Wolf RPG

Ashton had disappeared again, and while Elwood couldn't say he was surprised, he was disappointed. Perhaps the medic had taken off to search for Somnia -- or maybe the pressure of being a part of the caldera again had been too much. Peregrine had set the bar high when Ashton rejoined, and then he had incorrectly diagnosed the Alpha's vision impairment. Elwood knew that, although Peregrine was coping, he wasn't happy that Ashton had given him false hope.

He frowned as he sniffed at what was the last faint trace of Ashton's scent along the borders, then turned and began to move clockwise with the sunken peak at his shoulder. Finley's trip was taking a bit longer than she had anticipated, so he had left @Elwood Jr with @Raven for a short while so that he could stretch his legs. He wasn't too worried about his mate yet -- she was a skilled and capable outrider, and she knew the land beyond Redhawk Caldera like the back of her paw. She was probably just enjoying her temporary freedom.

Elwood paused as a crow screeched by overhead, his gaze turning outward across the wilderness. Fall would be upon them soon, and he could already feel a slight drop in temperatures. It wouldn't be long before the leaves caught fire with the colors of autumn.

After finishing a long drink at the caldera, Peregrine began to climb upward toward the ridge. He took his time, then paused when he reached the crater's rim. He stared out over the sprawling view, turning his head to take in everything with his single good eye. He caught sight of a silver figure below him and the tip of his tail twitched. He rumbled under his breath, the noise carrying down the mountainside even as he began picking his way downward. It would take him a while, though the Alpha male was getting better and better at navigating life with partial blindness.

"Howdy. Where are your better thirds?" Peregrine quipped when he caught up to the Beta. "Out a-wandering?" he guessed, though he wasn't sure Finley would take little Elwood with her beyond the caldera. "Wifi told me she and Finley recently had an impromptu field trip at what's-it-called..." Failing to come up with the name, he gestured at the shortest mountain northwest of their current position. "Anyway, what's up?" He hadn't caught his second-in-command alone in a while and appreciated the opportunity to catch up.

A low-pitched sound tumbled down to Elwood's ears from the slope of the caldera, and as he turned to look he made out the dark figure of Peregrine picking his way across the uneven terrain. He smiled, watching his friend for a brief moment, then resumed his patrol at a much slower pace. This would give Peregrine the chance to descend the mountain and join him in just a short time.

When the Alpha finally approached him, he first asked about the whereabouts of Finley and Elwood Jr. He added that Wildfire had done a bit of exploring with Finley, which caused Elwood's brows to raise. The Beta female must have chosen to venture further after sending her niece back home. "I didn't know that Wifi caught up with her. I guess she's still out there somewhere," he said, sounding a bit more nonchalant than he felt. "Eljay is with Raven," he continued. Magpie had become the Blackthorns' go-to babysitter, but she, too, had departed recently. Luckily, Peregrine's dark-haired daughter was proving to be a trustworthy caretaker.

He fell into step alongside his companion. "Not much is up with me. Just waiting for that crazy Fin to come back. She said she'd only be gone a couple of days," Elwood said, glancing at Peregrine to see if he had any thoughts on Finley's extended vacation.

Finley was indeed out wandering and Elwood Jr was with his newest babysitter, Peregrine's own Raven. He smiled at that, happy that the two were developing a close bond. He knew Wildfire loved Elwood Jr too, though she spent so much time on the road these days that she scarcely spent much quality time with her parents and siblings, much less her extended family.

Peregrine sensed some anxiety in Elwood's tone and glance. "How long has she been gone?" he wondered, then added, "I'm sure she's fine. She's probably really enjoying her freedom, especially since it took a bit longer to wean the mini-me. I know Fox really appreciated her freedom once the Firebirds were more independent." His tail switched. "I gotta tell you, though, I don't understand them—Fin and Wifi, I mean. Why spend so much time out wandering aimlessly rather than here at home with family?" Peregrine wondered out loud.

