Redhawk Caldera Your soul could never grow old, it's evergreen

His twisted ankle had become rather painful, so Peregrine took it easy for a few days, glad to spend more time with the pups (and give Fox a much needed break!). This morning, it felt better and he rose, yawned, stretched and stepped out of the den into the temperate March morning. One or two of the pups tried to follow him, yet he pushed them back with a broad paw and uttered a growl of warning. They obeyed... for now. He knew they would become less cooperative as they continued to grow, though soon enough they'd be old enough to spend much more time outdoors anyway. Before he knew it, they would be moving to a rendezvous site...

They're only three weeks old! he thought to himself, casting a lopsided smile backward at his mate and children before trotting away to fetch them some food. He wanted to hunt something live, so he would have fresh meat to provide for his family. As he traipsed downhill toward the borders and began to lope in the direction of Lake Rodney, he sent up a howl requesting the company of @Finley, @Elwood, Somnia or any other available Gamekeepers. (He was still unaware that the latter had vanished from the caldera.)

Other than a few sore joints, Elwood had escaped from the tangle with the lynx unscathed. He had been able to carry out his duties as usual, even increasing his hunting and patrolling a bit once he learned that Peregrine had a twisted ankle. It wasn't a serious injury and he was sure that it wouldn't keep the Alpha male off his feet for long, but in the meantime, he doubled his efforts as second-in-command.

On the particular morning that Peregrine called for his gamekeepers, however, he was basking in the warm spring glow. The Beta was sprawled out in front of his own den, flat on his side with his legs extended. After spending the night in Finley's home (which was larger, now that he had dug it out a bit more), he had caught a quick catnap; after all, there was usually very little sleep to be had when he was with his friend-girl. His ears flicked when he heard Peregrine's howl, and with a great stretch, he got to his feet and yawned, then trotted towards the source of the sound.

Somnia's name was on Peregrine's list, too, which reminded Elwood that he hadn't seen her in quite some time. It had to be going on two weeks; that worried him. But between his extra duties and his time spent with Finley, he had been something of a neglectful friend. With a faint frown etched upon his features, he strode towards Peregrine, and the first words out of his mouth were, "Have you seen Somnia lately? I'm not sure where she's disappeared to..."

The sight of her Twig coming home from his playdate with Peregrine, limping and bruised was burned into Finley's mind. She was actually rather bitter that they had killed the thing without her. She wanted to personally rip the cat to pieces, but the most she'd been able to do was very angrily munch on its flesh. Not nearly satisfying enough for the feisty Blackthorn. She wanted to kill something.

Peregrine's call to hunt could not have come at a better time. After another night of ..um... licking Elwood's wounds, Fin was exhausted. Yet, the moment his howl touched her ears, she was up and running. When she arrived, she was pleased to see her fellow beta was already there. Elwood was the first to speak - a question on his tongue that hadn't even crossed Fin's mind. Since their little pack bonding session, Fin had been going out of her way to avoid the traitorous gamma, both in conversation and in the literal sense. It hadn't occurred to her that the reason it had been going so well was because Somnia was no longer amongst them...

When the Betas appeared, more or less in tandem, Peregrine favored them with a grin. "You two," he said, shaking his head. He loved that he could count on them showing up, promptly, side by side. He couldn't ask for a better Beta pair. "You ready—" he began to say, when Elwood accidentally spoke over him. The Alpha paused, letting Elwood finish and then offering a slow blink in response.

"No..." he said slowly. He suddenly felt like someone had thrown a bucket of ice water over him. "I haven't seen her in a while, which is weird because she's supposed to be our main Caretaker." I've seen the two of you ten times as much! he added silently, frowning deeply. "Well," he said after another pause, "this hunting party just became a search party. Let's see if we can't track her down." Peregrine refused to believe it was possible that the Gamma had just up and vanished on them.

Luckily, Finley responded to Peregrine's call, as well. Although it had only been a few hours since he had seen her, Elwood could never get tired of spending time with her -- as cheesy as that sounded. He bumped her shoulder amiably with his own as she approached, though his features were still clouded with concern. His worry only increased as Peregrine verbalized that he hadn't seen Somnia either; it was really unlike her, which was what troubled Elwood the most.

