Redhawk Caldera Stay sick, never basic

Someone had left a giant hunk of bison meat in front of the Alpha pair's den. The scent lured Peregrine out into the winter daylight. He shuffled slowly and stiffly, bending forward to sniff at the meat when he arrived in the doorway. He then hooked his fangs into it and began dragging it inside. He thought better of that, though—he didn't want to make a mess when the pups would be here soon—and stepped over the slab. It made his torn shoulders ache like crazy but the promise of fresh meat helped him cope.

Carefully, he lowered himself to the ground so that he lay like a sphinx with his forepaws pressed against the bloody hunk. He then began tearing into it, savoring the flesh. Hopefully staying well-fed would hasten the healing process. He would only eat enough to partially fill his belly, though; the rest of it would go directly to his hungry mate and unborn pups.

Set before his trip to Firestone Hot Springs that day.

FitzDutiful was pacing too and fro, not too far away from his alphas den. He had seen the meat out front, though he wasn't the one to leave it. It was time to tell Peregrine what was going on. It was time to take the hits that he deserved if Perry found Fitz's future plans a betrayal. Hell, he hadn't even told Raissa anything about what he had planned and he felt awful about that. Even since they had howled their mateship to the pack the two of them had... not really seen each other. The irony really. He knew he would have to tell her before he left pack lands but, in his mind, Peregrine deserved to know first.

But how was he supposed to start this conversation? "Perry, thanks for all that you've done? I hope it's not inconvenient but I want to take what you've taught me and start my own pack." That was the general gist of it but it seemed so cold. He could never repay Fox and Peregrine for all they had done for him. He could never portray to them how much they had helped him grow. FitzDutiful seriously hoped that they'd understand - after all they had left Blacktail Deer Plateau to found the Redhawk Caldera.

So caught up in his pacing, he was, that he failed to notice Peregrine come out to find the meat near the den. When he next glanced at the entrance he saw his alpha and took a deep breath. He wandered closer, favouring his injured side. He should probably wait, he shouldn't do this now, but the wanderlust was getting worse and if Raissa had left the pack for good... there was no way FitzDutiful could stay after that.

For a while, Peregrine remained oblivious to the pack mate pacing restlessly behind him. The sounds and smells of his feeding effectively masked FitzDutiful's presence. Only when he paused to lick his chops did he detect the soft patter of footfalls. His ear flicked backward, then he twisted his neck around, only to regret that decision immediately. It hurt so bad that tears sprang to his eyes.

Doing his best to ignore it, the Alpha male turned his body this time while pushing himself into a seated position. "Duty! I'm glad to see you're okay," Peregrine said. He gave the pale wolf a shrewd look then asked, "You are okay, right? You look a little..." He didn't know the word to use. He looked like he had something on his mind, all right. "What's the matter?"

The time was now. Deep breaths FitzDutiful, you can do this. He kept the breathing constant in his head. 1, 2, 3, 4, 1, 2, 3, 4, 1, 2, 3, 4. On and on it went. Each step he took seemed to take forever and it felt like he was watching some sort of slow motion event. Time appeared to stand still.

Then he was stood still.

Peregrine was in front of him and FitzDutiful was almost visibly shaking from the momentous feeling of this occasion. "I.." he started before trailing off and looking around, as if someone might appear any moment and put of this talk he needed to have.

No one came.

"I'm sorry I'm so ungrateful Peregrine. I'm really, really sorry. You and Fox, you've both done so much for me. I've been here from the start. I've seen you make this pack grow and now you're having puppies and I want this for myself too." His words had come out in a rush , tripping over his tongue as they raced to be the first ones to his ears. He took another deep breath, trying to calm himself and talk a bit slower. "I want to create a pack of my own. I'd prefer to have your blessing but... I understand if you hate me for it."

Even if Peregrine and Fox told him they disapproved of his desire to create a pack, he didn't think he could stop it. Hell, even Raissa wanting to stay wouldn't stop the burning desire to do this that he felt.

When an answer wasn't exactly forthcoming, Peregrine began to grow alarmed. Was he having a fit or something? Duty appeared to be trembling. "Hey—" Peregrine said and began to rise to all fours, wincing at the pain as the torn skin stretched along his shoulders. He sank back down in the next instant, when the subordinate finally spat out what was on his mind.

