Redhawk Caldera Lampshades on fire

When Peregrine awoke with a start, he felt disoriented for a solid minute. It wasn't just Fox's cold, empty spot beside him that threw him. He had just dreamed so vividly that, for a moment, his reality had bent in on itself. As he yawned, stretched and pushed himself upright, he blinked away the remnants of sleep and was able to sort his dreams and his reality into separate corners of his mind.

"Barbecue Sauce? Really?" he muttered to himself as he rose onto all fours. Shaking his head, he stepped out into the cold January morning. "Not to forget Snakeskin and Vegemite Sandwich," he mused, squinting against the glare of winter sunshine bouncing off his snowy surroundings. He paused, thinking of the litter he'd dreamed up last night (all girls too!), then shook his head again and began to pick his way down the mountain.

Peregrine paused halfway down the caldera's slope, leaning his right hip against a tree trunk and lazily hiking a leg against it. As he relieved himself, he peered down the frosty mountainside and to the sprawling grasslands (also obscured by glittering white snow) beyond the caldera's foot. This bathroom comes with quite a view, he mused.

It had been a few days since Elwood had met with Summer at the outskirts of the caldera, and he hadn't yet managed to track down Peregrine. The Alpha male was busy, as was his Beta male, but as he awoke on this particular morning Elwood decided that he would make it his mission to pass on Summer's news. He didn't want Peregrine to think that he had been withholding any information from him.

So he started up the mountainside, making his way towards the den that Peregrine shared with Fox. He hadn't seen the latter since Somnia's pack activity, and he wondered if her pregnancy was more obvious now. As he rounded a bend in the trail, he came upon Peregrine far earlier than he had expected. The dusky male was relieving himself against a tree, so Elwood paused a few yards away until it appeared that he was done with his business.

"Good morning!" he greeted cheerfully. Once he was sure that Peregrine had a few minutes to talk, he would relay Summer's message.

As he patiently waited for the flow to subside, Peregrine's thoughts shifted to his pack mates. There was a handful he hadn't seen in a while. He hadn't seen hide nor hair of Siv in over a month, for instance, and he hadn't caught Tempest or Mikael around lately either. He frowned. Perhaps the pair of them had run off together...? He wouldn't have minded so much if they'd said something, especially the former. She had been vying for the honor of Caretaker. On that note, so was Ashton. January was almost over and he had yet to host a pack play session.

By the time he put his leg back down on the ground, Peregrine abruptly felt quite negative about everything. Elwood's cheerful greeting momentarily snapped him out of his funk and he looked up at the gray wolf with relief on his face. While some of his pack's members had dropped the ball lately, he knew he could always rely on a small core of his subordinates, including his Beta male. There was that chance that Elwood would still leave come spring but the Alpha was certain that he would give them notice, at least.

"Hey," he said, padding over to his co-leader and offering Elwood a brief smile. "What's up?"

Dragging this out a bit since I don't have the actual message yet, lol.

"I actually have a message for you," Elwood replied, cutting to the chase once he knew that Peregrine wasn't in the middle of something (other than urinating!). "I was out near Lake Rodney the other day and I ran into a young wolf named Summer. He's from the Sunspire; have you heard of that group? I hadn't," he said, thinking back to what Summer had said. It was the tallest mountain in the range to the east, and he wondered if he would ever wander that way.

Forging ahead once Peregrine answered his minor question, he continued, "Anyway, Summer had news about your daughter...Tytonidae. He came here looking for you." He paused here, waiting for an acknowledgement from Peregrine before delivering the bulk of the message.

We can put it on hold until your other thread progresses. :)

"Oh?" Peregrine replied, letting the chilly winter air blow away his negative thoughts. Elwood went on to mention Summer and the Sunspire. He did know about them and said as much: "Yeah, I have. Fox has some history with that pack, though it's ancient now. And I think my ex went there. I can't say I know anything about this Summer guy, though."

He fell silent, allowing his Beta to finish. The mention of his daughter's name sharpened his attention and Peregrine immediately demanded, "Good news or bad news?"

