Redhawk Caldera If you love something, set it free

He was tempted to defy Dante's decision in every way imaginable, by showing up at the plateau's borders and parading his relationships with its members in front of the Alpha male's face. Peregrine was closer to them than he was, after all. However, after sleeping on it and spending an entire morning patrol stewing on it, Peregrine instead felt resigned. Doing all of that would be a waste of time, causing unnecessary trouble which would trickle down to his loved ones both here at home and at the plateau. As much as he hated Dante and loathed his decision, he would end up keeping his distance.

Besides, there was plenty here to keep him busy. He had a fledgling pack to guard, a mate and, soon, pups to feed. He had a handful of loyal subordinates to protect and serve. These were the wolves that mattered now. As much as he loved and would miss his loved ones at the plateau—his pups, his sister, Blue Willow, Lasher—Peregrine began a conscientious effort to harden his heart to them. They could thank their new Alpha.

◆I got not the slightest clue as to where this is, but can I assume he's walking back into the Caldera? If not, I'll twirl it for you. ☆◆



Ashton had noticed the momentary absence of the Calderas Alpha man, the dark dude that all the Hawks looked up to. Per was only gone for a few, and the hippie kept his jovial mood, but of course, the teen did miss his rave cave partner.
Sitting at the borders, the emerald eyed hippie awaited the return of the one and only dark dude he knew.

The he saw it. The brusque and flowing darkness in the shape of lupine.
He wanted to welcome the bro, just smoother him in absolute welcomage.
SMOTHER.
But something about the look in those steel orbs he had...

Being one who was attuned to Nature, that included his fellow bros and gals. And there was a simple feel, a voice, an aura that radiated in omissive waves, giving the golden dude a feel of 'force', 'sad', 'anger', 'fuck you' vibes. Ash couldn't tell if it was just body language or not, but it was there, and it hurt the yellow plaited teen to see his leader in such a shape.

Trotting over the borders a bit, Ashton dropped the vibrant tulips that he had found nestled a bit away from the cold air, growing sheltered in a respite he found alongside a cave, and awaited his leader to notice him.

That awkward moment when you realize you didn't physically describe your character or his location! Lol, wow. Sorry about that! You're fine, though Perry hasn't been gone. :o

He was so distracted that Peregrine paid no attention to where he was or where he was going. He only snapped to attention when he saw movement out of the corner of his eye and saw Ashton trotting toward him, a spray of flowers in his muzzle. The swarthy Alpha slowly turned to face him, wondering where on earth Ashton had found tulips in November.

"Hey," he said a bit sullenly, then caught himself and cleared his throat. "What're the flowers for? Are you trying to woo me?" Laughter was the best medicine, wasn't it? Maybe he could find some relief with humor and good company.

◆Chert, Chert, Chert. I'll edit it the moment I get out of Psychology/or school. Gonna just pretend I didnt think you were gone or traveled away for epic long period. My timeline is chewy screwy at the moment.
Also, gonna male an intro thread of Arina to RHC, so be ready for a tag. W_^V ◆


Nudging the colorfully petaled flowers towards the man, Ashton chucked an obviously practiced charming grin at his leader. Ash was a sweet guy, and wooing wasn't an issue for him.

"As much as it pains me to say, you're taken, dark stuff. "

A jesting wink, and chuckle followed suite.
With the sparkle of worry still in the usually jovial leafy orbs, he asked a bit more quietly,

"But foreals though, you ok, bro? Ya got the look of a bee fightin a bird."

The hippie felt as though feelings were special, because not having them meant you were a mindless husk of living carcass. Keeping them bottled up only allowed the fire to run outta oxygen, and burn out.

'Chewy Screwy' sounds like the name of a breakfast cereal for robots.

Despite Peregrine's sour mood, Ashton's remark caused the corner of his lip to twitch. "I don't think you know me very well yet." He paused when the golden wolf pointed out his temperament. "Let's fix that, why don't we?" he proposed, referring back to his first statement rather than to his mood, though it worked either way. He motioned for Ashton to walk with him.

