Redhawk Caldera Preparation creates its own luck [MFT]

AW, but preferably not Ashton or Tempest as it has to do with minor preparations for Somnia's pack play session. She'd be too competitive to let others witness what she's planning before it actually starts. This thread could also turn into MFT, depending on what direction it takes.

Somnia had done quite a bit of thinking on the matter of the pack play session she was to set up, so that Peregrine could test her abilities as a Caretaker. Although Peregrine's meeting with the potential Caretakers had only been the day before yesterday, Somnia already had most of it figured out. She had determined what the game would be, and she also found a suitable place earlier today. All that was left was to get things in place. Her preparations would take anywhere from a couple days to a week to complete, and then she could launch the play session.

Somnia was in the middle of one of the two preparations that were required. She still had to start the second, but that one would be the easier of the two. It would take less time to do the second. The first preparation was skinning rabbits, squirrels, and other small animals that could be considered food. To make it even more beneficial for the pack, Somnia made it a goal to catch everything herself, instead of taking them out of the caches to skin. Currently, there were two rabbits with her. One was in the process of being skinned, the other tossed to the side for the moment.

Somnia wasn't just skinning them to avoid eating the fur. No, the pelts were what would be useful. Thus, they were to be intact as much as possible. That wasn't the easiest task. The neck typically held the killing wound, labeling that part and above useless. So step one was decapitating the rabbit. Next, was making a tear on the underside, all the way from the neck to where the tail attached to the back. Then she had to remove all of the insides, which she placed in a cache near her. Next, Somnia had to make a tear down the length of each leg to remove the insides of them, as it turned out to be close to impossible without cutting the legs open. Any extra parts went towards the cache, and then, she was done with the first rabbit. Now time to do the second.

I haven't had a Somnia thread in too long. :o

Now that the week of boinking was over, Fox was eager to get back in touch with her pack-mates. There were so many of them now, but she knew that in addition to seeking out the new ones, she'd also need to keep up with the ones who had been around for awhile. Somnia was one of those, and Fox had been tracking her down for the better part of two hours. With a territory as big as theirs, it was easy to spend a large amount of time finding somebody, then actually getting to them. Fox wondered just how disabled she'd be once the pups started filling up her belly. That is, if there were any puppies there at all.

The thick smell of blood and death hung in the air. And while that would turn any human away, it only made Fox's pace quicken the last few hundred yards, where she came across Somnia skinning several small animals. They were unidentifiable now, considering their heads had been ripped off and they were laying in pieces on the ground. It was a bit of a grizzly sight, but Fox had watched Amon do the same thing a month or two back, so she wasn't frightened away by the gruesome scene.

“Skinning, huh?” she asked, wondering what had compelled Somnia to do such a thing. Perhaps she was lining her own den with furs. A flash of fury shot through her when she thought the Gamma might be doing so in preparation for her own children... but then Fox remembered that they'd talked about that already. Unless Somnia was a real idiot, she wasn't planning on disobeying her leader. Fox peered at the girl, hoping for some conversation... or perhaps an explanation as to what was going on.

Somnia looked up as she heard Fox speak. "Yeah. Did Peregrine tell you about how he decided to have me, well each of the aspiring Caretakers actually, come up with a game for a pack play session to test our Caretaker abilities?" She had assumed that Fox would know, as she was the soon to be mother of the pups that the Caretakers would babysit.

"Well, the pelts are for the game I'm going to host." There was an urge to just blurt out everything about the game, but Somnia clamped her jaws shut. She was good at keeping the secrets of others, but her own secrets were a different story. She resisted telling Fox everything right now; she would get to experience it first hand soon enough.

“He did!” Fox replied, excited by the prospect of her underlings fighting for their right to look after her children. It was similar to the pride she'd felt when there were a dozen or so guys chasing her tail. It meant she was ~important!~ Fox was rather self-absorbed, so knowing that others were thinking about her (or her children) did wonders for her ego.

