Redhawk Caldera Your lessers' will hunt you down

Time - 12:00pm Friday | Weather - Sunny | Notes: Backdated to yesterday 

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His word was kept, he stayed by the entrance of the Caldera and waited for Phox to return or Towhee to seek him out. Patient as ever, Sifaka spent his time roaming the border, mapping what he could and checking for fresh scents. It was a difficult task since he did not know all of his packmates scents by memory but Coyotes and Foxes often had a special funk to them, which made his job easier. Thankfully none of those scents crossed his path, Sifaka wasn't one to shy away from chasing or killing trespassers but not coming across those thieves was preferable. As the final stretch of his afternoon patrol came and went Sifaka found himself plopping down onto his hastily made bed that laid just inside the inner lip of the Caldera. Dirt, leaves and blooming cotton tree pods did not make for a comfortable bed but it was temporary as his self isolation from the rest of the pack would end within the coming week. For now some rest and relaxation was in order before he would occupy his mind with hunting in the later hours of the day.

Rue hobbled toward the mouth of the caldera, her paws carrying her slowly up the path that she used to travel daily before the pups were born. As it was now, she rarely found the time or energy to limp all the way to the outer territories. Long days cramped in the Hobbit Hole had not done any favors for her chronic back pain, and though her infrequent jaunts from the den were arduous, Rue knew they were necessary if she wished to remain at least partly mobile. 

With all the time she spent at Towhee's side, Rue wasn't up to date with all of the Caldera's current events. She was, however, aware that there was a new recruit at the border, awaiting a leader's appraisal. At one time, Rue would have been in the position to welcome the man into Phox and Towhee's claim upon her own judgement. Perhaps someday, she would be allowed such trust and responsibility again. For now, she contented herself with the opportunity to meet the recruit, and perhaps to share her opinion of the newcomer with Towhee, if the Sovereign wished to hear it. 

She found the man at Towhee's typical haunt, coincidentally sporting a coat that appeared very similar to the Sovereign's. Rue had to squint to make sure it in fact wasn't Towhee. "Hello," she called. Her soft, breathless tone only just carried far enough to reach the man. Stars, did her back hurt. Perhaps he would do her a kindness and take it upon himself to close the rest of the distance

Thin steams of sunlight peppered and warmed Sifakas fur, the heat radiated throughout his body while the afternoon breeze prevented the sun from scorching his coat. Wind carried the smell of lilac and gooseberries and ushered in a wave of quietude. The trees branches flowed freely in the wind, not a crack or pop to be heard but the leaves fluttered in the breeze with only a slight hiss. A green hue overtook his small patch of heaven as the sun finally escaped the thin, spotty cover of the clouds and shown through the blades above. All was perfect for his afternoon nap, until the call from a female cracked open Sifakas lids and revealed his bright golden eyes. His large frame rose from the bed and shook his fur free from cotton and dirt, his mane previously mushed down was now puffed up and out. 

"Have you come to assess me?" He thrummed deeply, expecting her to be the leader. Sifaka inspected the female as he drew closer, examining her stature and figure. He thought her too small to be a nursing mother but his question still remained. Surely word had spread that a new male was waiting at the lip of the Caldera, it was only natural he was going to be sought out. As he reached her at a respectable distance Sifaka sat, his frame gracious and urbane.

When the man rose, Rue could see that he sported much more white on his underbelly and hindquarters than had been visible when he was reclined, and the revelation dispelled the effect of an uncanny resemblance to the Caldera's Sovereign. Rue could certainly accept the possibility of him being a relation to Towhee, if not her mirror image. 

He moved toward her to close the distance, of which Rue was endlessly appreciative. She had about been taxed to her limits just to make it to this point. He spoke his question, and Rue returned to him a warm, reassuring smile.

"Just to meet you.." she assured him, with a wave of her tail. "..although my Sovereign and Regent have been known to hear my opinion, on occasion. My name is Ruenna Redfern." No, she was not here to determine his entry in the strictest sense, but she imagined that Towhee would heed her advice on such a matter, if Rue was to form an impression one way or the other.

Although Ruenna was not someone he absolutely needed to impress Sifaka still thought it wise to feed the female useful information about himself, even if she wasn't asked for her opinion. His head bowed after she gave her name, accompanied by his own. "Sifaka." He stated plainly, deciding his last name to be omitted. Was a last name truly important? Not in the mind of Sifaka. His eyes returned to the female and though he didn't share her smile, he did not appear disgruntled either, only neutral. Sifaka did not favor smiles, he thought them to be a smidge pretentious and banal but that didn't mean he couldn't sport one during exceptional occasions. However it was not an exceptional occasion, so his lips would remain flat.

"Are you their advisor? Do they seek and desire your opinion during tribulations?" He said, a serious tone slipping off his words. If she was wise beyond her years Sifaka wanted to know, he valued a sharp, clever wolf to converse with. 

"On occasion," Rue repeated by way of answering him. Rue's smile, upon not being returned, had grown a bit frozen. She was disinclined to talk about herself as a rule, and that aversion was even more pronounced in the presence of an inquisitive stranger. She was not the one seeking acceptance, after all.  

"What brought you to us, Sifaka? Do you have ties to the Caldera?" Rue was aware that the Redhawks were a widespread and prolific clan, and the stranger did bear a passing resemblance to Towhee.