Even before he got to the point, Peregrine intuited the news to come. His face hardened somewhat. Obviously, this wasn't wasn't the easiest of news to hear, as he would be losing a valuable pack mate, one of the caldera's few founders. The Alpha felt natural resistance. At the same time, someone had finally come to him and had the guts to inform him beforehand, rather than go behind his back or just disappear. That took some balls and spoke to Duty's integrity.

"Duty, I... this isn't what I'd ever expect to hear from you," Peregrine admitted, brows furrowing in thought. "But that doesn't mean it's a bad thing," he added. "I appreciate you coming to me. What makes you want to do this?" he wondered. Was FitzDutiful cut out for leadership? Was it because of Raissa? Was it just about having puppies? A thousand questions swirled around in the Alpha's mind, yet he waited to hear from Duty before saying anything more.

I couldn't resist. <__<
Short because working! Jk, not short.

Muffled voices dragged Fox out of her sleep. Well, that and the decidedly odd sensation she felt in her abdomen. It wasn't quite hunger, nor was it nausea. Just... “Movement!” she whispered with excitement. But it stopped, and Fox remembered the other reason she had awoken. Crawling to the entrance of the den, she poked her head out to catch the end of FitzDutiful's speech.

"I want to create a pack of my own. I'd prefer to have your blessing but... I understand if you hate me for it." Hate him? “I won’t speak for Peregrine,” Fox began, casting the father-to-be a glance to let him know she wouldn't make that mistake again, “but I don’t have a problem with it. I still don’t understand why everybody got pissy when we decided to leave the plateau.” Now that Fitz had Raissa—Fox was unaware of what had (or rather, hadn't) transpired between them—it was natural for him to want to branch out on his own.

She had questions for him, but considering Perry had just asked one, she didn't want to overwhelm him or make him feel he was being attacked.

Yay! Bundles love on Peregrine and Fox.

The words were spoken and Fitz had just begun to mentally calm himself down when Fox appeared beside her mate. He was feeling himself beginning to work up when she immediately spoke saying that she had no problem with it. Relief swept through him. That doubled when Peregrine didn't say that he hated Fitz either.

He calmed down and managed to stop his state of hypervigiliance enough to consider the question at hand. "Do you remember those month ago when I came to you talking about wanting to become a beta?" A pause to give Peregrine time to remember that conversation. "Well, ever since that time I've been working on myself. My confidence, my skill sets. Lately, I've just had a burning desire to strike out and give it a go. It intensified when Raissa agreed to move here and I thought maybe the two of us could give it a go."

Now for the crux of the matter. Before anyone could say anything, Fitz continued. "But I realised this isn't about her. I love her, I'd be willing to let her come with me if she wanted to. But I haven't even told her yet. You are the first I wanted to know. Even if she doesn't want to come with me I still want to do this, I feel that strongly about it."

When he heard movement in the den, Peregrine wanted to turn and face the entrance, though doing so would mean more pain. Luckily, Fox soon joined him in the open air, saving him the effort. She addressed FitzDutiful promptly. While she spoke, Peregrine leaned toward her and touched his nose to her cheek, then refocused his attention on their subordinate.

He weighed Duty's words, as well as his mate's, and did not speak for several minutes. When he did, he said, "I think you should pursue it, if you feel this strongly. It is for the best, if you desire a high rank and children of your own." Peregrine paused. "I'm glad you came to us first," he repeated. It wasn't his favorite news, yet it was better to find out this way than any other.

"But..." Now he glanced at Fox. "Unless you're opposed, I'm going to ask him to leave directly." He blinked, then turned back to face the Counselor. "It's nothing personal. But if you endeavor to make your own way, I don't feel as if you should continue using the caldera's resources. Nor do you owe us your contributions, if your allegiance no longer belongs with us."

He wouldn't be chasing FitzDutiful away right this very instant or anything like that. But he truly felt it was only fair that their bond be (amiably) severed, effective immediately. Duty had Peregrine's reluctant but genuine support, he just didn't think the caldera as a whole owed him the same. He should go forth, with his (former) Alphas' blessing, and make his own way right away.

