Redhawk Caldera Long live the king

Peregrine watched as Nightjar padded away, presumably to hunt some more food or perform a patrol. When his son faded into the distance, the Alpha looked down at the freshly slaughtered hare at his feet. He hated that he couldn't hunt for himself, yet he began to tear open the kill. While he ate, his mind wandered. For the first time in days, he didn't only wallow in his own misery. Sure, his Gamekeeper career was probably over... but maybe he could convince Nightjar to follow in his footsteps after all. Maybe this situation would change his son's mind.

Hell, why stop there? He was now permanently disabled, so why not take this opportunity to train his son to step up in his place? He had already considered it previously and had even mentioned it to his mate in passing. Nightjar was too young and inexperienced right now, of course, yet Peregrine could appoint him as his heir and spend the next year or so training him and preparing him for the role. He wondered if his son would be interested. He did not seem particularly ambitious. He didn't really seem like the leader type, either, but he shared his parents' values and, despite his age, he was probably the most instinctively shrewd wolf in the pack.

Peregrine lay there, mulling it all over, long after the last scraps of flesh and bone disappeared down his gullet. He then pushed himself upright and tipped his muzzle into the air to summon @Fox. He wanted to float the idea past her again, see what she thought. If she was on-board, he would then summon the kids. He toyed with the idea of insisting Nightjar take the role as heir, though Peregrine could not see himself forcing his son's hand. If he wanted it, it would be his for the taking. If not, well, perhaps he would shift his focus to one of the girls (although he wasn't sure how that would work). But right now, Nightjar was his choice for Redhawk Caldera's heir to the throne.

It was hard to know what to think of Wildfire's confession that she'd spoken to Saena. And Fox knew she'd have to talk to Peregrine about their daughter's wandering ways. At least she had fessed up to her "crime" without Fox finding out about it some other way. It was a wake-up call, too, to know that the Firebirds were no longer children. Or rather, they did not look or act like them any more in certain ways. Fox knew that they were still vastly immature. They had at least another year or two before that subsided.

Peregrine's call went up, and Fox swiveled an ear in his direction, trotting quickly to where he sat. She prepared herself to talk to him about Dhole, but for now... she would wait to see why he had called in the first place. Approaching on his good side (she hoped), Fox gave him a lick on his muzzle and sat catty-corner from him. Her ears tipped forward, ready to hear what he had to say.

She came to him, approaching on his sighted side, which earned an appreciative thump of his tail. He leaned into her kiss, both eyes closing. He knew he had been short with everyone lately and too caught up in his own woes to pay any attention to anybody else's needs or wants. Yet Fox stuck by him like a trooper (as did the rest of his loved ones, for that matter). He slid his muzzle over her forehead, kissing her between the eyes.

Fox said nothing, obviously ready to listen, so Peregrine got straight to the point. "Remember when I mentioned my thoughts about heirs? Well, this vision loss is like a reality check. I'm going on five and I'm not going to live forever. I'd like to start training Nightjar now to take over in a year or two. We need to find out if he's interested, of course, but I wanted to run it by you again first. I think he's the most suitable of the Firebirds to carry our traditions forward. I think it makes the most sense because he can be Alpha alongside you after I step down, then whenever he's ready to take a mate, that's when you could step down too. Or whatever. We'd have plenty of time to hammer out the details."

She closed her eyes when he licked between them, scrunching up her face due to the ticklish nature of his affections. Then he got to his monologue, for which Fox was somewhat prepared. There were times in the past when she never would have waited through such a thing, but times had changed, and Peregrine was family. Hell, she would have listened through a long-winded rant from her children, too. Raven and Nightjar weren't likely candidates for that scenario, but Wildfire was quite the talker.

