Redhawk Caldera two in the hand

Grimm was sticking to the edge of Caldera territory, mapping the extremities of the pack's claim. The strength of their collective scent varied, but she counted everything within the mountain's green cloak as Caldera proper, and any wolves that came within two miles of it were pushing their luck.

But it wasn't just wolves that posed a threat. The territory was attractive to other predators, and there were signs of departed cats and even bears scattered throughout the land.

Grimm found one such relic near the eastern border - a deep hollow, partially disguised by the lowest branches of an ancient pine. The monochrome wolf poked her nose into the darkness, her white hind leg shining like a miner's lantern behind her. "HELLO?" she hollered rudely.

Fox had been quite literally attached to Peregrine at the hip for the past four days. Their intense lovemaking had been hot and heavy, and she found that she yearned for it anytime that they were apart. Now was one of those times, unfortunately, and Fox became irritable toward anybody and everybody who dared to come close to her when Peregrine wasn't by her side (or on top of her, where he really belonged). Her lover had tottered off to do something or another, leaving Fox to her own devices for an hour at most.

When an unfamiliar scent and sound assaulted her senses, Fox growled and raised her hackles. Immediately, she went to track down whoever dared to disturb her. What she found was a newly-sanctioned packmate who was about to get the worst of her dear leader. “Who the fuck are you?” Fox spat, almost ready to put the bitch into her place just for the hell of it. In any other circumstance, she would have been jovial and happy, but without her lover stuck to her, she was anything but.

"Who the fuck are you?"

Grimm whirled around in a twister of black and white fur, facing the aggressor with wide eyes and tension in every muscle. It was Red 'n' Angry herself. Grimm recognized the distinctive Alpha female from Somnia's description, and felt a short-lived rush of relief. She might not have wandered into a trap, but she was still facing a very angry little wolf, and it would take some delicate maneuvering to extricate herself from the situation.

"I'm Grimm - Peregrine accepted me!" she told her leader smilingly, followed by a less sensitive "How's the baby-makin' going?"

Um, they're gonna need an updated thread after this where Fox isn't such a shithead. <__<

Fox narrowed her eyes on this... Grimm, and was about to walk off when she asked how the baby-makin' was going. “None of your goddamn business,” she replied with a low growl. Fox took a moment to scrutinize the girl, trying to pick out anything she could comment on in the meanest way possible. Man, these hormones were all kinds of fun, right? “Why’s your leg like that? It looks stupid.” She tried to recall if Peregrine had said anything to her about Grimm, but she couldn't remember.

Fox downgraded her threat of violence to a sour look and a base insult. Grimm turned to look at her own bleached leg, frowned at its obvious brightness, and considered her options. She knew her place - it was paramount to survival - but verbal sparring (event with an unwilling, aggressive opponent) formed an essential part of bonding. Right? "Says you," she quipped brightly, honing in on Fox's ongoing fornication fiesta, "If Peregrine's parts are working, you're about to look like an inflated ball-sack with legs."

Fox squinted her eyes at Grimm, then pulled her lips back in a wide grin. “You’re jealous.” Grimm wouldn't be having children this year (no, sir), and this was her defense mechanism. Perhaps another insult would have ruffled the fox's feathers, but looking like an "inflated ball-sack with legs," was something she was about to be quite proud of. It meant she was a mother, a leader, and most importantly, that she had finally made it.

“And I’ll have you know that his parts are none of your business. But if they were, you'd know that they work just fine. He has two other children already,” Fox added smugly.

Fox grinned toothily at her, unmoved by the return fire. Grimm returned the same toothy smile, feeling a certain affinity towards her cranky, mean-faced little leader grow beneath her breast. Fox wasn't particularly charming, but that made her interesting - like daring yourself to touch something you know is too hot to handle.

"Well obviously I am," Grimm conceded, though she was not yet settled enough in life to mean it. Peregrine was rather dashing, though, and she did envy Fox her access to him. "But I'm not jealous of what's coming. Have you ever seen anyone give birth? They just balloon out of you like a string of enormous shits. It takes hours."

Yay short posts. :B

"Sounds like more jealousy to me," Fox replied, unmoved by Grimm's gory description of giving birth. Considering Fox was the only lady in Redhawk giving birth this year, she felt she had the right to gloat about it. And gloat she would! Fox had been nearby when one of her aunts had given birth, and she'd practically been shitting rainbows by the time she let anybody get close enough to check in on her. Her grin had been from "here" to "there," and she'd looked like one of the happiest wolves Fox had ever seen. So she had serious doubts that it could be that bad.

Fox's ear pivoted backward when she heard Perry's steps approaching, and she gave Grimm a quick, "Gotta go!" before rushing off to continue her duty.

Adding an ending since this is over a month old.