Redhawk Caldera how swiftly you dismiss our love...

@Peregrine @Fox

There was little else Teagan could do after Trick departed but retreat and think over his options. Options? Who was he kidding; he didn't have any options but the one his ex lover had offered him. There was one other option he could choose from which was to leave the wilds behind and find a new home for himself, a new start, something he'd done so many times before. But he knew deep down in his heart that he should stop running, or at least, try. After all, even if this all failed in the end, at least he could comfort himself with the knowledge that he'd given it a go, and if it didn't work, well, he'll start over for the twentieth time. The coywolf had gotten used to that by now.

Night came and went yet Teagan still stayed, pondering over his thoughts and options as he breakfasted on two rabbits he'd caught. It was past noon when he heaved himself off the ground, shook the debris off his pelt and departed from Bramblepoint where he'd been taking shelter. He moved at a steady pace and an hour later, the faint stench of pack borders met his nostrils. He huffed and sank down to the ground, dilligently grooming himself to look presentable — more than presentable — before he got up and continued on his way. By then, Teag had resolved to be on his best behaviour; he wasn't going to ruin his chances anymore.

Sometime later, with the cool afternoon breeze ruffling his groomed coat, he scanned his surroundings with mild interest and wariness. The fox-like wolf stood a respectable distance away from the borders, running the procedures through his mind and making sure that where he was standing was not in anyway, disrespectful to the pack. His posture was carefully submissive, with his tail low, hanging by his ankles and his body lowered, then Teagan tilted his head upwards and let loose a respectful howl for whoever was in charge, announcing his presence.

Ears turned back, Shrike moved toward the call. Though it hadn't been directed at him, he had been in the area, patrolling the borders as he often did, and though he knew Fox and/or Peregrine would show up soon, he would not allow a stranger to stay at their borders without supervision. He was relieved that at least the wolf had made their presence known, as it might have been some time before Shrike made his way toward that area; still, he had no idea how Peregrine and Fox would feel about being summoned, though the call had a subservient and respectful tone to it. Perhaps it was a wolf from another pack, with news or something of the like...They hadn't really had too many messengers come their way, after all, and he figured it was about time. 

He brushed up against a burdock bush on his way to greet the stranger and ended up getting eight or nine burrs stuck in his fur. Grumbling quietly to himself that ain't nobody got time for that, he ignored the prickles despite the fact that it irked him to no end to show up in front of a stranger with burrs stuck in his fur. Plus, they itched, and Shrike hated that kind of discomfort.

It turned out that the stranger looked glossy and clean, despite the wild look about his slim, reddish figure. He looked fit enough, quite sharp and wiry, much like Shrike. But there was something a bit different about his build, perhaps it was the narrowness of his muzzle that hinted either that he was part coyote (or fox, though Shrike didn't think that was possible) or had been born a runt and had never really filled out. His head and tail lifted as he came to an abrupt halt, directly blocking the newcomer, and inhaled sharply, to memorize the male's scent, should he cause trouble and become Shrike's next seek-and-destroy victim. 

"I'm Shrike. Gamma. You are?"

It wasn't long before a wolf came to greet him. Teagan stifled a smirk when he noticed the burrs stuck in the male's fur. Instead, he bowed his head, his expression betraying none of his internal emotions and his posture shifted once more into one of submissiveness It irked him to show this much deference, but he swallowed his excessive pride and ego and did it nonetheless, with the same grace used in all of his motions, careful to reveal nothing of what was happening inside his head, but showed the pack wolf an epitome of respect — or so he thought.

The wolf introduced himself as Strike, and the Gamma, which, according to his knowledge, was the highest subordinate rank. Not the Betas, or the Alphas. Teagan assumed they would come along soon enough, but still felt some sort of emotion akin to disappointment. He shoved it to the side, to be examined later, and focused, instead, on the situation at hand. "I'm Teagan," he introduced himself in his lilting accent, eyes carefully averted in respect. "I'm looking to join the pack."

There was nothing out of the ordinary in the way the stranger moved or acted, as far as Shrike could see. He was still in a somewhat sour mood due to the fact that he had prickly burrs stuck in his fur and wanted to rip them out of his fur pronto. But he couldn't do that in front of a stranger, not one who wanted to join his pack. No, he'd have to turn away from him to do so, and didn't want to offer any stranger a blind shoulder. His ears turned back slightly in contempt, though; this was another male wanting to join their pack. Largely, as far as Shrike knew, most of the wolves who had joined them had been females, and he preferred it that way. Another male meant more competition. 

"Well. Why should we take you in?" He asked. As far as he knew, the pack was doing quite well; their upper tiers were full, with only room for low-ranked wolves. He expected the same speech from this wolf that most would give- capable hunter, could scout, patrol borders, watch kids, blah blah blah. Not that he'd be willing to live in a pack with a wolf who couldn't do those things, but it simply got a bit tiring after a while of wolves making all the same promises. When would they ever get a juggler, a comedian or a musician?

