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+--- Thread: Redhawk Caldera Run for your money (/showthread.php?tid=44662)
Run for your money - Phox - November 01, 2020
A new home, which meant plenty of work to be done. While others might have been content to reminisce about days gone by, Phox got right to work. He'd locked onto some critter's trail, and he was not going to give up until he caught the damn thing. The scent trail wound this way and that, taking Phox down plenty of old stomping grounds where he'd honed in on his hunting skills as a kid. Finley had been there plenty of times to help guide him. Raven and Elwood, too, although he wasn't thinking about any of that right now. He was in that focus zone where his brained turned off and his instinct turned on.
Scrambling under a fallen log that blocked his trail, he felt the roughness of it on his silvery back, but he didn't pay it any mind. The critter, which he'd since identified as a muskrat, was really giving him a run for his money.
RE: Run for your money - Meerkat - November 01, 2020
She'd heard about this through the grapevine but only when the unmistakable sound of Towhee's voice cut through the crisp November air did Meekat realize they'd really done it. They'd moved in next door, practically! She wanted to find @Bronco and @Fennec to see if they'd overheard too and wanted to come with her but the young ambassador simply couldn't help herself. She made a beeline through Bramblepoint and galloped toward the caldera.
Although her mother, father, brother and sisters lived here, Meerkat knew better than to assume she could simply walk in unvited. She figured it might actually reinforce their brand new claim to stand patiently at the borders and call instead. Smiling breathlessly, she did exactly that, unaware that she was sounding off right in the middle of Phox's hunt.
RE: Run for your money - Phox - November 01, 2020
When his daughter's voice came ringing through the air, Phox only registered it subconsciously. His head was still in the hunt, and when he finally got close enough to the muskrat, he pounced, giving the little creature a quick, clean death. This was a chonker of a muskrat, too. Its sharp claws hung limply and swung from side to side as Phox carried it to its (almost) final resting place. From there, they could dig it up later for not-so-fresh eats.
Satisfied with his work, he suddenly remembered the call, and his large, lean form went barreling toward the northern border. He wasn't sure exactly how long she'd been waiting when he got there, but Phox approached in his usual jovial manner. His tail wagged, his tongue hung loose out of the side of his mouth, and his chestnut brown eyes greeted his daughter with cheer.
-Meerk!-he chirped/signed.
-I guess you heard Towma's yowling?-
RE: Run for your money - Meerkat - November 01, 2020
While she waited, Meerkat peered up at the caldera's slopes. It made her think of Moonspear, only it was much squatter and missing a peak. From down here, she couldn't know about the crater filled with water, so she found the lack of an apex somewhat mysterious.
Eventually, her dad appeared with a warm welcome and Meerkat's tail wagged rapidly. "Yeah," she replied with a laugh, "I sure did. It was crazy hearing it from this direction. I'm psyched you guys are so close now!" She couldn't really remember the exact reasons prompting the Firebirds to move, though Meerkat had no real interest in questioning them. She was just happy they were here!
"Guess I don't have to schedule monthly visits. I can stop by anytime, you guys can do the same at the glen," Meerkat observed merrily. "Think I could get a tour, dad?" she queried in the next breath.
RE: Run for your money - Phox - November 01, 2020
NaWoWriMo got me doing wordy posts.
As he usually did, Phox shifted his own conversational skills over to the comfort of who he was conversing with. Typically, he'd start out with both (especially when Towhee was present), then mimic whatever the other wolf was doing. It was strange in a sense to see Meerkat not using ptero along with her voice, but he assumed it was because she'd been spending so much time with Moonspear, and now Firefly Glen. Hopefully she wouldn't get too rusty, especially now that they were so close to one another. She said as much, and Phox nodded.
She asked for a tour, and Phox replied with a chipper,
Absolutely!Alyx hadn't seemed terribly interested in the caldera, and he hadn't quite gotten a read on Quetzal and Primrose's reactions, but it seemed like Meerkat was at least a little bit enthused. Either that or she was just trying to make dear old dad feel better about the move. Whatever her motivations, Phox was happy to oblige.
Let's go this way first,he said, motioning toward a well-worn path.
I want to check on an old beaver dam and see how they're doing.He wouldn't be hunting it today, but he did want to see if they were still there, alive, and kicking so he could return tomorrow or another day.
Once they were in motion and heading upward toward the dam, he asked about the glen.
How is everything at Firefly Glen? Bronco staying out of trouble? And Fennec's causing plenty of trouble, I presume?