"I don't know how much you know about the plateau but I was the leader there for nearly a year. When Fox and I left to make our own way here at the caldera, I upset some of the members there. Nonetheless, I offered to consider our packs sister packs. Everything settled down between us and seemed hunky dory to me. But the new Alpha, Dante, came by yesterday to tell me he won't consider us allies. He made it pretty clear we're enemies, actually. My nearly-grown kids live there; my sister lives there; my best friend and my former lover live there. So you can probably guess why I'm not in the best mood."

Peregrine trailed off there, letting his companion get a word in edgewise. He wondered if he had piqued Ashton's curiosity by mentioning a former lover. Once upon a time, the Redleaf-DiSarinno had been closeted but he had long since come out as not only bisexual but also polyamorous. He hadn't been either in practice lately and had never considered taking another lover in Lasher's place. He pondered the idea for a moment, then dismissed it fairly readily. He was about to be a father again; there was no time for superfluous romancing.

◆Just because you said that, gonna name my newborn foal 'Chewy Screwy'. Way to go, Kat. ◆


'I don't think you know me very well yet,' and 'let's fix that, why don't we?' caused the emerald gems to widen on his delicate face.
"Bruuuuuuu-... oh. "
Wrong reference.
GET YA HEAD OUTTA THE GUTTER, ASH, GAWD.

Face pawing himself and following the strides of the onyx, the sand man chastised himself for such a mistaken naughty and awkward thought.
He soon attentively listened as the Alpha gave him his story.
Or at least, the majorly important chunk of it.

After the precisely weaved tale was told, the doctor-to-be shook his handsomely carved face, his cocktailed brain mush soaking in the story as a greedy pup would suckle milk. God, was that a burp he felt comin on?

"Holy hell of flamin fireballs." Was all that lefty his mouth for a few seconds that passed by.

A slash of anger smashed into the hippie, and for a second, he was taken aback. Ash knew why it happened: who the fuckery squared was this Dante dude ta keep a dad from his kid and sis and hubby wubby? And why the fuckery cubed was he not allowing an alliance between the two? Was it so bad to be friends?

"Did he have a reason for the shat he spat, Per?"

For the sake of his life and pack, Ash hoped so.

Ashton's strange manner of speaking amused the Alpha, even now, in one of his darkest hours. He glanced sideways at his fellow, shooting him an appreciative look, though his mouth set into a grime line when he shook his head.

"That's the thing: he didn't give a good reason... or any reason," the Alpha replied. "But there's nothing to be done," he admitted in the next breath, a truth which he resented but acknowledged. "If I attempt to defy Dante's decision, it'll just cause problems for both packs and I don't want that. Fox and I came here to make a home and raise our family, not hell."

Peregrine's tongue darted out to wet dry lips. "The good news is that not being able to fraternize with them means I will have more time and energy to focus on you guys." He managed a wan smile. "I want to get to know everyone a bit better. I already know you're an interesting dude but... tell me some more about yourself. Like, what is your vision for your future here at the caldera? And is there anything I can do to help see it through?"

Ash could see the man was obviously conflicted, and the tone he set his words in indicated that though he wanted better, fate was set in stone.
He was giving up. Tossing in the towel. Putting out the fire. Turning out the light. Squashing threw bug. Knotting the noose. Flexing the... Alright that's enough.

"That's pathetic. Got balls of titanium to tell the Alpha who once ran the very pack he runs 'no'.
I just hope they don't sink his ship before it sails, but he's probably already drownin, man. "

Mother Nature was a funny babe. Sometimes she was the sweetest babe, absolutely docile. Next, karma was her very essence.
Quite a catch, and if ya played ya cards right, she'd help.
This Dante dude didn't seem to be on her side.

