Wolf RPG

It seemed there were a few new faces around the caldera; the Betas had accepted one or two wolves during the Alpha pair's honeymoon hiatus. It bothered him that he not only didn't know these wolves but that he hadn't even met them yet. They hadn't sought him out, either. The situation needed to be rectified stat, Peregrine thought with a huff.

He wrapped up an early patrol and helped himself to a cold breakfast. The pack's black leader then stood tall at the foot of the caldera and howled, summoning these veritable strangers to him. His tail switched as he fell silent and waited, passing the time by scratching shapes into the snow.

Tempest loped towards the call, ears perked forward. She approached Peregrine, and lay submissively in the snow."Greetings" she said before sitting up again. She looked behind her, hoping @Mikael would come. She glanced at Peregrine, still thinking of ways that she could prove herself to him.

When a familiar face came toward him, Peregrine quirked a brow. When Tempest reached him, he said, "Hey Temp. I was hoping to meet up with the newer members right now. I'll catch up with you later, all right?" He gave her a pointed look, trying to dismiss her without being rude about it.

So Tempest was no longer considered a new member. She would remember that.
"Before I go, Peregrine, I was wondering if you would like to go on a hunt with me later? I am going to ask @Somnia as well" She wanted to get to know the Alpha, seeing as earlier he had said that he needed to know her better." She hoped he would accept.

While she was relatively new, he had spent time with her on a few occasions now and Peregrine was specifically hoping to meet and greet those he didn't know very well or at all. He wondered if Tempest understood that or if his dismissal would offend her. She didn't seem put out by it and even invited him to hunt with her and Somnia later.

"Call for me and I'll come if I'm free," he replied, waving his tail. He appreciated the invitation, as well as his (potential) Gamekeepers' dedication. "If you see your boy toy, let him know he's one of the ones I'm looking for," he added, wondering where on earth the newest members were. Did they not even recognize the summons of their new Alpha?

Mikael was doing nothing, a rare thing but instead he was lying in the midday sun and though it was weak through the wintery cloud bank. But as a howl echoed through the caldera, he stood and shook the snow from his coat with a slightly groan. His slightly sleeping muscles stretched and warmed up as he lightly jogged down the slope towards the foot of the caldera.

His nose soon picked up the scents of an alpha and @Tempest, making him grin and he heard just the last thing the alpha said to the peppered white fae sitting nearby. He slid to a stop with a soft smile and bowed his head slightly to his alpha, shooting a grin to Tempest. "Yo, boy toy here! Mikael's the name, and as for my game? I got nothing there. Dang, hate when jokes don't work out right. Pleasure to meet you, ah..." He searched his memory for the alpha's name, knowing he had heard it but really unable to trace it down. He smiled sheepishly and huffed.

"Boy toy?" Tempest thought. "He is not my-"

Tempest whirled as Mikael approached. "Hi" she greeted him, tail wagging. "Sorry, gotta run" she told him, with a quick glance behind her at Peregrine.
She licked his cheek lightly and mumbled "Meet me later, same place as last time." She loped away, calling out "Bye!" over her shoulder.

As it happened, said boy toy appeared right then. For a moment, Peregrine mistook him for Ashton. Then he opened his mouth and introduced himself. The Alpha's lips parted in mild surprise. He watched as Tempest whispered something to him, gave him a kiss and cantered away. This really wasn't Ashton? He looked like the hippie and talked like him too. It was sort of blowing Peregrine's mind.

"I'm Peregrine. You can call me Perry," he said, recovering from his surprise and ascertaining Mikael with a suddenly stern look on his face. "I'm your Alpha." He almost asked, Why didn't you seek me out? but remembered that much of the pack had given the Alpha pair their space recently.

Instead, he folded himself into a seated position and nodded for Mikael to do the same. "I like to know my pack mates. Tell me about yourself—where you're from, why you're here, what you can do, that sort of thing."

Peregrine! That was it! The name of a fearsome bird of prey and it suited the night-furred wolf to a 't'. He bowed his head once again and smiled bashfully. "Sorry... I'm not the greatest with names. It's a pleasure to meet my new alpha. I apologise for not meeting you sooner but I was informed that you were... Ah, busy."

