Redhawk Caldera red right hand

All welcome!

Fox was angered by the amount of outsiders who had thought it wise to insult them. It was as if they had lost their instinct and replaced it with stupidity. Fox wanted to ensure that her wolves would uphold the old ways of protecting their land (and the land surrounding it) from such idiots. It never ceased to baffle her that some wolves just weren't accustomed to the way things were. Ferdie had been one of them, and Fox was still astonished that anybody would elect him a leader. He was a fool, and Fox hoped that the crows had eaten his carcass long ago. Along with whatever imbeciles followed him.

Dropping that thought, Fox glided along the boundary of her home, stopping occasionally to squat and pee, rub herself against a tree, or scratch at the dirt. Perhaps if their scent was stronger, outsiders would not get so close. Their markings were meant to be a warning, not just some magical boundary that no wolf shall cross without permission. If it was stronger, Fox hoped that it would scare others off, let them know that this place was well-protected.

FitzDutiful was patrolling the borders today. He was doing it for three reasons. One, to work towards his Warden trade. Two, to ensure any Ouroboros Spine wolves were kept well away. Three, to look out for Raissa. It was a tricky predicament at the moment, as stranger wolves weren't welcome at the border. Yet Raissa wasn't a stranger was she? Then again, Fitz hadn't seen her since the day he left her standing at the borders having almost proposed she moved in with him. It was close to that.

With a huge sigh, Fitz realised Fox was within his sights. A sombre wolf approached her today as he greeted her, his feelings prevalent in his voice. "Out patrolling too, I see. Anything to be aware of right now?"

Fitz approached, and Fox wagged her tail in greeting. If she'd been a more perceptive wolf, she might have noted his sullen tone. “Not in particular,” Fox replied. “Good to see you out and about, Fitz.” The Epsilon had been absent up until a week or two ago, and Fox was happy to see he'd come out of whatever funk he had been in. Aside from Finley, Fitz was the only other wolf who had joined them from Blacktail Deer Plateau. He was also one of the few who had stuck around since the beginning of Redhawk Caldera. Actually, when Fox thought about it, only Magpie had left them since then.

“What have you been getting into?” she asked, shrugging her shoulder to indicate that they should keep moving along the border. They could easily walk and trot at the same time, and there was no need to abandon their cause just to chat.

Fox replied that it was good to see him up and about but all Fitz could do was nod at the comment. To be honest, it didn't feel good at the moment. The question was asked about his day events and FitzDutiful paused before responding. He needed to talk to someone and, knowing how the pack was about other pack wolves at the moment, a part of him wondered whether she had come back and been chased off.

"I met someone." he started. Then the jumble and tumble of words began to flow. "She's in a different pack at the moment. We spoke of her coming here. But then I realised I may have been pushing her into it and that hurt so much I just told her to come if she wanted to and left. And I've not seen her since. And I'm worried she may never come here, or she did but she got chased off. And I don't know what to do."

A big huff escaped his mouth in the form of a sigh as he gazed forlornly into the distance, as if hoping that his wish would cause her to appear in front of them and announce her intentions to join the Caldera.

Although Fox did not realize it (she was far too dull for that kind of thing), she was playing the part of counselor this time around. She cocked her head to the side and listened as FitzDutiful spilled forth his predicament. The part about being chased off was the part Fox could help explain the most, though, so she did just that. It seemed Fitz had misunderstood the instructions she had given to the rest of the pack—including him. “I don’t want to chase everybody off,” she replied, “We still want smart, able-bodied wolves to come to us if they are looking for a home. I just don’t want outsiders hunting close to us or trespassing. As long as she has a good head on her shoulders, and I'm assuming she does, if she's caught your eye, she'll understand that she needs to be respectful of our boundaries if she wishes to join.”

The other half of his tale, the part where he mentioned how he had treated her, was not something Fox could really comment on. Wolf-to-wolf relations weren't really her forte... that was more Fitz's deal. But maybe somebody else could help? Somebody who had a good deal of experience or... or something. “Maybe you can ask Amon about the other part of your concern,” she suggested, “He’s probably better at the whole… personal stuff. Guy’s like a fossil.” As a leader, Fox had found that it wasn't her job to do everything, merely to coordinate the various wolves and get them helping each other in whatever way was best for them.

In truth, all that FitzDutiful wanted was to talk about his problems to someone, just to allow him to get his thoughts straight and Fox provided that without knowing. "That's a good point, I could." Fitz was quiet for a moment as he processed going to see Amon. "She would be welcome to join us, if she wanted to?" he asked, going back to the previous point.

He knew what he had to do, to go to her, to see her and ask, beg if needed, for her to come join them. You didn't get anywhere without asking. Maybe it wouldn't be all roses. There would be trials and tribulations along with the joy and the fun. Maybe in the end they wouldn't be suitable but was that a reason to never try? Of course not. He suddenly knew that he would go and see her, but now it seemed that he should make sure she would be welcome before bringing her to meet his alphas.

"If she makes a good impression," Fox replied, "I don't see why she wouldn't be able to join our ranks." As far as she was concerned, this was just another wolf. The girl already got some bonus points for knowing Fitz, which put her above a stranger in her book. "How d'you know her?" Fox asked curiously. "Is she your giiiiiirl friend?" she teased, batting her eyes at FitzDutiful. But she really did want to know. She wasn't opposed to bringing in a romantic interest of Fitz's, especially if she turned out to be helpful to the pack. Even if it wasn't anything "like that," with this girl, Fox was still rather interested to know more about her. The more she knew before the girl got here, the more likely she thought they would get along just fine.