The pack wolf asked a question that Teagan had been expecting. He knew where his skills lay, but he didn't know if his skills were needed in this particular pack, thus making him nervous. He didn't want to appear, well, normal, for lack of a better word, and despite his ego, he knew he wasn't very special, thus making his choices rather limited. Teag didn't let his internal turmoil show, however, but smiled respectfully and began speaking, "I am a skilled Scout and diplomat. I have a good memory for mapping the landscape and carrying messages, and I can travel long distances quickly."

He paused, before continuing, "I'm also a capable hunter and fighter; I will patrol, defend, fight and hunt for the pack. As well as that I'm an aspiring chronicler; I can weave stories for the entertainment of the pack, pass on history and teach..." he trailed off then, catching his breath. "Those are my main skills, but if you're interested in that sort of thing, I can also make people laugh; a comedian, I suppose and I can keep morale up." 

Teagan narrowed his eyes, thoughtfully, "If there are any particular skills you require, I am also willing to learn."

He found that the male's answer was much as his had been- a good scout and ambassador, one who liked to rove away from the pack a lot. He'd reigned that in quite a bit, and had focused his energy on patrolling the borders rather than wandering away from the pack, as Fox and Peregrine had softly dissuaded him from doing anything scout-like. "The Caldera's a private pack." He admitted. "Don't venture out much. Keep to ourselves." He added, knowing that might change Teagan's mind, if he was dead-set on doing those things. Perhaps the pack's views had changed, but as far as he knew, the focus was on keeping the pack safe and fed, and that did not involve wandering away very much at all. 

Teagan went on to spew out a few more of his talents- a few of which were fairly typical of any wolf who could survive on their own- but by the time he'd finished speaking, he'd left Shrike with a raised eyebrow. The rest of his face was fairly deadpan and skeptical. This he had to see. "Gotta wait for alphas." He stated bluntly. "'Til then." He continued, and sat down. "Make me laugh."

The Alpha male heard the howl but he was on the other side of the caldera. He wasn't remotely interested in a new recruit but perhaps this wolf knew something about Lucy's whereabouts. Or perhaps it was the kidnapper himself (even if that made no sense). In any case, Peregrine hauled ass to the source of the call, though it took him some time to get there. Shrike had gotten there first and he thought to himself, Goddamn, that guy is trusty as fuck.

"Who's this?" he said upon approach, shrewdly eyeballing the stranger who looked like a masculine version of his mate before glancing at the side of his Gamma's face. He made sure to catch his eye and give him a subtle nod of approval and gratitude. But then his sharp eyes flashed back to the stranger. "Does he know something?" Peregrine asked loudly but vaguely, not wanting to give away details of the situation just in case this was nothing more than a routine joining rote.

The stranger informed him that the Caldera was a private pack who kept to themselves, which meant that if Teagan joined, he could no longer wander when wanderlust came. He had to stay put, and if he was being honest, the thought of staying in one single place made him want to turn and depart immediately. But really, what was the reason he was here in first place? It was because Trick told him that if he wanted to make it up to him, Teag would have to join the pack. So regardless of...oh, you know, limiting himself from indulging in the pleasurable activities of exploring, he would have to join. Somehow, the thought of regaining Trick's favour strengthened his resolve and the fox simply nodded in acknowledgement, indiciating that he knew and understood and still wished to join.

All was going well....until Strike said to wait for the Alphas and to make him laugh. Teagan stared at him for a moment, dumbstruck. What? This was not going according to Teagan's plan. He had not expected that someone would want him to demonstrate his terrible comedian skills. Holy crap, this waas not going to go well, at all. "Um..look, dude," Teagan began, "Usually, I have this whole speech prepared just to entertain someone. Or, I'm engaged in conversation. I can't just...you know, make you laugh all of a sudden. It doesn't work like that," he attempted to explain. "I can tell you a joke, like, 'What's a ghost's favourite fruit? It's the booberry, get it? 'Cuz the blueberry? Or another terrible one would be, 'What do you call a deer with no eyes? No eye deer, get it?" He grinned, "Those were lame ones, but usually bad jokes can get someone to laugh. Usually." Teag cleared his throat, lowering his eyes. 

"Okay. Witty one, not really. So one day, the puppies's teacher asks the kids to name a bird that starts with an 'E'. A boy says, 'Eagle'. Then the teacher asks for an animal that begins with a 'T' and the same pup says, 'Two eagles'. The teacher sends the child away for bad behaviour, and then she asks for an animal beginning with 'M'. The boy shouts from within the den: 'Maybe an eagle!"

Holy crap. Those were the lamest stories he'd ever come up with.

