The Heartwood Clean bandit

He moved on from the lake, walking toward a wood rich with fall's colorful splendor. Peregrine felt hunger gnawing at his gut and dropped his nose to the ground, simultaneously combing for Finley's scent and any sign of prey. He found no trace of the former, though quite a variety of the latter. He chose the hottest trail, which belonged to a squirrel. He pictured the rodent scurrying about the forest floor, foraging for acorns and fattening itself for winter.

The squirrel he ended up killing and carrying off to eat was disappointingly lean. Peregrine settled down near the roots of an oak tree and made quick work of his kill, enjoying it despite its small size. When he finished, he licked his chops and considered trying to capture another one to round out his meal. He stood, hesitated a moment, then set out into the forest, snout dropping once more to the game trail.

OOC: So rusty!

IC: Elwood squinted up at the sky, attempting to judge how many hours of daylight he had left. He debated returning to the makeshift den he had stayed in the last two nights, or continuing to head south. Though he was surrounded by the scents of wolves, none of them belonged to the one he was looking for -- his sister was nowhere to be found.

He frowned and bit his lower lip thoughtfully, shuffling his charcoal paws through the fiery leaves at his feet. The methodical crunching sound muffled any other nearby noises; he wasn't being particularly careful at this point. He was feeling disheartened and worried, knowing that he would need to find a pack for the winter or begin the long trek home.

Before any decision could be made, however, Elwood's attention was caught by movement ahead through the trees. A large, dark-colored wolf appeared, his nose pressed to the ground. It was obvious that the stranger was looking for something -- or someone? -- as well. Instinctually, Elwood's posture dropped submissively, and though he looked in the other male's direction, he avoided making eye contact. "Hello," he called out, making his presence known so as not to startle his focused counterpart.

He struck the trail of a groundhog, which would prove more than filling should he manage to catch it. Before Peregrine could track far, however, a crunching noise caused him to change course, abandoning the groundhog's scent. He moved furtively, trying his best not to make a sound himself, hoping to sneak up on the noisemaker and make a meal out of it.

When he rounded a bend and spotted a wolf in his path, he drew up to his fullest height, partially in response to the stranger's quick, submissive response. "Hello..." he echoed, head cocking as he peered down at the pewter stranger. "I'm Peregrine." He didn't request an introduction, giving the other wolf the chance to provide one if he wanted.

Over the course of his time away from his family, Elwood had encountered the full spectrum of wolves -- from those who demanded respect and submission to others who could have cared less. His experiences had shaped his perspective, and he often found that it was best to present himself in a harmless manner, especially in an area as heavily populated as this one. Luckily, it seemed this wolf was somewhere in the middle, as he drew himself up but addressed Elwood with a relatively friendly tone.

"I'm Elwood," he replied, standing up a bit straighter but still evading Peregrine's gaze. "Do you live around here?" he asked, a simple and straightforward question that could, perhaps, lead to more valuable information for the lone wolf.

"Yes," Peregrine answered simply. Sometimes he hated giving strangers any kind of information, though he thought it was rather harmless to give a name and place of residence at the very least. "I live at Redhawk Caldera." He made no mention of his status, nor did he try to indicate its location.

"And you?" he asked in the next breath. He was looking at a young and (apparently) able-bodied young male, so he saw an opportunity to recruit when he saw one, even if he would've traded this Elwood for any scrap of information about Finley's whereabouts.

Of course, the pack name that Peregrine mentioned was wholly unfamiliar to Elwood. He knew next to nothing about the area, only that there were a number of wolves all living within relatively close proximity to one another. Coming from humble beginnings, a small pack comprised of only his closest family members, he had to admit that he felt a little overwhelmed.

Peregrine returned the question to Elwood, likely not because he was truly interested but because it was polite. It had to be obvious to the black wolf that Elwood was not from the vicinity. Still, the younger male appreciated that Peregrine inquired. Other wolves might have simply ignored a stranger.

"My family's pack lives a few days' travel from here," he replied initially, not sure if he wanted to divulge information about his missing sister. On the other hand, there was a slim chance that Peregrine had potentially valuable information, so he continued. "I left a few months ago in search of my sister, who went missing. I was trailing her for a while, but I lost her scent. So I've just been wandering since then, hoping to come across her," he explained. Truthfully, in the back of his mind, Elwood was beginning to consider the possibility that he may never see her again.

The Alpha felt discouraged by this news, if only because it meant Elwood probably couldn't be recruited. Peregrine's head tipped when the male explained why he was so far from home; he was searching for his sister. Although Finley wasn't his sister, the swarthy wolf thought he could relate. He was worried for his friend and wanted her back home.

"I'm looking for someone too," he said. "What's your sister's name and what does she look like?" Maybe he'd seen her around. Hell, it could be anyone, even someone he knew.