Peregrine mentioned an heir, Nightjar, and his end-of-life wishes—something Fox wasn't really ready to deal with right now. "You’re going to live as long as I need you," Fox replied with a sad smile. She simply could not imagine a life without Peregrine by her side. He had been with her through some of the toughest events of her life, and she fully expected him to keep his place as Alpha for as long as she did. "I don’t work alone, though. So if you step down, so do I." That had not been the case when she'd (temporarily) forced him to the bottom of the totem pole, but he had also been at fault. Not to mention the fact that she had immediately regretted that decision.

"There’s something about Nightjar you should know," Fox added, biting her lip. She was not sure if Peregrine already knew about Nightjar's disability, but she wanted to make sure that he did before putting him up to such a task. "He can’t hear anything out of one of his ears." Wildfire was too… adventurous to be an heir. Raven too soft. Perhaps there just wasn't a suitable one in their first batch of kids, though Fox withheld that opinion for now.

Her ultimatum was simultaneously surprising and not surprising at all. He returned her wistful smile. Neither of them could control the timing and circumstances of their deaths. They could do their best to make preparations for the eventuality. Of course, Peregrine hoped to live a long time, though quite honestly, he would be happy to step down in a few years and live out the rest of his days as a general (and respected) member of the pack. Being an Alpha for three years wasn't a bad run at all, in his opinion.

"I don't plan to die right after I step down," he told Fox, giving her a teasing nip. "I'd just prefer to live out my golden years in peace and let someone more capable run the pack." As for stepping down with him, Peregrine wanted her to know, "You don't have to do that, though it is your decision, of course." He nibbled at her jawline this time.

Fox's next words caused him to freeze and hold his breath. Was it something that might affect their son's eligibility as future ruler of the caldera? His jade eyes blinked rapidly a few times and he admitted, "I'd noticed it didn't stand upright and that he favors his other side a bit. I wasn't aware he was totally deaf on that side." Peregrine frowned. "He must have been born with the condition, as you'd never be able to tell. He's adapted to it. I don't think it should take him out of the running." But what did she think?

Fox gave him a faux scowl. She had always seen herself ruling until she died, but perhaps it wasn't meant to be. Perhaps if it was one of her own children ruling (as it should be), Fox could be content with that future. Fox was a terrible leader solo, and Swiftcurrent Creek had seen that. It was only once she had come alongside Peregrine that she had really started to hit her stride and handle things with any ounce of grace. Sure, she still had her moments, but she was lightyears better than she had been in her creek days.

"What if we have children who are more capable than him?" Fox asked. It was not as if Nightjar and his sisters would be the only three Firebirds ever. In fact, Fox intended to produce as many children as was humanly wolfly possible, provided that Peregrine didn't start shooting blanks. She wanted their family to grow and grow, just like her own parents' family had. Anything less would feel like a failure.

Fox fired another question at him. It was a good one. Peregrine had thought about this a lot but clearly hadn't thought through all of it. He was glad his mate was there to point and counterpoint. Maybe they would end up deciding the whole heir thing wasn't such a good idea. He would be disappointed because the whole thing had been his idea. But Peregrine would do what was best for his pack and family in the end.

"Nightjar will have the distinct advantage of age and experience over any of the kids that come after him. But if another does prove eligible—because, let's face it, we produce some rad offspring—then maybe they'll have to sort it out between themselves when the time comes. If we're around for it, we can help mediate as well."

He pondered this for another beat, then said, "But I think the fact that I intend to spend years training him will guarantee his success, even over other candidates. I mean, I will literally make it my job to train him to be the best possible Alpha in my stead. It will be one hell of an edge anyway," Peregrine concluded.

Fox was still skeptical. If Redhawk Caldera was to remain long after they were dead and gone, she wanted the best wolf to be leading it. Physical disability was a major hinderance, and she had a good feeling that they would produce whole children in the future. Not that Nightjar would be prevented from rising high in the ranks. And perhaps he would even make a good leader… but she could not help but feel like one of their future children would be even more capable. She just wanted a "perfect" child, and that one would lead after they stepped down.

Maybe she was being unrealistic.