Elwood could sense and see the change in Peregrine at the mention of Tytonidae. The Alpha male became more attentive and swiftly asked about the nature of the news. Without wasting any time, Elwood delved into his memory to share the message that had been given to him.

"Good news," he said first and foremost, in order to ease Peregrine's mind in case he had begun to make dark assumptions. He then began to explain what Summer had told him. "He wanted you to know that Tytonidae is safe, but she's no longer at the plateau. She's been living at the Sunspire with him; he's a good friend of hers, and he said that she had some trouble with her siblings that caused her to leave. He didn't say what sort of trouble, but the Sunspire has taken her in," he continued, tacking on the last part in case Peregrine anticipated more details about Tytonidae's familial issues.

"It sounds like she's is in good hands, though. Summer was a very polite young man and he seemed to care a lot about her," he concluded, awaiting any questions that Peregrine might ask. Though he didn't know much more than what he had already said, he would do his best to provide the concerned father with the answers that he sought.

I'm 99% sure Perry doesn't know the specifics of Tyler's departure from BDP. If he does, um... poof! He magically forgot. >_>

"Good news," Elwood was quick to answer, which made Peregrine release a puff of air and, with it, a bit of tension he hadn't realized had built in his muscles. He paid close attention as the Beta regaled him with news of his eldest daughter. Through Pura, he already knew about Ty's absence from the plateau, though he had mistakenly assumed she had gone off with Junior someplace. It seemed there had been a bit of a squabble between the sisters. This surprised him. He could see Junior and even Saena picking fights, yet how had his sweet Tytonidae gotten caught up in an argument? That was so unlike her. It seemed no one could escape their familial strife.

It served to remind him of how he and his firstborns had become no more than strangers these days because of said family drama. He barely held back a sigh. Distractedly, he said, "Thanks for relaying this to me, El. I'm glad she's somewhere safe and with a good friend." He wondered about this Summer, his jade eyes speculative as he weighed Elwood's words about him. "That's where her mother went," he said, momentarily unaware that he was repeating himself, "but I have no idea if she's still there. It doesn't really sound like it, does it?" he postulated.

Was that an autocorrect of Tytonidae to Tyler? :P

"You are quite welcome," Elwood replied with a swish of his tail. He was pleased to have been able to deliver the news to Peregrine, and though his dark-coated friend didn't seem to have any direct queries at that very moment, Elwood listened as he mused about Tytonidae's mother. The Beta didn't know much about Peregrine's former mate -- and couldn't even recall her name, prompting him to wonder if he had ever known it in the first place -- but from what he had gathered from Summer, it didn't seem that she was still living at the Sunspire. That seemed like a bit of information that would have been important to share, had it been true.

He gave his head a small shake and said, "No, I don't think she's there. I feel like Summer would have mentioned her." This answer was provided despite the fact that Peregrine had likely posed a rhetorical question.

Omg, hahaha... I'm leave it.

It seemed Hawkeye hadn't come up in the conversation. Peregrine didn't spare her another thought, not even to speculate where she was or what she was doing. She was dead to him. He knew some, like his own sister, didn't agree with his opinion of Hawkeye. But she had cheated on him, no one else, and done her part to otherwise kill their relationship. Then she'd just walked out of all their lives, probably without a backward glance.

"So... it's none of my business, really, but what was this Summer guy like? Do you think he's romantically involved with my daughter?" he asked offhandedly.

:D

Peregrine asked a series of valid questions, seeking more information on the boy that had brought the information about Tytonidae. Summer had made a good impression on Elwood and had described himself as a "dear friend," though now that Peregrine mentioned it, he wondered if there was a romantic link between the two. After all, Finley was Elwood's "dear friend," too.

"I liked him. He was a bit younger than me, I think, but very polite and straightforward. He seemed to have Tytonidae's best interest at heart, and he mentioned that he went to the plateau first. Lasher must have told him that you were here," Elwood said. "He didn't specifically say anything that sounded like they were an 'item,' but who knows."

He paused, then remembered something else that Summer had said. "You can meet him for yourself when the weather warms up, if you want. He offered a place for you to stay if you go to the Sunspire to see Tytonidae."

