Redhawk Caldera In a hospital

@Fox @Peregrine @Whip @Ferret @Gannet Would love for one of the tagged to show up, but it's still AW and set at the Rendezvous point :)

They would need to find her. 

Revenge still bothered Shrike, and as the sun had begun to rise on that day, spreading over the Caldera and warming it with its light, he'd decided that he could, in the very least, try and make the scent of the murderer known to the wolves of the pack. That way, if she even so much as neared the borders, they'd catch her scent, send up an alert and send out a party of wolves to track her down and kill her. Or, at least, that was what Shrike hoped for, though he knew perhaps the alpha pair might prefer to try and get on with life, rather than seeking revenge...Truth be told, he simply didn't know them well enough just yet to know what to do. 

He found a tuft of her hair snagged on a twig along the now scentless trail she'd once left behind. He remembered the place, remembered the route she'd taken both when approaching and leaving the pack for the second time, and had traveled along it again until he'd managed to find something tangible, and realized just then that it was more than just a scent reminder- the clump of hair was black. Not a strand of brown, grey or beige- indicating that the female likely had black fur, at least on her sides or ruff. He felt a slight wave of hope enter him, knowing now at least he might be able to identify her on sight if he couldn't catch her scent. 

Shrike was not a foolish wolf and so, rather than carrying the tuft of hair back in his mouth and get it  covered in his own scent, he grabbed a broad leaf from a nearby bush- thank goodness the leaves and herds had begun to return!- set it down, and put the tuft of hair on it. He then folded the leaf in half, pressed down on it slightly to keep the leaf closed, and then carried the parcel back to the pack. 

It was evening by the time he returned to the pack and made his way to the Rendezvous site, where the wiry male sniffed the air and could smell his pack members and the residing alpha family on the air, some stronger than others. Gingerly setting the folded leaf down on the ground, he lay down to rest and wait for one of his packmates to show up.

He felt serene as he looked over his sleeping pups, their bellies full for the first time in nearly eight weeks. His own stomach was full too, thanks to the wild pig he had managed to fell earlier in the day. Peregrine watched over Ferret, Gannet and Whip for a while before rising and moving toward the rendezvous site's center. He pondered the idea of a patrol, even though that's where Fox was now, but before he could arrive at a decision, he saw a familiar figure hovering nearby.

"Shrike," he greeted the other wolf, padding closer to him. He didn't notice the other male's small parcel. "What brings you here?" the Alpha asked. He didn't mind Shrike in the territory's inner fold—he had been accepted into the caldera's heart somewhere along the way—but usually pack mates showed up here with some purpose or other.

Just like many times before, Shrike had needed to do nothing but simply wait for one of the alpha wolves to show up- or one of their pups- and he was pleased to smell Peregrine drawing nearer and nearer until he came into view. He rose to his feet, still keeping his tail hanging between his ankles and moved to meet the alpha, flattening his ears and clicking his teeth slightly as he touched the alpha's jaw in a show of respect. He'd never been terribly touchy-feely before, not even for shows of respect, but he felt inclined to do so now. Perhaps because he couldn't muster the courage to embrace either Peregrine or Fox to show his support...It would have been out of his place and awkward, and not likely appreciated. 

"Brought something." He said, only then starting to get a bit nervous. He still wasn't sure what Peregrine or Fox might think of the fact that he thought it best that everyone in the pack familiarize themselves with the scent of the killer. Maybe he'd be angry, maybe he'd feel some solace knowing Shrike wanted nothing better than to behead the murderer himself. Shrike was a wolf with a one-track mind, and at that moment still, his mind was stuck on revenge.

He padded toward the still folded leaf, and with one gentle foot, flipped it open, revealing the black tuft of fur. Too much, too long and too dark to have ever been Peter's, but aside from Peregrine, the fur couldn't have belonged to any of their current pack members. He looked up at Peregrine for a moment, allowing him to come to the conclusion, if he did, before Shrike filled it in for him. 