"I, Ashton, will be one of the most best and well known Doctors, in the world! "

The golden teen already dreamed big, his ambition smothering his words.
He had already been dogging the ground, coming up with infirmaries for patients, keeping them thoroughly sterile for such a day.
He was suuuuuuuuuuh prepared.
Like,
Bruuhh.

Have I mentioned yet that I find your writing style delightful? :)

Peregrine appreciated Ashton's sentiment, though he wasn't sure he could hope for the same thing. Dante was responsible for several of his loved ones now and if he failed, he failed them. He could drive the pack into destruction, especially this time of year. That wasn't what Peregrine wanted.

The golden wolf's declaration effectively distracted him. Peregrine naturally thought of Blue Willow. Obviously, he would hold Ashton against the standards she'd set and, truthfully, he doubted whether Ashton could be a better Healer. But maybe he was wrong. He hoped he was, actually. It would be awesome if Ashton proved a more capable medic than Peregrine's best friend (former best friend?).

"I already knew that," the Alpha male said with a lopsided grin. "So I know your career aspirations. What about your personal life? Do you hope to land a mate? Start a family? That sort of thing?"

You have, but everytime you tell me, it makes me smile that much more.
♥ Kat.

The blonde dude nodded his head, sunny locks bobbin up and down with the crown dance.
Hell, who had he not thrown his hopes and dreams at, who belonged to the Caldera? He definitely had to tell his tale.

His train of thought almost overturned, flew off the tracks, and crashed into a cliffside, at the next sentence uttered by his rad leader. Family? Pups? Wasn't that like..illegal?
Then he thought through the aspect again, just the joy of comming home to a den, all snuggled up as warm as a dumplin with his munchkin, and little furry minions.
They'd rule the world.

"Weeeeeellll, ya know, I've thought about it every now and then, but I thought it was a no no ta have a puppyhood other than the Alpha's? Plus, knowin' not only that there's a gal out there for me, but little gals and guys following suite, I dont think your own pretty lady would take to fast to the notion of another pack of pups bein' in the Caldera, that she's not the mother of."

His foresty irises set upon the dark chiseled face of his leader, and the yellow dude softened his exuberant voice.

"Plus, I like it here, Per. I'm not too happy on the thought of leaving, just to go start a family. I don't think I got what it takes to be a leader like you, or Foxie Babe. You guys got a huge head over me, and I don't have a problem with it, at all."

"Guess I'm more of a follower than a leader, eh?"

Ashton pointed out that it was usually against policy, so to speak, for anyone besides the Alphas to breed. Peregrine pondered this. He supposed the first year, he and Fox might reserve that right to themselves, while the pack was still new and relatively small. In future years, though, he wouldn't be opposed to allowing others to breed, provided they were ranked and loyal. As it stood, there were no other mated pairs, so it probably wasn't even a question until next year anyhow.

"That sort of thing is up to the Alphas' discretion. If we had the resources, I would at least entertain the notion," Peregrine said. "You're probably right that Fox may have stricter views than I do, though." His tail flicked. They would have to discuss it sometime, though there was plenty of time for that.

"There's nothing wrong with that at all," he added when Ashton declared himself a follower rather than a leader. "I was a follower myself for years. I never even considered becoming a leader, much less an Alpha, until fate essentially threw me a series of curve balls...

I was exiled from my birth pack when my brother rose to power," he explained, wanting to share more about himself as well as get to know his subordinate, "and that's when I came here to Teekon Wilds. I joined the plateau without a single aspiration in sight. I just needed a new home. Then I met Hawkeye and we had what could only be called a whirlwind romance. She made me Alpha and soon fell pregnant. She stepped down after the pups were born, then our relationship hit the rocks. Then I got together with Fox and I think you know the rest of the story."

Ashton reflected on the words from Peregrine with a sense of intent listening.
This dude is probably the most hardcore he had ever had a privilege of talkin to. To sit there and and say he himself, was unprepared for Alpha position, ...
major understatement.