Fox reassured FitzDutiful that Raissa would be able to join if she made a good impression and Fitz didn't doubt that she would for a second. Nodding along in acceptance he smiled before Fox took the conversation down a slight tangent with the question of girlfriend...

Blushing and causing the skin under his fur to take on a pink tinge, FitzDutiful looked away. He didn't try to deny it but accepted how complicated the situation was. "I'm not sure," he said, honestly. "I would like her to be, I asked her to move here so that she would be closer to me." With a sigh he continued his thought. "I guess I should go to her pack to see her and sort this mess out."

An uncomfortable feeling filled the air, at least to Fitz, and he was desperate to change the situation. Thinking about the other trades that she wanted to gain, Fitz quickly changed the conversation topic to Wardenship. "While we're at the border, would you mind giving me some tips on being a Warden? I've decided to make that one of my other trades."

Fox's expression turned more somber as she listened. Apparently, Fitz was actually into this girl. Interesting. Now the spitfire definitely wanted to meet (and scrutinize!) the girl. It would be neat to see what kind of girl FitzDutiful was into. Would she be feisty like Fox or Finley? Or would she be more mellow and level-headed like Somnia? What kind of girls was FitzDutiful into, anyway? Fox had never heard him mention a crush ever before, so hearing that he wanted this girl to move in was pretty surprising. Maybe the girl had something that had caught his eye.

Fitz asked for some advice on being a warden, and Fox shrugged. “Chase out the baddies,” she replied, knowing full well that wasn't a terribly good answer. “Some of the job is just trying to decide what’s worth the effort. I'll only hunt somebody down and try and maul them if they've hurt somebody. Otherwise, it's just a matter of chasing them off. A lot of it is just a judgement call.” Fox paused to consider what other tips might be useful to Fitz. “You know how to fight?”

FitzDutiful was very thankful when Fox actually let the subject lay to rest and gave him some tips on being a warden. This was one of the reasons why he loved it so much at the Caldera. The wolves respected your own personal space. If you didn't want to talk about it - and it wasn't going to endanger the pack - they were perfectly willing to just let you be with the understanding that if you needed them they were there for you. Just like a family should be.

A question was thrown FitzDutiful's way and he wasn't one hundred percent sure on how to answer it. "It's been a long time," he said, deciding to go with the truth. "And that's partially why I wish to take up the trade. A wolf needs to at least know how to defend their lands." It would be nice to start getting the physical activity that being a warden required. It was been too long since his last spar - before he ever came to the Teekon Wilds in truth. "Want to practice now?" His tail began a slow wag as he awaited her response.

Do you mind if we wrap up in a few rounds and have something more updated? Fox needs to meet Raissa anyway, so maybe a 3-toon thread is in order. :)

“Are you kidding me?” Fox asked, a wide grin on her face, “I live to fight!” Granted, she'd taken a break from doing so after all the drama in Swiftcurrent Creek, but she'd been absolutely dying to get back into it. Considering she'd soon be carrying several bundles of joy, she knew she wouldn't have the luxury of getting rowdy as much once that happened (nor would she be in the mood to do it, for that matter).

“You get first dibs,” she offered, throwing her front legs to the ground and leaving her rump high in the air in textbook play pose. Fox was a swift and small opponent, and she would definitely give Fitz a run for his money. But this was only play-sparring, a pastime she rather enjoyed. "Come at me, bro," she thought, her tail waving back and forth through the air.

of course! I've written this in such a way that we can fade now if you want!

Fitz took a brief moment to think about all he had accomplished since coming to the valley. He had joined the Plateau, met Fox and Perry, move with them to the Caldera, gained a trade, met a girl... That was enough for a lifetime let alone only a few months. He was proud and pleased at how his life had gone so far but now it was time to make the Caldera home. He had had a few down moments where he hadn't felt worthy, where he had wanted to be the beta, but now he was feeling more comfortable in himself. He may not have what was required to lead but, in truth, he didn't really want that. All he wanted was to live his life with family and the wolves here were the closest family he had ever had.

Returning to the situation in front of him, he also adopted a playful pose. His lessons in sparring had been few and far between - he hadn't been much older than a year when he had left. Plus Fierce and Agression had been the pack protectors. Now was his chance.

He leapt towards Fox, aiming to knock her off balance as he bounded next to her - it was highly likely to rebound and make him fall instead. Practice makes perfect and he would take this time to practice until it was perfect. Or at least better.

Woo! Fading out here. :)

The two jibbed and jabbed at one another, taking hits occasionally, but nothing serious. This went on until both of them were panting and trying to catch their breath, and eventually, Fox shook her coat and offered Fitz a glance to let him know she couldn't keep up with him. In reality, she was letting him win, but he didn't need to know that. It would be a better boost to his confidence if he was under the impression that he had actually bested her.

“You win!” she panted, promptly falling to the ground and rolling over to show her belly. Of course, she was no subordinate, but they were merely playing. “And now we should go reenergize ourselves with some food.” Rolling back onto her feet, Fox licked her lips and gestured for Fitz to follow her on a small hunt. Whether or not he followed, Fox knew that she needed some food in that belly of hers.