"Six days," Elwood replied with a nervous twitch of his left ear. It hadn't even been a full week yet, but it had still been longer than Finley had suggested -- and Elwood was a natural worrier. But Peregrine's next statement was enough to ease his anxiety, at least for the time being. It helped to hear that he had experienced a similar situation with his wife when Fox finally had the opportunity to leave the firebirds for more than a few hours. "Yeah, you're probably right," he agreed, nodding his head to drive the point home.

Peregrine wondered aloud on Finley and Wildfire's preference for exploring, and Elwood shrugged his shoulders. "I'm with you," he said. He had always been a homebody, and though he had lived in the Teekon Wilds for nearly a year, he had yet to venture away from the southern wilderness that surrounded Redhawk Caldera. "I don't get it either. But they both seem to get a lot of enjoyment out of it. It would probably stress me out," he added with a somewhat wry chuckle. There was too much danger in the unknown, at least in Elwood's opinion.

Six days didn't seem too long, though it definitely wasn't an overnight or even weekend trip, either. "We'll start worrying when we hit the double digits," Peregrine said lightly, hoping to put Elwood's mind at ease for at least a few days. If the Beta female didn't turn up after the better part of two weeks, then the Alphas would surely start worrying too. But Peregrine was confident she would return by then, safe, sound and ready to settle down with her husband and child for a little while again.

"I know, right? It stresses me out that it doesn't stress them out," he mused wryly. "There's so much more danger out there than there is here. At least here, they'd have a pack to back them up. I'd better not think about it too much," he quipped, his tone a playful grumble. Truthfully, embracing his child's wanderlust was one of the hardest parts about fatherhood, though he had done it before, with Junior and the others too, to some extent.

"I have a feeling she might leave the caldera once she's a little older," Peregrine said, not that it was a much better topic. "What about Elwood Jr? Think he'll stick around and be a mama's boy forever?" Although some might consider that a derogatory thing to say, the Alpha male smiled fondly as he referred to the boy's bond with his mother. It was very sweet and a little unexpected for the otherwise wild Finley to have developed such a deep bond with her sole offspring.

Elwood nodded again. Peregrine was right; there was no sense in worrying just yet, and there wasn't really anything he could do about it, either. It wouldn't be efficient to leave Elwood Jr and go on a wild goose chase, especially because the boy was already getting worked up about his mother's absence. If Daddy disappeared too, there would be hell to pay.

He didn't say anything in response to Peregrine's thoughts on the dangers of outriding. That wasn't something he wanted to dwell on at the moment, but he wholeheartedly agreed with his Alpha. There were safety in numbers, and while both Finley and Wildfire were adept and independent wolves, there was something to be said for the security of home.

"You think so?" he asked somewhat rhetorically when Peregrine addressed Wildfire's future. Elwood hadn't really considered it; although she liked to travel, she also seemed to enjoy returning home to her family, so he was mildly surprised that he thought she would depart for greener pastures at some point. "I don't know about Eljay. At this rate, we'll be lucky to detach him from Finley's hip by the time he's a yearling," he said with a shrug and a laugh. It was an exaggeration; truthfully, although Eljay was a mama's boy, he was slowly but surely making progress in all areas of development. "I guess we'll have to wait and see, though. Where do you think Wifi might go?" he queried, shifting the topic back to Peregrine's daughter.

Peregrine smiled at Elwood's remark about his son. Of course, he hoped the boy would grow to be mature and independent, though he didn't mind if he remained loyal to Finley. That meant he would stay here in the caldera even after he grew up. Maybe he would even take their place one day, serving as as the Beta of the next generation. The Alpha male didn't really see a leader in the making in the youngster, necessarily, but there was still plenty of time to prove him wrong. And it wasn't like the leadership here was exactly conventional anyway.

"Just a feeling," he replied when his friend asked about Wildfire. "She reminds me of her older sister, actually." Peregrine still had yet to say her name but he knew Elwood would know he was referring to Junior. "She left the pack when she was only about six months old, then kept coming and going. They have the same wanderlust, even if they're pretty much polar opposites otherwise." Because, of course, Wildfire wasn't a homicidal and suicidal maniac but a well-adjusted young lady.

