Redhawk Caldera Cupid Bubbles

Few days in remission from the sickness Birk sneaked out of the caldera to examine a place, which - judging by the activity of the ravens and other birds - could mean food. He was not disappointed, when the eau de carrion finally hit his nostrils, and he found remnants of what once had been a small deer. Though there was not much left of it, he picked up a large piece of thawed hide and brought it back to the safe place. 

He settled down with his precious prize between his paws and began to chew and eat quickly. Naturally the smell was awful, but he was too hungry to notice that he was encased in a cloud of stench that could be sensed miles away from him. In his eyes there was nothing wrong to be stinky, as long as you could have your fill.

It was the smell that drew Elwood; indeed, he detected it from some distance away, and while it wouldn't be pleasant to a human's nose, to the wolves it only meant food. He made his way towards the source of the odor and found Birk having a midday snack. Elwood hadn't seen the newcomer since the day he accepted him into his ranks, and as his gaze swept over the other male he noted that he seemed to be in slightly better health. He gave an appraising nod as he approached.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, pausing a few feet away with his neck slightly extended and his ears pricked, nostrils wiggling. He knew that he could take Birk's meal if he wanted to, but that wasn't Elwood's style. Besides, he would much rather see the subordinate taking measures to strengthen himself so that he could help provide for the rest of the pack.

Being found by the pack's alpha, while looking bad and smelling even worse, was not the best way to make a good second impression, but Birk was not a person, who burdened himself with that kind of qualms. Quite the contrary, he looked up at the leader, feeling happy and confident. 

"Way better than yesterday," he replied and wagged his tail to emphasize the matter. "Want some?" he then asked, got to his feet and took a step aside, in case the deerhide looked just as tempting and amazing to Elwood as it did to Birk.

"Glad to hear it," Elwood replied, bobbing his head. He rocked back onto his haunches as Birk shifted and offered him some of his meal. He considered turning it down, then changed his mind. "Just a bite," he said, reaching out to seize a small piece in his mouth. He used a forepaw to hold the rest of the meat steady while he pulled away a stringy tendon, then reclined as he chewed and swallowed.

"Thanks. The rest is yours," he added, his gratitude evident in his voice. He was glad to learn that Birk was generous and kind; while Aaron had been no Kaizer, he had never been overly friendly and had, in fact, disappeared without a word recently. Elwood couldn't say he was disappointed, but all the same, he wished the other male well.

Much as he had with West, he decided to take the opportunity to learn about Birk's background. "Tell me about yourself, as long as your mouth isn't too full," he invited with a smile.

"There is not much to tell," Birk began, though this statement from a fellow, who could not keep his mouth shut, was a little weird. He decided to postpone his meal, taking into account that an old hide required diligent effort of chewing, and it was not quite compatible with a lenghty conversation at the same time. 

"I come from the far North - Ice fields and a winter that lasts for many, many months. Sometimes snow does not melt at all," he explained. "And I came down here, seeking a milder climate and now I am here," end of story. "How are you all related here?" he asked a question of his own.

Elwood suppressed an amiable laugh when Birk revealed his reason for traveling southward. "You didn't find a milder winter this year," he said, thinking back to the winter storm that had quite literally frozen everyone in place for a few weeks. "But usually, it's not quite that bad. And we at least have a nice spring and summer to make up for it."

He was quick to answer the question that Birk asked, happy to divulge more information about his family. He was proud of Redhawk Caldera and their legacy. "Well, Finley and I have three children of our own here -- Eljay, Lagan, and Liffey. And then the puppies -- Towhee, Titmouse, Orca, and Phox -- were born to the former Alpha pair, Fox and Peregrine. They founded this pack three years ago and when they both passed away this winter, Fin and I took over the pack and are raising their children like our own, with Raven's help. Peregrine and Fox were her parents, too." While the Blackthorns were not related to the Redhawks by blood, there was no denying that the two families were entwined.

"Yeah, I heard that snow actually melts here," Birk chuckled at his own joke. "I mean - it has now already, therefore I have every reason to trust you that it will get better." Yeah, he was looking forward to finding out, what did the word "warm" really mean.

