Redhawk Caldera I've seen fire and I've seen rain

@Magpie, mebbe...? I'm listening to some James Taylor o'er here.

He came home feeling emotionally exhausted but otherwise calm. As soon as Peregrine's toes touched ground at the caldera, he sent up a howl to announce his return and query after Tytonidae. He received no response to indicate his daughter was here. Chewing on his lip, the Alpha male sought shelter beneath a tree near the foot of the mount and flopped to the ground with a gusty sigh.

He tried to think of happy things, like his recent search for dens with Fox, yet his mind kept going back to Lasher. Sprinkled in there were worries about his precious, scatterbrained daughter. Occasionally, he also fretted about the wolves missing from his own ranks, particularly Finley. He still hadn't been able to find her and ask her a very important question. Peregrine didn't believe for a second she'd left them; so where was she?

Too tired from his travels to do much about any of it right now, Peregrine let his chin drop to his paws. He rolled partially onto his side and closed his eyes, seeking slumber.

Thanks for starting! I ended up trying to catch up on wedding thank-yous last night instead, since I was feeling hella guilt over the fact they're not 100% finished yet. >__>

Let me know if I need to change anything! I'm assuming they've been taking care of her behind-the-scenes.

Magpie had been slowly gathering her strength, spending most of her days in the den given to her by Peregrine and Fox; it was near enough to theirs that they were able to bring her food from the caches without being too much of an inconvenience. She would emerge and go for short walks whenever she felt up to it (or needed to relieve herself), but the majority of Magpie's time in the caldera thus far had been spent sleeping or eating.

Today, however, cabin-fever had begun to set in; a marked sign that her health had returned, though it would still be some weeks before she was as vibrant as wolves were meant to be. She felt restless and eager for some kind of excitement. Emerging from the den with an exaggerated stretch, Magpie took a tentative few steps before bursting into a run — channeling her anxiety, her desperation for action.

She bounded around the caldera in sprints, yapping excitedly, paying little heed to who she might be disturbing or where she was going. Her energy was spent far earlier than would be usual for a wolf — it would be some time before she regained her stamina — but when she found herself in the presence of Peregrine's prone form, she was panting and happy.

He heard the yipping in the distance and ignored it, doing little more than shifting in his sleep and grumbling. It came nearer, however, and became harder to ignore. In fact, it gave him a headache. Peregrine's eyes cracked open only to narrow immediately. He scanned the horizon for the culprit and was mildly surprised when a chipper-looking Magpie drew up near him.

"Wow, you are so annoying when you're in a good mood," he observed with a smirk. With a grunt, the Alpha male pushed himself into a seated position. "Glad to see you're feeling better, Magpie. Why don't you put that energy toward something useful and go grab me something to eat?" He meant for her to dip into one of the nearby caches but Peregrine wondered if she might interpret it as a request to hunt for him. Peregrine did not clarify, wondering what she would do with the playful command.

Oblivious to the fact her Alpha had been attempting to sleep, especially because he addressed her without (much) complaint, the youth's tail swept to and fro happily. Sides heaving slightly, she moved to sit as he did, and grinned in response to his smirk. "I think today is the first since I've been here that I didn't wake up starving," she explained, "like, literally starving. I was getting tired of being a sleeping, eating blob." Never mind that her body was still a bit sharper and more angular than was fit; but she had gained weight and her coat was beginning to regain a healthy sheen.

It didn't occur to her that Peregrine might be surprised by her chipper attitude; she liked him, and her beef was with Fox, and Fox alone. At his suggestion, the youth moved energetically to her feet and began to sniff the ground enthusiastically for a trail. "Do you like rabbit?" she queried, her voice slightly muffled because she hadn't bothered to lift her head to do so.

The Magpie he had brought back from that icy lake was definitely not the same creature that stood before him now, full of vigor. He favored her with a bit of a paternalistic smile, then bobbed his head in reply to her question. What wild wolf didn't like rabbit?

"I'll eat anything with a face," he reported. "If you intend to hunt, can I come with you? I'd like to get a feel for your skills. You must have some, considering you were on your own for a bit there. Right?" As he spoke, the Alpha male rose to his paws and took a few steps forward to stand beside her.

Magpie was a moody creature, to be sure, and the fiery alpha seemed to bring it out in the youth worst of all — but Fox wasn't here, just Peregrine. It was strange, too, that she seemed so willing to speak to him; although she was recharged by interacting with others, the act of talking was usually reserved for those that held her deepest trust. But then, Peregrine had secured himself as the missing father-figure (and parent in general) that Magpie had always lacked in the moment he decided to take her in.

She grinned at his comment and looked up, green eyes full of feigned offense, "Would you eat me? Cannibal!" Magpie laughed, then, feeling happier than she had in a long while. "I might need some practice," she admitted after a beat, "I mean, I was almost dead when you found me." Her breath was caught, now, and the scent of rabbit was thick in her nose. When Peregrine came closer, she set back to her work in tracking the small mammal.

Peregrine felt filthy because the first thought that occurred to him was a dirty joke. To distract himself from this burgeoning pedophilia, he bellowed, "Fuck yes I'd eat you! If I had to." He leered at her, straight-faced, daring her to doubt him. But he couldn't quite quell the chuckle that bubbled up his throat, a deep and rolling sound.

"Good point," he agreed, the chortle becoming more of a snicker before he lapsed into silence and fell into step behind the curiously-marked juvenile. If she sucked, that just meant he would have the chance to start from scratch and mold her into an ideal hunter. Perhaps he might even make a Gamekeeper apprentice of her, if she was willing and able.

Magpie was oblivious to her unintended sexual innuendo. Although she was nearing her first year, the juvenile hadn't yet reached sexual maturity, and she had lacked the social interactions to pick up on such wordplay. Instead, she gaped at Peregrine's profane exclamation and promptly erupted into a delighted shriek of laughter. When the sound subsided, she said with feigned accusation, "Um, we should probably be quiet if we want to catch anything, Peregrine!" Which, in truth, was code for, Stop making me laugh.

Nose returned to the ground once more, Magpie guessed that the rabbit's nest was nearby. A small pile of pellets ahead confirmed her suspicions, for when she looked up, the dark entrance was just barely visible beneath some low branches of brush. She briefly glanced at Peregrine, then slowly moved towards it...

Magpie's tracking led them toward a rabbit warren. While the juvenile took the pellets as a sign, the more seasoned Gamekeeper spotted the other, subtler indications of their presence: grass flattened here, chewed there; the slight fluttering coming from somewhere beneath them; and, as they came closer, the unmistakable smell of the small beasts. It was muted, earthy, but unmistakable if you were familiar with it.

When she looked at him, he motioned silently. Go on... He stood back, letting her take point. Peregrine would not hunt himself. Instead, he would spend the next few hours observing her so that, later, he could fashion her into a strong and able hunter.