He nodded solemnly when Peregrine suggested that they take some time to look for their missing Gamma. Three noses would be better than one. "The last time I saw her...we went down to the ice cavern," he said, glancing at Finley; she would know what location he meant. He hadn't yet shared his gift with her, though it was tucked away safely in the corner of his den. "She seemed fine then, but...I don't know what happened since." His voice was tinged with distress; Somnia was supposed to be his best friend, and he had let her slip away without even noticing.

Guilt began to boil in the put of her stomach as the men began to discuss Somnia's disappearance.  Fin hadn't even noticed what with being so caught up with avoiding her and thinking bitterly on the words she'd said at the pack meeting.  As little as she actually wanted to see Somnia again, she didn't like to think something bad had happened to her.  Fin could hold a grudge, but she didn't typically wish bodily injury on her enemies, which admittedly she couldn't really even say Somnia was.  Could she?

Finley listened quietly as Elwood explained when he'd last seen her.  They'd been down in the ice caves together, and suddenly another surge of irrational jealousy stung her.  That was hers and Elwood's place - what was he doing down there with another woman?  She held her tongue, though thoroughly rankled.  Maybe Somnia was actually trying to pull her and Elwood apart so that she could sweep in and take him from her?  It made sense... That's why she'd supported Grimm going after him and why she'd totally dissed Fin at the meeting.  Then she ran off with him.. sneaking around with him in romantic caves, all alone together...

"I haven't seen her since the meeting," Fin replied quietly, doing a surprisingly good job of keeping her bitterness in check.  "Do you want to search together or split up?" she asked then, rather hoping they went with split up so that she could avoid any further conversation about her former friend.  It was likely her opinions would be unwelcome in the current company, especially considering they both seemed to be genuinely concerned about her.

Of the three of them, Elwood had seen Somnia most recently. Peregrine looked at his Beta's face, mulling. Before he could say anything in response, Finley piped up, asking whether they should search together or divide and conquer. He supposed the latter made more sense, as they could cover more ground. But the Alpha found he didn't want to be totally alone on this endeavor. It was going to be challenging enough without going solo.

"I'd prefer to stick together... for now. If we don't find something within a reasonable length of time, then we can split up. Sound like a plan?" He looked at both of them, valuing their opinions and input. "Maybe we should start down in this ice cavern you spoke of?" he added, meeting Elwood's eyes again. "Is it possible she got lost down there?" he asked, his chest tightening at the frightening implications.

Finley had never told Elwood how Somnia's words had bothered her, but had he known, he would have reassured her. Communication was still something that they both needed to work on. For now, Elwood remained blissfully unaware of the troublesome scenario playing out in Finley's mind. She questioned whether they should search together or alone, and he nodded his agreement with Peregrine as the Alpha voiced his opinion.

"That sounds good," he said, then frowned at Peregrine's next suggestion. He hadn't considered that something could have happened to Somnia within the belly of the mountain; it made more sense than he wanted to admit, as there were no traces of her scent near the borders. "I don't think she would go down there alone, but...I don't know." His thoughts were rolled into one big question mark and there was not enough information to draw any solid conclusions. This also meant that no option could be ruled out.

"Let's go," he said reluctantly as he turned his paws toward the caldera's sloping sides.

Hope it's cool if I fast forward us all :D

You fucker... Fin muttered internally when Peregrine asked that they stay together.  She took a deep breath to compose herself while Elwood started saying more things.  As torn up as she was about the whole Somnia thing, her loyalty to her pack and to Peregrine took precedence over her personal drama.  And thus it was time to suck it up and search for the bitch she officially had no desire to find since her realization that she was a back-stabbing man-stealing jerkface bitch.


"I'll show you the way," Fin said with only a hint of reluctance in her voice.  With a quickening of her step, she turned away from the herd she'd been so eager to hunt and began to lead the group back up the slopes of the Caldera and along the crests that were littered across the inner slopes.  It took some time to get to the cave, but they arrived when the sun was still up.  She slowed to stop at the entrance and gave her companions a backwards glance before her muzzle slipped down towards the ground around them and began to sniff about for Somnia's scent.

"Let's go," said Elwood and Finley added, "I'll show you the way." With a silent nod, Peregrine fell into step behind his Beta pair. They did not make conversation as they walked. The Alpha was too busy sniffing the air and the ground in turn, already looking for signs of their wayward Gamma. He found nothing and when they arrived at the cavern's mouth, he already felt frustrated.

"I've never been down there much," he admitted to his two companions. I really hope she didn't get lost, or stuck, he added mentally. What if we find her down there and she's sick, or... He couldn't even bring himself to think about the worst case scenario. Swallowing, Peregrine crowded behind Finley, waiting for her to lead the way into the earth.