"I don’t think it will hurt to train him," Fox said after a long pause, "but I don’t want to make promises to anybody. Can we keep it between you and me?" Nightjar wouldn't feel let down if one of his younger siblings turned out to be a better fit. And if a younger one was better, then they would not have to feel guilt for taking away Nightjar's status.

He hadn't considered training Nightjar in secret—so secret, even Nightjar himself wouldn't be in on it! For a moment, he lapsed into silence, mulling it over. It just might work. Peregrine found himself liking the idea... only to start rejecting it a moment later. It was dishonest. He wanted his son, as well as his daughters, to know the plan. He wanted the entire pack to know about his intentions. He wanted everyone involved in the boy's training and to support him as the future king.

"I want him to know. I want it to be his choice as well," Peregrine said, shooting his mate an apologetic glance. "And I don't want to keep it a secret from anyone else either. I want to tell the girls and the rest of the pack. I want to explain why we chose him. Full disclosure. This is our family and I don't want to keep something this big from them."

As Wildfire approached the rendezvous site, she heard the familiar sounds of her parents' voices. At first, she hastened her step, eager to see them, but then she caught a few words. "...I don't think it should take him out of the running," she heard her father say. She began to slow. She heard Fox reply, "What if we have children who are more capable than him?" This did not sound like a conversation she was meant to overhear but Wildfire couldn't resist listening to what her parents were saying about them (their children). She hunched down in the underbrush near the clearing's edge to listen.

It didn't take long for her to figure out what they were discussing. They wanted to train Nightjar to take over the pack one day. It sounded like Fox wanted to do so in secret but Peregrine wanted to be more open about it and give their son, her brother, a choice in the matter. Quietly, Wildfire agreed with her father. Although she was a little envious to be passed over for such a noble appointment, she actually thought her brother would make an excellent leader. Suddenly, she didn't want to be so quiet about it.

"I think NJ would be a good heir," she piped up even as she stood and revealed herself. "Sorry, I didn't mean to eavesdrop," she added immediately, dropping into a submissive pose. "But I really do. I think you should ask him." And she thought the entire pack should know, though she didn't offer her opinion on that for now. She didn't want to gang up on her mother, for one, and for another, her opinion was entirely unsolicited in the first place.

Fox remained tight-lipped at Peregrine's reply. How could they choose Nightjar as their heir—right now—if he wasn't the best of the best? They would have plenty of perfectly healthy children down the road, would they not? She just couldn't see herself giving Redhawk Caldera to Nightjar, not when one of his ears didn't work. Granted, one of Peregrine's eyes didn't work… but he had been a leader before that. And the circumstances were entirely different.

Her tail flicked this way and that, wondering how to word her argument. Before she could properly formulate the words, Wildfire spoke up, and Fox turned to face her. So much for keeping it under the radar. Or private in any sense of the word. Fox sighed, giving Dhole a half-hearted smile. "Dhole, we aren’t sure about anything, yet," she said. "speaking of… Peregrine, did you know she’s been running off by herself? She met Saena." Unfortunately for Wildfire, the conversation had quickly been turned on to her.

Although Wildfire agreed with him and proved his point, Peregrine gave her a stern look. "Wildfire, this is a private conversation. Please make yourself scarce," he said brusquely, only for Fox to suddenly shine a harsh light on their daughter. "I heard," he confirmed in a flat tone. There was nothing he could do about it. Wildfire was no longer a little girl and he couldn't trap her here. "We're due for some Warrior training, I think, to make sure your skills are up to snuff." He figured the best thing he could do was prepare his daughter for all the dangers out there, half-sisters with possibly ill intentions among them. "We'll talk about it later. Now go away until we call for you," he finished, shooing her with a sweep of a broad black paw.

He waited for Wildfire to slink away before facing Fox again, gathering his thoughts and saying, "You know I usually defer to you. But on this, I'm going to insist we do it my way. He will be my direct heir and I don't think a bum ear will make any difference. If you really feel that way, then I will step down, effective immediately, because an eye is sure as hell a much bigger deal." Peregrine knew it sounded a bit like blackmail but he didn't mean it that way. In fact, he wondered if she might agree with him and he might end up stepping down much sooner after all, heirs aside.

