He sensed, more than ever, that the time was near when his mate would be receptive. It made Peregrine restless. While Fox busied herself arranging and rearranging the den in anticipation of the pups that would one day share the space with them, the Alpha male decided to expend his energy by tracking game tirelessly. Sometimes, his ventures led him far outside the caldera, yet he never strayed for long. He returned frequently to check in with the Alpha female, making sure she wasn't ready yet before returning to the meat trail.
Presently, he switched things up a bit with a patrol. The mindless walking in circles gave him plenty of time to think of the pups. How many would they have? Would they be boys or girls? What would they name them? He would never, ever get tired of the endless dreaming. And it would be so much better when they were actually here, in his arms. It was enough to put some extra pep in his step as he wore a trail around the caldera's wide base.
Working to help out her pack was one of the top priorities on Somnia's list, but taking a break every now and then didn't hurt either. This was one such time. She had been helping out to keep the caches stocked behind the scenes with lots of solo hunts, and she thought she deserved a break for a day. Or maybe half a day if a stupid creature ran into her.
The snow was cold, and Somnia resented it most of the time, but she had to admit it made things beautiful. The snow-covered scenery of the Caldera had tempted Somnia to take a walk and admire everything, and so she had delayed it until now. It was during this time that the black figure of Peregrine, her Alpha, stood out clearly against the dazzling white. With a small bark, she alerted him of her presence and came trotting over to him with ears pinned back in respect. Her chin also dipped downwards as another sign of her lower rank as she got closer.
He was just finishing his round when he spotted movement up ahead. Peregrine paused, his tail waving as he recognized the familiar form of Somnia in the distance. He liked to think he knew everyone fairly well, yet he was not as close to her as some of the others. Well, he could (and would) change that. These wolves were his family and he wanted them all to feel that way.
They approached one another and Peregrine acknowledged Somnia's respectful posture approvingly, his tail waving high in the air. "At ease, soldier," he joked when they met in the middle and stopped, facing one another. His tail continued to slowly sweep the frigid air. "How're you, Somnia? I know you've been working hard," he said. The additions to the caches had not gone unnoticed, nor had the female's scent lingering near the stockpiles. "I appreciate all you've been doing for the caldera," he said with a small smile and a dip of his snout.
Somnia relaxed her posture with Peregrine's joke. "I'm doing good. You?" She replied to the greeting before smiling proudly at the praise. "Thanks!" Her tail had started wagging; it was like it had a mind of it's own sometimes. Tail wagging was often a good thing though, so she let it most of the time.
Something Finley had said then came back to mind. According to her, Peregrine had a soft spot for Gamekeepers. Somnia hadn't been able to experience it until maybe now, if the praise fell into that category, as her relationship with Peregrine wasn't as good as some of her other pack-mates. It wasn't exactly bad either, but it still could've been a lot better.
"I'm doing pretty great, thanks for asking. Fox and I are basically on tenterhooks right now, waiting for the day to come..." He trailed off there. He didn't think it was too much information, yet perhaps their pack mates didn't want every detail of their reproductive cycle and conception status. "I imagine it won't be long now before we have some littler mouths to feed," he finished with the smile of a cat which had just finished a saucer of warm milk.
"You're practically a journeyman now, aren't you?" he said, referring to her efforts as a Gamekeeper. "Can't be long now, anyway. I feel like you're having far more success locating prey than I have." He made a thoughtful sound deep in his throat, then said, "Maybe they can smell me coming. I have had some rancid gas lately..." He managed to keep a straight face, making it unclear whether or not he was joking.
The thought of little pups running around the Caldera was enough to make Somnia smile. Things were interesting here as it was, but miniature Peregrines and Foxs causing everyone trouble would sure be amusing. Eventually it could get annoying, but it would definitely be amusing for the first few days. Before Somnia could make any comment on the matter, Peregrine continued on to her Gamekeeper efforts.
Somnia gave a nod with Peregrine's journeyman comment. She knew a lot and had most of the experience for a beginner Gamekeeper, but she still had a little ways to go before she actually got the trade. Somnia was about to give Peregrine one of her tactics, the one where she sometimes left the Caldera for a day at a time to hunt game in unoccupied areas, but he talked about having terrible gas. Somnia almost laughed, but then she noticed his facial expression. Was he kidding or not? "Might be something in your diet. Eat anything bad recently?" The question was her way of trying to figure out if it was a joke or not without offending Peregrine if it wasn't.
