Redhawk Caldera ∧∧

AW: hoping to join. I apologize if I'm a bit slow on activity! Trying to get into the swing of things.

 
Cool and tepid was the morning Hotah stepped near the vastness of the caldera. It was not somewhere he had called home, but it was the spirits that lingered here that pulled him so. 
He wondered, who lingered here? The scents came and came, children, adults, teens- in between. The caldera was flooded with life! A glorious thing, yes it was. 
Keeping a respectful distance amongst the borders, he scraped at fallen leaves from the eventual turning of autumn. A season of dryness. 
Dark paws would even trek him a tad closer. Letting a shrewd, friendly howl echo through the opening.

Towhee watched a stranger approaching from her perch on the caldera’s rim. Narrowed orange eyes followed his every movement even as she remained crouched out of view. He stopped where he ought to stop, then sent up a howl. Her ears didn’t pick up on it but it didn’t matter one whit.

Springing to her feet, the Elder lumbered down the slope with hackles up and tail hooked over her back. She didn’t growl nor show her teeth, though she was the picture of a dominant she-wolf as the ground leveled underfoot. She didn’t hesitate to stride right up to the swarthy stranger, muzzle thrust toward him to properly assess his scent.

State, Towhee said the age-old words, your name and business.

Hotah lowered his head at once, shoulders folding to show he carried no threat. He allowed her to breathe him in, to read the miles written into his pelt and the silence in his bones. He had walked a long way on little more than will, and though he was built to survive, even stone wears thin beneath the seasons.
There was no attempt to rise above her. His place was not in outshining, but in offering what strength remained in service. He had lived enough years to know that purpose was best found in others—keeping, guarding, enduring. The winter would soon press down hard, and for once he wished not to face it alone.
So he held steady at the border, his posture speaking more than words might. A wolf vested not in pride, but in loyalty.
Hotah, he finally breathed. Your home seems prosperous. I'd wish to hunt in exchange for a warm bed.

YAYYY TOWHEE!

The stranger promptly deferred, which pleased her, though her body language didn’t show it. Towhee didn’t relax. If anything, she went even more rigid, as if to play up the distinction of their present roles.

She saw his lips moving but she didn’t quite catch what he said. Was he whispering, perhaps? Towhee needed him to enunciate.

I know it goes against the grain, she said, voice still gruff, but you may look at me when you speak. I’m hard of hearing and read lips, she explained. Please speak firmly and repeat what you just said.

His ears flicked at her words, a small understanding dawning as he lifted his gaze to meet hers. Dark eyes steady, his posture did not shift from its low bearing. But his head curved upward. She was right, it is against the grain. It didn't feel right. The order of hierarchy pulled at him tightly, albeit it was her own request. 
I am Hotah, he said again, eyes connected with hers. I seek a home for the winter—permanently, I hope. In return, I will hunt.
Surely there were mouths to feed. Hunting, if not the best, was one skill he could count on. With summer coming to a close, they would not go hungry. He would make sure of it!

Well, which is it? You seek a home for the winter, Towhee repeated, or permanently?

They were very different things to her, though the Redhawk wouldn’t make up her mind on this merit alone. She was merely curious. She also wondered why someone would show up on a border as a hunter without any proof in the form of a kill. It would’ve made a good offering.

That gave her an idea, prompting Towhee to say, Come back when you’ve made a kill. It doesn’t have to be anything impressive. Any small game will do. We’ll talk more afterward.

Looking her in the eye, Permanently.
Her idle thought had him shift momentarily. The clear power imbalance— the matriarch, if not leader, stood before him and certainly did not disappoint! This is what Hotah expected from such leadership!
He was happy to be tested. Thrilled, even. It would not take him long. He should be back before sundown, if all goes well. 
I will leave my scent for you to follow when I return. Assuming that she could not hear howls from a far distance, he assumed her nose worked more than perfectly!

Not necessary, she countered, flashing a quick smile despite her clipped words. I’ll wait right here.

That would probably place a bit of pressure on Hotah, which Towhee didn’t necessarily intend, though it would give her a good indication of how he performed under such things. She waved a foreleg dismissively as she eased back into her haunches, already anticipating a fresh meal upon his return.