The handsome dude looked up to Peregrine. He was finding that the more he got to know the dark dude, the more respect was there, and the desire to better himself, just to follow in his footsteps, became known too. Ash admired him for the disciplined way he held himself, amd how equally he gave others their turn as they deserved. He took loss and pain on his shoulders, and had the chutz enough to carry it, too.
Like, damn, man.

"When you say it like that, Per, ya make it sound a hell of alot realer than the fairytales I was brought up to believe."

Ashton felt the need to return the favor of telling his own backstory, in trade off with Peregrines.
After all, he should pay em back, he deserved that much.

"Well, you already know ma name. I was born faaaaar off somewhere, but specifically near so tall Aspen trees. I dont even know the name of my birth pack. But they existed. And thanks to my mom getting knocked up, so did I."

Green gems set to the trees, a daydreaming look about his eyes.

"After I was born, I was taken from my mom by my NaNa, mom's mom, my grandma, because shortly after mom had me, she was infected with Rabies. The Curse.
Gram raised me to the world of botany. Herbs, spices, shrooms, barks, spores, plants, cleaning agents, poisonous agents, everything with growable and natural stuff. And woth everything she taight me, I experimented and build upon it. Pretty soon, I knew more than our pack sage.
That was the cue for me to take her spot. But first, I wanted to try a melody of herbal arrangements I came up with, and try to heal my mom."

Silence.
More silence.

"She didn't take the medicine. She didnt even acknowledge it. The only thing she did was snarl and foam all over the place, and try to bit me. But soon, she died. And I took it hard. "

Ashton turned his golden face to his leader's, finishing his life up.

"And decided if I couldn't save her, I was gonna try and save every other wolf out there. But eventually, I came to Teekon Wilds, and came across you guys. Well, I came across your wife who was a bit loopy, a slight slash of delusional. "

A airy chuckle came from him, showing he said nothing he meant in a harmful way.

"And even then, I wanted to help her. I saw she was out of it, but I think she's got a thing against accepting medicines from strangers. I dont blame her, Per."

Ashton shared his own life story next and Peregrine listened raptly. Although the details of their former lives did not matter much to him as an Alpha, save for whatever skills and experiences they brought with them, as their friend, he liked to hear what his wolves had been doing before they had found the caldera. Ashton's life sounded no more or less dramatic than everyone else's, though the part about his mother's rabies made Peregrine wince. March Owl had grown old and a little sick by the time he'd left (read: been exiled from) the Flightless Falcons, yet she had lived a good, long and healthy life up until then.

"That's good," he replied with a light laugh. "I'm not sure where she gets her reticence but I don't question her either. It's her body." Peregrine made a thoughtful noise. "That's a noble cause you have there, by the way, though I hope you're not the type to take failures personally. I know a great Healer—she lives back at the plateau—and she takes personal responsibility for every malady. It makes her a wonderful medic but I worry about the cost to her psyche, you know? There is no way you can truly save every wolf that needs your help. It's just the reality. The circle of life and all that." He caught Ashton's eye, hoping to impart on on him his sincerity.

"So, you seem like a pretty progressive dude," Peregrine continued on a different note a moment later. "Bear with me; it's not as much of a non sequitur as it seems," he added. "The Healer I mentioned, she's my best friend. Her name is Blue Willow. And that former lover I mentioned earlier, his name is Lasher." The Alpha male doubted Ashton would even blink at this news, though he paused for a second before continuing. "Blue Willow was in love with my brother, Atticus, who vanished a while ago. She always wanted pups, so Lasher offered to sire a litter for her. Because of Dante's decision, I won't get to see them when they're born. That's what's bothering me a great deal about this, that and the fact that I can't visit my kids from my former marriage.

Anyway, I mention of all of this because I'm not sure many of you who came to us after we founded the caldera know about our background and what brought us out here—or why our relationship with the plateau matters so much. I don't want my previous life and relationships to be a secret from you guys, even if you're may main focus now," the Alpha male finished.