The Epsilon seemed uncertain about whether to take him seriously. When she questioned him, Peregrine's brow furrowed thoughtfully and he admitted, "I found a dead skunk the other day. It was mostly rotted away but I ate what was left. Could that be it?" He sought her gaze, held it for several beats, then cracked a smile and laughed quietly, indicating that he wasn't being serious after all.
"So tell me the secret to your success, Somnia," he pressed amiably in the next breath, taking a seat to indicate that she had his full attention. His black tail wrapped tightly 'round his haunch, its tip resting on his toes to keep them warm.
He ate a rotten skunk?! All the diseases that could be caught fro- Wait.... Peregrine was kidding. Somnia had actually gotten worked up over it, and now she was embarrassed. She had actually thought he was stupid enough to eat a rotten skunk... Wow, she needed to get to know her Alpha a lot better.
It was quickly over, as Peregrine asked her to reveal her secrets. "Well, going out to hunt on neutral grounds is my secret." Somnia revealed, pausing for a moment before explaining the science behind it. "No packs inhabit neutral territory, so there's more prey to be found there than inside a pack's borders, as the prey there isn't being hunted by a pack." There were a few downsides, but the benefits were better than the downsides so far.
Funnily enough, Peregrine wouldn't have batted an eyelash if presented with a rotten skunk; he would eat carrion if the opportunity arose. Their digestive systems were tough enough to handle it, though of course fresh meat was always preferable.
Peregrine's lips twitched when she readily revealed the secret to her success. "Ah. I do the same, actually," he said, bobbing his head to agree with her sensible logic. "I've been traveling far and wide. I guess I'm just not as lucky, or perhaps I just have a lower batting average." He snorted quietly.
"I'd invite you to hunt now but I'm kind of worn out on it at the moment. Fox and I will be eating cold leftovers tonight," he quipped before smoothly moving on to another topic. "How're you getting along with everyone?" Somnia was still relatively new, though he sensed that she was meshing very well with the caldera's other wolves.
Turned out Somnia's secret technique wasn't quite a secret. Oh well, it just proved that it was a good tactic if others used it. "Luck does usually play a part." She agreed quietly before Peregrine went on.
Somnia would've gladly accepted the offer, had he been up to it. With winter, hunting was getting harder, even if the greyscale female had a little luck. Every hunt helped improve the chances of making it through the winter without anyone starving. As for the cold leftovers, Somnia scrunched up her nose to show her preference for warm, just killed meals.
"Great, actually. I've met everyone, accept for a female I've only scented and a male I saw at the one pack hunt." So far, Somnia was on good terms with all of her pack-mates that she had met. Some she were on better terms than others, specifically Elwood and Ashton, but that had more to do with spending more time with them than the others.
Her answer did not surprise him, naturally. "Let me guess," he said, squinting thoughtfully. "Siv and Theseus?" Of course, Somnia might not even know their names if she had yet to meet them. He bet he was right, though. It disappointed him somewhat that Fox's lookalike was so scarce. It also bothered him that Theseus, who had seemed so promising with his arsenal of skills, had really fallen flat. They were still part of the family, yet Peregrine wished they would get more involved with daily pack life.
"I'm glad to hear that. I had a lot of family and friends at the plateau," he shared, feeling the slightest twinge at the mention of his former home, "but as a pack, I never felt we fostered a sense of family quite like we do here. I've been through a lot of trials and tribulations because of our relocation, yet it's stuff like that that makes the entire thing worth it. That, of course, and our puppy plans," he added, coming full circle.
Somnia listened as Peregrine mentioned the unknown comrades' names. "Probably," She agreed simply. The names were unfamiliar, so that must've been the two wolves' names. Somnia wanted to meet them, she was living in their home after all, but fate must've had other plans for them.
Once again the Blacktail Deer Plateau came up in conversation. Somnia didn't know all of the history between the two packs, but she knew that Redhawk Caldera was formed by Fox and Peregrine when Fox was uncomfortable in the Plateau. Somnia also knew that Fitz had followed them over. It seemed as if founding the Caldera had been the right choice, for he claimed that there hadn't been a strong sense of family at the Plateau. Her head dipped down in sympathy for a moment.
Getting through troubles pulled people together. After all, you were forced to cooperate with someone and create good bonds at times to survive tough situations. The plans for pups also helped, like Peregrine said. The idea got her excited. With apparent enthusiasm, Somnia asked, "What do you think they'll be like?"