Fox nodded in agreement to Peregrine's words. She felt the same, if not slightly more positive on the matter. “I don’t mind if you stick around for a few days before you head out, but Peregrine is right. You’ll want to be putting all of your effort into this new endeavor, and you can’t very well do that while also trying to satisfy the caldera’s needs.” Fox paused, collecting her thoughts. “Who is going with you?” she asked, “And when do you plan to leave?”

She assumed that Raissa would be tagging along, though with the way Fitz was talking about her, that didn't seem entirely certain. Fox wondered if something had transpired with them, much as it had recently transpired with herself and Peregrine. Perhaps there were others within their ranks that were itching to get away, though Fox could not think of anybody offhand. They had several in their ranks who were... scarce, to say the least, but Fox still smelled them faintly when she was out and about, and she even caught far-off glances of them from time to time.

Peregrine conferred with Fox that FitzDutiful should leave right away and he nodded in understanding. He hadn't expected anything else - it would have been a complete surprise for him to be allowed to stay a Caldera wolf and they couldn't afford that strain on their resources. No, better that he make his own way now.

"I don't need a few days," he responded to Fox's statement about allowing him that. "Realistically, I should leave tonight. The pups are important and you need every wolf to pull their weight. I'd rather leave tonight and allow you the space for more able wolves - and ensure your pups future." He thought for a moment before replying to her question. "As for who is coming. It's potentially no one. I need to talk to Raissa and tell her about my plans. She deserves that, even if she no longer wishes to mate with me. Other than that, I've spoken to no one about my plans and will not attempt to recruit anyone."

Fox mentioned followers and Peregrine looked shrewdly at Duty, wondering if he meant to take anyone of particular importance to him. He didn't mind if he took Raissa, of course; it only made sense. The Alpha male scarcely knew her, honestly. But what if he wanted to take Finley or Elwood...? It wouldn't make any sense, yet the thought crossed his mind nevertheless.

When FitzDutiful answered, Peregrine's lips parted. His expression softened as he reflected back on the (former) Delta's lukewarm mentions of his new lady. "Is it not working out with her?" he asked gently. Secretly, he was glad to hear that Duty wouldn't be taking anyone with him, even though he knew that made his chances of successfully planting roots much more difficult. He was also relieved when Duty agreed that leaving now was best.

"Where will you go?" the swarthy wolf asked next. Did Duty already have his sights set somewhere? Did he want to stay nearby or go relatively far? Peregrine hoped it would be far enough that competition would never arise, though he didn't want FitzDutiful to venture so far away they never saw or heard from one another again. No matter what, he would truly miss the steadfast Counselor.

Fox listened patiently as Fitz explained who he planned on bringing and how soon he would be leaving. While she would be sad to see him go, she was also happy that he was striking out on his own. It was a natural, instinctual thing for him to do, and Fox thought it perfectly logical. Peregrine's questions were valid, and Fox listened with tilted ears for Fitz's answers.

All the while, though, she was thinking of the movement that had rustled her from sleep, and Fox wondered how much longer it would be before the children arrived. If her calculations were correct, she had less than a full turn of the moon before their small, mewling faces came into the world.

When Peregrine asked whether things were working out with Raissa, FitzDutiful just shrugged and left it at that. There was a chance that everything would work out fine, there was a chance that he was about to destroy relationship. In the end, what would be would be.

He turned his mind, instead, to the future and to where he planned to go. "I'm thinking Silvertip Mountain." He replied. He had scouted out the area and it seemed an adequate distance away from two of the nearby packs. The other one, the Plateau, was separated by a river and that was an ideal boundary spot. The mountain was big enough, anyway, that they could live there without coming in contact with Plateau wolves.

The realisation dawned on FitzDutiful that this was potentially the last time he would be here. Sure, he might come visit but being an alpha didn't allow much time away from home and Fitz was a homely wolf at the best of times. "I guess there's nothing more to be said?" he asked, feeling like he should now go deal with the other major thing that concerned him - Raissa.

Peregrine found the noncommittal response as perplexing as it was intriguing. It seemed strange to him that FitzDutiful would want to do this with or without Raissa, instead of because of her. Oh, well, his reasons were his own. Peregrine didn't know what or where Silvertip Mountain was off the top of his head, though there were no peaks too close for comfort, so he didn't worry about it.