Tytonidae Tyler is yelling the strangest things while playing Destiny, including, "It's BIEBER!" and "I gotta kill that turkey, man."

He chewed on the inside of his cheek as Elwood described his first impression of Summer. He sounded like a nice young man, to use a tired old cliché. His Tytonidae deserved nothing less than someone's deepest devotion. It spoke well of him that he'd come all the way out here to relay this message to Ty's father... and to, furthermore, offer him lodgings should he ever want to make a trip out to the Sunspire.

"I doubt I'd ever stay there for any longer than a day trip but I will have to take them up on the offer to visit," Peregrine said cheerfully. He wasn't a traveler, nor did he like leaving home or socializing with other packs. But this was Tytonidae. It was nice having one child that not only didn't hate him (as he suspected Pura didn't) but genuinely loved him. "Gah, I wish I'd spoken to Summer myself. I'd have sent a message back with him. Did you two call for me? I must have been out of hearing range," he lamented with a frown.

That sounds a lot like Blake when he's gaming! Does Tyler have Xbox or Playstation? He and Blake should totally be "friends," lol. Blake and his buddies are always looking for more people to play with!

"If you do decide to head up that way, I'd be happy to go along with you," Elwood offered as Peregrine thoughtfully considered the trip. He wasn't much of a traveler either, but there was much of the Teekon Wilds that he hadn't seen -- if he was going to stay there permanently, he kind of wanted to acquaint himself with the world outside of Redhawk Caldera. This wasn't something he felt the need to accomplish immediately, but if the opportunity arose through Peregrine, he would be eager to accompany his Alpha.

Peregrine seemed disappointed that he hadn't been able to speak to Summer himself. "We did call for you, but we were down by Lake Rodney, so you must have been too far away," the mottled grey male sympathized. "I thought about bringing him to find you, but he had traveled a long way and didn't want to stay too long." With Elwood as an escort, Summer would have been fine; but Elwood had been unsure of Peregrine's location in the first place and hadn't wanted to take Summer on a wild goose chase.

He has a PS4 and his handle is Red5stnby. :)

He hadn't expected Elwood's offer to accompany him. Peregrine normally traveled alone, on the rare occasion that he left the caldera. He looked at the younger male, considering, then nodded. "Sure, I'd like that. It could be a guys' trip... well, until we meet up with my daughter anyhow. It can be a boys' trip there and back. Woo, spring break!" He laughed.

The Alpha certainly couldn't hold the circumstances against Elwood and Summer, so he merely acknowledged the Beta's explanation with a nod. "I hope he wasn't too disappointed after coming all that way... ah, well. I'll make it up to him by randomly showing up on his doorstep with a shotgun and fatherly leer."

I'll have Blake add him tonight! :D I think his gamer tag is Flounder789...not 100% sure those are the correct numbers, though.

Elwood grinned, glad that Peregrine was receptive to his suggestion. He made it sound like it would be a wild adventure, which was probably right -- there was usually never a dull moment where Peregrine was concerned. Suddenly, Elwood found himself growing excited and hoped that their "roadtrip" would come to fruition once the weather was warmer. "That would be a lot of fun -- I haven't explored much outside of the caldera," he said, voicing the thoughts that had been tumbling around in his head only moments ago.

The Alpha then brought the conversation back to Summer, to which Elwood replied, "He did seem a little disappointed, but he understood that you were busy. I think he was just glad to be able to pass on the message." Not only had he spread the word to Peregrine at Redhawk Caldera, but Summer had also shared it with Tytonidae's family at Blacktail Deer Plateau. Although he hadn't been able to speak with Peregrine directly, Elwood hoped that Summer had considered it a successful venture.

"I haven't either. Well, I'm pretty familiar with the plateau and the surrounding territories but I could never be bothered to explore much. I still don't have much interest in it now," Peregrine said, "but let's totally plan this out. Obviously, it would have to be in late spring because I won't be able to leave Fox and the pups alone for a while. But when they're a few months old, Finley could help Fox look after them while we're gone. Somnia too." That was the point of appointing a Caretaker after all... right?

