behind her. "What's your strategy?" he whispered lowly.

Somnia beamed as Peregrine let her lead the hunt. It wasn't a major hunt, but it was a hunt all the same. However, her expression grew serious as Peregrine asked for a strategy. "We could attack from opposite sides." She suggested. Raccoons were often feisty little things, so if its attention was diverted between the two of them on opposites sides it would minimize the damage both of them received. Not that they could cause too much damage, but any damage was damage they could do without.

Bent down so that her nose was only a few inches above the ground, Somnia followed the scent. It wasn't hard to track it down, and soon the masked creature came into view. After quickly catching Perry's eye, she made to move towards the left side of the raccoon. She gave it some room, so she approach it straight from the left side while Perry did the same from the right.

He made no reply other than nodding his head. While one of them distracted it, the other could leap in and do some damage, then vice versa. He trailed Somnia like her larger, darker shadow. His eyes probably looked like a pair of orbs floating in the darkness behind her. He licked his lips in anticipation, the raccoon's scent soon hitting his sensitive nose and luring him in like a fish caught on a line.

When they came upon the critter, they surprised it. Spotting the advantage, Peregrine quickly slid to the right while Somnia veered to the left. Like two points of an arrow, they both zoomed toward their target. The raccoon made a strange grating, hissing noise and rose onto its hind legs, its silvery fur puffed out to make it look larger. Its eyes glowed strangely in the scanty moonlight.

Neither fooled nor intimidated, the swarthy wolf growled and bared his teeth. He hoped the coon would face him, since he was the larger of the two adversaries, allowing the Gamma to slip up on its other side and inflict some damage.

Somnia watched the raccoon turn to face Peregrine, probably as a result of his growls. She hadn't felt the need to growl at it to out-do its performance of hissing. While it wasn't paying much attention to her, she lunged forward, grabbing and biting down hard on its back for a moment before letting go. It was just in time, for while Somnia pulled back, she saw the sharp teeth and claws merely an inch away from her face.

She started to growl now. Now that its attention was on her, Somnia would do everything she could to keep it on her while Peregrine got a shot at it.

While the raccoon tried to stare him down, Somnia flew in and grabbed its backside, leaving tooth marks in its hide. The ring-tailed rodent naturally turned to deal with this adversary, momentarily turning all of its attention away from Peregrine and leaving it vulnerable to an attack.

He didn't waste time. While the raccoon was busy swiping at Somnia, he darted forward, jaws closing around the side of its face. In the three seconds before he crushed half its skull, the critter screeched, bucked and flailed wildly. It nearly tore itself loose, actually, though Peregrine flexed his jaw muscles and the raccoon went limp even as the sound of bones crunching filled the night air.

Then everything fell silent and Peregrine dropped the body. For once in his life, he'd killed a raccoon without sustaining so much as a single scratch. He grinned, then stretched out a broad paw as if to give Somnia a high five for some great teamwork.

A smile appeared on Somnia's face as Peregrine finished off the raccoon. Tail wagging, she watched as he extended a paw. Ashton had done this with her once before, so Somnia knew what to do. While it was irrational - what was there to gain from touching paws? - the abnormal gesture was recognized as one of victory and friendliness. She reached her own paw forward, bumping it against Peregrine's before withdrawing it.

Her gaze drifted back to the raccoon carcass on the ground. "It's for Fox?" Somnia asked. She had asked to try and make some conversation about it, instead of actually needing to confirm it was for the Alpha Female. Anyway, hadn't Peregrine already hinted that it would be for Fox?

She returned his fist bump, then confirmed that the kill was meant for his mate. "Yup, though there's plenty here. Here," he said, bending down to tear one of the legs and thighs free. He nudged the detached limb toward Som. "Thanks for helping me wrangle it," the Alpha said, tail waving.

"Well, I'm off to deliver her midnight snack. See you, Gamma girl," Peregrine said with a note of affection in his voice. He was glad that he'd ended up spending time with Somnia versus Tempest. She really was one of his favorites. He flashed her a quick parting smile, then grabbed the bloody raccoon and carried it off into the darkness.

Somnia was about to object if it was for Fox, but for once, she shut her mouth and accepted it. "Thanks Perry! See you later." She called after his receding form. Once he had left, she ate the raccoon leg. When she was finished, she left the murder scene with the bone in her mouth. The only traces of the murder would be the blood, scent, and a few tufts of raccoon fur.