"I'm not sure where she'd go," he admitted, "or if I'm full of crap and she'll be happy to keep the caldera as her home base. Maybe I'm just trying to make sure I'm prepared if and when the day comes that she announces she's going somewhere else." He blinked over at his Beta. "I don't want to be blindsided, you know?" he quipped, biting his lip as he wondered whether Elwood would spot the joke.

Elwood was somewhat surprised when Peregrine mentioned Junior, although he didn't call her by name. It was the first time he had heard him really refer to her in the months since her tragic death, and it seemed almost unnatural to compare her to Wildfire -- although Peregrine was sure to mention that they were not alike in personality. Elwood hadn't known Junior, but her actions towards her younger half-sister spoke volumes.

Whether or not Wifi chose to leave the pack or not, Elwood hoped that she would keep an open and healthy relationship with both of her parents. He suspected that wouldn't be an issue, but he agreed when Peregrine mentioned that he didn't want to be caught off guard by her decision. He chuckled at the Alpha male's blithe quip about his eyesight, then said, "Yeah, it would definitely be nice to have some warning ahead of time. She's got lots of packs to choose from around here, anyway." Her options were probably narrowed some due to her parents' standings with other wolves, although she had told Elwood herself that she had met and got along with both Dante and Saena -- so maybe her choices weren't as limited as he thought.

Glancing pointedly at Peregrine's injured eye, Elwood asked, "How are you doing? You seem to be getting around pretty well."

It was true. Wildfire would have many choices should she choose to fly the coop someday. She might even join ranks with her parents' enemies, based on how well she got on with some of them. The thought made him shake his head lightly.He was glad his little girl had grown up to be such a diplomat and that his ancient history wasn't affecting her, though there was part of him that obviously disliked Wildfire fraternizing with "the enemy." Oh, well.

They moved onto another subject and Peregrine turned his head to return Elwood's pointed glance. "I'm adapting," he said in a solemn voice tinged with the slightest bit of pride. He had been handed a really shit card. It had been terribly difficult at first. But now he was really coming back strong. "My motto is adapt or die." His dark tail flicked. "Definitely doing better than I was," he continued, "and other than the eye, things are pretty good.

Hey, have you had a chance to meet my younger brothers yet?" he queried in the next breath. The Alpha male hadn't seen much of Dean or Ray since accepting them but he wasn't sure if that was his fault or theirs. "Dean and Ray," he added in case Elwood didn't know he was talking about. "I accepted them a few weeks back. They'd been on the road ever since our exile early last year. Wonder if they're adapting to life in a pack again..." he mused.

Elwood couldn't help but grin as Peregrine shared his motto: adapt or die. "Well, you certainly aren't dead," he interjected with an amiable wave of his tail. Many wolves would have let such an impairment seriously affect their quality of life, and while it had been difficult for Peregrine at first, he didn't seem to be letting it bring him down. The Beta then quieted as Peregrine shifted the subject, asking if he had met their newest members who also happened to be related to him.

He shook his head. He had smelled them here and there, though he hadn't actually made their acquaintance. "Not yet," he said, making a mental note to reach out to them in the near future. Giving his head an inquisitive tilt, he said, "Tell me more about the exile." Peregrine had surely mentioned it in passing at some point or another, but Elwood didn't think he knew much about what had happened.

If Elwood hadn't seen them either, then it was more likely their fault than his. Perhaps they needed a little push to help them integrate. Peregrine couldn't even begin to fathom what it was like to be on the road for so long, then try to settle down again. He had only been a loner for a week at a time, so he knew his own experiences barely scratched the surface.

The Beta seemed interested in the exile story and Peregrine's brows lifted. "I never regaled you with that tired old tale?" he asked. It seemed so long ago now. He had been beside himself at the time but now he could look back and feel hardly a thing about those memories. He had been shoved violently out of everything he'd ever known... but he had needed that push, in the end. He had moved onto bigger, better things.

"My parents died at the end of winter, the one before last if memory serves. Well, my dad died first and my mom stepped down. My older brother, Tyrannus, took over in their stead. He then methodically exiled each and every young male in the pack, to eliminate any competition. Never mind that none of us were really a threat to his throne. It was awful at the time... but I'm sure my other brothers and cousins moved on with their lives like I did.