Finley offered to lead the way, and Elwood dutifully fell into step alongside her. Their short journey was full of silence and anxiety; Elwood wasn't sure whether he hoped to find Somnia or not. If she was in the cavern, she could have been injured...or worse. But if she wasn't there, that left more unanswered questions for her packmates.

He nibbled gently on his lower lip as they neared the entrance. Finley began to scour their surroundings, examining bushes and rocks for any traces of Somnia's scent, while Peregrine hung back near the mouth of the tunnel, admitting that he hadn't ventured below the surface on many occasions. Elwood was no experienced cave-diver, but he had visited this particular crevice often enough to have some confidence in his abilities to descend safely.

Exchanging a glance with his partners, he ducked his head and slunk inside, his tail tip twitching nervously as he began to move carefully down the uneven slope. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the darkness, and as he blinked, he called out, "Somnia?" He held his breath, waiting for a reply...but there was none, save for the echo of his own voice.

Fin stopped sniffing about and looked at her companions, wondering if they had maybe found something she hadn't.  All she saw was concern upon their faces, though.  Frustrated, she turned her gaze towards the darkness as Peregrine admitted to not be much of a cave diver.  He seemed to be waiting for her to lead the way, but Elwood beat her to it as he stole down into the tunnel.  She gave Peregrine a glance before following her friendboy down into the darkness.


Elwood called for Somnia into the black and the name seemed to echo hauntingly all around them.  She'd never really considered this cave to be a creepy place, but given the current climate, it rather was.  Finley was rather glad when they finally reached the underground ballroom and the light of the sun fell upon them again.  She looked up at the high ceiling, peering at the sky in the wide crevice.  She was so distracted with looking upwards that she didn't notice when she suddenly stepped down and heard a small splash.

Surprised, Fin pulled back her now soaked paw and looked down, astounded to see that the ice rink had thawed completely into a shallow pool.  Unbidden, the memory of coming here with Somnia infiltrated her mind.  They had talked about having a pool party down here in the summer.  Now that the ice had melted, Fin could see that idea wasn't really possible - the water was only about a foot deep at its lowest point.  Still, the memory caused her a throb of pain that was confusing and irritating.  Quietly, she steered away from the center of the room and headed towards one of the darker corners, her nostrils twitching as she searched for any trace of the gamma.

He felt like he was wandering on an alien planet as they descended into the caldera's dim, dank underbelly. For a moment, the Alpha's mind wandered away from Somnia. He wondered why he never came down here. Was it a conscious thing? Or a subconscious avoidance? As he felt the walls closing in on him now, he swallowed. Peregrine couldn't remember ever being particularly claustrophobic, though he definitely felt his chest tighten the further they walked. He didn't like this. He didn't like this at all.

But before he knew it, they entered a room of some sort, complete with light and high ceilings. "Oh thank fuck," he muttered, a relieved breath bursting from him. He glanced at Finley when he heard a splash, quirking a brow at her strange expression. His eyes then sought Elwood. He felt even calmer with both of them in sight. What if he lost one of them down here? What if he got lost down here? Peregrine's stomach suddenly felt like it contained a heavy block of ice.

He didn't want to admit that these caves were giving him the heebie jeebies. He was a big, strong Alpha; was he really afraid of some damp, dark caves? Peregrine gave his body a shake, cleared his throat and then froze, listening, when Elwood called for Somnia. His voice echoed strangely and Peregrine felt a thread of trepidation. Would that echo cause the ceilings to cave in, much like his own echoes had caused an avalanche once before?

There was no response. Peregrine was tempted to tell them to call it off and return to the surface. But instead he swallowed thickly and moved nearer to the Betas, trying not to give away the fact that he was becoming more of a 'fraidy cat with each passing second.

Elwood was too focused on looking for any signs of Somnia to notice Peregrine's discomfort, which was probably a good thing for the Alpha. Pointing it out could be detrimental to the whole group, by making Peregrine feel more anxious and by spreading the worry to his companions. But instead of watching his friend, Elwood's eyes roved over the inside of the cavern as it opened up around them, glad for the slivers of light that permeated through the ceiling.