◆I made it :D ◆



Ashton kept his gaze one with his alpha, nodding his head everytime it was feelin necessary, and giving the every now and then 'ah', and 'oh gebus' when it was also involved in the twists of the dark dudes words. Just the mere fact that he was sitting here talkin to him made the teen feel pretty special. A repayment was to listen to every words the muchacho said.
And to reflect on it.
Conversation pro, ultimate and unbeatable in the game of talk.
Okay, not as hardcore as he liked to think..but let him think, eh?

"Eh nah, my cause is just a cause. Could be more, but nothin less. I do what I can for who I can, and I do it to prevent myself from saying 'I coulda did so much more for them', ya know. Just ta put myself at ease bout the other dudes and dudettes out there struggling to keep their lives. I just hope what I do doesnt screw me over, cause im sicka bein a softy, then snaggin a narley nodge on the noggin and in the throbbin for it. But I'll get there. Fire Babe is showin me up from wrong, and down from right, so im not that boned."

The sandy pelt smiled at the mention of another healer that had earned Per's favor. Hell, he hoped to aspire himself in sucha possible position, maybe get himself up there in the eyes of the alpha.
Now that would be totally rad.

"A Blue Willow, eh? And a healer at that? Imma have to see what I can learn from the sweets. We can exchange the change and make the dollars, and hell, with that, just imagine all the new remedies we can maybe come up with? All the diseases we could cure. All the sick we could heal. All the happiness an unexpected reunion could be."

Ashton saw himself working side by side with this friend of the Alphas, him an apprentice and a mentor to a girl who also saw herself as a Healer as well. They could cure the world.
One paw at a time, dude. Chillax.

Something that shook the Doctor was the news of his Blue catchin the Mom and sneezin the pups, only for his to take his congrats in the middle of his tongue. Damn, what was this Dante's problemo? Did he need a prescription for 'stop bein a stump of dirt' or nah? Furrowing brows met this bit of irritation at the news, and Ash gave the shadow man a look that clearly said 'bruh, let me at em'.

"Not only is he keepin ya from ya man, but from ya Blue, and from ya Blue's pups. And ya kids. I think he wants a war. Or I could whip up a nice little narcotic or somethin, give him a nice stae of affairs with a little chick I know named 'Sleepy Time' , and ya can just do what ya wanna, when ya wanna."

Ashton barked a sharp laugh, imagining Per with a bandit mask, sneakin out a caravan of a mom, a bae, and a kid or two.
Swipper, no swippin'.

I dropped the ball on this one. Sorry! I'm going to wrap it up and put it beneath the Christmas tree. Let's have another soon, oui? :D

Although the idea of Ashton collaborating with Blue Willow brought a small smile to his lips, it did not reach his eyes. He said nothing in response. Everything was still too fresh, too raw, for him. The mention of his friend's name just reminded him of the fact that he wouldn't get to welcome her pups to the world. The realization stung like a bitch the first time and the fiftieth time it came to him.

He managed another smile at Ashton's offer to "help" by drugging Dante. The word war made Peregrine's blood run cold. In time, he would learn the truth, the real reason for the other Alpha's actions, and Peregrine's entire mindset would undergo a drastic shift. For the time-being, however, he resented Dante greatly and the idea of fucking with him was fun, even if it was nothing he would ever do in reality. And, of course, the idea of warring with the plateau made him sick to his damn stomach.

"Hey, do you have something for a queasy stomach?" the Alpha asked half-seriously. "Let's hit up your medicine cabinet, if you don't mind," he added, motioning for Ashton to lead the way to his stash. He did not forget to stop and pick up the flowers, which made him wonder what the dude thought of his revelation about Lasher, especially following his earlier gay joke.

Ah, well, there was still plenty of time to talk about it later and further get to know one another.