Heron Lake Plateau Staring at the great wide open

C'mon guy, cooperate.
Colt sat eyeing the large heron and nursing a peck on the top of his skull. He knew Niamh had a thing for feathers and had kinda been hoping to surprise her with a small stash, but so far he'd only managed to get a few good stabs for his trouble.  The birds the place was named for were good eating but also formidable when not caught unawares.  And this one was heavily aware of his intentions, it's beady eyes glaring as it defensively clacked it's beak.

He intended to try his luck again anyway, but before he could, the stately avian took off, winging to a less annoying spot.  "Damn," he cursed softly, watching it fly away.  Maybe next time.

Raven had taken a break from the pups, leaving them all asleep under the watchful eye of @Niamh, and was just returning from a patrol near the northern boundary of their lands. Her presence on the borders didn't seem to be needed, as it was very well-marked and maintained by the rest of her packmates. She sometimes felt like she was slacking her duties and doing a disservice to her pack by being den-bound with the pups so much, but seeing how well-protected their borders were in her absence restored her confidence.

She walked along the edge of the lake now, the cool water lapping at her toes and the breeze ruffling her sable fur. It was an unusually nice day, warm without being hot, and Raven once again found herself overwhelmed with gratitude for all that she had. It wasn't long before a silvery form came into view some distance ahead, and within a few minutes, she realized it was Colt. He was staring hard at a heron that had just flown away, and the look of consternation on his face told her that he'd been foiled by the bird. As she drew near, she grinned and waved her tail in greeting, and said, "Looks like you and Qui have about the same luck with birds."

His plumage woulda been a great thing to have, but c'est la vie.  No such luck today.  He was just about to nose around for a frog or two when Raven approached, seemingly catching the tail end of the failure.  He smiled good-naturedly at the jibe.

"Yeah, well, next time.  I got his number."  He glanced up at the shape as it disappeared, then back.  It was a little odd to run into her out, though he guessed havin kids wasn't a complete jail sentence when you had wolves like Niamh or Eljay willin to help.  "Takin a break from the chaos?"

Because Caiaphas had been growing more and more lax with Svalinn's explorations of the bountiful plateau, he had managed to slip her watchtower gaze with a thrifty slink and a quick exit into the densest underbrush he could wriggle through. His loud escape could hardly be called stealthy -- leaving behind such a great shuddering of the foliage as he went -- and certainly his Mama was sharper than that, but because she'd let him slide so often he now considered himself blessed in the art of evasion. He felt unstoppable these days; like a young Houdini in motion: too fast, three slick, four smart. He could not be caught.

The golden hellspawn put his bid for freedom on hold when he came across a recent trail of Raven's. He remembered her in the way he remembered what prey was, so of course he gave way to hunt her down instead. Fortunately she had a bodyguard when he found her, so Svalinn was forced to temper his approach as he sussed out the vaguely familiar Colt while coming tentatively to steal Raven away. His manners weren't unlike the brave hyenas that linger close to steal from the kill of a lion.

Sorry for the hold-up, guys!

She grinned and chuckled at Colt's comment, thinking in that moment of how much he reminded her of Quixote (who was forever foiled in his attempts to catch birds). "Ohhh yeah," she answered, nodding for emphasis. "Those kiddos are a handful, so I take every break I can get." She loved them, of course, but the four of them were sometimes a lot to handle. She was thankful she had several willing sitters and a very involved, doting father to take over for her when she needed a breather. On the subject of Quixote, she thought of asking Colt about the rift that had developed between the two of them...but then Svalinn showed up.

She hadn't seen much of the butter-colored boy since she had accepted him and his caretakers into the pack. She'd been busy with her own pups, but she had asked that fresh meat be taken to Caiaphas & Co. whenever it was available and, from the generally healthier appearance of the boy, it appeared that they were all doing well and recovering from their travels. She wagged her tail and turned a smile to him as he approached. "Well hey there, kiddo!" she greeted him brightly.

Colt laughed as well.  "I can imagine, though guessin there's something nice  to the chaos too.  Else why would anyone do it?"  He winked, but then they were interrupted.  

Colt didn't greet the boy outright, though he did give him a smile.  Raven did the welcoming for him.  He'd met Caiaphas and Blondine, but had yet to meet the younger that had accompanied them here.  He'd get to it eventually no doubt; usually he did.

He perked up when Raven noticed him first, twig-tail wagging as he remembered his fondness for her and the reason behind it -- ultimately he remembered why he had begun approaching in the first place -- but before he could hound her for the goods she presumably had, Svalinn was again mollified by the presence of Colt. The smile he had been giving Raven, a deceitful tool meant to lure her into submitting to him, fell as he faced the intimidating dirt-mountain that was his superior packmate. He stood very self-importantly between them as he stared bulbously at the mostly unfamiliar male (eyes still kinda blue at this point bc this was a thousand years ago i'm sorry), and he gave one assertive boof to demand that he show deference -- or at the very least introduce himself.

Good lort, sorry this took me literally 100000 years x_x At this rate we'll all be able to check off that "have a thread that lasts 6 months" achievement in the Bragging Rights L O L <_<

Raven nodded to Colt's assertation, but was momentarily distracted by Svalinn's behavior. He was so cute, and he was clearly uncertain about Colt's presence. The little boy puffed up like a rooster and boofed demandingly at the much larger male, clearly unafraid. She sat back to watch the two and mentioned to the older wolf, "Oh boy. Looks like you have a challenger, Colt."

with how things are goin on my end too we might! Wow

Oho, is that right?  Colt leaned down and eyed him with mock intent, as if sizing him up.  Alright, I deem this one worthy.  Looks like I have a rival  He laughed, then stood.  Name's Colt, kid.  Nice to meet you.  If it was, indeed, nice.  Colt couldn't really tell from the kid's boof what sort of impression he had, nor did he really care much.

Svalinn grew (only slightly) alarmed as his opponent began to size him up, as the boy could not fathom any kind of victory against this stag. He felt a submissive quiver happening somewhere at the base of his spine, threatening to curve his hindquarters into a defensive posture, but his stance held out just long enough for the older Redhawk to accept rather than rebuke him, and relieve the perceived tension with a buoyant laugh.

The boy relaxed, wiry tail picking up in a wag, as the male introduced himself— in a funny sort of way— as Colt. He might've introduced himself in return, but his thoughts instead lingered on another word the male had mentioned. "Ri.. val?" he echoed questioningly.

Let's go for it? xD Lmao, I'm terrible - as usual!

Colt shot another bemused look at Raven before nodding in response to the boy's question.  Rival.  Competitor, nemesis, friendly enemy?  Enemy was a little harsh, but if you wanted to get specific, a rival was an enemy of sorts.  Just not a bad one.

Havin a rival is good for ya, means you gotta work hard to be better than this old man, he added jokingly, with a grin and a stretch.  He wondered what Svalinn would think of that little revelation.