"Oh... wow, that is quite an impressive family," he said in awe and in a way felt glad that he had found his way in this pack. And... perhaps, one day he would be considered a family member too. "So, the former alphas - what were they like?"

Elwood couldn't help but grin when Birk asked about the founders of Redhawk Caldera. Though they were gone, he would always think of them fondly. They had offered him a home, and then had become like family to him. He couldn't imagine his life without Peregrine and Fox and their children. In fact, he wouldn't have even met Finley had Peregrine not invited him to join their ranks.

"They were characters," he said with a laugh, trying to think of how best to personify the former Alphas. "Fox looked just like her namesake -- small and red. She was a spitfire, too. Peregrine was larger and had black fur. He could be crass, but he was a good friend. They were both very territorial; I went a lot easier on you when you joined than they would have," he added, giving a good-natured wink.

"But even though the core of the pack is mostly family, we're always glad to have wolves like you in our hierarchy. I hope you'll stick around for a while?" he said, his tone hinting at a question.

"Good thing that I met you then," Birk shook his head, knowing very well that him joining the group had been almost too easy. From the descriptions alone he could decipher that the former leaders were somewhat similar to his own tight-knit family. Maybe a tad-bit less aggressive, because at the Ice fields unrelated loners were chased down and eaten first, questions were asked later. 

The next sentence, however, confused Birk. Though he had wandered on his own for quite some time and enjoyed the freedom immensely, now that he was part of the group he did not think about getting up and leaving. Sort of a fixed deal, but Elwood's implication meant that things could be different. "Is it that common for people to just going away?"

Elwood nodded and gave a shrug of his shoulders. "It happens more than you would think -- some wolves never plan to stay long and are clear with their intentions, and others just...disappear," he said. There were a variety of reasons as to why the ranks fluctuated over time, but it didn't really bother him that much. Peregrine and Fox hadn't taken kindly to deserters, and while Elwood wouldn't likely hand out second chances for free, he didn't particularly care about most who departed without a word.

But Birk didn't seem to be that type, and Elwood was glad. "What are you interested in, as far as trades?" he asked, changing the subject smoothly. Now that Birk was on the mend, he expected that he would find his niche.

Why would wolves want to go away from a decent territories that offered both shelter and had enough resources to take care of one's needs, was beyond Birk. Then again he had left his former home, which with all the harsh conditions, was considered the best place of living possible for many of his relatives. So maybe he understood those that had chosen to leave. At some level.

" There is no "can't-shut-up bastard" trade is it?" he smiled, not fully understanding, what Elwood was aiming at. It is always better to ask: "What exactly do you mean?"

Elwood laughed at Birk's good-natured response. He liked the subordinate more and more; it was hard not to, when he was so friendly and pleasant. "Actually," he said, the word rolling out on the tail end of a chuckle, "You might make a good chronicler. They do a lot of talking and storytelling."

Then, to clarify in response to Birk's question, he said, "Our jobs within the pack are called trades. If there's something you're particularly good at, you can hone your skills in that area. I'm a hunter and a guardian. Finley loves exploring and traveling, so she's a scout."

"Ahaa..." Birk nodded, deciding that he would feed that thought later (or whatever was the right expression for this) and not realizing that few days later he would talk about the same topic with Finley too. 

"Talking I can do pretty well - story-telling. Well, not so much," he shook his head. With his bad memory regarding names, he did not think he would make a good chronicler at all. He briefly toyed with the idea of becoming the fun-chronicler - passing on imagined and far-from-truth stories and nonesense, but he decided against even mentioning it to the leader. He did not want to look too foolish in his eyes.

Thanks for the thread! :)

Elwood shrugged. "Well, either way, I'm sure you'll find something that suits you soon enough," he said, his tone encouraging. It wasn't required for his pack members to hold the official titles that came with trades; there were ways that they could contribute to the pack at a more basic level, by simply marking the borders and helping to replenish the caches.

"Anyway -- I'm going to get going," the Alpha said, bobbing his head gently. "But enjoy the rest of your meal." He smiled at Birk and glanced down at the remains of the smelly carcass, then turned to go.