Redhawk Caldera I got everything I need and nothing that I don't

Though it was cloudy, warmth radiated down from the hidden sun, creating a beautiful spring day. All around, plants were coming to life -- green could be found in every shade, and colorful wildflowers sprung up near the lower reaches of the caldera, like a rainbow pathway leading to the flatlands. Elwood ranged out towards Lake Rodney, moving slowly and with little deliberation; instead, he quite literally took time to smell the flowers, leaning his nose down to brush at each clump of blossoms he came across.

Soon, the lake's glittering surface came into view and he slowed his pace -- if that was possible, as he was already likely to come in second place to a snail. To say that he was content was an understatement. Despite the persistent worry in the back of his mind regarding Somnia, he had exactly zero complaints about his life as of late.

So it was with the disregard of a wolf with no worries that he slung himself down onto the beach at the water's edge, stretching out on his belly and dipping his toes into the lukewarm liquid. The temperature wasn't quite high enough for swimming -- at least in his opinion -- but it wouldn't be long before the Alphas brought their firebirds here to while away long summer days. With a sigh, the Beta male rolled onto his back, tucking his paws to his chest as he watched the clouds flirt with the sun overhead.

Lately, his heart had grown legs and run off beyond the caldera's edges, spending a little bit of time with Osprey (and the contents of her womb) and some with Luke too. But today, Peregrine decided to stick close to home for the next little while. It was his favorite place anyway, so it was easy to do. He spent the morning feeding and bathing his children, then tucked them in for an afternoon siesta (under their Aunt Magpie's watchful eye) before stealing away to spend a few hours out and about in the territory.

A little while later, he roamed close to the shores of Lake Rodney and spotted a familiar figure sprawled not far from the water's edge. "Hey, Uncle El!" he called, then laughed at himself. "I'm so used to having the kids underfoot when I see you these days. I guess I can call you just El when they're not around, eh?" He snickered again, shaking his head lightly as he sank to his black haunches beside his Beta. "Sup? Just chillin' like a villain today?"

The sound of Peregrine's voice was enough to part Elwood's eyelids, which had drifted shut only moments after he laid down. He glanced up, his eyes adjusting on the Alpha's dark figure as he approached with laughter and an introspective comment regarding the firebirds' name for their pseudo uncle. As he propped himself up on an elbow and then straightened into a sitting position, he rejoined with a chuckle of his own.

"You know, it was weird being called Uncle El at first," he admitted -- though he had technically been an uncle to his older siblings' children back at Grove Lake, this was different. "But now I kinda like it. I guess I should be glad Fin doesn't have them calling me Uncle Twig," he quipped, but he regretted it as soon as the words were out of his mouth. What was to stop Peregrine from going home and instructing the little ones to start using that nickname instead of Uncle El? He shrugged; he supposed that wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. In fact, it might be kind of adorable -- at least for a little while.

In response to Peregrine's previous question, he nodded, his tail thumping the ground simultaneously. "Whole lotta nothin' today, and it's awesome. Wanna join me?" He imagined that the busy leader and father would be more than happy to accompany his second-in-command in said chillin'.

Peregrine's head canted at Elwood's remark, his lip twitching as the Beta referenced his infamous nickname. "Do you really hate it?" the Alpha wondered with a light laugh. It seemed that way. "Sure," he added when Elwood invited him to join him as they did a whole lot of nothing. "I probably can't stay for too long but I'll chill with you for a bit." As he spoke, he stretched forward onto his belly, his black toes just barely grazing the waterline.

He had long since accepted that his Beta pair was not the type to concern themselves with making things official, though Peregrine couldn't resist asking, "How are you and Ficklefin? Still in the honeymoon phase?" he guessed. He didn't bother asking if they were mates. He could hardly give those two crap about proper titles when Peregrine himself didn't play by the conventional rules of romance.

Speaking of which, he almost mentioned his recent interest in Luke, though the Alpha hesitated. He didn't think Elwood would judge his same-sex trysts, though that didn't necessarily mean he wanted the details either. Although no one had thus far given him any crap for his unconventional tastes, he knew they were still socially taboo in some ways. He pondered this as he awaited the Beta male's latest update.

