Redhawk Caldera and was so much delighted with it,

still come meet an asshat!

today had brought ice, and a lot of it. aaron had gone out to find food, since it was all he could do for the pack at this point, and was having a hell of a time doing it. he'd slipped right away when he left the cave, and despite growling menacingly at the layer of ice on the ground, it refused to submit. the world was not being fair to him. first, it renders him unable to form his own pack (since the winter was too damn cold and there weren't many wolves wandering). then, it forced him to join a pack and submit to a man who wasn't nearly as good at leading as he was. and now, of all things, it was making a fool of him. he couldn't even walk without losing footing and slamming his chin on the ground.

he was closer to the border by now, and found himself gliding across another smooth patch of ice. his feet shuffled beneath him as he struggled to find footing, teeth bared and eyes glaring directly at the icy ground. "damn you!" he bellowed at this slippery surface.

When the ice storm came, Elwood was infinitely glad that they had moved the babies and the rest of the pack into the recesses of the caldera. The cavern protected them from the elements in a way that the small whelping den wouldn't have. He was also pleased that they had taken action when they had; it seemed that as soon as the puppies became accustomed to their new space, their eyes and ears popped open and they became much more mobile. He couldn't imagine what would have happened if any of them had wandered out of the den and into the treacherous winter.

Despite the low temperatures and now-icy terrain, the Alpha male was in and out of the cave on a regular basis. He was presently attempting to navigate the frozen terrain in order to bring back some food for his packmates. He drew up short when he heard a shout, hackles bristling; but when he peered across the snowy landscape, he spotted Aaron slipping and sliding unceremoniously on the slick surface. Elwood chuckled, then called out, "You okay?"

his fur was still bristling when he turned to see who was mocking him. it was the alpha, of course, making an even bigger fool of him than he'd already had. to disgrace him with such an unfitting rank? to laugh while he risked his life to find food for the pack? it was appalling, and aaron loathed him more in this moment than he ever had. "peachy!" aaron returned, feigning a bright tone and a smile. carefully, he shuffled his feet back together, glaring down at the ice as he steadied himself.

his attention turned back to the high and mighty, tail flicking with agitating from the weather. "can i help you, sir?" he asked, and though he wanted nothing more for the other to leave his presence, it was a genuine question coming from a subordinate to his alpha.

Despite his inner agitation, Aaron did a decent job of masking his emotions. He smiled, though there was a brittle edge to his tone that was almost as icy as the ground underfoot. Elwood's own grin faded slightly as a red flag went up in his mind. He had no reason to suspect Aaron of any wrongdoing, but he still felt the urge to act cautiously around the veritable stranger. Kaizer had proven him that outsiders were not to be trusted; had it not been for the terrible weather, Elwood might have been more likely to turn Aaron away at their doorstep.

"I'm looking for some food," he said, shifting his gaze away from Aaron long enough to sweep their surroundings. The huge moose that they had cached right after Aaron's arrival had lasted them a good long while, but the hunter wanted to make sure that they had enough to eat in case the forecast worsened. "Would you like to help?" he asked, quirking a brow. The wind nipped at him, but he planned to at least attempt to do some scavenging before returning to the shelter to warm up.

elwood offered the idea like it was his own-- but this was untrue! aaron was already out doing his duty to the pack and finding dead things to bring back. but fine, he would agree, just for the hell of it. "that is actually what i came out to do this morning," he said calmly, a small smile gracing his features, "it would be a pleasure to do so with you." slowly, the large man made his way towards his alpha, using one foot at a time to make sure he wouldn't slip and fall-- again. when he made his way over, he adjusted his posture to fit his rank (disgusting) and nodded to direct the alpha's attention.

"there is something off that way. i have not seen it yet but it reeks of rotting prey," he said. occasionally the scent would disappear when the wind decided to buffet them from a different direction, but he remembered where it was when he was downwind of it. perhaps elwood had scented it as well.