“Pelts for a game?” she half-asked, unsure of whether or not Somnia would want to reveal her plans or leave it a surprise. If she'd been a more imaginative wolf, she might have tried to think up ways pelts could be used for a game. Unfortunately, the only games Fox had ever played were the ones that involved wrestling with her siblings and packmates. Real-life skillz, yo.

Somnia really wanted to blurt out everything about her game then and there. She actually thought it was a really good idea, and wanted to show it off as soon as possible. Maybe she could just explain part of it, and leave the rest a mystery. She could explain why she was using pelts, without telling how she would use them.

"It would be a game that children could play, so I can't use real prey in it, as prey wouldn't sit around with wolves around. The game is focused on developing scenting, -and a few other things- but not hunting. The pelts could still maintain the scent of prey without wasting food. Plus, they won't maintain their scent as well if they're in tatters." That was the logic behind using pelts. Somnia doubted that Fox wanted all the logic, as she usually acted apathetic about these type of things, but it explained why she was using pelts.

Over the past year, Fox had found that she'd become far more tolerant to longer-winded individuals. Especially those that she fancied, like Somnia. If Blue Willow, on the other hand, had wanted to give her some lecture, Fox would have tuned out ages ago. That woman loved giving lectures. It was a good thing they were no longer occupying the same territory, or Fox probably would have found a way to rip her own ears off. Or make them stop hearing. Or something.

“Neat,” Fox replied, “Amon showed me how to skin a few months ago. Have you met him?” He was the oldest member of Redhawk Caldera, and Fox felt he brought something unique to their home (just like everybody else who was here). The skin he'd made that day was now the centerpiece of their den, and something Fox knew that she would cherish in the years to come. Perhaps the game that Somnia introduced would become a Redhawk tradition. Wouldn't that be fancy?!

I believe this can now count for MFT, I'll put it in the title.

"I was actually with him just yesterday, We found a nice spot near the lake on top of the caldera that would suffice for a good spot for your pups to play. I was going to use it for my pack play session, albeit I'll have to split the credit for it with Amon."Somnia left out the explanation as to why it would be a good spot. Fox (as well as Finley) seemed to be one of those wolves who didn't care why it was what it was, but just cared about what it was.

"Maybe you could have your whelping den nearby, as most of the top of the caldera seems safe besides the ridge and the lake. But it's also wide open, so it would be easy to see and prevent any mishaps." That had a bit of explaining, but it was to assure the future mother that it was one of the safest spots.

It was good to hear that Amon was back to socializing with the pack. It seemed he had even shown an interest in helping Somnia out with her quest to create and demonstrate a pack game, which was even more promising. Fox had liked him from the start, and she was pleased as punch to know that Somnia seemed to get along well with him. “That sounds rad,” Fox replied after a beat, mildly curious to know what the game would be, but also thinking it might be best to wait and see the surprise.

“Can’t wait to see what you come up with, Som,” she added, using her head to bump the other girl's shoulder lightly. “You want some help with the skinning? I’m no pro, but it might be a fun new skill to have.” It was then that Fox realized she knew little, if anything, about where Somnia had come from, or what had brought her to Redhawk Caldera. “While I do that, maybe you can tell me about your birth pack. I’m always curious about that sort of thing.” Well, not always, but definitely when it came to her highest-ranking subordinate. Fox pulled one of the many rabbits aside and began to work on it, ears swiveled to listen to Somnia.

When Fox said she couldn't wait to see what she came up with, Somnia took it as a compliment. With the added head bump, it made her feel proud. Not just because she had a good idea about the game, but proud about her status in Redhawk Caldera. Not only was she the highest ranking subordinate, but she also considered Fox a friend, and was positive that the feeling was mutual.

To make it even better, Fox offered to help her skin. She started to do it before Somnia could accept or deny her help, but she would've accepted given the chance. She gave Fox an appreciative glance before the topic was switched.