Elwood rolled his shoulders in a shrug as Peregrine asked after the nickname that had been given to him by Finley. "Honestly, no, I don't hate it. I mean, it could be much worse, right?" he said, taking a moment to briefly think about all the names that Finley could have bestowed on him. Yes, he surmised after a moment, it could be much worse. He gave a soft snort of laughter, but didn't share this train of thought with Peregrine.

He was glad when the Alpha obliged and reclined next to him, stretching his toes towards the water. Obviously, there were other things that Peregrine wanted or needed to do before he returned to the den -- or maybe he was just eager to return to his brood. Whatever the case, Elwood was happy that they would have a few moments to catch up with each other, since it had been quite some time since they had really done so.

Peregrine's name for Finley -- Ficklefin -- brought a smile to Elwood's lips. He couldn't have come up with something more accurate if he had tried, and he stored the moniker in his mind to use later. He then bobbed his head as he responded. "Yeah, pretty much. We had a talk about being 'official' and she didn't seem quite ready for any titles, so I didn't push her," he said, reflecting on the conversation. "But I guess we're as official as it gets," he admitted in the same breath -- they were exclusive with each other, and spent a ridiculous amount of time together, and that was plenty fulfilling for the time being.

"How are the firebirds? And how's Fox?" he asked; though he knew the answers to those questions, he still sought further detail from the leader as to how things had been going.

"Why does that not surprise me?" Peregrine asked, rolling his eyes affectionately skyward. "What about you? Are you okay with that?" he asked in the next breath. It was Finley's right not to enter a commitment if she wasn't ready, yet it was also Elwood's right to want a commitment. The Alpha hoped they hadn't reached an impasse. Sometimes, fundamental differences could undo even the best of relationships, he knew.

But the Beta male seemed fine with it, more or less, and he wanted to know about Peregrine's own family matters. "Everyone's doing great," he reported. "I'm so happy I can say that. When my last litter was this age, their mother was already fading from our lives. Compared to that, life is legit perfect," Peregrine mused. The love he felt for Fox was so much different, so much more grounded and real, than the fleeting lust he'd shared with Hawkeye.

"And there's a cherry on that awesome cake," he continued after a pause, jade eyes drifting from the lake to Elwood's face. "I've found myself a bit of a crush, I guess you could say. It's a dude, so if you'd like me to spare you further details, I don't mind." It was easier just to lay it on the table like that, rather than sit here trying to feel out his friend's comfort level.

The next question out of Peregrine's mouth was one that Elwood could fully understand -- there were very few things that surprised him about Finley's behavior, but at the same time, he was never really sure what to expect from her. He nodded his response to the second half of the query, then elaborated. "Yeah, I'm okay with it. I'm just happy to be with her, as cheesy as that sounds," he replied, rolling his eyes playfully at himself. Growing up, Elwood hadn't been a very emotional wolf -- but Finley was certainly changing that aspect of his personality. And, if being with her meant refraining from calling her his mate, he was willing to do it; in spite of her insecurities, he had no doubts about her feelings for him.

Elwood didn't know much about Peregrine's former mate -- other than the handful of times the Alpha had mentioned her -- but he was glad to hear that his relationship with Fox was continuing to flourish even after the growth of their family. He couldn't draw from his own personal experience, but he imagined that the addition of puppies could cause strain. Before he could press further about the Redleaf-DiSarinno family, Peregrine took the conversation in another direction, which caused Elwood's brows to raise slightly.

It wasn't a revelation that Peregrine was interested in a male -- he knew that the Alpha had been previously involved with another guy -- but that he had developed a crush so soon after Fox had given birth. Questions sprang to the forefront of his mind, but he held them back for now. Peregrine was careful as he approached the subject, obviously trying to avoid making Elwood uncomfortable, but the mottled grey male's curiosity got the best of him after only a brief pause. "No, no -- tell me about him," he said, wanting first to hear about the fella' that had caught Peregrine's eye before asking for further details.

