Redhawk Caldera Look what they've done to my brain, ma

Nightjar plodded along the edge of the caldera's crater with his tail held high and waving above his back. Ahead of him darted a fox, an animal he had no instinctive need to kill because it wasn't a competitor, but one that he found some entertainment in. It was rare that the burly boy would seek entertainment, but the borders were secured by the other guardians and there was nothing else for him to do. Besides, this was skill building in a way.

The fox would dart several yards away and then pause to glance over its narrow shoulder at the wolf that was tailing it. Normally it would make a getaway, but the wolf's behaviour confused it. Nightjar was relentless in his pursuit, but the wolf did so lackadaisically, as if he was doing it sheerly out of boredom. That was indeed the case. Nightjar had no intention of catching the fox or doing anything to it but he enjoyed following it, and even made a sort of game out of it: occasionally he would surge forward a few steps, sending the fox skittering nervously away to quite a distance, and then Nightjar would close it again with relaxed steps.

This had gone on for about fifteen minutes now, and still the fox did not depart wholly. Perhaps it was confused or perhaps it enjoyed it as well. Nightjar couldn't know the mind of an animal. Since a fox was neither prey nor rival, it was even harder to guess what it might be thinking. So he just continued following it around the caldera's rim, as he would do until he became distracted by something else or until the fox made its final escape.

Elwood's patrol had been a boring one, and for that he was thankful. The caldera had seen its fair share of drama in the past few months, but it seemed that things were calm, at least for now. He did think of Burke and his weird invitation to Sebastian; he had passed along the message to his friend and packmate, expressing that Sebastian should be cautious if he chose to visit his father. But at least Burke wouldn't be gracing their borders with his presence. He had left the ball in Sebastian's court.

The silver Beta flicked an ear in thought, then his attention was captured by a flash of reddish fur ahead. His first thought was that it was Fox or Wildfire, but the creature was too small to be either she-wolf. He quickly identified it as an actual fox, and then his gaze lit on Nightjar's bulky figure behind it, trailing along almost as if disinterested. He watched for a few moments as the youth followed the vulpine without seeming fully committed to the chase, but with just enough gusto to keep his target on the move.

Accelerating to a trot, Elwood closed the gap between himself and his nephew. The fox sped up as the second wolf approached, but he didn't make an aggressive move towards it, either. Instead, he fell into step alongside Nightjar and, knowing he was a boy of few words, chuffed under his breath, his head giving a quizzical tilt as he deferred to body language in order to communicate.

Nightjar panted lightly as the fox swung inward in a tight spiral down toward the lake. His muscles pulled back to slow his momentum as he continued tailing it, and only when Elwood approached from the side did his attention draw away from the fox for a second. His good ear swung forward and then back, signalling acceptance, and his lips drew together into a soft woof of acknowledgement. He read his uncle's body language well and in response his hackles rippled slightly and, for the first time in fifteen minutes of pursuit, the tawny wolf surged forward.

The fox realized the change in the game just moments too late, and Nightjar's reaching jaws managed to clap shut on the tip of its tail. Wagging his own at half-mast, a sinuous motion that suggested play, the adolescent arched his neck and yanked the fox backward. It scrabbled as it collided with his chest, but he'd already released it and was poised to chase it again. From now on, the game wasn't just "chase the fox", it was "how many times can you grab the fox", and it was Elwood's turn.

Yellow eyes watched Nightjar curiously, taking in the youth's movements and studying them carefully. The boy accepted his uncle's presence, then suddenly and unexpectedly accelerated, bearing down quickly on the fox. Elwood could have sworn that the young gamekeeper was aiming to kill the fox, but his teeth seized its tail harmlessly. Rather than maiming it, Nightjar swung it through the air as though playing; the wiggle of his tail only confirmed Elwood's suspicion.

He released the fox just as abruptly as he had captured it, dropping back just enough that Elwood perceived that it was his turn to try to grab it. The Beta male grinned, lowering his head and loping forward at a faster pace as the startled fox scrambled away. Although it moved quickly and erratically, the wolf possessed more speed and power, and it only took a few thrusts of Elwood's hindquarters to close the gap.

With a snap of his jaws, he felt wiry fur between his teeth and yanked. The fox gave a yelp and wrenched its body, coming free from Elwood's grasp but leaving a chunk of its fiery red hair behind.

Nightjar grinned a wolfish grin when Elwood, rather than berating him for tormenting a poor, defenseless fox, quickly joined in on the fun. The fox would get away with its life no matter what, but only the wolves knew that. They held the cards. They were as gods, determining whether or not the lesser being lived. They could make it do anything they wanted. Well, realistically the only thing they could do was herd it, and they were doing a pretty good job of it.

