Redhawk Caldera [j] set honour in one eye and death in the other

@Peregrine and @Fox but anyone else from the Caldera is welcome to join :) Hover over the chinese for translation

He missed the seas dearly, the churning waves and the tall mountains that covered the edge of it. It had been his favourite spot back at Blackwind Sea, for in the war, he had always been able to spot the enemy long before they arrived and caught them off guard when they came to attack, expecting unprepared wolves but instead were met by a formidable force and got shredded into pieces. But the youth was not going to regret his decision to leave home and his family so soon, he had never regretted anything and he wasn't going to start now.

Sleek golden and silver fur gleamed in the sunlight and though the air was getting chillier, Hujiang did not feel it, his thick northern fur and the lion's mane around his neck kept him from feeling cold. These lands were unfamiliar to the wolf of the seas, different but not necessarily bad. Flat grassy plains stretched for miles and there were only these flatlands for as far as he could see. The golden male wondered if there were any mountains nearby, if he couldn't find any seas, mountains would do.

Bright aqua eyes flashed as he trotted forward, an old song in his natal's pack native tongue sprung into his mind and softly he began to sing in cantonese.

“獨自在山坡　高處未算高　命運在冷笑　暗示前無路
　浮雲遊身邊　發出警告　我高視闊步"
A faint smile now spreads across his face and he laughs, now singing in a louder voice, the memory of his family and his former packmates bright in his mind. Hujiang paused, the strong scent of a pack's borders smacking him in the face, winter was coming and though this place seemed to have neither mountains nor sea, it would have to do until he found a better place or when winter was over. But the wolves of this pack could expect a hardworking, daredevil, formidable mastermind. The wolf that now went by the name of Theseus, lifted his head and howled, asking for an audience with the Alphas or anyone who was from these lands. When the song was over, he began singing again, in a loud, clear, melodic voice.

“雖知此山頭　猛虎滿佈　膽小非英雄　決不願停步
　冷眼對血路　寂寞是命途　明月映山崗 再與天比高"

The sandy pelted teen just returned from checking the cavernous hideaway that held the reminents of flowers from spring. They weren't all that wilted, but it was abvious they were dying. Ashton was only pleased that the flowers were of the species that could grow back within the next year.
Woot woot.

The doctor in training was doing a manly thing of patroling the borders, and only time he stopped, was the moment he heard a howl aaaaaaaaallllll the way on the east of where he just came from.
Bruh.
Wasn't a familiar voice, so obviously, he had to investigate. Gathering his long and lean limbs, he tore for the direction of the sound. And soon, a scent accompanied the area, then quickly after, a form.

A fellow lupine that had a hide of gold and platinum, much like and unlike his. Eyes the color of tropical waters adorned his face. Impressive build, too.
Pretty cool bro.

"What's cookin, good lookin'? Got a visitor's pass?"

Ashton sat just behind the borders, his emeralds dancing with a jovial sense of friendliness. He know he didn't know the stranger, but he did know sometimes being nice was a rewarding thing to do.

Sometimes, Peregrine didn't mind calls at his borders, especially when he reminded himself that sometimes they resulted in new members. A majority of the time, however, it really grated on his nerves when strangers summoned him to his own doorstep like some sort of butler... especially if he was in the middle of doing something more important, like boning his mate.

Cursing under his breath, Peregrine slipped away from Fox and emerged from their den to heed the call. This better be good, he thought to himself, jaw clenched as he descended the slope toward his borders. From a distance, he could see the stranger and he watched as Ashton appeared and approached him. The Alpha male licked his lips and bobbed his head approvingly.

Soon he joined them, making it a party of three. "State your name and business," the swarthy Redleaf-DiSarinno said, eyeballing the tall, sandy stranger with aquamarine eyes. Peregrine was a large wolf himself and wore his size proudly at the moment, head and tail both arched and ears thrust upward to designate his status over both of the other males.

When the figure of a wolf appeared, the song that was sung in his native tongue slowly faded away. The newcomer had a coat like the sun, sandy furred and bright green eyes. "What's cookin, good lookin'? Got a visitor's pass?" The wolf of the seas threw back his head and laughed, bright aqua eyes twinkling with amusement and retorted playfully “如果你是女人, 我就會惜你。" (If you're a girl, I could kiss you) he accidentally spoke in cantonese, but he did not repeat it again in English. Instead made to reply to the question and return the generous greeting. "Yo! Whatsup dude, I was just, ya know, chillin behind invisible scent lines, was hoping one of you guys could gimme the pass" Theseus spoke in the common tongue, he held not accent and he spoke the language of these lands as if he was a native speaker.