I'm not actually sure how the Luke/Fox meeting goes because... it hasn't played out yet! *tries to be vague*

Elwood's interest seemed genuine enough, so Peregrine answered, "His name's Luke. It's nothing serious. He's just... fetching." He smirked lightly. "He and Fox met recently. She still seems okay with the whole 'side lover' thing, though I told her I don't think I'll ever have anything more serious than a fling. Love's an infinite resource, in my opinion, but time and energy definitely are not," Peregrine quipped with a soft laugh.

The sun reflected off the water, casting a glare that caused the Alpha to screw up his eyes. When he looked at Elwood, it was a sideways squint. "He has a blue nose and a blue tongue," he shared. Luke's features never ceased to be a point of fascination for him. "But he's the least blue wolf I know. If his nose matched his personality, it would be bright yellow. He's the sunniest wolf I've ever met."

Elwood listened with intrigue as Peregrine filled in the blanks about his male crush. He wasn't surprised to hear that Fox approved -- or at least was okay with it. From what he understood, Lasher had been an addition to Peregrine's relationship with Fox, back in the day. He couldn't say that he would be okay with Finley taking another lover -- a guy would be out of the question, but would he be alright with her becoming involved with a girl? He didn't know, and it was not something that he would give a lot of thought to; their relationship was so new and still relatively unsteady. The last thing they needed was to throw another wolf into the balance.

But obviously, the Beta was happy to hear that the arrangement was working out for Peregrine, Fox, and this Luke character. He pursed his ears in a thoughtful manner at the mention of Luke's peculiar coloration. "I've never met a wolf with blue accents before," he said, rather rhetorically; it sounded as though Luke was quite a unique fellow. "I'd like to meet him sometime," he then added genuinely -- though Elwood didn't share Peregrine's sexual preferences, this chipper and friendly wolf seemed to be someone that everyone could get along with. Besides, he wanted to see his navy features in person.

"Does he live around here?" he asked, although the answer was probably yes -- otherwise, how would Peregrine have met him? But Elwood wondered if he belonged to another pack, or if he was a loner. Would he be joining their ranks at some point?

"Me neither. I didn't even know it was a thing. And sure," Peregrine replied, happy that Elwood seemed so interested in and accepting of Luke. "He's a loner, though he seems to loiter around this general area." Peregrine liked recruiting wolves that managed to capture his favor—Elwood himself, for instance—but he hadn't tried to make a sales pitch to Luke. He couldn't say why. It was kind of nice having such a casual interest, one he could hypothetically hold at arm's length. Since Peregrine wasn't looking for any serious, long-term commitment, maybe there was part of him that knew it was best if Luke didn't try to create roots at the caldera.

"So I know you and Fin aren't bothering with wedlock and all that... but do you think you two might want to have kids together someday?" Peregrine wondered, steering the conversation back toward the Beta male. "I think I've asked you this before," he mused. "In any case, know I wouldn't mind seeing some Elfins around here. The Firebirds could use some cousin slash friends. And I think this pack could definitely sustain another litter, no problem."

It sounded like it wouldn't be hard to introduce Luke to Elwood, and really to anyone else in the pack who wanted to meet him, since he tended to roam around the wilderness just outside the caldera's front door. Elwood wondered briefly why he didn't belong to a pack or if he was planning to join one, but Peregrine moved the conversation along, now focusing on his Betas' relationship. The question he posed was one that he had asked before, though it didn't bother Elwood that Peregrine was curious; his query came because he had a personal relationship with both grey wolves, and as necessary information for an Alpha to gather.

"I think we will, eventually," he replied; for now, the topic was probably scary enough to send Finley packing. But he had seen the way she acted around the firebirds and how much she cared for them. It made it easy to imagine the wild and reckless outrider as a mother. "The firebirds might be grown up by the time any Elfins come along, but it would definitely be nice to raise them here with their cousins," he agreed. He couldn't imagine having a family anywhere else; Finley, Fox, and Peregrine were as good as kin to him, despite the fact that they weren't related by blood.