Elwood came away with a tuft of red hair and Nightjar woofed his approval and sped up once more. The fox was more frantic now than the first time and reaching out to grab it was harder, but a few extra bounds and he was able to snatch it up by the tail. By now the poor thing was probably delirious with fear, but Nightjar didn't empathize with it. Its pain and its emotions didn't matter in the slightest to him.

He proved it by slamming on the brakes, effectively swinging the fox ninety degrees before releasing it again. Now it took off in a different direction and the adolescent whipped his head around even as he wheeled to chase it again, eager to see how Elwood reacted to this change. The fox might very well get away from them now, but the intent was never to kill it anyway.

As soon as Elwood released the fox, Nightjar was back on its tail -- quite literally. Elwood backed off, slowing his pace slightly to allow the younger wolf to take his turn. He kept his yellow eyes fixed on Nightjar, watching as the boy bore down on the smaller creature, who was now zigging and zagging haphazardly in an attempt to escape its tormentors.

It was unable to avoid the inevitability of Nightjar's jaws, however. This time, the youth seized the fox's bottlebrush and lifted it from the ground, digging his own paws into the earth in order to stop and arc the animal over his head. Elwood, too, came to a halt, surprised by the sudden and dramatic motion ahead of him. The poor fox landed, looking even more shaken than before, and took off again.

Pivoting, Elwood took up the chase once more, though the vulpine's change in direction put the wolves at a slight disadvantage. But Elwood wasn't quite ready for playtime to be over. With a burst of speed, he came at the fox from an angle and bowled it over with his snout. It yelped shrilly as it lost its footing and somersaulted sideways; but all Elwood did was dart away, his tail flagging the air as he yipped to Nightjar.

The beta proved himself to be unflappable. Even with the change in the game, the man was quick to change course and easily caught up to the fox again. He then took the opportunity to change things himself. Nightjar chuffed appreciatively when the fox went tits-over-tea kettle, and as Elwood fell back, he charged forward again.

Snapping at the vulpine's tail didn't seem as fun as what his godfather had done, so Nightjar took a page out of the elder male's book. He came at the disoriented, barely-standing fox with his skull lowered and rammed right into its side, flipping it over all over again. Too much of this abuse would prove to be too much for the smaller canine, but Nightjar barked jovially, clearly finding the whole fox-flipping thing quite funny indeed.

The game continued, although it was likely that the fox wouldn't last much longer. Elwood watched with his lips parted in a grin as Nightjar imitated him, headbutting the vulpine. The younger male used quite a bit more force than his godfather had, eliciting a whooping laugh from Elwood as the red-furred animal went sprawling. This time, it struggled to stand. At this point, it almost seemed as though it would be kinder to just end its life; it was so disoriented that there was very little chance of it escaping its tormentors.

Elwood jogged back towards his nephew and the fox, snaking through a patch of tall grass with his ears pressed forward. He snorted through his nostrils, drawing short and looking to Nightjar. It would be his decision what do to next.

The fox struggling to stand was what put an end to its torment, ironically. Nightjar had no intent of killing the creature. Fox didn't make a good meal, and anyway, if he killed it, he would never get the chance to mess around with it again. So when it tried and failed to get its shaky legs under it, the burly boy slowed to a trot and then wheeled around, leaving the fox in peace. It would eventually walk away. It might have a fracture or two from its most recent tumble, but Nightjar wouldn't know.

He waved his tail high as he trotted back toward Elwood with his tongue hanging out of his panting jaws. It was rare that he spent much time playing, so enjoying this game with his godfather was one of those special moments he wouldn't soon forget. His tail drooped as he drew near to the beta male, and once close enough, he made to affectionately bump the man on the underside of his chin if Elwood would allow it.

Great thread! Want to fade with your next post?

Elwood watched, wondering what Nightjar's next move would be. The boy seemed to have lost interest in the game, now that the fox was nearly incapacitated, and turned away from it. By the look on his face, though, it was clear that he had enjoyed himself. Elwood had as well, and he chuffed approvingly as Nightjar reached out to tap his chin with his nose.

Now that the fox-tormenting was complete, it was time for Elwood to do something a little more productive with his day. He planned to head to the borders for a quick patrol before swinging by the den to check on Finley and Elwood Jr. Feeling that this message was best conveyed with words, the Beta offered an invitation to his nephew. "I'm going to go patrol -- would you like to join me?" he asked. He waited for a response, and then started off in that direction; hopefully Nightjar would accompany him, but if not, he would take care of the task alone.