Redhawk Caldera My mind put to motion

I'd love to see some of the newer folks (@Mazi or @Nadie) in here! Also tagging @Fox for reference (lemme know if I need to tweak anything). :)

Fox was nearing the end of her pregnancy and having a fairly rough go of it. Peregrine doubled down on his Caretaker duties; he waited on her hand and foot, bringing her whatever she needed whenever she needed it and simply keeping vigil at her side the rest of the time. He took occasional potty breaks, of course, and sometimes disappeared for longer spells to hunt fresh meat. But presently he stood guard just outside the whelping den, stretching his legs in the morning light but refusing to go any further than about a dozen feet from the den's entrance.

He was incredibly excited for the birth of his sons, yet his mate's discomfort distressed him, of course. He wished Raven was here—perhaps she could have convinced her mother to try a few herbs—or even Pan, who could have lent him the emotional support the Alpha needed but would never ask of anyone else. Peregrine sighed quietly, pawing at the cold dirt as he momentarily ached for his missing loved ones.

But Fox and the pups needed him now, so Peregrine ducked his head inside to say, "I'll be back soon, with food," before swiveling and beginning to trot downward, intending to scout for prey along the foot of the caldera.

Nadie loped through the woods,her legs moving quickly over the half melted terrain. She wasn't exactly hungry but she was bored and she was sure the pack would find some use for it. She was still running when the scent shifted and she smelt deer. They were probably scrawny from the winter but she wasn't complaining. 

Shifting on her paws where she wouldn't be heard, she began to creep through the foliage but stopped. The scent of an unfamiliar male, and a high ranking one too, filled the air. Any moment now he would be coming through the trees. Maybe he would want to hunt? She decided to wait and see so she sat down to do just that.

His paws hit even ground and he looked left, then right, before eyeing the forest directly in front of him. A slight smirk played about his mouth when he remembered the morons who had tried to set up camp there. They were long gone now, of course, but Peregrine felt a slither of smug satisfaction as he breached the edge of the woods. He would hunt on the territory they had tried but failed to claim right beneath the caldera's nose.

He spotted movement in the brush the instant before a scent threaded into his nose. The Alpha male paused, squinting, then unleashed a gruff bark. "Show yourself," he commanded, pretty sure he was crossing paths with a pack mate. He didn't know her personally, though, and of course he wanted to ascertain her identity before Peregrine decided what to do next.

She padded from the foliage showing herself as he had told her to do. Her brow crumpled and her head cocked the smallest bit. He didn't have to be so testy, they were in the same pack. "Hello there, I'm Nadie,"she introduced herself politely,dipping into a submissive stance. She figured he was high up on the food chain,maybe one of the Alphas. It wouldn't do to get herself murdered for being rude, she barely knew him.

A she-wolf emerged, entirely average in appearance but commendable in her behavior. Peregrine arched his head and tail in response to her submission, not to lord it over her but as an instinctive acknowledgement of their respective places in the hierarchy. He ascertained her for a moment, then lashed his tail once, relaxing his posture somewhat and cutting through some of the tension.

"You're new," he stated the obvious. He almost asked her for her name, then decided he couldn't be bothered at the moment. "I am Perry, your Alpha. Come with me." Without explanation, he swept away, trotting along the caldera's base. Only after going few hundred yards did he elaborate, "We are hunting for my pregnant mate."

She nodded when he said she was new although she made no other response, it didn't need one. Perry, she had always thought that was a girl's name but she would never say so. She had been correct with her assumption that he was an Alpha as it turned out. 

She followed after him obediently, wondering silently where they were going. She didn't bother asking, she didn't think he would answer her. When he admitted they were hunting her tail began to wag. She liked to hunt although she didn't think she would be getting a share from this hunt. It would likely all be claimed by Perry for his mate.

The she-wolf fell into step behind him without a word, obedient to the letter. He threw her an appreciative glance, then focused on the task at hand. As he walked, he alternated between dropping his nose to the earth to comb for scents and lifting his muzzle into the air to sift through the breeze. There were plenty of smells, yet nothing promising just yet. He kept moving.

"We will not give up until we catch something," Peregrine let his companion know, to make her aware of the time and energy commitment here. Again, he looked over at her. "Now, you can either give me a name or I can assign you one. Which would you prefer?" he asked, his lips twitching a little impishly.

She nodded when he spoke of not leaving. She never gave up, it wasn't in her nature. She wouldn't lie this male intimidated her, she didn't feel the same inclination to speak openly around him as she did with Eljay or Mazi. 

I already told you my name earlier but okay. "Nadie,"she told him emotionlessly. She knew his name already so maybe she wouldn't be burdened with a nickname. Her brothers had come with quite a montage of annoying ones over the years.

As soon as she gave it, Peregrine realized she had already introduced herself. He blinked over at her, wondering about the wooden tone. "You already told me that. My bad," he drawled. "Something the matter?" he asked in the next breath, giving her the hairy eyeball for a moment before sweeping their immediate surroundings. He had to turn his head more than the average wolf, on account of his bum left eye.

"Let's head this way," he said after a contemplative pause, striking out from the caldera's shadow, heading east, the steppes barely visible in the distance. "Hope you're ready for a race!" he exclaimed suddenly, shooting Nadie a wolfish grin before suddenly pumping his legs and breaking into a swift gallop.