He sunk into a sitting position as the alpha did the same, tilting his head and carefully thinking over the questions that were presented to him. And what answers could he truly give, that didn't delve painfully deep into his past.

"I was born in the Outsider Mountains, very far to the east and to a small pack with only my parents and a few other wolves. And we were not wanted, my sister and I. My father murdered my mother when I was three months old and it tore him apart. We both looked so similar to her, and we reminded him daily of his mistakes. He started to hurt us. Little things but after he broke my sister's foreleg and wouldn't let a healer attend it, we both decided enough was enough." He swallowed harshly and then a grim smile crossed his face, with the bittersweet feeling of old revenge across his eyes. "So we burnt our home and him along with it. We got separated, Rozari and I, maybe two months ago and I was mainly here to find her. Though now that I'm here, I do miss the home I had before and right now, I want to find a family and a home to belong with."


He thought carefully once again about his next words. "As I said to Finley, there isn't much that is unique about me. I can hunt, like most wolves and I'm a fairly fast runner, since my build isn't quite as heavy as others. I have a fairly good grasp on herbs, so I might be a little help as a healer and I'm good with storytelling." That's was really about it.

Without further prompting, Mikael delved deep into his tragic history. Peregrine cringed a little, if only on the inside. Why was it that most folks came with a horror show for a past? He had thought his ousting from his birth pack had been dramatic but that was nothing compared to some of his subordinates' backgrounds. He almost regretted asking, for making the male relive this tale and for getting such a graphic introduction.

"Sorry to hear about all that..." the swarthy Redleaf-DiSarinno said lamely. He really wanted to ask how on earth wolves had managed to burn something but he didn't dare linger on the topic. "But you found your way here and we can definitely provide you with a home, provided you provide for said home. Wow, I just said 'provide' entirely too many times..."

The Alpha cleared his throat and said, "Okay, so what else do you hope to find here, aside from a home and a family? Do you have your eye on any trades yet? I know you have your eye on one of the ladies here," he said, motioning in the direction Tempest had gone. Peregrine usually enjoyed watching romance bloom but this one had happened pretty damn fast and he wasn't entirely cool with it. It wasn't really his business, though, unless they tried to make babies or something.

Mikael sighed and closed his eyes briefly in self-exasperation. "Sorry, I have a habit of that. Better to get it out in one fell swoop than to have to retell it, bit by bit. Sorry to lump all that on ya... we cool?"

Mikael cleared his throat and coughed in embarrassment as the alpha looked at him and to the departing pepper wolf- and the look in his gaze spoke volumes. "Ah...Yes... I guess so. I don't think it's anything serious yet and to be frank, I don't want to drag her into my past. It's bloody and still dangerous... She'd probably be better with another, though I won't refuse if she sticks around with me. It'll be a while yet before I start a family, if at all."

He grinned and then nodded eagerly, thinking of the plan he had set for himself. "Well, considering I already have healer training, that's not a bad place to start and I'm also thinking outrider could be a good use of my skills. I just hope I choose wisely, because my choices help or hurt the pack now, so it's... it's my duty to choose what works for the best."

"Hold the phone, Mikael," Peregrine said, momentarily ignoring addressing his potential trades. "Rewind to the part where you said it's still dangerous for her to get involved. Explain that, please," he said. Despite the pleasantry, it was clearly a command, not a request.

Mikael blinked and then his eyes widened, almost comically so. "Oh, no! No, no no! I would never join a pack, not if I was bringing danger or the chance of harm to them! I meant it's dangerous for her emotionally. I am here for a purpose. I need to find my sister and I... I can't let myself be distracted.... and I don't want her to be hurt when I focus on someone else, even if she's my sister."

He sighed in relief and chuckled nervously, the commanding nature of his alpha taking it's toll. "I didn't mean for it to sound like that at all..."

Ashton's lookalike seemed to sense Peregrine's concern and both quickly and vehemently answered to it. The Alpha male visibly relaxed when Mikael explained, though he thought he spotted some red flags when it came to his relationship with Tempest. He wondered if Mikael had told her of these things. He wanted to ask about it, then demand he be forthcoming with the girl if he wasn't already. Peregrine bit his tongue. Even though they were his subordinates, not every little aspect of their personal lives was his business.