Soon, a large obsidian black wolf joined them, his head held high, tail arched proudly over his back and ears straight and pointing towards the sky, displaying his rank. Probably either an Alpha or a Beta. "State your name and business," said the (assumed) leader. Honestly, Hujiang preferred wolves like the sandy male, jokers that loved to have some fun but probably knew how to be serious at others. No matter, leaders always seemed to be somehow stricter and firmer than the other wolves, if he ever led a pack, Theseus would still be the same reckless daredevil, just a bit more serious at times.

Hujiang crouched down, ears flattening slowly against his skull, his tail hanging by his ankles as a gesture of submission and respect. Fierce aqua eyes were focused on the ground, not meeting either wolf's eyes for in the language of wolves, it was a challenge and considered disrespectful. "My name is 龍天海 (Long Tian Hai) but to make things easier for us, you may call me Theseus." Besides, if they tried to pronounce his chinese name, it would probably come out terribly wrong. "I wish to join your pack."

Oh hell yea! Finally someone who didn't look at him like he was talkin some weird Lango, amd who actually understood!
New best friend.
Done.
He was on the verge of sayin somethin back, a laugh already dancing on his lips, when Per came out to do his thing. Ash stepped back a bit, sending a look to the almost identically pelted dude that could have been read by a blind wolf, 'WE ARE GONNA CHAT LATER' plainly on his face.
Ashton kept his eyes on the visitor, though noting the Alpha's presence with his own body language. Lowered tail, neutral ears, and decreased body height.

Pet got straight into the interview, and dutifully, Ashton made notes on how he did it.
Just got straight to it. Blunt and to the point.
He would have to remember that.

It pleased him when both wolves submitted and some of the tension left his body. He drew in a deep breath as he listened to the male's introduction. The name he gave sounded foreign to Peregrine's black ears, though he offered an alias: Theseus. He wasn't sure of the stranger's native language, yet the nickname sounded Greek. Peregrine only knew this because of the naming conventions in his own family, particularly his father's contributions.

"I am Peregrine, the Alpha, and this is Ashton," the swarthy leader introduced when Theseus finished. "Why do you wish to join my pack?" he asked. It seemed a simple question but it was a loaded one as well. Why had Theseus left his previous establishment? What prompted him to join a foreign pack? Why had he chosen Redhawk Caldera in particular? Peregrine hoped he would intuit at least some of these subtexts.

"And what are your skills?" he added after a beat, deciding to go ahead and put all of his queries on the table. Theseus seemed a promising candidate and Peregrine was almost positive he would accept him, a judgment based purely on his first impression. He still had to vet the guy, though, and the faster the process went, the sooner the Alpha male could return to his mate.

If there was one thing the chinese hated more than traitors was bowing to someone he did not think was suitable to lead. It wasn't that this swarthy male was not suitable, but merely because he did not know the wolf yet, and therefore, in his mind, he should not need to bow before him. But the wolves of these lands did not approve of his thinking, they were so stuck to one way that they didn't even think, didn't even consider tolerating wolves like himself. No subordination from a lone wolf that doesn't even know you at all and does not know if you are worthy of leading? Instant 'lemme kick your ass away from my precious invisible borders' mode. Honestly.

"Why do you wish to join my pack?" He was tempted to lift his head and reply but knew it would just jeopardize his application for the pack. "Only fools do not choose to seek a home. Winter is coming." it was true. "I have traveled for long and encountered many packs on the way but yours seem to be the strongest one I have seen. I have always lived by the seas and mountains and this place is different from where I have lived before. Its an adventure, and a mark of a new beginning, for I left my previous pack after the war was over and our side had won, so I can understand this world from a new perspective." Offer my valuable skills to the strongest, most honorable pack. My journey has not ended yet, this is just another one of my stops.

