The Heartwood Clean bandit

Fade here, then have another soon? :)

Although Peregrine prized loyalty and he would have liked Elwood to swear permanent fealty to him, he knew how the world worked. More often than not, his subordinates would leave him. Only a select few would stay to stand the test of time. All the Alpha male could do was offer solid leadership and a strong home, so that only the flightiest of wolves would ever leave it. If Elwood stayed through the winter, there was a very strong possibility that he would become entrenched in the caldera beyond his transient promise to spend the winter.

When the word hunting left Elwood's lips, the swarthy leader decided then and there that Elwood would be coming home with him. "Gamekeeper—hunter and quartermaster—is my primary trade. I value assets like yours very much. Come back with me to the caldera and you'll have a home for the winter in exchange for your contributions," Peregrine finished. "Maybe longer, if we find the arrangement mutually beneficial." He smiled and winked at his own formal speech.

A moment later, he was sighing, though not because of Elwood. "I guess I'd better turn back for now. Next time I go out to search, you can come with me," he invited. "Come on, I'll take you back to the caldera and you can make yourself at home. You should know that my mate, Fox, is your Alpha female. The pack's small, like I mentioned, but I like to think it's mighty..." Peregrine launched into a spiel as he began to walk, telling Elwood all about the caldera, its history and its members as they loped toward the distant mount.