Although I know that Perseus and Echo eventually had had enough and killed his ass. They then took over the pack instead. As far as I know, everything's going swimmingly there now. But I haven't been back since and will probably never see the Flightless Falcons again." He hadn't really thought about that before. It was sort of a sad thought, though his life was right here. He would never leave it.

"My litter mates were here in the wilds at first. Then Crete vanished and Atti... well, he disappeared too, after a bad head injury. I'm pretty sure he didn't make it." Peregrine cleared his throat. "And my sister, Osprey, still lives at the plateau to this day, as far as I know. I'll always love and miss her, though ever since the incident, I've sort of let go of everyone outside of our family here," he finished.

Although it sounded as though Peregrine's brothers had been scarce because they were having a difficult time adapting to pack life, Elwood was also somewhat at fault. He had been understandably preoccupied with Elwood Jr, especially with Finley out of town. Normally, he made an effort to get to know any new subordinates that joined their ranks, but it just hadn't been at the top of his to-do list recently. He pricked his ears and listened attentively, however, as Peregrine gave a detailed account of his history.

He frowned, shaking his head slightly as the tale unfolded. He didn't agree with Tyrannus' ways, but it was obvious that not many wolves had. It was somewhat satisfying to learn that two others -- he assumed that Perseus and Echo were also relatives of Peregrine -- took over and disposed of the tyrannical leader. In addition, Peregrine mentioned that some of his kin had moved to the Teekon Wilds, but that only his sister Osprey remained. Elwood wasn't surprised at all by Peregrine's conclusion; the former Redleaf-DiSarinno was wholly focused on his immediate family, so much so that he had taken Redhawk as his last name.

"Quite a story," Elwood said. "Hopefully Ray and Dean will feel comfortable here and stick around for a while. It must be interesting to have family members show up like that," he said, thinking briefly of his sister and wondering what would happen if she were to turn up on his doorstep after all this time.

"It was," Peregrine agreed. "Dean had quite a stick up his ass at first too. I was afraid I was gonna have to turn him away. But he loosened up a bit." He exhaled and rolled his shoulders. Still, maybe he'd made a mistake letting them crash here. It was pretty clear neither one of them was contributing meaningfully. He loved his brothers and he was happy they were here but the caldera didn't do charity cases. He did not want to think what it would be like to have to kick them out, like Tyrannus had...

"Are you collecting the mini-me soon?" the Alpha ventured a guess. "If not, you can help me look for my wayward bros." It was clear Peregrine wouldn't hold it against Elwood if he had to look after his little one instead. He knew the Beta male wouldn't want to leave his son in the care of a sitter for too long.

On another day, Elwood likely would have accepted Peregrine's invitation to go look for Dean and Ray. However, although he trusted Raven implicitly, he knew there was a chance that Eljay was giving her a hard time while he was gone. Typically, the pup was fairly easygoing, but he missed his mother terribly and was more prone to meltdowns and tantrums. This made Elwood reluctant to leave him for long periods of time, and judging by the position of the sun in the sky, it was about time for him to relieve Raven of her duty.

"Yeah, I should probably go get him," he said. "I'll try and catch up with Dean and Ray sometime soon, though. You can tell them to swing by my den if you want." He felt that was a decent compromise, and at least it put an offer on the brothers' plates. Reaching out to nudge Peregrine's shoulder, Elwood then wheeled and started retracing his steps, heading towards home where Raven was waiting with Eljay. "See you later," he called over his shoulder, then broke into a brisk trot.

Peregrine bobbed his snout, acknowledging Elwood's responsibility to his son. Dean and Ray could wait. Little Elwood Jr couldn't. He flashed the Beta a smile to show he understood, the tip of his tail wagging. He watched as he gathered his young son and the pair departed. That left Peregrine alone with his youngest. She had come a long way since the incident, recovering from her debilitating fear of her father, yet they weren't as close as he'd like. He knew an opportunity when he saw one.

"Why don't you help me look for your uncles," Peregrine drawled, then motioned for Raven to follow as he set out to scout for his two missing-in-action brothers.