Sifaka returned with a simple nod, having nothing to verbally contribute to her answer. The maned male grew a modicum of respect for the females willingness to gift an ear to troubled leaders, that position held potential to be troublesome and demanding. It was an acquired skill in short.
"No ties to here, this place was chosen by chance and appearance. One way in and one way out of." He explained, nearly repeating word for word what he said to Meerkat. "I've had my fill of restless nights for a lifetime." He dryly mused, "I don't want the constant threat of death looming over my shoulder. Granted I know none of you and the threat still remains but no risk and only reward does not exist, no?" It was worded like a question but voiced like a statement. The script could be flipped on him, an understood consequence of being new that Sifaka was prepared to battle head on.

The man spoke like a tactician, which was promising. They could use another mercenary right now, with Towhee out of commission and Reyes so often occupied by hunting for his new family. Though as he continued on about restless nights and the constant threat of death looming, Rue couldn't help but notice that he sounded like a man on the run. She tilted her head as she contemplated. Was there something-- or someone-- specific he was fleeing? She doubted that he would tell her even if she asked directly. People who were running from things were generally trying to put said things behind them.

Even if he was on the run, that did not trouble Ruenna overmuch. Had not she herself been fleeing, when she arrived on Liri's border all those years ago? If Sifaka needed their protection, it would be given, provided he pulled his weight and made himself worth the trouble. Risk and reward, indeed. 

He had phrased his last comment as a question, and so Rue felt compelled to provide some kind of response. She drew in a breath, considering. "I don't suppose I see it that way," she said carefully, after a thoughtful moment. "..Pack life isn't.. it isn't a gamble, for me. I've found that I get out of it exactly as much as I put in." Ruenna was a hard worker and a loyal packmate, and time and time again her leaders had taken notice and honored her. Promotions, leadership and advisory positions, and most recently, parenthood (or aunthood, in any case) all jumped readily to mind.

Cougars, lynx, bears, coyotes and even other wolves all presented themselves as threats, each were not above killing a fellow predator for food. Sifaka knew that well, he was sure Ruenna did too. Coyotes, foxes and wolves loved to dip their filthy paws into lands not their own and steal what was not theirs, thus they all had to be personally dispatched. It was one big game of chance to maned male, winning was never promised and losing always whispered in his ear. 

Betrayal from self proclaimed loyalists toppled long reining empires with sometimes few actions, family killed their own for their desired gain, friends left others for dead out of cowardice. No wolf was safe from the unpredictability of others. However Sifaka wasn't above putting trust in others, especially his packmates, but the warnings still floated under the surface.

"Complacency kills. Betrayal doesn't come from your enemies. It is always wise to keep your eye on those around you." Spoken like an old man harrowed by years of war. Sifaka was a touch tone deaf. Where others could see his words as a threat, he saw it as advice that was exceptionally useful. Sifaka never missed a chance to spill into some rant about anything, always taking pride in his so called gifts of knowledge. The man sort of saw himself wiser than the average wolf.

Sifaka went to on to repeat his warnings, again belaboring the points of betrayal and death. Did he ever take a moment to just breathe? He had indicated that a desire for security was his driving force behind his decision to join a pack, but Rue wondered if he would even allow himself a chance to relax, given the opportunity. 

Her words seemed to have barely made an impression, only providing a springboard for more warnings from the seasoned survivalist. It was like talking to a wall. To Ruenna, a life lived in fear was hardly a life at all, but if Sifaka didn't want to trust his packmates, she couldn't very well make him. She imagined that any more thoughts she cared to share would be similarly bulldozed with more mansplaining and nuggets of Sifaka's wisdom, so she simply nodded. After a short silence, she made to depart.

"Well, Sifaka.. it was nice to meet you. And.. I understand if you prefer it.." He seemed almost as wary of his packmates as he did the dangers of the outside world. "..But you needn't exile yourself all the way out here. You're  more likely to run into Towhee a little further in. Follow the creek in to where it meets the lake-- that would be a good spot to find her." Rue didn't want to direct him too close to the Hobbit Hole, in case his presence there would trigger a protective response.

Alright, really dropped the ball on this one. Apologizes but I will be wrapping this up, Sifaka is being put on a back burner of sorts as I get used to my new job! Thank you for your patience <3

Her invitation was met with a few head bows of thanks, "Thank you for your invitation but my word was given to a woman, Meerkat, so I must remain here. I don't break my word if I cannot help it." However that wouldn't stop him from venturing further in from time to time but Meerkat had told him of her intentions to tell her mother of his whereabouts, to not be at the location if Towhee sought an audience with him would not look good on him. Sifakas spot was growing on him anyhow. "Now, if you will excuse me I have to go out for my afternoon hunt." The male would wait for Ruenna to give her parting words before leaving.

No apologies necessary! As long as a thread gets concluded and archived, I consider it a success! Feel free to post one more time or just archive.

 
        
Ruenna actually happened to live with Meerkat, in the functional sense. Not a day went by that they wouldn't rotate the pup's supervision between each other half a dozen times. It would be an easy thing for Ruenna to pass on the fact that she had invited Sifaka to make himself at home within the Caldera. She might have told Sifaka this, to reassure him that everything would be fine if he chose to end his self-imposed exile, but.. honestly, she doubted that she could say anything that might get him to change his mind. He didn't seem like the type who changed his mind easily.. or ever. And she was reluctant to sign up for another trivial debate with him. 

"Good luck," Rue said in parting, nodding as he excused himself for a hunt. She figured it would be just as pointless to invite him to utilize a cache to refresh himself as it had been to invite him into the Caldera. Perhaps he enjoyed the regimented stability of a daily hunt. Rue wouldn't discourage any extra hunting, particularly when they had so many hungry mouths to feed.