Redhawk Caldera What's Up, Doc?

I'm assuming Aduin's stay may be a while. SO might as well try and earn something while he's here, right?

The grey-black wolf chose this day to do what he had been planning to do for some time now. Prove himself. He decided that what he would prove himself to be was a skilled hunter, and chose the perfect area. He had managed to sniff out a small area of burrows, with rabbits hopping around.

From a distance, he lowered himself to the ground. The hunger he had would drive some into diving right in, but he knew better. That would only make them scatter, and he'd be lucky to catch one. Then exhaustion would follow. No, he would play it slowly. He observed from afar, circling through the undergrowth nearby. His eyes fixated on a certain one. An old looking one, that seemed to have a limp. And oddly enough, quite plump too. Plenty of meat, and a slow target. Could not ask for a better one.

From a slightly elevated vantage point up the mount, Peregrine watched the unfamiliar wolf as he hunted. He tried to remember the dude's name. It started with an "A." Alvin, maybe? After a few moments of consternation, he gave an inward shrug and decided it didn't matter. He could find out later. The important thing was that this recent recruit was hunting and the swarthy Alpha wanted to assess his skills, especially without Alvin (or whatever his name was) knowing he was watching.

He shifted his weight, keeping his face tilted in such a way to allow his good eye to follow the hunter's movements as he targeted one of the rabbits from the local warren. Peregrine didn't realize he was holding his breath as he waited for the attack to unfold below.

 1-3 fail, 1-6 success. and the number is...[link http://wolf-rpg.com/showthread.php?tid=4166&pid=164002#pid164002] 1 [/link]. darn

Aduin observed the rabbit, readied himself, and charged. Bolting in a straight line. But it seemed that his observations had not entirely worked out, as a root not in his view before snagged a paw. He fell forward with a surprised yelp, hitting his lower jaw against the ground. The startled rabbit hopped away, it's tail bouncing mockingly. 

Aduin let out a shallow breath of anger, mostly at himself. How had he not seen the root? And if he knew the alpha was watching, he may have just wanted to curl up in a ball with only his embarrassment to keep him company. He continued to lay there, just in case someone were watching. 

When Alvin tripped up, the breath gusted from Peregrine. His lips twisted into a sympathetic grimace even as his good eye trailed after the retreating rabbit. It disappeared and his gaze shifted back to the hopeful hunter, who was curled up on the ground as if in pain. The Alpha was willing to bet his pride was more injured than his jaw, though he rose to his feet just to double check.

As he approached his balled-up subordinate, Peregrine suddenly decided he didn't actually care about the wolf's real name. He was Alvin now. "Hey, Alvin." He strolled to a stop, hovering over the other dude. "Bite off your tongue?" he quipped, quirking a brow.

Aduin groaned, rubbing his chin on his paw while whimpering softly. Hard ground was not something everyone liked to hit with their heads. The pain had shot up his jaw into his head. But his pride, it hurt much more. And when he heard something coming, and the scent of a wolf, he just wanted to crawl into a ball and never come out. Though he had to, and spoke without lifting his head to not reveal his face.

The aching wolf ignored the fact the other wolf got his name wrong and answered with a shake of his head. "M-my jaw just hurts." He moved his tongue around, making sure no teeth were broken. Although there was a distinct irony taste of blood, meaning he certainly did bite something. Yet he said nothing about it, too embarassed about losing an easy catch in front of someone else.

Maybe Alvin was his name, because he answered the question without mentioning it or correcting Peregrine. Huh. He complained about the pain in his jaw and the Alpha bobbed his head sympathetically. Hunting was a very physical endeavor that came with the risk of injury. Of course, hunting rabbits wasn't usually painful, though Peregrine had eaten his fair share of dirt in his day.

"Walk it off, Alvin," he advised in a chipper tone. "We haven't really formally met," he added in the next breath. "I'm Perry, the Alpha male." Sometimes, like now, it struck him how lucky he was to still hold onto that title. It had almost slipped through his fingers. His nose throbbed dully, like some weird psychosomatic reminder. "And you're Alvin." The way he said it, it wasn't a question.