Elwood nodded appreciatively as Aaron shared that he was already working on fulfilling that particular task. He fell into step alongside the other male, utilizing the same awkward half-step as his companion to avoid losing his footing on the ice. Even though he was being careful, he still felt his paws slipping slightly beneath him, threatening to betray his weight and send him sprawling to the ground.

He managed to stay upright -- for now, at least -- and flared his nostrils at Aaron's suggestion. Indeed, when he breathed deeply, he could smell something deceased in the distance. "Good," he said, "let's head that way." He was content to allow silence to seep between them for some time, as they both focused on maneuvering across the treacherous terrain, but Elwood did eventually say, "You mentioned that you lived in the wilds before -- where did you call home?"

aaron moved alongside him, grateful for the silence. he focused more on walking like a normal wolf rather than a newborn fawn... though it didn't last long. elwood asked about his past, and aaron sniffed thoughtfully in response. "east of here, i led a pack in blackfoot forest," he explained briefly, feeling it was unnecessary to go through the whole story without being prompted. it was a short story anyway, he didn't feel it was important. his ears perked then, remembering something from his past. he forgot who (though he felt that he recalled it was minna and leto), but two of his wolves came here in search of a family member, peacefully too-- they had been attacked and chased away. elwood did not seem so hostile, but he wondered if this was in fact the pack they had come to, or if his memory was fuzzy. he didn't ask. 

Aaron's response was brief, but it intrigued Elwood. "You were an Alpha?" he asked, daring a sidelong glance at his companion as they moved slowly along. His left forepaw slid slightly, having briefly hit an icy patch, but he regained his balance quickly and continued striding forward. The newly-crowned Alpha wasn't sure how to feel about this news; at least, not until he had more information.

His nostrils flared as he waited for a response, noting that the smell of the decaying meat Aaron had mentioned was gradually growing stronger.

the man nodded, but forced down the pleasure he felt that elwood had asked. "sure," he responded with a small shrug, "it was just a small pack, though." they were small, but they were a family, especially in the end. he and amara, liri and samuel, leto and minna... they all grew close, and that was how he wanted it. family pack, with the men at the front supporting the women. they crumbled in the end though, without him they lacked the support they needed to thrive. it didn't surprise him, though he was disappointed in liri.

Elwood felt no judgment towards Aaron the other male revealed that his pack had been diminutive in size. Redhawk Caldera had fluctuated over the years, but at its core had been family-focused. When the stragglers came and went, there was always a small group left to soldier on.

"So what happened?" he prompted after a brief pause.

of course he asked, and though aaron was no stranger to oversharing, he found the amount of nosey wolves in this pack seemingly endless. everyone asked about his past, and as a subordinate he was in no place to make up extravagant tales. "i led the pack with the woman i loved, and she slept with someone else. she could clearly handle herself, so i left the pack to her," he explained with a sniff, his gaze remaining forward. he cared little about what the other man thought, loyalty was important to him, and if he did not have that in the one wolf he loved the most-- why would he stick around? it was merely karma that the pack collapsed.

"Ah," was Elwood's initial response. Matters of the heart were no joke, and while Aaron spoke of the situation with a distance that resembled nonchalance, Elwood was sure that he had been deeply hurt by his ex-mate's actions. "I'm sorry to hear that," he added after a brief pause.

Coincidentally, the smell that they had been following suddenly intensified, saving Elwood from discussing Aaron's heartbreak further. He was a compassionate male, but it was clear that Aaron was holding the wolves of Redhawk Caldera at arm's length, at least for now -- and understandably so. He paused in his step, one forepaw suspended in midair, and sniffed. "We're getting close," he announced, dropping his nose to the ground as they closed the gap between their destination.

He was pleased when they came across the carcass of a young deer, half-frozen into a creek cutting through the caldera's territory. Extracting it was difficult, but it was rewarding when the two wolves were able to cache the stiff, cold meat for later.