His parting words jarred the black Alpha somehow. "Good luck, Duty, and take care," was all Peregrine could think to say. We'll miss you, his face added, though he didn't feel like getting too sappy at the moment. Then something did occur to him and he said, "I can't say that I'll visit, since I'm not the type, but if you are, you're welcome to call at our borders as a welcome guest." He shot Fox a sideways glance to make sure that was okay.

Once FitzDutiful presumably departed, Peregrine turned to his wife and admitted, "That... blows. I mean, I'm happy for him, I guess? I hate to lose such a good member, a founder." He sighed, then put his muzzle against her temple. "What was that noise earlier, by the way? When you were in the den? I felt like you were talking to someone—the pups?" he guessed half-jokingly.

Omg only like 2 weeks until babbys. I feel so unprepared!

Fox nodded in agreement with Peregrine. Fitz had been nothing but respectful, and he'd handled his departure with maturity that Fox herself often lacked. Fitz departed, and Fox wondered if Raissa would go with him. Having her girl crush here was so convenient, even if Fox had no plans to act on it. With the birth of her children quickly approaching, Fox was pretty sure she wouldn't have time for another relationship on top of Peregrine. Not only that, but she hadn't a clue about how girl-on-girl action was supposed to work.

Peregrine snapped her out of her daydreaming, and she licked his ear. "It's better that he's happy there, rather than unhappy here." Not that Fitz had been particularly unhappy here, but she had a feeling it would happen if they had told him not to go. He asked about the noise, and Fox gave him a befuddled look before remembering what had happened back in the den. "I felt them!" she beamed, "I think they were squirming around in my belly." This really squicks Remedy out, but Fox thought it was totally rad.

I'll leave it to one of you to decide whether to continue or archive. Bye bye!

They both agreed that this was it and FitzDutiful felt sad to leave. If he had known the conversation about the pups that was taking place as soon as he was out of earshot he would have rescinded everything he had just said. Unknown to him right there and then, if he had known quite how close the pups were he would not have considered leaving until they were old enough to fend for themselves - or until their pack was at the point of being too full to support them all.

The ever dutiful wolf mentally and physically prepared himself for the encounter to come. He couldn't have known how well Raissa was going to take it as once again he expected the worst. Beginning the trek, the nerves that his alphas had settled worked their way into a frenzy. He didn't even have time to consider whether he would ever return to the Caldera's borders.

She looked at him quizzically, then seemed to remember after a moment. Peregrine smiled at her joyful outburst. He remembered feeling the pups' movements during Hawkeye's pregnancy and had looked forward to this moment in Fox's. He was a little tickled by the almost childish wonder on his mate's face and in her voice.

"Really? Can you feel them right now?" he wondered, taking a careful step to reach out his nose and touch it gently against her baby bump. Even if she could feel it didn't mean he would necessarily feel anything, though he hoped...

"Yeah," Fox replied, "I mean, it really happened, but I don't feel them now. They must have gone back to sleep." And that made her wonder how often they would sleep once they took their first breaths in the world. She knew she would appreciate the peace and quiet when they slept, but she hoped that they would be awake enough to interact. Then again, once they were up all day, she and Peregrine would most certainly have their paws full.

"I think it'll be another fifteen days or so," Fox said, basing this off what she could remember from childhood. "I should find Ashton and ask him. You think he'd know about that?" she asked. It would be nice to have a good idea of when they would be spilling out into the world.

"Oh," he said softly when she reported no movement currently. He lifted his head and looked at her face. "I never thought about that much before: about how they must wake up and fall asleep in there, I mean. How weird." As he said this, his lips twitched upward. How weird and how wonderful.

His smile crashed and burned when Fox asked about Ashton. "That mother fucker disappeared," he said angrily. "When Duty and I took some hits fighting that lynx—well, that's when I found out," Peregrine said, which would probably explain the extra edge of derision in his voice. "Not everyone can be as cool as Duty," he lamented, looking toward where the former Delta had walked off into the distance. Nope, most wolves still poofed without a word.