"We could block out a week or something. It could be like a dudes' getaway," he continued musing. Then a thought struck him about something he'd just said and he looked shrewdly at Elwood's face. "Do you think the girls would mind if we just ran off without them for a week?" If Fox or Finley had a problem with it, they would have to scrap the plan. And they couldn't all go together; there would be no leaders left and what about the pups?!

Elwood listened as Peregrine began to hash out the potential details of their trip aloud, determining that it would have to be some time after the pups were born. He had a good point when he mentioned that Fox wouldn't have to care for the children alone -- Finley and Somnia would both be more than willing to assist her. As things seemed to fall into place -- though it was still far off in the future -- Elwood's tail began to wag excitedly.

It ceased its motion abruptly, however, as Peregrine wondered whether or not Finley and Fox would approve of such a trip. His first thought was that Finley didn't have a say in where he went, or when he went there -- but then he reminded himself that the four of them were a team, so there had to be some sort of approval for half of the leadership to suddenly take a vacation. "I dunno, they might like having a break from us," he replied with a shrug, imagining that would be true of Finley -- but he wasn't sure about Fox. Did she and Peregrine ever get tired of each other?

"Maybe," Peregrine replied, though he felt (and sounded) unconvinced. Fox wouldn't want him cavorting away for any length of time, at least not without her and the kids in tow. And she had a habit of getting into trouble the moment he stepped beyond the caldera's borders. A long trip was sounding less and less appealing. Nonetheless: "Well, I say we go ahead and plan it out anyway, even if it just ends up being a goofy pipe dream." They could come up with the details over the coming months.

"Hey, wanna hear something funny?" he asked after a beat. "I had a dream last night that Fox and I had three little girls. Their names were Barbecue Sauce, Snakeskin and Vegemite Sandwich. How weird is that?" Peregrine paused. "If we end up with three girls, do you dare me to name them that?"

Dude, I had the craziest mood swings today. D: I think it was PMS, plus I'm coming off of a dose of corticosteroids, eesh. I feel bad for everyone who had to deal with me, lol!

"I'll keep my fingers crossed," Elwood replied; he really did hope that their trip panned out, but if it didn't, he wouldn't be too heartbroken. It would likely be for a good reason -- the most obvious being the firebirds -- and if that was the case, the Beta would be completely understanding. Besides, he was capable of venturing out on his own -- or with someone else, like Finley. She would be a good escort, since she was an outrider...

He gave his head a small shake, clearing his thoughts and refocusing as Peregrine recalled his humorous dream. Elwood laughed out loud at the three names and voiced his opinion between chuckles. "My personal favorite is Barbecue Sauce. And I'll give you three fat hares if you go through with that -- one for each name!"

Click!

"Mine too!" Peregrine declared, swapping a companionable grin with his buddy, Elwood. "Well, Fox wants to name them after what they look like, so if one comes out red like its mother, then I'm totally going for it." He even leaned back on his haunches and rubbed his paws together like some conspirator up to no good. "Snakeskin would fit into her theme too," he added, "if one popped out looking like cobra or something."

"Now this has nothing to do with that," the Alpha said a moment later, "but have you seen Siv, Mikael or Tempest recently, by any chance?"

THAT IS SO TRUE, OMG. I'm feeling much better today, thankfully!

A pup patterned like a snake would certainly be a sight to see! Elwood suddenly imagined a young wolf with no legs, slithering up and down the slopes of the caldera. The thought gave him the willies, so he shuddered and put it out of his head without mentioning it to Peregrine.

He frowned, thinking back to the last time he saw any of the three wolves that the Alpha mentioned by name. He had only met Siv once, and that had been quite a while ago. Mikael and Tempest had been missing in action, too, it seemed. "Nope, haven't seen any of them in a few weeks at least," he replied, wondering if they had all abandoned ship.

I'm glad today's better! Meanwhile, Perry is also PMSing...

"Well, son of a..." the Alpha muttered under his breath when Elwood reported not seeing any of them around recently. "I just hate it when they go poof!, you know? If you wanna leave—fine. Let me know so I'm not left wondering." Peregrine paused. "It bugs me because Temp was going to be one of the kids' Caretakers. I guess we dodged a bullet, if she's really gone. She was kind of weird anyway," he grumbled.