The splash of Finley's paw caused him to stop short, and he looked down with surprise. He hadn't considered the fact that the ice would have melted by now. It didn't appear to be all that deep, so he waded right in, letting the lukewarm water lap around his ankles. At first glance, it seemed that there was no way Somnia could be down here; he felt like they would have come across some trace of her if she was. But there were nooks and crannies to poke their noses into, so Elwood moved to the side opposite Finley, checking out a shallow tunnel that lead to a dead end before turning back to his packmates.

"Anything...?" he called out hopefully, though in the back of his mind he knew their answers would be negative.

Fin poked her nose slowly across the cool walls, every so often pausing to inspect an area that offered more to smell that just rock.  Nothing she came across was at all reminiscent of Somnia, though, and so she lifted her head after a little while to frown across the shallow pool at her companions.  "Nothing," she admitted when Elwood called out.  Despite the fact that Fin was pissed as hell now at Somnia, she didn't want her to be missing without a trace like this, leaving them all to wonder what had happened to her.


Resigned and frustrated, Fin continued walking along the wall until her path led her to Elwood's.  Gently she pressed her muzzle against his throat and growled softly - a gesture of comfort.  Somnia might not have truly been her friend, but she knew her lover was close to the girl and thus must have been worried.  It wasn't his fault he was too trusting to see the gamma had been trying to steal him from her.  "I don't think she's been here recently at all," she said as she pulled away from Elwood and turned her gaze to Peregrine, wondering what he would advise of them next.

When the Beta pair drifted apart, each searching along separate walls, Peregrine remained frozen and indecisive beside the pool. Luckily, neither seemed to be paying much attention to him. Licking his dry lips, his jade eyes flicked between Finley and Elwood as they finally came to the same spot. Only then did he move, springing to join them. He perhaps crowded them a bit. He hoped they wouldn't think anything of it and that they wouldn't hear the sound of his heart beating wildly in his chest.

"I think Fin's right," he said perhaps too quickly. "She's not down here. We should head back up." Peregrine turned, trying not to seem too eager as he began clambering back in the direction they had come. He didn't go more than a few feet before pausing to make sure they were following. He would hate to run ahead then look back only to discover he'd lost them.

Whoops, I think I forgot it was my turn!

Both Finley and Peregrine replied in the negative, and Elwood frowned. He leaned into Finley's gentle embrace as she approached him, and then turned towards Peregrine, who suggested that they return to the surface. He agreed; there was no sense in lingering down here when Somnia obviously hadn't recently visited. The place had lost its appeal, at least for now -- it would still be a fun place to romp and play in the summer, perhaps a cool location to escape the warm sun.

"Yeah," he agreed in a low voice, then he started to clamber out of the cavern behind Peregrine.

WAY TO GO KIM lol  I wasn't sure if we were ending it here or what, so I made a weird post just for you guys <3

Eventually, both of the boys came to accept the truth in her comment.  Fin bit her lip as she watched their sad faces.  Their voices simply dripped with melancholy and while Fin felt bad for that, she couldn't find it in her still to be at all upset that Somnia was gone.  The damn... harlot.


Peregrine and Elwood were beginning to leave and Fin went ahead and followed suit.  She wasn't certain if they would continue the search above ground.  If so, she would likely again be along for the ride.  In truth, she would've just rather gone home to take a nap.

When they emerged back into daylight and fresh air, a breath gusted out of Peregrine. He bit his lip, turning to face his Beta pair and hoping they still hadn't cottoned onto his discomfort. He didn't mind Finley's penchant for taking the piss out of him, yet he didn't feel up to that kind of thing right now. His fear had been quite real and made worse by the fact that he hadn't really expected it. And with Somnia apparently gone without a trace, he just wasn't in the mood...

"Well, let's divide and conquer now, I guess," he said rather listlessly. "We'll cover more ground this way anyway. I'll howl to check in later. See you two." With that, Peregrine began to trot away, though he turned and glanced back at them. Don't you two disappear on me too, his gaze seemed to say before he faced forward. He would probably resume his quest for meat but keep a hopeful eye out for their missing Gamekeeper.

Elwood was simultaneously disappointed and relieved as the trio exited the cavern. He was glad that they hadn't found Somnia trapped, injured, or worse -- but that meant that they really had no idea where she was. The lines of his face were drawn in disappointment, but he nodded his head with resignation as Peregrine suggested that they split up and continue looking for their missing packmate. It wasn't time to give up yet.

With a swift kiss delivered to Finley's cheek, he pivoted and separated from his friends, unaware that their searches would continue to be fruitless.