Fox inquired about her birth pack, and Somnia took it as a sign that she could ramble about it all she wanted, whether or not that was actually the case was a different story. "I was born in a small pack that consisted solely of my family. I had a mother, a father, and three older brothers. I might have some older siblings, but I never met them if I did. We lived in a section of a large valley. It was forested with a river in the middle, and there was a mountain a little ways away from the one side of our borders.

"My parents valued dominance and submission according to rank very strongly. If someone of a higher place told you to do something, you did it with no questions asked. The only way to avoid it was if a higher ranking wolf vetoed the order. Being the youngest, I ended up at the bottom of the pile. My older brothers liked to abuse the system we had with the dominance, but we loved each other all the same.

"All three of my brothers left to start packs with females that hung around the borders as mates before they got to two years. That left three wolves left including me, and we weren't strong enough to protect our territory. Mother and Father joined other, stronger packs, but I set out on my own until I came across Redhawk Caldera." That was her long-winded speech of how she got here.

Fox continued to pull away the hides from their innards (or was it the other way around?) as she listened to Somnia talk about where she had come from and what it had been like there. It all sounded relatively normal and without too much strife, which was quite similar to Fox's own story. At least before she'd come to the wilds and completely destroyed any sense of "normal" from her own life.

Pausing from her task, Fox asked, "Your mother and father split up?" It seemed common for many couples, even parents, and Fox had always been rather confused by the notion. Her own parents had always been together, and she couldn't imagine them ever being apart. Even Peregrine had taken a page from the splitting up book with his last mate—a page Fox wouldn't let him repeat.

Fox listened to her story, or at least Somnia thought she did, and she then even asked a question. "Yeah, my parents split up in the end. It was sudden, and also quite brash in my opinion. It was deciding between the two of them that repelled me from them." The split had been stupid in her opinion. They had been a happy family, even though her brothers liked to pull mean pranks on her, so how had they all ended up going separate ways?

"What about your family? What were they like?" What kind of wolves created the fiery leader that stood with many loyal subordinates by her side? A large, chaotic family similar to how Finley described hers? Or maybe a small, strict pack?

"Weird," Fox replied, still unsure why anybody would split up with somebody they had essentially devoted their life to. She found the thought of it absurd, and thinking about being with anybody other than Peregrine was downright crazy. Perhaps Somnia felt the same way, which was why she had backpedaled on her parents so quickly. Trying to imagine her own parents splitting up gave Fox the same feeling.

"Oh, let's see..." Fox began, trying to think of ways to describe the rag-tag crew she'd come from. "My parents had a litter or two before me, but most of them had left by the time I was older. It was pretty much only our family that lived there. Girls don't get surnames, but the boys all get Crestwood. Everybody's named after what they look like, but not until they're a few weeks old. Apparently, my red coat was enough for them to call me Fox." That tradition was something Fox wished to pass on to her own children, and their children... and so on and so forth.

"I left when I was about a year old. I guess I just felt I was destined for bigger and better things." Fox rarely thought about her birth pack, and she had no desire to return to it. She had her own family at Redhawk Caldera, and there was no reason for her to go home. Peregrine was here, and here was where she would stay. Life was good.

It was possible that Somnia had older siblings besides the ones that she had grew up with as well. She had never asked, just like how no one ever talked about it if they were out there. It was also possible that Somnia could have younger half-siblings running about by now. It wasn't a pleasant thought, but it could be true.

Somnia listened while Fox explained the naming traditions. "I like the naming traditions. What if one of your siblings didn't look like anything? Also, do you plan on doing that too?" In her mind, it would be cool to see the tradition carried on. But on the other hand, what really did happen if a child looked like an ugly blob instead of something?

"Usually we find a way," Fox replied, "Sometimes it's a bit of a stretch as far as the names go, but then it just becomes a name." Thankfully, there were plenty of all-black and all-white animals out there to be named after, and that had been the majority of her family's colors. The others, like herself and Robin, managed to get lucky with their coloration. Maybe the family tradition started when they had so many offspring that just looked like animals.

