Redhawk Caldera but i'm set on fire to keep you warm

Something felt off today, though Raven couldn't put a finger on it. She dropped by to visit Fox first thing this morning. The Alpha female's flanks were growing rounder now, Raven noticed. Her lips twitched into a smile, even though she still felt out of sorts. Promising to find something fresh to eat, the Gamma bade her mother goodbye and embarked toward the territory's outskirts, hoping to find prey somewhere between the nearby lake shore and the deep forest to the south.

Right around the time she reached the borders and dropped her snout to begin combing for scents, the strangest feeling swept over her. Raven froze, tail instinctively dropping and curling between her legs as she waited apprehensively for this queer, unnameable sensation to pass.

Trick was feeling... alright. And that was saying something. The nightmares, as quickly as they had come, had slowly disappeared. Whether it was because of the herbs he had chewed upon, he did not know, all he could be was thankful that he could now get some rest without being disturb by those horrible visuals of one of his only friends, lying dead before him. He shuddered as this thought crawled into his fragile mind again, but shook it off as just a simple daymare. He could handle those. 

As he was chasing a critter that had felt bold enough to scavenge for some more food as the winter quicky approached, he scented something more than just the bunny. It was Raven, he believed, but the sickening smell of the woman he had probably impregnated was intertwined with her smell. His nose wrinkled as he stopped moving, convenient mercy placed upon the poor fluffbutt as it hopped away. Instinct told him to find her immediately, but his head knew better. Winter was coming. If Raven were to get pregnant, she might not make it through the cold months. Besides, fatherhood was not something he found to fit his personality...

Checking out could not hurt, he thought as he changed his direction of walking and followed the sweet yet intoxicating smell of the female in heat. If she did not want him to get close, he could understand - he was still a mess, and he had not been very nice to her. But at least he would be able to scare off some other males that might want to put the poor girl through motherhood and the burden of being pregnant in the cold months of winter.

It turns out I can't do math, so this is a false alarm. Trick can still notice something about her scent, though, as I have a plot twist in mind.

Thankfully, the peculiar feeling passed quickly. Raven drew in a steadying breath, glancing down at herself as if to ask, What gives? When her bright yellow eyes lifted, she saw a dark shape coming closer. She squinted, her whole body immediately tensing. What could Trick possibly want with her? The young Gamma sat up a little straighter, squared her shoulders and kept her gaze pinned on his face.

"Hello, Trick," she said in a tone that was not particularly warm but not frosty either. It was more businesslike than anything else.

XD *claps* Good job at failing math - let's do it together :p

As fast as the scent had hit him, even faster had it disappeared as if the wind had tricked him. At least he had some other fake reasons why he might have sought her out - and lying was one of his many skills. When Raven acknowledged his presence, he did not even smile - his expression an angry frown that went well with his now more dangerous style. He snickered for a short while.

You're not awfully chipper today. He commented rudely. I like it. He added, not really one to drop subtle hints at all. 

She made no reply to his snide comment, not wishing to engage in Trick's mind games today. Now that she was back to feeling normal, Raven remembered what had brought her out here. Still largely ignoring her pack mate, she looked around for a moment, then shook out her black coat and began moving again. Her snout dropped to begin sifting for scents again.

"I'm hunting for mom," she said for Trick's benefit, sweeping past him and then loping a few yards beyond him before stopping. Raven didn't say a word, just let the information dangle in the air there. He could take it or leave it. She was indifferent.

While Trick did not like being ignored, he just assumed that Raven had no good comebacks. That way he would spare his own feelings, and only that of Raven could be possibly hurt. She seemed occupied with something else though, and Trick didn't like that. He was here now, the focus should be on him - not on the ground. 

Aww. how sweet. He reacted enthusiastically, following wherever she went since he was quite bored. So sweet that it loops right back around to being stupid. He added, not really amused anymore. fox was the alpha- she was supposed to lead hunts, not get her own meal on a silver platter.

She'd handled Trick's attitude with aplomb up until now. When he blatantly insulted her, Raven blinked. She stood there for several beats, deliberating how to react. Should she continue taking the high road? Or should she put him in his place? Her nostrils flared as she considered her options, her threadbare patience finally snapping. Even if Trick was still mourning Peregrine's loss, it didn't give him an excuse to treat Raven so poorly.

"Excuse me?" she said, tone cold. "I'll be sure to let her know you think so when I see her." Yellow eyes narrowed, she turned from him and began trotting away, tossing a few more words over her shoulder: "And I'll let her know about the way you've been treating your superiors." It was a little petty, she knew, and there was a good chance it would trigger a bad reaction. Even as she continued moving away, Raven braced herself for a bum rush.