Teagan Wilde was so screwed.

Poor Teagan. He couldn't have been faced with a worse audience member, as far as comedy went, as Shrike didn't exactly have a funny bone. X-Rays had been done, and in some far off museum they were being shown proudly on display- behold, the wolf with no funny bone! He could tell instantly that the male was horrified at being asked to actually make him laugh, but Shrike's features didn't change one bit; he was still expecting to be pleased. If the wolf couldn't do that- or, rather, if he couldn't even try, then how was Shrike to believe that he could hunt or scout or do any of the other things he said he could do?

The first two jokes he supplied were lame. Generally, just puns- and truth be told, the latter was lost on Shrike, whose brow began to furrow. Was he a fake? He had better hopes for the third one, which was, apparently, 'witty.' The buildup was alright, but at the last moment, Teagan's joke shit the bed. Shrike's expression held fast until he caught the scent of Peregrine approaching, and gave his alpha a nod as he approached. "Teagan." He supplied, giving a name to the face. It didn't take a moment for Shrike to know exactly what Peregrine was referring to, and he solemnly shook his head. "Just lame jokes." He said, the disappointment showing clearly in his voice. He was quite skeptical of the male, now. "Same as most others- can hunt, scout, etc. Calls himself a comedian an' storyteller. Dunno if I believe him though." He said honestly, not caring about the fact that it could hurt Teagan's feelings to be so blunt.

Shrike responded succinctly and Peregrine nodded to himself before squinting at this Teagan fellow. It always piqued his interest when a hunter showed up at his doorstep, though the Alpha was feeling warier than usual after what had happened to Lucy. It just seemed like a bad time to invite strangers into the fold, though with a handful of pups left to feed, could Peregrine turn away a decent hunter in good conscience?

"If you were Alpha, would you give him a pass or fail?" he wondered, once again peering at Shrike and not bothering to speak directly to Teagan at all. Why waste time when Shrike had already done the heavy lifting? By this point, he trusted his Gamma pretty much implicitly. He would let his relative make the call and just go with it.

Yeah, he was so damn screwed. In fact, he was pretty sure he'd never been so screwed in his entire life. Well, except for when he met this gorgeous hunk and.....nevermind, that was a story for another day. And that day, was definitely not today. Yeah. Today was not going well at all. Today was being rude. Today wasn't even bothering to try to make a few thing easy for the poor Wilde, how rude was that? Not even a little bit of...yes, I expected that to happen. No, Today wanted to make sure that everything that happened was going to be....you're screwed and I'm laughing in your poor, ugly face. Needless to say, Teagan wasn't the biggest fan of life at the moment; in fact, he was probably the last wolf to like life right now.

Another wolf approached, and from the conversation that went between the two wolves, Teagan presumed that the swarthy man was the Alpha of this pack. The dark male questioned Strike, asking him if he was Alpha, would he give the poor guy a pass or a fail. By now, he was ready to rip his eyes out. It wasn't his fault that Strike had absolutely no sense of humour. One can only entertain an audience that wants to be entertained. One cannot entertain someone who is completely incapable of any kind of humour. It was simply impossible. 

He was ready to get rejected. But another part of him clung on to the hope that other than the comedian part, his résumé was pretty good and solid. He could fight, and hunt, provide for the pack, and deliver messages, as well as act as a diplomat should things go down to it. As far as Teag was concerned, he sounded like a pretty valuable member.

Though of course, when it came down to it, Teagan wasn't going to be deciding his own fate so he hoped that the two wolves from the Caldera would think the same.

Shrike was surprised to hear that Peregrine wanted to know his final opinion of whether Teagan should be allowed in the pack or not, and it showed on his face. He blinked once at the alpha, before he looked back to Teagan. The unimpressed look on his face turned to a look of perplexity, and he took a moment to reconsider what would have been his first reaction. Naturally, Shrike didn't think much of Teagan, as his jokes had been unimpressive, and had Teagan spoke up just then Shrike wouldn't have simply said no, he was prepared to lunge toward him and give him a more physical response. His ears flicked back. 

"Can't tell jokes, which he said he could; so can't trust if he can hunt, patrol or anything else he said he could do." He said. Shrike squared his shoulders and focused his eyes intently on Teagan's face, lifting his chin slightly. Teagan's fate appeared to be in his hands, and Peregrine had asked him to make the call of an alpha, so he would have to alpha-up. "Want him to prove himself 'fore he sets foot in our packlands." He said. "Not with jokes. I'd say a hunting mission or..." He said, pausing as a new idea dawned on him. He turned his head away from Teagan then, expression relaxing from stern back into the perplexed look. "A scouting mission." 