He didn't expect her enthusiasm. It took him by surprise and pleased him. Tail tapping, he replied without pause, "Buttheads. They will be buttheads." After a pause, Peregrine added, "No, but seriously... I'm sure they'll be full of sugar and spice and everything nice. Hopefully we won't screw them up too badly, either." His lips twitched. With parents like himself and Fox and a crazy Aunt Finley, for starters, these pups didn't have much hope for turning out very normal...
"You seem pretty thrilled about them," he pointed out with a smile. "Ever thought of becoming a Caretaker? As far as I know, I'm the only one in the pack. We could most definitely use another."
Just realized that it would've been 3 wolves that Somnia hadn't met. Forgot all about the new recruit Godfrey. Oh well, we're already past that. :P
Somnia laughed at his immediate response. "You won't screw them up, but if you somehow manage to mess them up, I'm sure the rest of us would put them back on track." Somnia reassured him with a warm smile.
"It's a possibility. I wanted to be a Counselor as well as a Gamekeeper, but the third possibility is still uncertain. It would be fun to help care for the pups if its necessary regardless of whether I pursue the trade or not." She had to get her priorities on the third trade straight soon. Somnia could've been well on her way to getting it if she had already decided. But, she just wasn't ready to choose if she wanted to be a Naturalist, Warden, or even Caretaker.
Maybe she doesn't know he exists yet, or forgot about him completely because he's so new?! :P
He met her reassurance with a smile, a genuine one, though deep down he wondered. He
had screwed up his older kids and though things were much different this time around, there was always that chance that he would make a misstep. Peregrine just hoped that the mistakes he made with this litter would be on a smaller scale than the last, because of course he wasn't going to be a
perfect father (although he would
strive for perfection, all right).
"I encourage you to consider it," the Alpha male said.
"It's not a popular trade, as I'm sure many don't see the value in it or think that sitting pups should be a priority. But they're this pack's future, so their upbringing is perhaps the most important thing any of us will do. Caretakers are the unsung heroes among tradesmen," he opined, then fell silent before he started to sound like a used car salesman.
Somnia gave a nod of understanding as Peregrine explained why he wanted her to consider it. It wasn't that Somnia didn't think of it as important, she knew it was, it was that the other two options could be just as important. But, Peregrine was one of the Alphas, so if he thought his pack needed another Caretaker rather than anything else, then it probably did.
"You're older and have more experience," Somnia started, changing the topic as she had no more to say on the previous topic, "So do you think this winter is going to be harsh?" They were doing good so far to survive the winter, in Somnia's opinion at least, but they weren't even half-way through it yet.
Peregrine wasn't sure what to make of Somnia's next comment. It was both relevant and irrelevant at the same time. He didn't have to worry about how to respond because she changed the subject... or perhaps that had been her attempt at a segue? He couldn't tell, so he just inwardly shrugged.
Technically, winter hadn't even begun, though the local climates told a different story. "Winter is always harsh," he answered, "but I have no reason to think it will be particularly bad. We are as prepared as we can be." Even though they had relocated in fall, they had worked hard to ready themselves and the caldera for the winter.
"Back to pups," he said in the next breath. "Not mine but generally speaking," he added in case Somnia was getting sick of hearing about the Alpha's puppy plans. "Do you think you'd like to have children someday? I thought I saw a bit of a motherly glow in your eyes a few minutes ago," he teased.
Somnia gave a nod of understanding at Peregrine's thoughts of this winter. Having joined a little bit before the end of fall, Somnia knew firsthand about the food preparations being made. She had even managed to help prepare while settling in.
The talk of pups was turned towards Somnia this time. "I definitely want to have pups someday. I can't see it happening in the near future though..." While one didn't necessarily need a mate first to have pups, Somnia had a high preference for it when it came to herself. To be mates with someone, the component of love came into play.
Maybe she had a little bit of love in her for a certain Caldera wolf, but Somnia had buried it quickly. After all, he had mentioned that he had his eyes on someone, so why let love bloom into a one-sided flower that was bound to wither and emotionally harm her? Plus, she hadn't even known him that long! How could she know that if it somehow did work out, that it would stay instead of disappearing?
The Epsilon answered quickly and without hesitation. Her comment made him think. She couldn't be much younger than Fox. Provided she found a suitable mate, the earliest she could breed was perhaps sometime next year. Perhaps by then, Fox wouldn't mind letting other pairs have pups. If the two of them decided that for, whatever reason, they would not allow their subordinates to bear young, it might mean that some of their members, like Somnia here, would eventually disperse. It was a natural progression, though Peregrine was always sad to see someone so loyal and dedicated go.