This time, the black-grey, embarrassed wolf corrected him. "Uh, it's Aduin" he threw in quietly with a murmur. He chose to be quiet, for the other wolf continued to talk. And when he did, his ears flattened out, his eyes bulging and a long whine of further embarrassment. Not only had he failed at catching a little creature like a rabbit and corrected someone, but this someone was in fact the other alpha. 

He quickly stood up, turning and bowing his head. His tail tucked under his belly. He quickly apologized for the correction, "S-sorry!" The sudden apology would most likely throw one off a bit, since some would see a correction like as not much of a problem. But some did. An alpha could call him whatever they wanted to. "I must be an embarrassment, not being able to catch a rabbit" he spoke softly.

At long last, the wolf gave up his real name: Aduin. Peregrine willfully ignored it. In the next moment, the other wolf was standing up and muttering apologies. Perhaps he was reacting to the Alpha's title. Peregrine shook his head like he was bothered by a fly, then realized Alvin wouldn't see it because he was hanging his head.

"It's fine, Alvin. We all botch a hunt sometimes," the Alpha replied dismissively. "Many a rabbit has given me the slip and I claim the title of master hunter." His black tail flicked. "It makes me happy seeing you try, though. Are you considering becoming an official hunter?" He didn't have to spell it out; it was clear by his tone how highly he thought of the trade and those who endeavored to specialize in it.

Aduin's face lightened up. Not only because of how his apology gained no bad reaction, but also because of how he didn't ridicule him for his failure. He imagined alpha failing at catching rabbits. It was certainly plausible, as many were quite crafty. And fast. He actually sympathized with him. He was surprised, most of all. His tail flicked as he began to feel more accepted by this friendly alpha. A small smile flashed across his muzzle, and his tail flicked again. "Yeah. Rabbits, the fast little things."

When he asked if he wanted to be a hunter, he was astonished. "A..A hunter?" he asked nervously for confirmation. Had he heard right? Indeed he would want to be a hunter. he was good at it, even though he had just failed. But the time he helped Sebastian with the seal flashed across his mind. And so he replied with a positive attitude. "It would be a privilege, and I would want nothing else." A chance to prove himself. To gain a title and show Sebastian upon his next return what he had acheived. Something to tell his sisters. And a way to pay back the pack for accepting him. He moved his tongue around in his mouth again, letting a drop of blood slip out past his lips. He liked the taste of blood, but not his own.

Alvin seemed almost taken aback by the notion, as if such an honor was out of reach for him. Peregrine blinked slowly. In the next moment, he declared it a privilege. At his final few words, the Alpha grinned in approval. There were several promising hunters in the ranks now and the timing couldn't be more perfect, really.

"Good. Because we can always use hunters. And right now we have pups on the way." He had laid down the title himself to focus on them, though of course he would never stop hunting entirely. It was nice knowing that there were others to pick up the slack, all the same. And he could teach them. That was the plan now: focus on mentoring other, younger, newer hunters. Mold and fashion them.

"Show me some more of your moves," Peregrine said, making a motion to encourage Alvin to continue hunting, so that he could observe. "Hopefully you know more than just the face-plant," he teased.

The mention of 'pups on the way' brought around a bit of anxiety. He fidgeted slightly, now knowing that not only would the pack depend on him if he became a hunter for them, but also puppies who would soon arrive. That meant more food to take on. Put more stress on him. Never had Aduin been so depended on before. "Okay...pups...that makes things a little more stressful, doesn't it?" he attempted to joke to lighten the mood, though mostly keep his own spirit up.

He shuffled his paws around on the spot, his eyes going to the ground to his right. He couldn't bear to look at the alpha after the embarrassing hunting accident. "I...sure." He moved around the alpha, observing the brush. "Unlike other wolves who use strength and speed, I use patience and precision, as well as being very observant. Since I lack strength. Do you have any ideas for a target?"

Peregrine looked at Alvin oddly when he remarked about the pups. Sure, more mouths to feed meant more responsibility. But would the father-to-be use the word stressful to describe the situation? Not exactly. Alvin's tone indicated a joke, though, so he said nothing.

It seemed the dude would need to work on his confidence a bit, if his verbal bumbling and self-deprecation were any indication. "Dude," the leader answered breezily, "anything with a face. C'mon." He gesticulated again, a bit impatiently. "I don't have all day."