She shook her head to show that nothing was wrong before following after him. She didn't miss the way he turned his head, one eye unfocused as it took in the land around them. Ah, so he was blind in one eye. No matter, it was only one eye.

She was shocked when he suddenly became playful, he certainly didn't seem the type for playing. One shouldn't judge a wolf by its appearance she supposed. With an excited yip she ran after him. Her speed was never her strong suit. She had short bursts of speed, best used for chasing down large prey and killing them. She lagged behind now, not wanting to waste her energy before she got a chance to hunt.

He took the yip behind him as a sign that she was playing along. Peregrine didn't bother glancing over his shoulder, though. He galloped out toward the plain, then abruptly veered back toward the trees of Haunted Wood. As he steered to his right, he caught sight of Nadie out of the corner of his eye. She was right behind him.

Digging in his heels, he launched into the forest, quickly locating one of the many deer trails that wound through the trees. He slowed a little, letting Nadie gain on him. Instead of speaking, he then gave her a signal that clearly said, "Keep an eye out!" He scanned the woods himself, though primarily he relied on his nose, which he tipped into the air. There were several scents to sift through, many of them fresh and promising.

"This way," his silent body language said in the next moment, black tail flicking in a silent order for Nadie to fall into step behind him and follow. He then began creeping off the well-worn path, slinking into the brush, the scent of a wild pig hot in his nose.

She slowed as he did, crouching silently. She was careful to keep quiet, walking lightly as she followed the same scent. Playfulness put aside she followed her Alpha through the woods as she carefully took in her surroundings. "There,"she gestured to the hog tracks in the mud. The scent was getting stronger as she followed the tracks, grateful for the wind blowing away from them.

He stopped to sniff at the cloven prints in the moist earth, exchanging a quick glance with Nadie as he deliberated. How should the two of them approach their as of yet unseen prey? Should they just try to ambush and overpower it? With the pig still out of sight, it did seem like the most viable option.

"Let's just bum rush it," he conveyed, then rolled his shoulder in a casual sort of shrug. Peregrine then faced forward, following the tracks as they led deeper into the brush, thankful that the wind was blowing in the wolves' favor.

At first, he approached as stealthily as possible, then when he could hear the wild pig shuffling around in the brush, the Alpha's muscles coiled and he sprang forward. He rushed forward, found himself in a clearing about six feet to the pig's left. He swiveled, slipping slightly on the wet leaves scattered all over the open ground, then charged at the swine.

She was a typically slow wolf, she had too much mass to move too quickly. Her body was more male in shape than female. She was larger and more muscular than any female she had ever met and stronger than many males as well. All that muscle left her slower than most, saving her rare bursts of speed for hunting.

It was one such burst of speed that let her keep up with Perry as he raced for the hog. She soon passed him, thundering up to the pig. She didn't kill it yet, not sure if he would want to do that himself. Instead she circled around to its tender underbelly.

With a quick snap she tore into its side, crimson blood flowing down it's sparsely haired body. She stepped back before the pig could gore her with its wickedly sharp tusks, licking blood from her lips. 

She waited for Peregrine to attack, thinking he might want to kill it himself since it was for his mate. At the very least it was hobbled now, it wouldn't be escaping them.

Nadie got there before him, deftly aiming for the pig's flank and leaping back to avoid retaliation. The scent of blood flooded Peregrine's senses and prompted him to surge not only forward but upward, leaping at the animal like a lion attacking a wildebeest. He landed on its back and immediately lost his footing, although the pig went down under the brute force and weight, only causing him to collapse on top of it.

It writhed and bucked on the ground, smearing itself in its own blood, and Peregrine took a sharp hoof to the face. Undeterred, he sprang backward and then snapped his jaws at the animal's soft underbelly. He essentially gutted the thing, taking another clip in the process, before backing away to let it bleed out. He stood to the side, licking blood and gore from his lips and exchanging the occasional patient glance with his co-hunter.

She watched as it squealed in obvious pain, as it searched for anything it could get its tusks on. It was in pain and panicked as it bled out its lifeblood. It caught sight of her and stepped forward but it didn't make it very far.

Its knees buckled and the fallen hog collapsed. With a few shuddering breaths it soon lay dead at their feet.

With a small nod she glanced at Perry. "This was fun," she turned then to head off into the woods. Her job was done, the pig was dead. Perry's mate would have food, she had to find some of her own now.

Nadie's hasty departure took the Alpha by surprise. It was sort of rude, though he wasn't about to call her out on it, not when she had just helped him land a pig and then left without even taking a bite for herself. "Nadie, wait!" he shouted after her. "Take a leg or something, at least," Peregrine said, motioning toward the carcass before giving her a look that thanked her for her help.

When he was left alone with the remains, Peregrine decided to severe the rest of the legs, which he carried away to three separate stashes. He then tugged the bloody torso uphill in the direction of the whelping den, knowing Fox would most definitely appreciate the fresh bacon.

She did as he asked, taking a hind leg before thanking him and returning back the way she came. It was off for her, hunting was never really done with Alphas where she came from, even if it was subordinates didn't get much to eat. Not necessarily a whole leg either! Usually the higher ranked wolves kept the meat for themselves. It was a pleasant change though, she liked being appreciated.