The corner of his lips quirked upwards at the next words the leader uttered, "I am not a good man. I'm a daredevil. But I am a good fighter, warrior as I was born in a time of war. I am also a good strategist and hunter. You will find in me an outrider and counselor. I'm also an apprentice healer. " and a singer. Then he did not speak and waited for the leader's judgement.

Ouuuuu,...and apprentice healer?
Ash was a healer, and though the golden teen wasn't an apprentice, he thought the two could maybe get to know each other over the act.
Bond over botany.
Hell yea.

Emeralds dashed between Per and Theseus, his attention full on both. The hippie was gonna use this encounter as a learning experience for the future encounters.

It sounded as if this man had a bit of experience in damn near everything, so Ashton figured he would be a positive influence to the Caldera.
However, it wasn't his opinion that would get him in.
He had learned that the hard way.

The Alpha listened, finding no fault in Theseus's answer, save for one giant red flag. Here was an experienced and successful warrior who claimed also to be adept at hunting, counseling, healing and ambassadorship. Of course, all that remained to be proven, but Peregrine knew a lucky catch when he saw one. If only Theseus hadn't said those six damning words...

"What exactly do you mean when you say 'I am not a good man'? We definitely have room for someone who boasts so many skills but... we are a pack founded on one very important constitution: pups. My mate and I only want the best of the best around our offspring. It's not just about talents; it's about trust. How can I trust someone who admits he's not good? Around my children...?"

Peregrine tipped his head and frowned thoughtfully. He wanted Theseus in his ranks. He wanted to see what he was capable of because it was one thing to talk the talk and another to walk the walk. It would be a shame to have to turn him away, yet Peregrine would do everything he must to keep his unborn children safe and happy. They were the reason they were here, after all.

Well obviously he was going to question the six words that he said, it was his fault, sometimes he let his mouth run away with him. "My mate and I only want the best of the best around our offspring. It's not just about talents; it's about trust. How can I trust someone who admits he's not good? Around my children...?" It was interesting how these wolves rolled, and it would be nice to see how this pack was ran, if these Alphas were good and exactly how 'trusting' they were. This swarthy male seemed to be a good leader, his mate was probably also leading beside him, Theseus wondered if she was also like him, or if she was just a plain whoring bitch.

The chinese wolf's eyes gleamed thoughtfully, "Nobody is good, some can be nice, caring, kind, yes, but nobody can be purely good, no one can be perfect. That was what I meant when I said I wasn't a good wolf, and the fact that I can be cruel and merciless to my enemies." If you couldn't trust him, then you couldn't trust anyone. Theseus was brutally honest, cruel, ruthless and merciless at times but he was also courageous, loyal and honorable in his own way.

"I admit I might be too honest at times, but if everyone in this world was truly honest, then everyone would admit they aren't good." It was the simple, honest truth of this world, but Theseus understood if they didn't understand. Not everyone could be as understanding as he could be, and he was only probably the wolf he was today because of the war he grew up in.

Woah, was this guy a fortune cookie, or what? That was some insightful stuff. Made him think a bit. Ash could respect a guy with smarts. It made the teen wonder if he knew cool riddles or any other interesting words under that yellow pelt of his.
"Rad words, muchacho."
The hippie bobbed his head in emphases of his liking to the speech.
The The golden boot quieted down for the Alphas jurisdiction of the company.

Ash had taken a liking to this guy, but looks can be deceiving, and only actions could prove who his near look-alike was.
Whether Peregrine allowed the dude amongst the rest of the Hawks to prove himself or not was his choice.
His move.

Peregrine had to admit that the guy did a great job of backpedaling and smoothing over his previous words. The Alpha was sold. The great thing about accepting members was that their membership wasn't unconditional. If at any point Peregrine changed his mind and deemed Theseus untrustworthy, he could just punt him out on his ass. He reminded himself of that now and it put him at ease, though he hoped for the best: that Theseus would prove not only trustworthy but also invaluable.

"All right, Theseus. You'll start as the pack's Iota. Prove yourself and you will move higher," Peregrine said. "Welcome to Redhawk Caldera. I'll let Ashton give you the grand tour. Make yourself at home and get involved. Feel free to seek out myself or my mate, Fox, if you have any questions or concerns for the leadership." He was pretty sure that was all he wanted to say.

Without further adieu, Peregrine bobbed his head to both males, then turned and glided back up the mountain to resume his interrupted tryst with his fiery queen.