Talking about the flakier members made him look at Elwood with sudden appreciation. Yes, the Beta might still leave in the spring, but Peregrine knew Elwood would take the time to give him a heads up. He wouldn't just walk out on them or run away with Finley or anything else totally selfish. (Damn, why was he so moody today?)

"Have yet another random question: what would you think if I had my kids call you 'uncle'? Uncle El."

This post was interrupted a dozen times by Friends, lol, so it's probably pretty choppy. :P

Elwood agreed with everything that Peregrine said -- he understood that not all wolves could commit to stay with a pack forever. He was a prime example, as a matter of fact. But he knew that should he decide to move on come spring, he would speak with Peregrine and Fox before leaving. He would never even consider slipping away without saying goodbye, especially now that he was so close with so many of his packmates.

"Maybe they'll turn up," he replied optimistically, though in the back of his mind he thought that it might be better if they didn't. Peregrine obviously wasn't happy with them, particularly Tempest who had flaked on her caretaker training. He did wonder if they were really gone, but only time would tell.

Again, Peregrine shifted the conversation, this time causing Elwood's ears to perk up with interest. Uncle El? Technically, he had been an uncle for his sisters' children, but this was different. His biological nieces and nephews had an obligation to call him "uncle" -- Peregrine was choosing to nominate him for that position. "I would love that," he replied eagerly and enthusiastically, honored that his friend would consider him part of the family.

He bit his tongue and said nothing in response to Elwood's optimism, seeing as anything he had to say would be nasty. They were just about past the point of no return, Mikael and Tempest. Within the week, it would become apparent whether or not they were around or truly gone, especially if Peregrine took the time to go looking for them.

For now, he didn't have time for that, nor the subject. Elwood readily agreed to the title, which put Mikael and Tempest out of the Alpha's mind. He seemed truly honored. Peregrine almost mentioned that he hoped Elwood would hook up with Finley to become the children's godfather, yet he didn't want to put any pressure on the Beta male in either department. For now, he would get to be their hip Uncle El.

"Cool," Peregrine said. "Being an uncle is the best. You get to do all the fun stuff, then hand them back to us when you get tired of them," the swarthy wolf quipped. "It'll be good practice, in case you and... whoever ever decide to have kids someday." He'd almost said Finley's name after all but he managed to stop himself. He smiled.

The thought of being uncle to Peregrine's children was uplifting. Though it was still a possibility that he would leave to search for Avery in the spring, he was gathering more and more reasons to stay. He wouldn't be a blood relative to the firebirds, but the pack itself was like a big family. It truly would feel like they were his nieces and nephews.

Peregrine had purposely avoided mentioning Finley's name, but Elwood thought of her anyway. His idea was a bit different, however, as he proposed, "So their godmother and I can teach them to fight bears? And take them ice skating in the underground caverns?" And the best part was that they could drop them off with their parents at the end of the day, leaving Peregrine and Fox to deal with the tired and cranky tykes! "But really, it will be fun to help teach them to hunt and stuff like that," he added, his tone growing slightly more serious. And Peregrine was right -- it would be good practice, for although he didn't know when or with who, Elwood did hope to become a father.

I thought I'd fade it here, if that's all right wit'chu. :]

"Hell yes, although I want to be there too!" Peregrine said. Sure, he would get all the not-as-fun parts, like throwing up half-digested meat for the pups, cleaning up after them and dealing with nights filled with squirming and crying. But he wanted to get in on the fun parts too! When his kids were learning, having fun and all the other awesome stuff that made up a childhood, he wanted to be there for all of it—or at least as much of it as humanly (wolfenly?) possible.

"Speaking of hunting, let's go kill some stuff," he proposed even as his stomach tightened and then unleashed a rather loud rumble. "Somebody says it's time for breakfast." Laughing lightly, Peregrine began trotting downhill, toward the caldera's outskirts, where the chances of finding game were better than smack dab in the middle of wolf territory. He glanced over his shoulder to make sure his kids' future uncle was right behind him.