"'S the murderer's hair." He said. "She ain't dead yet. But...This is her scent. An' I know where her trail left off." He said. A glance at the dark clump of fur brought the image of Peter's mangled head back and he growled softly, quieting himself as soon as he was able to strangle the sound. He held his breath for a moment, trying to control his anger. "Gonna keep looking for her. Just thought..." He said, trailing off. "If everyone knew her scent, we could be more prepared." He said. After all, she had come back to the borders after killing Peter- and if she was that sick minded and twisted, she might very well come back again.

The Alpha accepted the greeting with a faint wave of his tail, then stood there patiently when Shrike indicated that he'd brought something. Anticipating food, Peregrine was initially disappointed when his pack mate motioned toward a folded leaf and gingerly unwrapped it to reveal a tuft of fur. Brow furrowed in confusion, the swarthy wolf stepped forward and dropped his nose to sniff at the little parcel. He still didn't get it and lifted his head, lips parted to ask a question when Shrike explained.

Peregrine's blood ran cold, then hot, then cold again. He had come to terms with Peter's death—that vague dream had helped a lot—but he felt his flesh tingling with the idea of revenge. "Thank you," he said solemnly, dropping his nose to familiarize himself with the scent again. "You've been tracking her?" he questioned, quietly pleased and impressed by Shrike's dedication, even as he felt a niggling sense of guilt. Peregrine himself hadn't pursued revenge due to being waylaid by his own stupidity, not that he would have known where to start otherwise. But this... this gave them an actual shot at tracking down and executing Peter's killer.

Prepared somewhat for a lashing, should the alpha take out his grief on the wrong wolf, Shrike had stood on cautious and sprightly feet, ready to leap back should the larger male lunge at him. He could sense the shift in the alpha's emotions, and sensed anger, though as soon as it came, he could tell that it was not directed at him. He felt bad, in that moment, for causing the alpha to experience that sensation. He was unburying the dead, so to speak, by bringing up the topic of Peter's killer...But it wasn't a grave that Shrike could let rest, not until he'd taken care of the murderer and made sure that no more sweet little pups fell prey to her jaws. 

Twice the alpha sniffed the tuft of black fur, and he thanked Shrike. He received the thanks silently, closing his eyes and dipping his head in acknowledgement, though it wasn't something he wanted praise for. This was his duty- it was the duty of any pack wolf to keep their young safe and to keep their borders safe. Peregrine then questioned him, and Shrike became aware that perhaps Peregrine didn't know all of the details surrounding the incident. 

"Yes. First tracked her out of the packlands an' was maybe an hour behind. Tracked her overnight and got closer, but her trail...Led back to the Caldera." He said, and gritted his teeth slightly. "She came back. Dunno if she did anything, but she came back the next day an' headed straight for where she'd been before." He said. "Must've missed her, just barely. I called out as soon as I was close enough to do so- I think Elwood answered me, but before I even reached the packlands, I caught a separate trail of hers heading away from the pack again." He said. He hadn't even breached the borders before she'd turned and run again, away from the pack. "Trailed her but...Ran out of energy. Ran too hard all night, an' on the way back to the pack. I hoped I'd catch her before she reached the borders," He said. He'd come close- perhaps only minutes behind the female, but she'd had time and a good head start on him. 

"Gonna keep looking." He said with an affirmative nod, but then his features softened. "If...Only if that's what you want." If the alpha did not want revenge, he'd try to give up on the hunt...But it wouldn't be an easy quit.

He listened in stony silence as Shrike relayed her movements and his own. His feelings of appreciation toward his pack mate and disgust with himself grew. He should have been the one out there, avenging Peter. Instead, he had tossed himself off a cliff and nearly gotten himself killed. Peregrine's body drooped in shame. He just barely bit back a sigh. He should have been here to protect his son. Then again, that thought prompted him to stiffen slightly, head lifting from where it had sagged between his shoulder blades as he favored Shrike with his good eye.

"We all should've been there," he said quietly, recalling his earlier blame of not only himself but his entire pack. "But," he continued after a long exhale, "I appreciate your dedication, Shrike. It means a lot to me, to us. Just..." He trailed off as he pondered how to answer the man's question. "I won't hesitate to kill her, should we capture her. Slowly and painfully. But there are also six living pups that need us here to protect them." Peter was beyond their help now. If they were going to pursue his killer, they still needed to focus most of their attention on those still living. It was a precarious balance.