Her mother responded by turning the attention upon her and her father seemed rather unhappy about all of it. Wildfire hunched low to the ground, feeling quite sheepish. She nodded mutely when Peregrine mentioned some supplemental training, yet kept her tongue still. She only moved again when the Alpha male dismissed her. She offered up an apologetic whine, then turned and slunk away with her black tail tucked between her back legs. She vanished back in the direction from which she had come, making a point to move far enough away that their voices faded into nothing behind her.

Oh gosh, this did not go in the direction I intended. Silly Fox, quit writing yourself!

Wildfire departed (for now) after some scolding from her father. Perhaps Fox was too easy on them. Maybe that was why Wildfire was able to sneak off long before she should have. At least Fox had managed to show her some sense when they had come across that wolf at the lake. Dhole had been younger then, but apparently she'd managed not to get herself killed doing something stupid (yet). The Redhawk alpha sighed, returning her gaze to Peregrine.

She furrowed her brow as he spoke. All at once, he'd gone from conversational to adamant about his decision. "Why did you even ask?" Fox huffed. "Sounds like you've already decided." It was not the first time they'd butted heads about something, and it certainly would not be the last. Fox still didn't understand why they had to choose an heir right now. New, potentially more fit, children would be born in the spring. And then what would they do? Rip the title from hopeful Nightjar and give it to a better-suited child? That seemed less fair than reserving it all together.

"We don't have to choose now, do we?"

"I would never make a decision without discussing it with you first," Peregrine answered flatly. "But you know what? Fuck it," he added both angrily and wearily. Normally he would have patience for this conversation but after all that had happened to him, he simply couldn't handle Fox's attitude right now. He didn't have the energy nor patience for it. As he'd pointed out himself, they had plenty of time to reconvene and hammer out details, much as he'd wanted to reach a decision today.

The Alpha male turned from her and padded away, moving slowly to avoid stumbling. He already felt bad for losing his patience but he had hoped Fox would see eye-to-eye with him. That simile caused him to snort derisively even as he disappeared into a thicket on the far side of the rendezvous site.

She grumbled something inaudibly. Sure, he'd lost sight in his eye. But he'd been living with it for long enough that Fox didn't want to have to tip-toe around it every second of her day. Not only that, but he'd basically decided that he suddenly wasn't fit to be a leader. A part of her wanted to go after him, to apologize and make everything right, but Fox was far too selfish and proud to do such a thing, so she merely burned a hole in his ass watching him walk away (because walking away was totally going to solve this).

The smoldering would linger there, and Fox had a pretty good feeling she'd avoid him for at least the next day or so. If not, she could only imagine the worst would happen. Maybe they just need a little while to cool off. They could revisit the topic... later. She huffed, then turned away from the direction Peregrine had gone and stormed off.

"Now go away until we call for you."

After their voices faded into the distance behind her, Wildfire sought out a patch of shade beneath a bent sugar maple and slumped onto her belly. Her father's parting words had indicated he would summon her again—possibly for some Warrior practice—when he and her mother finished discussing among themselves. While she waited for the call to come, she absently licked her paws and pondered this whole heir thing. She was still envious that her parents had chosen her brother, though she couldn't argue that he was the best candidate for the job.

An hour passed and still no one howled for her. Sitting upright, Wildfire's ears fell back as she deliberated. She then hopped onto all fours, calling, "Mom? Dad?" alternately as she traipsed through the rendezvous site. They were nowhere to be found. Confused but unwilling to go looking for them (what if they had sneaked away to share an even more private moment?), the young she-wolf sighed, shrugged and went looking for her brother. She wanted to tell him what she'd overheard but she knew to keep her lips sealed until and unless her parents brought it up first.