But he was getting way, way ahead of himself here. Not to mention the fact that she wasn't even mated to anyone. The Alpha wondered aloud, "Do you have your eye on any of the guys in the caldera? You don't have to name any names. We do have some pretty eligible bachelors though, don't we?" Peregrine realized after speaking that he might seem a bit like a gossipy girl but... whatever. He might not be acting on it at the moment but there was still a part of him that found other males attractive. None had stuck his fancy since Lasher but he could appreciate fellows like Ashton and Elwood all the same.
Going into heat was another thing Somnia didn't think about much. She knew that she would go into it sometime during the next year, probably before summer came around. Somnia had seen her mother go through it once near the transition stage of winter and spring, so it wasn't like Somnia knew nothing about it, it was just something she had never had to think about.
When Peregrine asked if she had anyone in mind for a romantic interest, Somnia replied truthfully. "Yeah, but I don't know if it'll ever work out... I've heard him say he's got his eye's set on someone already." She didn't intend to drop her problems on Peregrine, but they came along with expressing that she doubted he'd become anything more than a romantic interest.
At least Somnia didn't seem to think anything of his momentary flamboyancy. Actually, she readily admitted that she was interested in someone. Unfortunately, the apple of her eye had his eye on someone else. The Alpha blinked with interest. He hadn't realized that romance had been in the air, much less that a love triangle had been forming. He couldn't even guess who might be involved.
"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked gently. He was hungry for names, though he could see that Somnia didn't feel very good about this and, more importantly, Peregrine wanted to reassure his Epsilon if he could.
Did Somnia want to talk about it? Yes and no. It would be nice to tell someone, but at the same time, it was easier to keep things to yourself. She was more accustomed to keeping these sort of things to herself, but maybe it was time to change that? Somnia doubted that Peregrine would go around telling everyone.
Now how to start this? "Ashton..." The discomfort from starting to talk about it was there, but it wasn't like she could turn back now. "We were fooling around, and he said something about me being unique, and that it was a good quality that would have all the boys flocking around me," She had doubted it when he had said it and still did, "So I told him if that were the case, that there would be too many girls around him to fit in the Caldera... You know how he's the farthest thing from normal, right?" A pause took place before Somnia continued. "Then he said that even if it were that way, he wouldn't care because he already had his eye on someone." That was the story, spat out in a puddle around Peregrine's feet.
She gave up the name easily. It surprised Peregrine, not because she confided in him—actually, he really appreciated Somnia trusting him that way—but because he hadn't actually anticipated it being Ashton. He listened as she spoke, sharing Ashton's comment and how she'd turned it back on him. His lips fell into a thoughtful frown when she repeated Ashton's response to that. Peregrine wondered who he might be admiring. Finley, maybe?
Or... wait a second. "What if he was talking about you?" Even as the thought occurred to him, he voiced it. "It would be just like Ashton to be goofy that way," he mused. "And it works, given the context."
After having her mind set on Ashton liking someone else, the new possiblity sent Somnia's mind into a frenzy. He couldn't of been talking about her, could he have been? No... But... Yeah, he could've! It had to have been someone else, but at the same time, it didn't. Why did things have to be so confusing?!
After a moment, her mind calmed down. "Well, it is a possibility... But what if he wasn't? With all the wolves out there, the chance that I'm that one wolf... It's just... Too small of a chance..." Somnia ended as a frown plastered itself on her face. If he liked her, why couldn't he have just said it? It would of made things so much easier.
Peregrine met Somnia's frenzied feels with calm logic. "Your only competition would be Finley and Siv Savoy, assuming dude's smart enough not to mack on my wife," he pointed out to her. "Siv isn't around much, so I really doubt it's her. Finley... I could see it, I guess. They're both weirdos. But they don't strike me as being particularly close and I'm pretty sure Fin wouldn't be interested back. I get the feeling that Fin's not much of one for romance.
But the only way to find out is to ask him," Peregrine continued. "Obviously, it's easier said than done and unless you want to go all middle school and have someone else ask... you should spend time with him, feel him out and then, when you're comfortable, tell him how you feel. Rejection sucks when it happens but it's worth the risk. And from here, your odds look pretty good. Seriously.
Man, I should be a Counselor," he mused jokingly in the next breath, smiling encouragingly at the Epsilon female.