He could sense Peregrine's guilt, and when he spoke, Shrike realized then that Peregrine and Fox had not been around when Peter had been killed. Only Eljay had been there, and the next day, it was Elwood who had answered the call. He did not know who had informed the alphas, how they had found out, or if one of them had found Eljay still clutching poor Peter's mangled remains after Shrike had left to pursue the killer. Though Shrike wanted very much to say that what was done was done, and there was nothing that they could do to change it, he knew that that would only make Peregrine feel worse. He couldn't even find the words to say to elimate or alleviate Peregrine's guilt, so he simply stayed silent on the matter. Shrike had never had to console anyone from such a hard loss, and wasn't sure he wanted to dive right in without any experience. 

He was glad, however, when Peregrine said he wanted the female dead- but what he said next puzzled Shrike a bit. Capture her? It would only really be feasible if she came to the pack again and was cornered, or if he, on his ventures, somehow managed to take her down and drag her back to the Caldera. His lips pursed at the thought of this, and though he wanted very, very much to kill her himself, he knew he'd at least have to try to appease the alpha by fulfilling his wish. 

"She deserves nothing less." He commented dryly. Peregrine did seem inclined to hold off on sending out a party to find her- they had to protect the living after all- and Shrike could understand this. Part of him was satisfied with that- he wanted to track down this criminal alone anyway. "I'll do everything I can to find her. Won't go too far, or for too long." He said. "Will try to bring her back alive, if I can." He said, but as such a thing was highly unlikely, he added "...But if I can't bring her back...I gotta kill her." He said, looking to Peregrine for approval. He felt bad, having to say this, but if it came down to him letting her go to try and capture her with a group, or slaying her on the spot, he knew there was no way he'd be able to live with himself for letting her slip away again.

Suddenly, a thought struck him, and his brow furrowed. Something just came to him. "Six?" He asked abruptly, changing the topic rather suddenly. "Six pups?"

"You'd be welcome to maim her," Peregrine said in a chilling voice, "even break her legs or, hell, her neck, to get her back here." He left it at that. If Shrike needed to kill her in order to avoid injury to himself, of course the Alpha wouldn't hold that against him. But if there was any possibility she could be delivered to the Alphas so they could deal with her... the muscles in his jaw jumped and twitched as he imagined what he and Fox would do to her, given the chance. "Although I understand if you gotta do what you gotta do," he was sure to add, so that Shrike wasn't under any kind of illusion that he would be punished if he didn't deliver Peter's killer on a silver platter.

The conversation shifted to something much, much lighter. He almost laughed at Shrike's evident confusion, though the heaviness of the earlier subject matter still lingered. He did manage a tight smile as he replied, "Yes, six. Finley gave birth to a litter of three the other day. I'd tell you their names but the only one I can pronounce is Lucy. Two girls and a boy." The Blackthorns' newborns were a much-needed ray of sunshine after the bleakness of the past two months, of which Peter's death was just the horrible climax.

The Alpha paused for a moment, thinking, then said, "I'm sure you'll be welcome to meet them soon." He sought Shrike's gaze as he added, "You're an important part of this family now. Actually, I'd like to offer the Redhawk surname to you, if you'd like to take it. You're not obligated but it's yours if you want it." It was the least he could offer Shrike for his unwavering dedication to the caldera's leadership, for taking their yoke upon his shoulders and tirelessly seeking to settle a vendetta on their behalf.

It hadn't occurred to Shrike that there were things he could do to keep the female from getting away, without repeatedly having to knock her out. He was surprised, though, when these things were mentioned- breaking legs and such, given his grandfather's history. Osprey himself had been taken hostage, and in an attempt to keep him from getting away, his feet had been maimed and, until the rescue party had showed up, it had worked. He licked his lips at the thought of doing something similar to the wolf, even though he did feel guilty as well. He knew doing such a thing would have been frowned upon by his entire family- but here was another family member who was asking the same thing of him. And this time, they were the good guys- right? "Gotcha." came his smart reply, and he nodded firmly. He would do whatever he could to bring her back. 

When Peregrine spoke about Finley's pups, his ears shifted in surprise. Three pups? They'd have their hands full. And when the time came to teach them to hunt, they'd all be busy. Coming so soon after a famine, he wondered about the health of the pups, but Peregrine didn't seem to sound too worried, though no doubt the same thoughts had crossed his mind as well. 