RE: Run for your money - Meerkat - November 01, 2020
He welcomed her warmly, of course. As Meerkat followed her father across the newly minted borders, she idly wondered how they were meant to work between sister packs. It seemed Moonspear and Firefly Glen welcomed members of each pack to wander freely between their respective territories. But then, they shared a border, plus a bloodline. On that note, perhaps she needn't knock at the proverbial door when she visited the caldera, although she'd always done as much at the copse too. Maybe she should just ask at some point.
For now, Phox distracted her with talk of beavers. "Whoa, you guys have your very own beaver dam?" she asked before tacking on, "Are beavers the sleek ones that look like weasels or the ones with buck teeth and flat tails? I always get them mixed up with otters." She shook her head and laughed, glad for any clarification he could provide on the matter.
When he asked about Firefly Glen, Meerkat happily reported, "We're official! We howled just the other night, during the full moon. It actually woke me up out of a dead sleep. But it was such a neat experience, listening to everyone howl together like that—both packs. Did you guys hear it?" she couldn't help but wonder, since they'd presumably been here or at least in the area at the time.
RE: Run for your money - Phox - November 01, 2020
Meerkat seemed delighted at the thought, which was always an ego boost for Phox. He wanted so badly to be seen as the cool dad, and it was nice when it really felt that way as the kids got older. He was pretty sure Fennec thought he was lame. Figment was respectful, but Phox had a feeling he groaned at most of his jokes. Alyx clearly thought he was the worst right now. Quetzal... well, who the heck knew what she was thinking. Primrose was a dear, but maybe not the kind to get excited about the same things that Phox enjoyed. A bit of a momma's boy, that one.
The latter,Phox replied.
I did meet a wolf with an otter for a friend once. That was a strange encounter.He couldn't recall the wolf's name, but he did remember that he'd considered tracking down some small animal and killing its parents to make Fennec a guide when he'd seen that. Now it was pretty clear that she would never accept such a gift, so Phox had more or less given up on that pipe dream.
I must've slept through it,Phox replied with a disappointed frown,
Maybe Towma's deafness is rubbing off on me after all these years.He winked at her to confirm that he was joking. His hearing was perfectly fine.
Truth be told, I was tuckered out from herding your little siblings around for two days straight.At least they had all arrived safe and sound, nobody getting lost or left behind.
RE: Run for your money - Meerkat - November 01, 2020
Both brows raised at the mention of a wolf with a pet otter. Meerkat wanted one! But before she could ask how to make that happen, the conversation moved on to things that actually mattered, like the fact that Phox had slept through the founding howl because the trip from the copse—and her own younger siblings—had worn him out so much.
"I hope it was an adventure," Meerkat said with a cheeky smile. "I hope we run into them, mom and Neema too." Of course, that was always the case any time she popped by for a visit. Even if she swung by much more often now that they were practically neighbors, Meerkat doubted that would change.
A random thought hit her and Meerkat lamented, "Oh, damn it, I should've brought a housewarming gift. Maybe next time, huh?" Heck, she could go home after this, rustle up something and return again before nightfall if she wanted.
RE: Run for your money - Phox - November 01, 2020
Oh, I'm sure we will,Phox replied with a knowing smile. Now that everybody had been let loose to explore, it seemed even more likely that they'd end up running into one another. If not, Phox was almost certain everybody would be gathered at the rendezvous site near the caldera's most notable feature: the lake at the tippy-top. He planned on saving that for the tour's finale, and he certainly wasn't going to be giving hints along the way.
That would be most welcome,he replied when Meerkat mentioned a gift. He had to bite his tongue not to giggle at her use of the word "damn." There was always something so charming about the youths using curse words. Except, you know, when they were insulting their superiors. Ahem, ALYX.
Up they went, and Phox found it was nice to be showing a younger generation the same paths he'd traversed so many times when he was her age. Eventually, they made it to the dam (minus the kayak ). While he couldn't see any beavers right now, the smell was unmistakable, and there was another indicator that the batch was still alive and well. Walking up to a nearby tree, he sniffed at it.
See this?he asked, looking over his shoulder at Meerkat.
These teeth marks are where they've chopped down this sapling. They're fresh, too, which means this will be a good spot to come back and do some hunting. I'll leave 'em be for now, though.
RE: Run for your money - Meerkat - November 01, 2020
She pondered what sorts of gifts she could bring next time she came by, whether that was later tonight, in the morning or another day altogether. The obvious answer was food, though Meerkat wasn't a particularly skilled hunter. She could always recruit Bronco, though she wanted to come up with something on her own. She would've brought some pumpkins, but she had no desire to give the Redhawks the runs...