Elwood confirmed that pups might come alone one day, though not anytime soon. Peregrine was torn on that front. On one hand, he wanted his offspring to have no competition so they could have total domination over the pack's resources—at least for the first six months or so. On the other, he would love to see his Betas as parents right now. He was sure their children would be adorable, a nice mix of sweet and crazy like their mom and dad.

"Maybe their cousins will help raise them," Peregrine mused with a smile. Even a six-month age difference could be a fairly wide gap when it came to wolf pups. "I wonder if any of them will be Caretakers. Or Gamekeepers. Or Wardens. Or... well, you get the idea." He laughed. What would his kids grow up to do? "Wifi's totally gonna be a Naturalist. I'm calling it now. She's already so curious about the world around her. And I'd love for Nightjar to become a Warden, maybe, and I could see Raven going for Caretaker or Counselor. But they're still so young and I'm trying not to create crazy expectations in my head. I kinda did that with the last batch."

And while he hadn't pressured any of them or anything along those lines, he'd definitely established expectations with no basis in reality. For instance, he had hoped to fashion Osprey Jr. into a formidable Gamekeeper. But she'd become a Warrior and Outrider instead. It had disappointed him at the time, which was silly. Of course his children should pursue their passions, not worry about fulfilling their parents' arbitrary dreams for them. Peregrine hoped to foster his newest children's interests in every possible way, no matter what they were.

Peregrine wondered aloud about the trades that the pack's puppies would take up someday. When he mentioned that he thought Wildfire was an aspiring naturalist, Elwood wasn't surprised -- he remembered how curious she had been about the fallen log and dried up creek bed, and the little crystal she had brought home as a token of their adventure. She was already naturally inquisitive about plants and animals alike. He couldn't quite see Nightjar and Raven's future jobs as clearly, most likely because he hadn't spent as much time with either pup, but he knew that their preferences would emerge in time. If they were anything like their sister, they would make their likes and dislikes known clearly.

"I can't wait to see what they decide to be," he replied with an eager nod of his head. The two males could spectate all they wanted, but it would eventually be up to the firebirds to make their decisions -- and it was good that Peregrine was okay with that. "I know Finley would love to teach them -- or our future pups, even -- about outriding," he said, thinking of his girlfriend's wandering ways.

When Elwood mentioned Outriders, Peregrine immediately protested internally. He personally saw little value in the trade, nor did he understand others' need to roam so far beyond pack boundaries. Yet he stayed his tongue, keeping his opinion to himself. There was a very good chance one or more of hid kids would be interested in the field of study, especially with Finley's influence in their lives. Peregrine reminded himself that it was his duty as a father and leader to accept their passions and interests and to foster them.

"If they do end up being wanderers, I'd be happier knowing their godmother was accompanying them," was Peregrine's eventual reply. He smiled softly, then began to rise from his supine position. "Speaking of wandering, I'd better head out. I have some patrolling to finish and some freshly bathed puppies that will be awake any minute, eager to get filthy again." His tail waved, showing that Peregrine didn't mind that much.

"Enjoy your chillaxation. See you around, man," the Alpha said, nodding to Elwood before swiveling and loping swiftly away from the lake's shore, toward the looming, misshapen peak ahead of him.

Elwood could understand Peregrine's hesitation at the mention of outriding; he, too, was a wolf that preferred sticking close to home. Being with Finley, however, he was beginning to learn the value of the trade, and while it wasn't something he would ever enjoy, he knew that her wild spirit yearned to roam free. Scouting allowed her to do so for a few days at a time before returning home to her loved ones.

"Definitely a good idea, especially while they're younger," he agreed, though as the words left his mouth he reconsidered. Finley's adventures could be a little...dangerous at times, but Peregrine was well acquainted with her ways and would ensure that his children were safe in her care. The Alpha male then dismissed himself and Elwood lifted a paw in a wave of farewell. "See you around," he called after Peregrine's retreating form, then resumed his previous position and sprawled onto his back.