"Her name is Avery and she looks like me," he replied with a slight twitch of his lips. "We're twins," he explained in the next breath. Not wanting to linger on the subject too long, Elwood then asked, "Who are you looking for?" To be honest, he wasn't quite ready to go home -- although he hadn't admitted that to himself just yet. He knew that he didn't want to return to his parents empty handed, and, at the same time, he had discovered in the last few months that he liked the taste of freedom he had sampled.

Shifting his weight slightly, he offered, "Maybe I can help you." He hadn't picked up Avery's scent anywhere nearby, but it was much more likely that they could find the wolf that Peregrine was seeking. Two noses were better than one, and he was curious to learn more about Redhawk Caldera.

He shook his head when Elwood gave his sister's name and description. He hadn't seen her. When pressed to describe his own missing person, he hesitated, as always. Peregrine wasn't fond of divulging things to strangers, particularly anything that could make him look disadvantaged or otherwise weak. The fact that he couldn't keep track of his own subordinates didn't look so good, after all.

"Her name is Finley and she has gray fur," he said after a few beats of silence. "Your help would be appreciated, Elwood. But if you're going to run off in search of Avery, how can you report back to me with information, should you come across any?" A thought occurred to him. "Maybe if you stationed yourself somewhere, it would be more conducive to both searches. Anyway, it might be wiser to settle down somewhere and postpone your search 'til spring. It's going to get nasty here in a few weeks..."

He let the implication hang in the air for a moment before cutting to the chase, "Redhawk Caldera could use some able bodies. Would you be interested in joining our numbers? If so, what sorts of skills could you bring to the table?"

Elwood registered the name of Peregrine's missing packmate, storing it in his mind for safekeeping. One grey ear twitched as the other male continued, questioning how Elwood would be able to help if he was planning on continuing his own search. Peregrine had a good point, and Elwood bobbed his head thoughtfully, then lifted his chin as a new offer was put on the table. If he stayed in the area, he would be able to report back to Peregrine if he came across Finley -- and he assumed that the same would be true if Avery was spotted.

Before he could formulate a reply, Peregrine made a second suggestion, mentioning that his pack was in need of members. Elwood's curiosity was piqued, but he turned over his options in his mind before replying. To return to his family, he would have to backtrack, an idea that he wasn't particularly fond of. He thought that it was unlikely he would find Avery if he retraced his steps; it was more likely that she was elsewhere, somewhere that he hadn't yet searched. But winter was quickly approaching, and it would be reckless to continue his trek beyond his current location. Redhawk Caldera could be, in a way, the end of the line -- if he moved further south, he couldn't say for sure that he would find another pack with whom he could spend the season.

Peregrine's question lingered for only a moment before Elwood answered in the affirmative. "Yes, I would be interested in that. You're right; it's about time that I find somewhere to spend the winter," he said. He paused again briefly before answering Peregrine's second inquiry. "I have experience with hunting, both alone and in groups. I was also learning about food storage from my father before I left," he continued. Peregrine could see that he was in good health -- only having lost a few pounds from his travel -- and was, as he put it, "able-bodied." He considered himself to be fairly well-rounded, but hunting was his forte, and he hoped that would be useful to the Caldera wolf.

Fade here, then have another soon? :)

Although Peregrine prized loyalty and he would have liked Elwood to swear permanent fealty to him, he knew how the world worked. More often than not, his subordinates would leave him. Only a select few would stay to stand the test of time. All the Alpha male could do was offer solid leadership and a strong home, so that only the flightiest of wolves would ever leave it. If Elwood stayed through the winter, there was a very strong possibility that he would become entrenched in the caldera beyond his transient promise to spend the winter.

When the word hunting left Elwood's lips, the swarthy leader decided then and there that Elwood would be coming home with him. "Gamekeeper—hunter and quartermaster—is my primary trade. I value assets like yours very much. Come back with me to the caldera and you'll have a home for the winter in exchange for your contributions," Peregrine finished. "Maybe longer, if we find the arrangement mutually beneficial." He smiled and winked at his own formal speech.

A moment later, he was sighing, though not because of Elwood. "I guess I'd better turn back for now. Next time I go out to search, you can come with me," he invited. "Come on, I'll take you back to the caldera and you can make yourself at home. You should know that my mate, Fox, is your Alpha female. The pack's small, like I mentioned, but I like to think it's mighty..." Peregrine launched into a spiel as he began to walk, telling Elwood all about the caldera, its history and its members as they loped toward the distant mount.

OOC: Perfect! :)

IC: it all seemed to happen quickly, leaving Elwood's head spinning. Peregrine was interested in the skills that he claimed to have, and invited him to join the pack. He was aware that it could potentially be a temporary arrangement, but was hopeful it would be permanent. Elwood wasn't sure yet what he thought, but he liked Peregrine and felt confident that he would, at the very least, have a good place to call home during the winter.

"Thank you," he said emphatically, falling into step with his new alpha. He tilted his ears toward Peregrine as they walked, dedicating his full attention to learning about the pack -- his pack.