Truth be told, she hadn't really known what he'd meant when he'd talked about a dam, even after his clarification about beavers and otters. She found out firsthand when they arrived, her warm brown eyes trailing over the bunches of sticks clustered together in the water. Phox also approached a nearby tree, then pointed out some fresh teeth marks. Evidently, this dam was still occupied.
"Will they move out, now that you guys are here?" Meerkat couldn't help but wonder, which made her think of something else. "You guys actually lived here before, didn't you? When?" Her eyes rested inquisitively on his face, immensely curious about what history might lie here.
RE: Run for your money - Phox - November 02, 2020
Meerkat asked whether or not the beavers would disappear now that the Firebirds (Redhawks?) had returned.
Nah, I don't think they'll leave all this hard work behind. So long as we don't eat all of them, they'll reproduce and continue to be a regular food resource for us.As was the circle of life and all that jazz. Overhunting could become an issue if the wolf population got too large, but there was plenty of wilderness, and there was always room to spread out, stretch, and grow.
We did. Towhee and I were born here. Uncle Eljay, too. I lived here until I was about a year old before I went off on my own. Towhee stayed around and moved with your Aunt Raven, Aunt Finley, and Uncle Elwood to Heron Lake Plateau not too much longer after.This place was rich with family history, and Phox smiled pleasantly remembering all the times he'd spent here as a kid. He was looking forward to raising his next litter with Niamh here come spring; creating a whole new chapter of memories with her and their children, both current and future.
Satisfied with his brief scouting of the beaver dam, he began working his way up the slope once more, Meerkat in tow.
C'mon, I want to show you why this place is really special.He was, of course, talking about the lake that was the caldera's most unique feature. The trees began to thin out as they climbed upward, but the view when they got to the top was spectacular. From their view facing south, the rendezvous site could be seen to the right, the small peak directly ahead, and the small woods to the left.
After Phox had sipped on the sight, he looked over his shoulder to see Meerkat's expression.
RE: Run for your money - Meerkat - November 02, 2020
As Phox regaled her with the pack's history, Meerkat tried to remember if her mother had told her any of this before. It did sound vaguely familiar, so Towhee had probably shared these stories with her when she was a child. She tried to remember the reason they'd moved to Sun Mote Copse but drew a blank. She had a niggling feeling there was a hawk involved somehow.
She opened her mouth to ask but the two of them arrived at the strangely flat summit. When Meerkat saw the lake in the crater's interior—the caldera itself—her jaw actually dropped. "Holy shit," she murmured, brown eyes scanning from left to right and taking in all the details, from the water to the sights beyond.
After several moments, she tore her eyes away from the views and blinked at her dad. "Why would you guys ever leave this place?" Meerkat wondered.
RE: Run for your money - Phox - November 02, 2020
I think you can wrap with your next post! This can be one of our official move threads, too. ^__^
She swore (again!), thought Phox didn't bother holding back a gleeful giggle this time. She appeared truly blown away by the landscape, and he couldn't blame her. Meerkat asked why they left, and Phox gave her a noncommittal shrug.
Same reason we left the copse: we didn't like the neighbors."Dislike" was much too light a term, but Phox wasn't prepared to get into the gory details (most of which he'd forgotten) and explain that he'd run away from a war. That was ancient history, and he was much happier giving Meerkat a general rundown without bringing his mood down in the process.
Phox let his gaze wander over to Blackfeather Woods, looking far to his left: a place he'd avoided for all of his life. (I'm now realizing that the map linked in the pack records might not line up with the official wolf map, so who knows what's real?)
But hey, we're back! And I'd like to think we have some of the very best neighbors,Phox added with a wink and nudge to Meerkat's shoulder.
What do you say we go find everybody else? I have a feeling they're at the rendezvous site.Phox began to pick his way down the slope then, heading toward the knoll where he'd once gotten to know the world outside.
RE: Run for your money - Meerkat - November 02, 2020
A thoughtful expression crossed her face at her father's response. She had some questions, though they could definitely wait until they found the others. Meerkat bobbed her head and fell into step behind Phox as he led the way to the rendezvous site. She almost forgot but paused and glanced over her shoulder at the last second, drinking in the sight of the caldera one last time (for now). Then they headed downhill, Meerkat silently laughing at the irony of her family moving from a forest to a mountain right after she moved from a mountain to a forest.