Redhawk Caldera The crow flies straight

For @Tempest and anyone else who would like to join. :)

The sound of wings beating against the air was enough to draw Elwood's attention. He looked up to see a group of crows, their wings a dark shadow against the mid-afternoon sky. It was a clear day, and the only smudge against the endless blue were the birds. Their raucous cries rang in his ears; his yellow gaze followed them across the horizon until they disappeared.

Once they were gone, the Beta shook his head and returned to his work. He was stripping a duck of its feathers, a kill from a few days prior. He had delivered another of similar size to Peregrine and Fox, but this one he intended to deposit into the pack's community cache. It would be important to store as much food as possible, due to the impending cold weather and Fox's pregnancy. He anticipated that the Alpha female had to be carrying by now, though he wasn't about to go and find out for himself.

One stubborn feather wedged itself between Elwood's fangs, and he grunted, pushing against it with his tongue. He was unable to dislodge it, so he lowered his head and grasped the feather with his forepaws, trying to yank it out. "Crap," he murmured to no one in particular.

Tempest approached the beta, who seemed to be stripping a duck. She laughed when she neared to see him struggling with a downy, slobbery feather. She smirked at him, standing in front of him now.
"Feather trouble, dearest Twiggy?" she questioned him in a sugar coated voice. "Let me help you with that"

She leaned forward and gingerly tugged the feather from it's perch between his teeth. She drew up, then spat, propelling the feather into the air and down again, where it promptly landed in the middle of Twiggy's forehead. "Score!" she thought to herself, eyes glinting in mischief.

Elwood was so focused on trying to extract the quill from his teeth that he didn't hear Tempest approach -- until she greeted him. "Feather trouble, dearest Twiggy?" she quipped, and he froze. Slowly, he tilted his head up to look at her. Oh, he was going to kill Finley.

"Yesh," he admitted sullenly, failing to see the humor in the situation. Had he been in Tempest's position, he likely would have been rolling on the ground laughing. But not only had she caught him in a compromising situation, but she had added insult to injury by using the damn nickname that Finley was apparently hell-bent on spreading around the pack.

He remained still as the black-and-white she-wolf carefully removed the feather from between his fangs. She made it seem a lot easier than he had expected, and he was poised to thank her, when suddenly she spit it out and it hit him right between the eyes. Elwood blinked, glad that its point hadn't damaged his vision, then used a paw to knock it off of his snout. "Thanks," he said, sitting back on his haunches. He canted his head to one side and narrowed his eyes at Tempest. "How much do I have to pay you to get you to stop calling me Twiggy?" he asked, though he was fairly certain her price would be entirely too high.

Tempest grinned at his sullen expression. She let a small laugh escape her maw as he sat up.

"How much do I have to pay you to get you to stop calling me Twiggy?"

She examained her paw for a second before she answered, looking at him as she sat back on her haunches as well. "Twiggy is priceless" she answered with a smirk. She pretended to be deep in thought before adding. "I suppose if you promise to be my slave forever, I could refrain from reminding you of you true name..."

He watched as she considered his request, appearing to truly mull it over before replying. The offer that she put on the table was enough to make Elwood groan. Dramatically, he threw a paw across his eyes, leaning away from Tempest.

"Oh, please, anything but that. I'm already Somnia's slave, and she's an evil queen. How about...I catch something fresh for you?" he suggested instead. He would have given her the duck at his feet, but he had the feeling that she would prefer something that wasn't a few days old. Besides, he was already tired of plucking feathers and wouldn't mind a hunt to get his circulation flowing again.

Tempest tilted her head in thought, pretending to think. "Yes, fine, that can be one of you 3 tasks. The first being to catch me something fresh, the second being eating whatever you catch with me, and the third being...well, we'll see." Her eyes sparkled with humor, a grin affixed on her muzzle. "Go now, Twiggy, bring me something yummy to munch upon."

Was he destined to be indebted to all the females in the pack? Elwood shook his head, though a slow grin spread across his muzzle as Tempest dictated her demands. "I can handle that," he agreed, though he wondered what her third task would turn out to be. "Be right back," he said, pivoting and trotting away from her with his tail thrown over his back like a banner.

The gamekeeper knew where he was likely to find prey, so he quickly made his way to a more heavily forested location. He had acquainted himself with the caldera's nooks and crannies over the last two months, and though he wasn't familiar with every square inch, he still was confident in his hunting and tracking abilities on his home turf. Promptly, he struck the trail of a rabbit and followed it to a small crevice in the rocks. He flushed it out of its burrow, then seized its plump body in his teeth; it fell limp when he applied pressure with his jaws.

He then made his way back to where Tempest was waiting, and deposited his catch at her feet. "Good enough?" he asked, settling back onto his haunches and waiting for her appraisal.

Tempest prodded the rabbit with a single outstretched paw, glancing at it in mock distaste. She sniffed daintily before replying in a drawling tone
"It will suffice"
She tore open the creature, hot blood invading her senses. She took a few savage bites before wiping her muzzle in the snow and pushing the other half of it towards Twi-...Elwood.
"Eat, Twiggy"
She commanded him. She grinned before adding. "That was the last time. I swear."

Elwood watched as Tempest examined his quarry, seeming a bit disdainful. Her antics reminded him a lot of Somnia's, and he wondered if the two girls had spent any time together. Their friendship could spell trouble for him, and he could only imagine if Finley was added into the mix...

Speaking of Fin, Tempest approved the meal and then commanded him to eat -- calling him not Elwood, but Twiggy. Just as he started to roll his eyes, she promised that he had heard the last of the nickname; he looked at her skeptically. "I'm taking your word for it," he said, his voice a playful warning as he lowered himself to eat. He, too, tore at the fresh, warm carcass, spilling the rabbit's innards and lapping them up unceremoniously.

Once he had eaten his fill, he sat back and regarded Tempest once more. "So, I've completed your first two demands. What's the third?" he asked, bracing himself for something outrageous.

Tempest watched @Elwood eat his fill, laughing silently as she thought of different tasks for him to complete. Just as he finished, she settled on one.

"So, I've completed your first two demands. What's the third?"

Tempest grinned broadly. "Your third task will be difficult, and you might face a terrible end." she laughed softly before continuing. "At some point today when Perry and Fox together, you must stand in front of them and sing a short song about ducks. Or bunnies ."

Tempest added "Extra points for doing it when they are fast asleep in their den, loudly and right outside."

The mottled grey male's eyes widened as Tempest made her third and final demand. She teased him before laying it out, emphasizing the danger of the situation. What in the world could she be planning?

When she finally revealed her intentions, daring him to interrupt Fox and Peregrine's endless coitus by singing, he immediately burst into laughter. The image was hilarious in his mind, but he strongly felt that his life would be ended if he tried to do something so daring and risky.

"You're right, that's definitely a dangerous task," he said between chuckles. "I can't make any promises, but I'll see what I can do." Truthfully, he wouldn't be going anywhere near the Redleaf-DiSarinno den for quite a while; Peregrine had already given him a few murderous glances during the pack activity, so Elwood was planning to keep his distance.

"If I'm successful, I'll come tell you," he added. "I gotta go, though -- I'll see you later." He flashed his new friend a smile, then trotted in the direction of his den.