It might have been a shot in the dark, but Shrike figured they could easily use another wolf on the hunt for Lucy.  He didn't like the idea of sending a stranger on a search for their pup- as she was already in the hands of a stranger- but if the other packs knew of their missing pup, they'd have a better chance of finding her. "Messenger. For Lucy." He said, in case Peregrine hadn't caught his drift to begin with. It would give them one more wolf spreading the word, while the rest of them could continue to search for the girl and protect the pack.

The Gamma seemed a bit taken aback by Peregrine's little stunt, yet the Alpha only smiled and nodded at him. He trusted Shrike and, moreover, Shrike's judgment. This was his call. To his credit, he seemed to take it quite seriously and began weighing some logic aloud. Peregrine listened, nodding subtly and shooting Teagan sideways glances every few seconds. He couldn't be taken at his word, which didn't bode well, but then jokes were subjective. Maybe Peregrine would have found them hilarious. But Teagan's fate rested in Shrike's hands, not his own, and that was just his luck.

"That sounds fair and reasonable to me. What did you have in mind?" Peregrine wondered for Teagan's sake as well as his own. "Anything he asks of you," he said, speaking directly to the stranger now, "you'll be expected to do if you really want to prove yourself and make it into our ranks. And trust me, it'll be worth your while." The Redhawks were a close-knit, eclectic bunch who looked out for their own. If Teagan made the cut, they would take good care of him.

Shrike listed off Teagan's skills, before saying that they couldn't trust his word as he hadn't been a very good comedian. He resisted the urge to scowl. Instead, he lowered his crown, respectfully keeping his mouth shut and his tongue still. The gray male proposed some sort of mission for him, a hunting one, or perhaps a scouting one. The tip of his red ears swiveled around at that, and he lifted his head ever so slightly, his gaze still averted as he listened to what the two pack wolves were saying.

Messenger for Lucy? Who was Lucy? 

While various questions plagued his mind, the fox remained silent until the swarthy Alpha addressed him. Teagan bowed, "I'll do anything," he promised quietly, a contrast to his usually sarcastic and snarky self. But what could he say? He'll do anything to get back on good terms with Trick..really, anything. Even if he had to pretend to be something he wasn't just to get into the pack. "Tell me what I've got to do, and I'll do it." Teagan lifted his head, his gaze resolute and determined.

He was relieved when Peregrine seemed to go along with what he'd recommended, so his mind worked fast to devise the best way to challenge Teagan. He didn't want to directly spell out what had happened, though if Peregrine thought it was a better idea to do so, Shrike knew he would step in and do so once Shrike had given his own orders. He didn't necessarily want to tell this stranger the full story, lest he be untrustworthy of such information. So, instead, he decided to skip over the details of Lucy's kidnapping and go straight for a search. 

"Go to nearby packs. Tell each of them if they've seen or recently accepted a black, male wolf with red eyes into their ranks, that he is a dangerous wolf and we'll need to know at once where he is." He said. "And ask if they've seen a small black female pup; her name is Lucy." Once he finished with that, he reconsidered his first decision, to hide the story from Teagan. But if there was a dangerous wolf to look out for and a missing pup, it was obvious. He decided to go ahead regardless. "The male kidnapped one of our pack's pups. This is a time sensitive mission. Soon as you find out anything relevant, you come back here immediately." He then looked to Peregrine, to see if he agreed with the mission.

As Shrike spelled out the details of the mission, Peregrine couldn't help but think of that day when he'd run into Charon. He'd accused Peregrine of harboring a dangerous wolf who had done some wrong unto Moonspear. Of course, the swarthy Alpha had done no such thing and he hadn't really cared about the other pack's plight, especially not with that little asshole at its helm. He couldn't help but wonder if the nearby packs would assist the caldera now that the tables were turned. This might be a futile endeavor for Teagan, though Peregrine supposed it didn't hurt to try.

He had nothing to add to what the Gamma decreed, so Peregrine simply said, "This is your mission, should you choose to accept it. We'll hopefully see you back here soon." He paused, licking his lips. "And hopefully with information." Or, he thought but didn't say, with Lucy. After exchanging a respectful nod with Shrike, Peregrine returned to his disrupted patrol.

Shrike explained his mission. Teagan was to go to nearby packs and ask if they've seen or accepted a male wolf with black fur and red eyes and that he was dangerous and needed to know where he was. Then, the Caldera's Gamma added to ask if they've seen a small black female pup who goes by the name of Lucy before elaborating that it was the male who'd kidnapped the pup and that this mission was time sensitive. The fox-like male's brows furrowed as he wondered who in the right mind would kidnap a child from their parents?

Damn, there were all sorts in this world.

The Alpha finished off the conversation with a few words, to which Teagan replied with a respectful nod. "I better go start the mission," he said awkwardly to Shrike, turned and left, his walk gaining speed and soon, he was running across the terrain, eager to complete this mission so he would be able to get back on Trick's good side.