Fox frowned deeply. She couldn't really imagine Ashton taking off without saying anything, which led her to believe he had somehow gotten himself injured. Either that or he really was a terrible wolf who had put on a front. Maybe he'd gotten cold feet with Somnia or something equally stupid. Whatever the reason, it was worrying to think that they now lacked a healer. Young pups were notoriously susceptible to illness, and that was perhaps the only time Fox would ever request a healer.

"How are you feeling, by the way? Do you want me to clean the wounds you can't reach?" Actually, Fox would be happy to clean even the wounds he could reach. She simply wouldn't stand to have him out of commission when the children were born. "Do you think you'll be back on your feet by the time the children arrive?" It was true that they had many close friends who could help, but Fox wanted Peregrine to be one hundred percent when she went into labor.

"Sure," he replied when she offered to help him clean his wounds. When she asked about the time frame for healing, he picked up on the concern in her voice. "Oh, yeah," Peregrine reassured her. "I'll be back to moving around within a week, maybe two, tops. I'll be good as new by the time they get here," he finished, offering a nudge, "only I'll have some neat scars so they'll know their dad's a total badass."

He laughed quietly, then slowly positioned himself on the ground, granting Fox access to his shoulder blades. He winced openly. The gashes were painful. That would subside within a few days, though the healing skin would tight, itchy and raw. That stage would last a week, then he felt he would be able to move about much more freely. He wasn't really worried about the timeline.

"I wanted to stay nearer now that you're getting closer anyhow," he told Fox, eyes shifting up to her face. "I'll have to go out to hunt and patrol some... but for the next little while, I'll be sticking close to the caldera." He would have shrugged but that would hurt, so instead he quipped, "I'll enjoy my last lazy days for a long time to come... and, hey, I think that by taking it really easy, I'll heal all the faster. So, seriously, don't worry about me."

This was likely the closest Fox would ever get to being a healer, but the wonderful properties of canine saliva would certainly help Peregrine's wounds. It warded off infection and disease, and Fox was more than happy to clean and care for her mate. When he assured her that he would be back up and raring to go in a matter of weeks, she was pleased as punch. When he mentioned the scars, Fox smirked. She certainly had her fair share of unsightly gashes, so they would finally be a matching pair!

“You know I can’t not worry about you, right?” Fox said, taking a break from cleaning his wounds, only to go right back to it once she had voiced her opinion on the matter. She continued the grooming ritual, breaking free the dried blood and ensuring that little (if any) dirt was left behind.

"I know," he agreed, giving her a nudge beneath one gray eye. "Everything will be fine, though. Wanna eat?" Peregrine said in the next breath. Momentarily forgetting his aching shoulders, he motioned at the hunk of bison meat, then winced and grew still. "Not sure who left it here but it's fresh," he reported.

Whether or not Fox followed suit, he gingerly re-positioned himself in front of the slab of bloody bison meat. It took him several minutes to lower himself and then wait for the stabbing pains to subside. He then resumed eating, though he would leave the lion's share to his leading lady and the pups leaping and dancing in her abdomen.

Fox nodded at his suggestion to eat, and she winced right along with him when he rose from his spot on the ground. She would, of course, continue to worry about him and his health, but she would do her best to keep it in check. Fox stepped up to the large present and began to tear at it, ripping muscle from bone as she'd been doing since she'd had teeth. Between bites, she peeked glances at Peregrine to make sure he didn't keel over and die from his wounds.

Assuming they'd eaten their fair share, she licked her lips and backed away from what was left (which wasn't much). Blood covered her muzzle and chest, though thankfully none of it was her own.

"Oh!" Fox yelped, startled by the movement in her belly. It seemed all that eating had stirred them into their awakened state. "Perry, quick! Come feel!"

They ate in tandem, Peregrine giving his mate an appreciative look as she feasted like a queen. After eating their respective fills, they backed away from the supper table. Well, he didn't actually move but rather pushed the remaining game away from himself. He knew he would have to sit up, then stand, in order to move into the den. He was in no hurry to experience the pain that would come from doing that, so he busied himself with licking the gore from his muzzle, chest and forelegs.

Then Fox shouted something and his head shot upward. He understood immediately what she wanted. Thinking quickly, the Alpha male scooted on his belly toward his standing wife, then swung his swarthy head under her belly and pressed his warm crown into her abdomen. The gooiest smile slowly took over his face as he felt their pups dancing atop his head.