Yet again, he was surprised by his alpha who then proceeded to flatter him quite a bit. He hadn't really thought of Peregrine as what he would have defined as family. True, they were related by blood, and this did make them family at least in part, in Shrike's mind, he was surprised to see that the alpha liked him so much. You're always so slow to get attached, Shrike, Came the voice of one of his sisters. People like you. Don't you like them? It wasn't an unusual occurrance for Shrike to find out that others either doubted that he liked them, nor was it common for him to feel just how much he was liked- though he was rarely phased either way. Needless to say, he took this as quite a compliment, and dutifully accepted the alpha's gracious invitation. "Our family done it before," He said, quite sure Peregrine would get the reference. "Shrike Redhawk. I like it. Thank you, Peregrine."

His lip twitched faintly at Shrike's remark. He had felt bad about dropping the Redleaf and DiSarinno surnames, especially as the former had been handpicked by March Owl and was quite symbolic in that way. He liked to think he was still honoring her legacy, just with a new twist. Their surname still contained "Red," after all, even if that part was actually attributed to Fox's fur color.

"You're welcome," he answered simply, then called back to Shrike's evident interest and perhaps wariness of the number of pups currently residing in the pack. It would be a relief to move onto a lighter topic for a moment. "You seem taken aback about all the pups. I thought you knew us Redleafs were prolific," Peregrine quipped. "March Owl and Aether had too many kids to count. And I'm planning on giving them a run for their money."

Shrike laughed at Peregrine's comment about their abudant family. Of course, when Shrike laughed, it was more or less a simple "ha ha," and not a proper laugh, but even as short and seemingly dry as it was, a Shrike laugh was rare and only happened when he was really genuinely tickled. "You're right." He said, with a nod, as he thought of his own family which, no doubt, would have expanded while he'd been gone. His family members had all been the family type- prone to finding a sweetheart and then pumping out as many little future family-wolves as possible who would no doubt do the same. 

"Osprey had..." He said, and paused to think of all his uncles and aunts. "Hmmm..." Came the continued thought, eyes moving from left to right, like the pendulum of a clock that halted several times as it swung from one way to the next. "Well. Five litters." He said, simplifying things. He paused again, trying to phase out how many wolves were involved in each litter. "Eighteen kids I think. Pretty reserved for a Redleaf." He said, with a small smile. Peregrine seemed to be about two years older than him, or as close as Shrike was able to figure, anyway. "You got that many yet?" He asked with a toothy grin.

It was a wonder the family hadn't overrun the North American wilderness, all things considered. Peregrine issued a low whistle at the number of Osprey's progeny. He really couldn't recall how many litters his parents had had, especially considering their first mates, or how many (half) siblings he had. Maybe he should feel bad about that but he was just a wolf and not necessarily a very smart one at that.

He chuckled at Shrike's joke, then smiled wanly. "I've got a dozen myself. Two with my first mate, two adopted, and the rest were manufactured right here." He patted a broad paw against the ground, the very soil he and Fox had sought out for the sole reason of raising a family upon it. "A few have passed away," he continued, smiling tightly, eyes a bit shiny, "and some others have vanished into the ether. But I think most are alive and kicking, somewhere. And Fox and I have a few good years ahead of us yet." One day, their epic fertility might fade, but that day was still years away.

"Remind me," he said in the next breath, "do you hope to one day settle down? Have a family?" He had a niggling feeling they'd discussed this once before and that Shrike didn't necessarily aspire to the domestic mold. Well, hopefully he would jog his Alpha's memory.

Shrike's ears flicked forward in interest when Peregrine admitted that he'd had a dozen children. Obviously, he hadn't had them all at once, but gauging by how old Shrike figured Peregrine was, his litters had likely been a fair size. Nothing surprising, given their family's history of baby-making, but impressive nonetheless. He was a bit surprised to hear that Peregrine had had another mate at some point in his life, but wasn't going to ask about it- they were talking about puppies, after all, not about past love lifes, and Shrike would have had little to nothing to contribute to that conversation. Two pups were adopted, so he wondered where they had ended up later on in life, and the others as well. Shrike had yet to meet one of Peregrine's other offspring apart from the most recent batch, which left six others. "Family man," He concluded, with a nod, before he added "I like that."

