Redhawk Caldera On trees and birds and fire

This is set on the far side of RHC, p'raps a few days in the future. He's about to discover the ginormous lake o'er yonder. If your character's intending to join the pack, this is a good place to make your pledge and help us discover and claim it! :)

Upon returning to Redhawk Caldera, Peregrine debriefed his scanty followers, then climbed to his mate's position. He curled into a ball next to her and refused to move for an entire day. He was exhausted, physically and mentally, and sleep was the blessed reprieve he needed after turning his back on the plateau for the last time.

He rose in the wee hours of the following morning and resolved to stay busy by solidifying their claim. He kissed his sleepy wife's forehead and set off on a course around the base of the crater. He wanted to start by getting an idea of its circumference; these would be his borders. Peregrine achieved a brisk pace as he roamed the perimeter, stopping every few dozen yards and lifting a leg to sprinkle the ground with his pungent scent.

A few hours later, he found himself on the extinct volcano's farther side, a little awestruck as he stared out over a lake that made the smaller one within the caldera look puny. For a minute, Peregrine even wondered if they'd miscalculated and wound up nearer to the coast than previously thought. But, no... this wasn't the sea. The breeze was fresh, not salty, and he could see that the waters — which were rosy as the sun began to rise in the east — were placid.

"It's just a huge fucking lake," he announced wryly to no one.

Maybe it was a little bit creepy, but the Blackthorn had little awareness of this as she prowled silently in her leader's tracks. It was by sheer luck that she'd stumbled upon him for she was off gallivanting in the new territory, squeaking over every new feature she found. Most of these things were rocks and trees and.. Well, no, that was about it. But to Fin, whose heart was full of adventure and ethusiasm, declared them all "shiny" and pissed happily all over them to claim them for the new pack. She was just about to mark a new shiny thing when she realized that it was already wet. A few whiffs told her it was Peregrine and that he wasn't too far ahead of her. And thus the game had begun.

Fin snuck quietly up behind him as he stopped and stared at the lake, completely ignoring whatever it was he was staring at. As luck would have it, he chose the moment that she crept up to only a few feet away from him to start talking to himself. Finley gave a grin, popped loudly up to her full height and barked loudly her response. "What an astute observation!" the girl chirped brightly, hoping to scare the crap out of her dear ol' buddy.

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Hello, you. What predicament can he leave her in today? >:)

Peregrine did pee a little, though if anyone asked, he would claim that he'd accidentally squirted his leg while marking the territory. His head whipped around and he threw Finley a sharp look, then slowly softened. He was glad to have her here, even if the sight of her brought back memories of the plateau. Those memories hurt him right now, especially when he thought of all the time and energy wasted researching food sources on the plateau, only to up and leave it.

"Good morning, asshole," he said wryly, managing a playful sneer before his expression blanked. His eyes drifted back to the great lake. "Well, we'll never go thirsty here," he mused. "Fox and I wanted a water feature and we got two." Biting back a sigh, he glanced at Finley again and queried, "Well, what do you think of it so far, Finny Fin Fin?"

Oh, I have perfect faith that he'll come up with something :D

Had she not already been smelling Perry-pee for the last twenty minutes, Fin probably would have been more aware of the little tinkle that had escaped her alpha. Fortunately for him, all she knew was the sudden jolt of surprise that whipped through his body and the look on his face when he turned to face her. She met his glare with a wide grin and a little bit of snickering as he realized it was her and replied to her appropriately, which is to say, derogatively.

"Dickleaf," Fin greeted him back with a tilt of her head as she trotted lightly up to his side to finally look at what his eyes had already studied for some time. At the invitation to share her opinion, the Blackthorn didn't hesitate (since when did she ever). "Fin Finny likey," she replied in kind, giving him another big smile. "In the Winter, we are making sleds out of slabs of tree bark and sliding down the side of this crater," she told him matter-of-factly. She'd had the same plan at the Plateau, but these walls offered a decline that merely suggested that she'd land flat on her face, as opposed the the Plateau whose steep drop promised it.