Trick's attitude had nothing to do with Peregrine anymore. He was dead, and it wasn't like he could do anything about it. Of course he still missed one of his only friends, but he had gotten over it. He had always just pretended to be nice anyway, with the hope of making it big, but being nice had not helped him in the slightest. Many did not want him around, even if they acted like they did, and the only one who could somewhat get along with him was Raven. Well, that was before this.

His smirk faded - black pupils in bright green eyes shrinking in shock and disappointment. Her brow furrowed and his hackles raised, unable to calm down. Of course she needed a fucking adult to handle her problems. He should've known she was nothing special. He should've left her in that stupid pit - he shouldn't even be interested in her anymore, but he was. Why could no one like him?!

YEAH, GO TO YOUR PRECIOUS MOTHER! IT'S NOT LIKE YOU'RE MATURE ENOUGH TO HANDLE YOUR OWN PROBLEMS! He shouted as he turned, freezing in place. TELL HER EVERYTHING! YOU'RE A NICE DUO, YOU KNOW? IDIOT! Why was she ignoring him? 

You're not my superior - I don't look up to you. He called after her, more calmly but his voice as cold as the winter that was coming. He had looked up at her - for sticking with him, but all that had changed in a mere second. It seemed he really didn't need anyone. Everyone left at some point. He was like a train that others could jump on to get to the next stage of their own little lives.

He didn't rush her but he did scream so loud that Raven was sure everyone in the pack must be able to hear him. She froze, shooting Trick an incredulous glance over her shoulder as he proceeded to insult both herself and her mother. She had been headed away from the territory to hunt, though she had half a mind to change course and let Fox know of this immediately—if the Alpha female hadn't heard Trick's screaming for herself.

"You know, you may want to make yourself scarce," Raven called back to him, "because as soon as I get back, I'm going to be telling the Alpha female that you think she and her Gamma are idiots. You're not just my problem, you're a problem for this entire pack and I'm not sitting back and taking it anymore." She complemented her warning with a glare, even though her insides felt a little jellylike after her confrontational outburst.

Never would he insult Fox. Sure, he did in his thoughts, but never would he say these things aloud. Not that anyone would listen to him - not that anyone actually cared what went on in his mind. No one had ever done that, and maybe that was a good thing. Maybe he didn't need others to. Or maybe he did, but no one was giving him a chance to better him. He thought of leaving now - right there and then, away from the Caldera that would not ever accept him as a true member - even though they were practically living off of his catches. His nose wrinkled up in a snarl that very much resembled his trademark smirk when her electrically eyes glanced over her shoulder. 

I didn't call Fox an idiot - but she sure produced one. Poor mother must be devastated that her child can't handle her own fucking problems despite being grown now. He hissed lowly, not liking it when other twisted his words in their favor. And I am not the only problem this pack has - even funnier is that I am one of the main providers. Want it or not, but without me, the winter will be that much tougher, Raven. He clenched his teeth as his tail made a dangerous swoop upwards. Perhaps he really should leave, just to prove a point - but he had to destroy his house then. He would leave nothing behind for them.

Raven would have liked to say that his words didn't hurt her, yet they made her flinch inwardly. How dare he speak to her like that? It would have been wiser to just walk away but she couldn't help herself. "Why's that?" she shot back, trying to ignore the fluttering in her chest and the persistent, boneless sensation in her legs. "You just acted like it's stupid to hunt for one another, you hypocrite. So why would we need you?"

Realizing that she had been reduced to name-calling—even though it was less epithet and more fact—the Gamma clapped her mouth shut. She then faced forward and galloped away, ignoring the urge to go directly to Fox to tattle on Trick. First, she would focus some of this negative energy on killing some fresh game for her mother. It was a lot more constructive than standing around having a shouting match with the obstinate Eta.

A few hours later, Raven found her way to the rendezvous site, a skinny rabbit clutched in her mouth. She had cooled down significantly, yet intended to mention Trick's behavior to Fox. But the Alpha female was nowhere to be found, so the yearling eventually just left the gift for the expectant mother and retreated. She was sure she would see Fox soon enough and she would be sure to tell her all about it then.

Maybe if Trick had known that Fox was pregnant he would not have made such a big deal out of this all - but for all he knew Fox was just too lazy to go catch her own food. Maybe spending so much time alone had really set him apart from the pack further, but could he survive the winter if he left now? He had no where to go - no one to guide him but himself. you know what? Forget it, I'm getting out of this place. He growled lowly before lashing his tail and storming off. He needed to get out of here - it was obvious he was not wanted.

He had seen the Caldera as a second chance, but even his second chance he had fucked up. He belonged no where. He found the scent of a rabbit quite soon and not much later he was feeding on the lifeless carcass. He needed to fill himself for the possible journey ahead.