Shrike, like prctically every other wolf in their family (apart from the ones that left home when they were young or perished) had been raised in a large family, so he appreciated what Peregrine was creating in the Caldera. A pack that was formed with many blood relations wusually made for quite a strong pack, as the bonds would run as deep as their blood. 

When Peregrine asked about him, Shrike's ears flicked sideways in surprise. He was a bit backwards when it came to talking about his love life, though he felt oddly comfortable talking with Peregrine about it. His siblings had teased him at a young age because he hadn't had any childhood crushes, and because he responded so awkwardly to affection. "Dunno." He said. "Not there yet." He added, knowing that his first answer was too abrupt. "Not met anyone yet. Seen some nice ones- like that @Allure one- but nothing's stuck." He said, and after a moment's contemplation, added "...Or started." It was true- he hadn't exactly spent any time pursuing anyone, and while one or two females had taken an interest in him when he'd been young, that interest had been fleeting and often faded away as soon as they realized he wasn't putting on the whole 'aloof' thing to be attractive. In conclusion, he had only two words. "Someday. Maybe."

Shrike seemed a bit taken aback by the question, if his expression was anything to go by, yet he answered readily and honestly. Peregrine smiled to himself, the expression fading somewhat the mention of Allure. He still recalled the day she had left and it wasn't a fond memory. He brushed that aside, though, and nodded to acknowledge Shrike's noncommittal response.

"When I was your age, starting a family was the furthest thing from my mind, believe it or not," Peregrine revealed. "I didn't jump onto that bandwagon until I was three. I don't know how my life would have turned out if Tyrannus hadn't exiled me. I might've stayed with the Flightless Falcons my whole life, sharing a den with Osprey to this day..." He chortled and shook his head lightly, forgetting that Shrike wasn't familiar with the story or its characters. At least there were plenty of contextual clues.

"Anyway..." the Alpha said after a beat, "I should head out. I was gonna hunt for Finley." He paused, then asked, "Would you like to join me?"

It was both reassuring a perhaps a bit overwhelming to hear that Peregrine had felt the same way when he'd been Shrike's age. This led him to believe perhaps that Peregrine was more than a year older than him- he had to be, now that he put two and two together, but it wasn't their age gap that surprised him. It was the fact that Peregrine hadn't wanted pups at his age- and now look at him. It was amusing, of course, and caused Shrike to smile, but also shrink a bit, inwardly. Did that mean that soon he too was going to become a family man? And suddenly want to father a tonne of chidlren? The very thought seemed to squeeze the breath out of him. Kids were okay, sure, but he was quite uneasy about the thought of ever having children. Children weren't just a cute thing you had for a bit that eventually went away. Kids were lifers. Lifers were terrifying. 

Still, it had worked out for Peregrine who seemed, as far as Shrike could tell, fairly sane. Aside from having a broken leg and one less useful eye (had one of his kids done that to him too?!) he was relatively fit, and obviously quite pleased with himself. His head tilted to the side at the mention of Osprey's name, unable to make the connection as he was fairly certain his grandfather Osprey had left before Peregrine had been born. A slightly grating note rumbled in his throat as he tried to piece things together, trying to figure out how Peregrine could have been living with Osprey when the prospect of a hunt came up. Relieved and distracted from the topic of babies and family, Shrike nodded curtly. "Sure." He said, and licked his lips. "Could dig a hunt."

Gonna finish this off for us! :)

Shrike seemed game (pun intended) and Peregrine offered him a pleased smile and twitch of his tail. He motioned for the subordinate to follow, then began trotting in the general direction of the borders. Before they were out of sight, he paused and turned to shrewdly eyeball the tuft of fur the other wolf had brought him. It was beginning to drift along the grass, caught in the breeze like a tumbleweed. But the Alpha didn't need it anymore. The scent was logged in his brain for eternity.

If they saw her out there, he was sure they would tear her limb from limb. In the meantime, Peregrine and Shrike would seek more traditional prey to bring back fresh meat for Finley and her pups.