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Finley already seemed to be a big fan of their new homestead, which made Peregrine's heart ache a little less. He even liked her idea about sledding. The fact that she was already envisioning a future here heartened him... and reminded him that there was still so much to do before then. They needed to finish formally claiming their territory — which included a lot of scent marking — and begin establishing things like dens and stockpiles. The sheer enormity of the tasks at hand could have made him fret, yet instead Peregrine welcomed the work. It would keep him busy and help him make himself more at home, all in one fell swoop.

"Before the fun can start," he said to his companion, "we need to do some hard work to set up shop. You ready to come along and help me sprinkle and tinkle, Finmeister?"

"Oh, Peregrine," Fin replied with only slightly faux sincerity, "You know better than anyone that my urine is at your disposal."

Finley gave him a smirk before she began to follow his lead as he headed off on their path along the soon-to-be territory borders. Fin had not been one of those at the pack meeting who had been offended by the alpha's announcement. In fact, she didn't really get why anyone had been. To her, it had been nothing but exciting. But she did sort of wonder what had prompted it all. But then again, Fin wasn't one to pry, nor would she do so even if she were inclined to when she was so pleased with the result. Why question the steps that had been taken to get there?

"Please don't take this as criticism," Fin said suddenly, "But you guys picked a hell of a time to up and move." Winter was coming swiftly, and there was a great deal to do yet before it came. The fact was clear in Fin's mind, but in a sudden stroke of outward awareness, she tacked on a swift conclusion, "I only say that cause... I really wanna help you guys out wherever I can. Since........ You're pretty okay, and all," she added a little awkwardly. The feels were tough for the Blackthorn, but she did want to make sure that her alpha--no, her friend--knew that she had come there because of her devotion to him and his fiery wife.

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Peregrine tried to smirk at her, though it came across as more of an awkward grin. Why was Finley so accepting of all of this when many others were not? He could still hear the angry words they'd hurled at him upon announcing the news. He couldn't blame them, exactly, and he knew that moving was selfish and sudden. That didn't stop his feelings from being hurt. He didn't let many close, yet those he did held a great power over him. He would be licking these metaphorical wounds a while.

She fell into step with him and Peregrine resumed his easy trot, shamelessly stopping now and then to hike his leg into the air and sprinkle the earth with a stream of fragrant urine. They worked in silence a while, though just as he was trying to come up with something witty to say to get their typical banter going, Finley broke the silence instead.

He inhaled sharply. Was Finley about to rebuke him after all? Sort of, though not really. He relaxed and laughed sheepishly when she pointed out their bad timing. Peregrine nodded in agreement, feeling another wave of gratitude and relief wash over him. He hadn't really expected it but Finley was proving to be one of his truest friends. Not only were they similar in personality, she had his back without judgment. Right now, that really meant a lot to him. It meant everything.

"Have I mentioned that I'm glad you're here? Because I wouldn't have realized that winter was coming until you just pointed it out," the swarthy male reported with a serious face. "I think there's still plenty of time to settle in before winter comes," he said with cautious optimism, "but the entire point of doing this was so that Fox and I could handpick a place to raise our young. I'm going to do whatever it takes to make this the perfect place to raise and provide for a family."

Finley hadn't put too much thought to the way the rest of their former packmates had responded when Peregrine had made this announcement. For one, she was a little too preoccupied to notice, and two, she was keeping herself far too preoccupied out of self-preservation to to think on it now. There was a reason everything she saw in Caldera was so shiny and full of exciting opportunities--she needed to keep thinking ahead in order to keep from looking back at what they'd left behind.

Fin squatted happily here and there along their path, vaguely wondering what it would be like to be an alpha and get to lift her leg to spray instead when Peregrine interrupted her frivolous thoughts. She gave him a smirk as he responded to her sheepish words with his typical wit. She lifted her body from her squat as he finished talking (cause of course she was peeing the whole time he said those heartfelt words) and trotted ahead of him.

"You don't have to explain yourself to me, pal," Fin replied nonchalantly, "I think you two picked a great place to raise your little firebirds. Plus, think how great it'll be for you guys one day to tell them that all of this..." she swept around with her muzzle, "...is for them? I mean... Damn Perry. That's really something." Fin gave him a smile. It really was a huge gesture for the kids her alphas would one day have--uprooting their entire lives to find a place that they could grow up happy and healthy. Would they really have been able to have that life in a place where their mother was miserable?