"Good," he said simply, then he ended up unable to resist asking, "Does Tempest know about your sister? And does this mean you don't intend to stay here permanently?" That was his prerogative to know. He didn't seek to force his members to stay forever (although he hoped they would) but he wanted to know these things. "What is it with looking for long lost sisters?" he added a bit rhetorically, thinking of Elwood and Avery.

"Back to trades," Peregrine said, "Healer? Really?" He couldn't help but laugh lightly and shake his head. "We won't be able to tell you and Ashton apart at all."

Michael could see a hint of concern in the alpha's eyes and bearing, a feeling he could definitely understand. Peregrine wanted what was right for his family, and for his pack, in terms of comfort and safety. He nodded to the first question, happy that he had at least talked to the fae about his past. "Yes, she knows about Rozari and that she is the reason I am here, for the most part. But yes, I do intend to stay here in Redhawk... It's oddly calm around here, it's peaceful and the people are kind."

He cocked his head at the strange question but ignored it as the alpha continued on with his words. So his twin/doppelgänger was the healer here? Dang, the similarities were eerily scary now and he really wanted to meet this Ashton guy soon. "Guessing my 'twin' is your healer... Dang.... I will pursue outrider and Healer, though perhaps warden could be on the books as well. Is there a specific need within the pack at the moment? Great attack, more defence?"

Even though he didn't know him well yet, Peregrine felt gladness and relief when Mikael said he intended to stay. Many changed their minds (or had their minds changed for them) but it was still reassuring. The Alpha male showed his appreciation and approval with a thump of his tail.

"He is a Healer, yes, but I encourage you to pursue it as well. Lots of wolves can hunt and guard. Hell, I'd think all of them can. But not every wolf can treat wounds. It's a skill I value highly." He paused. "Despite what I just said, I also hold Gamekeepers and Wardens in the highest regard. Yes, everyone should possess these skills on a basic level. But to focus on them and treat them as a duty is a whole other ball game. I am a master Gamekeeper and Warden myself."

He took a breath, thought for a moment, then added, "We need more Caretakers. There are at least three wolves actively pursuing that trade at this time. We don't have many Warriors, so we certainly have room for one of those. I will admit I don't put much stock in Chroniclers, Counselors or Naturalists. And I personally don't value Outriders much. But that's just me and I encourage my members to pursue their passions and use them in whatever way they can to benefit the pack as a whole."

Mikael got the fleeting feeling that the alpha was glad that he was staying but though he could not know for sure, he knew that he would be extremely glad in that situation. Every alpha wolf needed a strong, capable and above all, loyal pack that would follow them to the end of the earth and beyond.

"I am definitely going for Healer... There is no point in wasting prior knowledge, now is there? Besides, one can never have enough healers. Our old pack had a few... Though none of them actually did a lot..." The russet streaked wolf hummed for a few moments, thinking over the trades he could possible pursue in the future. "I could try for Warrior, definitely. I like fighting, not in the bad way but every wolf has the primal instincts for fighting... As for the last one, who knows? I'll see where life is taking me, just go with the flow and really... I just want to let life take a hold for a while."

"No," Peregrine agreed firmly, then fell silent as Mikael continued. It was true: that kind of talent shouldn't be wasted and there could never be too many Healers. He mentioned becoming a Warrior, which might have seemed counterintuitive, but the Alpha considered them complementary in a lot of ways.

"Well, I'm just glad you have interests and ambitions," the black Redleaf-DiSarinno said, "and that you're already thinking of ways to use them to benefit the caldera. That's how you move up the ranks," he quipped with a wink of one dark jade eye.

"I think that's enough for now. I just wanted to sort of do a Mikael 101 if you will. There's plenty of time to get to know you better, and for you to get to know me. I'm gonna go look for my girl now and you should probably catch up with yours too," he suggested with a wave of his tail before turning to go. He would find Fox, then maybe resume his search for the other new members later.