Aduin swivelled his head around in multiple directions, looking for something. Anything, really. No doubt all the rabbits had just disappeared too far away. He looked hard into the bushes for any kind of movement. The only one with a face nearby was the alpha, and he was in no way going to attack an alpha. Let alone hunt one.

He saw a rustle in far off bushes. Quickly, he ducked down so his chest was low to the ground. "There. I knew one of them hadn't gotten too far." He gave a quick glance to the other wolf. "Do you want to watch from afar, or come with?" He wagged his tail a little in excitement. 

I swear, if the die roll fails for this...

It wasn't long before Alvin spotted a promising opportunity. "This is a one-man job," Peregrine replied, indicating that he would hang back and observe again. He slowed and stopped in his tracks, jade eye lingering shrewdly on his pack mate's backside, not because he was admiring the view but in order to ascertain his posture and approach. Whether or not he captured his victim, Peregrine planned to give him some pointers. There was always room for improvement, after all.

I tried the misc. dice roll thread twice to get a roll. Both just would not work. So I just used the chat...3/6. Why?! 

Aduin nodded and snuck into the shrubbery. That was strike one, having not looked forth. He ended up walking right into some thorny bushes. A small one, but still one that managed to do very small scratches. Strike two was the stumble he did after. Was it just the nervousness that made this happen, or had he lost his touch. There was no strike three, since he had almost caught his prey. His jaws had only just missed it by inches. He gave a short chase, before giving up and returning, his ears and hear drooping.

You intend to toss Aduin into Seb's pack, right? You up for a plot twist? ;)

Every hunter, no matter how skilled, experienced more failures than successes. Peregrine tried to keep this in mind as hew watched Alvin, though his eyes flashed, sharp as flint, when the wolf struck out again and slunk back empty-handed. Room for improvement was perhaps the understatement of the year, he realized. There had been so many things wrong with his approach that the Alpha didn't know where to start. Was Alvin just a piss poor hunter? Was it nerves? A fluke? Did it matter?

"You really suck," he said flatly when Alvin came back into earshot. A brief silence stretched between them, then he added, "That was so embarrassing, I'm going to have to ask you to leave." The way the Alpha said it, it wasn't at all clear whether it was a joke or not. His gaze remained heavy, steely, on Alvin's face and his black tail gave a little switch.

Plot twist? I like plot twists. Though, Aduin is in a Caldera thread based after this.

Aduin let out a shameful whine, his head dropping low to the ground and his ears flattened. He had no idea if he was joking or not. And what did he mean by leave? Leave his sight, leave this little area, or leave the pack entirely? He wanted to know, yet was too embarrassed and afraid to ask. He hadn't meant to fail. It was as if 'fate' didn't want him to stay.

I'll make it work without gunking up your timeline too bad. ;)

Alvin shrank like a rebuked pup, the Alpha's words clearly weighing heavily on him. Peregrine bit back a snort, shrewd eyes narrowing. He was joking... sort of. Alvin really was a terrible hunter. But, then, he had dropped his own hunter title in order to become a caretaker, a mentor, and his goal was to teach others the trade. Alvin could be his pupil, although he needed to achieve a baseline before the swarthy wolf committed to teaching him.

"Look, I'm jerking your chain," Peregrine said after letting Alvin suffer a moment longer, "but if you can't hunt, you can't be part of this pack. Think about that. And practice. Lots. In fact..." An idea occurred to him and, without really thinking it over any, he said, "I'm gonna give you two weeks to catch fourteen rabbits. That's one a day. I want them delivered here," and Peregrine provided Alvin with some very specific directions on where he wanted them left.

"You can't do that? Then you might as well move along," were the Alpha's parting words before he abruptly left Alvin to chew that over and (hopefully, for both their sakes), land some actual kills.

This actually works. Aduin could not catch enough, and just runs.

Aduin gave a hopeful smile when the alpha spoke about it being a joke. But when he said that he needed to get fourteen rabbits in two weeks, that did not feel good at all. This time, he managed to keep the feelings back until the alpha left. When he did, Aduin let it out in a quiet sob. How did he ever think he would accomplish anything here? Though he had to try. He looked back to the shrubs, and ran through, determined to complete this task.