"Oh, and, you're a giant duckfucker," Fin tacked on at the end, just to keep it from getting too... y'know... "Like, seriously. I saw you the other day by the lake. Ducks are really tasty and all, but the way you were looking at 'em, man... I just... Yeah. It's all good, no judgies. You do what you do, buddy."

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The term firebirds stuck in his head. We should call it Firebird Caldera instead, he mused, though he didn't share this thought aloud. Perhaps he would take it home and pass it by Fox. They hadn't formally established themselves yet, so what would it hurt if they changed names? On that note, he didn't much care. Redhawk worked just as well as Firebird.

Peregrine stared at Finley a moment, as if he didn't quite believe his ears. Why was it so easy for her to understand? Was it because she was just close enough to the two of them without having an enormously involved history that allowed her to strike this balance? He really couldn't stop marveling at her unconditional loyalty. Maybe he was looking at his next Beta, though only time would tell.

"I... what?" Peregrine said, laughing despite himself at Finley's ability to pull a crude non sequitur right out of her ass. "Ducks don't even have bits, do they? How can you fuck a duck? For that matter, how does a duck fuck another duck? Do ducks have dicks? I've never seen a duck's dick, have you?"

To Finley, the matter was really quite as simple as she had stated. They wanted to start a new life together--why would anyone fault them for wanting that? She'd left her birth pack when she was young for the same reason. Her older brother had left though he was the beta because he wanted to start a family with his pretty little mate, and if there was anything certain in the Blackthorn family, it was that their matriarch would be producing new pups every season that demanded the full attention of the pack since they belonged to the alphas. No, if Fin had really put any thought to it, she would have considered the rest of the pack to be selfish for being angry with them for leaving--after all, what reason would really have been better than to start a family?

And there was the fact that unless it directly got in the way of her own selfish desires, she didn't really notice it when others catered to their own agendas.

"Perry, Perry, seriously, it's okay," Fin replied, trying to hush him, "You don't need to try and put me off, it's fine. You are who you are, man--Own it." She snickered back at him as she trotted forward and squatted down again. After a moment, she looked back at him thoughtfully. ".....they have to have dicks, right? I mean, they mate, I've seen 'em climbing all awkwardly up on top of each other... What else would they be doing up there?"

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He would've swatted her upside the head if he hadn't chosen that moment to balance on three legs and direct a stream of urine at an innocent-looking stone in their path. "Shut the duck up, Fin," he quipped in reply to her continued jests. "And I've never given it much thought but I think they just have holes they rub together or something." He paused. "Ducking gross."

He grinned at her, officially cheered by their playful conversation. They were rounding the caldera now, the gigantic lake receding nearly out of sight. "Think we should name it? The big lake full of sexy, slutty, dickless ducks, I mean," he asked as they trotted along, stopping and starting as they left their calling cards.

Didn't Drag0nschain have a daughter named Phoenix? Or wait, no that was Ellipsis. Maybe I thinking of... Luperay........? *Neopets-stalgia*

Fin stared quizzically as Peregrine hypothesized about how ducks mated. "And then what, a genie pops out and grants their wish by shoving some eggs up her crack?" she blurted out, unable to help herself with the whole... they rub their parts together nonsense. They were at least able to agree on one thing--whatever they did, it was ducking gross.

She shook her head, laughing softly as they started steering away from the lake. She peered back as the lake disappeared, pondering the question Peregrine posed as to what to name it. "Hmm... Lake Slutty Duck does have a nice ring to it," she said with a grin, "Pretty sure we already have a Duck Lake around these parts though, so let's see.... If this Caldera is the Redhawk or Firehawk or whatever you guys decided and the lake is just behind it... What about like.. Tailfeather Lake or.. Wing Basin. Or. Flamefeather Basin. Or... Phoenix somethingerrother......" Fin trailed off, running out of ideas while simultaneously starting to feel foolish. "Eh, let's just call it Rodney," she concluded with a shrug.