"I wanted to name all our kids like my family does... but Peregrine gets to have a say, of course. I think his family is mostly birds, so it actually isn't much of a conflict at all!" Maybe, somehow, they would manage to get all children that looked like birds. Naming them would be so easy that way. It was a slim chance, and not really something Fox thought would happen. "We also decided to give 'em two names a piece. Middle names, I think is what they're called." Fox, of course, didn't have a middle name. She'd been just "Fox" up until she'd committed herself to Peregrine. Only then did she gain a surname. Actually, Fox had no idea if Somnia had a surname. Or most of her pack mates, for that matter. Except for Siv Savoy, who just had the most delicious name to say aloud.

A few tail thumps showed her approval for the naming. "Now we just have to wait for them to be born!" If Fox was pregnant... It had sounded like Peregrine had got the job done though, if his enthusiastic spiel he had given Somnia at the time had anything to do with it. If Fox wasn't pregnant, it would be a bummer. Not just for them, but most of the Caldera wolves. Who wouldn't want their little trolls running around?

Plus, all the mischief they could make. The thought of them first endangering themselves at every turn, stressing anyone watching them out, as well as pulling irritating pranks when older were very believable in Somnia's mind. "They might end up making the Caldera feel like hell for some though. Sure, any antics they engage in would be funny to watch, but the victim of said antics when they're older might not feel that way. They'll still be better than no pups at all, even if they do cause hell."

Ah, yes. Now the waiting. That was likely the most difficult part of the whole process. Fox's body had waited nearly half of a year (perhaps more) to kick things off after she had promised herself to Peregrine. And now, there was more waiting to be done. Even after they were born, Fox would have to wait for them to grow, to hear, to see, to develop their own personalities. While Fox hoped that they would all turn out okay, she had also seen Peregrine's children, rotten as they were. Granted, not all of them were rotten. Tytonidae and Pura had seemed normal, for the most part, if not a bit aloof. Saena and Osprey Jr., on the other hand...

“Oh, they’ll be fine,” Fox assured her, “No worse than any other little goblins, I’m sure.” Children would be children, and that was all there was to it. So long as their parents (and the rest of the pack) were there to keep them in check, everything should be hunky-dory. Peregrine and Fox had already lined up several caretakers for them, and Somnia was on the list.

Well, it was true that kids would be kids. Even if Fox's misbehaved, it wouldn't be any worse than any other kids in the world. In a sense, anyone who had a problem with the unborn children could go fuck off. After all, hadn't Fox and Peregrine founded the pack so that they could one day raise their children here?

"You have any plans on what you want to do with them after their born and old enough to do stuff?" It was brought up to keep the flow of conversation going, but who knows? Maybe Fox had a lifelong goal of having children, so she could someday teach them to torment others.

Last post for me! Thanks so much for the thread. :D

"Hm," Fox replied, "I guess there's not anything in particular." Despite what some might think, she was a rather traditional, instinctually-driven creature. Fox would likely do all the things any parent would do. She would teach them to hunt, encourage them to play, and make sure that they were well fed. If they picked up other interests along the way, Fox would be sure to provide any accommodations that she could in order to make them content with their life here.

Pulling the skin free from the last of the animals, Fox laid it beside the others, taking a step back and admiring her work. It wasn't as pretty as the ones that Somnia had attended to, but she didn't mind. "I think I'm gonna go catch up with Peregrine. Lookin' forward to seeing whatever game you cook up!" Fox then gave the loyal Redhawkian a friendly nudge with her nose, and sped off to find her mate.

You're welcome! ^.^

Fox didn't have any major activities planned out for her kids, it seemed. But, that wasn't Somnia's problem. It wasn't a problem at all, really.

Somnia observed as Fox finished skinning, dismissed herself, and parted with an amiable gesture. "Send my regards, and I'll be sure to wow you with my game!" Since all the small game was now skinned, that left nothing else to do except transport it back to her den. She would do that, and they would sit in a heap at the back of the den in an effort to maintain most of their scent for the game.