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Draggie did have a daughter named Ellipsis. Those other names are familiar, though it's been so long (13 years now!) that I don't remember details. :O

Peregrine snorted at Lake Slutty Duck because it really did have a nice ring to it. He continued to snicker lightly throughout Finley's other suggestions. Several were actually pretty cool. He especially liked the idea of calling it Tailfeather something or other. It would definitely fit the theme they were building.

On that note, he said, "Rodney! That's it! Lake Rodney." He cackled and exchanged a look with her. "Now we just need to come up with a really elaborate story on who Rodney is and why we named a giant lake after him. C'mon, Fin, you've got those creative juices flowing. What's the story?"

Fin gave a laugh as Peregrine enthusiastically latched onto "Rodney". She'd somehow had a feeling that would be his choice. She was not fully prepared to start telling a story about how it had came to be named Lake Rodney. In her mind, the lake itself was Rodney; it wasn't named after someone named Rodney. But, his way allowed her to express some of her abundant cleverness. Which truly was abundant, however lacking her actual storytelling skills were.

"Once upon a time, there was a bear named Rodney," she began, "One day, he got stuck high up in the Caldera and some... raccoons or something, decided to help him. They pushed him over and he rolled all the way down the side of the mountain and right into the lake, where he drowned. Cause he's too fat to swim. He was really fat, by the way. That's why he got stuck."

Fin gave a proud smirk, as though she had just weaved a tale worthy of Sun Spark himself, though it was short-lived as ever so suddenly, she slipped in something and crashed to the ground with a yelp. The silver mockingbird scrambled quickly back up onto her paws, looking around to figure out what had caused it when a putrid scent suddenly weedled its way into her nostrils. Her eyes widened with horror as she realized she was slathered in shit.

She stood helplessly, her gaze switching in turn from the brown smeared across her belly, up her elbow to her side. She lifted her filthy paw, reaching out towards Peregrine and uttering a soft "uh" as though asking for help, but too horrified to actual function (it sounds and looks a lot like this).

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Although he found the impromptu story rather amusing, it just wouldn't do not to give her some shit about it. "That's the best you got, Fin? Oh, man, here I was, thinking you were brilliantly creative after you dropped Rodney on me... but that is the dumbest thing I've heard in my whole life. Oh, man —"

That was right about when Finley slipped suddenly. Not only was he giving her shit, the caldera seemed to be of a like mind. When she righted herself to reveal a smelly brown smear down her chest like some sort of horrible bib, he gawped at her, then busted into loud laughter.

He wasn't too busy laughing to leap out of reach when she stretched a foreleg out to him. "No touchy, Shitley," he taunted. "Whatever you do, don't wash off in the lake up there," he added, then motioned toward Lake Rodney. "But I'm sure Rodney won't mind if you filthy his waters. He's big enough that it won't make a big difference, especially considering all those skanky ducks that must shit in him all day err'day."

Wanna wrap up? :D

Fin barely heard the words that spilled free from the ebony wolf's laughing mouth, noticing only the movement he made to point her over to Rodney. She looked pathetically back at him as though she wasn't completely sure how to walk anymore. Finally, with her head slung low, she turned to trot back the way they'd came to wash the shame off of her fur.

It was only after a few steps that she stopped and lifted her head. She turned to glance back over her shoulder at Peregrine, a wild, vicious look upon her face like that of a rabid dog as she hissed suddenly at him in a voice as though Satan himself were leaking from her throat, "We are not calling me Shitley from now on." It was far too demanding an attitude for a subordinate to use to their superior, but for a Fin to use against a 'Grine, it was really just par for the course.

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Sure thing! Let's have another soon. :)

She began to sulk off like a scolded child destined for bathtime, Peregrine grinning and snickering after her. With their new homestead, it seemed their dynamic had changed; now she was running off rather than the other way around. Somehow, though, she was still the one in a pickle... a really shitty pickle.

When Finley paused and rebuked him, he grinned wider and nodded as if respecting this request. But as she began to lope away into the distance, he shouted at the very top of his lungs, "GOOD LUCK AND SEE YOU LATER, SHITLEY!" With a loud, barking laugh, he spun and resumed his patrol.